The power of habit is terrible – and terrific
Habit can be terribly powerful. When people get caught in some bad habits such as smoking or drinking, they find quitting those habits almost impossible [...]
Illusion can cover everything, even the way out of illusion
Illusion sometimes captivates us, as when we see a mirage in a desert. When allured, we can find a way out of illusion if, say, [...]
Fanatics don’t hold opinions – their opinions hold them
We sometimes find some people irrationally attached to their opinions – attached to the point of being fanatical. Their behavior may make us wonder: “What [...]
People who are too full of themselves are empty
Egoistic people think and talk only about themselves: “I went here, I achieved this, I experienced this, I am so great.” Even if others talk [...]
We are shaped not just by our ideological faith but also by our functional faith
Nonbelievers sometimes demonize believers, highlighting religious violence. What such demonization overlooks is that the label believers is unhelpfully huge. It encompasses people who brainwash children [...]
Pure devotion is atelic, not telic
Telic refers to activities that are done for a particular goal. We may drive to get to office, work to earn a living or save [...]
Learn to see material attachments as negative equity
An asset that costs more than what it yields is a negative equity. If we learn that a prospective asset will become a negative equity, [...]
Matter matters, and so does manner
When we speak something authoritative, we often expect others to hear it submissively. Especially when we speak Krishna’s message, we frequently think that because we [...]
Knowledge in the mode of ignorance increases ignorance, not knowledge
Suppose a person goes deep into an unending dark tunnel. The deeper they go into the tunnel, the further they go from the light. Similar [...]
We are conditioned not by what we are, but by what we are missing
We all have our conditionings that sometimes make us act unwisely, even self-destructively. When some people get overpowered by their conditionings repeatedly, they start being [...]
Our existence and our faith are related causally, constitutionally and consequentially
Some people say how we live is all that matters, what we believe doesn’t matter. Actually however, the relationship between our life and our faith [...]
Gita 15.05 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now Krishna will conclude this [...]
The Gita enlightens and lightens our life-journey
Suppose we are struggling to walk on a dark road while carrying a heavy burden. If the streetlights turn on, we won’t stumble or go [...]
What we look for in the world is not to be found in the world
We all are innately pleasure-seeking. In our quest for pleasure, our senses constantly look for enjoyable objects. Seeking such objects, people travel from one city [...]
The world can crowd Krishna out of our heart – and so can the mind
We may feel, “Today’s passionate world, filled with demanding people and unending to-do lists, distracts me from my spirituality. If only I could live in [...]
The Absolute’s different manifestations reflect his different moods
God is one. While this truth is taught by all theistic traditions, Gita wisdom adds a significant detail: His oneness doesn’t limit him to one [...]
Temptation talks and stalks, relentlessly
Suppose a salesperson tries forcefully to sell us their product and relentlessly follows us wherever we go. We may try their product, but if we [...]
Humility transforms a protest against God into a prayer to God
When we face perplexities or adversities, we may protest, “Why is this happening to me?” And if we accept God as the supreme controller, we [...]
Some know at 9 what others don’t know at 59
Some people, right from their childhood, have strong spiritual inclination. In contrast, others, even when middle-aged or elderly, stay spiritually deadened, being captivated by worldly [...]
Corruption of the intelligence needs correction by the intelligence
The Bhagavad-gita (03.40) states that selfish desire has occupied not just our senses and mind, but also our intelligence. This statement is intriguing because the [...]
We are in a dream, but we are not a dream
Some people say that everything is an illusion, like a dream. Yes, spiritual traditions do compare our present existence to a dream. But such comparison [...]