Count yourself out of material existence

Count me out of this,” is an idiomatic way of saying, “I won’t participate in this.” Counting as a precursor to withdrawal comprises the modus operandi of the Sankhya system of philosophy. Sankhya specializes in analyzing material existence into its constituent elements. This exercise in intellectual deconstruction is meant to demystify worldly objects, thereby decreasing their lure. Through the eyes of Sankhya, we see that all material objects are essentially lumps of various material elements such as earth, water, fire and air – none of which trigger our fantasies of pleasure, as do sense objects. By contemplating that even the most alluring sense objects are essentially conglomerations of these unalluring elements, we can see through those objects’ seductiveness. By further contemplation, we can recognize that matter lacks consciousness, whereas we ourselves possess consciousness. So, we can infer that we are different from matter. Accordingly, sankhya bifurcates existence into two realities: conscious beings called purusha and insentient matter called prakriti. These are also referred to as kshetra (the field of action, specifically the body – the arena of action for embodied consciousness) and kshetra-jna (the knower of the field, the soul – the source of consciousness). The Bhagavad-gita integrates sankhya within its devotional Weltanschauung. In its thirteen chapter, it probes the nature, provenance and transformation of the field of action and its knower (13.04). The Gita explains that our individual consciousness is eternally part of infinite consciousness, whose highest manifestation is the all-attractive supreme person, Krishna. We are meant to be united with Krishna in eternal ecstatic love. By sankhya’s intellectual deconstruction and bhakti’s spiritual redirection, we gradually count ourselves out of material existence, in both conception and action. That is, we understand our non-material identity and redirect our innate longing for happiness from worldly objects towards Krishna, thereby paving our way to liberation from material existence.

Change the home page of your mind’s browser

Suppose our computer browser has a particular site set as its default home page. If we don’t want to visit that page, we close that tab whenever it opens up. But a better solution is to explore the browser’s preferences, find the home page setting and alter it. Just as our computer browser may have some default setting, so may our mind, which is akin to our inner browser. The mind tends to go towards certain objects based on its past impressions and the attendant conditionings – that innate tendency comprises our primary attachment. The object to which we are attached is like the mind’s home page. If we wish to grow spiritually, we need to change our mind’s home page from agitating worldly objects to a sublime spiritual object. The process of sadhana-bhakti involves mechanically closing the unwanted tab that is opened by the mind. The Bhagavad-gita (06.26) urges us to patiently and persistently bring the mind under control, whenever and wherever it wanders. Bhakti-yoga takes us beyond merely controlling the mind to concentrating it on spiritual reality, ultimately the highest spiritual reality, God, Krishna. That contact with the supreme spiritual substance brings sublime fulfillment. Such fulfillment makes us less allured by worldly things and more inspired to stay focused on Krishna – this inner reorientation comprises the essence of purification. The more we become purified, the more our consciousness naturally gravitates towards Krishna. Whenever our mind’s browser opens a new tab by exploring some new thought, it consciously or subconsciously connects that thought with Krishna, thereby keeping our consciousness in a safe satisfying spiritual zone. The Gita (12.19) indicates that for committed devotees even if they are not physically situated at home, their consciousness has found its home in Krishna. By practicing bhakti-yoga diligently, we too can make Krishna our inner home.

Unconscious decisions are usually unhealthy decisions

Suppose we suddenly feel hungry. We might have nearby some snacks – some fatty, some non-fatty. If we consciously contemplate what we are doing, we will remember our resolve to lose weight. Of course, even after we remember our resolve, we may still have to battle the temptation to take the fatty snack. But if we don’t even realize that our hand has gone to that snack and placed it in our mouth, we end up losing the battle even before we start fighting. What makes us take such unconscious, unhealthy decisions? It is our mind, which often acts as our enemy, as the Bhagavad-gita (06.05) indicates. How can we avoid such decisions? Firstly, by making those decisions more difficult by creating obstacles and delays. For example, we can avoid keeping fatty snacks nearby, thereby necessitating some effort to get that snack; and the ensuing delay may well be enough time for the mind’s spell on us to break and for us to realize what we are doing. Secondly, we can cultivate greater self-awareness by practicing meditation. When our attention wanders, even against our will, we realize that the mischievous mind is at work. If we invest effort in re-focusing the mind, that investment increases our overall level of inner alertness. Such alertness helps us detect and reject the mind when it underhandedly foists its decisions on us. Thirdly and most importantly, we can work at changing our mind’s definition of pleasure. Bhakti-yoga centered on cultivating devotional remembrance of the highest spiritual reality, Krishna, gives us sublime fulfillment. Diligent practice of this yoga of love helps the mind realize that spiritual contemplation brings far greater satisfaction than sensual gratification. When the mind’s definition of pleasure is thus revised, it prompts us towards healthy decisions – not just in eating but also in living at large. 

