Currently Browsing: Practical Krishna Consciousness

: Audio   : Video   : Transcription   : Hindi Language

December 2022

• 1239) If it’s impossible to find happiness without Krishna, aren’t we being forced to love him?

October 2022

• 1238) To go to Krishna, do we need to attain a particular stage in bhakti?

June 2022

• 1237) ​How can a student practice bhakti?

July 2021

• 1236) Developing an inclusive spiritual community, The Monk’s Podcast 136 with Shikshashtakam Prabhu
• 1235) Why we should or should not study the Rasa-lila, The Monk’s Podcast 129 with Garuda Prabhu
• 1234) How can we cultivate the mode of goodness when we are puppets of the modes?
• 1233) Is it really possible to be happy while you yourself see so much suffering in yours like as well as everywhere around?

April 2021

• 1232) Can food with onion and garlic be offered to Krishna during emergencies?
• 1231) How should we respond when sacred characters from our tradition are criticized?
• 1230) Can devotees kill snakes and scorpions?

November 2020

• 1229) How can we distribute our time between hearing and chanting?
• 1228) How can we increase our determination for waking up in the morning?

June 2020

• 1227) ​How can we overcome envy?
• 1226) How do we give up bad habits?

February 2020

• 1225) ​How can we overcome envy?
• 1224) How can an introvert practice bhakti when it is so social and public?

January 2020

• 1223) Why do some bad habits stay on despite our devotional practice – how to deal with them?

December 2019

• 1222) What is the best way to study shastra in a group with devotees?

October 2019

• 1221) How can we realize that we are souls?

September 2019

• 1220) Can you explain the various stages in chanting – namaprada, namabhasa, shudda-nama?
• 1219) What is the role of vairagya in grihastha life?

August 2019

• 1218) How devotion and dedication can transform our life into an adventure

December 2018

• 1217) Appreciating Krishna’s attractiveness

October 2018

• 1216) Developing service attitude 2 – How to see reciprocation in our service
• 1215) Developing service attitude 1 – Service attitude transforms knowledge into realization
• 1214) The way to Vrindavan is through Kurukshetra
• 1213) Is remembering Krishna the highest service and all other services are for those who can’t remember him constantly?

September 2018

• 1212) Analyze, Accept, Act – 3 principles for dealing with negativity

June 2018

• 1211) How can we practically understand humility and surrender?

May 2018

• 1210) Nourishing the creeper of devotion 2 – Regulate attachment even to things that help in devotion
• 1209) Nourishing the creeper of devotion 1 – The danger of becoming religious but not spiritual
• 1208) How can we strive to overcome our anarthaas without becoming anartha-conscious?
• 1207) How to become pacified, purified and satisfied

April 2018

• 1206) Bhakti in three modes 3 – Bhakti in goodness brings sustainability, purity and harmony
• 1205) Bhakti in three modes 2 – Bhakti in passion equates material success with spiritual advancement
• 1204) Bhakti in three modes 1 – Bhakti in ignorance is self-righteous and hurtful

September 2017

• 1203) Improving Japa 1 – Understand how and when we get distracted

April 2017

• 1202) ​Our material needs are like painkillers – necessary but not sufficient

October 2016

• 1201) Tap the power of your mind​ – with Spanish translation

September 2016

• 1200) ​Can we function at both spiritual and material levels in life?
• 1199) ​Do we need to renounce the world to grow spiritually?
• 1198) ​Can spirituality help people having acute mental health problems?
• 1197) ​Can people with brain chemical imbalances practice spirituality and benefit from it?
• 1196) ​What makes people evolve from seeking recognition to making contribution?
• 1195) ​How to respond when devotees start campaigning against some mundane problem?
• 1194) Why do senior devotees sometimes divert from bhakti to fringe fields?
• 1193) How can we use our talents at work without being sucked by the work away from Krishna?
• 1192) Can inattentive chanting cause mental problems?
• 1191) How to respond when problems overwhelm us?
• 1190) Is not being disturbed amidst problems indicative of apathy or of bhakti?
• 1189) When caring for our small children takes a lot of time, how can we enhance our spirituality?
• 1188) ​If I don’t feel disturbed when my loved ones face problems, am I becoming heartless?
• 1187) Is it better to chant in the morning and do very simple Deity worship or to do nice Deity worship and chant later in the day?
• 1186) ​Holy Name seminar – Becoming conscious of our consciousnss, our distractions and our Lord
• 1185) ​Why do we become more angry with our family members than with our colleagues?
• 1184) ​How can we be both detached and compassionate?
• 1183) ​Why do people become sarcastic towards those practicing bhakti?
• 1182) ​How to avoid becoming disheartened on seeing our lack of spiritual emotion while chanting?
• 1181) ​How can we avoid becoming fearful about future possibilities?
• 1180) Transform anxiety into intensity by spirituality
• 1179) If someone is in too much anxiety, how can we help them?
• 1178) ​We can’t pray for problems like Kunti did, but being problem-free makes us complacent – what is the balanced attitude?
• 1177) ​Whenever I do anything, I feel distracted by the many other things in the world that are wrong – what can I do?
• 1176) ​How can we deal with spiritual jealousy?
• 1175) ​How do we prioritize between our material obligations and spiritual aspirations?
• 1174) ​If others don’t accept something we are strongly convinced about, what should we do?
• 1173) ​What are the most important things for practicing bhakti?
• 1172) ​Why do we chant Hare Krishna, not om krishna?
• 1171) ​When shasta-guru-sadhu give different guidance on some issue, how do we decide?
• 1170) Focus not on the cause – focus on the cure
• 1169) ​Should we feel insecure if because of having many services we are unable to report to our authorities regularly?
• 1168) ​When the mind treats worldly objects, not Krishna, as its home, how to respond?
• 1167) ​Can the mode of ignorance be used in Krishna’s service?
• 1166) ​How can we avoid an excessively self-critical mentality?
• 1165) ​How to avoid feeling negative about people who criticize harshly?
• 1164) ​What to do if pressing the pause button amidst provocations will make things worse?
• 1163) ​Isn’t it better to address misunderstanding right away instead of letting it distract us later during japa?
• 1162) ​If senior devotees have misconceptions about us, is clarifying them disrespectful?
• 1161) ​Is mentally retaliating at devotees who have hurt us an offence?
• 1160) ​How can we train ourselves to pause when impulses hit us?
• 1159) If something makes us go away from Krishna, how can we return towards him?
• 1158) ​How can we balance our studies and our bhakti?
• 1157) ​If bhakti is the art of becoming happy, why are we bhaktas not happy?
• 1156) ​How can we increase our appreciation for bhakti?
• 1155) ​How can we respond positively after committing mistakes?
• 1154) ​How can we control the mind in professional settings where we can’t do devotional activities?
• 1153) Can we change a habit in two weeks, as some surveys suggest?
• 1152) ​How can we become more selfless?
• 1151) ​Take charge of your inner conversation
• 1150) ​How can the awareness of our sinfulness enhance our devotion?
• 1149) ​When Krishna said that the Kauravas were doomed because of offending Draupadi, why did he go to them as a peace envoy?
• 1148) How can we differentiate between emotional experiences and transcendental experiences?
• 1147) When the management gives services to one person and not another, isn’t that discrimination?
• 1146) ​Isn’t life all about discriminating – how can we be nonjudgmental?
• 1145) What is the difference between judging and discriminating?
• 1144) Is na dhanam na janam na sundarim applicable to householder life?
• 1143) Discover your inner power
• 1142) The Quest for Happiness
• 1141) How does guilt practically help increase our bhakti?
• 1140) Self-destruction Strategies Series
• 1139) ​How can guilt manifest in a way favourable for bhakti?
• 1138) ​Does chanting purely itself give rise to virtues or should we strive to develop virtues?
• 1137) ​If we surrender to Krishna, won’t he help in taking care of our needs?
• 1136) ​Does Gita 09.22 imply that we needn’t care for our material needs?
• 1135) ​Are the material needs of pure devotees automatically provided for by Krishna?
• 1134) Are the humble taken for a ride by others?
• 1133) How can we tolerate provoking situations?
• 1132) Is the tendency to not chant more than sixteen rounds good?
• 1131) How can we dissolve the false ego?
• 1130) Can feeling angry when insulted instead of tolerating insults spur us towards Krishna, as happened with Dhruva?
• 1129) If a butcher has no alternative way to earn, will Krishna accept the fruits of their work?
• 1128) Should we not give suggestions to others because of the fear that the suggestions will be rejected?
• 1127) Is the way of working in bhakti different from the way of working in material life?
• 1126) Is it better to be inspired with the work itself instead of by its goal?
• 1125) When the mind cries wolf, don’t fall for its bluff
• 1124) Make Krishna the rest for the restless mind
• 1123) What to do if devotees avoid services saying that they are not according to my nature?
• 1122) Is service that which pleases Krishna or does it include that which we like?
• 1121) ​As sadhakas, what emotions can we experience in relationship with Krishna?
• 1120) ​How can we bring goodness into our passionate services?
• 1119) Is service done in passion service or is it just self-gratification?
• 1118) ​Responding maturely to unfair criticism
• 1117) ​Your worst enemy is inside you and so is your best friend
• 1116) ​While practicing bhakti, how can we avoid losing interest in our work?
• 1115) Understanding the mind through tech metaphors
• 1114) If we are to be detached from results, how can we motivate ourselves for our work?
• 1113) ​How can we know when we are ready for taking vanaprastha?
• 1112) ​How to respond when our family members get spikes of desires?
• 1111) If we tolerate the spikes of desires, won’t those repressed desires return more forcefully in future?
• 1110) ​What can we do if we can’t serve in a selfless mood?
• 1109) ​Should we avoid worrying or should we take anxieties for Krishna’s service?
• 1108) ​Should we see that our sufferings are arranged by Krishna?

