Become conscious of Krishna in whatever makes you unconscious of Krishna
When we strive to become devoted to Krishna, we often face temptations that obstruct us. Tempting sense objects intrude into our consciousness and captivate it. [...]
God is the rationale not for gaps in our knowledge but for our knowledge itself
Atheists sometimes argue, “Theists commit the God-of-the gaps fallacy: They invoke God to explain gaps in our scientific knowledge of how things work – as [...]
Intellectual gluttony causes spiritual lethargy
When we eat gluttonously, our eating often does the opposite of what it is intended to do – rather than giving us energy, it takes [...]
Our mental inclination is not necessarily our personal intention
The word inclination refers physically to the slope of, say, a road in a particular direction. Mentally, our inclination refers to the direction of the [...]
To say that consciousness is unknowable is to say that consciousness is knowable
Consciousness is one of the biggest unanswered questions in modern science and in modern thought at large. For centuries, thinkers have agonized over questions such [...]
Consciousness is the energy that enables us to experience all energies
Some people ask, “Consciousness is an energy. Why can’t it be considered another material energy, like heat or electricity? Why consider it spiritual?” Because consciousness [...]
To resist sense indulgence, resist the hype around sense indulgence
When scripture urges us to regulate sensual indulgence, our mind objects: “Why shouldn’t I enjoy?” This question misleads by invoking a sense of deprivation. To [...]
Spirituality is not about suppressing grief – it is about transcending grief
The Bhagavad-gita (02.13) states that the spiritually enlightened are not bewildered by death. Does this mean that spiritualists shouldn’t grieve the death of their loved [...]
Love first the creator to love best the creatures
Sometimes people think, “Will loving God make us neglect others? Will focusing on the one who is beyond this world make us uncaring towards those [...]
Just as food adds to our physical weight, thoughts add to our mental weight
In today’s culture with its largely sedentary lifestyle, people often watch what they eat as they don’t want to put on unwanted weight. Such watchfulness [...]
Seeming scriptural contradictions are counterbalances, not counters
Some people argue, “The world is a place of entanglement that needs to be renounced to attain liberation.” Others argue, “Our duties in this world [...]
Krishna’s supervision happens by his super-vision
Supervision refers normally to overseeing, but it can also refer to a vision that sees far beyond the ordinary, just as the word superman refers [...]
Spirituality transforms our journey into an odyssey
During our life, we sometimes go on journeys. But we may not realize that life itself is a journey. It is essentially a journey of [...]
Genealogy shapes mentality, but doesn’t determine it
The caste system widespread in India operates on the notion that people’s caste is determined solely by their birth. However, birth didn’t define the original [...]
Just because we can’t light the world doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t light our corner of the world
Suppose suddenly the power goes off all over our city. We don’t think, “Everywhere, there is darkness; what difference is lighting my small corner going [...]
By looking further horizontally, we can’t see vertically
Suppose a person walking along a road wants to see ahead – and does so using binoculars. But as long as they are looking ahead, [...]
Education provides insight; experience provides taste
Spiritual growth results from a harmonious combination of education and experience. Spiritual education helps us understand the higher reality existing beyond the visible. The reality [...]
Seek security not just in the soul but in Krishna
Life’s uncertainties often make us feel insecure. Our insecurities can be grouped into two broad categories: those related with providing for what we need and [...]
If you can’t offer with a pure heart, offer to get a pure heart
Devotional growth is essentially the growth of our loving relationship with Krishna. To make this relationship mutually satisfying and spiritually liberating, we need to connect [...]
Don’t just solve the problems of life – solve the problem that is life
Suppose a person while driving a car competently tackles the problems along the way, say, the car breaking down or running out of fuel. But [...]
Tolerance is not passivity – it is maturity
Some people ask, “Does tolerance, as recommended in the Bhagavad-gita, mean that I just passively accept everything, even injustice?” No, tolerance is not at all [...]