Just before entering this beautiful month of Kartika, I decided to go on an adventure of being more present with my inner reflections on Lord Damodara’s pastimes and praying to strengthen my devotional relationship with my spouse. Each year as we celebrate this month, the sweet pastime of Mother Yasoda binding Damodara reminds us […]
Misconceptions about the Brahmacari Ashram
“There are a lot of misconceptions about the brahmacharya ashram in our society. The first is that a brahmachari (student monk) is meant to remain a brahmachari forever. And if a brahmachari decides to (inevitably) change ashrams to get married or to even simply not wear saffron cloth anymore, this is considered a “falldown” and […]
Harmonious Discord in Marriage
A dramatic paradox of marriage is that qualities which originally attract a couple, in time can become a source of irritation. Is this a hopeless flaw of the creation or an enigma beckoning our understanding? Scene one, Everything’s Perfect, We’re in Heaven. Rama had become attracted to Manjari, a carefree extroverted life of the party, who […]
Femininity Honored
sristi-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga icchanurupam api yasya ca cestate sa govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami “The external potency, maya, who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit [spiritual] potency, is worshiped by all people as Durga, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the […]
The Wealthy Marriage
Confirming the old adage that money cannot buy happiness, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, with a net worth of $137 billion, is divorcing from his wife of 25 years. On the other hand, extensive research by the Gottman Institute has shown that one of the traits of a successful marriage is affluence, but of a much […]
The Stay High Marriage
A culture of appreciation can help us stay high forever, what to speak of improve our marriage. As we devotees would say in the early days of ISKCON, “Chant Hare Krsna and stay high forever!” Krsna is known as Stavyapriya, one who likes being praised, so it is natural that we also find it uplifting. […]
Oh, yes! Let’s deal with this Conflict
Most of us don’t like conflict. We’re afraid it will harm our relationships. But conflict doesn’t ruin relationships, lack of positive connection does. It’s not if you fight (that’s inevitable); it’s how you resolve your arguments. “Why do you always let other people talk you into things? You know how much I like to keep […]
10 Tips for Fostering Mutual Respect and Appreciation
In today’s rough and tumble world, practicing courtesy, kindness and respect may seem out of place but NOT for us devotees trying to purify our lives! For us, it is imperative to practice these as ‘devotional service begins at home.’ It is so easy to lose respect and appreciation for each other due to the […]
