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 [...]
How Gita wisdom helped me transcend polio
Recently, during my travels to America, a devotee-doctor in Washington, D.C., suggested that I consult a polio specialist to evaluate the long-term effects I might [...]
Question: Considering the case of Ketan Agarwal, is murder destined or is it because of poor judgment?
Answer: Such a question has no simple answer. As the Bhagavad Gita itself acknowledges, gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ—the workings of karma are profound and difficult to [...]
You are the God of miracles—and the God of practicals
Bhagavad Gita 9.10 mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram hetunānena kaunteya jagad viparivartate "Under my supervision, nature unfolds, Through everything moving and nonmoving, my control still [...]
In the world’s distress, let me see not your disregard for my well-being, but your respect for my will
Bhagavad Gita 9.9 na ca māṁ tāni karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanañ-jaya udāsīna-vad āsīnam asaktaṁ teṣu karmasu By none of the world’s mess or distress, Am [...]
Two ways to deal with our past
Even if we can't escape our past, we can still outgrow it We all carry scars from our past—deep wounds that cause fears or impressions [...]
2.14 We can’t change our destiny–and we can.
When something bad happens in your life due to factors beyond your control, have you ever wondered: Was this destiny? Could I have done anything [...]
Gita 02.33 – Explanation
Gita 02.33 – Honorable position brings obligation of tangible contribution Audio Link : https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-33-honorable-position-brings-obligation-of-tangible-contribution/ atha cet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ [...]
Gita 02.30 – Explanation
Gita 02.30 – Knowlege of the soul is not a call for resignation but for action Audio Link : https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-30-knowlege-of-the-soul-is-not-a-call-for-resignation-but-for-action/ dehī nityam avadhyo ’yaṁ dehe [...]
Understanding destiny: Makers but not masters
Destiny is often a generic term used to refer to factors beyond our control, especially when such factors shape or determine the outcomes in our [...]
Supervise vice or It Will Catch Us in a Super-Vise
Vice refers to the impure, dishonorable, and destructive desires within us that can lurk in the background, loom in the foreground, or leap into a [...]
Karma: resignation or responsibility?
When we study the Bhagavad-gita teachings on karma, we may often read into it ideas that are prevalent in contemporary conceptions about karma. Such ideas [...]
How bhakti helps us balance destiny and responsibility
When we adopt a spiritual worldview, especially a devotional theistic worldview, it changes our approach to life, specifically in terms of how we view destiny [...]
How to balance destiny and responsibility
When we face a difficult situation, to what extent do we accept that situation as destiny and to what extent do we take responsibility for [...]
How to balance destiny and responsibility
When we face a difficult situation, to what extent do we accept that situation as destiny and to what extent do we take responsibility for [...]
What is karma meant for
The Bhagavad-gita (04.17) states that the workings of karma can be incomprehensible. This speaks to our experience – we all are sometimes faced with adversities [...]
Gita 03.11 explained
Bg 3.11 devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ śreyaḥ param avāpsyatha Word for word: devān — demigods; bhāvayatā — having pleased; anena — by this sacrifice; te — those; devāḥ — demigods;bhāvayantu — [...]
What Krishna never mentions to Arjuna in the Gita
Some people think that Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita just to get Arjuna to fight. If that were so, Krishna chose a laboriously long-cut method for [...]
Why Krishna mentions Arjuna as his vibhuti among the Pandavas
In the Bhagavad-gita’s tenth chapter, Krishna lists his vibhutis (special manifestations) among various classes of beings. When he comes to the Pandavas as a class. [...]
Gita 14.21 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan So by going beyond modes [...]
Arjuna’s fifteenth question: How to transcend the modes
Toward the end of the fourteenth chapter (14.21), Arjuna asks Krishna, “What are the characteristics of those who transcend the modes? And how do they [...]