August 2016

• 1107) How to avoid thinking about eating food while offering bhoga?
• 1106) Is the goal of commitment to please Krishna or to penetrate through the initial poison?
• 1105) How can we know whether our resolutions are based on our mind or our intelligence?
• 1104) Should we stick to commitments even if doing so makes our life unbalanced?
• 1103) Is the initial poison in spiritual life same for everyone?
• 1102) ​Can hypnosis be used to help us better focus our mind in bhakti?
• 1101) ​While doing anything, isn’t it better to have plans B and C instead of closing the doors to all options?
• 1100) In the conflict between the mind and the intelligence, who decides?
• 1099) ​How to deal with the feeling that the class is meant for others?
• 1098) ​Is humility practical in the professional world?
• 1097) ​How can we avoid pride while using our talents in Krishna’s service?
• 1096) ​What is the stage between self-pity and ego?
• 1095) ​Does chanting with humility mean to think I am doing this for Krishna?
• 1094) ​Is begetting children a duty to one’s ancestors?
• 1093) ​How can we balance humility with self-confidence?
• 1092) ​Is it right to kill large quantity of grass to cultivate one plant or grain?
• 1091) ​Should we improve the material skills needed for service or improve our consciousness?
• 1090) Why are only services done in the temple, and not activities done in the home temple, considered as seva?
• 1089) How is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s example of practicing bhakti applicable today?
• 1088) How can we do our best in both spiritual and material life?
• 1087) ​What to do if I don’t feel emotions for Krishna naturally, but only after contemplation?
• 1086) ​When intellectual level is higher than sensual, why are intellectual devotees still attracted to sensual pleasure?
• 1085) ​How can an intellectual practice bhakti without becoming intellectually deviated?
• 1084) Self-destruction Strategies 5 – See your work as Maya
• 1083) ​Should devotees rigidly force people to take to Krishna consciousness?
• 1082) How should we behave with non-religious people?
• 1081) How can we guide people who find chanting 16 rounds impossible?
• 1080) Self-destruction strategies 4 – Let guilt come between you and Krishna
• 1079) Self-destruction strategies 3 – Treat the peripheral as the essential
• 1078) Self-destruction strategies 2 – Be a perfectionist
• 1077) Self destruction Strategies 1 – Mistake self-pity to be humility
• 1076) Aversion to commitment is not detachment
• 1075) How we defeat ourselves – and how we can stop doing so
• 1074) How can we understand which qualities are good and which bad?
• 1073) How to avoid becoming indecisive when encountering different advices from different people?
• 1072) How can we avoid being misled by people who are confident but wrong?
• 1071) Why don’t we like the good and dislike the bad?
• 1070) How can we live in the present alone without learning from the past or preparing for the future?
• 1069) How to respond when things go wrong?
• 1068) How can we know ourselves well enough to make wise choices with lifelong consequences?
• 1067) How can we better execute our plans?
• 1066) How to persevere despite our failures in following standards?
• 1065) How can we differentiate between the mind’s voice and the Supersoul’s voice?
• 1064) How can we harmonize our inclination with higher instruction while serving?
• 1063) How can we develop the mood of serving Krishna in everything we do?
• 1062) ​How can we avoid ego while doing what we like to do?
• 1061) How can we avoid indulging in a thing while thinking negatively about avoiding it?
• 1060) Learning to live with the mind – 2
• 1059) How can we give bhakti to beggars and other poor people?
• 1058) Can enterprising devotees open devotional schools for offering both material and spiritual welfare?
• 1057) Does a culture of free mixing among genders make bhakti impossible to practice?
• 1056) ​How can we avoid pride while giving spiritual knowledge to others?
• 1055) ​How can we know when we have endeavoured enough and should now wait for mercy?
• 1054) Should we strive for perfection in our service?
• 1053) Won’t doing service in contaminated consciousness license the contaminating influences?
• 1052) If we do a service in contaminated consciousness, will that service contaminate others too?
• 1051) ​If I don’t have much time to write, how can I write?
• 1050) ​Learning to live with the mind 1 – Gita 6.27-36
• 1049) ​Can we extend our life by medicines?
• 1048) Should we study scripture deeply and slowly or rapidly to get an overview?
• 1047) ​Should we always seek devotional stimuli with the mind?
• 1046) ​Should we chant while feeling separated from Krishna or while feeling that they are in front of us as the Deities?
• 1045) ​When we perceive that we are different from our thoughts, how do we infer who we really are?
• 1044) ​How can we balance brahmana and kshatriya roles?
• 1043) ​How can we connect to people’s emotional concerns without diluting our message?
• 1042) What does the regulative principle no illicit sex mean?
• 1041) Can we chant slowly if we find that absorbing?
• 1040) Does chanting progress from uttering to hearing to visualizing Krishna’s form?
• 1039) ​What spiritual bliss can we have as sadhakas – how is it different from sattvika happiness?
• 1038) ​How can we share our realisations without coming off as proud?
• 1037) Practicing humility in a culture of promotion
• 1036) Should we make ​​blanket statements first and then teach nuances?

July 2016

• 1035) ​How can we sustain our resolutions?
• 1034) ​Can we just take shelter of bhakti when nothing solves our problems?
• 1033) ​Can phala-shrutis be used to attract people looking for material benefits?
• 1032) ​When even after chanting we still have problems should we tell others chant and be happy?
• 1031) ​Should we preach about the material benefits of bhakti given in scripture?
• 1030) ​Are we meant to reject the mind or to engage it?
• 1029) ​If we shouldn’t identify with feelings, why are we told to identify with devotional feelings?
• 1028) Should wives conduct themselves in a way that their husbands don’t look elsewhere?
• 1027) When children don’t have intention to practice bhakti, does giving them devotional samskaras help?
• 1026) ​How do we invest emotions in whatever we do?
• 1025) ​Why do we feel enthusiastic initially in bhakti, but later that enthusiasm goes away?
• 1024) How can we increase our commitment to Krishna?
• 1023) ​Can the sadhya become the sadhana and the sadhana the sadhya?
• 1022) ​How can we overcome undesirable emotions?
• 1021) ​How can we be confident about our ability to do a service without becoming proud?
• 1020) Can slowing down help in developing clarity of thought?
• 1019) ​How can we overcome the tendency to over-analyze?
• 1018) ​What to do if our conviction doesn’t increase after studying scripture?

June 2016

• 1017) How can we avoid becoming distracted by the uncontrolled mind?
• 1016) ​How to avoid becoming obsessed with our talents? (Hindi)
• 1015) ​Doesn’t thinking that we have talents make us proud? (Hindi)
• 1014) How can we examine our emotions? (Hindi)
• 1013) ​When someone corrects us, why do we feel angry? (Hindi)
• 1012) Aren’t our emotions just mental – how can we cultivate them in bhakti?
• 1011) ​How can we make our intelligence like a mother for discipling the childish mind?
• 1010) ​Why is day sleep not good?
• 1009) ​Should we try to develop distaste for worldly things?
• 1008) ​If desires are rising while chanting, how can we say to Krishna?
• 1007) ​Give people space to grow in their faith
• 1006) Austerity is meant to focus desire, not kill desire
• 1005) When austerity is to be implemented, our resolve weakens – how to counter?
• 1004) ​How can we increase our austerities as did Dhruva?
• 1003) ​When certain services are considered higher than others, should we choose the higher or the natural for us?
• 1002) When we focus on one area of our life, other areas get neglected – how to balance?
• 1001) Devotion is a progression from our past, not a rejection of the past
• 1000) ​Can doing PhD help devotees in their outreach?
• 999) ​How do we counter the many misconceptions about dharma in today’s mainstream society? (Hindi)
• 998) ​How can we help those who are sincerely following an unauthorized spiritual path?
• 997) ​Does spiritual advancement make one materially lethargic?
• 996) ​If spiritual advancement removes our worldly cravings, does that mean spiritualists can’t progress materially?
• 995) ​Can people change their habits without practicing bhakti-yoga?
• 994) ​Should we strive for qualities that are not according to our nature?
• 993) ​Do we need to fight with those who misbehave with us?

May 2016

• 992) How do we draw the line between self-pity and humility and assertiveness?
• 991) Do non-devotees have no good qualities?
• 990) When we have pressure to get a new job, can we adjust our spiritual commitments to focus on our career?
• 989) Does Krishna care for us even when we are not practicing spiritual life seriously and have messed up our material life?
• 988) How can we make our communication more crisp and clear?
• 987) ​How can a devotee pursue a PhD in science without getting carried away by science?
• 986) How to overcome fear of what comes after death?
• 985) Does surrendering to Krishna means not caring for our material responsibilities?
• 984) ​Are our intuitions more likely to be coming from God when we are calm than when we are agitated?
• 983) ​Does goodness take away the competitive spirit needed for succeeding in today’s world?
• 982) Can devotion cure psychological disorders?
• 981) ​Is the inner voice God’s voice?
• 980) Should we pursue our career as per our education or as per our inspiration?
• 979) How to control revengeful thoughts?
• 978) ​How can we share Krishna through our profession?
• 977) ​Do we always have to eat what we cook – does bhakti change our karma?
• 976) ​Why should we follow rules and give up our freedom?
• 975) Can some foods or medicines change our destiny?
• 974) ​How do our conditionings shape our behavior without determining it?
• 973) How is the mind converted by bhakti?
• 972) ​Do we control the mind first or do we situate ourselves in our svarupa first?
• 971) During chanting, can we experience the holy name touching the soul?
• 970) ​How can we understand the intelligence and ego to be different from the mind and the soul?
• 969) ​Should we strive to change those things that require a lot of effort to change?
• 968) Is our duty towards others unlimited, irrespective of how they behave?
• 967) While choosing a spouse, is matching astrological charts essential?
• 966) Can developing our talents obstruct us in bhakti?
• 965) Make your own destiny 3
• 964) ​Make your own destiny 2
• 963) Make your own destiny 1
• 962) PRAY acronym: Revisiting our conceptions about praying
• 961) When modern civilization collapses in future, should devotees have a Vedic alternative ready?
• 960) What does Prabhupada’s statement about 50% of his mission being incomplete mean​?

