Longing is the test of taste
Suppose during our childhood we had regularly visited an enjoyable place, but during our ensuing life’s many activities, have forgotten how wonderful that place was. [...]
Let intelligence be the inspector of impulse, not its incubator
In a cricket match, a well-set batsman sometimes hits a rash shot and gets out, triggering a collapse that causes the team to lose from [...]
We are defined by what we stand for, not what we stand against
Some people are perpetual agitators. They agitate against the government, against the police, against the corporate world, against the religious orthodoxy, against the cultural norms. [...]
Refuel your love tank with bhakti
If while traveling, our car tank starts drying up, we need to refuel, lest we get stranded. Our heart is like a tank that runs [...]
Getting opportunities is providence, grabbing them is diligencef
Some underachievers explain away their rivals’ success by saying, “They were lucky; they got the opportunities that others (like me) didn’t.” Such arguments underrate the [...]
Don’t give the mind monopoly over your inner conversation
Our mind carries on a continuous one-way conversation inside us. It allures, grumbles, distracts. Using subtle suggestions or imperious instructions or anything in between, it [...]
To grow in humility, stay rooted in reality
Most of us have met egomaniacs who think that others have nothing better to do than hear them expound their glories. Such hubris stems from [...]
Focus on your steps, not your sidesteps
While walking on a road, suppose we keep worrying about all the slippery spots that we will have to sidestep. The resulting fear that we [...]
The more we comprehend Krishna’s transcendence, the more we cherish his munificence
Suppose a country’s president visits a jail for inspiring prisoners to reform and be released. But suppose the prisoners ignorantly mistake the president to be [...]
To not consider our capacity is to cripple our capacity
Suppose a child, on seeing an adult lift a heavy weight, tries to lift a similar weight. That child will end up injured, unable to [...]
Be faithful, but be watchful too
People ask, “Why should we believe in invisible things such as the soul and reject realities seen with our eyes?” Actually, we don’t need to [...]
Physical sensations cheat us of spiritual emotions
Suppose we are going to a place where a feast is on the menu, but someone takes us elsewhere, promising an even better feast. But [...]
Obsession isn’t just a distractor from absorption; it is also a demonstrator of absorption
Some bhakti seekers ask, “My mind gets so easily distracted by worldly things. Is it possible to become absorbed in Krishna?” Yes, it is. If [...]
Suffering doesn’t have to be isolating – it can be integrating
When some adversity afflicts us, grief is natural and understandable. Still, after we have given our emotions the necessary vent, we need to counter the [...]
We can’t drive out darkness, but we can turn on the light
Suppose we find ourselves groping and stumbling in a dark room. We may feel irritated at the darkness, but cursing or punching it achieves nothing. [...]
Don’t just restrain the mind – retrain it
Suppose a horse-rider finds their horse going off in dangerous directions. They will have to restrain it, and restrain it forcefully if it is recalcitrant. [...]
Purification centers on channeling our nature, not suppressing it
Some people ask, “Don’t the many rules of spiritual life suppress our nature?” No, this apprehension comes from conflating two distinct senses of the word [...]
Between the extremes of pantheism and deism lies the holism of panentheism
Pantheism equates God with nature. It implies that whatever exists in nature is all that there is to God, that he has no self-existence beyond [...]
In worrying about what all may go wrong, we go wrong
Worrying hurts us even before things go wrong, while things are going wrong and after things have gone wrong. Consider a student with a decent [...]
Get serious about not taking yourself too seriously
People who are too stuck-up, standoffish, finicky are told, “Lighten up. Don’t take things so seriously.” Such people who take themselves too seriously make small [...]
Bhakti empowers us to use our free will fully and fulfillingly
Our free will is our most precious asset. It enables us to seek success and happiness. But we can’t pursue these aspirations effectively if we [...]