The supreme abode is the Supreme’s abode
The supreme abode refers to life’s ultimate destination. Some people think that the ultimate destination is the impersonal Brahman effulgence, the infinite oneness into which [...]
Why crave for any pleasure that makes us a slave?
If someone is enslaved, they would try to break free. If instead someone who is free tried to become enslaved, we would consider them insane. [...]
Forgiving is not forgetting – it is a fresh way of remembering
Forgiveness is often commended as a stellar virtue, as in the Bhagavad-gita (16.03). However, forgiving often seems difficult because we equate it with forgetting. And [...]
The world is a place for treatment, not enjoyment
Some people consider the Bhagavad-gita pessimistic because it deems this world a distressful place. However, the Gita is not pessimistic – it is materially realistic [...]
Curiosity is for knowledge what hunger is for food
Suppose we are offered delicious food. If we are hungry, we will relish the food and also digest it well, thereby gaining strength. Similarly, when [...]
The search for pleasure is often the source of the greatest trouble
The search for pleasures drives all of us. Unfortunately, it drives many of us to the opposite of its purpose – to trouble. Consider people [...]
Sensual pleasure ends, but it doesn’t end with pleasure
In today’s materialistic culture, countless images of attractive sense objects allure us incessantly. Our mind imagines that the pleasure therein is immense and irresistible. Believing [...]
The mind deafens us not just to Krishna, but also to the body
Suppose we are walking on a street, wearing earphones that deafen us to all external sounds. We would be in danger especially if a large [...]
The enemy that is not recognized can’t be resisted
During a war, a spy who penetrates into a defending army can wreak havoc from within, for the defenders won’t even know whom to fight [...]
When no gain relieves pain, seek the gain beyond pain
Some people believe that money is the ultimate gain – if they just gain enough money, that can protect them from any pain. However, a [...]
A pile of toys is not worth a pile of troubles
Some children have toys piling up in their rooms. Still, they crave more and more toys. And if they can’t get one new toy, they [...]
The mind’s barriers for the entry of nonsense are ludicrously low
A field vulnerable to flooding needs to be protected by barriers. But if the barring walls are very low, the protection will be largely illusory. [...]
Scriptural memorization is meant not for adulation, but for assimilation and application
Memorization and recitation of scriptures is often recommended as a purificatory practice for spiritual growth. Additionally, in social circles that respect scriptural learning, those who [...]
What we need to give up is not material life but the materialistic conception of life
Some people think that becoming spiritual requires giving up material life. However, their apprehension arises from a misunderstanding of spirituality. The foundational spiritual text, Bhagavad-gita, [...]
Our mind is a madhouse, but we don’t have to be mad
In a mental health care center, not everyone is mad. The medical staff are sober and are meant to take care of the mentally sick. [...]
Knowledge about Krishna protects and propels
Sometimes people ask, “What is the practical use of gaining knowledge about Krishna? When we get knowledge about, say, engineering, we can earn a living. [...]
Take mindfulness to its fullness by becoming mindful of the fullest reality
Mindfulness is, broadly speaking, the conscious awareness of what we are doing, why we are doing it, what we are thinking and why we are [...]
For humanity to not work against humanity, spirituality is a necessity
Today, humanity is the greatest danger to humanity – not just by direct attacks by humans on other humans but also by human exploitation of [...]
Go beyond two equalities to true equality
A modern social critic, George Orwell, highlighted how the illusoriness of the equality that communism tried to create: “In communism all people are equal, but [...]
Self-control is best maintained by avoiding situations that require self-control
Suppose we have resolved to increase our self-control by, say, regulating our eating. But we suddenly get a desire to eat something. If we have [...]
To claim that everything is an illusion is to be in illusion
Some people say that everything is an illusion. But such a statement is self-contradictory. When we say that everything is an illusion, then we are [...]