Don’t be exhausted by the mind – be exhausted with the mind
We probably know people who exhaust us by their meaningless prattle or baseless grumbling or senseless demands. Knowing their nature, we often avoid or at [...]
Krishna is the ultimate knight in shining armor
The knight in shining armor is a staple theme in fiction. Usually appearing as the savior of a damsel in distress, the knight fights to [...]
Devotion passes and surpasses the intellect
The path of devotion passes the intellect meaning that its explanation of life’s purpose can survive the scrutiny of the intellect. In fact, the Bhagavad-gita, [...]
When spiritual life seems dry and tasteless….
As spiritual seekers, we sometimes go through dry phases when our devotional practices seem to give us no happiness. More often than not, the cause [...]
Our connection with Krishna is reinforced, not restricted, by the guru
Some people find the idea of a guru difficult to digest, “Can’t I have a relationship with God? Why do I need to restrict my [...]
Our disposition at death determines our destination after death
Our thoughts shape our actions and our actions shape our destinations. While this has become something of a cliché nowadays, Gita wisdom reveals a profound [...]
Krishna underlies and oversees, pervades and transcends, cherishes and releases
The human mind has conceived of the Absolute Truth in different ways in various traditions. Further, in the world’s great theistic traditions, God has been [...]
Personality is neither a pointer to nor a portion of the Absolute Truth – it is the pinnacle
Many Gita commentators treat Krishna as a pointer to an amorphous non-personal Absolute Truth. They consider that the less intelligent need a form to stabilize [...]
Enlightenment is not a static state; it is a perennial process
Some people conceive enlightenment as sitting motionless in a yogic posture, losing oneself internally, and eventually merging forever into a formless light. The Bhagavad-gita, however, [...]
Those who mistake the route to be the root stay uprooted
Many people confuse the mind with the soul because both are inside. However, the soul and the mind differ cognitively, constitutionally and functionally. Cognitively, the [...]
Seeking God’s will in his word shows us our way in this world
Different people approach the Bhagavad-gita differently, seeing it, for example, as a historical, cultural or poetic book. Though the Gita has all these aspects, they [...]
The past won’t last if to Krishna we hold fast
We are all products of our past. The circumstances we went through and the choices we made have contributed, for better or for worse, to [...]
When the mind becomes peaceful, we become joyful
Seekers sometimes ask, “Bhakti is supposed to be joyful. But I don’t get much joy in practicing it. Why?” Because the mind interrupts our practice [...]
Krishna is not just a solace from the world – he is the substance of the world
Many people come to God to gain relief from the wounds incurred while battling for the things of this world. What they find too difficult [...]
Our past explains our inclinations, but it doesn’t excuse our actions
Imagine a computer used by a child primarily for playing games. From the moment it is turned on, it repeatedly gives prompts for playing. Such [...]
What is a source of trouble for the possessor can’t be the source of pleasure for the beholder
Lust makes temporarily good-looking bodies seem sources of immense pleasure. We know from our own experience with our body that it can be, indeed it [...]
When the mind accepts the impure to be impure, we become pure
Impurity is essentially a perception-distorter. The impurity of addiction to alcohol makes alcoholics think that the very alcohol that is the cause of their suffering [...]
Infatuation with form is not the problem – infatuation with temporary form is
We are often attracted to good-looking worldly forms. Such attraction keeps our consciousness at the material level and thus ties us to worldly existence. Understanding [...]
Don’t just change perception – change perspective
“Change your perception – think positive,” urge many self-help books. It’s good to think positive, but the best positive thinking comes by changing not just [...]
Expect not the absence of the shadow; embrace the presence of the light
Devotee-seekers sometimes ask, “I am devoting myself to Krishna – why then am I still getting miseries in my life?” Because misery is an intrinsic [...]
Go beyond the blindness caused by shortage of light – and by its surfeit
Whenever our surroundings go dark, say, due to a power failure, we become as if blind. Something similar happens to us as souls in material [...]