When you shake an apple tree, don’t be blind to the falling of mangoes
Suppose a hungry boy goes to an orchard and starts shaking an apple tree. Nothing happens. He prays to God for help and shakes the [...]
Purity is the key to freedom from misery
Suppose an alcoholic has become sick because of excessive alcohol indulgence. While the disease is a danger that needs treatment, an equal, if not greater, [...]
See through the mind’s troika of denial, misdirection and self-victimization
The mind often sabotages us by making us do foolish things. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (06.06) cautions that the mind can be our enemy. The mind [...]
Essential intention is more important than incidental action
To err is human. Whenever we attempt anything worthwhile, we usually go through failures before attaining success. Even children taking their first steps slip and [...]
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 [...]
Our past explains our inclinations, but it doesn’t excuse our actions
Imagine a computer used by a child primarily for playing games. From the moment it is turned on, it repeatedly gives prompts for playing. Such [...]
Don’t just read the Gita – heed the Gita
The Bhagavad-gita is a profoundly philosophical book, yet it is also an eminently action-calling book. This pragmatic nature of the Gita is seen in its [...]
Say nothing doing to doing nothing
The idea of doing nothing often catches the fancy of those who want a retreat from the rush of materialistic life. And our culture does [...]
We are not to be the doers, but we are to do
The Bhagavad-gita’s teachings on doership are paradoxical. Initially, it (03.27) deems as deluded those who think themselves to be doers. Yet it (18.63) concludes by [...]
Enter the war, but don’t let the war enter you
“How can one act without being bound?” This is Arjuna’s essential question at the start of the Bhagavad-gita. And the whole Gita addresses it at [...]
Surrender is not giving up but letting go
The notion of surrendering to someone often jars us because we mentally associate it with giving up. Consequently, when the Bhagavad-gita (18.66) concludes with a [...]
Devotion expands meditation to include emotion and action
Many people think that meditation is primarily a way to still the agitated mind. So, they think that any object such as a candle or [...]
Those who can get on without matter can get on best with it
Many conventional seekers think of the world only in two terms – action or renunciation, either to act in the world or to renounce it. [...]
Surrender means to do what we can, with what we have – now
Many people think of surrender as passive acceptance. However, surrender involves not just acceptance but also action. The Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion demonstrates this active dimension of [...]
Faith generated by miracles is not as consequential as the miracle generated by faith
Some religions call for faith based on the miracles that happened at their inception, say, the resurrection of their founder from the dead. Atheists contest [...]
How can we pursue that which we don’t perceive?
Our vision determines our action. If on a road we don’t see a speed-breaker, we won’t slow down and so get jolted. If at a [...]
Are we mistaking the causal to be casual?
“Veg or non-veg?” A caterer may ask us in a train or a plane. Most people consider such choices to be casual. However, Gita wisdom [...]
If we can’t offer our heart to Krishna, then we can offer what’s in our heart to Krishna
We all long for love. This longing attains lasting and complete fulfillment when we direct it towards Krishna, for he is eternal and all-attractive. And [...]
The world is in a mess – as usual
The daily news of natural disasters like hurricanes and human-made distresses like corruption show that the world is in a terrible mess. Seeing this, we [...]
What we do reflects on what we do
“What we do” can refer to our specific behavior as well as to our general vocation. What we do in our specific behavior reflects on [...]