How humility empowers amid difficulties
Amid difficulties, our mind tends to propel us between extremes, akin to the extremes of a pendulum. For example, when we are faced with a [...]
Gita 10.10 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 10.10 teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ [...]
How devotion leads to dynamic intelligence (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 11)
Our destiny is determined by our decisions; the choices we make can radically alter our life’s trajectories. Unfortunately, the world can be so complex and [...]
Why our mood matters in our bhakti practice (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 10)
Suppose we meet someone whose words or gestures convey that they don’t want to be with us. Once we sense their feelings toward us, we [...]
Chatur-Shloki Gita illustrated in the Krishna-Arjuna relationship (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 8)
The Chatur-Shloki Gita (10.08-11) can be analyzed in terms of what devotees do for Krishna (10.08-09) and what Krishna does for devotees (10.10-11). Let’s see [...]
Chatur-Shloki Summarized in terms of reciprocation (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 7)
If we read the Bhagavad-gita’s Chatur-shloki (its four-verse summary:10.08-11), it becomes evident that its essential theme is bhakti-yoga. And this yoga of love centers on [...]
Three ways remembering Krishna empowers us to face problems
Our life is often filled with many problems, and so is our world. When we have so many problems to tackle, we may wonder, “What [...]
Whose place are we seeking in devotion: ours or someone else’s?
Suppose we see someone speaking Krishna’s message attractively and getting a lot of appreciation and glorification. Feeling inspired, we seek to do the same service. [...]
Why we prefer outer news to inner news?
By exploring our inner world and learning about ourselves, we can better tap our abilities and increase our contributions. This is far more beneficial than [...]
Even though we have more enemies than we realize, we also have more friends than we realize
Suppose we are confronting someone. To face them effectively, we need to know our friends and our enemies. If someone we had overlooked turns out [...]
If we are tormented by strong conscience and weak willpower, the solution is strengthening willpower, not weakening conscience
We all face situations in our life wherein we feel impelled to do things that go against our values and principles. At such times, we [...]
Experience becomes our best teacher when we experience the Best Teacher
As the common saying goes, experience is the best teacher. But we see so many people who don’t learn from experience; they keep repeating the [...]
Praying to get our need fulfilled isn’t our need – praying is our need
When we pray to God for something, we may fear, “What if my prayer is not answered? Won’t my faith in God weaken? If God [...]
To get Krishna, get absorbed in Krishna
The word “get” can refer to comprehension (“I get what you are saying”) and attainment (“I will get that award”). In both these senses, we [...]
Choosing Krishna is the one choice that empowers us to make better choices
Our life is determined largely by our choices. The choices we make are like the turns we take while driving; those turns determine whether we [...]
Recollection is a function of conception
Some seekers ask, “Why do I keep forgetting spiritual truths? Why is my memory so poor?” Frequently, what is poor is not our memory, but [...]
When God wants to speak to you, don’t let your mind give him the busy signal
Suppose we have fixed a phone appointment with an important mentor. When they call at the scheduled time, suppose our aide tells them we are [...]
Love doesn’t have to come in the way – love can be the way
Some people conceive of spirituality as fundamentally centered on world rejection. Love is the strongest among all the emotions that we experience and usually our [...]
The heart is a nursery, not a factory
Some critics of bhakti, on seeing how devotees look similar, accuse that the bhakti movement mass-produces cultural clones, as does a factory. However, such a [...]
Faith means to take one step towards Krishna even when the whole path isn’t clear
Sometimes we face dark and disturbing problems in our life at the social, financial, physical, psychological or even spiritual levels. While faith can have many [...]
Seeking God’s will in his word shows us our way in this world
Different people approach the Bhagavad-gita differently, seeing it, for example, as a historical, cultural or poetic book. Though the Gita has all these aspects, they [...]