Author: Chaitanya Charan

​Why are atheists sometimes better behaved than religious people?

​Whenever I do anything, I feel distracted by the many other things in the world that are wrong – what can I do?

​How can we deal with spiritual jealousy?

​Are specific forms of suffering such as being victimised by brutal crimes determined by past karma?

​Why have I got an autistic child?

​If we help someone and we both get into trouble, is such trouble due to past karma?

​Will purification enable us to make good choices always?

​How do we prioritize between our material obligations and spiritual aspirations?

​If others don’t accept something we are strongly convinced about, what should we do?

​Does the Hare Krishna mahamantra have specific times for chanting, as does the Gayatri mantra?

​What are the most important things for practicing bhakti?

​Why do we chant Hare Krishna, not om krishna?

​When shasta-guru-sadhu give different guidance on some issue, how do we decide?

Focus not on the cause – focus on the cure

Does anger arise in the mind or in the soul?

​Should we feel insecure if because of having many services we are unable to report to our authorities regularly?

Is Maya just a conception or is it an energy that captures us?

​When the mind treats worldly objects, not Krishna, as its home, how to respond?

​Can the mode of ignorance be used in Krishna’s service?

According to science, did everything come from nothing or from a singularity?

​How can we avoid an excessively self-critical mentality?

​How to avoid feeling negative about people who criticize harshly?

​What to do if pressing the pause button amidst provocations will make things worse?

​Isn’t it better to address misunderstanding right away instead of letting it distract us later during japa?

​If senior devotees have misconceptions about us, is clarifying them disrespectful?

​Is mentally retaliating at devotees who have hurt us an offence?

​How can we train ourselves to pause when impulses hit us?

Can the soul be conscious of itself?

If something makes us go away from Krishna, how can we return towards him?

​How can we balance our studies and our bhakti?

​If bhakti is the art of becoming happy, why are we bhaktas not happy?

​How can we increase our appreciation for bhakti?

Were Prabhupada’s early followers the eternal associates of Lord Chaitanya?

​Are physical handicaps in this life the scars of sins from previous lives?

​Is our intelligence enough for making right choices or do we need Krishna’s mercy?

​How can we respond positively after committing mistakes?

​How can we control the mind in professional settings where we can’t do devotional activities?

Is meat an essential source of proteins?

​Who is a sthita–prajna?

Does personality come from the brain or the mind?

​Is the mind living or dead?

Can we change a habit in two weeks, as some surveys suggest?

Are we taking a cow’s blood in the form of her milk?

​What happens to Krishna’s queens after he departs from the world?

​In what mood can we recite the later Shikshashtakam verses that describe exalted devotion?

​How do some people get the power to die at will?

​Does detachment from the body and mind come only after full spiritual realization?

​How is the soul’s consciousness transmitted at the liberated stage?

​How can we become more selfless?

​What is the weight and the size of the soul?

​What does sarvatma snapanam in Shikshashtakam mean?

Near-death Experiences – The evidence and the implication

​Take charge of your inner conversation

​Balancing renunciation with responsibility

​Growing in devotion through assimilation, application and appreciation

​Spirituality – A higher-dimensional science

​How can the awareness of our sinfulness enhance our devotion?

​When Krishna said that the Kauravas were doomed because of offending Draupadi, why did he go to them as a peace envoy?

​Sometimes we say Krishna is acting and sometimes karma is acting – what is it really?

Why does Krishna send problems that take devotees away from him?

Why do devotees sometimes suffer and don’t get relief despite praying?

Shiksha from Shikshashtakam

​How is the mind like a mirror?

​When Krishna had vowed not to lift weapons during the Kurukshetra war, why did he lift up a wheel?

​How could the Narayana sena agree to fight against Krishna?

​Separation from Krishna is like a yuga for the gopis but like twelve years for Lord Chaitanya – why the difference?

How can we differentiate between emotional experiences and transcendental experiences?

Do spiritual memories ever come automatically, as material memories do presently?

​Why should esoteric memories of spiritual experiences not be shared?

​Should we share our devotional memories when such memories are considered Krishna’s private gifts to us?

​After Uddhav sees the gopis’ exalted love for Krishna, why does he still speak about Krishna to them?

When the management gives services to one person and not another, isn’t that discrimination?

The Quest for Happiness

​Isn’t life all about discriminating – how can we be nonjudgmental?

What is the difference between judging and discriminating?

How is Krishna impartial if he offers kripa-siddhi to some and asks for sadhana from others?

Aren’t both sadhana-siddha and kripa-siddha ultimately dependent on kripa?

Is na dhanam na janam na sundarim applicable to householder life?

If we are never disqualified in bhakti, why did Lord Chaitanya reject Kala Krishnadas for just one mistake?

Is Krishna partial because he responds only those who call out?

How does guilt practically help increase our bhakti?

​How can guilt manifest in a way favourable for bhakti?

Is praying for the removal of our material desires a selfish prayer?

​Does chanting purely itself give rise to virtues or should we strive to develop virtues?

​What is the difference between remorse and atonement?

​If we surrender to Krishna, won’t he help in taking care of our needs?

​Does Gita 09.22 imply that we needn’t care for our material needs?

​Are the material needs of pure devotees automatically provided for by Krishna?

When plants too have life, how is killing plants different from killing animals?

Religious tolerance, intolerance and transcendence – Reflections on Haridasa Thakura pastimes

Are the humble taken for a ride by others?

Chanting is yuga dharma – does this mean it is recommended way, the best way or the only way?

How can we tolerate provoking situations?

Is the tendency to not chant more than sixteen rounds good?

How can we dissolve the false ego?

Did the songs of Narottam Das Thakura and others not protect the popular Gaudiya tradition?

Did the Goswami’s books not help preserve the Gaudiya tradition after their departure?

What exactly is the false ego – where is it located?

How did the Gaudiya tradition become deviated by the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura?

Is the pronunciation of the mahamantra important or is intent alone important?