Be special above the ordinary, not among the ordinary
We all want to be special. Materialistic culture directs our longing for specialness towards material things. It makes us believe that we will stand out [...]
The heart of knowledge is the knowledge of the heart
Towards the end of the Bhagavad-gita (18.64), Krishna announces that he will share the most confidential knowledge (sarva guhyatama). Confidential knowledge (guhya) refers to the [...]
Don’t equate what is in scripture with what scripture teaches
Some people think that everything in scripture is the teaching of scripture. But scripture gives the thoughts, words and actions of not just God and his [...]
Without devotion, renunciation comes painfully; with devotion, even liberation comes joyfully
“To avoid karmic bondage, renounce the world.” This widespread notion governs Arjuna’s reasoning at the start of the Bhagavad-gita. However, the Gita recommends an alternative [...]
Krishna is not just a point for meditation – he is the person for supplication
Yogis, specifically dhyana-yogis, start meditation by focusing on some point, such as the tip of the nose or the space between the eyebrows. As such [...]
We may be far away from Krishna, but Krishna is always close to us
The distance between two people in any relationship is a function not of bodily location but of emotional disposition. Family members living under the same [...]
Emotions come from reality and return us to reality
Emotions are the central feature, indeed the driving force, of our present existence. Many spiritual paths, especially impersonal spiritual paths, consider emotions as distractions, even [...]
Bhakti bestows the intelligence for tolerance and the taste for transcendence
Tolerance and transcendence comprise our twofold defense against temptation. Tolerance refers to the capacity to endure the presence of unwanted temptations without succumbing to them. [...]
The yoga of the heart reveals the heart of yoga
The yoga of the heart refers to bhakti-yoga, the yoga that centers on spiritualizing our heart’s central force: love. The heart of yoga refers to [...]
Sense gratification is a fascinating path to frustration
“Eat this; see this; touch this – and you will enjoy.” The world glamorizes sense gratification thus. In striking contrast, the Bhagavad-gita (05.22) asserts that [...]
Stepping-stones can become sucking swamps if we don’t step over in time
“Go from darkness to light, from illusion to truth, from mortality to immortality,” exhorts a celebrated aphorism from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28). The Bhagavad-gita, also [...]
Play the part of the part and the whole will fill the hole
We sometimes feel a hole within – a sense of emptiness that gnaws especially when we aren’t deadening ourselves internally with the racehorse pace and [...]
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 [...]
Take emotions into account but don’t let them be the only thing in the account
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna is overcome by myriad complex emotions that bring him on the verge of an emotional breakdown. By the [...]
The mind needs not what it heeds and heeds not what it needs
The Bhagavad-gita (06.06) cautions us that the mind can be our worst enemy. How does the mind act inimically? By misdirecting our attention and energy [...]
The mind’s misdirection is not just mild but also wild
On the spiritual path, the mind misdirects us from our intended focus on Krishna to thousands of distractions. In fact, the mind distracts not just [...]
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. [...]
To acquire equal vision externally, cultivate spiritual satisfaction internally – by remembering Krishna devotionally
The Bhagavad-gita repeatedly urges us to see pleasant and unpleasant situations equally. How is this possible? To understand, let’s analyze a Gita verse (06.08) that [...]
Weaken your weaknesses – don’t let your weaknesses weaken you
In a war, an army wins not just by the determination of its soldiers fighting on the forefront, but also by the steadiness of the [...]
Celebrate the commotion of emotion in the ocean of devotion
Some people conceive of spiritual perfection as an emotionless peace, a sanctuary of silence beyond the agitations and complications of material existence. Gita wisdom acknowledges [...]
The mind may be like a hog in a confectionary, but we don’t have to be
We are all innately pleasure-seeking creatures. Where we seek pleasure defines us and determines our destiny. Normally, due to the influence of the culture externally [...]