June 16, 2024

Questions on today's Swami call: Thank you for your kind mercy. Can you share something about the moods and bhavas of the wives of Sri Caitanya's associates? Is the Haridas Goswami you mentioned the same person that founded the Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan? Is it possible that what Haridas Goswami taught was about Sri Gauranga's relationship with his wives before taking sannyasa? In the madhya-lila of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, there is an instance where Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya offers...

Would you like to say something in memory of Sriman Jagadananda Prabhu, who passed away this week? There is a verse in the Padyavali that describes Mother Yashoda telling Sri Krishna about Lord Narasimhadeva. Did this event take place in the spiritual world or in the lila here on Earth? Could you recommend any Gaudiya Vaishnava or Vaishnavi who has explained madhurya-rasa in the same way that you have explained sakhya-rasa? How can one maintain the commitment of a beginner (kanistha) devotee...

Questions on today's Swami call: When the sadhana-siddha enters the spiritual world, do they forget the baddha-jivas of this world? Once when asked about why there are so many religions in the world, Srila Sridhara Maharaja answered, "There must be religious differences, but one who can catch the real internal meaning of the truth will be saved." Can you help me understand this statement? Srila Sridhara Maharaja also said that since people are so fallen in Kali-yuga, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu...

Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi was at one point critical of the pujaris in Jagannatha Puri for covering the deities in new cloth without washing out the starch. In response to this, Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balarama appeared to him in a dream an slapped him on his cheeks. Can you explain the significance of this pastime? Earlier in Gaura-lila, Sri Gadadhara Pandit criticized Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi which he later realized was a grave mistake. Here Pundarika Vidyanidhi is critical. This makes me...

00:01:03 Dandavats, dear Guru Maharaja. In the Bhagavad-gita, Sri Krishna instructs us to fix not only our mind but also our intelligence on him. In verse 2.41, is “fixed intelligence” (vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha) the same as the Vedantic practice of reflective contemplation (mananam)? 00:13:33 How important is it for us as sadhakas to know that we are units of eternity, consciousness and bliss (sat-cit-ananda)? When we are unaware of this fact, we are vulnerable, and perhaps this...

0:00 News 00:00:41 Dandavats pranam, Guru Maharaja. Why is it that Sri Krishna sometimes refers to himself in third person in the Bhagavad-Gita? 00:01:59 Should we always refer to Sri Krishna himself or should we sometimes use terms like Paramatma? 00:11:18 Is Bhaktivedanta a title given to devotees who have studied at a high level? 00:18:45 Would you like to share about what the difference was between the version of the sannyasa-mantra you received from Srila Prabhupada and the one you...

0:00 News 00:02:34 You have mentioned that you received additional diksa-mantras from Srila Sridhara Maharaja. Can you tell us more about that? Are you still chanting those mantras regularly, or are they for special occasions such as when worshipping certain deities? 00:17:52 Before attaining steadiness (nistha) in our sadhana, what would be an appropriate experience of Sri Krishna to aspire for?  00:29:59 Are ghosts real and is it true that they are the cause of mental illness? 00:42:36...

0:00 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has reiterated many times that his Guru Maharaj instructed him to publish and distribute books and this is what he has done and what he wants his disciples to do. What is the one main instruction that we should remember from you and you want us to achieve on your behalf? 00:19:28 Dandavats to Guru Maharaja and all devotees. If one receives siddha-pranali and meditates as prescribed on one’s siddha-deha, how does one know whether that is merely mental...

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0:00 Why does shastra divide the living beings into moving and non-moving? 00:05:09 It is said that the soul is immovable, and yet consciousness appears to move in the case of the moving living beings. How is that possible? 00:06:54 Sometimes Krishna-lila is said to come from Gaura-lila, and other times it is said that Gaura-lila comes from Krishna-lila. Can you comment on this? 00:11:47 Can you explain Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s teaching in Sri Jaiva Dharma that one may offer Sri...

0:00 How can one serve Sri Nityananda Prabhu and attain his grace? 00:09:39 How can we preach what we consider authentic Krishna consciousness to others while still allowing them to have their own inspired experiences of Sri Krishna? 00:16:42 What is the significance of Sri Nityananda Prabhu being likened to the moon and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu being to the sun? 00:26:45 Why did Sri Nityananda Prabhu break Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s danda? In Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s favorite painting of...

0:00 What is the significance of the name Rama in the maha-mantra? Is it referring to Balarama? If so, why do we always emphasize the virtues of Harinama, but do not often talk about Rama-nama? 00:18:52 Some say that in the Kalisantarana Upanisad, the maha-mantra begins with Hare Rama and that Mahaprabhu changed it to beginning with Hare Krishna because Upanisadic mantras should not be shared in public. Do you agree with this view? 00:23:52 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura said that...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 Did Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura dance in kirtana? 00:01:53 Did Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura coin the term yukta-vairagya? 00:10:57 In what ways could our study of the Srimad Bhagavatam be enriched by understanding the teachings of the six classical schools of Indian philosophy? 00:23:45 What would be a good way to present to academicians the idea that Krishna consciousness is a science? 00:41:05 Would people who are suffering...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 How can we use feelings of sadness about the impermanence of relationships in this world as negative impetus for practice? 00:13:50 The attainment of bhava is said to come out of sadhana, but should we see bhava as the goal of our practice or focus on our practice as an end in itself? 00:23:39 Kashmiri Shaivites also speak about spiritual emotions, and Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya recognized symptoms of spiritual emotions in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu the...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 When we encounter obstacles, it is often for us to learn something. We suffer when we cannot see the meaning behind the obstacles, end we get inspired to endure tribulations when we do see the meaning. Why does Sri Krishna sometimes keep that meaning hidden? 00:07:56 Does chanting the holy name purify the ego? 00:13:33 It is said that there are thee desires experienced in the stage of ruci: the desire to serve Krishna favorably (anukulya-abhilasa), the...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 News 00:04:42 Some say it is not good for householders to worship Lord Narasimhadeva as the Lord may side with one of them and separate the couple. What is your take on this? 00:14:08 In today’s Western society people are bent to demystify anything spiritual. How can we make Krishna consciousness relevant in such circumstances? 00:32:36 In the Bhagavad-Gita, Sri Krishna encourages Arjuna to engage in battle, arguing that it will be righteous to do so,...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 News. 00:05:04 The rasa-lila is also called kama-vijaya, victory over lust. Can lust be seen as a negative impetus to study the rasa-lila, or does one need to be purified from lust in order to approach those chapters of the Srimad Bhagavatam? 00:21:43 What is the meaning of the tenth offense to the holy name, sometimes translated as maintaining material attachments although having understood the instructions given in this regard? 00:29:22 What is...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 Pranama, dear Guru Maharaja. Thank you for the opportunity to receive your guidance. Can you suggest a good way to explain the problem of evil (theodicy) to a group of 16 year-olds? 00:24:18 How can we learn from our past mistakes in previous lives if we cannot remember them? 00:29:18 Is the cycle of reincarnation meant for us to learn something? 00:36:33 When the vaishnava disciple learns to see guru-tattva in everything, what will their relationship...