Is My Worldview Enriching My Experience—or Merely Confirming My Conceptions?
During my recent visit to Thunder Bay, Canada, I went for a walk to Kakabeka Falls, sometimes called the “Niagara of the North.” Standing before [...]
Ganesh Chaturthi and the Universal Call of the Divine
“Ganpati Bappa Morya!” “Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh Deva!” The voices of young Indian students filled the hall at Boston University during a Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. [...]
Please deepen my determination with devotion and strengthen my devotion with determination
Bhagavad Gita 18.33 dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate manaḥ-prāṇendriya-kriyāḥ yogenāvyabhicāriṇyā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī That determination which sustains; Mind, life-breath, senses—all it restrains; Through yoga practice [...]
Your seeming humanity doesn’t diminish your divinity—it deepens your lovability
Bhagavad Gita 9.11 avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśvaram Fools mock me, seeing but a human-like manifestation, Not knowing [...]
How the worldview of devotion is holistic and wholesome
The worldview of devotion centers on the understanding that there is a transcendental person, Krishna, who exists as the supreme divinity at the pinnacle of [...]
Rising from the worldviews of desire despair and dread to the worldview of devotion
Rising from the worldviews of desire despair and dread to the worldview of devotion Opening our eyes to reality is not meant to fill us [...]
How bhakti is much more than worship of some being
Devotion is not just about worshiping some being; it is about finding our own small story within the larger story that is the divine plan [...]
How devotion simultaneously fulfills our deep needs for belonging and participation
Devotion fulfills our twin needs of universal belonging and personal participation in a reality bigger than ourselves. As social creatures, we naturally desire interaction, but [...]
Gita 02.24 – Explanation
Gita 02.24 – The soul can’t be stopped from going anywhere nor forced to go anywhere Audio link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-24-the-soul-cant-be-stopped-from-going-anywhere-nor-forced-to-go-anywhere/ acchedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam akledyo ’śoṣya [...]
Our inner war against temptation is far bigger than we think
Whenever we strive for self-improvement, particularly in resisting self-sabotaging indulgences, we may perceive this battle as a personal affair with minimal consequences. This mindset can [...]
Four ways our mind and intelligence may relate with Krishna
The Bhagavad Gita (8.7) states that to remember Krishna throughout our life, we need to dedicate our mind and intelligence to Him. Our mind is [...]
Cultivating emotions toward Krishna: An acquired taste
The Bhagavad Gita (15.19) declares that those who understand Krishna as the Supreme Person, worship Him with all the emotions of their hearts. What is [...]
From material emotion to spiritual emotion
In the Bhagavad-gita verse (4.10), Krishna describes how we can move from material emotion to spiritual emotion. Broadly, the various emotions we have in association [...]
Bhakti is a journey through physical reality to spiritual reality
The Bhagavad-gita declares that all attractive things derive their attractiveness from a spark of Krishna's supreme attractiveness (10.41). This implies that the world we encounter [...]
Surrender is not passive but active
The Bhagavad Gita (18.73) concludes with Arjuna surrendering to Krishna, not in a passive way by accepting Krishna's will as it is happening in his [...]
The secret of effective devotion
Devotion is not just emotion, it is emotion expressed through dedicated action. Some people dismiss devotion as simply expressive and sometimes ineffective emotion. However, devotion [...]
How bhakti helps us balance destiny and responsibility
When we adopt a spiritual worldview, especially a devotional theistic worldview, it changes our approach to life, specifically in terms of how we view destiny [...]
What does taking shelter of Krishna mean?
We are often conscious of many things in life, and consciousness can be said to be the energy that enables us to become aware of [...]
Gratitude demanded is gratitude diminished
Many virtues, like gratitude, are difficult to cultivate and easy to lose. One counterintuitive way we may lose gratitude is by our overzealousness in insisting [...]
Gratefully ambitious
While most people acknowledge the importance and even the necessity of gratitude for a happy life, some people fear that if they are grateful for [...]
Learning the language of gratitude
For two people to connect effectively, they need to learn a common language and be on speaking terms. A similar dynamic applies to our mind’s [...]