Krishna Wisdom

Top Menu

Main Menu

  • Home
  • FAQs
  • Free wisdom ebooks
  • Discuss philosophy
    • Questions archive
    • Ask a question
  • Wisdom Blog
  • Find Us
    • Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford
    • UK Groups

logo

Krishna Wisdom

  • Home
  • FAQs
  • Free wisdom ebooks
    • IQ EQ SQ - Spiritual Quotient

      May 13, 2017
      0
    • Tattva

      May 13, 2017
      0
    • Gita Life

      May 13, 2017
      0
    • Bhakti Life

      May 13, 2017
      0
  • Discuss philosophy
    • Questions archive
    • Ask a question
  • Wisdom Blog
  • Find Us
    • Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford
    • UK Groups
Reflections
Home›Reflections›A Starving Bird in a Polished Cage

A Starving Bird in a Polished Cage

By Nikhil Gohil
April 24, 2019
917
3
Share:

I’d like to introduce you to a place where there is constant conflict between people wearing different colours and varieties of clothing. For example, those in white shirts insult, abuse and cause harm to people wearing black shirts, and vice versa. Even those who are dressed in different shades of the same colour are unable to get along with each other. It sounds ridiculous, but the place I am describing is real – it’s called Earth.

This planet is full of discrimination and fanaticism on the basis of race, nationality, religion and gender, to name a few. But all of these designations are superficial – they are related to the body, which is nothing but a piece of clothing for the soul. In verse 2.22 of the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says, “As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”

The apparent differences which cause so much division in society are completely irrelevant. The soul, which is who we really are, is not black or white, not British, American or Chinese, not Hindu, Christian or Muslim, not man or woman. The only way to eradicate discrimination from this world is to educate people about this fact.

Rather than discriminating between irrelevant things, we should discriminate between the soul and the body, and try to understand the needs of the soul. The needs of the body, such as hunger and thirst, cannot be satisfied by putting on a freshly-ironed shirt or a new pair of jeans, no matter how fancy or expensive the clothes may be. Similarly, the needs of the soul cannot be satisfied simply by caring for the body. Focusing on the body but neglecting the soul is no different from polishing a birdcage but forgetting to feed the bird inside – it’s a waste of time and effort.

The Vedic scriptures explain that what the soul really needs – what it yearns for above all else – is a loving relationship with the Supreme Soul, whose love is unconditional and unlimited. Nothing else can satisfy us.

Tagsbhagavad gitabirdbodycageclothingconflictdiscriminationlovelovingneedspolishedracismrelationshipscripturessoulstarvingsupremevedas
Previous Article

Spiritual Emotion

Next Article

Facing Your Fears: Simple Steps to Overcome ...

Share:

Nikhil Gohil

Nikhil has spent most of his life trying to figure out his purpose. After graduating from university in 2012 with a degree in Accounting and Finance, he worked at his local council for a few years, but always felt that something was missing. After studying an in-depth course on spirituality at Bhaktivedanta Manor, however, he felt that he had found what he was looking for. Desiring to share spiritual wisdom with others, he adopted the life of a full-time monk in 2018. He has a passion for creative and reflective writing, poetry, art, singing, and playing the piano and harmonium.

Related articles More from author

  • Science corner

    Brain Dead

    July 28, 2016
    By Researcher Ryan
  • Reflections

    What Miley Cyrus knows about life and death

    November 14, 2014
    By Apprentice Monk
  • Practical Spirituality

    Facing Your Fears: Simple Steps to Overcome Fear

    October 18, 2019
    By Nikhil Gohil
  • Science corner

    The fast lane

    July 7, 2018
    By Researcher Ryan
  • Science corner

    “You are the universe”

    October 28, 2016
    By Researcher Ryan
  • Wisdom tube

    The Spirituality Quest 2: How does Karma work?

    August 10, 2018
    By Apprentice Monk

3 comments

  1. Jolie 26 April, 2019 at 21:44 Reply

    Wow Nikhil… you’re a spiritual genius of a role model to us ..thank you for sharing your wisdom.
    Haribol x 3 times.

