Should we be strict with ourselves and lenient with others?
Answer: First, there is no scriptural basis for the idea that we should always be strict with ourselves and lenient with others. It may be [...]
Remembering you does not consume my time; it saves my time from being consumed by my mind
Bhagavad Gita 12.20 ye tu dharmyāmṛtam idaṁ yathoktaṁ paryupāsate śraddadhānā mat-paramā bhaktās te ’tīva me priyāḥ Those who walk this nectar way, Living dharma [...]
Bless me to like you more and become more like you
Bhagavad Gita 12.13 adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī Hating none, a friend to all, Merciful when troubles call; Free [...]
Let my relationship with you lift me above bitterness and vindictiveness in my other relationships
Bhagavad Gita 12.15 yasman nodvijate loko lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ By whom the world is not distressed, [...]
Let grateful curiosity become my key to freedom from the cage of complaints
Bhagavad Gita 12.14 santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ Ever content, steady in soul, Firm in resolve, with [...]
Free me from all pain, even the pain for which I have no name
Bhagavad Gita 12.19 tulya-nindā-stutir maunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit aniketaḥ sthira-matir bhaktimān me priyo naraḥ Alike in praise and blame, Silent, content in any frame; [...]
You are so selfless that you cherish my small attempts at selflessness, even if I am still godless
Bhagavad Gita 12.11 athaitad apy aśakto ’si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān If this path still feels too steep, And my yoga [...]
Grant me entry into the inexhaustible mystery and infinite love that define your divinity
Bhagavad Gita 12.8 mayy eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya nivasiṣyasi mayy eva ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ Let your mind rest in me alone, [...]
From the desires that are trouble, lead me to the desire that is a treasure
Bhagavad Gita 12.9 atha cittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram abhyāsa-yogena tato mām icchāptuṁ dhanañjaya If you can't be absorbed steadily, Then just focus [...]
Let me see love not just as attraction and absorption, but also as aspiration and attention
Bhagavad Gita 12.7 teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha mayy āveśita-cetasām For them I swiftly become the guide, Lifting them from death’s [...]
Emotional intelligence: Knowing when to respond with equanimity and when with empathy
When someone experiences emotional turbulence, especially during difficult or potentially traumatic times, our response can significantly influence not only their emotional state but also their [...]
Offering love of God to both sides while mediating a conflict
Love of God is as necessary for those who fail to understand as it is for those who are waiting to be understood Many misunderstandings [...]
The balance of predictability and unpredictability that makes relationships fulfilling
The balance of predictability and unpredictability that makes relationships fulfilling Healthy relationships strike a balance between predictability and unpredictability. When we are in a long-term [...]
Three characteristics each of spontaneous remembrance and conscientious remembrance
Three characteristics each of spontaneous remembrance and conscientious remembrance When memory is coupled with desire, attachment, or an emotional investment, it starts flooding, filling, and [...]
Two levels for focusing the fickle mind on Krishna
Two levels for focusing the fickle mind on Krishna - Even if we can't keep our mind in Krishna through absorption, we can still keep [...]
When orthodoxy overrides morality decency humanity
Devotion is characterized more by the protection of morality than by the protection of orthodoxy. All theistic traditions worldwide are associated with certain ritual practices [...]
Krishna is present in the present
The Bhagavad-gita (12.8) states that those whose mind and intelligence are absorbed in Krishna live in Krishna already. The emphasis is that Krishna is not [...]
Feeling unsettled: Good or bad?
To be unsettled is unhealthy when we are living a life of values and purposes. But it is healthy when we are settling for complacency [...]
Cut people or cut people some slack?
Don't cut people because they are slack. Cut people some slack. Whenever someone doesn't live up to our expectations, it is natural that we become [...]
Giving others what they deserve is not love
Love means to give others what they need, not what they deserve or even what they desire. When we try to show our affection to [...]
Might we be fanatics?
We may think of fanatics to be scary-looking monstrous people who self-righteously destroy anyone who opposes them. While that is indeed fanaticism in activity there [...]