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 [...]
From wishful and fretful thinking to prayerful and purposeful thinking
Let our thinking not be wishful or fearful; let it be prayerful and purposeful. Our thinking capacity is our most powerful capacity. It is the [...]
The essence of karma philosophy is not punishment but encouragement
The concept of karma has become widespread to the point of having gained mainstream acceptance, both in terms of parlance and worldview. Both the frequent [...]
Importance of intelligence in meditation
Our intelligence is meant to be our protector, akin to an inner guard. We need such a guard because inside us is our mind, which [...]
Does surrender mean that God manages our life for us?
The Bhagavad-gita begins and ends with surrender. But these two forms of surrender are significantly different. The initial surrender in 2.7 happens when Arjuna acknowledges [...]
Cultivating emotions toward Krishna: An acquired taste
The Bhagavad Gita (15.19) declares that those who understand Krishna as the Supreme Person, worship Him with all the emotions of their hearts. What is [...]
Are we in charge of our inner world?
The Bhagavad Gita (6.6) warns us that our mind can be our enemy if we are not in control of it. In politics, there are [...]
From material emotion to spiritual emotion
In the Bhagavad-gita verse (4.10), Krishna describes how we can move from material emotion to spiritual emotion. Broadly, the various emotions we have in association [...]
Surrender is not passive but active
The Bhagavad Gita (18.73) concludes with Arjuna surrendering to Krishna, not in a passive way by accepting Krishna's will as it is happening in his [...]
Anxiety — circumstantial vs existential
Circumstantial anxieties are unavoidable because, no matter how much control we have over our external environment, there will always be some things beyond our [...]
How to be present in the present
To be present in the present, we need to learn to focus gradually and incrementally. If our mind is wandering, we can bring it back [...]
Why to identify with villains in scriptures?
Whenever we study scriptures, we tend to identify with the virtuous characters, whether it is Ram or Sita or Hanuman. That's good, but it's also [...]
When losing peace of mind is good
Lessons that disturbed our peace of mind may well take us toward peace of the heart. Sometimes, we may value peace to such an extent [...]
The secret of effective devotion
Devotion is not just emotion, it is emotion expressed through dedicated action. Some people dismiss devotion as simply expressive and sometimes ineffective emotion. However, devotion [...]
The life of pleasure or the pleasure of life
Only when we stop chasing the life of pleasure can we find the pleasure of life. The life of pleasure means that we think life [...]
Far away from God
We may be far away from God, but God is close to us. Sometimes we may pray to God and not get any result from [...]
Grateful for unanswered prayers
When our prayers are unanswered, how can we stay faithful? By seeing how we can be grateful for unanswered prayers. If we look at our [...]
When God says no
When it seems that God has not answered our prayers, actually, God has answered our prayers. Even a 'no' is an answer. And when it [...]
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 [...]
Pray to gain purpose not pleasure
Pray to God—not for pleasure, but for purpose. When we approach God through prayers, we often seek pleasure or, more specifically, the objects that we [...]
Receptive + Submissive = Pathway to wisdom
To grow in knowledge, we need to be not just receptive, but also submissive. When we learn from someone who is an expert, at that [...]