We have nothing to lose except our non-existence
When we consider taking up spiritual life, materialists often try to scare us by saying that we will lose the many material things that we [...]
Money talks – and walks away as it is talking
“Money talks” is an idiomatic way of stating that those who show money are taken seriously – others respect them and hasten to do their [...]
The source of misery is not frustration of desire, but domination by desire
When we don’t get something that we want and feel miserable, we attribute that misery to the frustration of our desire. But might such an [...]
See the world through the Word, not the Word through the world
Seeing the world through the Word means first letting the Word of God, Bhagavad-gita, determine our basic conceptual framework, and then analyzing the world through [...]
We may not be caught for our wrongdoings, but we will be caught by our wrongdoings
Many people think that immoral behavior is ok as long as no one catches them. For example, people from culturally conservative families may think that [...]
Materialism makes the materialist non-existent and materialism meaningless
People sometimes object to spirituality, saying, “It requires so much faith.” Actually, everything requires faith. Even materialism requires faith – the faith that we ourselves [...]
What characterizes civilization is not the presence of comforts, but the purification of consciousness
Many people consider as civilized societies that have comforts such as cars, cellphones and computers. Societies without these are deemed primitive, backward and uncivilized. Such [...]
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) [...]
Fanatical materialism banishes materialists to the Siberia of hallucination
Materialism is today’s prominent worldview. Most people may not consciously choose it, but they adopt it subconsciously. Why? Because the contemporary culture aggressively glamorizes material [...]
Money unmakes those who make making money their life’s purpose
Money is a necessity for our existence, but many make it the purpose of their existence. They equate money with pleasure, possession, prestige and power. [...]
The key to happiness is not having it all but having the One who has it all
“Have it all.” This is the mantra of today’s consumerist culture that impels us to believe that the more we have, the more we will [...]
Better to speak less and say more than to speak a lot and say little
We all know ramblers who love to hear their own voice, even though they don’t have much to say. Knowing their penchant for rambling, we [...]
The defining characteristic of humanity distorted by ignorance is inhumanity
Both materialists and spiritualists consider humanity as the pinnacle of evolution. Materialists believe that humanity is the apex of a multi-millennia journey that began with [...]
Don’t let offense towards others’ faults become a pseudo-defense of one’s own faults
Offense is the best defense, states a common saying. The Bhagavad-gita (02.61) recommends this strategy in our inner war: to attain self-mastery, fix the consciousness [...]
To evaluate advancement, examine anxieties
Devotee-seekers often get the question: “How do I know whether I am making spiritual advancement?” One reliable way is: by examining our anxieties. The Bhagavad-gita [...]
Arrogance perverts the wings that free into nets that bind
As spiritual practitioners, we are like baby birds developing wings – wings that will help raise our consciousness to the spiritual level, thus freeing us [...]
When we steer by stars that are in motion, our motion simply causes commotion
Just as ships steer by the pole star, we all during our journey through life steer by some guiding stars – ideas we have learnt [...]
When generic envy becomes specific envy, it becomes doubly dangerous
Generic envy refers to the general negativity that one class of people feel towards another better-endowed class, say, the lower class towards the middle class [...]
Indulgence makes our bonds thicker, rougher and tighter
When anti-devotional worldly pleasures tempt and torment us repeatedly, we may feel that indulging in them will bring relief, getting them out of our way. [...]
Morality is contextual, not categorical
Are right and wrong absolute categories: “This is right and that is wrong”? Or are they context-dependent? To understand the answer, let’s consider the Gita’s [...]
Wealth of the world without wealth of the heart wrecks the world
Most of the world's big problems, including poverty, are caused by people who are in a state opposite to poverty – prosperity. It is the [...]