Spiritual wisdom is to be mulled over, not skimmed over

We live in a culture of information overload – updates from various devices, feeds and apps clamor for our attention. We cope by skimming over most of what we read. Even if skimming is a necessary survival skill today, this habit that helps in matters of matter can harm in matters of spirit. By the time we finish skimming a piece, we may struggle to recall the first thing in what we just read. But recollection is foundational to application, which is the purpose of spiritual knowledge. In material life, we skim because what we read is largely irrelevant. In spiritual life, we skim because what we read often seems familiar, especially after we have heard the basic philosophy. However, such skimming overlooks that spiritual knowledge’s value comes not from its informational novelty, but from its transformational potency. The essence of spiritual knowledge is that we are at our core souls, beloved parts of the all-attractive supreme Krishna; and we can find lasting happiness by redirecting our love from the world to him. We grow spiritually not by learning new facts, but by developing a closer relationship with our oldest benefactor. And we come closer to Krishna by applying what he teaches. Such application through assimilation is demonstrated in the Bhagavad-gita. While concluding his message (18.63), Krishna asked Arjuna to deliberate before deciding what to do. Arjuna responded by internalizing the message and altering his course of action – he chose to act according to Krishna’s enlightened guidance (18.73), thereby attaining both material and spiritual success (18.78). So, rather than skimming over spiritual knowledge, we can mull over how we have been applying it, what challenges we have faced, and how we can overcome them. By such contemplation, we can deepen our realization, strengthen our devotion and increase our spiritual satisfaction.

Let your dreams be a spur for action, not a substitute for them

We often dream of improving things. Among all species, we humans have the distinctive, even unique, capacity to dream of a better future and then strive to actualize it. For example, birds keep staying in a similar kind of nest generation after generation, but we envision and erect better houses. Indeed, our capacity to dream has enabled us to develop technology and change the shape of the world around us. And yet this very capacity can work against us if we let our dreams become divorced from reality. That is, if we dream without doing anything tangible to change things, then our dreaming aggravates our divorce from reality. We may keep fantasizing about doing big, big things, while actually becoming increasingly paralytic about doing even simple, basic things. The Bhagavad-gita (18.35) cautions that daydreaming characterizes determination in the mode of ignorance. To keep fantasizing amidst an unpleasant reality requires determination. But if such dreaming is used to rationalize negligence of reality and responsibility, then such behavior represents determination in ignorance. Instead of such ignorant dreaming, Gita wisdom offers us a far superior alternative: enlightened dreaming. The Gita sparks our spiritual imagination by helping us understand our essential identity as souls and providing us access to the unlimited happiness available to us as eternal, beloved parts of the all-attractive, all-loving supreme: Krishna. And the practice of bhakti-yoga in the association of seasoned spiritualists gives us glimpses of that sublime satisfaction, further kindling our devotional dreams. Being thus inspired, when we take tangible steps towards developing spiritual love for Krishna, our dreams become spurs for dynamic activism in a mood of devotion . Such devotional activism brings about, by Krishna’s mercy, the most enduring and fulfilling improvement: the spiritualization of our consciousness and the unending satisfaction thereof.

Discipline is the fusion of intention with action

We may sometimes lament: “I could do so much more in my life if I were more disciplined.” To cultivate discipline, we can break it into its essential components, which can be said to be inner contemplation and outer execution. When either of these is missing, our attempts for discipline flounder and falter. Suppose we do something externally because others want us to do it – not because we ourselves are convinced about doing it. For example, if we begin dieting because our well-wishers tell us to, we will soon give in to eating binges if we still believe that dieting isn’t all that important. Conversely, we may feel inspired to do something worthwhile, but may not act tangibly on it. For example, if we aspire to write a book, our aspiration will languish on our unfulfilled dreams list if we don’t make any time for it in our schedules. Once we understand discipline’s inner and outer dimensions, we can boost ourselves with aids at both levels. Internally, we can read inspiring wisdom about that discipline, prepare and verbalize our statement of purpose, and revisit it regularly to solidify our intention. Externally, we can associate with those aspiring to be similarly disciplined and connect with friends who can act as our accountability partners. Gita wisdom helps us to fuse intention with action especially when we strive for spiritual discipline. By illumining our inner territory with philosophical wisdom, it reminds us that we are souls, parts of the omnipotent supreme, Krishna, and are meant for everlasting devotional fulfillment. And the Gita guides us towards spiritually-minded people, thereby helping us start and sustain spiritual actions. The Bhagavad-gita (02.64) indicates that when we regulate outer sensory engagement and cultivate inner restraint, we attain purity and mercy – the harbingers of unending spiritual satisfaction.

