Spirituality stills the mind and fills the soul
When starting spiritual life, we may expect different things. Some people expect to levitate; some, to see a mystical light, some, to acquire an aura. [...]
Hate may be an unavoidable emotion, but hatefulness is an avoidable disposition
When some people hurt us and delight in doing so, we may naturally feel anger and hate. Even if such hate is unavoidable, we needn’t [...]
Replacing addiction to sinfulness with addiction to self-righteousness is not progress
When we start practicing bhakti, we often experience amazing transformation – even without much effort on our part, sinful habits to which we may have [...]
Work not to run away from yourself – work to realize yourself
Work can be a responsible-seeming way to stay irresponsible. When we succumb to workaholism, work becomes our rationale for neglecting life’s other important aspects, such [...]
We can’t know what the future holds, but we can know who holds the future
We dream of a bright future, but also dread a dark one: what if we lose our job, health or a loved one? Given that [...]
When we realize our deepest identity, we fulfill our highest destiny
When we are born, we get a conception of identity based on our gender, complexion, dynasty, nationality. Associated with this identity comes a conception of [...]
Gita 08.20 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Now Krishna after describing this material [...]
Our life’s quality is determined not by how we look, but by what we look forward to
We are often obsessed with our looks. Undoubtedly, how we look matters, especially in today’s materialistic society where people are judged by their appearances. We [...]
The spiritual world exists not just at a different location but at a different level of reality
The Bhagavad-gita informs us about the spiritual world, which is the ultimate destination for us as souls. This spiritual world is sometimes shown to be [...]
Our mind is influential, but it is also influenceable
Our mind has an enormous influence on us – when we are thinking of one thing, it can take our thoughts in an entirely different [...]
Those who rail at destiny derail themselves
When we face reversals, we may rail at destiny, “Why is destiny so unfair to me?” It’s natural to feel bad when bad things happen. [...]
Don’t let the quest for perfection become the tomb of progression
When we try to grow spiritually, we may seek perfect self-control. But just as a child falls before learning to walk, so too do we [...]
Forgiveness means relinquishing our right to get even
When people hurt us, we often feel the urge to get even. And when they hurt us grievously, we feel we have a right to [...]
Devotion is a dexterous dance between dependence and determination
Some people feel, “As devotion requires becoming dependent on God, it makes the devoted passive, abandoning their initiative and energy.” However, devotional dependence is empowering, [...]
Majestic loneliness is still loneliness
People often want to rise to the top in their fields and to delight in being high above everyone else. Even if they attain a [...]
Our intelligence needs to be wakened, not weakened
If a guard is protecting a bank vulnerable to thieves, he needs to be vigilant. If he happens to be asleep when thieves attack, he [...]
Devotion is not just an emotion we feel – it is an action we do
Some people equate devotion with emotion – the emotion they feel on, say, sensing sublime vibes at a sacred place, hearing sweet devotional songs or [...]
Tolerance towards the mind’s intolerance imprisons us in impotence
Suppose a tolerant group is interacting with an intolerant group. The tolerant may say, “You can do what you want; I won’t impose my way [...]
Unthinking words reflect an uncaring heart
Our words are like a mirror that give others peeks into our hearts. If the mirror is unclean, it distorts whatever it reflects. Similarly, if [...]
To mistake attention to be affection is delusion
When we enter a room, we often note how many people notice us. If no one notices us, we feel bad. If many heads turn [...]
Using our ears better helps us better use the thing between our ears
The thing between our ears is our brain, which idiomatically refers to our intelligence. Though we all have intelligence, we don’t always act intelligently; we [...]