Spirit Matters: Recent Episodes
Bhakti Center
Join Dayal and Kishor along with regular guests as they discuss ancient spiritual teachings in a modern context. Spirituality can be integrated into every aspect of our daily lives to help us achieve peace, fulfillment and clarity, but it requires regular self-assessment, thoughtfulness, self-acceptance, forgiveness, and a little bit of humor in order to do so successfully and sustainably. New episodes are recorded live Monday-Friday on the Bhakti Center's RISE platform and available to listen anywhere you get your podcasts. Please rate and review the podcast if you enjoy it, and we look forward to discussing spirit matters with you.
Let’s get back to the basics. Sometimes the greatest service we can do for anybody is to make sure we are anchored and nourished in our spiritual life. This creates space for Krishna to move in miraculous ways, guiding us to nourish positive motivations and to fan the divine spark of devotion in everyone’s hearts.
We are in a spiritual amnesia, clouded by a veil of forgetfulness due to our binding material activities. Our sadhana is a process of deep reminders of our spiritual essence as pure, eternal spirit souls connected to the Supreme Source. As our false ego gets cracked, our effulgent soul gets uncovered and can shine through.
No one is ever too lost for transformation to occur. Krishna never gives up on us. When we repeatedly ask ourselves meaningful questions and create space to digest everything we are learning, we can arrive at deep answers and realizations. Our growth widens our lens to see life differently, allowing us to experience it from a place of compassion, connection, empowerment, joy, and gratitude. Once we get a taste of these nourishing qualities, we become inspired and hungry for more!
The incomplete feeling we experience in the material world can be challenging, leading to a search to find the missing piece. The solution to the God-shaped hole in our hearts isn’t material though, but this homesickness we experience can be our compass to finding where our heart truly feels at home. Our hunger for spiritual truth will guide us on a journey where we can reconnect with Divinity and our inherent wholeness.
The mind is such a powerful tool, but if not properly utilized, it will use us, catapulting us into undesirable waters. When we intentionally absorb our mind and senses in ways that positively affect our consciousness, we can more closely connect ourselves to our true nature, separate from the mind and body. At every moment, we have an opportunity to try again and connect spiritually by using our gifts to honor that divine source.
Life can get really busy, and as a result of that, we may find ourselves caught in its chaotic currents. It’s a conscious effort to stay connected and disrupt the pattern of reactive responses. Before we start our activities, we can carve out intentional time to prepare for battle, making sure we have enough nourishment. Krishna is the root of all causes, so when we take the time to water the tree’s roots first, everything else will fall into place.
There can be many events in spiritual life, and as a result, we may experience fear of missing out or place pressure on ourselves to attend as many as possible. However, it’s less about the quantity of attendance and more about our quality of consciousness. We don’t need to go anywhere to experience Krishna’s love. We have everything we need to be spiritually connected right here at this moment because Krishna is in everything and everything is in Krishna.
We all have a magical spark to offer, and the environment we surround ourselves in, both internally and externally, plays a vital role in igniting that spark. By assuming positive intent and seeking to understand where others’ expressions may be coming from, we can create space to respond with more love and acceptance.
Clouds of illusion cover us when we fall into the trap of thinking we have to do it all on our own. It’s no doubt that the path of spiritual realization is difficult, so we need guides, mentors, and teachers to help direct us. We shouldn’t blindly follow any leader and surrender our intelligence. With our intelligence, we can check our sources before approaching a spiritual teacher with our questions and service. We are all connected to that Divine Supreme, and through our spiritual practice and inquires, we can learn to open ourselves up to see this truth in every moment.
Life can be really hard and overwhelming at times, but fortunately, it doesn't have the power to crush our soul. At any moment, we have the ability to write a new story of never being alone and always being loved, sheltered, and guided by Divine hands. Material miseries diminish when we let go of the idea of things belonging to us. Everything ultimately belongs to the Supreme Person and we’ve been entrusted with gifts for a period of time to use in service beyond ourselves.
Whether things go or don’t go our way, growth is possible at any moment when we practice letting go of the things that hold us down. Sacrifice is an opportunity for us to detach from our identification with narratives, feelings, and thoughts that no longer serve us. We can uncover our true identity as eternal spirit souls when we sit in the driver seat of our mind and senses.
Spirituality is an invitation to lead a thoughtful life. When we get clear on our goal and what we want our life to feel like, we start surrounding ourselves with inspired associations to mold our consciousness. Everything can become spiritual when connected to a spiritual purpose. Happiness and fulfillment are the natural byproducts of us aligning with our eternal purpose.
Humility does not mean to think less of ourselves but to think of ourselves less. It’s joyfully understanding our smallness with an attitude of gratitude, and knowing that we are inherently valuable as a spirit soul connected to the Divine. Nothing external can ever affect our eternal nature. As we use our natural position to practice Bhakti and to realize our lasting identity, Krishna reciprocates with us!
Humility and pridelessness are the prerequisites to knowledge and approaching a spiritual teacher. By deeply applying the simple lessons learned, we can experience profound effects and a transformation of our character. Our understanding will shift our vision, allowing us to let go of misgivings and to see the unity within our diversity.
We suffer because of the false ego armor that hardens our heart. To combat our negative narratives and chip away the interference of the mind, we can bring Krishna’s names into our lives. Krishna is like our Divine Janitor that cleans up our mess so we can get in touch with our soul’s frequency. Chanting brings us into the light and dispels the darkness. As we hear about spiritual topics, reflect upon the lessons, and put it into practice, our knowledge can be transformed into realizations.
Direct your compass towards Truth. It may not always be easy, but sometimes it’s more beneficial in the long run to face an uncomfortable truth than to stay in a comfortable state of self deception. Higher Love and Truth from our Supreme Best Friend are waiting and available for us at any moment, but it’s up to us to turn towards it. It’s never too late spiritually! Spiritual growth skyrockets when we take personal responsibility.
Self-realization is the highest priority in our life, but the greatest obstacle to obtaining it is to think that something else is more important. When we keep the goal in mind, it provides direction and allows us to refocus our energy. The environment we associate with subtly affects our values, so surround yourself with people who are aspiring for love from a higher source and inspires you to do the same. Have faith in the small steps and release the pressure for quick results. Growth occurs overtime through small, consistent steps. Krishna is on the other end!
Plenty of pressure is placed on ourselves pertaining to our job positions, working ourselves to oblivion or stressing too heavily to find a purposeful career. It’s an act of trusting God when we take a day off to engage with what truly nourishes us. Everything does not depend on us because we are not the controllers. Instead of making work our purpose, we can bring purpose into our work. If our goal is to develop a heart eager to serve and build our connection with Divinity, we can do that anywhere!
Everyday can be a sacred pilgrimage if we carry the mood of spiritual consciousness. The Divine Person is benevolent and the cause of everything, and even if we can’t yet see how our situations are happening for our betterment, we can trust that it is. Every moment becomes beautiful when we can see it as a gift happening for our spiritual evolution.
No one, even the spiritually advanced teachers we look up to, is exempt from the shifting seasons or has a clean record of never stumbling on their path. Thankfully, we are beyond our material identities, and the realization of our permanent position as a spirit soul connected to a loving, divine Higher Power gives us a new perspective to tolerate our changing circumstances. As we practice making Krishna our shelter and start simply serving, we come closer to our goal of love.
The list of responsibilities, set of rules, or prescribed regulations can get so overwhelming sometimes. The immense pressure to get everything done or to follow every guideline can bring us to a place where we should ourselves into oblivion, taking out the joy in our work and bringing in self-judgment. Replacing “I have to” with “I get to” is a mentality shift that affects our approach. It’s never about our perfect performance. It’s more about our enthusiastic mood of devotion!
There’s a healthy balance of accepting ourselves where we are at and pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zone. While leaning into where our heart is calling us, the check points that allow us to ask, “Do I feel better going through this? Is this moving me in the right direction?” aids us in focusing on the essence, so we don’t lose the thread of connection while endeavoring. When we do experience alignment, we will feel it resonate within the cells of our body.
While zooming out to see the bigger picture of our life, it’s important that we don’t forget to zoom in, so the moment-to-moment miraculous minutiae isn’t missed. With the nature of inevitable changes, rewriting the script in our mind to see what went right allows us to live a grateful life. Our life experience is our responsibility. We don’t need to depend on outside circumstances to fall into place to appreciate Higher Love’s presence in our life.
Periodically, we all experience tension within, a lower vibratory baseline that may initially protect us but ultimately affect the way we approach life’s circumstances. Our pieces of brokenness are a natural part of being alive, so instead of rejecting them, we can learn to embrace all our parts. With the precious, gold lacquer of love and kindness, the pieces can be mended together, and through regular contact with spiritual wisdom, the gradual buildup of knots in our heart can be untangled.
Seeing the world through the eyes of gratitude is the breeding ground for spiritual life and happiness. When we pause to remember our Transcendental Bestie’s gifts that are ever-present, we can be blown away and humbled by the wonderful creation. Even the most routine occurrences can truly be extraordinary! By surrounding ourselves with people who practice this mentality, we can learn the art of gratitude for Divinity’s hand in our life.
As big as our problems seem right now, we will outlast them all due to our eternal connection to Divinity. We all have a serving propensity which can be directed to a focused point of shelter. By doing everything centered in pure love, we can simply do our best and leave the rest to our Supreme Best Friend.
God’s graceful hand is guiding us, but with life’s current challenges, it can be very difficult to see how all the dots of our present situation link together, looking forward into the future. Even though it doesn’t seem probable at times, the dots always connect because the Supreme Person has an amazing and sweet plan for us. We can align more deeply with this divine design when we check in with ourselves to ask, “what went right?” throughout our day.
Even in spiritual communities, there’s inevitably going to be some disagreement or conflict that arises when our layers of false ego rub up against each other. Fortunately, taking a step back to regain perspective allows us all to understand our situations in their proper context. It becomes easier to be less caught up in the petty minutiae when we make space to embrace our mutual alignment to Source.
All the things we have anxiety about are constantly changing. Sometimes it feels like everything is falling apart, not going according to our false ego’s plan, but fortunately it’s going well in our true ego’s way. Nothing can hurt the true self. We can deepen our eternal identity when we relinquish the false ego and embrace our true constitutional nature of being a loving servant of Higher Love.
The fast track to spiritual advancement is to get clear about our motivations. It’s less about the actions and more about the mentality and consciousness behind it. When we prioritize serving ourselves over the common center, the journey of our material life becomes arduous due to this conflicting contrast. Our job is to redirect our desire towards reconnecting everything back to source and finding divine purpose in our daily actions.
We are living with each other’s projections based on the stories we’ve either directly or indirectly agreed to about who we are and the nature of reality. However, it’s too small to hold our entire expansive experience. We are not permanent characters in this material movie of ours. It’s not our story because it’s simply material energy interacting with itself.
This is not our first rodeo. Our soul is eternal, but we’ve been like kids playing on the material lawn for lifetimes. The greatest gift is that Higher Love, Krishna, is on the porch, calling and ready for us to come back home. All it takes is our willingness to clean up the dirt, drop the heavy rock, and let God do His work. When we become more aware of our dis-ease from the disease, we can start taking doses of spiritual medicine and illuminate this dark material world.