Purification means changing the mind’s default programming

While practicing spiritual life and striving for purity, we may become disheartened: “Today’s culture fills me with so many impure desires. And my mind too goes off on so many impure fantasies. Will I ever become pure?” Yes, definitely. In fact, purity is our eternal natural state. We are at our core pure – we are souls, who are eternal parts of the all-pure Supreme, Krishna. To reclaim our innate purity, we just need to change our mind’s default programming. Suppose we have a computer with some undesirable default programming. We don’t need to blame or discard the computer. Nor do we need to berate ourselves or dismiss our chances of using it. We just need to get down to work for changing its programming. Similarly, even if we find ourselves getting caught in impure thoughts, we don’t need to blame the world, thereby casting ourselves into the role of a helpless victim. Nor do we need to blame ourselves, thereby burdening ourselves with unhelpful guilt. We just need to get down to work for changing the mind’s default programming. Indeed, the whole process of yoga is meant for bringing about this change in the mind. TheBhagavad-gita (06.15) assures that the mind becomes calmed by sustained yoga practice, thereby facilitating the seeker’s progress towards liberation. Bhakti-yoga purifies the mind most expeditiously because it offers the most satisfying object for contemplation: the all-attractive, all-pure supreme spiritual reality, Krishna. Though our mind may wander during our devotional practices, still the effort to focus it on Krishna gives it a glimpse of higher reality and deeper fulfillment thereof. By repeated experience of this higher sweeter reality, the mind gradually becomes inclined to focus on Krishna instead of worldly objects. When the mind accepts Krishna as its default source of happiness, purity becomes ours.

Problems that can’t be solved need to be dissolved

Suppose water flowing in a particular direction is blocked by some stone. The water keeps flowing at the stone, trying to go below, above or around it till it finally manages to dissolve the stone. The water never gives up its dharma of flowing even if it can’t flow ahead. Similarly, our forward movement in life may sometimes be stopped by a barrier. We may have an incurable health condition, we may be caught in an incompatible relationship or we may be trapped in a financial bind. When we let ourselves dwell constantly on a problem, it tends to become bigger and bigger, and our capacity to deal with it seems to dwindle. Over time, we become mentally paralyzed, thinking incessantly about the problem and thinking about nothing other than the problem. Just as water keeps moving, life too keeps moving. And we too need to keep moving with life. Even if we can’t solve the problem, we need to dissolve the problem. How? By raising our consciousness to a higher spiritual level of reality. Whatever problem comes upon us at the material level of reality, we as souls are different from it and are above it. The Bhagavad-gita (18.58) assures that those who focus on the supreme spiritual reality, Krishna, are blessed by his grace to pass over the problems. By infusing us with the conviction that we are servants of Krishna and are meant to always serve him, no matter what happens, we can guide the water of our consciousness to find a way for flowing on, that is, for finding a way to keep serving. The focus on service shifts our consciousness from the material obstacle to the spiritual opportunity, thereby dissolving the problem’s stranglehold on us and releasing our creative energy for finding constructive solutions. 

The word will change the world by changing the will

When we study the Bhagavad-gita, some people ask, “How is a book written thousands of years ago going to make any practical difference amidst the many problems that the world faces today?” The Gita’s relevance comes from its timeless essence – an essence that has the power to activate within the human heart the transformational power of love. By its original narration, the Gita transformed a confused and disheartened warrior to an enlightened and determined warrior, as is evident in Arjuna’s first-person testimony (18.73). And this transformation came about not just by some circumstantial pep talk, but by transcendental wisdom that can even today change our self-conception and our motivation for action. The Gita helps us understand that we are at our core spiritual beings. And all that we do is at its root animated by a core aspiration: the longing to love and be loved. This love can be fulfilled forever when directed towards an eternal object. The Gita reveals the highest eternal object to be Krishna, the all-attractive, all-loving Supreme Person. And we all can direct our love towards him by the practical process of bhakti-yoga. While bhakti-yoga centers on directly devotional activities such as chanting, hearing and worshiping, it also includes in its scope our entire life with all its activities. Thus, bhakti inspires us to act in a mood of devotion in whatever we do in this world. The world’s problematic state of affairs arises ultimately because people use their will wrongly. And they misuse their will because of ignorance, ignorance that makes people believe that their short-term material infatuations matter more than their long-term spiritual interests. Gita wisdom raises our vision to the spiritual level, thereby changing the human will and laying the foundation for the most sustainable change in the world. 

