Don’t rate spiritual wisdom using the laughter test
Some people come to spiritual talks primarily for hearing jokes. Indeed, they rate as best those spiritual teachers who crack the most hilarious jokes. Our [...]
Assimilation and application are essential for transformation
We live in an era of information overload. Being bombarded with news, updates and notifications, we often flip to the next thing even without reading [...]
The word will change the world by changing the will
When we study the Bhagavad-gita, some people ask, “How is a book written thousands of years ago going to make any practical difference amidst the [...]
Intellectual gluttony causes spiritual lethargy
When we eat gluttonously, our eating often does the opposite of what it is intended to do – rather than giving us energy, it takes [...]
Human will is founded and fulfilled in the divine will
Some people think that human will and divine will are opposed to each other – when we submit to God’s rules, we lose our freedom [...]
Don’t just read the Gita – heed the Gita
The Bhagavad-gita is a profoundly philosophical book, yet it is also an eminently action-calling book. This pragmatic nature of the Gita is seen in its [...]
Don’t get back at God – get God back
When people hurt us, we often want to get back at them, hurt them the way they have hurt us. When things go wrong in [...]
Surrender means to do what we can, with what we have – now
Many people think of surrender as passive acceptance. However, surrender involves not just acceptance but also action. The Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion demonstrates this active dimension of [...]
Send resentment to retirement
Few things can check and choke us as badly as resentment. When things go wrong, resentment builds up within us, seeking a target – outwards, [...]
The sacrifice of life, the life of sacrifice
Those who become martyrs for a noble cause often awe others. For most people, nothing is as dear as life. So, martyrs inspire awe. We [...]
Don’t let information overload make relevance irrelevant
Our culture bombards us with irrelevant information. The attack on an embassy in Africa, a tennis tournament in America, an election in Europe – does [...]
Treasure Krishna’s message more than his miracles
Some of us may feel that our faith in Krishna would stabilize and increase if we could see his power through miracles: “If Krishna is [...]
The Gita is an intellectual adventure with an emotional climax
We have two essential faculties: the head and the heart. The head is our intellectual center and the heart, our emotional center. The Bhagavad-gita being [...]
Questioning our questions
The Bhagavad-gita begins in its first chapter with Arjuna asking a series of rhetorical questions meant to justify his views and choices. Lord Krishna responds [...]
Ask not “Is God with me?” Ask “Am I with God?”
The Bhagavad-gita (18.73) expresses the summit of humanity’s faith in divinity when Arjuna declares to Krishna, “I will do your will.” Our faith in God [...]