How can grievous wrongdoing be reconciled with devotion?
The Bhagavad-gita (09.30) raises a serious question: How can grievous wrongdoing and devotion go together? To address this question, consider the ocean-anchor metaphor. We all [...]
Gita 09.29 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan We will continue the glory [...]
Krishna’s incredible inclusivity
Through the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna reveals how his teachings are utterly different from exclusivism. Here are four ways to understand his astonishing inclusivity: Acknowledges multiple paths [...]
Krishna is not a passive point of concentration – he is the proactive fount of compassion
Yogis begin their meditation by using various objects as initial points of concentration. The Bhagavad-gita mentions that they may focus on the space between their [...]
If we do what we can, Krishna empowers us to do what we can’t
During the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was unfairly, brutally murdered on the thirteenth day. Outraged, Arjuna vowed to kill before the next sunset the [...]
Purity is the key to freedom from misery
Suppose an alcoholic has become sick because of excessive alcohol indulgence. While the disease is a danger that needs treatment, an equal, if not greater, [...]
Surgery seems like violence, but is benevolence
Some people claim, “The Bhagavad-gita teaches that killing is ok because the body is anyway going to die. Such a teaching licenses indiscriminate violence.” This [...]
Krishna is not just a point for meditation – he is the person for supplication
Yogis, specifically dhyana-yogis, start meditation by focusing on some point, such as the tip of the nose or the space between the eyebrows. As such [...]
Krishna’s mercy enables us to find him – and to find him fulfilling
The world we live in is like a maze. It offers us so many alternatives of what we can do, so many promises of what [...]
Misery is not the cause of enlightenment – mercy is
Some seekers ask, “When afflicted with a deadly disease, some devotees take intense shelter of Krishna and make phenomenal spiritual advancement. If similar misery came [...]
Don’t come up with the truth; come up to the truth
The phrase ‘coming up with the truth’ indicates speculating and hazarding our own way to the truth. It implies that truth is something submerged and [...]
Krishna’s purpose is not to catch us when we do wrong, but to catch us when we fall
When we are in the public eye, especially with critics present, we frequently become self-conscious. Even when we are in a private room, if we [...]
Devotees left with nothing are right with Krishna
Some people believe that material prosperity is a sign of God’s pleasure and material adversity, a sign of his displeasure. Such beliefs are typical of [...]
Complete charity makes the receiver feel valued , not pitied
The Bhagavad-gita helps us to go beyond appearance to substance in terms of not just identity (beyond the body to the soul), but also mentality [...]
Be present in the present to receive Krishna’s present of purity
Purity is a cherished aspiration of serious spiritualists. When we become pure, we can relish Krishna’s beauty, please him with our service and enter his [...]
We may be unqualified, but we are never disqualified
To be unqualified for something means to not have the necessary qualifications to do it. To be disqualified means to not be allowed to do [...]
The blows that break the shell of our isolation from Krishna
When life moves along smoothly, when we successfully use our talents and our plans to achieve our goals, we frequently build a shell of complacency [...]
Hell is not meant to cause us suffering but to save us from suffering
Some exclusivist religions claim that those who don’t accept their dogmatic beliefs will be sent by God to hell forever. In refreshing contrast to such [...]
“Got big problems?” Krishna is bigger
When life’s problems overwhelm us, our vision becomes distorted. We start feeling that the problems are ultra-big, bigger than even Krishna. Consequently, we become so [...]
Claiming that the unknown is unknowable is claiming to know the unknown
“God is so great that we tiny creatures can never know him.” So claim some people. At first sight, this position seems reasonable and even [...]
Determination is the first thing, the main thing, the only thing
Nothing glorious can be achieved without single-pointed, sustained determination. The Bhagavad-gita (02.41) indicates that determination (drdha-vratah) is essential for the most glorious achievement of life: [...]