Don’t let lifestyle get in the way of living
“You are your watch!” So says a billboard. It implies that our watch makes a statement about who we are, what our status is and [...]
The Earthbound are Dearth-bound
Many people are earthbound in their conception of life; they think of the earth as the only arena for their existence. They generally acquire this [...]
Resting on our laurels? No resting! Not our laurels!
In material consciousness, whenever we achieve any success, we tend to parade and brag about it. We often carry this tendency with us into our [...]
Insanity is not compulsory
All of us have witnessed normal sane people suddenly behaving abnormally, even insanely. We may have seen this happening to ourselves. For some people, this [...]
Determination is the first thing, the main thing, the only thing
Nothing glorious can be achieved without single-pointed, sustained determination. The Bhagavad-gita (02.41) indicates that determination (drdha-vratah) is essential for the most glorious achievement of life: [...]
Rise from touch-me-not to touched-me-not
We all need a sense of security in our lives. Often, we seek that security by trying to build a cocoon around us, by trying [...]
An eternity of daytime television?
As TV is popular nowadays, many people equate enjoyment with watching TV. Guzzling down hi-techimages of one’s favorite TV program all daylong is their version [...]
Peel the cosmic onion to discover spiritual diversity in unity
Just as we need to peel off multiple covering layers to reach the essence of an onion, we need to peel of multiple covering layers [...]
We can’t avoid being haunted, but we can choose who haunts us
As aspiring devotees, our devotional determination may waver when we are confronted with temptations of material pleasures. Often these temptations haunt us like ghosts; they [...]
Those who make donkeys the Gita’s role models sentence themselves to donkey-like roles
“Work is worship is the central teaching of the Bhagavad-gita.” So claim many people. If they were right, then wouldn’t it make the creature that [...]
Don’t let materialist monomania mess your life
Our life is becoming increasingly dominated by machines, mechanistic thinking and mechanical behavior. Machines: As technology pervades our life, we spend more time with machines [...]
Be restrained to avoid being strained
Many of us feel strained by the pressure of having so many things to do. Actually, our strain frequently originates not as much in how [...]
Is the social mirror making a fool out of us?
The social mirror refers to society’s opinion that lets us know how we look in its eyes. This mirror often perverts the reality, especially in [...]
Krishna is a trans-cosmic enjoyer; don’t reduce him to a cosmic constable
Some people think that the purpose of God’s existence is to protect them while they enjoy life. Krishna as God in his highest manifestation [...]
Don’t let inner burdens add to your outer burdens
We often feel strained by the pressure of having so many things to do. Even if we have a heavy workload, our strain frequently comes [...]
Devotion kindles an inner drive that is beyond jeers and cheers
Our drives determine our destiny. Gita wisdom reveals our ultimate destiny: eternal, ecstatic love for Krishna. For realizing this destiny, we need to have a [...]
Find the balance between fidelity and flexibility by sincerity
When we try to live according to traditional devotional culture in our contemporary material surroundings, we face a constant challenge: “How much do I stick [...]
Checked, but never checkmated
Practicing spiritual life in the material world is challenging. This challenge exists at all times because materialism is inherent to the material world. The challenge [...]
Mirrors make us self-conscious; the Gita makes us conscious of the self
Few things make us as self-conscious as a mirror. The sight of a mirror often makes us involuntarily check and adjust our hair, our dress [...]
Fasting is an opportunity for feasting
Some people think of fasting as a means of achieving mastery over their body. They fast to increase their willpower by refusing to let bodily [...]
Morning is the time for mooring our heart to Krishna
For us as aspiring devotees, worldly temptations pose formidable challenges to our spiritual integrity. The Bhagavad-gita (02.67) indicates that these temptations are like stormy winds [...]