The Elixir of Immortality, Prabhupada’s Books
Millions of years ago a great sacrifice was performed to obtain an elixir of immortality. After it had been obtained there was fighting over this pot of nectar. At which time the jug (Kumbha) had to be put down on
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
Failed Success
They say failures are stepping stones to success. Lately, however, I’ve been thinking how success can be a slipping stone to failure! Swami Prabhupada once commented how he faced two great tests in his life. At one point he was
Divine Intervention
On recent travels around the country I met a lady who expressed frustration in her attempts to find God. She told me her story: two years of spiritual travels, countless nights of prayer, careful scriptural exploration and persistent introspection, but
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
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
Exploring Love
What is love? Where is it? And how can we get it? Love, we are told, is all we need. It is the subject of numberless books, songs, films, plays, sonnets, articles, conversations, and advertisements; it is meditated on, longed for,
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
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;
Four Principles of Community Building
Many years ago a great Krishna Bhakti teacher, Bhakti Tirtha Swami, penned the following 4 principles of community building: 1. Treat everyone you encounter as if the success or failure of your spiritual life depends on the quality of your interactions with
Facing Your Fears: Simple Steps to Overcome Fear
Introduction: There are 3 levels of reality – physical (body level), mental (mind level) and spiritual (soul level).Some fears are desirable and essential, i.e. when there is actual danger (such as a car heading towards you at high speed).For most of
IN ESSENCE: An online course on the Soul, Karma, Reincarnation, Meditation, Yoga and much more!
Hi there, captain! Welcome, and thanks for making it this far! I'm everyone's friend - Krishna, and I've always been with you on your journey through life - although you may not know it. But hey, now you do. So, it's
The Spirituality Quest: Soul, Karma and Reincarnation
Hola! Welcome to “The Spirituality Quest”. Its actually amazing you’re here! As the saying goes
Proud Block
Pride is a formidable block on the road of spirituality. When it rears its ugly head it’s painstakingly obvious – to ourselves and others. We may deny it, cover it up or justify it, but deep down we know something
The spirituality of money
I recently connected with a childhood friend who also became a monk. As you can imagine, we had lots to talk about, and lots in common. In his tradition, one of the monastic vows is to never touch money; and