For getting Krishna, forgetting Krishna is fatal

When we get anything valuable in our life, we usually desire it and strive for it. Such desiring and striving naturally center on remembering. A person who wants to buy a new car, especially a prized car, remembers it frequently. Remembrance is a natural result of affection; simultaneously remembrance is also the way to develop affection. This principle of recollection engendering affection applies to all things in general – the advertising industry uses it to sell us products by bombarding us repeatedly and alluringly with images of those products. But this principle applies all the more so to Krishna. Why does it apply especially to Krishna? Because he is all-attractive and all-purifying. We may not feel attracted to him because of our impurities, just as rusted iron is not attracted to a magnet. Thankfully, Krishna is also all-purifying – if we keep connecting with him through remembrance, that connection will purify us, thereby kindling our latent attraction for him. The Bhagavad-gita (12.09) indicates that the diligent practice of remembering him will engender within us desire for him. While practicing bhakti-yoga, if we forget Krishna, then we will naturally remember something else. As conscious beings, we can’t live without thinking of something. And we usually think of those things that we believe will give us pleasure. So, when we forget Krishna, our consciousness will go towards our past attachments, thereby fuelling our desires for them. The resulting obsession will drag us further and further away from Krishna. By thus understanding that forgetting Krishna is fatal for getting Krishna, we can strive diligently to remember him. If we remember him whenever he is manifest before us while we perform directly devotional activities, Krishna will gradually permeate and pervade our consciousness, thereby making his remembrance steadier, stronger and sweeter – till he ultimately becomes our life’s foremostreality.

God acts through us and beyond us – and always for us –

When we need to do something difficult, we may pray for help. Skeptics mock such praying: “What is its use? If you have an exam, is God going to answer the questions for you?” Such skeptics misunderstand the nature of the human-divine relationship. Prayer is meant to not replace human endeavor, but to guide and complement it. When we pray, God can of course respond by changing things outside our control. But he can also respond by empowering and guiding us. Thus, God acts both beyond us and through us. Krishna’s multiple modes of action are demonstrated in the Mahabharata. During the climactic war, Arjuna fought tirelessly and fearlessly. Especially on the fourteenth day, when he had vowed to fell Jayadratha before sunset, he singlehandedly penetrated deep into the Kaurava army. He achieved such a stupendous feat not by his archery skill alone but primarily by Krishna’s empowerment. This became evident when that empowerment was withdrawn after Krishna’s departure from the world – whereas the world’s foremost warriors couldn’t stop Arjuna earlier, now he couldn’t stop some petty thieves. The Bhagavad-gita (11.33) conveys that Arjuna was divinely empowered. In that same vein, it (10.37) indicates that Arjuna’s opulence manifested Krishna’s splendor. Yet on that momentous fourteenth day, though Arjuna exercised his power fully, he still fell short of Jayadratha. Krishna compensated for the shortfall by using his mystic power to cover the sun, thereby lulling the Kauravas into complacency and giving Arjuna the precious moments necessary for accomplishing his mission. Through all the mysterious ways in which Krishna acts, he always acts for us. Being everyone’s well-wisher (Gita 05.29), he orchestrates things for our ultimate welfare. By meditating on his benevolence, we can stay fixed in our service prayerfully and determinedly, letting divine grace guide and complement our human endeavor – 