April 2016

• 959) ​How can one act with love without the feeling of love?
• 958) Does devotional life begin only when material life is finished?
• 957) ​Should we give due attention to our material side or should we spiritualize it?
• 956) ​Do we need peace externally to find peace internally?
• 955) ​Do we commit mistakes because of Krishna’s plan?
• 954) When others trouble us, should we just tolerate things?
• 953) When something inspires us devotionally, how to know whether it is self-centered or Krishna-centered?
• 952) ​How can a visually challenged person practice bhakti?
• 951) ​How do we stay committed in our devotional relationships when devotees don’t seem inspiring?
• 950) ​If I serve my mother because of my bhakti, am I serving her or serving Krishna?
• 949) ​How can we overcome the desire for appreciation from others?
• 948) How can we avoid taking things for granted in bhakti?
• 947) Is serving according to our nature selfishness?
• 946) How can we gain clarity in our philosophical understanding?
• 945) ​How can we smile at those who hurt us?
• 944) Can we be sensitive and detached both?
• 943) ​How can we avoid doing bhakti for external gains like prestige?
• 942) ​Should we counterpush against circumstances or tolerate them?
• 941) ​If something works for us but doesn’t work for others should we apologize for misguiding them?
• 940) Should devotees be desensitized from social causes or involved in them?
• 939) ​​​​Is attribution error while dealing with devotees a Vaishnava apradha?
• 938) Should we not tell others that they have hurt us so that they don’t feel hurt?
• 937) ​How do we avoid passion while working as leaders in the corporate world?
• 936) ​If someone has hurt us, how can we forgive them?
• 935) Does doing good make the heart into a temple?
• 934) ​How can we avoid judging others?
• 933) ​How can we turn on our inner compass while living in the world?
• 932) Which service is ideal – service according to our nature or service that is the need of the hour?
• 931) Is association of nondevotees like the kissing of a snake?
• 930) How can we change our default settings that we don’t know about? – Hindi
• 929) Improving our chanting – Hindi
• 928) What does everything will be achieved by chanting mean? – Hindi
• 927) Should devotees who like each other but have incompatible horoscopes get married?
• 926) ​Are gurukulas the best way for education for devotees’ children?
• 925) ​While acting in our worldly relationships, how can we avoid attachment and stay surrendered to Krishna?
• 924) ​As devotees, how do we choose among our various material roles?
• 923) ​What chemistry is needed for having intimate Vaishnava relationships?
• 922) ​Why do we give more importance to our material relationships than our devotee relationships?
• 921) ​To minimize their material entanglement, should devotees try to give their children the cheapest education?
• 920) ​What values can senior devotees impart to other devotees?
• 919) ​Though I want to be a serious devotee, why do I remain so short-tempered?
• 918) ​What qualities should leaders have – how can leaders inspire others?
• 917) ​How important is applying shastra in our life?
• 916) ​How can we connect with Krishna when we have to work eight hrs daily in office?
• 915) If we don’t even realize when we do wrong, how can we correct it?
• 914) ​How can we infer that we are advancing spiritually?
• 913) ​How to continue bhakti when we don’t have devotee association?
• 912) ​If all devotees will go to Krishna, what benefit do more dedicated devotees get?
• 911) How do we know the difference between what feels good and what is actually spiritual?
• 910) Why do I feel satisfaction on feeding a beggar but not on feeding the Deities?
• 909) How can we avoid taking Krishna’s forgiveness as a license for our sinfulness?
• 908) How can we become determined in our bhakti?
• 907) Won’t thinking only about our relationship with Krishna make us insensitive in other relationships?
• 906) How can we avoid feeling disheartened on hearing exalted levels of devotion?
• 905) ​Don’t let your fears block you
• 904) When multiple dharmas call us, how do we decide which dharma to practice?
• 903) If we are disappointed by our spiritual leaders, how can we continue in our bhakti?
• 902) How can we control the mind when we are away from devotee association?
• 901) ​When offering obeisances physically is not practical because there are too many senior devotees, is that offensive?
• 900) ​How can we sharpen our remembrance of Krishna?
• 899) ​​Learning when and how to forgive
• 898) What should we do when we are unsure about what to do?
• 897) ​Can we progress in both spiritual life and material life?
• 896) ​Does devotees’ taking monetary benefits for their services spoil the selfless mood?
• 895) ​How can we be humble without developing inferiority complex?
• 894) Is expectation the cause of unhappiness?
• 893) ​Which is better – staying in a devotee community or going away to earn more so that later we can practice bhakti more?
• 892) ​How to stay positive in our fight against material nature?
• 891) When our anarthas continue despite our bhakti practice, how can we stay enthusiastic?
• 890) ​What to do when the mind overpowers the intelligence?
• 889) ​How can we neglect the mind when it obsesses on the very object we want to avoid?
• 888) ​What to do when the mind obstructs us in understanding the siddhanta that helps us to focus the mind on Krishna?
• 887) Does total surrender mean that there is no need to use one’s discretion?
• 886) ​What determines our mind’s default settings?
• 885) ​How can we overcome anxiety?
• 884) How can we avoid being dragged down by the mind’s sine wave?
• 883) ​How to stay mentally healthy without succumbing to temptation?
• 882) ​When our life is so busy how can we make time for introspection and journaling?
• 881) ​QA session at Perth
• 880) ​What to do when spikes of desires keep coming despite our practice of bhakti?
• 879) Isn’t criticism good because it makes us humble?
• 878) How can we insulate ourselves from being discouraged by criticism?
• 877) Why is gratitude important in bhakti – how can we develop gratitude?
• 876) ​If we feel closer to our nondevotee friends than our devotee friends, what should we do?
• 875) When we make mistakes, does Krishna take care of things?
• 874) How important is apara dharma for devotees?
• 873) When there is so much to hear, how to choose?
• 872) Shouldn’t we lament for our mistakes?
• 871) When our consciousness is low, how do we continue spiritually?

March 2016

• 870) What was Prabhupada’s mood when going through reversals?
• 869) How can we practically understand that shaking an apple tree may lead to the falling of mangoes?
• 868) Does surrender mean seeing problems as Krishna’s mercy?
• 867) Discover Your Inner Power
• 866) To ask guidance from visiting devotees and to not follow it – is that offensive?
• 865) If some devotees deal insensitively with us in our in our early days, how can we overcome the scars?
• 864) Should new people be told strongly to give up meat-eating?
• 863) How can we apply the mood of “Krishna, I am yours”?
• 862) If the devotees who introduced us to bhakti don’t inspire us later, what should we do?
• 861) How do avoid depression caused by the mistakes we make and by thinking about past bad karma?
• 860) The mind is a monkey that makes us a donkey
• 859) Should we stabilize our material life before practicing spiritual life?
• 858) How can we know that we have done our best in our services or relationships?
• 857) How can we find our svabhava and change our career accordingly?
• 856) If people are nasty to us, should we as devotees just be detached from it?
• 855) How can we take shelter of a devotee practically?
• 854) As devotees, how can we deal with our relatives sensitively?
• 853) If one devotee serves Krishna as a brahmachari and another, as a grihastha, who is better?
• 852) Cultivating non-judgmental attitude 3
• 851) How can we raise our children so that they become devotees?
• 850) What is a preferred career for devotees?
• 849) If our relatives are enquiring about spirituality but aren’t submissive, how should we respond?
• 848) When milk is nowadays extracted violently from cows, should devotees take milk?
• 847) Aren’t the problems we face due to our past karma?
• 846) How can we feel connected with Krishna when we have problems and our prayers are not answered?
• 845) How can we cultivate sentiments without becoming sentimental?
• 844) Cultivating non-judgmental attitude 2
• 843) Beyond sentimentality to sentiments
• 842) Why does the Bhagavatam 11.28.1 ask us to not praise others?
• 841) How can we prepare for giving classes?
• 840) You are bigger than your habits
• 839) Cultivating non-judgmental attitude 1
• 838) How can we teach our children right and wrong without coming off as judgmental?
• 837) How can we infuse our scriptural study with devotional emotion?
• 836) Can we apologize to Krishna?
• 835) How can we know what is Krishna’s plan and what is Maya’s action?
• 834) When we are unable to focus on chanting, what can we do?
• 833) How can we focus on the present while serving Krishna?
• 832) How can we deal with the doubts that obstruct us in our relationships with others?
• 831) How can we maintain our principles in a materialistic corporate environment?
• 830) How can we act intelligently when adolescence impels us to act rebelliously?
• 829) How can we guide others when different people want different levels of instruction?
• 828) Will becoming spiritually advanced automatically resolve our relationship problems?
• 827) How do we balance between our spiritual and material lives?
• 826) If my child is very sick, how can my spirituality help me?
• 825) When we have material problems, should we just focus on spiritual advancement or try to solve it materially?
• 824) Harmonizing our spiritual and material lives
• 823) If even the gopis’ lost hope in separation from Krishna, what is the hope for us?
• 822) FREE – 4 ways spirituality makes us better achievers
• 821) When problems distract us from bhakti, isn’t it better to solve the problems and then focus on bhakti?
• 820) How can we know the balance between the painkiller of material things and the cure of spirituality?
• 819) Go beyond get, beget, forget, regret
• 818) When Maya is so powerful, what is our hope for being delivered?
• 817) How to avoid becoming discouraged when we are unable to pronounce the mahamantra clearly and correcting it takes too much time?
• 816) When Krishna can free us from illusion, can’t he free us from pride too?
• 815) Holy Name is Everything Part 2
• 814) Holy Name is Everything Part 1
• 813) If our outreach services require us to go away from devotees how can we get their association?
• 812) Is it appropriate to speak directly on the Bhagavatam to new people?
• 811) When people are alienated by ISKCON’s high standards, how can we attract them?
• 810) How can we present shastra in a contemporary way?
• 809) Which Krishna pastimes can we meditate on?
• 808) How can we attract people who are connected with other spiritual organizations?
• 807) Why don’t we spontaneously act according to our svabhava?
• 806) How can we accommodate those who can’t practice bhakti with high standards?
• 805) How can we tune our consciousness so that Krishna manifests therein?
• 804) How can I celebrate my birthday spiritually?

February 2016

• 803) Are there any scriptural examples of those indifferent to the modes?
• 802) Isn’t it better to be a stable grihastha than a bewildered brahmachari?
• 801) How can we be inspired when we don’t get much association of senior devotees?
• 800) Should we associate with like-minded devotees or devotees who have the qualities we don’t have?
• 799) Dining with a monkey
• 798) How can we choose among various services that we can do?
• 797) When we want to serve Krishna, why do we get tempted?
• 796) How do we see devotees who dont complete their japa in the morning?

