Contemplation is the natural result of attraction and contemplation naturally results in attraction
When we are attracted to something, we naturally think of it and even mentally live with it. Cricket lovers, for example, often live in their [...]
Gita 12.20 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan After describing these Krishna goes [...]
Gita 12.16 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 12.16 anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa [...]
Gita 12.13-14 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Ch 12 overview: 1-7: Worship [...]
Gita 12.06-07 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan So 12.6 and 7 makes [...]
Gita 12.05 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 12.5 kleśo ’dhika-taras teṣām [...]
Gita 12.03-04 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Verse 3 and 4 also [...]
Don’t just push the mind towards the spiritual – let the spiritual pull the mind too
Suppose we were pushing a heavy trolley uphill. It would be a demanding exertion. If we became lax even for a moment, the trolley would [...]
Catch the current of emotion – don’t be caught by it
In an ocean, there are often multiple currents moving in different directions. To give a somewhat simple example for a complex phenomenon, in the Indian [...]
We need a starter of desire more than a stopper of desire
Spiritual seekers often worry about how to restrain their desires so as to adhere to the principles of sadhana. Yet quite often this worry is [...]
The spiritual may be unfamiliar but it’s not unnatural
When we travel through an unfamiliar place, we often feel uncomfortable. Similarly, when we explore spirituality, we may feel uncomfortable because the concepts or customs [...]
Impersonalism perpetuates the padlock on the heart
Our heart naturally longs to move outwards in search of a worthy object of love. However, this search often ends in misery when those we [...]
Renunciation is not a function of frustration – it is a fruit of realization
Some people think that those people take to renunciation who have become frustrated with material life, especially with their inability to become successful in material [...]
There’s more to devotion than rules, not less
Some people claim, “There’s more to bhakti than rules – it’s a matter of the heart.” Yes, it is. But presently our heart is much [...]
The Gita calls for not emotionless living, but purposeful living
In cricket, fielders sometimes use sledging to unsettle a batsman. If the batsman lets their nasty words agitate him, he will in a rush of [...]
Infatuation with form is not the problem – infatuation with temporary form is
We are often attracted to good-looking worldly forms. Such attraction keeps our consciousness at the material level and thus ties us to worldly existence. Understanding [...]
The impersonal stereotype of impersonalists militates against personlism
An impersonal stereotype of impersonalists refers to the notion among some neophyte personalists that all impersonalists are blasphemers of Krishna. However, the Gita itself differentiates [...]
Don’t come up with the truth; come up to the truth
The phrase ‘coming up with the truth’ indicates speculating and hazarding our own way to the truth. It implies that truth is something submerged and [...]
Devotees left with nothing are right with Krishna
Some people believe that material prosperity is a sign of God’s pleasure and material adversity, a sign of his displeasure. Such beliefs are typical of [...]
Devotion is the emotion that takes us beyond all other emotions
When a mother loves her infant, that maternal emotion takes her beyond all other emotions. For example, she may be exhausted after a day of [...]
Seek not scapegoats; seek not to become martyrs – seek to stay as servants
When we fail at something important, we often feel mortified that others will think of us as incompetent, bungling good-for-nothings. To counter this negative perception, [...]