The Gita is not an exhortation to war; it is an exposition on dharma
Some people feel alarmed by the Bhagavad-gita’s battlefield setting, especially in today’s world where many rationalize brutal violence against the innocent in the name of [...]
What defines us is what lies at the top of our being, not at the bottom
Some materialists argue that we humans are nothing but animals. Yes, we have much in common with animals: we all struggle for survival, and crave [...]
Those who anger us conquer us
Sports are sometimes marred by unwholesome practices such as sledging. In cricket, for example, fielders may provoke a batsman by taunting. If the batsman gets [...]
To see through everything is to see nothing
The purpose of seeing through something is to see to something. A see-through window in our car helps us see things outside the car. If [...]
Bring out the best within, not the beast within
We all would like to improve ourselves, become better – and yet we sometimes act regrettably, worse than ourselves. What makes us act like that? [...]
The emptiness within empties everything without
The world allures us with the pleasure of possession, gratification and exhibition. But such mundane pleasures titillate, never fulfill. They are like painkillers for our [...]
Don’t point fingers – move fingers on prayer beads
Whenever we face problems, especially problems that we feel are caused by others, we point fingers at them. However, different people see the same situation [...]
Attachment actuates and aggravates anxiety
The world is characterized by change and uncertainty. And uncertainty about necessary things naturally causes anxiety. However, different from unavoidable anxiety is unnecessary anxiety. Such [...]
Even if we win the rat race, we still remain rats
Our materialistic society sets before us worldly goals such as sensations, relations, positions or possessions. Because the number of people seeking these goals is so [...]
The value of what we drive doesn’t matter as much as the values that drive us
We live in a materialistic culture that determines our stature by externals such as the cars we drive, the clothes we wear and the phones [...]
Know when to doubt and when to give the benefit of doubt
In cricket, suppose an appeal is made against a batsman, but the umpires can’t see clearly whether the batsman is out or not. Then, they [...]
Improving the hardware can’t remove software problems
Suppose we have a problem in the software of our computer because of which we are getting a blurred or blank screen. If we purchase a new monitor, that won’t solve our problem. We need to tackle the software problem at the level of the software.
To those living sensually, living simply seems simply boring
Simple living is a virtue lauded by thinkers since time immemorial. This virtue was mocked as primitive with the spread of the modern culture of lifestyle products, wherein people equated possession of state-of-the-art luxuries with success. While wealth has always been flaunted as a marker of success, most modern luxuries were unprecedented in the ecological destruction that went into making them.
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.
Our free will is never lost, but it is constricted by misuse
“Are addicts forced to indulge in their addiction? Have they lost their free will?” Such questions often confront addicts and those associated with them, especially [...]
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 [...]
To claim that nothing should be generalized is to generalize something
Some people argue, “Everything is relative; nothing should be generalized.” But this argument begs the question: “Nothing should be generalized – should this statement be [...]
Blind people can be cured – people proud of their blindness can’t be
Suppose a blind person considered their blindness as a matter of pride to be paraded. We would wonder: would anyone do such a thing? Yes, [...]
To be distracted is to be disempowered
Whatever power we have to do anything depends on our foundational power to focus. For example, a batsman may have phenomenal talent, but if he [...]
Others don’t endanger our liberty as much as do we ourselves
The news often reports people protesting vehemently against any law that seems draconian, that threatens their liberty. Dictatorial regimes that curtail individual rights often earn [...]