Our environment affects our consciousness, and sometimes those outside influences have very narrow ways of defining and valuing various varieties of intelligence. The wonderful thing is that we all have something to contribute in this world! When we embrace the gift of our human nature, we can understand that although we can’t be anything we want, we can be everything we are! When we engage ourselves according to our unique nature, there’s harmony and alignment.
Material enjoyment is like an intoxicating sugar rush. Qualities like wealth, beauty, and education are not inherently a problem but become one when they invoke a sense of superiority and confuse us of our real value. On the other side of the rainbow of our material pursuits, vices and unwanted habits isn't a true connection. A spiritualist is one who gets tired of the quick fixes and empty calories and instead feast on the real nutrients that offer true, lasting love.
We’re all good people made of pure, spiritual energy, but our material encasing fuzzes up the perspective of our eternal nature. Behind our behaviors, there’s a deep desire for love, pleasure, and connection, and ultimately unmotivated and uninterrupted devotional service. It’s possible that at times though, we may be looking for Krishna in all the wrong places. To release the grip of our Chinese finger trap like situation, we can go inwards to really ask: “Why do I want the things I want?”
Our greatest fear is rejection and disconnection, and to combat it, we often put effort into raising ourselves to a certain standard to qualify for love.The great news is that we’re already qualified. Krishna accepts us exactly as we are! He is love without abandon. Even if we have any gloop, He gobbles it all up. Through Divine Partnership, we can travel the desert of seeing the truth about ourselves and move the mountains in our heart. It simply boils down to us sincerely believing in Krishna’s unconditional acceptance.
Spirituality is a process of tilling the soil of our heart through the practice of service for the seed of love to grow into a beautiful vine that bears fruit. While it grows, the unwanted weeds in the heart may strangle our creeper of love, and to clear out the weeds, we can unkink the hose to allow our negative emotions to flow and be acknowledged. When we are rooted in a secure sense of self, we can extend more acceptance to ourselves and others.
Relationships sometimes go through seasons of doubt, confusion, and figuring it out, providing an opportunity to check in about purpose, importance, and direction. The key ingredient to meeting the change with respect is acceptance. We all owe it to ourselves to become more self-aware and to spell out what support looks like for us. Regardless of any relationship status, everyone is eternally whole and complete.
Entering relationships and spiritual life inherently means that we’re no longer solely thinking about ourselves. In the committed process, we can practice self-nourishing habits, so our selfless service propensity can be extended to inspire others’ transformation of heart. As we build our spiritual bank account, any spiritual investment is eternally credited and to our benefit. There’s no loss or diminution when we engage on the journey of allowing our false ego to dissolve and our life to center around Krishna.
The soul is inbuilt for relationships, the training grounds on how to really serve and love. Oftentimes, these relationships are challenging because it can be like a mirror that reflects back all the things we need to face about ourselves to grow. The discomfort felt when the honeymoon phase ends or expectations changes is a great opportunity for our ego to be cracked and purified. When we don’t quickly press the eject button and instead stay with it, we begin to see ourselves and others in a whole new light, the way Krishna sees us.
Part of spirituality is accommodating for personalism. There’s a supreme and divine person extending love to us, and we can open ourselves up to receive it by taking a vulnerable step to be emotionally available and take down the walls built around our heart. Even if we have shortcomings and doubts, Krishna doesn’t see any faults because he goes beyond the material. We can unveil ourselves to the effect of spiritual life by celebrating our experience, fanning the spark, and building new neural pathways.
Problematic situations in the material world are often aggravated by our additional involvement in it. Our experience becomes similar to the rabbit in the 1800s story who kept getting entangled the more he fought with the tar and turpentine doll used by the fox to entrap him. This cycle of material interaction and karma can be cut with spiritual solutions by walking towards soul-fulfillment, re-writing our narratives, finding the sweet spot for discomfort, and anticipating gratitude. Krishna is inviting us on a two-way street, and we can develop attachment to whatever degree we feel ready for.
Many of us experience attachment to maintain what we have and to procure more. Since we can’t get rid of attachment, we can be selective with them. Engagement with the world is still necessary, so we can transition from a “me centered” perspective to a vision of service by partnering with a Higher Power and offering our best for another’s benefit. Without material attachment, we have nothing to lose. Our worth isn’t tied to the results. Our value goes beyond because our soul is indestructible and eternal.
Spiritual practice is making ourselves the most available to give and receive love. Regardless of our background, nothing disqualifies us. As we journey towards the gateway of love, our heavy baggage is left behind when we pour in positive patterns. We never lose our permanent individuality through the process because it allows us to exchange adoring affection with God who can intimately reciprocate with us all indefinitely.
To transform theoretical knowledge into self-realized knowledge, we can get in the laboratory and put ourselves through the experiment. Repetition creates deep impressions and grooves in the mind. Krishna wants us to experience the most powerful conviction which can only be developed through our own direct perception.
We are all meant to delightfully dance in the beautiful boxes we’re comfortable in. At times though, we may get envious, not feeling like we are enough, comparing the size, shape, and appearance of our box to others. We can replace our envy with appreciation by seeing that the source of all glorious qualities is flowing through each and every one of us. This vision connects us and allows us to celebrate everyone on their personal journey.
Although we are more than our bodies, it’s still a big part of who we are because it's a vessel for our soul. When we become more balanced and well situated in our lives, we arrive at a comfortable place to spiritually progress. Taking care of ourselves is a spiritual act. When we show up healthy and strong, we create more opportunities for inspired absorption, so we can hear Krishna’s subtle guidance more clearly.
Real humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it’s thinking about ourselves less. It’s the confidence of knowing that we and everyone else is a beautiful spark of God’s splendor. We can shine beautifully bright when we partner up, plugging ourselves in to Krishna who is the generating power source. Krishna reminds us to be ourselves and that we have the potential to emit our light through our bulb’s unique shape and wattage.
Real humility is about playing it big and knowing who our real self is, not repressing ourselves into molds according to self-identification. We are here on this planet to evolve, but sometimes the resistance of our false ego inhibits us out of fear of our own power and internal light. When we partner with a power greater than ourselves and allow God to flow through us, we can dance with resistance and overcome it. As we trust our shine and play it big, we dismantle our false ego and give permission to others to do the same.
Happy Gaura Purnima! Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar, appeared in this world to demonstrate that a life of Bhakti is practiced through a sensitivity of heart rather than understood through the intellect. As we move past the fragility of our false ego and discover our true position, our judgments and condemnations get replaced with sensitivity and compassion for every living being’s journey and circumstance.
We are in an uncomfortable material climate, struggling very hard with the six senses including the mind. Nothing in this world can satisfy us because we were made for another world. When we pause and put into context our position as spirit souls who are sparks of the source of a greater fire, we can engage in loving relationship with transcendence. Love is the highest reality, and Krishna is playing the flute to lure us back with his sweet song.
Spiritual life is taking the initiative to be intentional about the impressions we press into our consciousness. The grooves of our hearts can be shaped to sing the song of higher love and play an output infused with spirit. When we absorb our attraction to deeper wisdom, we react less to the triggers and stories arising in our minds and allow the river of our lives to flow towards the sea of devotional service.
I’m not okay, you’re not okay, and that’s okay! It’s in the fine print of this material world to struggle as embodied souls. It’s as natural as sweating in the summer. The first step is to acknowledge the diagnoses that we are powerless and need a little help and guidance. Krishna is like the sun, and we can invite the sunshine in by removing the sunblock of our false egos.
There’s layers to approaching God, as the all pervasive energy, as the companion in the heart of every living being, and as the Complete Person. Bhakti is a calling of the heart, and understanding God as a Person is an experience that requires surrender in the heart. Just as we don’t need to fully understand someone to fully love someone, the same applies to Krishna. Whenever and wherever there’s a deep need, there’s an incredible promise that the Supreme Person will enter into our lives and make the best story for us.
We have a severe case of spiritual amnesia, forgetfulness of our true selves, God, and our eternal relationship with Krishna. However, there is no shame in being lost or confused, and the course correcting factor is our sincerity. We can do a little remembrance everyday. It doesn’t have to be grand, elaborate, or fancy. The simplest things can remind us of our beloved. When we make efforts towards remembrance and give the eternal relationship our heartfelt respect, Krishna reciprocates.
Our spiritual nature is inherently pure and whole, but this precious gem of ours has been covered by muddy layers. When we remove the dirt, we discover an immortal diamond that’s never diminished in potency. We can carry the faith that God, the ultimate reciprocator, cares for us and is carrying us through life. He’ll never leave or side and will always reach out to us to remember and recognize his Divine, guiding hand. With this knowledge, we can hold hands and walk each other home!
We have been through a lot together with Krishna, the Person who has unlimited patience for us. Even if we can’t recall everything experienced, Krishna remembers it all and will continue being by our side through all our various versions. We’ve been in these bodies for so long that there’s instinct and subtle impressions, but when we search within, we can remove the blockages and uncover the original us. It’s enough for Krishna once we know our truest version!
It’s expected in this embodied experience to feel a little lost sometimes. In fact, it’s okay to fail quickly, fail often, and fail forward, bringing ourselves back to the path with the guidance of an honest, well wishing friend. God has an unlimited amount of time for us. Our struggles can be a part of someone’s miracle!
We have an imperishable relationship with the Supreme Person. It’s an ancient science that’s simply about rekindling, remembering, and reestablishing this inherent love. It’s built in the fine print to get lost, make mistakes, or forget our eternal relationship sometimes, but it’ll never disqualify us from God’s love. Krishna is waiting for us and will remind us again. Love is everlasting forgiveness and forever tries.
When we get in touch with our inner voice, we can become free from public opinion and understand that the idea of being behind is a socially constructed concept. We are all made of joy, knowledge, and fulfillment. It’s inherent to us. We can find spiritual solutions to our material problems by standing on the shoulders of the giants before us and using their candle to light ours, so we can light up the world.
We are often in a big hurry, moving at lightning speed with the world, so we owe it to ourselves to take a little time out of the day, week, month, or year for absorption in spiritual practice. We can chill out a bit by doing a digital detox with friends, giving our digestion a break by fasting, trapping ourselves in Kirtan, or focusing on the quality of our Japa practice. This continuous and firm, faith-filled endeavor gives God a chance to show up in our lives!
Spiritual life is a process of welcoming Divinity to the center or our lives. During our great adventure towards Krishna, it might feel unfair when we don’t receive what we wanted, but we can trust that it may actually be what we really needed for our protection. Whether it’s perfect or not, Krishna shows up the moment we surrender to bestow his mercy and love on us. We are blessed with the gift of Krishna who constantly gives us everything we need.
There is no material impediment to spiritual life. Surrendering doesn’t require anything other than letting go of the misconception that we can get through life without connection to God. Instead of painting the impermanent prison with pretty decorations, we are meant to become sufficiently frustrated and leave the material world’s rigged rules. Let’s grow in self-honesty and place ourselves in Krishna’s helping hands. He’ll always meet us halfway!
Krishna is the essence of everything we are looking for. Even in our maya or illusion, Krishna is there! Let’s take a chance and surrender to the mystery of a reciprocal relationship and soften our hearts like butter, so Krishna can come steal it!
The material world is like a hospital where we have identified with the disease of lust and misconception about the senses, mind, and intelligence. We have forgotten who we really are, but at any moment, we can wake up and use our deliberate spiritual intelligence to take the medicine of the Maha-mantra seriously. This continual practice will remind us that we are pure, spirit souls who can find ultimate, everlasting happiness in an eternal relationship with Krishna.
