Just because we have a right to be angry doesn’t mean we are right to be angry
Sometimes, people wrong us by acting foolishly, irresponsibly or treacherously. At such times, we feel angry with them and also feel that our anger is [...]
Inner enemies are more to be given up than killed
Practicing spiritual life is like fighting a war against our inner enemies. The Gita (16.21) cautions that the inner enemies of lust, anger and greed destroy the soul and lead to hell. Still, it concludes by urging us to give up these enemies, not kill them.
Multiple metaphors magnify meaning
Wisdom-texts often use metaphors as intellectual tools. Metaphors make abstract, abstruse concepts intelligible by comparing them with concrete, clear things from the real world. The Bhagavad-gita uses metaphors frequently.
The Gita is not always literal – it’s also literary
Some people ask, “Do you take everything in the Bhagavad-gita literally?” This is a loaded question. Answering yes provokes rationalists – they label such answerers [...]
When we remember Krishna, we dismember illusion
Suppose a warrior is being attacked by an enemy who is charging in with an upraised sword. But before the enemy comes close enough to [...]
The soul is indestructible in constitution but destructible in cognition
The Bhagavad-gita in its second chapter repeatedly stresses the indestructibility of the soul. Yet the same Gita in its sixteenth chapter talks twice (16.09; 16.21) [...]
Greed makes the wealthy needy
Money, money, money. That’s the supreme goal of life for many people today. We obviously need money to survive. But is it survival that drives [...]
Hell is not meant to cause us suffering but to save us from suffering
Some exclusivist religions claim that those who don’t accept their dogmatic beliefs will be sent by God to hell forever. In refreshing contrast to such [...]
Don’t let parasites suck your mental energy
Sometimes we feel mentally tired even when we are not physically tired. What causes this mental tiredness? Among its various causes, a common, major, and [...]