Intelligence is meant to be the mind’s instructor, not its instrument
We all have within us something that is impulsive and something that is reflective. Gita wisdom identifies the impulsive part as the mind and the [...]
Just because pain is circumstantially beneficial doesn’t mean it is intrinsically desirable
Some people try to make sense of life’s difficulties by saying, “Pain helps us appreciate pleasure better. Bad times make good times sweeter.” Certainly, pain [...]
Spirituality reveals that our destiny is bigger than the biggest adversity
We all wish to have a better future. Using whatever talents we have, we often dream of achieving something wonderful, thereby fulfilling our destiny. But [...]
Krishna doesn’t promise a stormless sea – he provides an unsinkable ship
When we practice bhakti, we often expect to become free from problems. And if that expectation is not met, we become disheartened. Dharmic traditions often [...]
Don’t run from pain or rush towards pleasure – refocus on your purpose
Suppose we are driving on a road to a destination. If the road is filled with traffic moving at a snail’s pace, we may find [...]
Our intelligence is not like a fixed deposit – it is like a stock market share
Suppose we invest in stocks but think of such an investment to be as stable as a fixed deposit. If the stocks go down, we [...]
We are our greatest hope – and our greatest horror
We all sometimes act like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde; we act sometimes like a principled, selfless benefactor and sometimes like an opportunistic, self-centered malefactor. [...]
Intelligence means to know what to do when we don’t know what to do
Whenever we have to make decisions, we usually seek guidance from our intelligence. But life sometimes puts us in perplexing situations wherein our intelligence becomes [...]
Just because we have drunk a sip of poison doesn’t mean we have to drink the whole cup
Suppose we accidentally take a drink that is poisonous. As soon as we realize what we are doing, we will immediately stop drinking it and [...]
Even when bhakti doesn’t make life easier, it makes us tougher
Suppose we have a job to lift huge weights. That job can become easier if someone lightens that load or if our muscles become stronger. [...]
As long as the mind is impure, no place is secure
If we move to a new place, we look for a safe locality. Similarly, we need for our consciousness a safe place, a place free [...]
If we prayed as much as we worried, we would worry a lot less
We all worry, sometime or the other. Worrying may seem natural and unavoidable because so many things that are important for us are not in [...]
Stop worrying about avoiding temptation, start working on cultivating absorption
When we resolve to resist some harmful temptation, we may fear, “The world is filled with tempting objects. How can I avoid all those objects [...]
The most damaging consequence of indulgence is nonchalance towards indulgence
Suppose a butcher’s child kills an animal for the first time. Initially, his hand and heart may tremble: “How can I kill?” However, if he [...]
Things fall in place if we keep the mind in place
Suppose we come to our house and find everything out of place. We may start yelling at the person in-charge of housekeeping, demanding that things [...]
Our thoughts are not always wise – we don’t have to follow their advice
Suppose we have a chronic disease. Our acquaintances may recommend various remedies. Knowing that they aren’t medical experts, we wouldn’t immediately follow their recommendations. We [...]
When the ego says go, tell the ego to go
When someone disagrees with us, especially someone we expected would obey us unquestioningly, our ego flares up. It goads us: “Yell at them; lash out [...]
The mind tends to do what we don’t intend to do
We may resolve to do some things, say regulate our eating or sleeping, but find ourselves doing the opposite, or at least feeling impelled to [...]
What we fear reflects what we hold dear
When we feel fearful, our fear points to something we hold immensely dear, something whose possible loss terrifies us. The Bhagavad-gita (16.11) indicates that as [...]
To not feel bad on doing bad is bestially bad
Suppose we accidentally step on someone’s foot. We would naturally apologize, ask if they are ok, and do what we can to help. Overall, we [...]
We may have scars, but we don’t have to be scarred
To have scars means to have some physical marks. To be scarred means to feel insecure and inferior because we let those marks define us. [...]