Was Arjuna Overthinking?
I was asked this question after giving a short talk on overcoming overthinking at Thunder Bay, Canada, on September 14, 2026. The questioner continued, “I [...]
Why Krishna Did Not Use Hate Speech
In today’s world, violence and war rightfully alarm people, and violence in the name of religion is particularly troubling. Because the Bhagavad Gita is spoken [...]
The Battlefield Metaphor: Why Intellectual Shortcuts Fail
The setting of the Bhagavad Gita is inherently jarring. Just before the climactic war of the epic Mahabharata is about to begin, the leading warrior, [...]
Death is a Comma, Not a Full Stop
If we identify ourselves solely by our biology, our existence seems terribly fragile. We believe that birth is the absolute beginning and death is the [...]
Leadership Insight: When to Translate Power into Control?
Suppose a child throws a tantrum in a public place, demanding a toy. The parent obviously has far greater power than the child. Yet does [...]
The Mystery of Agency: Why You Are Not Your Brain
In modern neuroscience, there is a strong tendency to reduce our entire identity and consciousness to the physical brain. However, pioneering studies suggest that our [...]
The Biological Illusion of Equality
Few things agitate the human heart as much as discrimination and unfair treatment. The aspiration for equality—the deeply held belief that everyone should be treated [...]
Why We Must Not Reduce Ourselves to Our Roles
In life, we wear many hats and play many roles. We possess functional identities based on our gender, age, profession, nationality, and relationship status. While [...]
Adversity, Atrocity, and the True Source of Agony
We often face problems in life at three different levels of acuteness: adversity, atrocity, and agony. Adversity is what life naturally throws at us, such [...]
Question: If the Bhagavad-gita recommends action rather than renunciation, why do devotees in ISKCON become brahmacharis rather than act in the world as grihasthas?
Answer: There are three distinct considerations here. First is the context of the teaching of the Gita. Second is the broader Indian tradition. And third [...]
Independence: A Legacy to Treasure and Transmit
My childhood memories of India’s Independence Day are bittersweet. The strongest memory is of the collective singing of the patriotic song: “जो शहीद हुए हैं, [...]
Why Do We Fall Short When Trying to Change?
Even when we want to change ourselves by giving up unhealthy habits and developing healthy habits, why do we fall short? How can we overcome [...]
Why speech needs to be more than truthful
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that the discipline of speech involves much more than simply speaking truthfully. Along with truthfulness, it identifies three other qualities of [...]
How do we understand verses such as Gita 9.5 which refer explicitly to Krishna’s soul as if it were different from Krishna?
One way to look at such verses is to remember that scripture is kalpataru. If it is to fulfill the desires of everyone, then it [...]
If we have made some terrible mistake, why and how should we forgive ourselves?
Answer: There are psychological, spiritual, and devotional reasons for forgiving ourselves. Psychologically, as long as we do not forgive ourselves, we continue to hold on [...]
Should we be strict with ourselves and lenient with others?
Answer: First, there is no scriptural basis for the idea that we should always be strict with ourselves and lenient with others. It may be [...]
The Bhagavad Gita on Overthinking
Bhagavad-gita 18.35 describes determination in the mode of ignorance through five mental habits that together provide a remarkably comprehensive picture of how thinking goes wrong [...]
Question: Why exactly did Arjuna collapse at the start of the Bhagavad Gita? What made him so indecisive that he became paralyzed?
Answer: Decision-making is hard when there is no good choice. That was Arjuna's dilemma, because both fighting and not fighting were painful options. Fighting meant [...]
Public Trust in Times of Protest: Why the Government Needs CIT
The images of protesting students being lathi-charged by the police are disturbing and distressing. Emotions are understandably running high. Rather than joining those on the [...]
If my mother doesn’t want to use a pacemaker and wants me to pray to Krishna that she live without it for as long as she can, and not do anything in terms of getting a pacemaker, how should I see this devotionally and practically?
Answer: There are three distinct issues here. One is your mother's desire, the second is the medical need, and the third is your duty. When [...]
Are life’s reversals karma, tests by Maya, or Krishna’s push to surrender?
When we face reversals in life, we often wonder whether these are the results of our past karma, tests by Maya, or Krishna pushing us [...]