  2. Indira Bashyal Tiwari 14 October, 2019 at 15:42 Reply

    Haribol Nikhil Prabhu,

    What a beautiful way of expression. I am really inspired through this and going to share with many now.

    Haribol x 3

    • Nikhil Gohil 14 October, 2019 at 16:24 Reply

      Thank you for reading! I’m glad you got some inspiration from it.

Leave a reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recommended for you

  • Practical Spirituality

    An amazing secret for reviving any relationship

  • Practical Spirituality

    These 3 secrets of meditation will transform your life

  • Interactive & Quiz

    IN ESSENCE: An online course – Soul, Karma, Reincarnation, Meditation, Yoga and Relationships

Feeling inquisitive?

Ask a question and allow us to scratch your philosophical itch and bring you some peace!


 

Post Categories

Quiz and Courses

9
Interactive & Quiz

IN ESSENCE: An online course – Soul, Karma, Reincarnation, Meditation, Yoga and Relationships

  • The happiness quotient quiz

    By Apprentice Monk
    March 26, 2017

Timeline

  • October 18, 2019

    Facing Your Fears: Simple Steps to Overcome Fear

  • April 24, 2019

    A Starving Bird in a Polished Cage

  • April 12, 2019

    Spiritual Emotion

  • March 29, 2019

    See With Spiritual Eyes

  • March 12, 2019

    Going Nowhere Fast

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Facing Your Fears: Simple Steps to Overcome Fear

    By Nikhil Gohil
    October 18, 2019
  • A Starving Bird in a Polished Cage

    By Nikhil Gohil
    April 24, 2019
  • Spiritual Emotion

    By Nikhil Gohil
    April 12, 2019
  • See With Spiritual Eyes

    By Nikhil Gohil
    March 29, 2019
  • Going Nowhere Fast

    By Nikhil Gohil
    March 12, 2019
  • The happiness quotient quiz

    By Apprentice Monk
    March 26, 2017
  • These 3 secrets of meditation will transform your life

    By Apprentice Monk
    April 25, 2017
  • How not to meditate

    By Apprentice Monk
    November 30, 2016
  • How not to get angry when you want to!

    By Apprentice Monk
    September 15, 2016
  • Going Nowhere Fast

    By Nikhil Gohil
    March 12, 2019
  • Constance Ansu
    on
    March 10, 2020

    How not to get angry when you want to!

  • Radha Govinda das
    on
    December 27, 2019

    How not to meditate

  • Rosie
    on
    December 8, 2019

    How not to meditate

  • Nikhil Gohil
    on
    October 14, 2019

    A Starving Bird in a Polished Cage

  • Indira Bashyal Tiwari
    on
    October 14, 2019

    A Starving Bird in a Polished Cage

Tag Cloud

animated (3) animation (3) atheism (3) atheist (3) bhagavad (9) body (5) care (2) cartoon (3) consciousness (3) death (3) earth (2) ebook (4) free (4) frustration (2) gita (10) god (7) happiness (3) hare (4) heart (2) karma (6) krishna (12) life (12) love (16) lust (2) mantra (3) meditation (7) mind (6) peace (5) philosophy (3) problems (2) reincarnation (7) relationship (5) relationships (2) retreat (6) science (6) scriptures (2) sex (3) soul (12) spiritual (18) spirituality (11) suffering (2) vedas (2) wisdom (9) world (2) yoga (13)

What is Krishna Wisdom?

Krishna Wisdom is a spiritual initiative based at Bhaktivedanta Manor, working in collaboration with School of Bhakti that is aimed at providing spiritual wisdom to seekers of spirituality and philosophy.

We believe that ‘Change begins within’ and hence, an inner transformation precedes universal betterment.

Our aim is to provide knowledge and wisdom of spiritual matters through events, music, courses and most of all – love and spiritual friendship.

© Krishna Wisdom, School of Bhakti, Bhaktivedanta Manor, 2020
This site uses cookies & complies with GDPR: View our cookies, data protection and privacy policy here