The God we grasp is different from the God who grasps us
The God we grasp refers to how we understand God: the conception of God we have acquired, be it by conscious contemplation or sub-conscious assimilation [...]
It takes courage to dream – and it takes courage to hand our dream over to Krishna
When we dream we often envision situation radically different from our present situation, and especially if our dream is meant to be a spur for [...]
To succumb to temptation is not just immoral – it is also irresponsible
Suppose a pilot drinks, and drinks excessively, before flying a plane. Even if some people don’t consider drinking immoral, it is irresponsible, especially when doing [...]
The world’s darkness prevents perception, the heart’s darkness perverts perception
Darkness of the heart refers to the distortion of our desires, the degradation of our consciousness that happens because of our distorted desires, thereby making [...]
Spiritual desolation triggers sensual obsession
When our life has no higher purpose, whatever promises of pleasures controls and drags us. For example, if we have nothing important to do on [...]
Our forced errors don’t justify our unforced errors
In tennis, when a player is put into a situation where it is almost impossible to hit a shot back into the court, player has [...]
Gita 18.24 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 18.24 yat tu kāmepsunā [...]
Sculptors can change the shape of the stone, not its structure
Sculptors often seem to do magic, transforming a stone into a magnificent statue. Still, they have limits: they can’t make sandstone to marble. Our mind [...]
To lose the will to fight is to lose the fight
The Bhagavad-gita’s dramatic setting depicts the greatest archer of the times, Arjuna, on the verge of fighting the greatest war of his life on the [...]
Gita 06.09 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 1-9: From Arurukshato (beginning stage) To [...]
Stop expecting the mind to give up trying to make us give up
When we resolve to do something positive and fail, the mind may dishearten us, “You can’t do it. Just give up.” We may still persevere, [...]
Temptation buys us on an installment basis
When we buy something on an installment basis, we need to pay only small amounts at a time. By thus manageably dividing a large amount, [...]
See the reality of our material situation – and see that reality is bigger than our material situation
Our present situation in material existence is precarious: a quake under our feet or a quake in our heart can kill us at any moment. [...]
Unhealthy cravings are often unhealthy expressions of healthy needs
We are sometimes told to differentiate between desires and needs. However, just an intellectual differentiation is not enough. Sometimes, our desires are misdirected expressions of [...]
Our mind makes us blind intermittently and colorblind incessantly
Our mind can blind us when it gets infatuated by certain desires and can see only the immediate pleasures available through indulgence, not the consequences [...]
Addictive desires feed themselves through us and then they starve us
Suppose someone came to our house, ate our food, became strong, took over our house and started starving us. That would be outrageous. However, that’s [...]
Our greatest weakness is our unwillingness to believe in Krishna’s love for us
We often think of our weaknesses in terms of lust or anger or greed or envy. Yes, these are weaknesses, but they all are the [...]
God’s purpose is not just to comfort us – it is also to challenge us and change us
When in distress, we often approach God to gain relief. And yes, connecting with God can comfort us. Still, everything about God may not be [...]
Animals have souls – they just don’t have the consciousness to know they have souls
Some people argue that animals don’t have souls; only humans have, because humans alone have the capacity for spiritual enquiry. This argument conflates the existence [...]
The feelings that emerge from the mind can’t be evaluated by the mind
When things go wrong repeatedly, our mind may become filled with negative feelings such as worthlessness, powerlessness, hopelessness. To check such feelings, we can compare [...]
When our desires change suddenly from spiritual to sensual, know that the lasso of illusory desires has fallen on us
Suppose a kidnapped person is running away from their abductors. If suddenly they feel themselves being pulled backwards, they will look sharply to discern what [...]