Sensual hope deludes, spiritual hope delivers
We all need hope. Without hope, life becomes unbearable, even unlivable. But we need to choose carefully where we pin our hope, lest we are [...]
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 and succeeding?” On the spiritual journey, our destination is Krishna, [...]
The appreciation we get for our service is not as consequential as the absorption we get in our service
Whenever we do anything, we usually have various levels of motivation for doing that thing. And depending on how deep or substantial our motivation is, [...]
Immigration to the spiritual world happens not by infiltration but by invitation
When two countries have huge economic disparities, people from the poorer country often try to immigrate to the wealthier country. And if they can’t enter [...]
Devotion is not just emotion – it is conscious continuous cultivation
Many people conceive of devotion as a pleasant, pious emotion that they experience occasionally. However, devotion is much more: it is conscious continuous cultivation. To [...]
Gita 12.17 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 12.17 yo na hṛṣyati [...]
Gita 12.02 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 12.2 śrī-bhagavān uvāca mayy [...]
Seek not to grasp God – seek to be grasped by God
To grasp God means to use our intelligence to comprehend and conquer him; we treat him like an intellectual concept to be figured out. And [...]
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 [...]
When we become at home in Krishna, we go home to Krishna
When we start practicing spiritual life seriously, we aspire to attain the supreme spiritual reality, Krishna, by attaining his eternal abode, which is our ultimate [...]
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 [...]
Connection comes best by a combination of commitment and contentment
If we wish to develop a relationship with someone, we need both commitment and contentment. Commitment means that we persevere in that relationship without getting [...]
Our satisfaction is determined more by the location of our consciousness than the location of our house
When people want to buy a house, they often long to get one in an expensive locality, hoping that the prestige thereof will make them [...]
Don’t treat others as a waste-basket for your words
If we have a lot of waste in our house, we wouldn’t throw it at any visitor. But strangely we sometimes throw our waste-words at [...]
Krishna is the stabilizer of material emotions and the stimulator of spiritual emotions
Our emotionality is an innate feature of our very being – it comes from the core of who we are, conscious, spiritual beings. A central [...]
Cultivate a tender heart, but cover it with a thick skin
The process of bhakti is meant to purify and soften our heart, to make it receptive to relish the subtle and sweet love of Krishna. [...]
Dedicate your external to the eternal internal, not the ephemeral internal
When authors write books, they often dedicate their book to some person – that person may not be much mentioned in the book itself, but [...]
Let dissatisfaction propel us vertically, not horizontally
If a person has fallen in an ocean and is floating in a stormy part, they may naturally get to a calmer part of the [...]
Closeness unites more than oneness
When two people share many common interests and deep mutual understanding, they often say, “We are close to each other.” This closeness is not physical [...]
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 [...]