We can’t delete our memories, but we can choose what we remember
Some of our memories may have scarred us – memories of abuses we have suffered or allurements we have succumbed to may agitate us whenever [...]
Being grateful in general is like being married in general
With the increasing secularization or more specifically desacralization of mainstream culture, many of the uplifting values that comprised the core character of respectable people in the past have been divorced from the fabric of the spiritual worldview on which they had been based. Thus, for example,
Be not fretful or fearful – be faithful
The present is all that we have – and all that we will ever have. But our mind often distracts us towards the past and the future through fretfulness and fearfulness. Fretful: The mind misdirected towards the past makes us fretful. We agonize over the many things that have gone wrong in our life
The essence of bhakti is not moving backward or forward, but moving upward
Some spiritually-minded people, being engaged in mainstream society with its notions of progress centered on science and technology, pursue bhakti for getting peace, meaning and fulfillment – things elusive in today’s world. They see bhakti as a complement to their present way of living.
Service attitude is the torch that lights the next step amidst the darkness of perplexity
Suppose we are walking through an unfamiliar area and suddenly the power goes off. We may rant initially, but soon we will turn on our [...]
Greater than the world’s power to hurt is God’s power to heal
The world sometimes afflicts us with reversals such as financial losses, relationship ruptures or devastating diagnoses. The resulting hurt may overwhelm and paralyze us. At [...]
Problems that can’t be solved need to be dissolved
Suppose water flowing in a particular direction is blocked by a stone. The water keeps flowing at the stone, trying to go below, above or [...]
When you shake an apple tree, don’t be blind to the falling of mangoes
Suppose a hungry boy goes to an orchard and starts shaking an apple tree. Nothing happens. He prays to God for help and shakes the [...]
Our willingness is more important than our willpower
When we strive to lead a principle-centered life, but falter and fail, we may lament, “I don’t have willpower.” Such feelings are natural and understandable. [...]
Meditation shrinks our problems by increasing our awareness of Krishna’s greatness
Suppose in a cartoon when two characters are fighting, one character keeps becoming bigger; and the other keeps becoming smaller. For the dwarfed fighter, the [...]
Don’t believe the phantoms created by the mind – believe Krishna
If children see a horror movie featuring phantoms, they may become fearful of, say, dark places, dreading that some deadly phantom may spring from some [...]
To reduce pain to punishment is to underestimate God’s purpose
When we face problems that come arbitrarily, we naturally get the question, “Why?” Religion, at a preliminary level, may answer, “Suffering is the punishment for [...]
Illusion drives us compulsively; Krishna draws us compassionately
We all like to be free – we resent it when we are forced to do something. In fact, many people often hesitate to practice [...]
Be not allured by the blame game or the claim game – stay focused on Krishna
Blame game usually involves pointing the blaming finger outwards to others whenever things go wrong. The blaming finger can also point upwards or inwards. When [...]
Life may push us into the company of problems, but it cannot force us into their control
While traveling, sometimes the people sitting next to us are less than pleasant. We may not be able to avoid their company, but we don’t [...]
Truth doesn’t depend on history; history demonstrates truth
We live in an age of changing “truths” – theories are often propagated as established truths, but when some contrary information comes up, they are [...]
Casual ties make us casualties
We all have a lower side that induces shortsighted desires which end in misery. To resist this lower side, our higher ties – our connections [...]
Empower your thoughts to break free from their tired and tiring avenues
Life is never easy; every day brings new obstacles and some days bring major reversals. We don’t have the power to make life problem-free, but [...]
Life determines our problems; we determine their size
We often feel irritated, overwhelmed, helpless when our dreams are wrecked by things beyond our control. But there is always something in our control. The [...]
Krishna offers us shelter, not a hiding place
“If I pray to Krishna, he will make all my problems disappear.” We may sometimes hope thus when we practice spiritual life. Of course, we [...]
When Krishna doesn’t understand…
Sometimes we pray that something important work out right. But it doesn’t. This may make us feel, “Krishna just doesn’t understand me, my needs, my [...]