January 2016

• 795) Can superstitions be used in bhakti?
• 794) Is anger always bad?
• 793) See criticism with a critical eye
• 792) Positive Thinking 35 – Let the IDEA lead to ENERGY
• 791) Positive Thinking 34 – No time?
• 790) Positive Thinking 33 – Tap the power of meditation
• 789) Can we use freewriting in bhakti-yoga?
• 788) How can I go about writing in Krishna’s service?
• 787) Positive Thinking 32 – PIES – 4 dimensions for all-round well-being
• 786) Be an agent of positve change
• 785) Positive Thinking 31 – Complement diagnosis with prescription

December 2015

• 784) Positive Thinking 30 – Faith reveals the integrated beyond the fragmented
• 783) Positive Thinking 29 – See the invisible, feel the intangible, achieve the impossible
• 782) Why are we unable to apply what we hear?
• 781) When we understand scripture with senses and intelligence, how is the knowledge acquisition descending, not ascending?
• 780) Is it because scripture’s message is spiritual that we don’t find it interesting?
• 779) If a devotee feels depressed does that mean they are not chanting properly?
• 778) When we are speaking at some other organization’s forum, should we adjust or speak the truth?
• 777) While sympathizing with outsiders, how to ensure that insiders dont become like outsiders?
• 776) Positive Thinking 28 – Let gratitude energize you
• 775) Positive Thinking 27 – Avoid mental viruses
• 774) Using English to glorify Krishna
• 773) Positive Thinking 26 – Don’t let the world’s opinions determine your decisions
• 772) Positive Thinking 25 – See life as a marathon, not a sprint
• 771) Positive Thinking 24 – Don’t let a wrong definition of success defeat you
• 770) Positiive Thinking 23 – Cure the cancer of comparison
• 769) Positive Thinking 22 – Cherish your uniqueness – avoid comparing with others
• 768) Positive Thinking 21 – Go DEEP – Desire Envision Endeavor Pray
• 767) If a senior devotee states something factually wrong in a Bhagavatam class what should a junior devotee do?
• 766) Positive Thinking 20 – Smart expectations 1- Hotel or Hospital?
• 765) Positive Thinking 19 – The six-point ENERGY sutra
• 764) Positive Thinking 18 – Bhakti alchemizes our inner world
• 763) Positive Thinking 17 – Unearth the treasure within
• 762) Positive Thinking 16 – Understanding willpower 3 – Sharpen and strengthen the intelligence
• 761) Positive Thinking 15 – Understanding willpower 2 – Potential and actual
• 760) If we are getting too many doubts, should we just switch off our intellectual faculty?
• 759) How to decide whether our intellectual needs are for logical study or empirical research?
• 758) If we doubt Krishna’s existence, how can we have faith that he will remove our doubts in future?
• 757) Is it ok to be disturbed in our bhakti when some questions don’t get answered?
• 756) Positive Thinking 14 – Understanding willpower 1 – Beyond genes, upbringing and association
• 755) Positive Thinking 13 – IDEA at work 2 – Facing reversal after reversal positively
• 754) Positive Thinking 12 – IDEA at work 1 – Facing untimely death positively
• 753) Positive Thinking 11 – A of Activity – Spiritual vision inspires positive action
• 752) Positive Thinking 10 – E of IDEA – Eternal love provides inexhaustible positivity
• 751) Positive Thinking 9 – D of IDEA – Divinity underlies the universes order
• 750) Positive Thinking 8 – I of IDEA – Understanding our identity boosts our positivity
• 749) Positive Thinking 7 Get the IDEA Identity, Divinity, Eternity, Activity
• 748) How does the principle of sacrifice apply in a devotee’s life?

November 2015

• 747) What does distancing oneself from negative situations, relations and emotions mean?
• 746) How important is truthfulness in bhakti?
• 745) Positive Thinking 6 – Don’t just see reality positively – see the positive reality
• 744) Positive Thinking 5 – Think positive – think spiritual
• 743) Positive Thinking 4 – Thoughts lead to things – and are things
• 742) Positive Thinking – 3 Science and positive thinking
• 741) Positive Thinking 2 – Understanding the four kinds of thoughts
• 740) Positive Thinking 1 – Countering external and internal negativity
• 739) Spiritual sound vibration sometimes feels boring – how to avoid?
• 738) What to do if one feels inspired to be a brahmacari but doesnt have a suitable nature?
• 737) When problems overwhelm us, how can we take shelter of Krishna?
• 736) Should we help materially those who make a business out of asking for charity?
• 735) How can we keep our mind genuine during our daily activities?
• 734) If someone’s child has cancer should we not offer charity to avoid interfering with karma?
• 733) What is the difference between detachment and carelessness?
• 732) If suffering is not because of karma then what is its cause?
• 731) Isn’t faultfinding necessary for correcting and benefiting others?
• 730) How can we cultivate humility without becoming negatively self-centered?
• 729) If our mantra shouldn’t be “I am fallen” why do we sing daily trnad api sunicena?
• 728) What is the difference between repentence and self-blame?

October 2015

• 727) Avoiding the three misdirectons in the blame game (Bhagavatam 1.16.24)
• 726) Is serving according to our nature lower than serving as per instruction?
• 725) Does study of philosophy in Prabhupada’s books automatically awaken rasa?
• 724) How can we develop creative skills for writing?
• 723) Are devotees living in farm communities better situated than those living in cities?
• 722) If our profession indirectly contributes to breaking the regulative principles, what can we do?
• 721) If different strategies work in outreach with different people, how can we know in advance how best to share bhakti?
• 720) How can we resist temptations?
• 719) How to preach to people who want to speak their own ideas and not hear?
• 718) When our chanting is not good what can we do?
• 717) How can we increase our concentration in chanting?
• 716) How can we study scripture systematically?
• 715) How can a devotee coming from impersonalist background give up those leanings?
• 714) Should we hear Mayavadis submissively as Lord Chaitanya heard Sarvabhauma?
• 713) Can devotee-couples avoid having kids to avoid distraction in bhakti?
• 712) When the mind becomes our friend, does it become the same as the intelligence?
• 711) Sensitively transforming others’ hearts – Analysis of Lord Chaitanya’s delivering Sarvabhauma
• 710) If I don’t have enough sattva to study sabda constantly, should I not become a brahmachari?
• 709) Is dissatisfaction because of not being able to read scripture regularly good?
• 708) Spirituality and Business
• 707) What does worshiping the Lord through our work mean?
• 706) All our problems aren’t mental – how to deal with real problems?
• 705) LOAD acronym – How work becomes workload
• 704) Is it necessary to research our nature?
• 703) How to cooperate joyfully with devotees of radically different natures?
• 702) Is being over-intellectual dangerous for devotion?
• 701) Should we not do service if we are not pure?
• 700) Why is sleepiness during chanting sometimes resistible and sometimes not?
• 699) Good jobs in crative fields are difficult – what should creatively gifted devotees do?
• 698) Is going deep in any creative field desirable for devotees?
• 697) How can we avoid getting carried away by worldly things?
• 696) How can we avoid being over-concerned about others’ feelings?
• 695) Are we karmically responsible for work that later leads to unknowing harmful consequence?
• 694) If my boss tells me to do something wrong, who gets the karma – my boss or me?
• 693) If charity is a mentality to be cultivated, is automatic monthly donation from ones bank account undesirable?
• 692) Are direct bhakti in brahmachari life and indirect bhakti in grihastha life equivalent?
• 691) Grihastha ashrama in bhakti – Shifting the focus from grihastha to ashrama
• 690) What to do when the mind overpowers the intelligence?
• 689) While making choices how to decide which are important and which aren’t?
• 688) If senior devotees ask us to renounce everything, should we do that?
• 687) How much should sadhaka discriminate between matter and spirit while practicing bhakti?
• 686) How did you scientifically come to the conclusion of bhakti?
• 685) Amidst life’s storms, does our relationship with Krishna shelter us automatically or do we need to do something special?
• 684) Can we live without expectation in relationships?
• 683) Our longing for love is perfected in Krishna
• 682) Go beyond Hurry Worry Sorry
• 681) Can we be enthusiastic without being passionate?
• 680) To manage the mind, regulate the mind’s diet
• 679) How to deal with people who don’t want to clarify misunderstandings?
• 678) Cooperating among equals
• 677) How can we control anger?
• 676) What spiritual principles can inspire devotees to live cooperatively?
• 675) How can we dovetail attraction to fiction in bhakti?
• 674) Is there any formula to always appreciate devotees?
• 673) How can we practically redirect our emotions towards Krishna?
• 672) How does Krishna take away the karma of his devotees?
• 671) How can we develop a taste for bhakti and chanting?
• 670) How to spiritually reach people who aren’t receptive to hearing Krishna’s glories?
• 669) How can we help reluctant people to become spiritually elevated?
• 668) How are trust and expectation related? Can we love without trust?
• 667) How to deal with anger when others hurt us?
• 666) IDEA – 4 insights for facing adversities
• 665) How can I write a book?
• 664) Is thinking that we may not attain Krishna in one life being realistic or being lethargic?
• 663) How can we avoid losing enthusiasm as we keep practicing bhakti over the years?
• 662) How do our relationships in this world relate with our relationship with Krishna?
• 661) How can we connect with God to get positive energy?
• 660) How do we deal with negativity coming from reading bad news?
• 659) What is the best way to get positive thoughts regularly?
• 658) How can we decide when pursuing material things is enough?
• 657) Intention in Tension? – Principles for Sustainable Relationships
• 656) How do we balance serving according to our nature with asssiting our guru’s mission?
• 655) How can we find like-minded association?
• 654) How can we avoid taking steps forward and then backward in our spiritual life?
• 653) How can we differentiate between Krishna and Maya in subtle situations?
• 652) How can we cultivate the disposition of surrender?
• 651) Manage the mind through introspection and meditation

September 2015

• 650) Can’t judging be a means of self-defense?
• 649) If we correct with good intention, isn’t that good enough?
• 648) Judgmental attitude ruins relationships
• 647) How can we practice bhakti-yoga on a daily basis?
• 646) How can we control the unstable mind?
• 645) How can we set spiritual goals that harmonize with our material goals?
• 644) How to find our true nature?
• 643) How much should we discipline our children in practical things such as watching TV?
• 642) How can devotee-parents deal with children who don’t practice bhakti seriously?
• 641) How can bhakti help our children in their careers?
• 640) Parenting Principles from Bhagavad-gita
• 639) What to do when our vertical and horizontal relationships are not symbiotic?
• 638) How to recover from harsh words of some devotees?
• 637) How can we practically experience Krishna’s love for us?
• 636) How to be selective in our association without becoming judgmental?
• 635) What does beating the mind with broom and shoe mean?
• 634) How can we prevent the mind from obsessing over negative things that shouldn’t happen?
• 633) How can we spiritualize the willing function of the mind?
• 632) MIND acronym 2 – Mind imagines pleasure
• 631) How to fight against the minds self-sabotaging inner dialogue?
• 630) How to deal with relatives who hurt us by their ego and negativity?
• 629) How can we go beyond suppressing desire to becoming free from even the urge?
• 628) How to sustain our bhakti when we have to live in materialistic association
• 627) MIND acronym 1 – Magnifies the problem
• 626) How to respond when a devotee is criticized by a devotee or a nondevotee?

