The temporary is a means to the eternal – not the eternal a means to the temporary
The power of illusion often makes us mistake the means to be the ends and the ends to be the means. Even among believers, many [...]
Transform pains and strains into gains
During our journey through life, we sometimes feel disheartened by the pains of yesterday and the strains of today. The pains of yesterday are all [...]
The blend of encouragement and enlightenment brings empowerment
Life’s reversals can often be demoralizing. To regain our morale, we need both enlightenment (knowing what to do) and encouragement (feeling confident that we can [...]
Time is irrecoverable and unstorable
The great diplomat Chanakya Pandita pointed out that one moment of time is more valuable than wealth equivalent to millions of gold coins. Why? Because [...]
The cutting edge of discrimination
The word “cutting edge” refers literally to the sharp cutting side of the blade of a knife. Figuratively, it has come to refer to the [...]
When the good seems better than the best
When we strive to practice devotional service, the power of illusion is ever-waiting to thwart our efforts. If we are casual about our practice, this [...]
End your divorce from reality
Imagine a group of people who desire to play a virtual-reality video game. Their desire divorces them from the reality of their identity and propels [...]
Self-denial opens the door to self-fulfillment
Whenever Gita wisdom encourages us to perform any act of self-denial like fasting on certain holy days, the purpose is not self-torture, but self-fulfillment. Fulfilling [...]
Careless words can cause cureless wounds
The Bhagavad-gita (17.15) explains that speaking the truth in a way that is beneficial, pleasing and non-agitating is the discipline of speech. Neglecting this verbal [...]
Whatever catches our attention catches us
In contemporary culture, the advertising industry offers us visual confirmation of an important teaching of the Bhagavad-gita repeatedly, even constantly. The Gita (02.62)(02.63) describes how [...]
Devotion protects us from destruction by distraction
Just as weapons of mass destruction can destroy thousands of bodies, weapons of mass distraction – the mass media – can destroy thousands of minds. [...]