We are all inherently lovable! Our souls have done amazing and incredible things that mistakes can never undo. Even when the rental vehicles of our bodies get naturally affected, dented and dinged up, driving through storms, our uncomfortability can be a catalyst to bring us closer to the feet of God. Everyday, we have a choice to love. Krishna chooses and loves us everyday because we are a part and parcel of Him.
The diagnosis of our material condition is that we are addicted, in love with the idea of the material world. However, it’s faulty and merely a reflection. This lust or overly attached, stubborn relentlessness to find desire in the wrong places can develop symptoms of anger and wrath. Fortunately, we are never behind because at any moment we can accept the diagnoses, change course, and recalibrate our desires to uplift us and align with what we are truly looking for.
Our relationship with Divinity is extremely unique, and there’s danger in not being ourselves. Rather than turning away from God and misidentifying with material nature when we stumble into obstacles, we can instead accept the invitation to take shelter and develop faith in the good. Let’s turn towards our Supreme Friend who will always guide us and will never leave us stranded. Love always believes in the best.
We all have an intrinsic, inbuilt need for belonging, acceptance, and appreciation, but sometimes we go about it with a flawed approach, trying to perfectly imitate another’s path or pursuing approval from improper people. Everyone is on a different schedule, so let’s keep showing up authentically even though it may be imperfect. Krishna sees and recognizes us!
Attachment and aversion are obstacles on our path of self-realization. It can cause us to obsess about external results like praise or criticism and success or failure rather than focusing on our heart’s internal, loving devotion. When we remove those stumbling blocks, we can disrupt the loop created by our false ego and instead use our God-given gifts as an offering to Krishna.
Everyone acts according to their nature given by the three modes, so let’s release the self-judgment of being behind or failures upon comparisons to others’ externals. Things never work out materially and even if it looks like it does, it’s an illusion. We can escape the hamster wheel of constant anxiety by progressing spiritually, transforming our heart and consciousness. Our current God-given situation is everything we need to dive deeper into spiritual life.
The material world both doesn’t and does make sense, and we can understand how the pieces fit together by zooming out with deep faith for an eternal purpose. Being in the association of spiritually minded people allows our empathy and compassion to awaken and teaches us to correctly direct it. We can follow HH Radhanath Swami’s example by consciously pausing and acknowledging others’ suffering. It’s all about the intention in the heart!
Nothing is ours. Everything belongs to Krishna. The purpose of life is to understand our proper position in relation to the ultimate proprietor. When we allow people, situations, and life to play out separate from our expectations, we release pressure and give space for Divine magic to unfold, for Krishna’s hand to play in our lives. The more we surrender and offer back, the more we are uplifted and fill up our cup.
We are in an awkward arrangement because we are spirit souls trying to slurp out satisfaction from material objects. It’s not that the search for love, fulfillment, and purpose have to be given up, but our strategies can be upgraded, dovetailed in devotional service. When we move through life remembering the miracle in the moment, the greater operation at play, we can practice offering our aligned activities back to Source.
Sometimes, our forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with God bewilders and envelops us in the false ego of being the ultimate doer and controller. As we build faith, our perceived reign of control diminishes, and we let Krishna take the chariot reins. When we see the hands of a higher power guiding our lives, we can express our trust and love by allowing everyone, including ourselves, to do their self-work at their own pace and time.
The best thing we can do is set a good example by engaging for Krishna’s satisfaction. We can let go of the controlling mentality of forcing others to adopt the same lifestyle and habits as us. Our personal journeys are unique and will look different even if we are working towards the same goal. A good litmus test to understand our progress is to ask the right questions to the right people and know what feedback requires an engagement or response.
The material world is one big rehabilitation center and we are all in rehab together. We need to allow everyone the space for imperfection, for ebbs and flows, and in those moments of ebbs we need a role model to look up to, an inspirational figure who enables our rise when we feel we are sinking. The role models in our lives don’t have to be perfect and we need to broaden our perspectives about who can be a role model, the one person who can help us recalibrate.
Spiritual life is a practice, it is a muscle to train. You can wobble or flounder at first but when you practice it, while letting go of conditioned attachment it is ultimately fulfilling as it enables us to direct the flow of the river of our lives toward a higher ideal. The litmus test of our spirituality must be beyond measures of good and bad as one asks whether it is deepening one’s relationship with the Supreme, softening our hearts and bringing us closer to our higher power.
Having a breakdown of the ego means that things are working exactly as they are supposed to, not that we are broken. Instead of identifying with exaggerated, all or nothing language, we can be truthful by remembering that our souls are unbreakable. We are powerless to control life’s circumstances and are dependent on an unvanquishable relationship with Krishna who already cares for us as we are.
The ultimate goal of life is to attain the Supreme, and we make progress when we allow ourselves to be guided and unattached to the results. Rather than placing pressure on ourselves to fix everything, we can function as supplements and instruments to the main source of nourishment. Our sincere endeavor is enough. Krishna meets us everyday where we are on our journey towards wholeness.
Our anxiety comes from a forgetfulness of our absolute shelter. When we remember our eternal relationship, we can shift our dependence on the Supreme Person who is the ocean that satisfies all our desires. Rather than being in it for the outcome, our endeavor to give and receive love is sufficient regardless of how jumbled or perfect it may look. Our only duty is to work sincerely, so that our activities may be recognized by Krishna.
Krishna knows a plethora of people, but He never compares us with others. Our Supreme Friend is satisfied with us following the best path for our growth instead of imitating another’s ideal path. As we continue recalibrating our imbalances, we let go of seeking validation from others, build trust within, take pleasure in the Self, and allow an adoring attraction to The All Attractive One.
When we go back to the basics, we recognize our dependence on forces greater than ourselves and allow our appreciation for the deep mechanisms of life to flex our giving muscles. Everything is amazing, and we can allow our day to be amazing by doing the best thing for ourselves regardless of the outcome or any external validation. Let’s have a healthy respect for everyone’s particular path and set of responsibilities. There’s so much success in the endeavor.
The Mahamantra can be translated as, “My Friend, My Friend, My Friend”. By chanting, we call out to Radha-Krishna and rekindle our friendship with Them. It’s as simple as being true to the Holy Name. Our greatest fortune is that we have access and know about Krishna. When we perform positive, charitable actions and never stop chanting, it places us into the mindset of serving the center rather than being the center.
Krishna is constantly reaching out to us through everything, sometimes even in the most unlikely places. We can nourish our relationship with the Supreme Person by showing up and taking time to respond to His call. It’s as simple as remembering and being in love. The only necessary thing is our eager heart. Everyday is a good one because Krishna is here!
Full detachment isn’t possible. Just by being in the material world, we have entered into a contract of a dependent interrelationship between us and the Divine elements. Terms and conditions apply, and we can flow with it by aligning our will with a higher will. In giving we receive. Let’s flex our offering muscle and start participating in a relationship of reciprocity.
Have courage to challenge the status quo, not to be a rebel, but to ask the deeper questions about the purpose behind our actions and thoughts. We are all facing the common challenge of the material world together. Although we can’t change the entire external sphere, we can change our internal settings, one outlook at a time.
Being a proper model of any group can only go so far because it is not possible to meet everyone’s standards. Instead, we can do our best for what is appropriate for us and our unique situation. When we dive deeper, we recognize the nuance and complexity of every single entity. There is always space for a multiplicity of emotions and a plurality of experiences with Krishna.
We can’t run away from the internal growth we’re meant for, so to not be a pretender, we need to run towards the mess. We don’t need to have all the answers. By pausing and being patient with our responses, we can provide space for ourselves and others to hold and work through the discomfort. Krishna is looking out for our happiness.
In these material skin suits, action is inevitable, so let’s not quit our day jobs. Repression is a recipe for delusion. Rather than working against our nature, we can work with it and align our actions to satisfy our Beloved. All things can be dovetailed in the service of Krishna.
We can never run away from time and our innate nature. Our God-given gifts are meant to be integrated daily in a way of service that brings joy to the heart and soul. We need balance to not fall into mere sentiment or mental speculation. Spiritual life and love is not just a feeling that we fall in and out of, but it’s meant to be nourished through intentional sequence of actions. God is the ultimate reciprocator of our love.
When we get a little lost in life, we can get curious and ask questions. People may even inquire from us, so it’s important to remember that we don’t need to have all the answers and can simply share our personal experiences. It’s above our paygrade to play the role of God. We all belong here, and our experiences are simultaneously universal and unique.
We sometimes criticize ourselves and others for having faults, but as conditioned souls, it’s very normal to make mistakes. Mistakes can actually propel us forward and be our greatest catalyst for growth. Let’s create a safe container for ourselves and each other, so we can rewire our system to know that we are always accepted, welcomed, full of purpose, and given another opportunity to try again. Love means infinite chances. We don’t have to be perfect to be Krishna’s and for Him to be ours.
The material world is a place of suffering, but we don’t have to give into its whims and become bewildered. Let’s take back our power. Our spiritual life and happiness is always in our own hands. Nothing outside of us needs to change for us to be happy. We can instead find inner connection and transform our world within. Heaven can be found right here on earth!
When the waters of our mind start to still, we can look into its reflection and see a truer reality. We are all united because we share the same spiritual source. We can practice being the friend of everyone when we connect beyond material designations. True happiness lies in our remembrance of our relationship with God.
It’s normal to have desires, but we can tailor them to be uplifting. Spirituality is a shifting of desires and dovetailing them in the service of a higher plan. Krishna is the ultimate proprietor and everything belongs to Him. When we see everything in relation to Him, we will become more peaceful.
We are all looking for acceptance, connection, and belonging, but sometimes fear not of failure but of rejection. Let’s be reassured that we can’t lose what is inherent to us. What is most valuable can never be taken away. Even if we make mistakes, we can learn the lesson, let go of the heaviness, and allow ourselves to be happy after the heartache. Krishna is soft hearted and waiting to forgive. Let’s allow ourselves to evolve and chase the moments where our spirit feels rejuvenated and light.
It’s a moment to moment consideration to not slide into the defaults. Even when the waves of our lives remain turbulent, we can still be full in ourselves like the ocean by engaging in ways to increase its depth. The inner wellspring of higher satisfaction in devotional service is always available to us at any given moment when we seek stillness. Krishna fulfills all our material necessities and is always with us!
There are two classes of intelligent people: an intelligence in material activities for sense gratification and an introspective intelligence for the cultivation of self-realization. We have a personal, internal choice to find environments we can thrive that support our practice of absorption in spirit. As we shift our life values and choices, it’s important to remember that every soul is a part and parcel of Krishna and that we can simultaneously have boundaries and not differentiate people into hierarchies.
We can’t curb our unrestrained sense desires alone, solely by our human endeavors. We need superior guidance. Krishna appears as a guru within the heart and through people who act as a teacher. Rekindling our inner guidance requires removing the dust of the heart’s ulterior motives so we can hear the pure message. Finding a guru who resonates and passes the smell test takes time and observation. Practicing these spiritual principles is an art. This process is not cookie cutter and applies to us all uniquely during different seasons of our lives.
Spiritual life is a work in progress of learning to be intentional. We are in spiritual rehabilitation, practicing to engage all our senses in the service of the Lord. This is all a process, and even if we are not yet perfectly fixed in spiritual maturity, the Supreme Person is not shaming or condemning us. There’s a sweet spot in Krishna’s heart for his devotees.
