How to make judgments without being judgmental
Making judgments is a functional necessity in life. We need to make judgments about the kind of people we want to befriend, the habits or [...]
Beyond stereotypes of a wrathful God
Some religious groups portray God as a mighty and scary entity who sits above the clouds and casts thunderbolts to punish sinners. According to them, [...]
Might life be better if we pursued something other than happiness?
We live in a world that oversells happiness to us, with unending promises and unendingly glamorized products. And we have minds that are programmed with [...]
Gita 18.61 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 18.61 Now Krishna explains [...]
Gita 18.70 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Someone may say O this [...]
Seven levels at which Gita verses can be understood
The Bhagavad-gita is a book of profound wisdom. One way to unpack its wisdom is by looking at its verses at multiple levels. Let’s consider [...]
Gita 18.62 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 18.62 In 18.58 Krishna [...]
What made us the way we are?
We tend to ascribe to God our life’s starting conditions — our complexion, our birth family and our default disposition. Justifying such an ascription, we [...]
Are we asking God the wrong question?
Suppose we find ourselves impeded, even imprisoned, by some conditioning — say, our mind keeps becoming jealous or angry, despite our best efforts to fight [...]
When winning an argument backfires …
Suppose we come to know that an acquaintance has a harmful misconception. To protect them, we try to counter that misconception, and an argument ensues. [...]
What to expect from prayer — 2
Suppose we enroll for an exercise program meant to build our muscles. Suppose we are told to move some heavy objects. Moving those objects can [...]
What to expect from prayer — 1
Our conceptions of things shape our expectations from those things. Suppose we conceive of prayer as a means to get God to remove obstacles from [...]
Gita 18.37 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 18.37 yat tad agre [...]
When the light seems too bright …
Suppose someone is trapped in a dark maze-like dungeon. After wandering for a long time, they finally find an opening. But as they near the [...]
Gita 18.63 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 18.63 iti te jñānam [...]
Gita 18.35 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now let us discuss determination [...]
Why imposing our spirituality on others is wrong
Suppose a boy proposes to a girl. Suppose further that she refuses — and he reacts by threatening her with a gun, thus compelling her [...]
Gita 18.48 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan So Krishan will give examples [...]
Failing to learn from our failures?
Suppose we try to do something important and make a mistake that leads to our failure. But that failure, no matter how severe, won’t ruin [...]
Should we expose things that don’t work?
Suppose we have a sense of social responsibility and a zeal for social reform — we will naturally observe things in the world around us [...]
How to face overwhelming problems
When we face a huge problem, we may feel overwhelmed: “How can I ever tackle this?” What makes a problem seem overwhelming? Frequently, our perception [...]