Help me recognize and realize the power of my words
Bhagavad Gita 17.15 anudvega-karaṁ vākyaṁ satyaṁ priya-hitaṁ ca yat svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ caiva vāṅ-mayaṁ tapa ucyate Words that cause no fear or distress, Truthful, kind, and [...]
Help me take mental discipline as seriously as physical discipline
Bhagavad Gita 17.16 manaḥ-prasādaḥ saumyatvaṁ maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥ bhāva-saṁśuddhir ity etat tapo mānasam ucyate Calmness of mind and gentle grace, Silence and self-restraint in place; [...]
May austerity make my body a better vessel and vehicle for my soul
Bhagavad Gita 17.14 deva-dvija-guru-prājña- pūjanaṁ śaucam ārjavam brahmacaryam ahiṁsā ca] śārīraṁ tapa ucyate Worship of devas, sages, teachers and the wise, Cleanliness, honesty—virtues to help [...]
Help me see how my faith is a matter of fate—and how it is not
Bhagavad Gita 17.3 sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā bhavati bhārata śraddhā-mayo ’yaṁ puruṣo yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ Faith shapes each being from within, According to [...]
Help me deal with differences of faith without sentimentality, yet with sensitivity
Bhagavad Gita 17.2 tri-vidhā bhavati śraddhā dehināṁ sā svabhāva-jā sāttvikī rājasī caiva tāmasī ceti tāṁ śṛṇu Threefold is faith in every soul, Born of [...]
When is keeping a dark secret from our past helpful and when harmful
It takes courage to introspect: Are we keeping a secret to protect our service or to protect our image? We all have secrets—skeletons in the [...]
Three questions to moderate our speech: source, intent, and mode
The power of speaking is an integral part of our lives. To use this power constructively and not destructively, we can ask ourselves three questions [...]
What free speech means and what it does not mean
Free speech is not simply speaking whatever we want to speak. It is carefully speaking what needs to be spoken for a constructive effect. We [...]