We often find ourselves unfulfilled, interacting with the modes of material nature and wrestling with the shifting situations of our lives. Fortunately, we can find true satisfaction when we go inwards to connect to our eternal, constant companion. Our perception of impermanence and suffering shifts when we connect back to Source, the Supreme Person and inner knowing guiding us.
Everyone is inherently Krishna Conscious, it’s simply about remembering. This spiritual journey is not a competition, and we are all at different stages. It’s necessary for our spiritual survival to find a tribe with our unique vantage point. And if we can’t find it, we can start it. When we connect Krishna with the dots, we see the grander perspective that our tribulations actually brought us closer home with him. Krishna’s love is real and there’s nothing like his reciprocation!
Expect challenges to come. Even Arjuna’s spiritual aptitude did not give him immunity from experiencing life’s obstacles, but instead gave him the sense of where to turn to in the midst of it. Like Arjuna, we have tools to respond to our situation and are never alone. Krishna is our shelter and is always there waiting for us to turn to him for guidance.
When we fall into mechanical tendencies, it’s our responsibility to find our joy, surround ourselves with inspiring people, and gather the receipts of where we are spending our time and energy. We are spirit souls encased in material bodies, so we shouldn’t neglect our material needs. Once we are materially nourished, we can tend to our spiritual practice, respond to Krisna’s call, and find that nectar.
As much as we want to be in control, we can’t escape the material lessons we are meant to learn. Even if we make mistakes or slip into anger, we will bounce back. Instead of repressing ourselves, we can redirect our mind and senses towards real engagement for the service of Krishna.
We are built for love, engagement, service, interaction, and connection. Happiness is found within, but sometimes we get lost in our pursuit of happiness and build habits that direct us further from ourselves. It’s a constant road of frustration when our attachments lead to anger and remove our ability to think clearly. Fortunately, spiritual discipline helps us navigate the slippery slope of the material world.
Restraining our senses is only half the equation and isn’t enough to fuel us. To sustain the fire of our spiritual love, we need personal connection. Let’s make the Supreme Person the wealth of our lives! We become people of steady intelligence when we fix our consciousness on Krishna and see all things as opportunities to serve our Beloved.
Meditation is occurring all the time, so let’s be careful about what we meditate on because our attention is a hot commodity that our senses are constantly trying to capture. The senses are subtle, slow, and insidious. The things we indulge in create impressions on our mind to desire it again. When we get to the root of our desires and addictions, we realize that we are all searching for safety, comfort, stability, familiarity, and connection.
The natural hallmark of an embodied soul is to have desires, but we are often drawn towards unhealthy habits. Fortunately, we can rewire our system towards a higher taste by making daily deposits towards spiritual redirection. Step into the mystery of building a beautiful bond with our Supreme Person, Krishna. Intentionally seek out experiences of joy and fulfillment.
Things don’t stop happening to the turtle or us. Like the turtle who draws its limbs within the shell, we also have a safe God-given inner space where we can withdraw and turn to Krishna for guidance. Let’s be real, check what we are identifying with, and be patient with ourselves and each other when we retreat. We are never alone!
Don’t get thrown off course by the world’s dualities. We can still feel emotions and honor the events of this world but also be grounded in the truth of our eternal self. The fortunes and misfortunes are happening to our character in the video game and doesn’t define our soul’s sole identity. Our final story can be one of beautiful surrender to divine intervention.
We often believe that spiritual success is measured by getting everything right. However, It’s okay to make mistakes. There’s no such thing as eternal rejection or spiritual failure because there is always a place for us at the table. The hallmark of spiritual success is making the determination to stay on the path. That which gives light must endure burning. There’s a deep treasure waiting for us underneath the surface level waves when we choose Krishna.
We will never know how everything will turn out. Regardless of the outcome, we are going to be okay because our Supreme Friend will personally step in to make our situation better, not by solving all our material problems but by solving the main issue about our false conception for the meaning of life. By giving credit where credit is due, redefining what is truly important, and becoming more steady minded, we can conclude that Krishna is everything.
We have entered into all sorts of agreements with society, our family, and our minds, allowing them to govern the way we live. Instead, we can let timeless truth guide us. Krishna is trying to pull us out of taking shelter under the false concoctions and temporary identities of our mind, so we can be transcendentally situated in service to our eternal identity and our Supreme Person.
The most optimistic view we can obtain is to forecast obstacles in the material world. When the unexpected happens, let’s place responsibility on the appropriate party rather than blaming God as our scapegoat. Our Lordships are available and can be approached by those who are materially exhausted. The metric for recognizing a self-realized person is their character and self-satisfaction in the soul.
Love is a reciprocal relationship. Krishna misses and is constantly calling for us, but this love cannot be forced. Everyone is on their own journey and timing to courageously call Krishna into their own hearts. We have the free will to accept our Supreme Bestie’s gentle push out of our comfort zone and into an adventure of softening our hearts and elevating our happiness and connection.
This material world is a prison of chain victimization of action and reaction. We are here for soul rehabilitation. The highest welfare work we can do is understanding the nature of the soul as an eternal servant of the Supreme Person. Even if we get lost, we can take shelter of the Gita’s instruction, remember the beauty and mystery of Krishna’s love, simplify our hearts, and find our way back to offer Krishna his water.
Don’t be afraid to jump wholeheartedly into remembrance. Krishna is the source of all that we are yearning for, so regardless if it’s extraordinary or mundane, we can infuse our lives with Krishna. Even if we are not yet a pure devotee, our Supreme Well-Wisher wants us to be happy and still turn towards Him.
We often act as if we have nothing to lose, but in reality, we all face the same four, absolute problems: birth, old age, disease, and death. To get to a place of everlasting happiness, we have to stop settling for broken pieces of glass and tightly holding on to the misery of hankering for things we don’t really need. When we start taking spiritual life seriously, we can busily absorb ourselves in devotional service and prepare ourselves for the inevitable destination.
Acyuta, Passia, and Nachi share about their enlightening experiences in India - monkeys, magical moments, bathing in the Ganga, surrendering, and being tested. In the moments where we feel like we have given everything and have nothing left to give, we can still show up to the best of our abilities. That can be our offering. It’s less about how it looks externally, but more about our personal transformation in the endeavor.
Our given psychosocial nature gears us towards certain contributions and offerings in this world. However, these temporary roles related to our material body are subject to change. Our permanent, quintessential duty as a spirit soul is to serve the Supreme Person we are under the shelter of. Devotion is the only path to true happiness. When we surrender to Krsna, we immediately become Acyuta-gotra, part of His family.
Our given psychosocial nature gears us towards certain contributions and offerings in this world. However, these temporary roles related to our material body are subject to change. Our permanent, quintessential duty as a spirit soul is to serve the Supreme Person we are under the shelter of. Devotion is the only path to true happiness. When we surrender to Krsna, we immediately become Acyuta-gotra, part of His family.
It’s not possible for us to abstain from action. Instead, we can let go of ownership of reactions because the consequence or resulting effect doesn’t belong to us. It belongs and is connected to a higher purpose. Krishna clearly chose us as His consequence, and we can offer everything including our results to our Supreme Best Friend.
It’s not possible for us to abstain from action. Instead, we can let go of ownership of reactions because the consequence or resulting effect doesn’t belong to us. It belongs and is connected to a higher purpose. Krishna clearly chose us as His consequence, and we can offer everything including our results to our Supreme Best Friend.
We are Their Lordships’ children, and as our parents, They will always love and accept us. Krishna, the Supreme Person, and the source of all characteristic traits has the softest heart and sees us through our mistakes. He isn’t a judge holding grudges, so no matter what we have done, we are always welcomed back home.
We are Their Lordships’ children, and as our parents, They will always love and accept us. Krishna, the Supreme Person, and the source of all characteristic traits has the softest heart and sees us through our mistakes. He isn’t a judge holding grudges, so no matter what we have done, we are always welcomed back home.
The material world is an uphill battle, and its distorted reflection of reality is often bewildering. To not get caught up in the flowery and shiny things, we need determination, fortitude, and constant surrender. Our Supreme Best Friend never turns his back and is always there with us, so the powerful choice is within us to dive deep into a reciprocal relationship of trust and vulnerability.
The material world is an uphill battle, and its distorted reflection of reality is often bewildering. To not get caught up in the flowery and shiny things, we need determination, fortitude, and constant surrender. Our Supreme Best Friend never turns his back and is always there with us, so the powerful choice is within us to dive deep into a reciprocal relationship of trust and vulnerability.
The biggest cause of suffering is our forgetfulness of and our distancing from the Paramatma, the Super Soul living in our hearts. Instead of being bahu-sakhah, having many-branched intelligence, we can focus one pointedly on the “capital S'' Self by developing unflinching trust in our Supreme Well Wisher. By watering the roots of the tree of Krsna Consciousness, we start charity at home and can render the highest service to everyone.
The biggest cause of suffering is our forgetfulness of and our distancing from the Paramatma, the Super Soul living in our hearts. Instead of being bahu-sakhah, having many-branched intelligence, we can focus one pointedly on the “capital S'' Self by developing unflinching trust in our Supreme Well Wisher. By watering the roots of the tree of Krsna Consciousness, we start charity at home and can render the highest service to everyone.
When we place pressure on ourselves to be perfect and compare ourselves to others’ paths, we get engrossed with success and stepping up to society’s standards. However, there is no such thing as spiritual failure and loss or diminution on this path. We are right on time and are exactly where we are meant to be. Our relationship with Krsna is unique and individual. Let go of expectations of a straight forward trajectory. Doing our best is enough!
When we place pressure on ourselves to be perfect and compare ourselves to others’ paths, we get engrossed with success and stepping up to society’s standards. However, there is no such thing as spiritual failure and loss or diminution on this path. We are right on time and are exactly where we are meant to be. Our relationship with Krsna is unique and individual. Let go of expectations of a straight forward trajectory. Doing our best is enough!
When we clear out the noise and get honest with ourselves, we connect more deeply with who we are separate from the external voices. It’s not a sin to act authentically and do our dharma. It’s not even about us being perfect but more about us doing our best and offering our best including the results to Krishna. He will guide us and can handle all of it!
When we clear out the noise and get honest with ourselves, we connect more deeply with who we are separate from the external voices. It’s not a sin to act authentically and do our dharma. It’s not even about us being perfect but more about us doing our best and offering our best including the results to Krishna. He will guide us and can handle all of it!
It’s natural for people to misconstrue things, but regardless of people's misconceptions and external expectations, we have to live our truth! Our authentic nature can’t be denied. Giving ourselves the space to stop, breathe, and observe allows us to align more authentically with our natural proclivities and seek the shelter of teachers and sangha who accept us for who we are and encourage us. Our spiritually should be a safe space.
It’s natural for people to misconstrue things, but regardless of people's misconceptions and external expectations, we have to live our truth! Our authentic nature can’t be denied. Giving ourselves the space to stop, breathe, and observe allows us to align more authentically with our natural proclivities and seek the shelter of teachers and sangha who accept us for who we are and encourage us. Our spiritually should be a safe space.
Our souls are eternal, but everything around us is temporary and has a shelf life. Even though we may intellectually understand the nature of the soul, time and persistent practice allows us to fully realize and wholeheartedly embrace this. Let’s give ourselves grace and empathy as we go out and live it, practically applying these lessons in our lives.
