When the mind functions primarily as a mirror instead of as a window, we gain self-realization
Suppose a cosmonaut is in a spacecraft that has a window for seeing outside but is pitch-dark inside. Similar is our present position. We are [...]
Unconsciousness is a state of consciousness – not an absence of consciousness
People who undergo near-death experiences (NDEs) sometimes report that they perceived, from an out-of-body perspective, things that happened while they were medically unconscious. Occasionally, they [...]
Maya is not just illusion – it is also the agency that brings about illusion
The word “Maya” is common in yogic philosophy. Though often translated as illusion, Maya is also the agency that brings about illusion. The Bhagavad-gita (07.14) [...]
Gita 06.29 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 10-32: From practice to perfection in [...]
Note consciously what you notice unconsciously
In the Mahabharata, when Arjuna disguised as a brahmana won Draupadi’s hand in the svayamvara, Drupada sensed that his to-be son-in-law was actually a kshatriya. [...]
The mind is the TV – and the TV-thief
Suppose a person is watching TV, and a thief sneaks into the house and starts carrying the TV away. However, the person is so engrossed [...]
Our destiny is bigger than our biology
People are often eager to know their destiny – what lies ahead in their life. This eagerness accounts for the widespread fascination with astrology, numerology, [...]
Krishna is not a passive point of concentration – he is the proactive fount of compassion
Yogis begin their meditation by using various objects as initial points of concentration. The Bhagavad-gita mentions that they may focus on the space between their [...]
Expansion of consciousness opens the self to the self
When we are so caught in watching a movie as to be oblivious to everything else, our consciousness shrinks to the movie screen. But when [...]
Human will is founded and fulfilled in the divine will
Some people think that human will and divine will are opposed to each other – when we submit to God’s rules, we lose our freedom [...]
Gita 06.20-23 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 10-32: From practice to perfection in [...]
The divine descent is meant to inspire the human ascent
Among the oft-quoted verses of the Bhagavad-gita are those describing God’s periodic descent (04.07-08): Whenever adharma predominates, he descends and re-establishes dharma, cosmic order. Still, [...]
Gita 06.19 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 10-32: From practice to perfection in [...]
Be detached from results, not goals
People familiar with the Bhagavad-gita often question the practicality of its instruction (02.47) to work without attachment to results: “If we are detached from results, [...]
False dichotomies keep us in real illusion
One of the favorite strategies of emotional manipulators is setting up false dichotomies. For example, a former US president who launched a war against terror [...]
When getting into new things, know how to get out
Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, is a celebrated warrior. Though just sixteen, he merits a mention from Duryodhana (Bhagavad-gita 01.06) in his brief [...]
We don’t just have a relationship with Krishna – we are a relationship with Krishna
One of the fields in a Facebook profile is relationship status. Some of us may fill it with “none” to indicate that we are not [...]
Gita 06.13-14 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 10-32: From practice to perfection in [...]
To sweeten your devotion, heighten your conception and motivation
Sometimes we may find our bhakti practices lacking in taste. To gain steady taste, we need to heighten our conception of God and our motivation [...]
Gita 06.11-12 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya So now let us look at [...]
Temporary relief from self-inflicted torture is not pleasure
Suppose a person who is dragged by a noose around the neck feels relieved when that dragging stops, and mistakes that relief to be pleasure. [...]