Let introspection be for fact-finding, not fault-finding
While striving to live according to principles, if we falter, we become disheartened. Even if we introspect to find out why we fell, that introspection [...]
To think that the illusions tempting us are new is an old illusion
The world we live in is a place of illusion. The primary illusion is that sense objects can make us happy. But the illusion runs [...]
We can never have a bird’s eye-view – we can only have a human eye-view from a bird’s perspective
Getting a bird’s eye-view of something refers idiomatically to looking at the big picture, seeing that thing in a broader context – akin to how [...]
The cunning combination of complacency, complicity and carnality consumes our conscience
Our conscience is our inner guard – it cautions us whenever we feel tempted to do anything unworthy. However, just as a carnivorous predator may [...]
Don’t treat others as a waste-basket for your words
If we have a lot of waste in our house, we wouldn’t throw it at any visitor. But strangely we sometimes throw our waste-words at [...]
See Krishna not just as a shock-absorber, but also as a goal-transformer
Many people treat God as a shock-absorber. Just as a car’s shock-absorber is needed to minimize jolts while driving, they think God is needed to [...]
One person’s diversion can be another person’s devastation
To relieve life’s monotony, we sometimes seek various diversions. While diverting ourselves, we may simply want some harmless entertainment. But diversions can easily degenerate from [...]
We are not our feelings – we are the feelers of our feelings
Some people ask, “We often act on our feelings such as anger, frustration or dejection, and later regret those actions. How can we avoid such [...]
To offer our best, we need to discover our best
Suppose someone has a precious inheritance buried in their backyard, and they want to give a valuable gift to their loved one. Naturally, they would [...]
Spiritual vision is meant for deepening our experience of reality, not denying it
Some people conceive of spirituality as world-rejecting. They hold, “This world is the arena of illusion, wherein we are trapped by the attractiveness of worldly [...]
The biggest battle is not around us; it is inside us
We are often enmeshed in various battles around us – political battles in our countries, corporate battles in our offices, and domestic battles in our [...]
Subtle time subtly causes colossal changes
When we see a huge cloud moving in the sky, we don’t often realize that it demonstrates how the subtler affects the grosser – the [...]
What begins as titillation can end as tribulation
We may sometimes titillate ourselves by, say, watching scenes depicting immoral indulgences. And we may rationalize such titillation by thinking that we have no intention [...]
See as much as you can while you can
Suppose we are walking at night on a dark road and our flashlight starts flickering. While the light is on, we will try to see [...]
Repetition emphasizes – and so does the emphasis in the repetition
In linguistic communication, repetition is a standard rhetorical device for conveying emphasis. The Bhagavad-gita repeats in 18.65 the same two and half lines as in [...]
We are all playing on different surfaces – don’t compare
Suppose two batsmen are batting in two different matches on two different pitches, with one pitch being a batsman’s paradise and the other a batsman’s [...]
We can’t avoid being controlled, but we can choose our controller
We all are controlled by our mind and senses. They allure us with promises of pleasure, and drag us here, there and everywhere. Addicts become [...]
Those who put themselves in a storm’s way are swept away
Suppose, while driving, we hear a radio warning that a storm is going to sweep across the road ahead. We would prudently delay or divert [...]
God doesn’t need us to harmonize with him – we need to harmonize with him
The Bhagavad-gita (18.78) concludes that where Krishna and Arjuna are together, victory follows. This declaration may raise the question: “Krishna alone is enough to guarantee [...]
Give others as much benefit of doubt as we give to ourselves
If we oversleep, we often justify, “I was tired.” But if someone we don’t like oversleeps, we label them as “lazy.” If we overeat, we [...]
The first me is practically never the best me
Some people ask, “We are often told to repress our impulses in the name of civilized behavior or spiritual standards. But doesn’t that mean we [...]