August 2015

• 625) Can a devotee do karma-kandi rituals for earning a living?
• 624) How can we reconcile “act according to your nature” and “do what Krishna wants you to do, not what you want to do”?
• 623) How can we avoid comparing ourselves with others while living in a comparing culture?
• 622) How can we avoid moroseness caused by repeatedly falling for sense gratification?
• 621) How can we serve according to our nature within an institutional setup?
• 620) Temptations may come, we don’t have to welcome
• 619) How can we make our heart into a temple?
• 618) How does fasting on Ekadashi increase our love for Krishna?
• 617) How can we develop the contradictory qualities of enthusiasm and patience?
• 616) Should we love ourselves or hate ourselves?
• 615) Isnt fear of entanglement in grihastha life desirable?
• 614) Should one not become an IAS officer because one will get the karma of the people under one’s jurisdiction?
• 613) Which books of the previous acharayas can sadhakas read?
• 612) How can we ensure that we apply what we learn?
• 611) After completing brahmachari training, how to overcome fear of entanglement while entering grihastha ashrama?
• 610) Should we pray for Krishna’s help for dealing with some problem in our profession even when such problem is material?
• 609) Should we pray for going BTG or pray for serving Krishna in this world?
• 608) While praying how can we cultivate emotions without becoming sahajiyaic?
• 607) What does it mean to remember Krishna while chanting?
• 606) When later never comes, why tell people to postpone spiritual life for material life?
• 605) Shouldn’t we teach the highest standard, otherwise people will rationalize their materialism?

July 2015

• 604) Is the idea of focusing on material life instead of spiritual life a deviation from Prabhupadas teachings?
• 603) The quest for fame deconstructed and redirected
• 602) Gita 14.12 – Passion produces workoholism – protect yourself by devotion
• 601) What to when the mind despite our devotional practices gets caught in something?
• 600) How can we avoid blaming our spiritual life for our not being fast enough or ambitious enough in our material life?
• 599) How can we remember Krishna constantly in a passionate company environment?
• 598) Does humility mean dishonestly blaming ourselves for things we haven’t done?
• 597) Is the bead bag to be worshiped like Krishna?

June 2015

• 596) Should a devotee cardiac surgeon avoid doing angioplasty because it uses an animal product injection?
• 595) Should we be humble with nondevotees who may exploit us?
• 594) How do we understand the statement that women are less intelligent?
• 593) Even after practicing bhakti why do we still have worldly desires?
• 592) How can we overcome loneliness?
• 591) How can I serve with someone who doesn’t like me?
• 590) How do we differentiate between the mind and the intelligence when the mind can also speak good things?
• 589) How do we know which is our voice, the minds voice and the Supersoul’s voice?
• 588) How can we use emotional intelligence to manage our relationships?
• 587) As we will become attached to services we like should we also take services we dont like?
• 586) Should we seek financial security first so that we can focus more on bhakti later?
• 585) How do we differentiate between sentimental practice of bhakti and sentiments coming from bhakti?
• 584) How can following rules lead to developing of spontaneous love?
• 583) Should we seek satisfaction by serving according to our nature of sacrifice by doing whatever we are told to do?
• 582) How can I overcome confusion about which spiritual master to choose?
• 581) Can working devotee-mothers send their children to child care?
• 580) Personal Management Mantra – Productivity in Activity through Spirituality
• 579) Is it ok to savor the good feelings we get while practicing bhakti?
• 578) How can we stay busy in Krishna consciousness?
• 577) Krishna can bring good out of everything – even our mistakes
• 576) How to avoid boredom while hearing the same points being repeated in classes?
• 575) How should we pray in front of the Deities?
• 574) How do we know whether we are accepting and rejecting while surrendering based on the mind or the intelligence?
• 573) Managing the mind 2 – Catch the ventriloquist with intellectual and emotional energy
• 572) Managing the mind 1 – The mind is the TV and the thief
• 571) How important are close relationships with devotees?
• 570) How can we prevent ability from making us proud?
• 569) How can brahmacharis avoid feeling superior to grihasthas?
• 568) In the name of not worrying, how can we avoid becoming irresponsible?
• 567) How can we avoid becoming proud on getting a position of power?
• 566) How do we deal with faultfinding mentality wrt uncleanliness among our loved ones?
• 565) How can we manage our relations with nondevotee family members?
• 564) Spiritual Advancement and Material Ambitiousness
• 563) How can we give up addictions so that we can practice bhakti?
• 562) When our professional and family responsibilities already fill our schedule, why should we take the additional burden of practicing bhakti?
• 561) How do we deal with emotions of others – friends, relatives and devotees?
• 560) How do we deal with the inner conflict created by having within us both dharmic knowledge and worldly emotions?
• 559) If someone doesn’t have a photographic memory, is that injustice or does it mean he is meant to excel in some field that doesn’t require such a memory?
• 558) If someone doesnt have a photographic memory is that injustice or does it mean he is meant to excel in some field that doesnt require such a memory?
• 557) How can we increase nama-ruchi?
• 556) How can we serve according to our nature when knowing our nature takes time?
• 555) Should we force our teenage children to take to bhakti or leave it to Krishna’s will?
• 554) When people say we don’t care about next life karmic consequences how should we preach to them?

May 2015

• 553) How can we continue in bhakti when our faith in devotees is shaken?
• 552) How can we avoid pride while doing service?
• 551) We feel more eager to read news than scripture – what to do?
• 550) How can we strengthen our faith in Krishna amidst difficulties?
• 549) Obstacles on the spiritual path at the level of intelligence, mind and faith
• 548) How does mantra singing help in emotional healing?
• 547) Krishna can bring good out of everything – even our mistakes
• 546) How can we make the effect of hearing last for long?
• 545) How can we face problems caused by others without falling for the blame game?
• 544) When chanting is so simple why do we feel so lazy – how can we chant constantly?
• 543) How should we see unbrahminical behavior of brahman-initiated devotees?

April 2015

• 542) How can we ensure that our words of correction act as scalpels, not axes?
• 541) What can we do in a relationship when the other person doesn’t want clarification?
• 540) How can we overcome our ego?
• 539) What does it mean to not take credit for the things we do?
• 538) Is it hypocritical to criticize others for faults we ourselves have?

March 2015

• 537) Should I postpone my sadhana bhakti to focus on college studies?
• 536) How can I protect my bhakti from bad association in college?
• 535) Should we eat as less as possible or eat to stay healthy for serving Krishna?
• 534) How can devotees face anxieties caused by worldly threats like crimes?

February 2015

• 533) Don’t be so concerned about others’ future destination as to be cut off from their present emotion
• 532) Should we hate the mind?
• 531) Will soldiers who fight in today’s wars be doing vikarma?
• 530) Vaishnava Sadachara 4 – Managing harmoniously
• 529) Vaishnava Sadachara 3 – Acting according to time place circumstance
• 528) Vaishnava Sadachara 2 – Dealing appropriately with different people
• 527) Vaishnava Sadachara 1 – Importance of Sadachara

January 2015

• 526) How can we know which things increase our doubt and which increase our faith?
• 525) Do neophyte devotees also represent Krishna? How?
• 524) Is the mind always our enemy?
• 523) When we get answers to doubts about which we pray, should we see those answers as Krishna’s reciprocation?
• 522) If a senior devotee asks me to take up a major service that he himself is not good at, should I follow him?
• 521) How can we help a dying relative attain emotional closure with an unforgiving relative?
• 520) How can we best help a relative who is near death?

December 2014

• 519) Hold on to Hari, not to worry
• 518) Hold on to Hari, not to worry
• 517) Making our scriptural study relevant
• 516) To practice bhakti strictly is it better to be fanatical?
• 515) The difference between sentimentality and sensitivity – SB 4.8.26

November 2014

• 514) How can we use gadgets in bhakti without becoming attached?
• 513) What will it take for us to lose faith in our mind?
• 512) Does bhakti make us unambitious?
• 511) When chanting requires mind control, why do we say that chanting leads to mind control?
• 510) Words shape worlds – watch your words
• 509) What leads to spirtual advancement – taking more responsibility in service or doing more chanting?
• 508) Should we stop voting in elections because no political party stops sinful activities?
• 507) Will devotional service free us from a painful disorder?
• 506) Is controlling lust forcibly helpful or harmful?

October 2014

• 505) How do we deal with students who take to KC to escape from studies?
• 504) Can we take charanamrita when curd is forbidden during Chaturmasya?
• 503) How can birthday celebrations be made more traditional and spiritual?
• 502) Should birthday celebrations for devotees’ children be banned?
• 501) I study scripture but don’t find it relevant to me. What to do?
• 500) What goes around comes around – assume accountability
• 499) Why do we sometimes act irrationally, doing things that we would normally never do?
• 498) Why do we sometimes act like mad, doing things that we would normally never do?
• 497) Isn’t it better to chant extra than to use dama and bheda with the mind?
• 496) How can we approach science by which we can go closer to Krishna?
• 495) How can devotees staying in the temple be engaged according to their natures?
• 494) How do we balance between endeavor for bodily maintenance and dependence on Krishna?
• 493) How can one avoid defying authority in the name of serving according to svabhava?
• 492) When today spiritual masters can’t personally instruct disciples about their services, how can we best serve Krishna?
• 491) How much can devotees facing emergenices be allowed to relax standards?
• 490) How do we avoid prayasa in the services we like to do?
• 489) Appreciating different definitions of success in devotional service
• 488) Just as we take non-Ayurvedic medicines, can we adopt non-devotional astrological prescriptions?
• 487) Don’t be worn out by the mind – wear the mind out
• 486) How do we deal with our tendency to perceive others negatively?
• 485) We know Krishna loves devotees, still we offend them – how can we stop this?
• 484) When we feel empty and impure, how can we persevere in devotion?
• 483) How can we experience Krishna’s love at our present level of devotion?

