Tolerance fosters not impotence but perseverance
In spiritual life, tolerance is an important virtue. Internalizing this virtue may present us a dilemma: “If I just tolerate the things that happen to [...]
Liberation is not just about what we are released from but also about what we are released to
Patients admitted in a hospital long to be discharged so that they can return home and be with their loved ones. Even while staying in [...]
When a wildfire appears to be the cure for a burn, a wildfire is burning our head
When a fire burns us, we immediately move away from it towards something cooling and healing. Yet when the fire of lust burns us, we [...]
Let research reinforce, not replace, search
The essence of the spiritual journey is not research, but search. Research refers to an academic, intellectual quest for information, whereas search refers to a [...]
As long as we mistake the irresistible to be essential, we deprive ourselves of the essential
Sometimes worldly desires, especially immoral and anti-devotional sexual desires, seem irresistible. No matter how much we try to resist them, they seem to keep returning [...]
Rise from “willpower is power” to “willpower is his power”
We all need willpower for doing anything worthwhile. In fact, willpower is the power that unleashes our other powers such as undeveloped talents. Without willpower, [...]
Let determination enthrone, not dethrone, devotion
We may wonder: “Determination requires using our own willpower, whereas devotion requires depending on Krishna’s supreme power. How can we do these two contradictory things [...]
Don’t treat Krishna as a showpiece; let him show how to put the pieces of life together
We tend to lead our life in pieces – a piece for our career, a piece for our family, maybe a piece for society. And [...]
If we let all that happens matter, then we don’t let all that matters happen
We sometimes make small things unnecessarily big. When we are on our way to office, unseasonal rains delay us and upset our schedule for the [...]
Seeing the infinite through finite filters makes finite illusions infinite
Skeptics deride Krishna’s pastimes like lifting Govardhan hill: “How could anyone have lifted such a huge object? How could he have found its center of [...]
Bhakti is not a part of life; life is a part of bhakti
Many people treat bhakti as an optional part of life: “You like bhakti, you practice it. I don’t like it, so I won’t practice it.” [...]
Tune in to yourself to best tune in to the world
Some people can't live without continuous external stimulation. Every few minutes, they check their cellphones for the latest stock prices or the breaking news or [...]
Krishna is concealed, but not contained, by the modes
When we come to know that Krishna is everywhere, we may naturally wonder: “Why can’t I perceive him everywhere or, for that matter, anywhere?” The [...]
As long as we desire to bring matter under our captivity, we remain in its captivity
Our bad habits, our attachments to base material things, are often extremely difficult to give up. The resulting struggle may raise the question: “I am [...]
The biggest battle in life is to keep the biggest battle the biggest battle
Life is like a battle. Each day we have to overcome obstacles to achieve our goals. Among these daily battles, the biggest battle is in [...]
When we give Krishna the benefit of doubt, he gives us the benefit of freedom from doubt
When things go wrong in our life, doubts may assail us: “I am trying to be a good person, a good devotee. Why isn’t Krishna [...]
Change not just the state of mind – change also the state of being
Many popular self-help books claim that we will become happy if we just change our state of mind from negative to positive. Is this true? [...]
When fulfilling desires doesn’t translate into fulfillment
We all have so many desires for so many worldly things. However, because we live in a world of finite resources and a body with [...]
If we can’t ban sin from the heart, we can still banish it
“How could I have even thought of such a thing?” We may react thus in dismay on catching ourselves entertaining grievously sinful desires. How can [...]
Let adversity pave the way to the discovery of real prosperity
When we practice devotional service, we often expect that we will automatically get protection from worldly adversity. So we become baffled on discovering that devotees [...]
Life’s driving force is existence’s crowning reality
Love is life’s driving force. We all want to love and be loved. Our longing for love drives our lives and our dreams – to [...]