Seeking guidance from Krishna
Bad situations can explain bad decisions, but they don't excuse bad decisions. Life sometimes puts even the best of us in bad situations. That means [...]
How to deal with trauma
There has been an alarming increase in the number of people, especially war veterans, suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). The cause of PTSD is [...]
Gita 01.30 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan So now Arjuna is describing [...]
Was Arjuna’s refusal to fight due to fear of his death?
When faced with the gravity and brutality of war, soldiers sometimes choke, being overwhelmed by the chilling fear of deadly injury or even death. They [...]
How sorrow points us toward spirituality (Why the Gita’s first chapter matters 5)
Loss and the resulting sorrow are unpalatable yet unavoidable experiences during our life-journey. When we lose something desirable, that’s distressing; when something we had desired [...]
The QUEST acronym (Why the Gita’s first chapter matters 1)
The Bhagavad-gita is widely known as a book of profound philosophy. Why does such a book start with an entire chapter whose content is largely [...]
How dejection can inspire a spiritual connection
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter is often titled as arjuna-vishada-yoga, which means the spiritual connection (yoga) that was stimulated by Arjuna’s dejection (arjuna-vishada). How can dejection [...]
How to gain insight into complicated situations?
When confronted with complicated situations, we can gain insight into them by using two principles. Let’s apply these principles for understanding the setting of the [...]
What does growing up mean?
If someone is whiny, a candid well-wisher may exhort them: “Grow up.” What does it mean? It refers not to physical growth but to emotional [...]
Material breakdowns or spiritual breakthroughs?
We are often so caught in the immediate that we don't spend time to consider the ultimate. Material things are immediately accessible, essential and enjoyable, [...]
Just as our body needs physical nutrition, our soul needs metaphysical orientation – a sense of place and purpose in the world
If we lack physical nutrition, we have no energy to do anything. We become similarly de-energized when we lack metaphysical orientation. Usually, we orient ourselves [...]
Hold your plans lightly, not tightly
Suppose we catch a beautiful butterfly and hold it in our fingers. If we hold it too tightly, fearing that it may slip away, we [...]
Intelligence means to understand how the mind makes us misunderstand
Suppose we are driving a car and our rear-view mirror gives us a distorted picture, making a proximate car appear distant. If we turn around [...]
As long as staying where we are remains bearable, we rarely move forward
Our mind usually chooses the path of least resistance. Even if we know something that we need to change, we often put it off, deeming [...]
Mental blocks block far more than road blocks
While driving, if we find a road block, we can’t just deny or wish it away – we need to practically deal with it, either [...]
To solve problems, first ensure that the problem-solver is not a problem-aggravator
Suppose firefighters rush to a disaster site and start fighting a huge fire. But among their ranks is an untrained firefighter who panics, comes in [...]
Before playing your part, understand what play you are a part of
Suppose someone practices meticulously for a play, but for a play other than the one they are meant to be a part of. Despite their [...]
Material adversity is a spur to transform spiritual opportunity into existential necessity
“See adversity as an opportunity” is an encouraging saying. But how can we apply it practically? By internalizing Gita wisdom . The Bhagavad-gita explains that [...]
Entrust the reins of your chariot to Krishna
The Bhagavad-gita’s chariot setting symbolizes its universality. The theme of a warrior on a chariot counseled by the charioteer harkens to a well-known Upanishadic metaphor [...]
Perceive the way before you pursue the way
http://bhagavadgitaclass.com/bhagavad-gita-chapter-01-text-30/Losing our way is often unnerving. Much more unnerving is feeling so hopelessly lost as to think that there’s no way ahead. This happens when [...]
To grow through problems, go beyond the circumstantial to the existential
“What should I do now?” When we face this question, we usually answer based on practical concerns. But when confronting dilemmas that have no practical [...]