September 2014

• 482) Right and wrong definitions of success in grihastha life
• 481) How can we stay open to new ideas without weakening our convictions?
• 480) How can we keep our mind steady amidst outer agitation and inner temptation?
• 479) What should we do when we are blamed for something?
• 478) Why do we offer prasad and how is it to be offered?
• 477) How should we respond to classes that seem confusing and contradictory to the standard philosophical understanding
• 476) Can sick devotees adopt a diet of only raw foods if it improves their health?
• 475) How can I surrender to Krishna?
• 474) To seek love in food is to relapse into emotional babyhood
• 473) Is it selfish to want taste in chanting?
• 472) To seek love in food is to relapse into emotional babyhood
• 471) Don’t let pseudo-hunger masquerade as hunger
• 470) Don’t let pseudo-hunger masquerade as hunger

August 2014

• 469) Accepting our limitations helps us see the light beyond limitations – SB 10.49.19
• 468) When everything is in Prabhupada’s books, what is the need to read other books either by ISKCON devotees or previous acharyas?
• 467) How do we decide which of our emotions are material and which are spiritual?
• 466) Is a devotee’s grihastha-ashrama a failure if the children don’t become devotees?
• 465) Is the prayer to get a good spouse a material prayer?
• 464) As developing internal conviction takes time, isn’t it better to be stimulated in our devotion by external inspiration?
• 463) How do you maintain consistency in your daily writing year after year?
• 462) Are tragedies in our lives such as a relative committing suicide God’s punishments on us?
• 461) How should relatives of a suicide resolve their anger towards that person?
• 460) Should relatives communicate via planchette with someone who has committed suicide?
• 459) If a good person commits suicide due to some frustration, what is their destination?
• 458) Does a sudden tragedy in the lives of God’s worshipers indicates that God is too busy in his own kingdom to protect?
• 457) Does taking anti-depressant drugs as medicine violate the no intoxication principle?
• 456) Why do we need to be in the mode of goodness to practice bhakti?
• 455) Do we need to introspect whether we are progressing in our spiritual life?

July 2014

• 454) How do we decide when to forgive and when to fight back?
• 453) How to choose between doing our worldly repsonsibilities devotionally and doing directly devotional activities?
• 452) How do we develop taste for studying scripture?
• 451) When can a devotee seek honor instead of being humble?
• 450) Is experience a pramana if one’s experience contradicts scripture?
• 449) How do we know whether we desire to preach for fame or for pleasing Krishna?
• 448) Can grihasthas who want to preach make preaching as their source of livelihood?
• 447) The religious rural culture of India is being replaced by materialisitc culture. What can we do to counter this?
• 446) Should we preach to make people ISKCON devotees or to make them better human beings?
• 445) How can we understand which mode we are in?
• 444) How can we stay in the mode of goodness?
• 443) Why does the mind develop bad habits more easily than good habits?

June 2014

• 442) How can we overcome the tendency to take the association of devotees for granted?
• 441) Selecting our association without being judgmental or offensive
• 440) If we shouldn’t be disturbed by the mind’s impurities, then how can we beat the mind?
• 439) Why do we have to give up material pleasures to experience spiritual pleasures?
• 438) Maturity means to not let our emotionality interfere with our responsibility
• 437) Why do insubstantial religious groups spread extensively and pure saints remain unknown?
• 436) Who is better – one who chants all day or one who chants a few times and serves others all day?
• 435) Meditation minimizes inner friction and maximizes outer contribution
• 434) If we cant fast nirjala on Pandava Nirjala Ekadashi what benefit do we get?
• 433) Safe, Danger and Relapse Zones in the War against temptation
• 432) How can we strengthen our resolve to correct our wrongs?
• 431) How can we forgive not just with lips but with the heart?
• 430) When we don’t feel like asking for forgiveness what should we do?
• 429) Is forgiveness practical?
• 428) Can devotees watch TV serials about Krishna’s pastimes?

May 2014

• 427) If one has devotion, why does one need to count the names of God?
• 426) I like to chant and meditate on the Supersoul. As that is my nature, can I just do this and not do other devotional activities?
• 425) How can we know whether we are using our intelligence in Krishna’s service or are just enjoying Krishna consciousness intellectually?
• 424) Can we preach without using technology as such use can distract one from Krishna?
• 423) During preaching, how important is it to provide relevant material information in addition to the paramapara’s message?
• 422) If the son practices bhakti, then will his non-devotee parents’ get a good next-life destination due to their son’s bhakti?
• 421) We hear so much in various classes, but apply very little from it. How can we change this?
• 420) We often feel like doing different things in bhakti at different times – how can we steadily maintain interest in one thing?
• 419) While using a talent such as music for Krishna how can we transfer our attachment from that talent to Krishna?
• 418) How can we avoid frustration at our inability to follow the standards of devotional service?
• 417) If one has not had the habit of reading books but likes to hear, how can one develop that habit in bhakti?
• 416) How much should we seach on the internet for good Krishna conscious content?
• 415) How can I protect my bhakti when I go home and am with my pre-bhakti friends with whom I had indulged in bad habits?
• 414) How much should devotee-writers learn English grammar and style to write effectively for Krishna?
• 413) Value Education and Spirituality 6 – The Spiritual Foundation of Values 4 – Let secularism protect us from narrow-mindedness, not restrict us in empty-mindedness
• 412) Value Education and Spirituality 5 – The Spiritual Foundation of Values 3 – Three non-sectarian arguments for the existence of God
• 411) Value Education and Spirituality 4 – The Spiritual Foundation of Values 2 – Karma shows the sense in life’s seeming senselessness
• 410) Value Education and Spirituality 3 – The Spiritual Foundation of Values 1 – The end is not the end
• 409) Value Education and Spirituality 8 – Mahabharata 2 – Duryodhana – Envy leads to destructive competition that is dissatisfying and degrading
• 408) Value Education and Spirituality 7 – Mahabharata 1 – Shakuni – Imaginary expectation leads to real destruction
• 407) Are devotees being told to be too other-worldly that something so simple as voting is made into such a big issue?
• 406) Are chanting and going to the temple bhakti only if they are done to please Krishna?
• 405) Why doesn’t ISKCON practice what it preaches? First new devotees are told to be detached from their parents and then senior brahmacharis spend months caring for their dying parents

April 2014

• 404) Is it right to feel envious of advanced devotees for their spiritual advancement? If not, how to deal with it?
• 403) Can talents like mimicry and comedy be used in devotional service?
• 402) How can we know if someone is correcting out of ego or out of concern?
• 401) Is it appropriate to judge students by the marks obtained by them in their examination?
• 400) How can we introspect about our devotional progresss? How can we rise from kanishtha to madhyama level?
• 399) What is the point of taking initiation from a spiritual master when there is very little chance of getting personal guidance from him?
• 398) To grow individually and socially, look for the weakness in yourself and the goodness in others
• 397) For him, Back to Godhead was both the means and the end
• 396) Value Education and Spirituality 2 – Our values serve as protecting fences and as focusing default settings
• 395) Value Education and Spirituality 1 – What we value determines our values – and our values determine our value

March 2014

• 394) Should a devotee work in a devotional project where one can directly serve Krishna or in a secular company by which one can offer more donation?
• 393) How much anxiety shoud we take up for our devotional activities?
• 392) If our nondevotee parents discourage our children’s enthusiasm for bhakti by calling it brainwashing by dangerous cults, how should we respond?
• 391) When people around us force us to things that aren’t according to devotional standards how should we respond?
• 390) Is it ok to be attracted more to the cultural aspects of KC than its philosophical aspect?
• 389) When we ask questions how can we know whether we simply want to confirm our pre-conconceptions or seek open-minded understanding?
• 388) Once I had immense bhakti, but now I have lost it. How can I regain it?
• 387) Reviving Love 1 – Para dharma contrasted with apara dharmas like patriotism, be-good and service to parents
• 386) The four P’s of effective chanting – Posture, Pronunciation, Purity and Prayerfulness
• 385) Let go of all ties (conditions, conditionings and competition) and live life wise and nice
• 384) How can we control the hyperactive imagination during chanting?
• 383) If eating opulent prasad harms our consciousness how can we regulate our eating?
• 382) Expanding the intersection of our emotional circle and Krishna’s emotional circle
• 381) While chanting is it better to just focus on the holy name or on a mahamantra sticker or on a picture of the Deities?
• 380) When some devotee praises us, should we stop that devotee or go away or hear passively?
• 379) How does Krishna consciousness practically solve the world’s problems like violence, poverty and drug abuse?
• 378) How can we practically engage in Krishna’s service all the time?
• 377) How can we ensure that the give and take between devotees doesn’t become artificial or business-like?
• 376) Does chanting all 16 rounds at one stretch lead to greater concentration?
• 375) Tapping our irreducible individuality in bhakti-yoga

February 2014

• 374) How important is it for devotee-couples to follow the Vedic model for gender roles in their relationship?
• 373) When the mahaprasad of devotees is so glorious, why are we discouraged from taking it during our regular interactions with other devotees?
• 372) What should a devotee do on being overcome by temptation?

January 2014

• 371) Amidst life-threatening situations like attack by robbers, should a devotee tolerate, retaliate or flee?
• 370) If a person feels spaced out after chanting 16 rounds daily and more focused after chanting less rounds, what should be done?
• 369) If devotees’ children are advanced devotees from past lives, why do many of those children not become devotees in this life?
• 368) Should we avoid offering obeisances to senior devotees in public places because people find it alienating
• 367) When Krishna is satisfied by simple devotion do we need technical intellectual analysis as done by Gita-daily articles?
• 366) Can we integrate walking as an exercise with our daily chanting?
• 365) Is the quality of chanting inversely proportional to the speed of chanting?
• 364) How can we channelize our emotions in devotional service?
• 363) How can devotees do their material activities in spiritual consciousness?
• 362) Is chanting 16 rounds practical for an engineering student (or for anyone in our fast-paced times)?
• 361) If someone is really determined in one’s devotional service, why would that person fall?
• 360) How can we practice humility in a competitive world where everyone parades their credentials?

