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The different modes of material nature — the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of darkness are subtle forces that influence our behavior as well as every aspect of our physical, mental, and emotional world.  They pull us to act in various ways, even against our better judgment. According to these modes, there are different living beings, who are known as demigods, human beings and hellish living entities.

The living entities individually are being conducted by a particular mode

In a fiercely competitive world, everyone is in an endless pursuit of ‘the dream’, a rat race which presents a mirage of success and happiness at the end. We are all either part of it or gearing up for it. How does one take part without getting bogged down or losing sight of what lies beyond and what really matters? How does one achieve the highest perfection?

We know that there are four classes of men—the karmis, the jnanis, the yogis, and the bhaktas—and each achieves a different goal.

The karmi

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