God focuses not on what wrongs we have committed, but on where our heart is committed
Suppose we strive to practice bhakti and live purely, but fail — and fail repeatedly. We may feel disheartened: “When I am so impure, how [...]
God loves us as we are, but he loves us too much to let us stay as we are
Some people ask, “Why doesn't God love us as we are? Why does he prescribe so many rules?” To understand God’s love for us, let’s [...]
God keeps the door to him unlocked from his side till every soul, however degraded, comes to him
Some religions hold that God gives us just one chance; if we don’t surrender to him in this life, he casts us into hell forever. [...]
We are like birds on a branch — our wings need to grow before the branch breaks
Suppose a bird is perched on a branch. Does it live in constant fear that the branch under it may break? No, because it knows [...]
The love that leads us to evil is evil masquerading as love
Suppose in a war, an enemy soldier dresses like a defending soldier and enters into the defending army. If the defenders aren’t alert enough to [...]
With God, everyone is accepted, but everything isn’t acceptable
Some people ask, “If God is all-loving, why does he prescribe so many do’s and don’ts? Why doesn’t he accept us as we are.” To [...]
When we make God our friend, we become our own friend
We are often our worst enemies. When we get some lucky breaks, we let them slip away because of laziness, distractedness and impulsiveness. When we [...]
Everything that happens may not be God’s plan, but God can make his plan work through everything that happens
When something terrible happens, we may question, “Is this God’s plan? Did God want this thing to happen?” Some people answer firmly in the affirmative, [...]
Devotion commences when God becomes our guide and culminates when he becomes our goal
To embark on any journey, we need to know the starting and ending points. In our devotional journey toward God, what are the starting and [...]
God is always ready to work with us, are we ready to work with him?
Suppose a reputed coach, who has helped many athletes excel, is eager to work with a budding athlete. That athlete would be profoundly grateful. But [...]
Even our best race to the end will require the Best’s grace in the end
We all work hard to achieve whatever we need to achieve. Still, sometimes, despite our best efforts, we fall short. At such times, we recognize [...]
Don’t ask God to fix your problems, ask God to fix you so that you can fix your problems
Some people think that if they just pray to God, he will fix their problems. However, such outsourcing of problems to God is problematic. If [...]
We may be circumstantially distanced from Krishna, but we don’t have to be devotionally deprived of Krishna
Life sometimes puts us in situations where we don’t get what we want or even need. If we are deprived of material resources while practicing [...]
Praying to get our need fulfilled isn’t our need – praying is our need
When we pray to God for something, we may fear, “What if my prayer is not answered? Won’t my faith in God weaken? If God [...]
Krishna is just one thought away from us – always
When we practice spiritual life, we may feel forlorn: “I am trapped in this material world and Krishna is in the spiritual world, so far [...]
To have fixity in purpose, we need flexibility in pace
Suppose we are driving to a distant place for some important work. If the road is clear, we will drive at the highest legal speed. [...]
Sensual hope deludes, spiritual hope delivers
We all need hope. Without hope, life becomes unbearable, even unlivable. But we need to choose carefully where we pin our hope, lest we are [...]
The test of success in bhakti is taste for bhakti
When we practice bhakti, we may wonder, “How do I know if I am progressing and succeeding?” On the spiritual journey, our destination is Krishna, [...]
The appreciation we get for our service is not as consequential as the absorption we get in our service
Whenever we do anything, we usually have various levels of motivation for doing that thing. And depending on how deep or substantial our motivation is, [...]
See Krishna’s reciprocation more in spiritual absorption than in material protection
While practicing bhakti, suppose we face problems and pray to Krishna for help. If we don’t get the sought protection, we may doubt, “Why is [...]