Our souls are eternal, but everything around us is temporary and has a shelf life. Even though we may intellectually understand the nature of the soul, time and persistent practice allows us to fully realize and wholeheartedly embrace this. Let’s give ourselves grace and empathy as we go out and live it, practically applying these lessons in our lives.
While wandering through the waters of life, we’ll witness sunny days and turbulent storms, but let’s not allow its fluctuations to rock our boat overboard. Rather than sinking into apathy and sadness, we can remember that Krishna is always right by our side like a life preserver keeping us afloat. We are never alone. Giving Krishna a chance is always a good idea.
While wandering through the waters of life, we’ll witness sunny days and turbulent storms, but let’s not allow its fluctuations to rock our boat overboard. Rather than sinking into apathy and sadness, we can remember that Krishna is always right by our side like a life preserver keeping us afloat. We are never alone. Giving Krishna a chance is always a good idea.
The individual soul and Supersoul are compared to two birds sitting on the same tree. We, the individual atomic soul, are the bird enjoying the fruits of the tree while the other bird, Krsna, is simply witnessing our activities. We often falsely assume that the equation to happiness is munching on the fruits of the material tree and then direct our blame towards God when our life fails to look a certain way. What is worthy of grief and lamentation is when we forget about our eternal relationship with our sweetest well wisher. We have a choice in how we respond to situations, so let’s flap towards our bird friend, Krishna!
Regardless of our efforts to control or manipulate this material world, adversity and problems will arise. Because we are at the mercy of material nature, we should never be surprised when things go wrong but instead be surprised when things go right. Our intentional, spiritual rituals can enforce our identity as eternal spirit souls. There’s no such thing as immediate transcendence because life takes time to ferment. Letting go of our misidentification with our material bodies requires practice and patience.
Sometimes, we experience disappointment when we conflate God with institutions and people who are fallible instead of trusting in our infallible well wisher. When we remove ourselves from the center, we uncover layers of ignorance about our true position in this world. Unlike the material body, the soul is indestructible and does not perish. Let’s make things personal so we can develop a deeper relationship with Divinity that is not based on transactions.
There is no complete immunity here in this material world. Happiness and distress are going to come and go, so let’s develop a game plan. We can swipe right on Krishna and till the soil of our hearts, so our spiritual journey towards Him is not distrubed or interrupted by the seasonal changes. Let’s rely and trust in the divine perspective of our Supreme Best Friend who is unlimited and never diminishes in completeness.
Stick with it through happiness and distress. Our experiences can be transformed into favorable road maps to direct us to Divinity. Rather than taking shelter under impermanent things, let’s turn towards Krishna together! As we make Krishna a habit, we leave lasting impressions on our minds.
We are so hard wired into wanting all the external gears of our life to click into place for happiness to be achieved. Let’s rethink our formula for happiness by first understanding our position in this world. We are not the body, we are not the mind, we are something divine. Let’s view ourselves and the world from this fundamental identity. We will still experience problems, but our spiritual perspective will allow us to see the bigger picture, understand our purpose, and bring us happiness.
Happy Janmashtami!! Live your life authentically and consistently check-in so your practice stays sincere and doesn’t become robotic or ritualistic. Let go of the guilt and shame and give yourself permission to be happy. Our souls are eternal. Adopt the mindset of, “it’s not a big deal.” Krishna loves us dearly and glances at us with a smile!
Our spiritual advancement trajectory isn’t linear. At some points, we hit loops, valleys, and even rock bottom. Instead of allowing the frustration to build cynicism, we can stay humble, ask Krishna for help, and then receive His loving reciprocation. We can’t experience the ocean by standing on the shore, so we have to take a leap of faith to take the Divine relationship deeper than a researcher’s attitude. We need higher guidance from a teacher who resonates with us. We can allow the teachings to truly churn our hearts when we make the formula personal and unique to us.
We are all longing for acceptance and love, but sometimes we misplace this desire by searching for it from limited people. We can’t get everything we need from fallible entities. Being humble doesn’t mean being a doormat and giving up our free thinking power. Let’s authentically stand up for ourselves and express who we really are. Our infallible Supreme Bestie will always accept us and will never leave us. Us and Krishna are a dream team!
In the beginning of Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna talks to Arjuna who is now sad, in tears, and full of misplaced compassion. Arjuna is refusing to fight, and Krishna holds space for all his anxieties. Whenever we face resistance, we can pause to commune with Krishna, reassess, and dive deeper. We don’t have to go through it alone. Before we discuss philosophy, we can first simply accept that Krishna loves us and is here to help us. The purpose of this material world is for us to get closer to Krishna and to be his friend!
We have to allow others and ourselves to face the reactions to our actions. It is humbling that even Arjuna who is precious and highly valued to Krishna goes through his own dark night of the soul. The Gita is a wonderful guide for many of us who have not been taught how to suffer well. Our suffering can be fertile ground for enlightenment as it pushes us to ask questions about who we really are and our purpose for being here.
At times, we base our values on society, our imagination, or our rebellious spirit. However, those values are subject to change, so it’s important for us to consider the source. Everyone is a part and parcel of a Supreme Divine Being. Rather than compartmentalizing, let’s integrate spiritual values in all aspects of our lives. We are meant to carry out the duties of this lifetime within the context of our eternal identity.
There is never a bad time to inquire and to have doubts. Arjuna is on the precipice of war, and in the midst of all that, he took the time to reflect and ask Krishna questions. We are allowed to struggle and to share our challenges with the people we trust. Let’s not hold ourselves and others to a rigid standard. Conflict, confrontation, and conflict resolution are all within spiritual values. We are never alone! Let’s create space for ourselves and each other to open up about the challenges we carry in our minds and hearts.
Sometimes, pursuing our spiritual path means standing up for things even if it means going against the grain. But before we know how to act or what to condone, we first need to build a spiritual foundation of character and compassion. The Gita is a particular instance of a historical moment, and it requires maturity to understand the context and message. Let’s dive deeper and understand the background and framework before judging a situation. Spiritual life is more reflective than reactionary.
Arjuna in the beginning of the Gita faces a spiritual crisis. His body shows signs of an anxiety attack, and he questions his purpose. We, too, face doubts and anxieties in our life, and when such stressful situations occur, we may feel so despondent and alone that we identify with the demons in our minds. Krishna is always by our side though. When we invite Divinity in to face our doubts and anxieties with us, we begin to separate from the self identity we created from a place of distress. Life’s challenges can be opportunities for spiritual growth. Our breakdowns can bring us to breakthroughs.
We are all intimately connected. When we flip on the switch of our connectedness, we trigger the light of compassion, but when it’s switched off, we can create a cold callousness about the world. Our love can extend to lift each other up and help each other find a home beyond this material world. Find what triggers your compassion and happiness.
Sometimes our fears, doubts, and challenges can pull us farther away from love. These very human responses are here to stay though, but we can shift our perspective to see the doubts and fears existing in service to heighten our love. Let’s replace our personal opinions of a preconceived path for ourselves with complete trust that spirits got our backs. Our Supreme Bestie is lovingly guiding and protecting us. Let’s immerse ourselves in recurring reminders of this powerful support present. Life is going to turn out okay!
Everything in life is a meditation. If we want to take our spirituality to the next level, we must actively celebrate all the ways that joy is present in our lives. There will always be abundant arguments for staying with sadness, so we have to give ourselves permission to be happy. Our spirituality is supposed to increase our cheerfulness. We can literally or figuratively blow into a conch shell like Krishna and the warriors to herald in change and meditation into our lives. Let’s uncover our internal wellspring of joy and invite more opportunities to laugh with Krishna.
People will ascribe many identities to us, but regardless of their perspective, we always have the power to question their imposed ideas. Our identities are allowed to morph to varying shapes and forms. Where our focus goes, our energy flows, so let’s not allow our yearning to belong to bring us farther away from our inner knowing. When we quiet the noise, listen to our intuition, and begin to consciously choose the values that align with our lives, at first we may feel a lack of belonging, but in the long run, we live a life that truly resonates with ourselves and our soul.
Even though submissiveness is essential to our spiritual lives, we need to practice our power of discernment. If something is not connecting or feeling right, we need to take the time to listen to our intuition, deliberate, and think. Everything we do is an expression of our devotion to something, so it’s necessary for us to consciously choose who and what we serve, otherwise the world will decide for us.
Sometimes, we fall into the pattern of projecting our material consciousness on our Supreme Person. In reality, Krishna does not possess any material qualities and does not care about the minutiae. Instead of the small details, let’s focus on the overarching principles and connect with people’s stories. Everybody’s somebody's everything. Even if we make mistakes, our Divine Bestie will never condemn us and will always love us. We are surrounded by mercy.
We receive a lot of input about who we are and who we are supposed to be from outside of us. It gets tricky because when we start to believe it, we become it, so it’s important to be cautious and to not allow the way people see us define us. Let’s bring our discernment but leave our ego driven motivation at the door. There are many aspects to who we are, so let’s not allow one aspect of our personality to be our entire identity. Let’s immerse ourselves in more reminders of who we really are. We have an eternal, spiritual identity!
There is a lot more going on than meets the eye. Every situation we walk into is a segment of a karmic conversation. When we are rigid in our thinking and want things to be a certain way, we become spiritually blind like Dhrtarastra who refused to give up when things weren't working. Let us expand our vantage point and let go of the idea of how we think our life is supposed to be or look like. When we take the time to understand who we truly are and our role, it becomes easier to move forward.
As we approach spirituality by diving deeper beneath the surface, we begin to see everyone and everything with equal vision, and at the same time, understand that everyone will have their own specific and special experience. Recognize that Krishna is in the heart of every being, directing their journey in some way. Regardless of where people came from, we can make an effort to be sincere, accepting, and welcoming. Everyone deserves a chance to become Krishna Conscious and to be recognized as a Spirit Soul. Love means service, and we can serve each other by encouraging all our forms of connecting with Divinity.
Sometimes, we live our lives trying to be “God”, believing that we are in charge. However, it’s important to truly understand our position. We are living entities, jivas, who are conditioned souls controlled by isvara, the supreme controller. It’s okay to admit all the ways we are powerless and submit to a Higher Power. Spirit has our back! Krishna is the friend of all living beings. When we surrender and follow the process that has already been laid out, we can unlock the heart of the Gita. At the same time, we can also have empathy for all living beings’ own timing and willingness to surrender because everyone is on their own path.
We are all in spiritual rehab. The process and path to recover from our material exhaustion has been paved for us, so we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We can admit that something isn’t working, recognize that we need help from a power beyond us, and allow the teachings to transform our life perspective. We actually don’t need to know very much but just need to allow the simple truths to deeply penetrate our hearts.
The Bhagavad Gita is best understood by someone who has characteristics similar to Arjuna. He was a devotee who had a direct relationship with Krishna, and like many of us, had a day job, responsibilities, a family and experienced challenges. At the fundamental level, we also have some of these qualities. Everyone has an unbroken and unvanquishable relationship with our Supreme Person and can become a candidate for Divine truth. It just depends whether or not we want to awaken that relationship. As we lower our walls and stop approaching with our minds and instead with our hearts, we can deepen our security in our Supreme Bestie, surrender to them, and openly receive the true message of the Gita.
