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 of
The Wedding Present A devotee in Brazil told us of the unique wedding present he received, a bucket a flashlight and a rope.... for the deep dark well he was entering. Is that an encouraging way to start a marriage? Within our society there has been a plethora of negative attitudes and paradigms about
"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
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
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
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
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.
A lot of the communication problems we experience as a couple comes from “not what we say, but what we don’t say.” When we fail to be honest and direct about our feelings because we don’t want to disturb the relationship, we create a much more insidious relationship problem. Often we suppress or repress unspoken
You’ve probably heard this before. Being in close relationships and being married, is like dancing. Couples who have healthy relationships become partners, cooperating in rhythmic or sometimes awkward movements. You figure out how to fulfill your needs and how to move across the landscape of your busy, intertwined lives. You take turns, sometimes one is
Good communication starts with open and respectful listening. This doesn’t mean we have to agree with what we hear, but that we listen with a mood to understand and validate. We listen with both intellect (for the content) and with heart (for the feelings). This receptive attitude builds a loving and trusting relationship. Respect should
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Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (ISKCON Founder Acarya)
Dedicated to His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (ISKCON Founder Acarya)
