Belonging that leads to blissful being
Our actions are frequently molded by others’ opinion, especially by the opinion of the social circle we wish to belong to. As we are social [...]
When Krishna doesn’t understand…
Sometimes we pray that something important work out right. But it doesn’t. This may make us feel, “Krishna just doesn’t understand me, my needs, my [...]
The summit that reaches down to the trenches
Love is the emotion that underlies all our emotions. When fulfilled, love can take us to the highest peaks of ecstasy. When frustrated, it can [...]
Are we drinking poison to quench thirst?
When infants feel thirsty, they cry, not knowing what’s wrong. Mothers understand and give their babies water. As the toddlers grow up, they too understand [...]
Are we meant to be characters in a cartoon show?
Entertainment. That’s the most eagerly awaited part of life for many people. Movies, soap operas, spectators sports, novels, cartoons – that’s the stuff most people [...]
Love values, but value love more
Values protect us from impulses. When we become angry or lusty or greedy, our values, especially our ethical and behavioral values, check us from acting [...]
Religion is meant for God; God is not meant for religion
Some exclusivist religions claim that no one can access God except through them. Such reduction of God to a monopolized commodity in the religious market [...]
Nothing can separate us from the infinite love of the infinite
We all fear loss– loss of job, money, health, looks, things. Most of all, we fear the loss of love. Love is what all of [...]
When we find ourselves in trouble, do we also find ourselves?
Arjuna found himself in big trouble at the start of the Bhagavad-gita. He was anguished by the prospect of fighting a war in which he [...]
Bad times test our faith – and so do good times
Bad times test our faith. They raise the question: “When I am serving Krishna, why is he not protecting me?” Gita wisdom answers that Krishna [...]
Let reason be our minister, not our master
We may get the question: “Do I have to give up reason in order to put faith in the Gita?” Not at all, answers Gita [...]
Krishna is responsive; we are responsible
The Bhagavad-gita (15.15) states that Krishna gives us remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. Then when we forget Krishna, is he responsible for our forgetfulness? No, because [...]
Are we rejecting the eternal because the temporary has rejected us?
When we face misfortunes that seem impossible to cope with, we may get the question: “I am trying to be a good person and a [...]
Accidents are no accidents
The word ‘accident’ has become integral to our vocabulary, largely due to the many unfortunate crashes that beset our roads. Words, however, don’t just reflect [...]
Watching TV while a cobra comes to bite?
Suppose a person watching TV sees a cobra slithering close to bite and still goes on watching TV. We would consider such behavior insane, won’t [...]
Scriptural study strengthens the intelligence, stabilizes the mind and sustains the heart
Scripture often talks about times so radically different from ours that we may wonder: is this relevant for me? Yes, definitely. The relevance comes from [...]
Pause is not inaction but action
Ours is an action-oriented culture; we like to be on the move. Of course, action is desirable and essential.But action-centeredness can make us forget that [...]
The call to faith is for focusing,not forsaking, of intelligence
Today’s ethos often treats the word ‘faith’ negatively, as if those who choose faith reject intelligence. Actually however, the call to faith, as given by [...]
Are we changing the world or is the world changing us?
Gita wisdom enables us to make sense of the world as it is – and as it can be. The world is as it is, [...]
When strengths make us weak and weaknesses make us strong
To survive and thrive in our hyper-competitive culture, we usually hide our weaknesses and hype our strengths. Such a strategy may be necessary in material [...]
Are we letting knowledge steal our humility?
When we get introduced to Gita wisdom, we discover a magnificent body of knowledge that answers life’s fundamental questions. As we enrich ourselves with this [...]