Lust doesn’t just bind us – it also makes us fight to hold on to its bonds
If someone were being bound by ropes, that person would naturally fight to untie the bonds. But suppose that person fights instead to hold on [...]
Krishna is not life’s sole goal – he is life’s whole goal
Sometimes people ask: “To attain Krishna, do we have to give up all other goals and just devote ourselves to him?” No, because Krishna is not [...]
The confidentiality of devotion is not due to the frugality of divine grace, but the scarcity of human desire
The Bhagavad-gita (09.01) declares that the knowledge it shares is most confidential. Why confidential? Is Krishna too frugal, even stingy, in sharing his merciful message? [...]
Let the pat on the back for our intellectual conquests not become a nail in the coffin of our devotional prospects
The Bhagavad-gita declares repeatedly that Krishna can be known only through devotion, as in 08.22, 11.53 - 11.54, 18.55, for example. Why is devotion the [...]
Money unmakes those who make making money their life’s purpose
Money is a necessity for our existence, but many make it the purpose of their existence. They equate money with pleasure, possession, prestige and power. [...]
We don’t have any choice except to believe in our power of choice
“Do we have the power to choose our actions or are they determined by factors beyond us?” This question confronts thinking humans, whatever their beliefs. [...]
Our fear of our mortality is a pointer to our immortality
The fear of death is one of life’s most haunting fears. Intriguingly, this haunting fear can become illuminating if we turn the usual question raised [...]
Passion polarizes positions and paralyzes discussions
When two parties quarrel bitterly, other people can frequently see that the differences are not all that big and that the issues are resolvable. But [...]
Conquer vice not just by fighting harder, but by rising higher
Vice is the inner self-destructive force that promises quick pleasure but ends up binding us to misery and bondage. The Bhagavad-gita (03.36 - 03.43) provides [...]
We may be far away from Krishna, but Krishna is always close to us
The distance between two people in any relationship is a function not of bodily location but of emotional disposition. Family members living under the same [...]
Spirituality is the culmination, not the contradiction, of science
Atheists claim, “Science and spirituality are contradictory because science is founded on facts; spirituality, on faith.” Actually however, the bedrock of science is not facts, [...]
Cultivating humility doesn’t mean courting dishonor
The Bhagavad-gita (13.08) commends humility as the first among the virtues of the enlightened. And it also commends protecting one’s honor, the seeming opposite of [...]
The key to happiness is not having it all but having the One who has it all
“Have it all.” This is the mantra of today’s consumerist culture that impels us to believe that the more we have, the more we will [...]
Vice may not give up the wise, but the wise give up vice
Wisdom means knowing the difference between virtue and vice; and cultivating virtue and curbing vice. We get wisdom by the study of scriptures and the [...]
Knowledge of Krishna’s position stimulates submission and his disposition stimulates affection
Some neophyte devotees ask, “In bhakti-yoga, why do we need to study scripture and gain knowledge? Isn’t simply loving Krishna enough?” Yes, it is. But [...]
Service is unavoidable – why not make it relishable?
The scriptural teaching that we are servants of God often seems unpalatable to our ego: “Why should I serve God?” Rarely do we grasp the [...]
Loving unconditionally doesn’t mean being unconditionally liberal; it means being unconditionally available
Some people ask, “If God loves us, why is his love conditional? Why does he forbid us from doing many enjoyable things?” Krishna’s love is [...]
The supposition of subjectivity is sabotaged by the subjectivity of the supposition
“It may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” This is the reason many people often give for dismissing scriptural revelation of [...]
Cultivate humility not as the justification for shirking responsibility but as the inspiration for embracing responsibility
Humility is foundational to authentic spirituality. The Bhagavad-gita (13.08) lists humility as the first among the virtues that comprise wisdom. Krishna enjoins Arjuna to cultivate [...]
Let the desire to be somebody not make us somebody else
The hugeness of the world around us and the tininess of our place in it often fuel within us a drive to be somebody. Unfortunately, [...]
Even if we can’t be consistent in our devotion, we can still be resilient
When we want to drive to a particular destination, we stay straight on the path that will take us there. But if factors beyond our [...]