Distraction is draining; concentration is energizing

When we practice meditation and strive to focus our mind on higher spiritual reality, the struggle to concentrate can be disheartening. But we don’t have to become disheartened; we can see the struggle more positively – as initially demanding, but eventually fulfilling. The Bhagavad-gita (06.26) reflects such optimism: It acknowledges the mind’s distractibility, but still encourages us to focus on spiritual reality. And the next verse (06.27) assures that such diligent practice will cleanse the mind, thereby making it peaceful and joyful. If we practice meditation determinedly, it will gradually become enlivening, especially when we meditate on the supreme spiritual reality, Krishna. Such devotional meditation comprises an inexhaustible inner energy source that will energize us throughout the day. Even if we don’t succeed in concentrating during meditation, the sincere attempt to concentrate will foster within us the healthy habit of becoming self-aware. The resulting enhanced alertness will help us in other aspects of our life too – whenever we become distracted, we will recognize faster that we have become distracted and will more quickly reorient ourselves. Of course, as compared to the effort needed to concentrate, we may feel that going along with the mind is so easy. But that ease will soon end in exasperation. If we go through the motions of meditation without striving to concentrate internally, we will feel irritated that our time has been wasted. And as we will have let the run wild during meditation, the mind’s wild momentum won’t let us later focus on other things that need to be done. Thus, even without having done anything substantial, we will end up feeling drained by the mind’s relentless running around. Instead, if we strive diligently to concentrate during meditation, our mind will gradually become calmer and clearer, thereby helping us make our whole life more purposeful, productive and fulfilling. –

Love is not just feeling – it is giving

Love is commonly used to refer to the strong emotion that one person may feel for another. Yet love is not just a feeling; it is giving – a giving of oneself for another’s sake. Consider a mother’s love for her newborn. She certainly has strong feelings for her baby, but what defines her relationship with the infant is giving. If the baby starts crying at midnight, the mother doesn’t bother about whether she herself feels good or not. Instead, she strives to calm her baby by giving herself – her milk, her soothing words, her comforting caresses, her reassuring presence. In any relationship, the more we focus on giving instead of feeling, the more we stabilize and strengthen that relationship. This same principle applies to our devotional relationship with Krishna too. This giving aspect of devotion is conveyed in a three-verse sequence in the Bhagavad-gita (09.26-28) that describes the performance of bhakti-yoga at advanced and not-so-advanced levels. Advanced devotees offer Krishna their heart and their entire being. Even if constrained circumstances compel them to make their practical offering very simple – a leaf, a flower, a fruit or just a glass of water – their mood of giving still pleases Krishna (09.26). Not-so-advanced devotees can cultivate that giving mood by offering to Krishna whatever work they do (09.27). If they steadily offer him the things dear to them at their level of consciousness, they gradually rise to life’s supreme perfection: eternal love for Krishna (09.28). When we cultivate this giving aspect of devotion, we can transcend the unsteadiness that characterizes our spiritual practice when it is driven primarily by feelings. Rather than bothering about how we feel while practicing bhakti, we focus on giving ourselves in committed service to Krishna. The resulting connection with him gradually makes us feel spiritually fulfilled – deeply, transformationally, perennially fulfilled.

Material progress centers on having what we want; spiritual progress, on wanting what we have

Some people feel that taking to spiritual life means abandoning all efforts to progress in life. But their feeling stems from an unexamined assumption: progress means material progress alone. Spiritual life involves progress too, but of a different kind. In material life, progress frequently means procuring, possessing and parading what we want – gadgets, dresses, cars and so forth. But such a conception of progress keeps us perpetually dissatisfied. Why? Because firstly, the world constantly keeps coming up with new-looking things; and secondly, today’s aggressive advertising keeps bringing these things on our sensory pathways. Such glamorization makes the pursuit of material progress an ever-moving, never-reachable target – a mirage. Does being progressive necessitate sentencing ourselves to perpetual dissatisfaction? No, provided we choose an alternative conception of progress. Spiritual progress centers on appreciating the value of what we have: Krishna, the Lord of the Goddess of Fortune – the all-attractive supreme being who is already present in our heart. Krishna is eternally the source of the supreme satisfaction. And we can relish that satisfaction if we absorb our consciousness in his remembrance and service. But just as a child infatuated with a toy may turn its mouth away from a delicacy, we unintelligently turn our consciousness away from Krishna because of our desires for worldly things. We can counter such desires by practicing bhakti-yoga, which redirects our heart towards Krishna. The more we start wanting what we have – the presence of Krishna, and the opportunity to remember and serve him – the more we relish sublime spiritual happiness. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (06.22) states that the most progressive spiritualists who have perceived the highest spiritual reality feel that nothing higher remains to be gained. That is, the zenith of spiritual progress makes them perfectly and perennially satisfied in Krishna. 

