Gita 09.02 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 9.2 rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ pavitram [...]
Don’t let doubt stop our human search for understanding (Dealing with doubt 6)
We humans have an innate thirst for understanding. This thirst impels us to explore the world of matter through science and the world beyond matter [...]
Three meanings of spring, as applied to bhakti
Bhakti is a spring: Just as an object kept on a coil is sprung by the energy of that coil, we too are sprung by [...]
What differentiates spiritualists from materialists is not absence of pain but presence of healing
Some people ask spiritualists, “You go through the same problems as we do – what do you gain by your spiritual practices?” To understand, consider [...]
Spiritual knowledge is not just propositional – it is also transformational
Some people downplay spiritual knowledge, deeming it merely propositional. They hold that various teachers make various propositions about the nature of reality; none of these [...]
See religion not as a cultural phenomenon, but as a spiritual process
People in various parts of the world often follow different religions. Even if they are affiliated to the same religion, the ways in which they [...]
Practice bhakti for experience, not expedience
Those brought up or living in a devotional culture may go through the motions of bhakti for expedience’s sake, for example, to avoid reproach in [...]
Realization harmonizes scientific experimentation with spiritual revelation
Some people ask, “Isn’t it better to acquire knowledge through scientific experimentation rather than scriptural revelation because by experimentation we can actively participate and verify [...]
Devotion passes and surpasses the intellect
The path of devotion passes the intellect meaning that its explanation of life’s purpose can survive the scrutiny of the intellect. In fact, the Bhagavad-gita, [...]
Devotion takes us beyond the rational faculty to the transformational facility
When we are asleep and have a nightmare, we can’t reason our way out; we have to wake up. Gita wisdom explains that we are [...]
Let reason be our minister, not our master
We may get the question: “Do I have to give up reason in order to put faith in the Gita?” Not at all, answers Gita [...]
Bhakti is not just cultural or historical but also universal and eternal
The historical dating of spiritually significant events is often an exercise in irrelevance. Consider, for example, the mainstream academic opinion that characterizes bhakti as a [...]
Confirmation comes by conformation
We may sometimes wonder: “Are the statements in the Bhagavad-gita about God’s existence and benevolence to be accepted on faith alone? Isn’t there any way [...]
Bhakti purifies, sanctifies and amplifies our emotions
Emotions differentiate us conscious beings from unconscious things. As matter doesn’t have the capacity to experience emotions, the presence of that capacity in us suggests [...]