Study matter for deconstruction, edification, redirection and utilization
On the spiritual path, studying matter can aid our inner growth in many ways. Let’s consider four of them: Deconstruction: Study of matter can help [...]
We need mentors who understand our mind and who can help us understand our mind
Whatever be our specific inclination – which stems from the nature of our mind – that mental inclination presents distinctive challenges in our life in [...]
Whatever we feel we need, we need Krishna
What we feel we need varies according to our situations and our dispositions. We all have the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter – and money to get these needs. But what we feel we need often exceeds far beyond what we need. We need food, but we may feel that we need a particular delicacy.
People may worship one God, but they don’t necessarily worship the same God
The word “God” is used across the world’s various monotheistic traditions to refer to the Supreme Being. Although all monotheists profess to worship one God, [...]
God is not a being who exists in time – he is the being because of whom time exists
Some people ask, “How can we know that God is still living?” The notion that God can cease to exist is like the idea that [...]
God is not like an undiscovered satellite around Jupiter
If Jupiter had some undiscovered satellite, we could detect it if we just developed the necessary material technology. Some people think that we could similarly [...]
Don’t just take in the diagnosis – take the prescription too
Suppose a person, during a routine medical checkup, finds that they have a dangerous disease. If the disease is also complex to understand, their head [...]
Be too intelligent to fall for the hero business
Becoming a hero is the business of most people’s lives. And they frequently pursue this business by trying to become better than others, by becoming [...]
Longing is the test of taste
Suppose during our childhood we had regularly visited an enjoyable place, but during our ensuing life’s many activities, have forgotten how wonderful that place was. [...]
How everything came from nothing is not explained by italicizing nothing
Where did everything come from? This is one of the biggest unanswered questions in science. Of course, this question precedes modern naturalist science; it has [...]
Bhakti is not just a choice of the head – it is also the calling of the heart
Suppose we are driving to some destination and come to a fork. If we are unsure about which way to go, we will move slowly [...]
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 [...]
Thinking about Krishna is not just redirection of thought but also redefinition of thinking
The Bhagavad-gita’s call to constantly think about Krishna may raise the question, “How is this practical? To grasp the call’s practicality, we need to first [...]
Cosmic administration is like a country’s administration, not a continent’s
Westerners who hear about the many gods within the Vedic pantheon often equate this conception with the polytheism widespread in the Greco-Roman culture that was [...]
Asking whether God exists is like asking whether a circle is circular
Suppose a child asks us, “Is a circle circular?” We wouldn’t just answer affirmatively; we would explain a circle’s definition, thereby underscoring the question’s redundance. [...]
All glory originates and culminates in Krishna
We all want to be valued, recognized, appreciated. Living amidst the millions that crowd today’s metropolises, we may feel like an insignificant statistic. Standing out [...]
God acts through us and beyond us – and always for us
When we need to do something difficult, we may pray for help. Skeptics mock such praying: “What is its use? If you have an exam, [...]
Become conscious of Krishna in whatever makes you unconscious of Krishna
When we strive to become devoted to Krishna, we often face temptations that obstruct us. Tempting sense objects intrude into our consciousness and captivate it. [...]
Just because we can’t light the world doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t light our corner of the world
Suppose suddenly the power goes off all over our city. We don’t think, “Everywhere, there is darkness; what difference is lighting my small corner going [...]
Krishna is the source, shelter and summit of everything
Some people conceive of God as a distant being who manages the world through some remote-controlling mechanism. Raising us beyond such preliminary notions of God, [...]
Devotion defangs and domesticates our desires
Desires are often thought of as enemies for seekers because they entangle us in material things. The Bhagavad-gita (13.22) stresses that the desire to enjoy [...]