How to keep our promises
Fear not the promises that we think we can't keep. Focus on the promises that God makes that he can keep and that he can [...]
When we feel unseen by God…
God may be invisible to us, but we are never invisible to Him. When we are struggling with challenges in our life, we feel alone [...]
Are we good enough for God?
We are never good enough for God, and yet we are always good enough for God. We are never good enough for God in the [...]
Hopeless not to be helpless
We may be helpless, but we don't have to be hopeless. Sometimes life puts us in situations where there is absolutely nothing we can do [...]
Gita 18.66 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 18.66 sarva-dharmān parityajya mām [...]
How devotional surrender is different from what we think it is
The Bhagavad-gita’s concluding call for surrender (18.66) can evoke negative reactions because many people associate ‘surrender’ with a confrontational or martial scenario. To deal with [...]
Is the Gita’s conclusion meant only for Arjuna?
The Bhagavad-gita concludes with a call for Arjuna to surrender (18.66) — such surrender is underscored to be a central component of bhakti-yoga. Is the [...]
How surrender to Krishna protects Arjuna from wrong actions
In Krishna’s last instructive words in the Gita, he assures Arjuna protection from all ‘papa,’ which is usually translated as sinful reactions. Additionally, another standard [...]
Does Krishna contradict himself in the Gita’s conclusion?
As Krishna approaches the conclusion of his message (18.63-72), he respects Arjuna’s independence by leaving the final decision to him (18.63). Yet he soon makes [...]
How Krishna concludes by enthroning the path of divine love
In the Bhagavad-gita, the last instructive verse spoken by Krishna is one of its most oft-quoted verses. Celebrated by Ramanujacharya as the Gita’s crest-jewel verse, [...]
Why does Krishna follow his call for ‘surrender’ with ‘go’ not ‘come’?
Some Gita interpreters highlight the word ‘vraja’ in the Bhagavad-gita’s concluding verse (18.66), emphasizing that its literal meaning is ‘go’, not ‘come.’ That Krishna wants [...]
How Krishna is both universal and specific
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna demonstrates a remarkable blend of both universality and specificity. Universality in analyzing for Arjuna a broad gamut of paths to choose [...]
The cyclicity of the Bhagavad-gita (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 3)
A well-written book cycles back to the starting point in its ending point. Let’s see how such cyclicity is demonstrated in the Bhagavad-gita, which is [...]
Does devotion transcend ethics? (Ethics & devotion series 7)
The claim that devotion transcends ethics can strip devotion of all ethical content and strip ethics of all devotional relevance. Let’s consider a more holistic [...]
When does devotion exempt us from karmic consequences? (Ethics & devotion series 4)
Does the Bhagavad-gita’s concluding verse (18.66) — the surrendered are protected from karmic consequences — license ethical exemption? To understand, let’s consider the verse’s implications [...]
Does bhakti make one transcendental to ethics? (Ethics & devotion series 1)
Devotees sometimes believe that their devotion raises them above the jurisdiction of ethical accountability. Technically, the belief that one’s religion provides one moral exemption is [...]
How is the concept of dharma universal?
Suppose a person is driving a car on the road — then they are belonging to a whole bigger than themselves: the road transport system. [...]
Let your practices make you a spiritual fruit, not a religious nut
Religious nuts are those people who in the name of religion become fanatical, irrational, disagreeable. In contrast, spiritual fruits are those religious practitioners who manifest [...]
The essence of education is enlightenment, engagement and encouragement
If we wish to educate others about something – especially something that requires moral strength, discipline, and diligence – we need to provide them three [...]
Love is the limiter of freedom – and its fulfiller too
We long to be free. And we long for love. Yet love and freedom don’t seem to go together. Why? Because love apparently restricts freedom. [...]
Unconditional love doesn’t mean that whatever we do is loved; it means that whatever we do, we are loved
Some people say, “If God loves us unconditionally, he should let us do whatever we want. But in the Bhagavad-gita, he asks us to do [...]