Two aspects of compassion as seen through our speech
Suppose a doctor sees a sick person and decides to offer free treatment in the form of an injection. Suppose further that the patient has [...]
When being truthful is helpful and when it isn’t
Suppose our partner came to us and started listing out all our faults, which number over a hundred. How would hearing that list affect us? [...]
Why all insensitivity is not equal
We all are wired differently and we may just not have certain faculties. Some people’s minds may be so geared as to have low emotional [...]
How sensitivity differs from sentimentality
Suppose a doctor is treating a patient for a painful ailment wherein a boil needs to be cut. If the doctor is sensitive, they are [...]
How to become more sensitive
The Bhagavad-gita (17.15) recommends increased sensitivity of speech when it urges us to speak non-agitatingly and pleasingly. How can we develop such sensitivity, which essentially [...]
When calling a spade a spade doesn’t help …
In today's politically correct climate, not many people speak candidly; they understandably fear being condemned or ‘canceled.’ Amid such an environment, those who do call [...]
Gita 17.12 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan But on the other hand [...]
How Krishna’s words demonstrate the discipline of speech that he recommends
In the Bhagavad-gita (17.15), Krishna outlines the characteristics of disciplined speech. Let’s consider how those characteristics are demonstrated by Krishna’s words in the Gita. Non-agitating: [...]
Why does Krishna analyze yajna dana and tapa in the three modes?
When analyzing faith in the three modes in the Bhagavad-gita’s seventeenth chapter, Krishna focuses on three particular activities: yajna (sacrifice), dana (charity) and tapa [...]
Gita 17.03 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 17.3 sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā [...]
Gita 17.01 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan 17th chapter is called Sraddha [...]
How Krishna offers a nuanced understanding of faith
In the Bhagavad-gita’s seventeenth chapter, Krishna indicates that faith isn’t just about something we believe; it is integral to our very existence, it’s about [...]
Why Krishna gives an additional description of the demonic in the seventeenth chapter
When Arjuna seeks a nuanced understanding of the divine-demonic categorization (17.01), Krishna answers by providing several subtle and sophisticated parameters (17.09-22). But first Krishna continues [...]
Arjuna’s sixteenth question
Arjuna’s question at the start of the seventeenth chapter is among the few of his questions whose link with the last verses of the previous [...]
Why counting our blessings is so transformational
Why counting our blessings is so transformational - Count your blessings – this oft-repeated exhortation can seem cliched. To appreciate its potency, let’s consider two [...]
How we may overestimate the power of speech
How we may overestimate the power of speech - Suppose someone’s car stops working. They infer, “The spark plug is the problem,” whereas their friend [...]
Why we may underestimate the power of words
Why we may underestimate the power of words - Suppose a friend comes to us with a black eye, a bleeding nose and a broken [...]
Why speaking effectively is as difficult as loving authentically
Why speaking effectively is as difficult as loving authentically - When we love someone authentically, that love involves a dynamic tension between our concern for [...]
When political correctness helps and when it harms
When political correctness helps and when it harms - Few things are as polarizing in today’s Left-Right cultural divide as political correctness. The Left often [...]
How our speech becomes ineffective – 2
How our speech becomes ineffective - 2 - Suppose a child meets with a terrible accident that permanently damages his legs. Cultured society may avoid [...]
How our speech becomes ineffective – 1
How our speech becomes ineffective - 1 - Speech is effective when it is both sensible and sensitive (Bhagavad-gita 17.15). Our speech becomes ineffective when [...]