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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, the Bhagavad-gita explains, are subtle forces that shape the interaction between consciousness and matter, thereby inciting us to action. If we act according [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
When people are a little drunk, they can understand that they are intoxicated and need to be careful – they shouldn’t drive, lest they meet [...]
We are frequently over-scheduled, over-worked, over-stressed. So, we naturally feel eager for things that promise to save time. Catering to our needs, scores of apps [...]
Self-help literature often exhorts people to avoid pessimism and to think positive. Such exhortations, even when well-intentioned, frequently overlook the reality that thoughts can’t be [...]
