Focus not on comfort or discomfort – focus on purification
Suppose we are sitting on a chair and studying. If the chair is twisted, the resulting discomfort may hinder our study. But if the chair [...]
Liberalism can be as intolerant as the intolerance it opposes
In today’s intellectual ethos, liberals often claim the high moral ground. They portray conservatives as intolerant for discriminating based on their own belief-systems. However, liberals [...]
Our words should open people’s hearts, not close them
Suppose a surgeon operates without considering the patient’s weak heart, and the surgery leads to a fatal complication. The surgeon would be considered negligent if [...]
We have to lose our mind to gain our soul
“Lose one’s mind” can have multiple meanings, based on literal and idiomatic usages of the word lose. These meanings can illumine various aspects of bhakti [...]
Bhakti is not just emotion – it is also action that expresses and enriches emotion
Some people say, “Devotion is an emotion we feel in our heart; there’s no need to exhibit it publicly.” Exhibition is not needed, but expression [...]
The Gita is too important to be left to scholars alone
The Gita is a scholarly book – its verses, analysis and flow are all intellectually stimulating. But it is not meant for scholars alone. The [...]
Spirituality provides a capacity to cope that transcends our capacity to comprehend
We usually approach technology pragmatically – we use gadgets if they work, even if we can’t comprehend fully the science involved. The Bhagavad-gita demonstrates a [...]
Don’t chase the ball that the mind and the senses toss to each other
Two kids sometimes tease a third kid by making the latter catch a ball that they keep tossing to each other. In recent intellectual history, [...]
Don’t hold on to the things that hold you back
If a person were bound by ropes and were struggling for freedom, we would expect them to break the ropes, not hold on to them. [...]
How everything came from nothing is not explained by italicizing nothing
Where did everything come from? This is one of the biggest unanswered questions in science. Of course, this question precedes modern naturalist science; it has [...]
Our choice has a louder voice than our voice
If leaders leading a country through recession urge citizens to adopt austerity measures, but live in luxury themselves, their choice will belie their voice and [...]
Addiction makes us crave for the things we don’t even like
Recovering drug addicts often report that they relapse into indulgence not because they want to get high but because they just want to feel normal. [...]
Aversion to commitment is not detachment
We live in a culture of aversion to commitment. People want to dabble in things, especially relationships, without committing. Such unwillingness to commit is a [...]
The mind will smother if we don’t see it as the other
Murderers who don’t want to leave any telltale signs by using a weapon sometimes smother their victims. The mind acts with similar calculated malevolence while [...]
In spiritual growth, bhakti is the process and the purpose
The Bhagavad-gita (14.26) states that bhakti is the process for transcending our material conditionings, that is, for growing in spiritual consciousness. The same Gita (18.54) [...]
Live in the light of Krishna, not the shadow of death
On hearing the scriptural directive that we should always remember that we might die at any moment, some people ask: “Won’t such morbid thinking make [...]
Be not distracted or disheartened – be devoted
Suppose a football player is approaching the opposite side’s goal. But someone suddenly distracts the player towards something unimportant and an opposing player seizes the [...]
Enlightenment culminates not just in comprehension but also in wonder
The Bhagavad-gita’s ending reveals two facets of enlightenment: one expressed by Arjuna and the other by Sanjaya. After Krishna finishes speaking (18.72), Arjuna responds that [...]
Focus not just on what lies around, but also on what lies ahead
Life's perplexities and adversities can drain our inspiration to do anything tangible in the present. To stir ourselves out of the present's negativity, we need [...]
Gita 11.20 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan There is beginning of description [...]
The mind is like a dog that barks but can’t bite – unless we let it
A dog that barks ferociously can terrify passers-by. Their fear disappears, however, if they come to know that the dog barks loudly, but can’t bite. [...]