Avoiding the Duryodhana delusion
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita, Duryodhana assesses the strengths of the two armies assembled on the Kurukshetra batl (01.02-01.10). Therein, he mentions the principal [...]
The world points to Krishna and often misses the point of Krishna
The world features many attractive things that we clamor and labor to enjoy. Yet their beauty doesn’t last for long. Even while it lasts, their [...]
The more we live for the world, the further we go from the self
To live for the world means to spend our life pursuing goals set by the world. Because the world’s mainstream culture is materialistic, the things [...]
Scripture ends the hush-hush around the failed project of sense enjoyment
When a much-touted project of a government fails – and fails abysmally – the government often tries to save face by an overall strategy of [...]
Don’t stay crying in the night – start crying for the light
A child lost in a strange dark place may start crying helplessly, but an adult similarly lost will instead of collapsing into tears look for [...]
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 [...]
We can’t fly in the sky without breaking our shell
When a baby bird tries to come out of its shell, it has to strain and stretch to crack the shell. When its wing comes [...]
The usage “spirit of matter” is an oxymoron that points to an ox and a moron
An oxymoron is a literary device in which contradictory words are placed together to convey a deeper meaning. The usage ‘the spirit of matter’ is [...]
The eye can’t find the I as long as the I seeks through the eye
“The eye can’t find the I” means that the eye being material can’t perceive the real I, the soul, which is spiritual. “The I seeks [...]
Materialism makes the materialist non-existent and materialism meaningless
People sometimes object to spirituality, saying, “It requires so much faith.” Actually, everything requires faith. Even materialism requires faith – the faith that we ourselves [...]
Devotion frees us from living life inside a shell
The Bhagavad-gita (02.58) uses the example of tortoise safe inside its shell to recommend that we keep ourselves spiritually safe by withdrawing our senses from [...]
Things are not what they seem, but they are not a dream
Materialists often take things at face value. If something looks attractive, they assume it will be a source of pleasure. Even when it doesn’t give [...]
Materialism’s common wisdom makes us commonly unwise
During ragging in colleges, senior students often push their juniors to drink alcohol with the wise-sounding rationalization, “Babies don’t drink - adults do.” Obviously, drinking [...]
Metaphysical blindness is more dangerous than physical blindness
Physical blindness makes us unaware of our surroundings, whereas metaphysical blindness makes us unaware of ourselves – our identity and our purpose. The Bhagavad-gita (15.10) [...]
The existence of Krishna is the necessity for the existence of anything else
Suppose an observer atop a skyscraper tracing downwards found that it had no foundation. Impossible, isn’t it? Without a foundation, there would be no skyscraper [...]
There is no reason for reason without a transcendental source of reason
Materialists often portray themselves as champions of reason and deride religionists as peddlers of irrational beliefs. However, the very reason they claim to champion has [...]
The belief that what science can’t explain doesn’t need explaining is blind and blinding
Science has explained many mysteries about material nature. And it will explain more. Still because it focuses on matter, it can’t explain the non-material. However, [...]
The false currency that keeps us trading in the stock exchange of illusion
Money. That’s what people hope to gain by trading in the stock exchange. The trading is often frantic and frenzied. But suppose the currency being [...]
“Now and then” or “from now on”?
We all have had hobbies. Things that we do ‘now and then’ after we have dealt with the more serious, pressing and unavoidable aspects of [...]
A prison of promises and pretenses
“Purchase this and you will be happy.” “Wear this and you will enjoy.” “Own this and your dreams will be fulfilled.” Ads like these confront [...]
The balance between “matter alone matters” and “matter doesn’t matter”
Matter alone matters is the belief of materialists. They consider the things of this world alone as valuable and material enjoyment as life’s ultimate success. [...]