Be not a passive observer – be a detached observer and a devoted doer
Some people misunderstand the Bhagavad-gita’s recommendation to be detached as a call to be passive. However, the Gita concludes with Arjuna’s resolve to give up [...]
Krishna sees not just our feelings but also our feelings about our feelings
During our spiritual journey, we sometimes find ourselves assaulted by non-devotional feelings such as boredom or nonchalance or, worse still, by anti-devotional feelings such as [...]
In life’s multiple-choice exam, select an alternative based on what it says, not where it stays
In a multiple-choice exam, the position of an alternative doesn’t determine its correctness. Just because an alternative is positioned first doesn’t make it correct. The [...]
Be reflective, not reflexive
Our physical reflexes often protect us from danger – if we unconsciously place our hand on something hot, it recoils from that object even before [...]
A passion for fashion ends in dissatisfaction and delusion
Fashions allure us constantly in today’s world. New clothes, new cellphones, new cosmetics – such things often captivate our minds. Keeping up with fashions doesn’t [...]
To understand Krishna’s help, we need Krishna’s help
“Why is Krishna not helping me?” We may get such doubts in times of trouble. Krishna always helps us. When we feel otherwise, that’s because [...]
Let the thoughts that go away from Krishna take our thoughts towards Krishna
Suppose while swimming in a river in one direction, we find ourselves swept away suddenly and dangerously in the opposite direction. Though we may panic [...]
We are compelled to do as we choose to desire
“Am I really free?” We may get this situation when we try to change ourselves for the better and realize how difficult it is, realize [...]
To think outside the box, think about Krishna
"Think outside the box." That’s a common saying among those who want us to break free from stereotyped thinking. However, such people don’t know the [...]
Our happiness depends far more on the thoughts within than on the things without
Our culture makes us believe that we will become happy by improving the things around us – clothes, cellphones and cars, for example. Will we? [...]
Look at the mind before you look with the mind
When a normally cordial friend snaps at us for no reason, we understand sympathetically, “That’s due to a bad mood.” When we identify the bad [...]
Let where we crave to be not drag us away from where we need to be
When our plans are thwarted by things beyond our control, we usually become irritated and distracted. Such disruption of our plans often blinds us to [...]
Use the intelligence in Krishna’s service, not Krishna in the intelligence’s service
We often delight in intellectual stimulation, as recreations like chess, crossword puzzles and other cerebral teasers demonstrate. These recreations are especially appealing if we are [...]
Are we mistaking an inner lacking for an outer lacking?
We sometimes feel that something is lacking in our life. Before we can soberly investigate what it is that is missing, the culture fills our [...]
Be consciousness-conscious
If a red film is put on a flashlight, the light emerging from it changes from white to red and makes everything seem reddish. If [...]
Are we clearing the inner fog?
Driving through a fog is arduous and dangerous: arduous because we have to constantly strain to see what lies ahead and dangerous because despite our [...]
We are just extras in others’ plots
We often worry what others think about us – without realizing how little they think about us. We are usually extras in their life-plots. Let’s [...]
The body, mind and soul are all best geared for meditation in the morning
Some people ask: “Krishna resides in our heart and is available at all times. Then why emphasize morning for connecting with him?” Because we are [...]
Bhakti-yoga trains us in unemotional emotionality
Some readers of the Bhagavad-gita are struck by a paradox: “The Gita asks us to be neutral towards emotions like happiness and distress. But it [...]
Navigate the troughs of consciousness by focusing on the peak
As aspiring devotees, we may find the state of our consciousness oscillating up and down like a sine wave. We may feel sometimes attracted and [...]
Insanity is not compulsory
All of us have witnessed normal sane people suddenly behaving abnormally, even insanely. We may have seen this happening to ourselves. For some people, this [...]