We don’t have to have it all figured out. In fact, there’s a lot we don’t know, so instead of only hearing what aligns with our egos, we can open our hearts, minds, and selves to new ideas and expand our worldview. When we prepare our consciousness to receive these teachings from our spiritual texts and teachers, we till the soil of our minds for the seed of knowledge to touch our hearts. Rather than drinking from different wells when something gets distasteful and only getting a sip of the superficial surface, we can stay committed even through discomfort and dive deeper to truly absorb ourselves and build a stronger relationship.
Our minds are always absorbed in something, and there’s so much noise to distract us, so it’s important for us to invite people, practices, and philosophy that lift us and our consciousness up. Instead of allowing our ear holes to be like snake holes and our tongues to be like frog tongues, we can be conscious about what we consume and what we think or say out loud. The values we live by may either poison us and attract predators or nourish us and invite supportive associations.
We all experience material frustration from time to time and may even hit rock bottom. At that place, we see our shadows, and our situation looks so dark. No matter how deep, dark, and daunting our bottom gets though, we can always build up from there. There is so much hope because we always have a reconnect button. When we do turn on the light again, it illuminates the shadowy and somber space, so we can see things honestly and truly recognize all the small ways that love is present in our lives. We can be spiritually stubborn and continue to show up no matter how many times we may bump or fail. Surrender is an invitation to shift from auto pilot to copilot, but whether we surrender or not, Krishna is never out to get us. The light reminds us that we are never alone.
One of the main themes of the Bhagavad Gita is surrender, but sometimes that idea can be daunting and may not come naturally to us because we feel so distant from our Higher Power. To develop a secure attachment with God, however, we can give ourselves the knowledge about the backstory of our spiritual teachers and spiritual texts, so we can truly see things as they are. When we uncover our conditioned ideas of religion and spirituality, we learn that we actually have a cute God who is our Best Friend that always has our best interest in mind. This knowledge will help us with our surrender. As we lean into trust and develop a secure attachment with Krsna, we can overthink less and save room in our minds for surrender.
The Bhagavad Gita or the Song of God is a battlefield conversation between Krishna and his friend, Arjuna. This impactful text of the yoga tradition has changed the lives of many people like our three podcast hosts! Although the text is written and translated as it is, most of the time we approach the Gita as we are. Since we all go through various seasons in our life and come from different backgrounds, it takes the right timing for the text and philosophy to resonate. Once we do find a connection with the text though, we can begin approaching the Gita simply as it is rather than trying to project our personal desires. Instead, we can be open to hearing the message of Krishna for our particular precedent and be receptive to what is truly offered to us.
We are all students in this school of love. We give and receive various degrees of love, but may sometimes shift a beautiful atmosphere into a prison by expressing love with the body and attempting to reach an unlimited potential through a finite form. We can release emotional constipation by seeing the material world as a place of learning. Love is a transcendental experience. Have compassionate acceptance for yourself and others who are still learning. Rebalance in moderation and have healthy discernment. Make yourself the best offering you can be for Krishna.
We experience so many emotions! Although we can’t get rid of them, we shouldn’t allow them to dictate our choices. Shame, guilt, and fear can especially be insidious when they gradually imprint a message that we are unlovable or lesser for having feelings. Remember that you are already loved, cherished and connected exactly where you are right now. Continue to show up and be vulnerable through both happiness and distress. You are loved regardless of any medals or trophies. Let’s continue sharing and hearing this message until it becomes woven into the fabric of our self belief and worth.
The details of achieving certain principles will look different from person to person. If there is judgment or criticism about another’s journey, it is a signal for us to reflect on our personal guilt and shame. Uphold principles without ever withholding love. At the core, we are all searching for love and acceptance. We need each other on this journey and can’t do it all on our own. Any depression or hopelessness we feel can actually be inspiration for us to be humbled and take shelter in Divinity and devotees.
Sometimes, we criticize our own or others’ reactions to situations, deeming them as inappropriate or “not spiritual enough.” However, we can practice softening our judgment and instead allow situations to play out before placing our conclusions on it. Everything can be spiritualized depending on our perspective and vision. Regardless of the mistakes we make or how our progress externally looks, inherently our experience is spiritual if it brings us to a sincere place of self evaluation, assessment, and correction. Love is everlasting forgiveness and forever tries. Our sincerity is our God Consciousness.
There is a lot of information and new issues brought up everyday, but that’s not the problem. The issue is when we think that it’s all in our control to fix, mold, or control the situation. For our mental, physical, and spiritual health, we have to create different boxes, compartmentalize, and prioritize. Understand your capacity because charity and help starts at home. We don’t always have to make snap responses about every single issue. There is a time for philosophy and a time for love. The first step is checking in with each others’ hearts and asking each other how we are genuinely feeling. Even if we feel hopeless and powerless, we are reminded that it’s actually the starting place to developing a relationship with our Higher Power.
We are all from diverse walks of life and trek our own unique path. Along the way, we meet plenty of people with varying points of view. Instead of arguing over opposing perspectives, we raise differences to the level of similarities and accept that different manifestations can be a reminder of the same divinity. We can be curious about where Divinity is present in every situation and how we can engage in ways that are pleasing to Krishna. Let’s walk the walk by having mutual respect, acting compassionately, and always trying to learn.
From Radhanath Swami we can learn how to flow with grace and surrender, seeing every moment as an opportunity to serve and please Krsna. He inspires us to reevaluate our behavior and act in a way that Krsna will be satisfied with us. We can learn to be more present and intentional in every interaction and approach every situation as a service opportunity. Our spiritual advancement rests on how much we take our day to day process of spiritual life seriously. Surrender means to open ourselves up to the infinite possibilities beyond what we can do on our own.
Adversities are going to happen in life. We all go through a spectrum of challenges and are all recovering from something. Rather than using our God given gift to judge people unnecessarily, we can instead look beyond performance appearances, stop making snap judgements, and accept each other for how we cope with our suffering. Maya is dangerous and illusion could get any of us at any time. However, we have Krishna in our hearts and the soul connects us all. Everytime we pass the test, we become closer to God which actually makes adversity a great blessing!
Everyone has a story and is trying to make it through this wild world just like we are. When we look beyond performative appearances, we dive deeper into the essence of what is truly happening in someone’s heart and become less eager to throw people out or put them on a pedestal. As people who are on a spiritual journey, we should know our chit and live what we are talking about. Devotees and non devotees are all people who have Krishna in their heart.
On our life journey, we meet many people along the way who are on different spectrums of their spiritual life. Some people may be devotees while others may be non devotees. Instead of projecting and pushing our beliefs and trying to hero, we can respectfully protect what is important to us. Let’s continue lifting others up and surrounding ourselves with people who do the same. Have hope that you will find your tribe.
Read the whole article and let the sentence finish. Allow space and time for situations to run its course before jumping to quick conclusions. Be like a turtle who knows when to withdraw. When we use our intelligence to conquer our minds and connect with things favorable to us, we can get to a place where we understand that Krishna is our protector and maintainer who will always take care of us.
The spiritual process is not static. Life happens, so our situation and intentions may shift along the way. Instead of running on autopilot and being rigid with our motivations, we can be flexible and continuously check in with ourselves to recalibrate our gps. We all have a choice. We can train our minds to look for Krishna and then witness how it changes the algorithm of our minds. Invoking Krishna into our space through lectures, japa, or kirtan is the best way to do anything. Let’s Bhaktify and Krishnafy our lives!
It’s our birthright to have an eternal relationship with Divinity, but we have a chronic condition of being unwilling to surrender and see our true position in this big, fast world. God and God Consciousness is unlimited, and there are unlimited ways for us to approach God. Finding a spiritual path is like taking a boost of medicine. As we travel our unique, individualized path, we deepen our personal relationship with Divinity. Even when we go through tough times, we can continue taking our prescription and know that Krishna’s mercy is coming! We are never alone. The tougher the times, the more mercy that is coming!
Everyone is deserving of compassion. However, it is okay to be spiritually selective and appreciate from a distance without judgment and callousness. We don’t have to intertwine with everyone’s life. Instead, we can direct our sensitivity to our friends and family, those closest to us. Unlike our Supreme Best Friend, we have a limited amount of compassion to give. We don’t have to act on everything. Sometimes the best thing for us to do with spiritual realizations is to sit down, reflect, contemplate, and surrender the greater plan to God.
Sometimes we put tremendous pressure on ourselves to show up at 100% capacity, to be everything to everyone, or to always be working on something. Things don’t need to be fixed all the time though, and it is okay to just show up the best we can. There is a lot of wisdom to just being and letting time do its thing. Even planets slow down, so plan it in your schedule to do the same. It is the first step towards surrender and investment in a relationship with Divinity. From that space, we can rest, fill up our cup, and be blatantly honest with ourselves by tuning into our true desires.
As we progress in our spiritual life and no longer abandon who we really are, some of our relationships will shift. That doesn’t mean we should be spiritual jerks and discard people though. Not everyone plays the same role in our lives relationally and that’s okay. Tune into the frequency you want to vibrate at, and you will attract people who resonate. We can be selective and place boundaries with others, yet still have respect for every living being. Krishna is spiritually selective too but has full availability and capacity to give complete love to every creation who surrenders and knocks on their door.
Spiritual life never runs on autopilot. While driving along our path, we can apply spiritual principles in unique ways depending on the environment we arrive at. It takes guidance, course correction, and time for things to align and calibrate. Even when there are bumps along the road, we can keep moving forward and be hopeful like the bird who sings even when it’s dark because she knows the light is coming, and the dawn is there just over the horizon. All we have to do is take the next best step, and we will eventually find our way back home.
Our relentless search for spiritual connection re-situates our hearts and keeps our boat afloat. Even when we sail into the wild waves and stormy seas of relational tension or challenges, we get an opportunity to work through it together which strengthens our bond and confidence to handle whatever arises in the future. Let’s continue to stay connected. Our soul and spiritual life depends on us to let go of any material differences getting in the way of us diving deeper into our spiritual relationships. We each play a part and have one job to show up for each other.
Even when we're in spiritual life, relationships can be challenging at times, because we have egos. Ego means to believe that I'm something which I'm not, but we can learn how to separate ourselves from the roles we play, and that allows us to navigate through difficult situations with a spiritual mindset. Death is the ultimate rejection of the ego, but we don't have to wait for that to start shedding layers of ego. Acknowledge what's been lost along the way in order to move forward.
Sometimes we see love and our relationships in a narrow mindset. When we let go of that tunnel vision of what love and reciprocation are supposed to look like, we can begin to take a step back, see the broader view, and witness an unlimited and expansive landscape of love. Release other people from the expectation that they owe you something. We don’t lose anything when we give and receive love. Notice all the ways that love is present in your life. Our Divine Friend and Guide always recognizes and reciprocates our acts of love in unlimited ways. It’s just waiting in places beyond the confines of our mind.
We are often fed ideas of productivity and sometimes even push ourselves to do more and more to the unfortunate point of burn out. However, we need to challenge productivity narratives and get clear on its definition. We do have potential to enact tremendous change, but it has to come from a place of feeling nourished, excited, and cared for. Let’s reach within so we can reach outward. Let’s celebrate rest and normalize taking breaks. We can be like the redwood trees when we slow down, reach out with our roots of affection, and support each other. It’s more important to make sure the people around us are cared for rather than always trying to be productive and push out results.
