Doing what we don’t feel like doing is not necessarily being superficial
Some people say, “Why should I practice bhakti when I don’t feel like doing it? I don’t want to be superficial. I won’t do it [...]
The mind changes the surface we are playing on – beware
In cricket, the playing strategy depends a lot on the nature of the playing surface. For example, some pitches are ideal for aggressive batting, while [...]
The fickle mind makes the immovable soul move all over the universe
The Bhagavad-gita (02.24) states that the soul is immoveable. And yet the same Gita states later (14.18) that the soul moves all over the universe [...]
Goodness and ignorance may seem similar in action, but they are antipodal in disposition
The Bhagavad-gita outlines how everything in material existence can be analyzed in terms of the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Those in goodness and those in ignorance may look similar when they are seated quietly on similar seats.
Understand the thought-wave under the thought
On the spiritual path, we strive to lead a pure life and to cultivate pure thoughts. But nasty thoughts sometimes come in our mind. We [...]
Our happiness depends not as much on our standard of living as on our standard of longing
We usually seek to improve our standard of living. If we have a high standard of living, we will have the trappings of success; society [...]
Don’t just be active – be aware
Some people question the utility of meditation: “Why spend so much time sitting at one place doing nothing except thinking? Why not use that time [...]
To not consider our capacity is to cripple our capacity
Suppose a child, on seeing an adult lift a heavy weight, tries to lift a similar weight. That child will end up injured, unable to [...]
Liberalism can be as intolerant as the intolerance it opposes
In today’s intellectual ethos, liberals often claim the high moral ground. They portray conservatives as intolerant for discriminating based on their own belief-systems. However, liberals [...]
The intellectual temptation for quick comprehension leads to erroneous generalization
We all feel an innate need to gain some understanding of things in our life. When things don’t make sense, we resort to our preferred [...]
The lower our consciousness, the lesser is our contribution
When we live in a fast-paced activity-centered culture, we may wonder whether we are wasting our time by practicing spiritual life, wherein we don’t do [...]
To change your life, change the narrative of your life
Suppose three people are carrying bricks. When asked what they are doing, the first replies sullenly, “Can’t you see? I am carrying bricks.” The second [...]
The modes determine the scope of our choices, not our specific choice
The modes, the Bhagavad-gita explains, are subtle forces that shape the interaction between consciousness and matter, thereby inciting us to action. If we act according [...]
What we don’t have is not the problem – what we don’t see is
We frequently crave for the many things we don’t have, things often aggressively glamorized by today’s corporate controlled media. Such greed and its concomitant dissatisfaction [...]
Slow down to rise up
When a plane wants to take-off in its flight, it speeds up till it has acquired the momentum necessary for sustaining flight. In contrast, when [...]
Our mental inclination is not necessarily our personal intention
The word inclination refers physically to the slope of, say, a road in a particular direction. Mentally, our inclination refers to the direction of the [...]
Tolerance prevents the inner sine wave from triggering an outer sin wave
Our consciousness in our present conditioned stage keeps moving up and down, akin to a sine wave. An elevated consciousness in the mode of goodness [...]
If we don’t make time for time-saving activities, we stay hard-pressed for time
We frequently feel pressured because we have too many things to do and too little time to do them in. And our devotional engagements may [...]
Thinking is natural, but thinking about thinking is special
All living beings think – thinking is a natural characteristic of consciousness. Though natural, thinking doesn’t naturally go in desirable directions. Misdirected thoughts can make [...]
False dichotomies keep us in real illusion
One of the favorite strategies of emotional manipulators is setting up false dichotomies. For example, a former US president who launched a war against terror [...]
Competing illusions are still illusions
Suppose while driving a car we come to a fork and worry about which turn to take. But if we learn that we are on [...]