When your mental expressway gets overcrowded, direct your thought traffic with your intelligence

Suppose we are caught in a traffic jam on an expressway. We honk and maneuver, but make little progress. But instead of staying vexed, we intelligently call the traffic police. They come promptly and take control. They direct vehicles here to stop, vehicles there to move aside, vehicles there to move forward – and soon the road becomes clear. Similarly, sometimes we may find ourselves caught in an inner traffic jam – our thought traffic may congest our mental expressway. As various possibilities, cravings and worries all try to surge forward inside us, we find ourselves unable to think clearly or act confidently. We consider one course of action, but it seems to lead nowhere. So, we give it up to consider another, but it too seems unviable. And so it goes on – our thoughts keep us agitated and immobilized. At such times, we need to urgently call a competent thought traffic controller. Thankfully, we have such a controller readily available within: our own intelligence. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (06.26) recommends focusing the mind using the intelligence sustained by conviction. Intelligence that is not spiritually convinced can get overwhelmed by the thought traffic’s volume. But we can boost our intelligence by regular study of scripture. And we can complement it by invoking the supreme intelligence Krishna, whose presence manifests through sincere prayer and meditation. When the intelligence is thus spiritually strengthened, it can put first things first. Amidst all the thoughts honking inside us, it can focus on the eternal truth that we are indestructible souls; that Krishna is always in control; and that our infallible purpose is to serve him. When contemplation on these unchanging truths calms us, we get the inner security and clarity to determine the best way to serve Krishna, thus clearing the inner traffic jam. 

Caring means sharing

Suppose one person tells another, “I care for you.” But if the first person is having food and the second person is hungry, the claim of caring rings hollow if the first person doesn’t share any food with the second. Caring naturally means sharing. The same principle applies to spiritual life. The topmost spiritualists don’t turn away from the world to pursue their own liberation but instead strive to share with everyone the spiritual happiness they are relishing. The Bhagavad-gita (06.32) states that the topmost yogis are those who see the essential equality of all living beings in their happiness and distress. Their equal vision points to an underlying insight: just as they themselves were dissatisfied earlier when they neglected their spiritual side but have found satisfaction in spiritual nourishment, they realize that everyone else too would experience dissatisfaction and satisfaction similarly. And just as a caring person shares food with a hungry person, the topmost yogis share the spiritual nourishment they are relishing with others who are spiritually undernourished. Significantly, this realization of equal vision comes most efficaciously bhakti-yoga, which the same Gita chapter indicates is the highest yoga (06.47). In this yoga of devotion, spiritual seekers bypass the laborious process of renouncing the world for pursuing enlightenment. Instead, bhakti wisdom enables them to look above the world to its source, Krishna, and see that all living beings are connected with him. Thus, they recognize that they can progress towards Krishna by serving him in this world itself – by relishing the joy of devotional fulfillment in loving and serving him and sharing that joy with others. Of course, the bhakti tradition is so inclusive that it even incorporates renunciation – devotee monks adopt renunciation not to turn away from the world but to free themselves from worldly distractions so that they can better share spiritual wisdom with the world. 

Materialism reduces life to a disrelation of unrelated events

Suppose we watch a movie in which events are utterly unconnected, characters pop in and out with no logic and the story moves without any theme or direction, leave alone conclusion. We would soon get exasperated: “What’s the point of all this? Why should I watch such a movie?” Unfortunately, materialism forces us to not just watch such a pointless movie – it makes us live such a movie. A materialistic worldview reduces our life to a disrelation of unrelated events. It makes us believe that we are nothing but chemicals that have somehow come alive. And that delicate chemical balance that comprises us can be destroyed forever at any moment, by just one bug or one bag. Thus, our present existence is reduced to a wobbly, chancy chaos within two infinities of non-existence. Outlining such a materialistic worldview, the Bhagavad-gita (16.08) states that the ungodly proponents of such a belief system hold that there exists no God and no ultimate reality – selfish desire is existence’s only motivating force. And even that desire is doomed to frustration with inexorable death. Rescuing us from such a morass of meaninglessness, Gita wisdom debunks materialism by spotlighting life’s spiritual side. It explains that our search for meaning comes from something beyond matter – our spiritual essence. And only at that same trans-material level of reality is meaning truly found. The ephemerality and misery of life in this world is meant ultimately to impel us to raise our consciousness to the spiritual level. At that level, we as eternal souls can relish love eternal with the all-attractive Absolute Truth, Krishna. By learning to love him through the practice of bhakti-yoga, we can persevere and grow even through life’s greatest reversals, knowing that his immortal love will endure and elevate us beyond the vagaries of this mortal world –