Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 Is there a point in praying for the health of devotees when everything in their life is anyway arranged by Sri Krishna? 00:23:02 Is the Siksastakam in Bengali or Sanskrit? 00:35:07 What did you mean when you said that the cowherd boys dethroned Lord Brahma? 00:39:29 How did Sri Krishna leave this world, and what happened to Radha when he did? 00:47:16 How should we deal with fear of death in the earlier stages of sadhana?

Questions on today's Swami call: Can you explain the relationship between the place of Kuruksetra and Sri Krishna’s being drawn to think of Vraja-bhakti when speaking the Bhagavad-Gita? Before attaining attachment to Sri Krishna, if one has attained some level of inner peace in the course of one’s sadhana, is it okay to enjoy this inner peace? In the chapter of Nectar of Devotion dealing with existential ecstatic emotions, it is said that these emotions are divided into three levels:...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 News 00:00:30 How much outreach do we need as part of our sadhana? How to remain inspired when the world appears to get worse despite our preaching efforts? Can you share something about your own experiences in this regard? 00:32:08 How can a madhyama-adhikari bhakta help other devotees? 00:33:05 If the Bhagavad-Gita is ultimately about Vraja-bhakti, why did Sri Krishna choose to speak it to Arjuna, who is from outside of Vraja? Did Arjuna later...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 News 00:00:32 How did Sri Krishna come into existence? 00:17:44 Is it possible to accept the teaching that everything depends on Sri Krishna’s mercy and still maintain our efforts in sadhana? 00:35:56 If among cheaters Sri Krishna is gambling as he says in the Bhagavad-Gita, does that not mean that he caused the Mahabharata war? How is there love in that? 00:43:15 I am planning to do academic research on Gaudiya Vaishnavism. What are some more...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 There appears to be innumerable possibilities of ways to meditate on the holy name during japa, such as the sound of Sri Krishna’s name itself, his form(s), qualities, pastimes, mercy, etc. Should one try to focus on something particular? 00:10:57 Is it true that Lord Narasimhadeva has three eyes? 00:16:22 When you come to the spiritual world, will there be godbrothers there waiting fo you and recognizing you, or will they get to know you afresh as a...

Questions on today's Swami call: Can it be said that advaita vedanta has an advantage in that it begins with something we know (the self) whereas theistic vedanta begins with faith in something we don’t know (God)? What are the most prominent ways in Gaura-lila to see Sri Sri Gaura Nitai as Krishna Balarama (to see them as relishing sakhya-rasa although their mission was to propagate madhurya-rasa)? Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Pranama. I have never performed proper arcana. What would be a...

Questions on today's Swami call: The fact that there is a list of offenses to the holy name implies that Sri Krishna may take offense. However, there is also the story of Bhrigumuni kicking Lord Vishnu in the chest, and Vishnu not taking offense and even considering himself to have offended Bhrigumuni. How can we reconcile these ideas? I have noticed that in Hinduism in general, Vishnu is seen as the source of Krishna. When did the alternative view appear of seeing Krishna as the ultimate...

Questions on today's Swami call: Dandavats, Guru Maharaja. Could you share with us about how Srila Sridhara Maharaja instructed you about the worship of Sri Giriraja Govardhana? Why did Sri Gadadhara Pandit read the sections about Dhruva and Prahlada from the Bhagavatam hundreds of times to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Why did he not read from the tenth canto? Is it best to not go on pilgrimage in India if it would be too overwhelming for one’s personality type? Please accept my obeisances,...

Swami B. V. Tripurari Live Q&A; November 12, 2023: Deliberations on Govardhana-Tattva Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 News 00:01:07 If Sri Krishna protects his devotees, why do we see devotees die tragic deaths, for example, in car accidents, covid, etc.? 00:24:57 Why were the cowherd fearless in the face of Aghasura but fearful in the forest fire? 00:26:18 How often does Sri Krishna appear in the world in his own Vraja form? 00:32:20 When the Gaura-avatara is Gaura Narayana...

Questions on today's Swami call: Does the book Prema-Samputa by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura have a chronology that makes it especially suitable to read during the month of Kartika? What is the significance of all the dates related to the Rasa-lila, such as the ones at the beginning and end of Kartika? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu upon rediscovering Radha-kunda stated that Sri Sri Radha Krishna performed Rasa-lila on its banks every day. Tomorrow is the appearance day of Srila Sridhara...

Questions on today's Swami call: How should we understand descriptions of Gopis in their highest state of love merging with Krsna from a devotional vs. monistic perspective? Radha is known as Kartika (born of Kirtida). Any reading to do this month on how Radha is connected to Radha? Recommendations for sadhana during Kartika to make spiritual advancement? Does one’s material psychology have any impact on how much one can surrender in Bhakti? What is a meditation to have going into...

Questions on today's Swami call: Can one go directly from tamo-guna to suddha-sattva, or does one have to pass through rajas and sattva? What did Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura mean when he said that he saw his home turn into Goloka Vrindavan? If one has had a semblance of bhava (bhava-abhasa), will the memory of that be helpful for one’s progress afterwards? Dandavats, Guru Maharaja. Can you explain what Srila Madhvacarya’s relationship to Srila Vyasadeva is? Which autobiography of Srila...

