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. [...]
We have to fall asleep, but we don’t have to fall for sleep
Sleeping is a biological need for resting and rejuvenating the body. The Bhagavad-gita acknowledges the indispensability of sleep when it (06.16) recommends avoidance of too [...]
Material adversity is a spur to transform spiritual opportunity into existential necessity
“See adversity as an opportunity” is an encouraging saying. But how can we apply it practically? By internalizing Gita wisdom . The Bhagavad-gita explains that [...]
Seek not the mirage of sensual titillation – seek the ocean of spiritual satisfaction
For a thirsty person lost in a desert, a mirage promises the very thing they need: water. Actually however, the mirage is the very thing [...]
The intellectual temptation for quick comprehension leads to erroneous generalization
We all feel an innate need to gain some understanding of things in our life. When things don’t make sense, we resort to our preferred [...]
Even if we can’t be spiritually joyful, we can be spiritually purposeful
Whenever anyone seeks to achieve anything wonderful or even worthwhile, they know that they have to work for it. Consider tennis players, Even if they [...]
The difference between confidence and overconfidence is vigilance
Suppose some soldiers are guarding the national boundary from infiltration by terrorists. If the soldiers are diffident that too many terrorists may attack, they may [...]
To overcome desires, outgrow them
When children want to spend all their time playing and their parents force them to study, the children resent their studies and sneak back to [...]
Evaluating action without understanding position causes delusion
Suppose a tribal ignorant of surgery comes to a hospital and sees a surgeon cutting the patient’s body. Alarmed, he cries out, “Killer, killer, killer.” [...]