Beyond pat explanations for our unhealthy behaviors
Suppose an airplane crashes, leading to huge casualties and damages. When questioned about the cause of the crash, suppose the airline company reports, “The plane [...]
How to better manage our emotions
Our emotions are an essential part of who we are; without them, we would be reduced to a flavorless, robotic existence. Though they add value [...]
How curiosity can increase our self-awareness
We all are naturally curious: the many breaking news are just one among hundreds of things that cater to our curiosity. That universally present faculty [...]
Gita 14.11 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now activities will be described [...]
Why it is difficult to be broad-minded
When perceiving things, our mind routinely reduces reality to not just convenient categories but also judgemental labels. Because our mind is inside us, it is [...]
Why we need to become consciousness-conscious
We live in a world where there’s increasing concern about conserving energy, especially because conventional sources of energy such as fossil fuels are finite. We [...]
Gita 14.05 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Krishna will now start describing [...]
Gita 14.10 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Next verse Sri Krishna describes [...]
Two ways the Gita refers to the modes of material nature
One of the Bhagavad-gita’s most intriguing teachings centers on the modes of material nature (gunas). The modes are threefold: sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas [...]
How can Arjuna practice undeviating bhakti when the modes are causing his deviation?
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna was deviated by the lower modes — under their influence, he was fixating on the agony of fighting against his [...]
How Krishna helps Arjuna make philosophical sense of his inner conflict
Krishna demonstrates how to make philosophy relevant when presenting the concept of the modes in the Bhagavad-gita’s fourteenth chapter. Krishna first outlines the main characteristics [...]
Gita 14.21 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan So by going beyond modes [...]
Arjuna’s fifteenth question: How to transcend the modes
Toward the end of the fourteenth chapter (14.21), Arjuna asks Krishna, “What are the characteristics of those who transcend the modes? And how do they [...]
Why Krishna devotes an entire chapter to the three modes
Whenever Krishna starts a chapter without any starting question from Arjuna, as in the fourteenth chapter, we can infer that Krishna considers the subject important [...]
Gita 14.13 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan After this Krishna describes mode [...]
What is mental sickness? (Mental health series 2)
What is mental sickness? - Mental sickness centers essentially on a significant misalignment between reality and our perception of reality. This understanding is echoed in [...]
Where do we draw the line that separates the good from the bad? (Beyond black and white conceptions series 7)
Where do we draw the line that separates the good from the bad? - When someone wrongs us, we often tend to paint ourselves as [...]
Go beyond virtue signaling (Beyond black and white conceptions series 4)
Go beyond virtue signaling - When we see someone doing something horribly wrong, we may feel driven to protest or correct. Nowadays when activism is [...]
How black and white conceptions disempower us (Beyond black and white conceptions series 1)
How black and white conceptions disempower us - When a small child learns to recognize black and white colors, that’s a step forward in their [...]
Gita 14.17 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now Krishna talked about the [...]
Resolving emotional tensions through Gita wisdom
Resolving emotional tensions through Gita wisdom - Emotions are among the strongest forces that shape our actions and our life at large. Unfortunately, emotions can [...]