Learn to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable
Life often makes us uncomfortable, through stress, boredom, overwork, loneliness, sickness and so forth. On facing such discomfort, we impulsively seek to get away from [...]
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 [...]
Just because we have drunk a sip of poison doesn’t mean we have to drink the whole cup
Suppose we accidentally take a drink that is poisonous. As soon as we realize what we are doing, we will immediately stop drinking it and [...]
See Krishna’s reciprocation more in spiritual absorption than in material protection
While practicing bhakti, suppose we face problems and pray to Krishna for help. If we don’t get the sought protection, we may doubt, “Why is [...]
In bhakti, we don’t just make the offering – we are ourselves the offering
To connect personally with anyone, we usually offer them something with love. The same principle applies to the process of bhakti-yoga, wherein we aspire to [...]
God does not play favorites, but he has his favorites
To play favorites means to bestow special favors on those whom one likes while overlooking others. To play favorites connotes a distasteful partiality. To have [...]
Why should Krishna get less from us than what our boss gets?
When we practice bhakti, we may feel, “I have too much service to do. Why am I being stretched so much?” Sometimes, we may be [...]
Everything is not Krishna’s plan, but everything is within Krishna’s plan
Is everything that happens in our life – including things that happen because of our mistakes – all by Krishna’s plan? No; it is not Krishna’s [...]
Even if we can’t succeed in Krishna consciousness, we can fail in Krishna consciousness – not fail out of Krishna consciousness
When we practice bhakti and strive to become Krishna conscious, we are expected to follow some standards. If we fail to follow those standards, we [...]
Gita 09.13 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now after describing Mavavadis in [...]
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 [...]
God determines the scope of our actions, not our actions themselves
Some people ask, “If God is the supreme controller, does his controllership mean that whatever we do, he is controlling us and compelling us to [...]
Devotion transforms backbenchers into toppers
In every classroom, some students are perpetual backbenchers – they don’t like to study; they attend classes just because they have to. Predictably, they fare [...]
Spiritual discipline is the road to freedom, not a roadblock
Many people believe that discipline is a roadblock to freedom – if they have to follow rules, they won’t be free to enjoy. But does [...]
Pure devotion is atelic, not telic
Telic refers to activities that are done for a particular goal. We may drive to get to office, work to earn a living or save [...]
The Absolute’s different manifestations reflect his different moods
God is one. While this truth is taught by all theistic traditions, Gita wisdom adds a significant detail: His oneness doesn’t limit him to one [...]
Spiritual growth requires rising from “either-or” thinking to “and” thinking
While driving through a fork, we have to choose one of the two roads. We often superimpose this materially useful either-or attitude on spiritual understanding. [...]
Devotion is meant to be manifested not just on our lips but also in our lives
When we practice bhakti-yoga and cultivate devotion for Krishna, we may become very effusive in manifesting that devotion through our lips – we may speak [...]
We may be battered, but we don’t have to be shattered
Suppose in a boxing match one boxer is attacked and battered by an opponent. But if the battered boxer just keeps fighting, the attacker tires [...]
Remembering Krishna is not a function of the memory – it is an inclination of the heart
We usually associate remembrance with memory – those with good memory can remember a lot of things, those with poor memory struggle to remember even [...]
Gita 09.21 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan so what happens for such [...]