Does surrender mean that God manages our life for us?
The Bhagavad-gita begins and ends with surrender. But these two forms of surrender are significantly different. The initial surrender in 2.7 happens when Arjuna acknowledges [...]
Surrender is not passive but active
The Bhagavad Gita (18.73) concludes with Arjuna surrendering to Krishna, not in a passive way by accepting Krishna's will as it is happening in his [...]
Who is writing our life’s story
If we consider our life to be a story, then who is writing the story? We may say that we ourselves are writing the story [...]
How God’s pleasure relates with what is best for us
In the Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion, Arjuna declares that he will do Krishna’s will (18.73). This declaration is an expression of love, for love centers on the [...]
How to do God’s will when we don’t know what it is
When we resolve to do God’s will as indicated in the Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion (18.73), we may wonder, “What do I do in perplexing situations wherein [...]
Does doing God’s will mean giving up our independence?
On learning the Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion to comply with the divine will (18.73), an apprehension may arise: “If I start doing God’s will, does that mean [...]
Does doing God’s will mean doing something unnatural?
The Bhagavad-gita concludes by indirectly urging us all to harmonize our will with the divine will (18.73). Some people fear that such surrender may mean [...]
How God’s will relates with our moral reasoning
The Bhagavad-gita concludes with Arjuna declaring that he will do Krishna’s will (18.73). This conclusion also reflects the Gita’s universal guideline: our human will is [...]
How Krishna expands Arjuna’s understanding of his choices
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna faced a crippling ethical dilemma: Should he work or should he renounce work? Krishna explains that neither work [...]
How Arjuna’s words reveal the Gita’s sadhana and sadhya
One traditional way to know the import of a complex text is the path-purpose hermeneutic or the sadhana-sadhya approach. Sadhana refers broadly to the means [...]
What do Arjuna’s last three words in the Gita tell us about the Gita
Arjuna’s last words in the Bhagavad-gita are: “I will do your will.” (18.73: karishye vachanam tava). What do they tell us about Krishna’s message? That [...]
What the three endings of Krishna’s message tell us about Krishna
Let’s consider three possible endings of Krishna’s message to Arjuna. Analytical ending (18.63): Though Krishna speaks nine more verses after this verse, this verse sounds [...]
Handling the gun of doubt (Dealing with doubts 4)
If we are traveling through a dangerous area, we need a good gun. Similarly, to function in an illusion-filled world, we need the gun of [...]
Four stages in managing desires — Desire Management series 9
To understand how desire management can progress in our inner world, let’s compare it with how people management may progress in the outer world. Both [...]
Why are we studying spirituality?
We now live in an age where education has become very structured and systematized, wherein educational success is measured through certificates and accolades. While certification [...]
Do emotions reside in the mind?
To understand, consider an analogous question: do sensations reside in the body? Suppose a 20 kg dumbbell is placed in our palm, and we feel [...]
How purpose makes pain bearable
Suppose a person dear to us is sick and in great pain. Suppose further the only available doctor is in a noisy, filthy, smelly place [...]
When God doesn’t seem to help us …
Suppose we pray to God for help amid difficulty but the difficulty remains. Does that mean God doesn’t care? God does care. However, any care [...]
Are we boosting our thought-energy regularly?
Our car runs on fuel, our phone runs on battery, our body runs on food. What do we run on? Our thoughts. When our thought-energy [...]
Why our energy goes down — and how to restore it
Suppose our energy level starts dropping while we strive to manage our many to-dos. We might presume that we are weak, sick or just lethargic. [...]
When pride masks itself as humility
Suppose we get an opportunity to serve Krishna, say, by speaking about him. We may think, “I am too fallen and impure. I'm not qualified [...]