Tackling impurity from indulgence to transcendence
Impurity needs to be tackled by focusing on transcendence, not tickled by fantasizing about indulgence. Whenever we have any impurity within us that triggers desires [...]
Purification is inner empowerment
We may think of purification to be something religious or sacred and not very relevant in our daily lives. However, purification empowers us internally. When [...]
Unsustainable and sustainable approaches to purification
When we try to purify ourselves, we soon become acutely aware that there are two parts within us: one part of us — our higher [...]
How purification and willpower relate with self-transformation
Whenever we try to change ourselves for the better, we often feel that we need willpower. And we may think of purification as something other-worldly, [...]
How purification can empower us all
Purification is often equated with being puritanical, which may evoke images of holier-than-thou people morally policing everyone else. Influenced by such images, we may not [...]
Gita 06.45 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya So Krishna will tell in next [...]
Don’t let the mind play truant in the school of bhakti
Suppose a mother sends her child to school, but the child after wearing the uniform and carrying the satchel slips off to play instead of [...]
When the mind functions primarily as a mirror instead of as a window, we gain self-realization
Suppose a cosmonaut is in a spacecraft that has a window for seeing outside but is pitch-dark inside. Similar is our present position. We are [...]
Mentally junk the mental junk
In today’s hi-tech age of planned brand obsolescence, yesterday’s glamorous gadgets often become little more that junk today. Over time, we often end up with [...]
To save time, we need spiritual elevation more than technological innovation
We are frequently over-scheduled, over-worked, over-stressed. So, we naturally feel eager for things that promise to save time. Catering to our needs, scores of apps [...]
Don’t resolve what you will not fall for – resolve what you will stand for
When we succumb to a temptation, we may resolve, “Never again will I fall for that temptation.” While such a resolve is well-intentioned, it is [...]
Those who don’t hang together, hang separately
In a war, comrades watch each other’s backs. When we practice spiritual life, we engage in a war against illusion. In this war, our fellow-devotees [...]
Devotion makes the head clear and the heart pure
Devotion is essentially the disposition of our heart to love and serve Krishna. And from that devotional desire, all auspiciousness emerges, as the Bhagavad-gita indicates [...]
Determination is the fruit of purification – and its root too
The Bhagavad-gita (07.28) indicates that we will become determined in our devotional practices when we live purely and stop impure actions. This begs the question: [...]
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, [...]
See through the mind’s troika of denial, misdirection and self-victimization
The mind often sabotages us by making us do foolish things. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (06.06) cautions that the mind can be our enemy. The mind [...]
We can’t replace the mind, but we can re-place it
Suppose we have a careless colleague who keeps making a mess of things, but whom we aren’t allowed to replace. The best way to deal [...]
Revealing our feeling is the beginning of healing
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita (01.29), Arjuna reveals to Krishna the feelings of anxiety and misery that are overwhelming him. Seeking relief, he surrenders [...]
Our connection with Krishna is reinforced, not restricted, by the guru
Some people find the idea of a guru difficult to digest, “Can’t I have a relationship with God? Why do I need to restrict my [...]
The past won’t last if to Krishna we hold fast
We are all products of our past. The circumstances we went through and the choices we made have contributed, for better or for worse, to [...]
Focus not on the reach of your outreach; focus on how much you reach Krishna through your outreach
The Bhagavad-gita (18.68) proclaims that those who share its message of love get pure devotion to Krishna. The next verse (18.69) further declares that such [...]