Our spirituality is a specialty, not an abnormality
“You don’t have to be so serious about your spiritual life. You don’t want to become an abnormal person, do you?” Those of us committed [...]
The goal of spiritual knowledge is not just discovery but also recovery
Some of us may get the doubt: “Science is exciting because therein we constantly discover new things. In spirituality, all the knowledge is already given [...]
Don’t give up the intelligence; go beyond the intelligence
Intellectuals sometimes feel alienated from scriptures due to what they feel are its inconsistent or illogical statements. As their intellect has been their guide and [...]
Don’t let the mind eat your head
The mind sometimes makes us do self-defeating, short-sighted, stupid things. How? By making us headless. The Bhagavad-gita (02.62) indicates that when the mind contemplates sense [...]
Don’t let the sword sleep in the hand
Suppose medieval warriors with their hands on the swords by their side were surrounded by marauders, who were attacking innocent civilians and charging to strike [...]
Go beyond denial and dismissal to determination
“I fell from the scriptural standards yet again. What should I do now?” We often respond to such predicaments by either denial or dismissal. In [...]
Protect the conscience from being dumbed and numbed and dumped
A security provider who has protected us for millennia from ourselves has now been branded as outdated and unneeded; its very right to existence is [...]
The Gita offers not just another worldview, but also another world to view
“That’s just another worldview to add to the confusing plethora of worldviews.” Thus do skeptics dismiss Gita wisdom. They argue that as we can’t know [...]
Bhakti brings equality and universality on the spiritual path
Ours is an age that idealizes the equality of all human beings. The American Declaration of Rights which enshrines this equality is widely considered a [...]
Those who let reason usurp Krishna in their heart end up worshiping a false god
“Isn’t that mythology?” This doubt may trouble us whenever we hear about Krishna’s super-human pastimes such as lifting Govardhan hill that seem too unreasonable to [...]
Are our thoughts impoverishing or enriching us?
Few things live as close to us as our thoughts; few things influence us as immediately as our thoughts; few things define us as much [...]
Four stages in Gita study: Veneration, Comprehension, Application, Transformation
The Bhagavad-gita is a profoundly empowering book. To tap its power, we need to develop our relationship with it through four progressive stages: Veneration: Some [...]
Tap HIS grace by Humbleness, Inquisitiveness and Service-mindedness
The coach is often the most important shaper of an athlete’s success; the systematic and sympathetic guidance of a coach is indispensable for an aspiring [...]
Spiritual advancement comes not by defining, but by refining
Spiritual advancement is essentially a journey of our heart’s affection towards Krishna, a journey that can get sidetracked by many detours. One tempting detour is [...]
When the heat hits, move away from the heat source, not towards it
When the environmental heat hits us, we naturally move away from the heat source. Strangely however, we react in the opposite way to another kind [...]
It is never too late – and it is already too late
Intelligence and experience help us see that material enjoyment is temporary and unsatisfying, whereas Krishna consciousness is eternal and supremely satisfying. This vision inspires us [...]
Delight in the devotional chain reaction of faith and knowledge
Faith is the most precious asset on the spiritual path. It enables us to pursue diligently that which we cannot perceive directly: the invisible treasure [...]
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 [...]
Insanity is not compulsory
All of us have witnessed normal sane people suddenly behaving abnormally, even insanely. We may have seen this happening to ourselves. For some people, this [...]
Peel the cosmic onion to discover spiritual diversity in unity
Just as we need to peel off multiple covering layers to reach the essence of an onion, we need to peel of multiple covering layers [...]
The Gita is an intellectual adventure with an emotional climax
We have two essential faculties: the head and the heart. The head is our intellectual center and the heart, our emotional center. The Bhagavad-gita being [...]