Why put faith in faithlessness?
Some people parade their faithlessness as if it makes them intellectually superior: “I don’t believe in anything that I don’t see; I don’t believe in [...]
When the Absolute Truth doesn’t speak the absolute truth
In the Bhagavad-gita (09.31), Krishna asks Arjuna to declare boldly that devotees will never perish. Erudite Gita commentators explain why Krishna asks Arjuna to make [...]
Bring the momentum of emotion into the moment of meditation
Emotions bring a natural momentum to our inner life. If we feel strongly about something, we can think about iteasily and quickly. Of course, we [...]
If we can’t offer our heart to Krishna, then we can offer what’s in our heart to Krishna
We all long for love. This longing attains lasting and complete fulfillment when we direct it towards Krishna, for he is eternal and all-attractive. And [...]
The best direction for the motion of emotion
Emotion. That’s what brings spice to our life. And love, the richest and deepest of all emotions makes life, with all its headaches and heartbreaks, [...]
When the mind tempts us to play the victim game, stop playing
“People always trample over me; life always gives me a raw deal; things always go wrong with me.” When we thus feel sorry for ourselves, [...]
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 [...]