We are what we are because of three primary factors: nature, nurture and culture.

Nature: All of us are born with a particular psycho-physical nature that is determined by our past-life karma.

Nurture: The upbringing we receive from our parents and guardians during our formative years is our foundational this-life shaper.

Culture: As we grow up and interact with the larger world beyond our family, the prevailing culture acts as a lifelong shaping force.

When we strive to lead a life of moral and spiritual principles, we are often shackled by our nature, nurture and culture.

Gita wisdom enables us to break these three shackles by introducing us to a power that lies beyond these material conditionings: the spiritual power of devotion. The Bhagavad-gita (04.36) points to this power when it declares that spiritual knowledge centered on devotion can take us beyond the most constricting of all conditionings.

We can access the power of devotion by practicing the process of devotional service to Krishna. Devotional service gives us clear knowledge and convincing realization of our spiritual identity as souls, an identity that lies beyond all material factors. By this understanding, we recognize that our willpower,being ultimately an expression of our spiritual identity, doesn’t have to be limited by our material conditionings. Secondly and more importantly, devotional service enables us to connect with the supreme power of Krishna, who can boost our willpower far beyond our individual capacity as finite souls.

Of course, we can’t cancel all the influences of nature, nurture and culture. And we don’t always need to. But whenever we do need to go beyond the limits that they impose on us, the sincere and diligent practice of devotional service opens doors that we had assumed were forever closed for us.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 04 Text 36

“Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge you will be able to cross over the ocean of miseries.”