Let others’ human failings not deny us our chance to overcome our human failings
As seekers, we get inspiration and guidance from our spiritual mentors. So if those mentors fall prey to temptations, our faith naturally gets jolted. To [...]
Don’t let desire delude with the Trojan Horse of doubt
Intelligence boosted by scriptural wisdom is our defense against self-centered desire – it helps us see through desire’s false promises. When desire can’t penetrate our [...]
Nectar is not a material thing to be ingested, but a spiritual truth to be relished
“It tastes like nectar,” people say when something tastes delicious. This usage, wherein nectar is compared to a thing, often makes people assume nectar to [...]
Lust is not just vicious but also voracious
“What makes a person do something as terrible as that?” This universal question about human behavior is echoed by Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita (03.36). The [...]
By seeing God as a competitor, we devalue ourselves
Some people ask: “Why should I serve God? Why can’t I enjoy independently, as he does?” We can seek enjoyment independent of God, for he [...]
No one owns the truth table except God – and he has many invitees
“My way is the only way.” This is the exclusivist credo of some religionists. In disarming contrast, Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita (04.11): “All people [...]
Count your blessings – and make your blessings count
Suppose patients get the right medicine, but don’t value it. Or suppose they value it but don’t take it. Either way, they continue suffering. These [...]
What is natural is not always desirable; what is desirable is not always natural
Some people oppose regulation of sensual pleasure: “Material enjoyment is natural. Why should we unnaturally suppress that which is natural?” The vital question here is: [...]
What is beyond being dated is beyond becoming outdated
Some people ask, “The Bhagavad-gita was spoken thousands of years ago. Doesn’t that make it outdated?” Not at all. Gita wisdom cannot be tied down [...]
The sanctity of spirituality doesn’t erode but enhances the dignity of humanity
Some people ask: “If we stay equal and unaffected amidst happiness and distress, gain and loss, victory and defeat, as the Bhagavad-gita (02.38) recommends, won’t [...]
Cherish compassion not just as a position or an emotion, but as a foundation
Position: Some people contribute to welfare causes because it makes them look good in the eyes of the world. For example, MNCs that exploit natural [...]
Life’s speed-breakers are meant to be faith-builders, not faith-breakers
People often ask: “There’s so much suffering in the world. Does God actually care?” Yes, God cares – and cares more than we can comprehend. [...]
The world is pointless without Krishna, not that Krishna is pointless without the world
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter reports Duryodhana assessing the comparative strengths of the two assembled armies (01.03, 01.04, 01.05, 01.06, 01.07, 01.08, 01.09, 01.10, 01.11). He begins by mentioning the foremost opponent warriors (01.04), but [...]
We need to see intellectually before we can see visually
People ask, “Can you show me the soul?” Yes, answers Gita wisdom. But it underscores that we need to see intellectually before we can see [...]
Being unconscious of our faults is the worst unconsciousness and the biggest fault
When a disease infects us, we seek treatment. But if we are unaware of the infection, we won’t seek any treatment. Our various faults, especially [...]
Never lose heart on the path of the heart
Failure is an unpleasant but unavoidable part of life. Different failures call for different responses. In some cases, we may persevere despite the failures; in [...]
Experience is intelligence’s rear light; scripture, it’s front light
It is easy to be wise after the experience. After things have happened and consequences are being endured, we can mentally retrace the events and [...]
To get on the way to Krishna, get out of Krishna’s way
Just as a river naturally flows towards the ocean, so does our heart in its pure state flow towards Krishna. But just as the river’s [...]
The source is the ultimate resource
The well-known story of the man who killed the goose that gave the golden eggs illustrates how greed for the resource (eggs) can blind one [...]
Poison kills on consumption, but passion kills on contemplation
Most people won’t take poison willingly. In the past, when hemlock was used to execute capital punishment, it had to be administered forcibly. Yet there [...]
A problem denied is a problem multiplied
Suppose a person feels pain due to serious disease denies the problem. Such a denial gives the disease a free run to spread till finally [...]