Choose words that make the heart soar, not sore
The human heart is very sensitive to words. Few things can dishearten an inspired heart as much as callous or critical words. And conversely, few [...]
Speak not “to reveal the truth about others,” but to realize the truth about yourself
Gossipers often act as if they are doing a valuable social service by “revealing the truth about others.” However, they frequently don’t check whether that [...]
Charity that expresses vanity ends in vanity
Charity is usually a noble expression of the human virtue of compassion. Few joys in life are as sublime and fulfilling as the joy of [...]
The God of terrorists is not the God of transcendentalists
Atheists often blame religion and God for the evil of terrorism. But their blame game suffers from a fundamental blunder – a simplistic equalization of [...]
Those who let the culture fill their brain with junk beliefs, fill their belly with junk food
Junk food is fast emerging as a serious health hazard. It is a major cause of obesity, which is rapidly becoming a leading global cause [...]
Complete charity makes the receiver feel valued , not pitied
The Bhagavad-gita helps us to go beyond appearance to substance in terms of not just identity (beyond the body to the soul), but also mentality [...]
Satisfaction is not just a condition but also a choice
Job dissatisfaction. Marital dissatisfaction. Monetary Dissatisfaction…. The malaise of dissatisfaction plagues millions. Of course, dissatisfaction is not always a malaise. It can point to a [...]
True austerity is supplicative not manipulative
Gita wisdom frequently surprises us by taking us beyond surface to the substance of things. Few things illustrate this as graphically as the Bhagavad-gita (17.19) [...]
When self-righteousness obscures rightness…
When we share Gita wisdom with others, we sometimes find them arguing for the sake of arguing, holding on to positions that are illogical and [...]
Differences that make a real difference – and differences that don’t
Suppose we desire a new cellphone. Being enamored by the various features of difference brands, we start worrying which to choose. Soon the worry consumes [...]
Are we courting suffering with the tongue?
The world is witnessing an upsurge of many diet-induced diseases. A prominent example is obesity, which is increasingly becoming one of the world’s biggest causes [...]
How long will we hide ourselves from ourselves?
When our room is in a mess and a respectable guest arrives, we hide the mess in the background. If we keep doing this repeatedly [...]
On the value of judgments and the judgment of values
Some people oppose value-judgments of any kind: “According to one person’s values, a particular act may be wrong. But why should that person’s values be [...]
Let our words be like windows, not walls
Words are indispensable tools for communicating our ideas and feelings with others. These verbal tools have become increasingly critical in our hi-tech age of phones [...]
Memorizing scripture doesn’t burden the head – it unburdens the heart
The Bhagavad-gita (17.15) recommends regular recitation of scriptures as a means to discipline our power of speech. Such regular recitation becomes easy when scripture is [...]
Careless words can cause cureless wounds
The Bhagavad-gita (17.15) explains that speaking the truth in a way that is beneficial, pleasing and non-agitating is the discipline of speech. Neglecting this verbal [...]