Are we using our intelligence intelligently?
Are we using our intelligence intelligently? - When we see someone with intelligence far greater than ours (as measured by some parameter such as IQ), [...]
The net of material knowledge can’t net God
Suppose fishermen fish in an ocean using a net with one-inch holes. On failing to catch any fish smaller than one inch, suppose they declare [...]
The fundamental negative thinking is thinking that happiness is to be found only in matter
Nowadays many books urge us to think positive. Certainly, we shouldn’t shackle and cripple ourselves by negative thinking. But to tap positive thinking properly, we [...]
Krishna doesn’t cause our worldly wandering – he frees us from the cause of that wandering
Some people claim, “ The Bhagavad-gita teaches that we humans have no free will, being just puppets in God’s hands. They often quote the Gita [...]
The universality of the malady underscores the urgency of the remedy
When we hear of an epidemic spread all over the world, we feel impelled to urgently enquire how to protect ourselves. Similar is the rationale [...]
Be not alarmed by the presence of impurities; be heartened by the presence of the alarm
The presence of impure desires in our consciousness can alarm us: “If despite my practice of bhakti, such dirty things are still there in my [...]
The defining characteristic of humanity distorted by ignorance is inhumanity
Both materialists and spiritualists consider humanity as the pinnacle of evolution. Materialists believe that humanity is the apex of a multi-millennia journey that began with [...]
We have to live our lives ourselves and live with ourselves
People whose lives are messed up often long for a magic wand type solution – just one touch and everything becomes wonderful. Gita wisdom doesn’t [...]
Ignorance makes the insufferable seem irresistible
Drunkards suffer terribly due to their addiction – the hangover, the mortification at finding oneself crazed out, the humiliation when one becomes an object of [...]
Tune in to yourself to best tune in to the world
Some people can't live without continuous external stimulation. Every few minutes, they check their cellphones for the latest stock prices or the breaking news or [...]
Krishna is concealed, but not contained, by the modes
When we come to know that Krishna is everywhere, we may naturally wonder: “Why can’t I perceive him everywhere or, for that matter, anywhere?” The [...]
Fretting is like overcooking a rotten vegetable in our head
Suppose a chef who found that a recently purchased vegetable was rotten, and, annoyed at the prospect of wasted time and money, decided to set [...]
We are our own devils
Some traditions have the conception of the Devil, an intrinsically evil being who is independent of and almost as powerful as God. He wants to [...]
On the value of judgments and the judgment of values
Some people oppose value-judgments of any kind: “According to one person’s values, a particular act may be wrong. But why should that person’s values be [...]
The world is in a mess – as usual
The daily news of natural disasters like hurricanes and human-made distresses like corruption show that the world is in a terrible mess. Seeing this, we [...]
Bhakti-yoga trains us in unemotional emotionality
Some readers of the Bhagavad-gita are struck by a paradox: “The Gita asks us to be neutral towards emotions like happiness and distress. But it [...]
Navigate the troughs of consciousness by focusing on the peak
As aspiring devotees, we may find the state of our consciousness oscillating up and down like a sine wave. We may feel sometimes attracted and [...]
Self-help can’t help without divine help
The Bhagavad-gita (14.10) indicates how the subtle forces of nature known as the modes exert competing psychological influences on us. Their contrary influences cause our [...]
Gita insights for New Year resolutions
The Bhagavad-gita (18.33)(18.34)(18.35) describes resolution or determination in the three modes of nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. The modes comprise subtle cosmological forces that exert [...]