A lot of our suffering is not from the experience itself but from an expectation that things were supposed to be different. Get clear on your understanding that forgiveness, life, and the world does not operate on a straight trajectory. The windy road, setbacks, and thorns along the way are meant to help us grow and exercise our compassion muscles. Even when we feel overwhelmed about the abundant suffering of the world, we can still acknowledge it, put on our oxygen mask, and do for one as we want to do for everyone. Krishna does not want us to change the world, he wants us to transform our hearts and this can still make a big difference even when the heart that is transformed is just our own.
Spiritual life is a personal journey for everyone. It’s not a competition, and there’s no one-size-fits-all. There may be many spiritual principles, but meaningful action is unique to us and requires maturity, guidance, and reflection. Realistically, the material world’s terms and conditions read that this is a place of suffering, but fortunately, it’s up to us, and we have control over how we respond to our situations.
Forgiveness is like a muscle that takes time to strengthen with a strong spiritual foundation, tools, and support. We are a lot more powerful than we think and have a responsibility for how we respond to our feelings. Allow yourself to experience any emotions coming up. Reach out to someone so they can acknowledge your struggle. Have empathy and be outraged on behalf of someone else. The anger has to go somewhere, so we need that compassionate relationship with ourselves, our community, and Divinity to get through it.
When we try to see the world through a spiritual lens and perceive everything in relation to Divinity, we receive the keys to access the realm of love, joy, and compassion. Hold your ground, stand in your truth, and don’t be afraid to go against the grain. Everyone’s journey looks different. Our personal journey will help us understand what is truly best for us. By connecting ourselves to the infinite, love and compassion rise in our heart, and we become better equipped to serve those who are suffering.
We are not alone in our journey and cannot do it all on our own. We can transform the way we approach our activities by accepting that we need guidance and instructions from people further along on the path than we are. This takes humility, surrendering, and letting go of the ego’s need to control or be the best. Our choices should be informed and not whimsical. Allow spiritual values to guide you and clear the pollution of your heart.
The mind can be so tricky and powerful sometimes. When we create space to listen to the whispers of our bodies and take the reins of our minds though, we can get honest with ourselves and align with our genuine needs and goals. We always have the choice to do things that spiritually elevate us and deepen our connection with God. Recommit yourself to your goal everyday. We choose how to use things based on what we want to gain from life. Our actions can either get us more lost and entangled or support our service and growth.
Sometimes we feel like we are not enough, so we may bring the hustle mentality or feelings of unworthiness into our spiritual process. In reality, we are already enough and worthy. Our soul is never tainted and can never be lost. Instead of bringing the hustle mentality into spiritual life, we can paint our experiences with a spiritual mindset and stay firm in our resolve regardless of the fluctuations in the excitement we may feel. Simply your life and uncover your true nature. Let the light shine in, so you can deepen your connection with a divine higher power.
There is a whole lot of information out there. It’s not that having access to it is wrong, but we need to be an informed consumer, considering the source and handling its messages with spiritual maturity. Don’t allow the noise to overtake your personal journey. We have to create space for ourselves to get in tune with who we are, so we don’t fall into someone else’s natural path. Krishna in the Gita teaches this point by saying that it is better for us to follow our own path imperfectly than to live an imitation of someone else’s life with perfection.
We are here to lift each other up and serve each other. Even when we feel depleted, like we can’t actively help others, we can still extend our compassion by praying. We have limited capacity and can’t do everything. However, Krishna, our Supreme Best Friend, has unlimited capacity and can carry all that we lack and preserve what we have. When we detach from the role we have to play and offer it all to our Supreme Bestie, we can taste the sweetness of God’s love and be a conduit of the Divine plan.
Relationships are an integral part of our spiritual lives, but it takes mutual work and sacrifice. Many of us come from broken homes or parents with strained marriages, so it’s important to model healthy relationships and define relationship failure and success. We can make our relationships sacred by centering them on mutual spiritual interests and getting clear on our purpose and what we are looking for. Us loving each other is a beautiful act of service.
Today’s Spirit Matters conversation focused on a section from the Journey Within titled “Have Patience, With Wisdom”. There is no formula or barometer for how we should respond to situations. Everyone has different triggers. With awareness of our emotional, allergic reactions, we can allow ourselves to trust our intuition and accept our limitations. We have the power and responsibility for how we respond and show up in situations.
We don’t need to overcomplicate things because there is simplicity at the core of it all. Do less. Everything you need is within this moment. When we learn to be present, love fully with our hearts, and trust that we are being guided, we will be equipped with the tools to handle the divine unfolding of our lives with spiritual maturity.
During our spiritual journey, we create different practices that develop into habits with time and dedication. Sometimes though, we may become rigid in our habits and feel guilt or shame when we fall out of practice. In the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna talks about being balanced in our eating, sleeping, work, and recreation. Breaks are essential. Life is not meant for just austerity, sacrifice, or practice. Habits are meant to serve a purpose for a period of time, and the time for austerity and sacrifice will naturally arise. Create space in your life for recreation, abundance, joy, happiness, and pleasure. Live intentionally and knowledgeably! Find your joy!
Devotees are just people, but we may put them on a hierarchy or pedestal depending on their actions. Everyone is on their own individual journey. Standings and hierarchies can change, so we can work towards a place where we see beyond someone’s position and social standing. When we go beneath the layers and see someone’s humanness, we create space for them to work through their stuff, so they can arrive at a place where they understand themselves and who they are.
We are all searching for belonging and acceptance and may sometimes take on different personas to be liked by others. When we eventually find our home, however, it becomes more natural to truly be ourselves. We can cultivate this feeling of home when we love from a place where we accept ourselves and others for who they are and where they are at in life.
We are all on our own journeys. Our timeline is unique to us, so it shouldn’t be compared to someone else’s path. We can fill our moments with presence and use the homesickness we may feel as our guide and compass to find our true home and belonging.
Understanding how the material world operates is not meant to leave us anxious or scared. It’s meant for us to develop respect for material nature and drive us towards faith and surrender to a Divine Higher Power. The recipe to not become apathetic and complacent is to check our internal forecast everyday and to put on our spiritual armor. In that way, we can leave the house prepared to meet the world with a softer, kinder heart.
We are meant to travel towards spiritual progress together because the journey is not completely smooth sailing. We were never meant to endure the storms and waves alone. When we reach out and share vulnerably, we build our tribe or community of people who support us. This sangha will fortify us. We can be in service to each other, using spiritual principles we learn to uplift.
Detachment doesn’t mean that people and our connections are disposable. People and things matter and have great value, but they don’t belong to us. With loving intention of service to the greater whole, we can spiritualize everything we engage with.
While we explore our paths in life, we often ask ourselves. “How do I know that this is the right path for me?” This is a question that is in constant development and refinement. The paths we take are always dynamic and never run on autopilot. Life is a series of choices. Instead of solidifying one decision for the rest of our lives, we can give ourselves the space to explore things in a human way. We just have to take the next right step, and then pay attention to the changes and transformation we feel on a personal level.
In today’s Ramayana story telling, Sri Ram helps Vishwamitra with the demons defiling his sacrifice through the intentional chanting of mantra and sacred sound vibration. Our words have incredible power. We can speak its magic when we are careful about our values and message. Rather than using words cheaply, thinking things through and controlling the urge to react allows us to deepen our quality of dialogue.
When Dashartha was younger, he hunted but was cursed one day after mistaking a young boy’s sounds for a deer’s and unintentionally killing the child with an arrow. Stricken by grief, the child’s blind parents cursed Dasharatha with the same fate one day. Upon separation from his own son, Dasharatha would be so heartbroken and die. We may wonder: What would happen if Dasharatha was straightforward about this curse earlier? When is it appropriate for us to speak up honestly? Or is it better to hold back sometimes? We are all experiencing different realities. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for every time, place, and circumstance. But by creating space for ourselves to become self aware about what is important to us, we will be better able to share our values upfront and build a safe arena.
This world can be a triggering place sometimes. We may run into interactions where we feel anxious or are reminded of previous trauma. Instead of habitually blaming or judging the person who triggered a reaction out of us, we can allow room to process and ask questions. Our triggers are informational roadmaps directing us towards what we need to personally heal and work on to navigate this world. Judgment and triggers are our teachers and opportunities to look deeper within.
After finishing their studies at the Gurukula, Ram and his brothers return home to Ayodhya and are welcomed by their happy parents. One day the sage, Vishvamitra, comes to Ayodhya to ask the king for a favor to take Rama and Lakshman to protect his ashram from demonic forces that had been creating havoc during his sacred rite. The king was heartbroken and offered to go himself because the boys were too young and had just returned home, but the sage insisted. This story allows us to reflect on what it means to stick to our vows, promises, and words. When we are truthful, things won’t always be fair, but we can learn to welcome the imperfectness as an opportunity to get closer to communion with a Higher Power.
Acyuta continues her story retelling of the Ramayana. At the age of five, Ram and his brothers are sent to gurukula, the ashram of the family spiritual teacher, to develop qualities to become good princes, advisors, and warriors in society. There was a need for diplomatic intrigue, so they were taught politics, but these lessons were also balanced with teachings about art, music, and poetry. This story shows the importance of carving out a period of time in our lives to learn discipline and become aware of ourselves so that we can learn to tap into all of our energies and identities, taking what we need to move through life in a safe way.
There is a parallel between our relationships in this world and our relationship with a Higher Power. In our relationships and communities, we may engage in rote or habitual performances by just going through the motions based on an idea we were once told. We may hold back from authentically sharing what is on our minds or hearts out of fear of losing people and being alone. That mentality of molding ourselves in ways to not be rejected leaves us feeling very lonely though. And when we bring that mindset into religion or spirituality, we don’t develop an intimate and personal relationship with Divinity. We don’t need to engage in mindless and ritualistic routines with God out of fear of being rejected because our Supreme Best Friend will never leave us. We can dive deeper past the superficial surface.
Learning to love looks like allowing people to be on their own timeline, accepting their unique journey, and then adjusting our physical, emotional, or spiritual proximity accordingly. At times, we can be so resistant to change, unable or unwilling to be with our pain. Our Supreme Best Friend believes in us and our abilities though! We don’t need to surrender our pain so quickly. We can allow it to ferment and change us. When we grant ourselves the grace to sit with our feelings and ground ourselves in a strong foundation of lasting values, we get closer to real sustainable change and eventually pure devotional service.
When we live in unconscious states of stress and trauma, we may search for distractions to temporarily fulfill us. There is beauty in just being with ourselves though, and the cure for our loneliness is solitude. Meaningful time alone without reading, eating, listening to podcasts or music, and even without association or chanting is necessary for us to uncover a stable identity of ourselves. Our hearts and consciousness are our internal home that we need to nurture. Our internal house cleaning prepares us to welcome in guests of divine gifts and wisdom
At times, we do ourselves a disservice and betray ourselves when we mistreat our lives, bodies, and minds. Our human life, as stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam, is a very rare achievement. It is compared to a perfectly constructed boat meant to cross the ocean of material existence for the purpose of self realization. We can allow our soul to reach its potential when we develop a relationship of service with our body by being its caretaker and creating quality time to check in with its needs of safety, movement, and nourishment.