December 2013

• 359) How can an aspiring devotee-precher put one’s heart in a career that increases people’s illusions?
• 358) How can we avoid the ego’s feeling that service to others is demeaning?
• 357) How can we avoid pride during times of material success and remain thankful to Krishna?
• 356) In our efforts to become pure, pride somehow or the other sneaks in. How to avoid this?
• 355) When we have to spend time on family duties, how can we stay strong in our devotional standards?
• 354) What can we do when the mind gets agitated by a tempting sense object that can’t be avoided?
• 353) We surrender to Krishna’s will sometimes but mostly act for our own pleasure. What is our hope?
• 352) If we are served more prasad than what we can eat, can we throw it away?
• 351) How can we identify false ego while doing services?
• 350) When do questions move from being inquisitive to offensive? What kind of questions can be asked?
• 349) What is the destination of those people who die after receiving blessings of advanced devotees?
• 348) Does having some ambitions in life mean having material attachments and doing tenth offence?
• 347) Why do we take shelter of Krishna more in difficult times like exam period but not during sadhana and service?
• 346) Should a devotee oppose crimes like rapes? Should he feel compassion for the criminal?
• 345) Does Prabhupada’s request to cooperate with devotees mean that we allow them to exploit us?
• 344) How can we pray for those who are troubling us?
• 343) How can sitting erect like Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati help in our chanting?
• 342) How can a student who wants to become a brahmachari in future feel inspired to do academic studies?
• 341) How can we avoid getting caught in doubts about unimportant issues while studying scriptures?
• 340) Can we use Tulasi as medicine in life-threatening diseases?
• 339) Should we avoid discriminating between male and female to avoid agitation by lust?
• 338) How can we increase our tolerance to temptations?
• 337) If we feel grief-struck on losing a loved one, how do we relate with Krishna thereafter?
• 336) How can we best offer prayers from the Bhagavatam?
• 335) Is there any difference between dambha, darpa and abhimana in Gita 16.04?
• 334) How much should a grihastha plan for financial security and how much depend on Krishna?
• 333) How can we develop divine passion? Do we need an external motivation?
• 332) Is the passion for our material duties like excelling in studies desirable or undesirable?

November 2013

• 331) If the temple management organizes kirtan festivals with singers who do not follow high standards of sadhana, should we participate in such festivals?
• 330) Is it right for devotees to use kirtan singing for earning their living?
• 329) How can we practice and share Krishna consciousness when the political leadership is uncooperative or even opposed?
• 328) In what mood should we take darshan of Deities?
• 327) Should we chant and wait for feeling to come or chant with feeling?
• 326) How do we deal with people who become cold or hostile when we share Krishna consciousness with them?
• 325) In today’s competitive society, how can we practice simple living & high thinking?
• 324) How can we determine our varna?
• 323) How can we avoid becoming lethargic in spiritual life?
• 322) If we are not to slave for worldly recognition, how can we go ahead in life?
• 321) How can we counter competitive mentality when we see other devotees succeeding in spiritual life?
• 320) If devotees are troubled by black magic can they seek a remedy from tantriks?
• 319) How do we see spiritualists who want to control others to maintain their own position?
• 318) If we get angry with our children while trying to guide them about right or wrong, is that due to controlling mentality? How can we best guide them?
• 317) As the world judges us by actions not dispositions how can we avoid the confusion caused by wrong judgments?
• 316) How much importance should devotee-parents give for the material education of their children, especially preparing them for competitive exams etc?
• 315) Does having equal disposition towards all mean tolerating troubles from others passively?
• 314) How can we avoid pride without going into self-pity?
• 313) Does being humble mean being indifferent towards honor or being absorbed in Krishna?
• 312) Do householder devotees need to attend the temple morning program daily to be surrendered?
• 311) How can we rectify an offense, especially when the devotee whom we have offended doesn’t know about the offense?
• 310) Should we hear only from advanced pure devotees or from whichever devotees inspire us?
• 309) Should there be dowry in devotee-marriages?
• 308) Can devotees do abortion if it is favorable for their bhakti?
• 307) How can we avoid isolation when people around us misunderstand our intentions and hurt us?

October 2013

• 306) See within to seek without; seek without to see within
• 305) If a senior brahmachari changes his ashrama, how should we understand that situation and deal with that devotee?
• 304) Can a homosexual become a brahmachari?
• 303) How can we take shelter of Krishna when the sexual urge troubles us while we are resting in bed?
• 302) Should devotee read books by nondevotee nationalist thinkers to learn how to protect Vedic culture and actualize varnashrama in today’s society?
• 301) Should we avoid debates with argumentative people who believe that technology is beneficial?
• 300) What prevents us from applying what we hear? How can we correct it?
• 299) If we like to hear do we still need to chant more to make spiritual advancement?
• 298) In what consciousness should we attend festivals centered on demigod worship that we are obligated to attend?
• 297) Four empowerments from hearing
• 296) Can hearing classes on the internet substitute for going to the temple to hear classes?

September 2013

• 295) Can we attain a level where nothing that Krishna does can stop us from loving him?
• 294) While hearing scripture, should we seek solutions to our current problems through the hearing or just focus on hearing about Krishna?
• 293) I have joined as a brahmachari but am opposed and troubled by my relatives. How should I stay strong?
• 292) I am suffering from a diease from last 10 years almost. May i know how my problem can be resolved.
• 291) How can we overcome laziness, especially wrt waking up in the morning?
• 290) Due to some problems with the local temple devotees, I have stopped going there. How can I maintain my enthusiasm in practicing devotional service?
• 289) When money offers security amidst uncertainty how can one give up material ambition for spiritual pursuits?
• 288) How can we love Krishna when he is not like a normal person and doesn’t reciprocate immediately?
• 287) Does loving Krishna always protect us from all heartbreaks?
• 286) Can the level of language in Gita-daily articles be made simpler?
• 285) How can we avoid complacency in spiritual life?
• 284) How do we choose whether to serve in the cities and reach out to many people or in rural communities for reviving varnashrama?
• 283) If one likes to study scripture more than do other services does that make one a jnani and not a bhakta?
• 282) As the consciousness at conception determines the kind of soul coming to the womb isn’t abortion desirable during pregnancy after rape so as to avoid unwanted progeny?
• 281) How can an IAS officer help in sharing Krishna consciosness since India is a secular country?
• 280) When the Bhagavatam simply condemns household life, how can we as householders get encouragement from it to face life’s problems?
• 279) If the chidren of devotees don’t become devotees, then does the devotee-parents’ duty of caring for their chilldren no longer count as devotional service?
• 278) What should I do when my devotional service interferes with my duties as a mother?
• 277) When a loved one has passed away, isn’t it heartless to dismiss the resulting grief as mundane?
• 276) Can devotees practice hath yoga for health?
• 275) How can we best study scriptures?
• 274) How can we make rapid spiritual advancement?
• 273) What to do when we feel attracted to holy names other than the mahamantra?
• 272) If our philosophy is based on the level of love, why do we talk about sex mostly at the level of fear – fears of its consequences?
• 271) When a leader of a devotee community acts unethically should we try to correct the situation or should we leave it in Krishna’s hands?
• 270) As you were a GRE topper, can you tell how we can prepare for GRE?

August 2013

• 269) RRR – Reprobate Rescued and Reformed – Lessons from Ajamila Pastime
• 268) How can we differentiate between offering help and interfering in others’ business?
• 267) Won’t adjusting according to time-place-circumstances lead to deviations?
• 266) If we get sensual immoral dreams, does that indicate we are fallen? How should we respond?
• 265) How do we ensure that we don’t just enjoy KC intellectually and not advance spiritually?
• 264) Should devotees do kirtan in drought-afflicted places to produce rains and thereby attract people to devotional service?
• 263) Can a devotee pursue a career as a cricketer?
• 262) Can devotees enter into politics?
• 261) If bhakti offers higher taste why do devotees still struggle with sex desire?
• 260) Are birthday celebrations for devotees authentic from the Vedic perspective?
• 259) How can we stop our family members from using items having animal products?
• 258) When trying to figure out Krishna’s lesson for us makes us indecisive what should we do?
• 257) How can we absorb ourselves in devotional service?
• 256) When should we concern ourselves with helping other devotees and when should we mind our own business?
• 255) How can we differentiate between yukta-vairagya and bhoga-vrtti?
• 254) How should we prepare for giving our first Bhagavatam class?

July 2013

• 253) Can we be fully dependent on Krishna? How?
• 252) How can we offer correction without committing offenses?
• 251) Should devotees bathe in Radha-Kunda?
• 250) How should we receive criticism constructively?
• 249) Is using Radha Kunda tilaka authentic?
• 248) How can we remember Krishna constantly and also do our work properly?
• 247) If our KC becomes weak away from devotee association, does it mean that our core conviction is weak?
• 246) If we chant while doing other activities, won’t that chanting be inattentive and thereby offensive?
• 245) When does medical treatment interfere with nature?
• 244) Do engineers have secure future in devotional life?
• 243) Is a devotee born in a brahmin family working in a bank a brahmana or a vaishya?
• 242) Should one give charity even while being in debt?
• 241) Can devotees perform agnihotra sacrifice?
• 240) Isn’t the Goswamis’ having boatful of gold atyahara?
• 239) How can we learn to contemplate on scriptural verses?
• 238) If we are in a service that doesn’t inspire us how long can we continue in that service?
• 237) Can devotees use positive thinking techniques like visualizations and affirmations?
• 236) If devotees don’t notice our service, then is our service authorized or whimsical?
• 235) Isn’t it better to do one thing at a time instead of chanting inattentively while doing other things?
• 234) How can we differentiate between humility and humiliation?
• 233) Does Krishna protect his devotee-students from bullies at school?
• 232) Don’t you like me? You haven’t answered my question for a long time.
• 231) Is it right for devotees to say that they are Krishna-tarians when it conveys the idea that we are consuming Krishna the way vegetarians consume vegetables?
• 230) What are the kind of questions that fall under counseling questions which you won’t be answering on the site?
• 229) How can we sustain the momentum in spiritual life year after year?
• 228) Is it ok to ask for a specific wish like our family’s well being in our prayers?
• 227) How can we ensure that honest communication doesn’t become Vaishnva apradh?
• 226) How and Who decides that the involvement in the stock market is cautious and won’t effect the mind?
• 225) How can we better recollect what we hear in classes?
• 224) I dont get any questions on hearing lectures. Is this good or bad?
• 223) How can a deaf and dumb person chant the holy names?
• 222) When we fall in our devotional standards, we feel guilty and become discouraged. How should we go ahead at such times?
• 221) Is dealing in shares in the stock market against the principle of no gambling?
• 220) If I am facing problems with my counselor’s behavior towards me, should i tell him directly or to some other senior devotee?
• 219) As guilt due to falldown can also be a temptation, should one just neglect guilt and keep practicing devotional service?
• 218) If a devotee due to repeated falls feels that I wont be able to go BTG and so becomes discouraged how should we respond to that devotee?
• 217) What should one do if after practising years of devotional service also, one gives in to temptations and falls down?
• 216) I have been a lifelong strict vegetarian but due to bad association have eaten meat and so am feeling myself becoming impure and going away from Krishna. What should I do?
• 215) What are the types of lectures we need to hear in a week so that we will joyfully stay in KC?
• 214) Is there any diiference between a devotee taking medicine for a disease and he doing demigod worship for treating the disease?
• 213) When I chant I cry like a child for the mother Is this normal or is it because I am emotional?
• 212) When hearing Vedic philosophy distracts me from studies what should I do?
• 211) Can we offer milk breads of good companies to Krishna ?
• 210) When so many people are facing real problems, why should we spend time in spiritual practices like meditation instead of doing something practical to help?
• 209) How can intellectually inclined devotees engage themselves in devotional service?
• 208) Should devotees put their children in English Medium or in vernacular medium schools? Should they avoid convent schools?
• 207) Is lying sinful? How can we give it up?
• 206) How can we decide that our seeing Krishna’s hand in daily events is proper or is just imagination?
• 205) How can daily diary writing be used as a tool for spiritual growth?
• 204) I want to write articles as a service to Krishna. But I am unable to get time. How should I go ahead?
• 203) My obsessive thoughts dont allow me to chant and if I force myself to chant i feel haterful towards the Lord. Please advice.
• 202) Does watching TV and reading newspapers comprise breaking the regulative principles?
• 201) Should we hate our body because it obstructs and distracts us in devotional service?
• 200) When we face problems in our spiritual life, is chanting extra rounds the way to solve all those problems?
• 199) How can we deal with materialistic people while practicing Krishna consciousness?

