Krishna Caused My Forgetfulness
Krishna Caused My Forgetfulness That was the reply I got from the young devotee who was supposed to have set up a projector for me [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]
Am I Bad Luck? Or Am I Just Bad?
“Am I bad luck? Or am I just bad?” In my thirty years as a monk and traveling speaker, I don't think I had ever [...]
Are life’s reversals karma, tests by Maya, or Krishna’s push to surrender?
When we face reversals in life, we often wonder whether these are the results of our past karma, tests by Maya, or Krishna pushing us [...]
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. [...]
Can destiny cause someone to fall down morally or spiritually?
Whenever we try to live a life of principles, we may often feel haunted by the possibility of fall downs. This concern becomes especially poignant [...]
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 [...]
Let my speech bring calm to the storm, not begin a second storm
anudvega-karaṁ vākyam Within me, when storms of pain form, Let not my speech bring another storm. May my prayers seek you as my anchor, Then [...]
Lead me out of my ego’s web by your love’s WEB: wisdom, expertise, benevolence
Bhagavad Gita 18.58 mac-cittaḥ sarva-durgāṇi mat-prasādāt tariṣyasi atha cet tvam ahaṅkārān na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi "Focus on me, and all duality you will transcend, By [...]
Let the realization of your position transform my conviction and aspiration
Bhagavad Gita 18.78 yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama Where Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of mystic perfection, [...]
Let me seek you with a heart that is firm, not a head that needs to confirm
Bhagavad Gita 18.74 sañjaya uvāca ity ahaṁ vāsudevasya pārthasya ca mahātmanaḥ saṁvādam imam aśrauṣam adbhutaṁ roma-harṣaṇam Sañjaya said: Thus have I heard this conversation, [...]
Let my conviction in what you do remove my confusion about what I am to do
Bhagavad Gita 18.73 arjuna uvāca naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā tvat-prasādān mayācyuta sthito ’smi gata-sandehaḥ kariṣye vacanaṁ tava Arjuna said: My illusion is destroyed; my [...]
Let your love for me inform and transform my love for life
Bhagavad Gita 18.61 īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā The Lord within all hearts resides, And there, O Arjuna, gently guides; All [...]
Lead me to see you not just as a dispassionate teacher but also as a passionate lover
Bhagavad Gita 18.64 sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ iṣṭo ’si me dṛḍham iti tato vakṣyāmi te hitam Now hear from me the most secret [...]
Let your wisdom restore my intelligence and redirect my independence
Bhagavad Gita 18.63 iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa yathecchasi tathā kuru Thus have I spoken wisdom invaluable, Among secrets, this is [...]
Free me from the illusion that I am free
Bhagavad Gita 18.59 yad ahaṅkāram āśritya na yotsya iti manyase mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati If, clinging to ego, you think, “I won’t fight,” [...]
Let me find the balance between the ideal and the practical through the devotional
Bhagavad Gita 18.48 sahajaṁ karma kaunteya sa-doṣam api na tyajet sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ Abandon not the work born of one’s nature, Even if [...]
Make me determined to not just pursue the desirable but also determine what is truly desirable
Bhagavad Gita 18.34 yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān dhṛtyā dhārayate ’rjuna prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī That determination which holds on tight, To pleasure and [...]
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 [...]