Surrender to God is not the suppression of human will, but its perfection
Some people hold that surrender to God is demeaning, for it suppresses human will. Their argument assumes that all surrender happens amidst antagonism, as [...]
We can’t survive for long on secondhand faith
Secondhand faith refers to the faith we have developed in something because of our faith in those who tell us to do that thing. Such [...]
The best way to fix the mind on Krishna is to take up responsibilities in his service
The Bhagavad-gita repeatedly urges us to fix the mind on Krishna. The specific phrase man-mana (“fix the mind on me”) occurs twice in the Gita [...]
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 [...]
Bhakti is the treatment that transforms into a treat
When we are sick, we accept the prescribed treatment as an austerity necessary for our recovery. And we often dream about the various treats we [...]
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 [...]
Don’t go through the motions – go through to the emotions
Going through the motions refers to doing things superficially, perfunctorily, mechanically – akin to the way a machine moves, without any emotional involvement. Bhakti is [...]
Note consciously what you notice unconsciously
In the Mahabharata, when Arjuna disguised as a brahmana won Draupadi’s hand in the svayamvara, Drupada sensed that his to-be son-in-law was actually a kshatriya. [...]
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 [...]
Work to live – avoid work that eats you alive
Work is essential for survival, as the Bhagavad-gita (03.08) acknowledges. Yet the same work that is vital can become vitality-sapping if done excessively. When work [...]
Don’t superimpose the negativity of proselytizing on sharing
Some people, alarmed by reports of overzealous missionaries, feel that proselytizing should be banned. It’s sadly true that some proselytizers do convert by hook or [...]
When we discuss a subject close to our hearts, our hearts come close
Suppose we have to attend some talk on a subject that doesn’t interest us. And suppose even the speaker is apathetic and is delivering the [...]
Go beyond excusing yourself and accusing yourself to realizing your self
When something we are doing goes wrong, our mind often pushes us towards two broad thought-patterns: excusing ourselves and accusing ourselves. In the first, we [...]
Krishna is not just our destination – he is also our companion
Suppose we flew to a distant land to meet a VIP whom we hadn’t met before. We landed, drove to his residence and knocked [...]
See people as subjects with volition, not objects for indoctrination
Some people hesitate to embark on a spiritual search because they fear that they may unwittingly end up in cults that brainwash people. Their fears [...]
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. [...]
Being correct is not enough; we need to be correctly understood
Sometimes when we speak something important or insightful, we may think that we have done our part. But if others haven’t understood what we have [...]
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 [...]
The two endings of the Gita point to the same end
The Bhagavad-gita has two endings based on the two nested conversations that comprise its narrative. The outer, framing conversation is at Hastinapura between Sanjaya and [...]
Freedom to do what we like is not necessarily freedom – freedom to do what we should is
Consider alcoholics who want to break free from their addiction. They often place themselves voluntarily in rehabilitation clinics whose monitored environment takes away their freedom [...]
The Gita is a dharmic book that asks us to give up dharma – or does it?
The Bhagavad-gita (18.66) concludes with an intriguing call: Give up all religions (sarva-dharman parityajya). This begs the question – why would a religious book ask [...]