Chapter 10

Many people reject discipline: “I want to be free to do my own thing.” Our aspiration to be free is natural and laudable. But we need to consider: is my own thing actually my own thing? What we call ‘my own thing’ usually comes not from us, but from the world. The current materialistic culture…

Whenever power goes off, the resulting darkness makes us tentative, insecure, even paralytic. No wonder we constantly strive to keep our outer world well lit. Yet we rarely strive to keep our inner world similarly lit. In fact, we frequently don’t even realize that our inner world is often shrouded in a disturbing and distressing…

Some people ask: “Why does Krishna insist repeatedly in the Bhagavad-gita readers that he is God? Why does he need to prove his position?” Because he wants to improve our disposition. If we feel that Krishna is obsessed with his position, then the counter-evidence stares into our face each time we look at any standard…

“I will miss so much pleasure if I devote myself to Krishna.” This feeling may check us while practicing spiritual life, especially its regulative principles. Gita wisdom overturns this fear by declaring that we will miss far more pleasure by not devoting ourselves to Krishna. The Bhagavad-gita (10.41) indicates that the attractiveness of everything attractive…

“Can we hear Krishna speaking to us from within?” We may get this question when we come to know from the Bhagavad-gita that Krishna resides in our heart to guide us. Yes, we can hear Krishna provided we first hear about Krishna. That’s because Krishna’s voice is not the only voice present within us. There…

“This doesn’t make sense.” We may get such doubts while studying Gita wisdom. To ensure that doubts don’t swamp our spiritual prospects, we need to focus on the Gita’s essential message: a call for endless spiritual love between us and Krishna. The Gita elucidates this eternal message with contextual examples drawn from the culture in…

Life often puts us in perplexities. When we don’t know what to do, what do we do? Some people respond with kneejerk reactions, others, with paralytic inaction. What is needed is careful contemplation of the choices and consequences. However, if the uncertainty overwhelms us, it doesn’t let us think productively; like a ceiling fan, our…

Few worldly things activate us as much as the prospect of enjoyment. Among all forms of enjoyment, the most stimulating is sexual enjoyment. The mind energized by sexual fantasies can move faster than the speed of light. These fantasies decelerate when we understand how all worldly enjoyment is insubstantial, being produced by material sensations that…

Ours is an age of obsessive individualism. Everyone wants to do their own thing. This holds true all the more for spirituality, wherein people frequently act as spiritual shoppers. They examine the wares in the market of spirituality and grab whatever catches their fancy. Such spiritual shopping may be good for those who are just…

Love reigns supreme. Not just in matters of the heart, but also in matters of the head. This is the sweet and supreme insight of the Bhagavad-gita. The head when used to its full potential leads us to the heart. We can study various subjects, but the subject that matters most to our heart is…