Responding to the Kashmir terror attack: A religious issue or a law and order issue?
Some of you have questioned my statement that this is not a religious issue. I wanted to keep the original video concise, so the context [...]
When life seems to say ‘no’ to us
Suppose we invest a lot of effort in actualizing a particular aspiration — be it a career or a relationship or a calling — but [...]
From what’s on loan to what’s our own
Suppose we inherit a huge fortune: we may start splurging recklessly. But suppose we learn that the money we have is on loan: we will [...]
Seeing beyond our employer to our provider
We know that our employer is important to us. If they are dissatisfied with us, they could fire us and we might end up jobless, [...]
When the world is a place of distress how should we deal with distress in our life?
When the Bhagavad-gita (08.15) deems the world a place of distress (dukhalaya), what does this imply for our efforts to combat distress in our life? [...]
How our worldview shapes our capacity to be grateful
Many people recognize that gratitude is a quality worth cherishing, for it promotes emotional health and overall well-being. But not many people recognize that our [...]
How the third-person and first-person references point to an evolving understanding of divinity
A puzzling feature of the Bhagavad-gita is Krishna’s referring to himself sometimes in the third person. One way to make sense of such references is [...]
From the specific to the universal and back to the specific (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 2)
From the specific to the universal and back to the specific - Well-written books exhibit an expert balance between specifics and universals, whereby the specifics [...]
The process of desiring seen fragmentally and holistically (Desire management series 14
The process of desiring seen fragmentally and holistically - To manage our desires effectively, consider the components of the process of desiring: the desirer, the [...]
A likely feature of our likely future
A likely feature of our likely future - Few technological advances have changed our daily lives as much as smartphones. Though phones have made many [...]
So boring or sobering?
So boring or sobering? - Suppose we are traveling by boat through a vast ocean and we hear a weather warning on the boat radio, [...]
When form and substance are different — and when they aren’t
When form and substance are different — and when they aren’t - All that glitters is not gold. Such sayings which are present in almost [...]
Is the world really a place of misery?
Is the world really a place of misery? - Sometimes, the Bhagavad-gita statement that the world is a place of misery (08.15) is seen as [...]
Why we may underestimate the power of words
Why we may underestimate the power of words - Suppose a friend comes to us with a black eye, a bleeding nose and a broken [...]
Is the Gita’s declaration about the world’s distressful nature pessimistic?
Is the Gita’s declaration about the world’s distressful nature pessimistic? - When we hear the Bhagavad-gita statement (08.15) that the world is a place of [...]
When matter and spirit need to be differentiated — and when not
The Bhagavad-gita begins with a rigid differentiation between matter and spirit (02.11-30), wherein the properties of the spiritual particle, the soul, are shown to be [...]