Let intelligence guard the path from impulse to intent
Impulse is an urge that comes to us, sometimes without our conscious bidding. Intent is a decision that comes out of us, with at least some level of conscious [...]
Live for Krishna; live through Krishna; live in Krishna
“How can we live spiritually in the material world?” This question often confronts devotee-seekers. The Bhagavad-gita (12.08 - 12.12) outlines multiple descending levels at which we can [...]
Be intelligent enough to know what to do when you don’t know what to do
Life often puts us in perplexities. When we don’t know what to do, what do we do? Some people respond with kneejerk reactions, others, with [...]
How can we pursue that which we don’t perceive?
Our vision determines our action. If on a road we don’t see a speed-breaker, we won’t slow down and so get jolted. If at a [...]
Are we mistaking the red signal to be the green signal?
To navigate through traffic, we need to understand traffic signals properly. Similarly, to navigate through life, we need to understand the signals during our life-journey. [...]
Our values are our real valuables
Our happiness depends not on our valuables, but on our values. Why? Because our values shapehow we use our valuables, which actually determines our happiness. [...]
The call to faith is for focusing,not forsaking, of intelligence
Today’s ethos often treats the word ‘faith’ negatively, as if those who choose faith reject intelligence. Actually however, the call to faith, as given by [...]
Are we sending our intelligence on a vacation?
Imagine a person who has a priceless treasure carefully protected by a competent guard. Suppose a thief persuades the owner to send the guard on [...]
The mental avatar of AIDS
AIDS is an extremely dangerous disease, largely because of its sinister method of attack. Normally when a disease attacks the body, the immune system springs [...]
When it requires courage to be afraid
Imagine a group of children playing in an epidemic-struck area without knowing about the disease. When a child gets infected, falls sick and dies, the [...]
Sensual pleasures are easily visible, rarely relishable
Sensual pleasures tantalize us by their appearance and frustrate us by their experience. They last at the most for a few minutes; so the actual [...]
When a salesperson knocks at the inner door…
When a salesperson comes knocking at our door, we evaluate the proposal by merit. If the proposal is unreasonable or unnecessary, we usually say a [...]
Why life seems so complex…
Suppose each time we want to type an email the computer asks us to choose the font, the font size, the alignment, the indentation, the [...]
Plans may not work, but planning works
“My plans never work, so I have decided to give up planning.” We may think like this when our plans to balance our material obligations [...]
The body, mind and soul are all best geared for meditation in the morning
Some people ask: “Krishna resides in our heart and is available at all times. Then why emphasize morning for connecting with him?” Because we are [...]
Ask not “Why this?” but “How now?”
When we encounter sudden adversities, we usually get the question, “Why is Krishna doing this to me?” Gita wisdom explains that when we hold Krishna [...]
Go beyond the stocking of information to the flowing of service
As we live in an information-centered age, we are often stimulated by new information. When we encounter the Bhagavad-gita, we tend to seek stimulation in [...]
Let sleeping tigers sleep – don’t pinch them
“I thought I had become free from that attachment. Why has it come back?” Questions like these often describe our inner trajectory as devotee-seekers. When [...]
Train yourself to avoid mental potholes
When we travel regularly along a pothole-filled road, we carefully avoid the potholes, thereby saving ourselves of unnecessary jolts. By analogy, when the Bhagavad-gita (02.58) [...]
Materialism is wrong – and wrongheaded
Materialism, the idea that matter is all that exists, is on a mass seduction campaign nowadays, especially through the media. To see through its seduction, [...]
Dig the grave of materialism, functional and fanatical
Materialism comes in two main brands: fanatical materialism which claims that matter is all that exists; and functional materialism which claims that matter is all [...]