We may be unqualified, but we are never disqualified
To be unqualified for something means to not have the necessary qualifications to do it. To be disqualified means to not be allowed to do [...]
When the mind cries wolf, know that the mind is the worst wolf
We know the story of the boy who cried wolf, misinforming villagers about a marauding wolf when actually there was no threat. The mind does [...]
Live not for gratification; live for contribution
We are all innately pleasure-seeking whatever we do, we do it for gaining pleasure. But pleasure has a peculiar nature it eludes those who pursue [...]
The mind can defeat us in a battle, but we alone can defeat ourselves in the war
We grow internally by living with moral and spiritual integrity. Such principle-centered living necessitates an inner war against the mind which stubbornly sticks to its [...]
Morality is contextual, not categorical
Are right and wrong absolute categories: “This is right and that is wrong”? Or are they context-dependent? To understand the answer, let’s consider the Gita’s [...]
Those who check the urge to mate avoid checkmate
Checkmate signifies final, irreversible defeat. In material existence, checkmate comes in the form of death. It terminates all our dreams and schemes for enjoyment at [...]
Devotion is the emotion that takes us beyond all other emotions
When a mother loves her infant, that maternal emotion takes her beyond all other emotions. For example, she may be exhausted after a day of [...]
The vision of the one in everyone grants liberation
Addiction is a result of fragmental vision. Alcoholics see only the pleasure of the drink, not the pain of the consequent hangover. Although they may [...]
Wealth of the world without wealth of the heart wrecks the world
Most of the world's big problems, including poverty, are caused by people who are in a state opposite to poverty – prosperity. It is the [...]
The inner war is the bigger war
People new to the Bhagavad-gita often ask: “Does it endorse war?” At one level, the Gita does indeed urge a virtuous warrior to fight against [...]
Meditation minimizes inner friction and maximizes outer contribution
“I have so many things to do. How can I spare time for meditation?” This apprehension often troubles aspiring spiritualists. Paradoxically, it is when we have [...]
A passion for fashion ends in dissatisfaction and delusion
Fashions allure us constantly in today’s world. New clothes, new cellphones, new cosmetics – such things often captivate our minds. Keeping up with fashions doesn’t [...]
Seek not scapegoats; seek not to become martyrs – seek to stay as servants
When we fail at something important, we often feel mortified that others will think of us as incompetent, bungling good-for-nothings. To counter this negative perception, [...]
There is no reason for reason without a transcendental source of reason
Materialists often portray themselves as champions of reason and deride religionists as peddlers of irrational beliefs. However, the very reason they claim to champion has [...]
Contemplating the gravity of our purpose exposes the frivolity of our pride
Suppose a doctor in an epidemic-hit area succeeds in saving a record number of patients. The feat is laudable, no doubt. But suppose the doctor [...]
Externals provide survival value, but internals provide value to survival
Struggle for survival is a fundamental characteristic of material existence. In this struggle, all living beings choose external things based on their survival value – [...]
The determination to serve Krishna doesn’t just herald victory – it is victory
The Bhagavad-gita concludes ((18.78) with a prophecy: when the devotee is one in will with the Lord, victory will ensue. This prophecy was fulfilled when [...]
Those who don’t see weakness as weakness degrade to meanness
We all have our weaknesses such as succumbing to temptations and compromising principles for expediency. Having weaknesses is a part of the package of being [...]
The fruit of meditation is taste for meditation
In worldly life, we usually do an action for some fruit other than that action – we may work not because we love the work [...]
The Gita is not just didactic but also therapeutic
Doctors give patients a didactic explanation centered on what is wrong (diagnosis). But the diagnosis is not the therapy, which involves taking some prescriptions. Thus [...]
The belief that what science can’t explain doesn’t need explaining is blind and blinding
Science has explained many mysteries about material nature. And it will explain more. Still because it focuses on matter, it can’t explain the non-material. However, [...]