A safer way to a better life
Just because we have a path to a better life does not mean that we will necessarily walk to a better life; we need not [...]
Gita 16.24 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 16.24 tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ [...]
Two powerful motivators: desire and fear
Suppose we need to choose between paths A and B, wherein A will take us to a good place and B to a bad place. [...]
Isn’t life too complex to have a manual?
Sometimes, the Bhagavad-gita is commended as the manual for living. This raises questions among thoughtful people, “Isn’t life way too complex to ever have a [...]
What Krishna’s analysis of divine and demonic natures means for Arjuna
Throughout the Bhagavad-gita, when Krishna makes any point, Arjuna thinks how that point applies to him. Thus, when Krishna mentions anger as one of the [...]
Can we order our desires ? (Desire management series 13)
The word ‘order’ can have two meanings: instruction (“You have to take medicine thrice a day — those are the doctor’s orders”) or arrangement (“The [...]
Two ways to deter ourselves from wrongdoing
Suppose a child wants to sneak into the kitchen and eat all the cookies there, but doesn’t do so because his mother may discipline him. [...]
A God who pretended we had no shortcomings would be a God who did not take our potential seriously
Suppose a coach tells a trainee-athlete, “You are perfect; you have no shortcomings.” Such pampering suggests that the coach doesn’t see any potential in that [...]
Scripture is meant to be not just mapped, but also mined
Suppose we are in a territory rich with buried treasures. We may need to initially map the territory, but we will become rich only when [...]
Read scripture and read from scripture – don’t read into scripture
For our life-journey, scripture is like a map. The Bhagavad-gita (16.24) urges us to make informed decisions based on scriptural knowledge. Let’s look at three [...]
Study scripture as a scuba diver, not a surface swimmer
When we swim in the ocean on its surface, we may find its vastness exciting. But if we want to find pearls, we need to [...]
Knowledge that is inert can’t make us alert
Suppose the knowledge about road signs that we studied for getting a driving license has become inert within us. It has gone so much to [...]
Let our life’s script be shaped by scripture
When we make decisions, we usually think that we are choosing freely. However, we decide not just by our conscious intentions but also by our [...]
We need to know that which we can’t not know
We can’t afford to not have a map if we are on a road that ends in a free fall from a cliff into a [...]
All consciences are not born equal – nor are they bred equal
Conscience is the inner voice that guides us to do right things and avoid wrong things. Many thoughtful people make decisions guided by their conscience, [...]
When we steer by stars that are in motion, our motion simply causes commotion
Just as ships steer by the pole star, we all during our journey through life steer by some guiding stars – ideas we have learnt [...]
Experience is intelligence’s rear light; scripture, it’s front light
It is easy to be wise after the experience. After things have happened and consequences are being endured, we can mentally retrace the events and [...]
End the tradition of abuse with the tradition of love
We are all shaped by our experiences. The way people deal with us, especially during our formative years, becomes our standard reference, conscious or subconscious, [...]
Scriptural study strengthens the intelligence, stabilizes the mind and sustains the heart
Scripture often talks about times so radically different from ours that we may wonder: is this relevant for me? Yes, definitely. The relevance comes from [...]
Look towards the fixed lighthouse, not the moving lighthouses
Navigating life’s journey amidst the unpredictable worldly ups and downs is like navigating a boat in dark, turbulent waters. Just as the boat would be [...]