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 [...]
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 [...]
Gita 12.09 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Below 12.8 is12.9, practice Sadhan [...]
Through discipline to the stage beyond discipline
Self-discipline can seem to be a constant struggle between our far-sighted intentions and our short-sighted emotions. We may morosely ponder: “Will the struggle ever end?” [...]
What’s wrong with desirelessness? — Desire management series 6
What’s wrong with desirelessness? — Desire management series 6 - Desires often make us do things we regret. On understanding how desires sabotage us, we [...]
How desire is both the lock and the key — Desire Management series 5
How desire is both the lock and the key — Desire Management series 5 - Suppose we are locked in a prison. Suppose further that [...]
How remembrance of Krishna is the ultimate spiritual superfood
How remembrance of Krishna is the ultimate spiritual superfood - Superfoods provide multiple benefits, which fall into two broad categories: increasing our energy and decreasing [...]
Two ways to gauge our devotion
Two ways to gauge our devotion - When we strive to grow on the devotional path, we may wonder, “Are we actually advancing?” To know, [...]
How to see desire as a blessing not as a burden?
On the spiritual path, we often think of desire as a burden that needs to be shed. And yes, many of our desires do impede [...]
What happens to our desires when we become enlightened?
Some people hold that the enlightened are free from all desires; they perceive that desire is often the cause of illusion, degradation and bondage. Because [...]
Is our body fast becoming an ego feast?
Is our body fast becoming an ego feast? - Suppose we fast strictly on sacred days, abstaining even from water. When we see others eating [...]
The test of success in bhakti is taste for bhakti
The test of success in bhakti is taste for bhakti When we practice bhakti, we may wonder, “How do I know if I am progressing [...]
Devotion is not just emotion – it is conscious continuous cultivation
Devotion is not just emotion – it is conscious continuous cultivation Many people conceive of devotion as a pleasant, pious emotion that they experience occasionally. [...]
Even if we can’t be transfixed, we can still be fixed
To be transfixed is to be captivated, mesmerized, absorbed. The purpose and perfection of devotion is to be transfixed by our love for Krishna. Pure [...]
To tune out the mind, tune in to Krishna
Suppose we are hearing a radio program that is transmitting unpleasant noise. We would naturally tune out from that station to some other station. We [...]
Bhakti practice leads to attraction to Krishna through repetition, purification and revelation
Some people ask, “Bhakti practice involves doing the same activities again and again. How does such practice make us attracted to Krishna?” Bhakti practice leads to attraction for Krishna through repetition, purification and revelation.
Bhakti-yoga takes our relationship with Krishna from familiarity to comfort to desire to need
Suppose we wish to learn how to drive a car. Initially, we try to become familiar with a car by riding in it. After riding [...]
Obsession isn’t just a distractor from absorption; it is also a demonstrator of absorption
Some bhakti seekers ask, “My mind gets so easily distracted by worldly things. Is it possible to become absorbed in Krishna?” Yes, it is. If [...]
Bhakti has to be a choice before it can become a calling
Some people say, “I will become devoted to God when I feel his call from within.” The problem with such thinking is that we are [...]
For getting Krishna, forgetting Krishna is fatal
When we seek anything valuable, we usually desire it and strive for it. Such desiring and striving naturally center on remembering. A person who wants [...]