Questions on today's Swami call: How can we follow Vedic culture in its essence while living in the modern western world? What is Vedic culture in essence? Is the mantra that Syamananda Pandit received from Subala the Subala gayatri? In the Laghu-bhagavatamrta, Srila Rupa Goswami gives many examples to show that Vraja Krishna is the source of all other forms of the Godhead. Some of them are difficult to understand, at least in the translation I am reading. For example, it says that was...

Questions on today's Swami call: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura stated that only those who have developed madhurya-rati (transcendental conjugal affection) are able to understand the madhurya-rasa pastimes. That makes sense to me. However, he also said that those who have developed vatsalya-rati (transcendental parental affection) are able to appreciate the sweetness of those pastimes. What did he mean by that? Would it be more effective to chant a mantra explicitly focused on...

Questions on today's Swami call: In what light should we see Lady Subhadra as she stands between Lord Baladeva and Lord Jagannatha? Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in the niyamagraha section of Sri Bhaktyaloka that what is helpful for us at one stage maybe become an obstacle as we are advancing to the next stage. What are some examples of things that would be helpful in the stage of nistha but could become an obstacle as we advance to the stage of ruci? Can you explain the hierarchy of...

Questions on today's Swami call: Dandavats pranams, Srila Guru Maharaja. Can you explain the divisions of devotees into kanistha, madhyama, and uttama and the further divisions into kanistha-kanistha, kanistha-madhyama, and kanistha-uttama and so forth? Would the illiterate brahmana that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met in south India be an example of a blend of kanistha and uttama as he did not have much scriptural knowledge but had deep love for Sri Krishna? How are we to understand that Sri...

If Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught that service to Sri Krishna is the natural function of the jiva in the liberated state, how can we as Gaudiya Vaishnavas accept sayujya as a type of mukti? What did Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura mean when he said that Vrindavana is for shallow thinkers and that the ideal place for bhajana is Kuruksetra? Should we make commitments based on how we feel or try to increase our feeling for Sri Krishna by making commitments? Srila Sridhara Maharaja...

I have heard that some devotees enter both Gaura and Krishna lila, while others enter only Gaura or Krishna lila. How could a Gaudiya Vaishnava enter only Krishna lila when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so central to our understanding of Krishna lila? How can a sadhaka engage sustainably in atma-nivedanam? Do you know whether Sri Krishna feels guilty about creating jivas that are susceptible to come under the material energy and suffer? I feel that my desire to have a close relationship with...

How did demigod worship begin? Was Hinduism originally monotheistic or has polytheism always been there? Can you explain the term panentheism? Dandavats, Maharaja. Thank you for your kind mercy. What is the most effective way to receive Sri Nityananda’s mercy? Dear Guru Maharaja, what are the most important Vaishnava qualities that enable someone to truly change the hearts of others, rather than merely attracting them with worldly charm? How should we think of seniority when we see people...

In the chapter on sakti-tattva in Java-Dharma, it is said that cit-sakti, jiva-sakti, and maya-sakti are three aspects of svarupa-sakti. Furthermore, it is said that hladini, samvit, and sandhini are three manifestations of svarupa-sakti that acts on the three aspects. Can you explain this? In the Bible it is said that humans should be good stewards of nature. Is there any similar statement in our scriptures? How can humility and leadership be reconciled? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati...

Some spiritual practitioners have one focus, such as Lord Rama, but we have both Sri Krishna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Should we think of them as one person alternating moods or highlight their difference? Can excessive attachment to truth, both relative and absolute, be an obstacle on the path to prema? Can a Sikh become a Hare Krsna? What is the best way to please the spiritual master for a disciple who has not received any direct instructions? Other than general services such as...

How can we discriminate between which senior devotees it will be helpful or not helpful to associate with? What is your opinion on the Lalita-sakhi sampradaya? What to do if we are attracted to Radha-bhava and feel the lack of her personal presence in Gaura-lila? Is it proper to offer everything to Sri Krishna, including our shortcomings? If so, what is the proper way to do it? How can a tiny jiva attract Sri Krishna? We are encouraged to practice pure devotion but also to be aware of...

Questions on today's Swami call: If a sadhaka is given different services from Radha and Krsna simultaneously, whose service should be done first? What should be our mood in doing services contrary to our personality? What is your history of preaching with Bhakti Abhaya Narayana Maharaja? Does the relationship between soul and intelligence change according to one’s advancement? Why does Visnu appear to Dhruva if Krsna is the main deity of the Bhagavatam? Does our present personality...

Questions on today’s Swami call: Can you elaborate on the power of the holy name and its relation to our inability to honor the holy name? Can you explain the difference between the kinds of humility explained in the second and third verses of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Siksastakam? Can one who is chanting with impurities in one’s heart hope that their chanting will benefit others? Can you explain Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s commentary to the Brahma-gayatri? How does he relate this mantra...

Questions on today’s Swami call: How can someone's brain become so munted that they think the Earth is flat? Why do some devotees place so much importance and spend so much time and energy on weird explanations of phenomenon in this temporary world? How to deal with devotees who conflate such conspiracy theories with Krishna consciousness? If I understood right, the Bhagavatam speak of the Earth and surrounding planets as islands in an ocean. That does not seem to fit with neither the globe...