Cultivate a tender heart, but cover it with a thick skin
The process of bhakti is meant to purify and soften our heart, to make it receptive to relish the subtle and sweet love of Krishna. [...]
Life is meant to get back to Krishna, not to get back at others
Suppose a snake bites us. Suppose further that we become enraged at the snake and start chasing it to kick it to death. Even if [...]
Aversion is as much a temptation as is attachment
On the spiritual path, we understand that attachments are temptations. When we are too attached to someone, we are always thinking about that person and [...]
Determination means to decouple emotion from action
Some of us may feel, “I don’t have determination – I just can’t stick to my resolutions.” We almost treat determination like a mystical gift, [...]
Don’t let victory in the battle against temptation come at the cost of defeat in the war for devotion
While growing spiritually, we know that we need to resist certain anti-devotional temptations. But we may get so consumed by the effort to give up [...]
Stop the snowball before it snowballs you
When a snowball is on top of a hill and is about to start rolling down, it can be checked and cracked with just a [...]
Resign from illusion – don’t re-sign into illusion
We all have our illusory attachments because of which we succumb to self-defeating indulgences. When we realize the consequences of those indulgences, how they cause [...]
When we get out of ourselves, we find ourselves
Many people are eager to be themselves, to find and express their authentic self. This search for authenticity is good. But if not channelled properly, [...]
Our greatest power is not the power we have over others, but the power we have over ourselves
Many people hunger for power. Such power-hungry people usually define power in terms of externals, in terms of how much they can control others and [...]
Spiritualism is the shadow of spirituality
Spiritualism is the study of spirits, wherein spirits refer to disembodied beings such as ghosts. Spirituality, on the other hand, is the exploration of the [...]
Dedicate your external to the eternal internal, not the ephemeral internal
When authors write books, they often dedicate their book to some person – that person may not be much mentioned in the book itself, but [...]
Purity is not just a function of intention – it is also a fruit of devotion
Bhakti-yoga seekers are often encouraged to strive for purity, to connect with Krishna simply for loving him, not for getting some material things from him. [...]
We need Krishna’s experience more than Krishna’s explanation
Krishna’s experience refers to our experience of the peace and bliss that comes when we connect with Krishna and relish a spiritual experience. Krishna’s explanation [...]
Those who obsess over what is wrong overlook what is right
Some people are industrious faultfinders. Whoever they are with, they zero in on the faults of that person. Such people who obsess on the wrong [...]
Go to the temple to take darshan, not to give darshan
Some celebrities such as politicians or movie stars often visit temples on special holy days such as Janmashtami. If they see such visits merely as good photo-ops [...]
Those who commit to nothing are distracted by everything
Distraction has been an ever-present bane for humanity. However, the present age is one of mass distraction. With technology and social media, news, updates and [...]
The mind changes the surface we are playing on – beware
In cricket, the playing strategy depends a lot on the nature of the playing surface. For example, some pitches are ideal for aggressive batting, while [...]
Those who boast that they can do anything can do nothing as they should
Some people are versatile. With their multifarious talents, they feel they can do whatever they put their mind on. Even if they can, their actions [...]
Set it and forget it approach won’t work because the mind will reset it
Suppose in our home we have a fire alarm that can be set to go off whenever any danger signs arise. Some devices are advertised [...]
Learn to avoid the stimuli that cause mental diarrhea
If we eat some food that causes us diarrhea, we learn to avoid that food in future. Even if other people enjoy that food, we [...]
Watch what you talk when you talk to yourself
When we are talking, especially in an important meeting, we watch what we talk, lest we speak inappropriately. Just as we watch what we talk [...]