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Love is a natural propensity of the soul. However, pure love can factually be experienced only in relation with the Supreme Lord and He alone can perfectly reciprocate our love. For the spirit soul to repose love on something non-spiritual, based on considerations such as bodily relationship, is superficial, incompatible, and therefore quite unfulfilling, often ending in frustration. In fact, God is the active principle of everything; thus whatever is lovable or attractive to us is only due to i

There are no hard and fast rules for chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. One can chant anywhere, anytime, in any situation. In fact, the Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya-lila, 20.18) describes that chanting the holy name at any time or place, even during sleep or while eating, brings one all perfection. However, there are different stages of chanting. The first stage of chanting is the offensive stage, the second stage is offenseless chanting, and then is the third or pure stage of chanting, which

Almost every living entity feels that there is something missing, something empty in their lives. Different people try to fill this emptiness in various ways. At the grossest level people try to fill their stomachs with varieties of foods and try to get rid of the emptiness within them. Others try to fill their houses with various gadgets and luxuries hoping that that will get rid of their inner emptiness. Still others try to fill their bank account with big, big figures with the same hope. At t

To truly let go of our resentment, it is important to understand the actual phenomenon taking place. The fact is, we are not these bodies; we are the soul. These bodies are temporary vehicles. We are the source of consciousness that animates the body and witnesses what happens to it. However, when we identify as this body, any physical or verbal harm directed towards it disturbs us.

Bhagavad Gita explains that the soul can’t be burned by fire, can’t be drowned by water and can’t be disturbed by w

Our mind is restless and fickle in nature. It is turbulent in its actions and tenacious in its selections. It is extremely difficult to control because it is strongly bound to desire for habituated sense gratification. It is also powerful and hard to withdraw once it is out in pursuit of desired sense objects. Trying to control the mind is like trying to control the wind. It is like trying to confine a violently blowing cyclone in a pot because our mind is the set of cognitive faculties that ena

At the supermarket, I bumped into a school friend after eons. My happiness knew no bounds when our eyes met and nostalgia overtook us, as we reminisced the good old childhood days. I invited her home for dinner. However, when she shared her unnerving experience on ‘love’ it left my flustered. She recounted, “I met him online. When we finally met in person a few months later, I fell in love with him. We dated for nine months. He was my first love. I thought things were going quite well, when he a

The other day while I was on my way to town, a speeding vehicle abraded past our car, partially damaging the right side rear view mirror. My chauffeur got infuriated and agitated. He started following the motorbike in a bid to confront the rash driver and hand him over to the police so that he could be punished for his offence. I requested him to calm down and forgive him. I reasoned that - possibly he was racing to the hospital; possibly he was late to an interview for a job that he really need

Amidst the joyous celebrations of my childhood buddy’s pre-nuptial ceremony, overheard a conversation between two senior ladies in their seventies, apparently from the upper-class society. The noblewoman was discussing the perplexities weighing her down. The elderly lady was frustrated due to the late-possession of a newly constructed 4 BHK apartment gifted to her by recently deceased husband. From their talks it was evident that she has initiated and is entangled in a nasty legal battle, since

The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj' which means to link up with, or combine. Bhakti is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhaj' which means – loving service. Bhakti-yoga means to connect to the Supreme by means of loving devotional service. The word points us to the universal human experience of connecting to the mystery of life through the depths of the heart– an experience that transcends geography, history, culture, religion and philosophy.

The term Bhakti is used in a variety of

The history of the extra (adhik) month of Purushottama, which occurs once in three years, is based upon a fascinating story from the Padma Purana. The eastern hemisphere of this planet follows a spiritual calendar based upon lunar calculations, wherein each year is divided into 12 months of 30 days each. Once, unexpectedly, an extra 13th lunar month appeared, & sought to be accommodated within the year. There was chaos! Human beings, including sages and demigods, refused to recognize this illegi

During a momentous battle, the Commander-in-Chief decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the Chief took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself." He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was h

While we were on our way to the gym this morning, a peculiar conversation between me and my friend ensued. She was sharing some of her deepest fears and apprehensions in terms of her own life in comparison to the much more ‘materially’ accomplished life of her elder sister. As she was pouring her heart out to me I could sense that she is going through a bunch of tumultuous emotions, which perennially overpower her thoughts and cloud her judgement, leaving her frustrated and emotionally drained.

A very special and sacred festival of Lord Jagannath is held on the full-moon day in the month of Jyestha. This festival is known as 'Devasnan Purnima' or 'Snana Yatra' (the Bathing Festival). There is a general belief that the devotee washes away all his sins if he gets a vision of the Lord on this day. Therefore, it attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. According to the Skanda Purana when King Indradyumna installed the wooden deities he arranged this bathing ceremony. Hence,

Often people ask me how do you always remain so happy? How is it that there is always a smile on your face? Don't you ever get upset or angry? What is the secret behind this ever-positive vibration emanating from you? Well, the secret is to be self-satisfied.

The conditioning of human nature is such that we become filled with anxieties when we have expectations – because, in this world, we always don’t get what we expect. For instance, if we expect a promotion but we don't get it, it is disheart

The Chida-dahi Mahotsav, also known as the Chipped Rice Festival of Panihati, is a yearly celebration of the pastimes of Shrila Raghunatha dasa Goswami and Lord Nityananda Prabhu. This astonishing pastime took place on the banks of the Ganges at Panihati, which is located in the state of West Bengal. In the sixteenth century, when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to propagate the Sankirtana Movement, Panihati became a major center of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas. The residential quarters of Sri Ragha