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 assumption of responsibility in our inner life begins with challenging our assumption about our inner life
Our spiritual advancement centers on our taking greater responsibility for our inner life. This assumption of responsibility begins with challenging a core assumption about our [...]
Feel-good without think-good and act-good is no good
Some people, especially those influenced by new-age notions, equate spirituality with a feel-good laissez-faire: “Whatever makes you feel good is spiritual – no need to bother [...]
Devotion is the emotion that takes us beyond all other emotions
When a mother loves her infant, that maternal emotion takes her beyond all other emotions. For example, she may be exhausted after a day of [...]
Break the wall that blocks the path from the past to the future
Grieving is natural when we lose a loved one. Such grieving offers us a release for our emotions and expresses the depth of our love. [...]
Anticipate spontaneous devotion, but cultivate conscientious devotion
When we read in the scriptures about exalted devotees who spontaneously love Krishna, we as aspiring devotees naturally long for such spontaneous devotion. And we [...]
An emptiness that is worse than loneliness
When we neglect or reject relationships, we make ourselves lonely. But when we neglect or reject our relationship with Krishna, we make ourselves worse that [...]
Bring the momentum of emotion into the moment of meditation
Emotions bring a natural momentum to our inner life. If we feel strongly about something, we can think about iteasily and quickly. Of course, we [...]
The best direction for the motion of emotion
Emotion. That’s what brings spice to our life. And love, the richest and deepest of all emotions makes life, with all its headaches and heartbreaks, [...]
On decreasing our emotional distance from the truth
Our normal actions as well as our major decisions are shaped not just by our rational contemplation but also by our emotional sensation. That’s why [...]
Is our culture preventing us from growing up?
Children desire toys and cry when thwarted and angered. Undiscriminating desire and unmanaged anger – these two defining emotions of childishness underlie many of our [...]
When life makes us emotionally seasick…
Seasickness is caused by the continuous up-down movement of the ship due to the sea-waves. Similarly, when we travel through life, its ups and downs [...]
When neither the summits nor the valleys matter…
The Bhagavad-gita’s recommendation(02.56) to stay equipoised amidst success and failure puzzles many people. It is antipodal to the modern sporting ethos, wherein the winner is [...]
Bhakti-yoga trains us in unemotional emotionality
Some readers of the Bhagavad-gita are struck by a paradox: “The Gita asks us to be neutral towards emotions like happiness and distress. But it [...]
The world is a station, not a destination
We may find the Bhagavad-gita’s injunction to stay equipoised amidst success and failure (2.38) perplexing: “Isn’t it natural to feel happy when we succeed and [...]
Bhakti is characterized by simple-heartedness, not simple-mindedness
Some people think that the path of bhakti is too simplistic and so is meant for sentimental non-intellectual people. However, the simplicity characteristic of bhakti [...]