Can I Give You a Hug?
"Can I Give You a Hug?" I stared at the American girl who had asked me this question with a bright smile on her face. [...]
How exactly are the Gita’s verses your friends?
"How exactly are the Gita’s verses your friends?" I was asked this question during a recent podcast. The host was a tall, bespectacled young man [...]
When I need encouragement, I get a lecture on detachment
“When I need encouragement, I get a lecture on detachment.” The statement came from a dark-haired South Indian man in his mid-thirties who approached me [...]
“Which is your favorite Bhagavad-gita verse?”
“Which is your favorite Bhagavad-gita verse?” This was a question a podcast host asked me during a recent interview on my UK visit. I paused [...]
Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human
“Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human.” The words came spontaneously from my mouth as I was speaking with a dynamic [...]
Your Mahabharata Classes Cured My Insomnia
The remark came from a tall, well-built, mustached Indian professional dressed in a suit and tie. He had apparently come directly from work to meet [...]
When Vrindavan Dust Set Off an Airport Alarm
“Stay where you are. Don’t move even one bit.” The airport security officer pointed his gun at me and spoke in a stern voice. I [...]
I Didn’t Know That You Even Laughed
A student who had completed my self-paced online Bhakti Shastri course once came to meet me at Govardhan Eco Village. He had heard all 162 [...]
Let me treat unwanted temptations like uninvited visitors: even if I have to entertain them, let me neither embrace nor employ them.
My dear Lord, temptations sometimes enter my consciousness unsolicited, triggered by something I perceive externally or remember internally. Whenever possible, help me neglect and reject [...]
When Convenience Becomes Dependence
“Your flight has already departed.” The Air Canada staff member at the Frankfurt Airport transfer counter told me this in a flat, nonchalant voice. I [...]
Question: If the Bhagavad-gita recommends action rather than renunciation, why do devotees in ISKCON become brahmacharis rather than act in the world as grihasthas?
Answer: There are three distinct considerations here. First is the context of the teaching of the Gita. Second is the broader Indian tradition. And third [...]
If my mother doesn’t want to use a pacemaker and wants me to pray to Krishna that she live without it for as long as she can, and not do anything in terms of getting a pacemaker, how should I see this devotionally and practically?
Answer: There are three distinct issues here. One is your mother's desire, the second is the medical need, and the third is your duty. When [...]
How Gita wisdom helped me transcend polio
Recently, during my travels to America, a devotee-doctor in Washington, D.C., suggested that I consult a polio specialist to evaluate the long-term effects I might [...]
What AI Can’t Take Away
Does work have an irreplaceable worth that we might unnecessarily give away because of AI alarmism? "I just lost my job because of AI." A [...]
Release me from the voice inside my head that endlessly craves empty pleasures
Bhagavad-gita 6.6 bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatru-vat A voice inside leads me astray; It steals my life day by [...]
Why Do You Laugh at Your Own Humor?
This question came from a friend who had just attended one of my talks. He explained, “Normally, in executive humor—that which is appropriate for workplace [...]
Question: What are the differences between the needs of the body and the needs of the soul?
Answer: They are two distinct levels of reality. Just as a car and a driver have different needs, the body and the soul also have [...]
Gratitude Is a Gift
At a recent youth retreat in Mayapur, a devotee asked me, "When you became a brahmachari, how did you deal with fear about the future [...]
Faith in God’s protection
Faith in God's protection means that we are not paralyzed by fear when called to act in His service, even when faced with significant challenges. [...]
What does being fearless in the Lord’s service mean?
Faith in God's protection means accepting that what he protects may be different from what we expect him to protect. One of the most celebrated [...]
Why has God created our mind to act as our enemy so frequently and forcefully?
God has provided us with the mind as a functional tool to link our spiritual selves with our physical bodies. However, the specific way the [...]