A Heart Touched by Vrindavan
Some faraway dike in my consciousness had cracked, and a new openness to alternative notions was starting to trickle through." Chapter Five: Immersion Two days and two nights on a dirty train and a bumpy, cramped ride on an antediluvian bus brought
Don’t Look Back
Yesterday I went on Parikrama, which literally means to “walk around.” Circumambulation of holy places has a symbolic meaning – to always keep our spiritual aspirations central and close, regardless of where we are in life (whatever point on the circle,
Window Shopping?
Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie, Eckhart Tolle, Depak Chopra, Anthony Robbins… the list of self development gurus of the age is endless. These insightful thinkers have shaped today’s world of organizations and relationships, offering a wholesome alternative to the mechanistic trends
Character or Capability?
Scriptures are often replete with long lists of names, exalted personalities who most have never heard of, but who are nevertheless immortalised in the pages of history. In the material world people are remembered for what they do – their ground-breaking achievements,
Mr Motivator
In his paper “A theory of motivation”, Abraham Maslow outlined the famous “Hierarchy of Needs” model. He explained that individuals are driven to pursue various things in life. However, only when basic needs are met can one begin to focus
In the race… but not a rat…
The competitive spirit pervades the world we live in. Students fiercely compete to clinch university placements and graduate positions. Colleagues deviously compete to intercept each other in the ascent up the corporate ladder. Neighbors become engrossed in ‘keeping up with
People Problems
Conflict, friction and human disagreement is, unfortunately, a major part of daily life. Whether it’s the erratic driver who cuts in front of you on the high street, crafty and cunning work colleagues pulling a fast one, or ungrateful and
Prabhupadization
THE POWER OF PRABHUPADA’S ASSOCIATION The quieter we become, the more we can hear. Isn’t this the perfect time in the world to meditate on this wonderful phrase? Though we are in an external lockdown of the world can we unleash
Friendly Fire – Why Can’t We Be Friends With Everyone?
With genuine spiritual advancement comes the capacity and capability to have friendly relationships with one and all. Equipped with spiritual vision that penetrates beyond externals, one remains undisturbed by annoying idiosyncrasies, ideological differences, unpredictable personalities, and sticky character traits. We’re
The Magic of Hearing About Krishna and His Devotees
Why hearing is the first and most important of the nine kinds of devotional service to the Lord? When I first read that hearing is the most important of the nine kinds of devotional service, I was confused. I was twenty-one
Woman
I know the Bhagavad Gita says we are not this body we are the soul and the soul never dies, “For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not
Old Habits Die Hard!
When I was a university student, I always enjoyed the company of good coffee, a book at a silent and swanky mom n’ pop student cafe. I loved reading while i could take a glimpse at people walking, talking and
A Spiritual Surgery
Most of the times when we diagnose ourselves with a problem in the material world, we automatically apply a material solution to our worries from our limited material understanding of the matter. We often panic in the emergency of pain
The Power of choices
Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “I am who I am today, because of the choices I made yesterday.” You may choose to get on an airplane to London, but once the plane takes off, you can no longer choose a different destination;
The truth about loneliness
We all know that diabetes can cause death. And that cigarettes can reduce our life expectancy. But what most of us do not know, is that loneliness can have a similar affect on our health. On Valentine’s Day last year, the
The blessing of the critic
In this world, it’s unavoidable that we’re sometimes praised and sometimes criticized. While we may like to be praised, we can be shocked when we’re criticized severely. The strong criticism of those who are or were near and dear especially
Destructive enlightenment
When a budding sculptor approached his master for guidance, he received some cryptic advice. After quizzing him on his purpose, the young craftsman replied: “More than anything else, I would like to sculpt a beautiful elephant.” Without the blink of
How our conscience works
Our 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, treating it like their inner compass. However, our conscience may be like a compass that