Krishna descends to offer not just protection but also participation
One of the most quoted verses of the Bhagavad-gita (04.08) states the purpose of Krishna’s periodic descents: cosmic protection. He protects the social and spiritual [...]
Play the part of the part and the whole will fill the hole
We sometimes feel a hole within – a sense of emptiness that gnaws especially when we aren’t deadening ourselves internally with the racehorse pace and [...]
The bird may be encaged, but its desires stay engaged in the field
A bird may be physically restrained by a cage, but it can’t be mentally restrained from dreaming and craving about the grains it could have [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Losing our way to find our way
Life sometimes brings us to a dead end. In the face of overwhelming obstacles, everything seems lost. We feel as if we have lost our [...]
Let’s learn to laugh with others, not laugh at others
Laughing at others – their fallacies and follies – is something we often enjoy. If not publically, then at least privately. It makes us feel [...]
Are our desires locking us into a world of frustration or releasing us into the world of fulfillment?
We all may have experiences of how while dreaming and desiring something, we get transported somewhere into the world of our dreams, removed from everything [...]
Can we recognize that we haven’t recognized ourselves?
“That couldn’t have been me.” This is what people say when they think of what they did under the spell of alcohol – actions that [...]
Completeness comes not by material amelioration or mechanical reconnection, but by emotional redirection
We all frequently feel that something is missing in our life. In fact, our entire life with its varied pursuits – career, wealth, position, spouse, [...]
Go beyond the beyond
Many people think that the goal of spirituality is to go beyond emotions and actions, and attain peace by merging in an impersonal light. However, [...]