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 [...]
Those who don’t see weakness as weakness degrade to meanness
We all have our weaknesses such as succumbing to temptations and compromising principles for expediency. Having weaknesses is a part of the package of being [...]
The belief that what science can’t explain doesn’t need explaining is blind and blinding
Science has explained many mysteries about material nature. And it will explain more. Still because it focuses on matter, it can’t explain the non-material. However, [...]
Being unconscious of our faults is the worst unconsciousness and the biggest fault
When a disease infects us, we seek treatment. But if we are unaware of the infection, we won’t seek any treatment. Our various faults, especially [...]
Experience is intelligence’s rear light; scripture, it’s front light
It is easy to be wise after the experience. After things have happened and consequences are being endured, we can mentally retrace the events and [...]
Evil never wins as thoroughly as when it wins in the heart
Crime, terrorism, brutality. Whenever we hear about such evil things happening in the world, we naturally feel angry at the evil perpetrators. While such reactions [...]
When one makes lust a god, lust makes one a devil
“No problem’s so big that sex can’t solve it.” So believe the materialists whose minds are filled with endless sexual fantasies. The Bhagavad-gita (16.10) indicates [...]
Charity is not just an activity but also a mentality
Charity is usually thought of as an activity, the action of contributing to some worthy cause. But the Bhagavad-gita (16.01) lists charity as a quality. [...]
Our bonds are not prisoner’s shackles, but puppeteer’s strings
We treasure freedom as an inalienable right and resist anything that threatens it. However, we think of freedom largely in terms of the freedom [...]
Those who crave to look big are small
Our culture often reduces character to image, wisdom to sound bytes and self-worth to net-worth. Being goaded by such a superficial environment, people frequently, even [...]
Obsession with fame deprives us of prema
Most people get a rush of exhilaration when they go to a new place and find recognition and admiration for them in the eyes of [...]
When desires crowd the mind, dilemmas cloud the intelligence
We sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of things that we need to get done. No doubt, we do have a lot to do, but [...]