Commitments to fasts, cleanses, or detoxes for a period of time are lifestyle changes that can be practiced to reset our body and create lasting, sustainable habits. With all the stimuli coming our way, we don’t realize how overstimulated we are and lack of intentional presence in our lives. We think that we need more and more to function, but in reality, we need less to experience life more deeply.
Our coping mechanisms allow us to adapt with the many challenges in life. They protect us and serve us for a period of time. With a compassionate view and an understanding that our unique body constitutions need different kinds of nourishment, we don’t judge ourselves and others for applying our coping behaviors. Our Divine Person cares if we are happy, so we need to arrange our life towards a baseline of happiness and comfort to allow our spiritual process to progress.
In the divisive nature of our world, we are often quick to take sides and point out the flaw in others’ endorsements. Everyone is figuring things out as they go though, so we need to give each other the space to find the answers to our questions. When we approach in the mood of compassion, it becomes less about proving our point and more about relationship building. Instead of getting entangled in fault finding, we can reconnect with the foundational beliefs that resonate with us and act on the knowledge of Divinity residing in the heart of every living being.
The material world is a wonky and weird place. We have invested so much time trying to crack the code of this material matrix, attempting to mold the system to our desires to a point where it becomes difficult to walk away. As we develop our spiritual mindset, we accept that lasting, authentic happiness lies in reclaiming our freedom of consciously choosing a Higher mentality of service to the whole. When we serve the Divine Center, Krishna will reciprocate by taking care of everything else for us.
We are all in service of something. Depending on who or what we serve, Krishna reciprocates accordingly, rearranging our life to support that action in the future. We do ourselves a great disservice when we stay on the roller coaster ride of identifying with the highs and lows of our temporary successes and failures. We exist transcendental to all that and have the agency to get off the roller coaster ride whenever we want. We can turn towards the template of our spiritual philosophy, practices, and people to contribute in divine partnership to lift each other up and serve a higher purpose.
Each of us has the ability to be the changemakers. Within our communities, we develop genuine connections when we honor our own and others’ journeys. As we learn to show up with introspection and detachment from the results, we realize that there is no such thing as spiritual failure. We can be imperfect and still be accepted. It is in showing up that we transform our relationship with ourselves and our Higher Power.
In today’s social culture, the art of debate has been lost. We may reactively cancel or shut out someone whose views are different from ours. As we develop a spiritual vision, we realize that there is no such thing as categorical “friends” or “enemies”. There is Divinity in the heart of every being. By extending our compassionate views, we begin to mutually hear out each other’s points and learn to separate the person from their idea, identity, or group affiliation.
It is not duplicitous to display different identities of ourselves. With conscious intention, we can engage with our environments by stepping into various qualities of ourselves for a period of time. That role and identity serves a purpose that will eventually be fulfilled. Even Krishna who is transcendental takes on different qualities to interact with different people.
When does keeping it real go wrong? All of us go through our journey of life constantly shifting our material identities. In different environments and group dynamics, we get a chance to test out our different identities and observe how people react in response. Sometimes being ourselves can challenge others’ previously determined idea of who we are. Instead of believing that keeping it real went wrong because a friend was lost, we can begin to shift our perspective to view it as a transitional phase for our surroundings to adjust to our true nature. Being intentionally authentic will attract the right people who are drawn to our energy.
Language is a powerful tool, and sometimes we get into the habit of labeling others by putting them into predetermined boxes or masks. Although it's important to be vigilant and to have boundaries, let us make sure that we don’t label people as good or bad, friends or enemies, with us or against us, but instead differentiate the perspective we may agree or disagree with from the person. As we learn to live more authentically and true to who we are, we begin to see ourselves and everyone else as whole beings who have multiple roles, labels, and masks that can exist at the same time.
The process of spiritual life is very simple, but its application is difficult. We may deviate from the previously carved out path because our false ego yearns for some level of distinction or we may fall off the path when we don’t notice an immediate return from our efforts. The recipe of success is to accept and apply the simple spiritual practices and honor spiritual masters by following the process they had spent their whole lives refining.
Acyuta, Dayal, and Kishor ask and examine whether or not we are allowed to be happy amidst the conditions of suffering in the material world. At times, we take on more than what we can handle and think we can be the controller that saves the world’s symptoms. In reality, the remedy is for all of us to discover contentment within, from our unlimited source. Spiritual and material social work depends on us doing our duty and being detached from the results.
We all have an inner knowing that should never be abandoned in any material or spiritual situation. By becoming self aware about who we are and clearly communicating about our expectations and the limits of our offerings, we protect what’s truly valuable, our internal kingdom of God. We can cultivate an understanding that others have the freedom to ask but that we also have the ability to say no. Even the most spiritual place has gates and gatekeepers.
Oftentimes in life, we place ourselves in the center as the starring role and orbit others around us as supporting characters. We may assign people to identities and roles without their consent, expecting them to fulfill our core needs. By openly communicating our hopes, desires, and expectations within relationships and agreeing on a basis or foundation, we save room for grace and Divinity to enter the center and illuminate our lives.
Dayal, Acyuta, and Kishor share about the different roles we take on while learning to navigate through the ocean of life’s complexities. Sometimes, we may get so caught up with sustaining the image of a label or role that we lose sight of the sense of purpose it was designed to fulfill. Spiritual progress is understanding that our roles move and flow during different waves of our lives and that there is a limit to what we can be. Being everything is a role that is only meant for a Divine Higher Power.
Dayal and Acyuta talk about the value of putting aside labels and social diagnoses to hear out other views different than our own. When we quickly shut out someone before listening to their full story, we discredit their personal “why” or reason. Rather than finding fault in others, we can understand everyone’s unique roles and take the time to hear their wealth of knowledge.
We can all work towards a point where our coping mechanisms that got us or are currently getting us through our lowest points doesn’t become our permanent way of life. Initially, it takes going inward to ask those deep questions and identify what is not truly working. It may not look great in the beginning but the gentle acceptance we develop for ourselves and understanding that our Divine Friend is always there for us will help us find that solution and balance.
Spiritual life is a process of illuminating ourselves so our inner knowing can shine through. We have the opportunity to live in congruence with the nature of our soul’s boundlessness when we get in touch with our body’s signals and align ourselves with our intuition, heart, and soul. As we honor our nature and follow our unique path, we get closer to divinity.
Each of us where are called to honor where we are at in our personal journeys and apply spiritual teachings according to our own unique nature and season in life. We can respect and have compassion for all beings, without necessarily liking everything about everyone or being liked by everyone. Regardless of dynamic changes with people and our relationships with them, our intimate connection with our dear, Divine Friend doesn’t need to change.
Every living being is a spirit soul and is encased in a material body, struggling in the material world and developing stories that are all worthy of sharing and hearing. At the same time, we can balance using our self awareness and discretion to filter everyone’s full story to bring complete context to the situation rather than instinctively rejecting or even being blindly compassionate to a fault.
Dayal, Kishor, and Acyuta share about the accountability and responsibility that is vital to a real, loving relationship. Sometimes, we approach relationships assuming a lack in the other or a one-sidedness. In reality, our Divine Friend is more invested than we can fathom. The antidote to our troubles is to give service. We have the opportunity to change our frequency flow to wade into the current of love at any moment.
Today, Dayal, Kishor, and Acyuta discuss the impressions our choices print on our mind. When we show up for our practices and relationships, we reinforce the belief that life matters and that we aren’t alone. Whether spiritual or material, we all have faith in something and our choices build that faith and create a proclivity towards that action again.
Sometimes decluttering our life can be challenging because we have gotten comfortable with a certain identity we have built up for ourselves. Shifting our focus on something higher allows us to get back to what is truly essential. The act of surrendering and letting go welcomes new, bright, and wonderful blessings to enter our lives.
Moving away from the material shore can be disorienting and feel like a lack of progress. The association of like-minded spiritual individuals is what can lift us up from that space. In them, we can see the fruits of spiritual progress and become inspired, nourished and encouraged to keep going.
Dhanya, Acyuta, and Dayal share about a shift in perspective and consciousness we can take in our endeavor to approach Divinity. Our setbacks and material exhaustion can propel us to deepen our spiritual dependence in a healthy way that propels us towards connection.
Kishor, Dhanya and Acyuta share about the process of faith and the unfolding of lessons in our lives. We can slowly break down the rigid boxes and expectations of what our lives are supposed to materially look like, shifting our priorities to an alignment of faith with love rather than control.
Today, Dayal, Kishor, Dhanya, and Acyuta discuss the integration of service in every aspect and the impact we have in others’ lives. A lot of spirituality focuses on the light, but an underrated contribution to our spiritual lives is also our waste, trauma, and shadow. Not only does our pain impact others, but also our healing process reverberates into our relationships and community. Responding to someone’s suffering requires compassion, prayer, and boundaries. We can make a huge difference with just the people around us. Purpose does not have to be grand, it can be local and meaningful
Today, Dayal, Kishor, and Acyuta discuss what trust looks like in our spiritual lives. We can take that courageous first step towards Krishna, being vulnerable and open and making space both for someone else and for ourselves. Sometimes we allow our coping mechanisms and narratives to become our way of life. Instead, we can reframe the experience and ask ourselves what meaning or purpose the situation is showing us. Love given freely is something that’s never lost. We are always perfect, complete, and whole and can approach the world looking to develop and enhance that understanding.
Today, Dayal, Kishor, and Acyuta discuss the importance of grounding ourselves in spiritual teachings/truth, spiritual teachers, and community. Developing a spiritual practice is like a series of experiments and we can start small and watch how our Supreme best friend reciprocates, focusing on the quality and right mood instead of a checklist of things to do.
The climate of the material world is that there’s going to be challenges, discomfort and even misery sometimes. Whatever comes our way, we are equipped with the spiritual resources to address it. At every moment, we have an opportunity to choose how we can relate to our experience, being aware of our thought patterns and the energy we put out.
We can learn to give ourselves permission to show up completely just as we are. There’s no need to put on a show. It’s not a hierarchy or competition. We are all here to learn together and from each other.
Each person we meet is a divine spark with something to offer. When we seek to lift others up and help them shine, we gain personal realization and spiritual depth.
Kishor and Dayal chat with Vira about discovering the vision of our lives and seeking to align with the ever unfolding divine plan that is being revealed to us in each moment.
We give tremendous amounts of power to other people when we let their opinions of us dictate how we feel about ourselves. Part of spiritual Sanga is learning to find like-minded spiritual company without needing everyone to think the same way we do.
We all have lots going on in life. Our ability to do the things we want to do doesn't necessarily depend on how much time we have, but the amount of energy we give during the time we spending doing things. Today, Dayal, Kishor and Acyuta discuss being more intentional with our time and paying attention to where our energy may be leaking.
Surrendering is a process of humbling ourselves and realizing that we are not alone. We have the opportunity at every moment to let go of any expectations of what we think life is supposed to look like. We don’t have to have it all together because we have a benevolent, well-wishing friend behind the scenes who will meet us exactly where we’re at with all our imperfections.
The situations placed in front of us are not random. It’s a divine opportunity for us to learn to surrender and find new layers of our relationship with God and each other. As we deepen this connection and honor my own stories, we can invite others to do the same.
Separate yourself from the stories of your mind and become willing to share your spiritual journey with others regardless of how it may or may not be received. We all have something unique to give, because nobody else has lived our story and can share from that vantage point. Oftentimes we make impacts in ways we never know. Our growth is in the process, not necessarily the outcome.