Stay unaffected by desires
The ocean is one of the most prominent realities in nature and scripture draws many lessons from nature. So let's look at what we can [...]
What our mind thinks we need
What our mind thinks we need often takes us away from what we actually need. Whenever we feel down or distressed, our mind often tells [...]
Why we are NOT defined by our desires
One of the Bhagavad Gita’s most life-transforming insights is its clear, categorical, and consistent emphasis on differentiating between us and our mind. While some of [...]
How can we admire without craving to acquire?
Whenever we see something attractive, we usually appreciate, even admire it. But when someone else has that attractive thing and we don’t, we often crave [...]
Letting the mind run free is the quickest path to exhaustion
Letting the mind run free is the quickest path to exhaustion After waking up in the morning, suppose we soon feel tired, even though we [...]
We don’t have to defeat our lower desires – we can just let them lose
Tennis players don’t have to hit winners in each point; if they can just keep the ball in play, their opponent may tire and err, [...]
Our desires are not just linear, but also triangular
We usually think of our desires as linear, as connectors between us and our desired objects. The Bhagavad-gita (02.62) supports this linear view when it [...]
To stop defeating yourself, stop deceiving yourself
Suppose a sick person denies their sickness not just to others but also to themselves. By their denial, they deprive themselves of the good health [...]
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, [...]
Resentment of reality can hurt more than reality
Suppose we plan to go for a picnic, but suddenly get fever and have to abandon our plan. And we lie on a bed resenting [...]
Don’t relax the treatment just because the symptoms have disappeared
When germs of a deadly disease such as tuberculosis infect us and give rise to manifest symptoms of sickness, we take treatment immediately and diligently. [...]
See beyond the provision to the provider
A newborn infant sees everything as potential food. It suckles the mother’s breasts and sees it as a source of nourishment. Only after some growth [...]
We may not be caught for our wrongdoings, but we will be caught by our wrongdoings
Many people think that immoral behavior is ok as long as no one catches them. For example, people from culturally conservative families may think that [...]
Seeking God’s will in his word shows us our way in this world
Different people approach the Bhagavad-gita differently, seeing it, for example, as a historical, cultural or poetic book. Though the Gita has all these aspects, they [...]
Our heart beats for immortality and beats towards mortality
‘Our heart beats for immortality’ refers to our metaphorical heart – the seat of our emotions – and its innate longing to live on forever. [...]
Evil arises not from Krishna’s intention, but from the soul’s volition
People often ask, “If God, the creator of world, is good, why does evil exist in the world?” Evil arises not from Krishna’s intention but from [...]
Seek specialty through authenticity, not novelty
It is a natural human urge to want to be special, to stand out from the crowd, to be original. Today’s mainstream materialist culture capitalizes [...]
The mind may replay, but we don’t have to play
Sometimes some nasty images come in our mind and make us feel appalled at ourselves: “What kind of devotee am I to be thinking such [...]
That which is unwillingly learned is willingly unlearned
When we practice bhakti-yoga, we frequently find ourselves relapsing to worldly anti-devotional indulgences. Why does this happen? Because in the school of devotion we are [...]
Watch the watchdog of conscience that watches for us and watches us
During our spiritual journey, we face dangers from worldly temptations. When we encounter things that seem delightful but are actually painful, our conscience acts like [...]
For the cynic, the truth lies in the heart
Some people are inveterate cynics who ascribe the darkest motives to even the noblest actions. When such cynics target religion, they see God as a [...]