The mind gets us alone – and then gets us
During the Mahabharata war, Arjuna’s sixteen-year-old son, Abhimanyu, battles and bests the greatest Kaurava warriors. Unfortunately, on the thirteenth day of the war, the Kauravas [...]
God is not like an undiscovered satellite around Jupiter
If Jupiter had some undiscovered satellite, we could detect it if we just developed the necessary material technology. Some people think that we could similarly [...]
Digging for gold requires dealing with dirt
Few activities captivate the human imagination as much as the hope of finding underground gold. However, such fantasies often overlook the reality that that gold [...]
Gita 09.03 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan We are in 9th chapter [...]
Bhakti is beyond feminism – and beyond male chauvinism too
Gender roles are becoming increasingly intermingled and blurred nowadays. Conservatives blame feminism for various social problems such as marital ruptures and teenage delinquency. Liberals counter [...]
In meditation, the way to relaxation is through concentration
Many people try out meditation for de-stressing and relaxing themselves. However, when they start meditating, they often find concentrating during meditation demanding, even draining. And [...]
In bhakti, understanding and practice are not just sequential, but also symbiotic
When we understand how some process works, say, how a particular fitness regimen works, our motivation to practice it increases. Thus, understanding inspires and intensifies [...]
A sanitized take on reality can’t take us to spiritual sanity
Sanitization refers to the removal of offensive elements from a work to render it more acceptable to its audience. While sanitization is frequently done for [...]
Delusion makes eating a life-threatening activity
Commensality, the act of eating together with others, is one of the commonest relaxing and rejuvenating activities. While our body gets necessary nourishment through good [...]
Bhakti-yoga takes our relationship with Krishna from familiarity to comfort to desire to need
Suppose we wish to learn how to drive a car. Initially, we try to become familiar with a car by riding in it. After riding [...]
Why bother whether the glass is half-empty or half-full when you can drink from either?
Based on our past ways of thinking and living, we all have developed an attitude that is optimistic or pessimistic or an unpredictable combination of [...]
What needs to be done needs to be done well
At the Bhagavad-gita’s start, Arjuna faces the unpalatable task of fighting against his venerable elders – a fight he would much rather have avoided. But [...]
Appreciating Krishna’s immanence integrates recollection and participation
The Bhagavad-gita’s directive (08.07) – always remember Krishna and do your prescribed duty – raises the question: “How can we do both simultaneously? If we [...]
Seek not to be enjoyers or achievers; seek to be cooperators
Spiritual literature often talk about the inner war in the hearts of seekers: the war between our higher self and our lower self – between [...]
Comprehension of scripture comes by absorption, not projection
The Bhagavad-gita, being a widely respected book, is often misappropriated by people with their own agendas. Such people cherry-pick the Gita’s verses to suit their [...]
Spiritual growth comes by improving our mental model, not our physical posture
Some people treat as spiritually advanced those who are able to sit for long in difficult yogic postures (asanas). Expertise in asanas underscores the body’s [...]
The mind’s spells make our life a waking nightmare
Suppose we have a nightmare in which someone is strangling us. We try desperately to resist, but find ourselves being increasingly asphyxiated. Just as we [...]
Others don’t endanger our liberty as much as do we ourselves
The news often reports people protesting vehemently against any law that seems draconian, that threatens their liberty. Dictatorial regimes that curtail individual rights often earn [...]
Humility propels us on the journey from self-absorption to Krishna-absorption
People sometimes ask, “Isn’t humility demeaning and disempowering to oneself?” No, actual humility is elevating and empowering, freeing us from self-absorption in all its forms, [...]
Be not eager for the meager
Suppose someone invited us for a feast and then delivered food so meager that it wouldn’t satisfy even a squirrel. If they invited and under-delivered [...]
Even if bhakti is not joyful, it is still fruitful
When we hear scriptural descriptions about the immense, intense bliss of bhakti, we may get the question, “Is this for real?” This question may become [...]