How bhakti is much more than worship of some being
Devotion is not just about worshiping some being; it is about finding our own small story within the larger story that is the divine plan [...]
How devotion simultaneously fulfills our deep needs for belonging and participation
Devotion fulfills our twin needs of universal belonging and personal participation in a reality bigger than ourselves. As social creatures, we naturally desire interaction, but [...]
Gita 02.26 – Explanation
Gita 02.26 – Materialism makes meaning meaningless and lamentation pointless Link : https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-26-materialism-makes-meaning-meaningless-and-lamentation-pointless/ atha cainaṁ nitya-jātaṁ nityaṁ vā manyase mṛtam tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho nainaṁ śocitum [...]
Gita 02.24 – Explanation
Gita 02.24 – The soul can’t be stopped from going anywhere nor forced to go anywhere Audio link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-24-the-soul-cant-be-stopped-from-going-anywhere-nor-forced-to-go-anywhere/ acchedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam akledyo ’śoṣya [...]
Avoiding arrogance and diffidence in dealing with temptation
To believe that no wave of temptation will ever sweep us away is arrogance. To believe that we will inevitably be swept away by temptation [...]
How delusions of omnipotence become increasingly dangerous
Entertaining feelings of omnipotence is harmful. Believing in such feelings is worse. Surrounding ourselves with people who believe in our feelings of omnipotence is the [...]
How the divine and the demoniac have opposite conceptions of courage
The demoniac consider standing up to God to be courage, while the divine understand standing up for God to be courage. No one likes to [...]
How our deadlines can work in harmony with God’s timelines
Let our deadlines not blind us to God’s timelines; let them be guidelines that enable us to play our part better rather than to take [...]
How to stop wasting our pain
God will never waste our pain—provided we don’t waste it by feeling sorry for ourselves or feeling angry with God. Pain is one of life’s [...]
How God can use dead ends
What seems to be a dead end for us can simply be, for God, a means to show us that without him, we are dead—and [...]
Why exhaust ourselves by believing in our worries when we can energize ourselves by believing in God’s promises?
When we encounter challenging situations, our minds tend to focus on all the ways things might go wrong. This constant worrying can drain us, filling [...]
Developing Resilience by Changing Our Driving Question
We all need to develop resilience because life is hard—it will knock us down sooner or later. Resilience is largely determined by what goes on [...]
Gita 02.01 – Explanation – 2
Gita 02.01 The intensity of Arjuna's emotion conveys the potency of Krishna's solacing wisdom Audio 1 - https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-01-the-intensity-of-arjunas-emotion-conveys-the-potency-of-krishnas-solacing-wisdom/ sañjaya uvāca taṁ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭam aśru-pūrṇākulekṣaṇam viṣīdantam [...]
Is God concerned about the things that concern us?
God is indeed concerned about the things that concern us, even when our concerns seem mundane or trivial in a larger spiritual context. During our [...]
What kind of traveling companion is God?
God is not a reluctant or indifferent companion; he is a diligent and transcendent companion. Whenever we travel with someone, we seek to know what [...]
How faith and surrender can empower us to face challenges
Faith enables us to realize that God is on our side, while surrender enables us to put ourselves on God’s side. When we practice bhakti [...]
Gita 02.07 – Explanation – 1
Gita 02.07 Seek First To Understand The Question To Best Understand The Answer Audio Link 1: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-07-seek-first-to-understand-the-question-to-best-understand-the-answer/ kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ [...]
Gita 02.07 – Explanation – 2
Gita 02.07 – Arjuna exhibits 3 characteristics of an ideal disciple Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-07-arjuna-exhibits-3-characteristics-of-an-ideal-disciple/ kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me [...]
Gita 02.12 – Explanation from Bhakti Shastri Class
Gita 02.12 – Spirit is not just eternal but also plural Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-12-spirit-is-not-just-eternal-but-also-plural/ na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ na caiva [...]
Gita 02.22 – Explanation
Gita 02.22 – The dress metaphor redefines death not as a miserable termination but as a welcome transition Link : https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-22-the-dress-metaphor-redefines-death-not-as-a-miserable-termination-but-as-a-welcome-transition/ vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya [...]
Gita 02.23 – Explanation
Gita 02.23 – The utter indestructibility of the soul underlies the path of difficult duty Link : https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-23-the-utter-indestrutibility-of-the-soul-underlies-the-path-of-difficult-duty/ nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ na [...]