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. [...]
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 [...]
What we fear reflects what we hold dea
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 [...]
What we see depends on what we want to see
Suppose an alcoholic visits a new city. Though the city may have many attractive sights, the alcoholic will look for bars. Similarly, when we function [...]
The mind is a specialist in forgetfulness
When we indulge indiscriminately in sensual pleasures, we experience their actual nature. They are insubstantial, lasting for just a few moments; and miserable, subjecting us [...]
The mind may be a drinker, but the intelligence doesn’t have to be a bartender
Suppose a compulsive drinker enters a bar and orders drinks. The bartender may be obliged to obey, but if the drinker orders a well-wishing friend [...]
Temptations will come, we don’t have to welcome
Seekers sometimes ask, “I am practicing bhakti-yoga seriously, yet I feel tempted by worldly desires. Why is bhakti not working?” Bhakti is definitely working. The [...]
Choosing doubt as the means for knowing is like choosing immobility as the means for traveling
Some contemporary intellectuals are proud of their skepticism. They delight in their capacity to doubt and discredit any belief they encounter, even if that belief [...]
Knowing begins with believing
Atheists often decry belief as something undesirable that should be wiped out by science. Yet they overlook the reality that science too is grounded in [...]
The best time to win the battle against temptation is before it begins
To practice spiritual life means to enter into a war against temptation, the temptation for enjoying matter. The arena of battle is our own consciousness, [...]
Krishna is not a dictator, but a benefactor
When we hear from scripture that we are meant to serve Krishna, we may resent, “Why should I serve him? Is he like a dictator [...]
Krishna’s love for us is based not on who we are, but on who he is
Some devotee-seekers ask, “I am so fallen. Does Krishna love a person like me too?” Yes, definitely. Krishna’s love for us comes from not who [...]
Don’t just give up fallible shelters – seek the infallible shelter
Some people hesitate to take up spiritual life because they think that it requires them to renounce things such as worldly possessions, activities and relationships. [...]
Understand scripture through devotional dedication, not linguistic specialization
Some people think that learning the language of scripture is vital for understanding it. Thus, they feel that only Sanskrit scholars can understand the Bhagavad-gita. [...]
We can’t undo, but we can rebuild
There is a grim finality to life. Once a moment has passed, it has passed forever. Once an action has been done, it can’t be [...]
To remember to remember, refine your reminder
“Worldly pleasures are insubstantial, whereas devotional joys are substantial.” This scriptural insight is most relevant for us spiritual seekers because it empowers us to resist [...]
Context is critical for comprehending content
Self-interested people sometimes try to make their questionable opinions seem respectable by quoting esteemed authorities out of context. By such cherry picking, they make those [...]
Those who reduce misery to misfortune miss their potential for spiritual growth
When problems befall us for no apparent reason, we naturally get the question, “Why?” Materialism, today’s ruling worldview, attributes such misery to bad luck. It [...]
Inaction is no protection from reaction
If we find ourselves in an epidemic-hit area, we will be anxious to avoid getting infected or, if we have already been infected, to be [...]
Don’t let being well-off come in the way of being well
In today’s materialistic culture, being well-off is enthroned as life’s primary, if not only, goal. The pressure on us to accumulate the trappings of success [...]
Krishna’s instruction is not disruptive, but restorative
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna is agonized at the thought of fighting in a fratricidal war that will kill most of his loved [...]