June 2013

• 198) When we meet people distributing Mayavadi literature should we challenge them philosophically or just recommend Prabhupadas books and leave?
• 197) How we can train our mind to have faith in ourselves?
• 196) How can we develop our determination?
• 195) Why do we use a bead bag for keeping our chanting beads?
• 194) Is serving deities at our place in nuclear families by ladies during 4 days of menstruation allowed in ISKCON?
• 193) Can we speak strongly in informal meetings with nondevotees so as to prevent discussions from going in provocative directions?
• 192) When we have emotional expectations from devotees and are disappointed can we seek emotional nourishment from Krishna alone and not strive for deep relationships with devotees
• 191) Should we avoid services like writing because we will become proud by doing those services?
• 190) How can we maintain a positive attitude in devotional life when we face reversals?
• 189) Is it practical to live in the mode of goodness in our fast-paced culture?
• 188) How can we avoid blurting out and learn to think before speaking?
• 187) How can devotees choose a career that is compatible with our devotional life?
• 186) If we need some material skills for serving Krishna can we pray for those skills?
• 185) How can we increase our taste for reading Prabhupada’s books?
• 184) What exactly is humility? How can we cultivate humlity apart from chanting and praying for it? How can we avoid becoming proud of our humility?
• 183) How can we use the holy name meditations for improving our chanting?
• 182) If science is wrong why do devotee go to a hospital when they fall sick and not to a temple?
• 181) Is chanting a service to Krishna or our expression of love to Krishna?
• 180) The mind says spiritual life is good when we are in devotee association but it says material life is good when we are in nondevotee association. How can we know when the mind is cheating us?
• 179) Modern medicine contains alcohol and meat extracts. Does taking such medicines cause sinful karma. What to do when there is no option?
• 178) How can we not lose faith in Krishna when we are faced with lots of suffering?
• 177) Is chanting the holy name and reading scriptures without preaching enough to take us back to godhead?
• 176) I feel that without association I can continue bhakti. Please explain why association is essential.
• 175) It is impossible to not see women with an enjoying mentality. Please guide.
• 174) How can we avoid lust?
• 173) Normal temples have deities of Krishna and other demigods should prasadam offered in such temple be taken or not?
• 172) If somehow it is known before birth that the child in womb is crippled can it be aborted?
• 171) If a person is born mad and to abuse god is his habit then how he can be elevated to KC?
• 170) To become Krishna conscious do we need to change our complete behaviour or do we just need to learn respect and love for Vaishnavas?
• 169) Is there any quick way to control the mind?
• 168) When we become devotees should we not read newspaper or magazines and read only spiritual books? So how will we improve our general knowledge?

May 2013

• 167) Why do our anarthas increase when we start practicing bhakti? How can we avoid becoming discouraged??
• 166) How can we make our chanting purer and better?
• 165) How can we avoid prajalpa and still maintain relationship with devotees with whom we have indulged in prajalpa in the past?
• 164) We often become discouraged when our plans in devotional service dont work. How can we make plans that work?
• 163) How can bhakti help me when my grandfather is suffering terribly with a terminal disease?

April 2013

• 162) When obstacles distract us from KC instead of deepening our KC what should we do?
• 161) Can I chant less and do other forms of devotional service that inspire me more?
• 160) As spiritual attachment leads to material detachment how can we stay balanced?
• 159) How should we deal with phases of inner emptiness in our spiritual life?
• 158) Difference between glorification and flattery (Hindi)
• 157) Is it necessary to pray in an orderly way or can we chant anywhere?
• 156) Is body necessary for the progresss of the soul?
• 155) Can my parents be my spiritual master if they are not devotees and are not in guru parampara

March 2013

• 154) How do i get ideas for writing articles and specifically articles for BTG?
• 153) If one wants to become a brahmachari how can one develop the courage to give up everything and fear of failure?
• 152) What do we do when we go through a no nectar zone in our devotional service?
• 151) What does it mean to transcend problems by Krishna consciousness?
• 150) When we see senior devotees affected by modes of passion (eg. too much fondness for foods like pizza) or ignorance (eg sleeping during chanting and hearing) how should we respond?
• 149) How can I overcome anger and study calmly college subjects that blaspheme dharma?
• 148) Is ISKCON meant for only educated people like IITians and IIMians?
• 147) When Krishna consciousness is supposed to be joyful, why does it seem so joyless?
• 146) How can we improve our concentration during meditation?

February 2013

• 145) Does the mind wander more while chanting Hare Krishna as compared to other mantras?
• 144) How can we be affectionate without being attached?
• 143) What does it mean to choose material things based on their utility?
• 142) When a relative becomes hostile to a devotee, is that due to the devotee’s past karma, that person’s misuse of free will or Krishna’s arrangement?
• 141) Can we experience real love through relationships in this world?
• 140) When a relative is materially abusive how should a devotee respond?
• 139) Why do we misidentify with the mind?
• 138) When a relative becomes hostile to our devotional practices how should we respond?
• 137) How can we regulate material desires that are not sinful?

January 2013

• 136) As students of science and as sadhakas how should we implement the understanding of realist and instrumentalist approaches to science?
• 135) When we see that senior devotees have factual flaws, how should we respond?
• 134) Why does mantra meditation seem to be a burden?
• 133) Can devotees use products containing Tulasi for medicinal purposes?
• 132) Why do I need a personal Guru, if all the knowledge is available and all doubts get resolved on websites like Vedabase or your website, thespiritualscientist.com?
• 131) What is the position of grihasthas in ISKCON? Should brahmacharis criticize them?
• 130) How do we respond if someone says I am satisfied in my material life and am not spiritually ambitious?
• 129) Does one have to come to goodness in terms of one’s activities before one can become transcendental?

December 2012

• 128) How can we succeed in leading a principle-centered life?
• 127) When we hear rumours about a senior devotee, how should we respond?
• 126) How can we avoid unwanted and offensive thoughts?
• 125) How can we control the mind when it pushes us towards harmful actions?
• 124) How can we be confident, assertive, positive without becoming proud?
• 123) When circumstances make our chosen standards unsustainable, what should we do?
• 122) How can we break the habit of believing that we wont be able to keep our promises?
• 121) Feeling our feelings
• 120) What are the practical steps for maintaining and improving our relationships with devotees?
• 119) Is fault finding good or bad? If its bad then how can we overcome it? 

November 2012

• 118) Can devotees sell products made by killing flowers?
• 117) Is chanting on electronic counter equal to chanting on Tulsi beads?
• 116) How can I overcome the fear that the future may bring unexpected problems in my spiriutal life?
• 115) Should we resist the mind or wait for it to calm down? What is the right way to control the mind?
• 114) What is the scriptural basis and the practical method for the idea of observing our thoughts?
• 113) Can we ever say that our attachments are holding us when actually we are always responsible?
• 112) When material circumstances make it difficult or impossible for us to render devotional service what should we do?
• 111) How should we respond when Deities break?
• 110) Is faith in Krishna a matter of human choice or divine grace?
• 109) Please share some tips for memorizing verses
• 108) Reflections on the first anniversary of Gita-daily

October 2012

• 107) When I study scriptures I am unable to concentrate. What should I do?
• 106) What is the best way to make notes in classes?
• 105) If we feel dissatisfied while rendering a service how should we deal with it?
• 104) Should we use attraction to the beauty of the opposite sex as an impetus to remind us of the beauty of Krishna?
• 103) Overcoming obstacles at the level of mind, intelligence and faith
• 102) Practicing bhakti yoga in grihastha ashrama
• 101) Prajalpa II (with HG Radheshyam P)
• 100) Prajalpa I (with HG Radheshyam P)
• 99) How can we know when we have done our best in devotional service?
• 98) Why does devotion need to be exhibited publically?
• 97) Rising from material enjoyment to spiritual fulfillment with QA – Bhag 7.9.25
• 96) What are the symptoms of spiritual advancement?
• 95) Isnt it offensive to assume that devotees critical of Mayavada are motivated by ego and to not associate with them?
• 94) How can we balance between varnashrama and Vaishnava principles in daily life?
• 93) How can one maintain a devotional attitude while cultivating a lot of knowledge?
• 92) Do we need to hate Advaitavada to practice bhakti?
• 91) When we are unable to express our questions should we just wait for purification to remove that doubt?
• 90) No exception to the rule: “To every rule there is an exception”
• 89) Should we use sugar made with bone ash?

September 2012

• 88) When senior devotees speak and act in ways that are uninspiring or disturbing how should we see and respond?
• 87) How should we (Krishna Conscious persons) react if we get terribly cheated by someone?
• 86) If a person stays in coma with expensive instrumental support for many days, how long should the relatives continue the support?
• 85) Why do you use the lower case pronoun for God – ‘he’ instead of ‘He’? Isn’t it disrespectful?
• 84) The W.R.I.T.E. service: Five reasons to write in devotional service
• 83) How can we avoid labelling situations when say we go broke and still stay fixed in remembrance of Krishna?
• 82) Should we bow down if we pass by demigod temple while on the way to Krishna temple?
• 81) Is chanting with beads or in holy places more beneficial than chanting without beads or elsewhere?
• 80) Why does our consciousness change suddenly from devotional to sensual?

August 2012

• 79) Why cant we have the morning program at 6 am so that more people can participate?
• 78) Dovetailing our propensities in Krishna’s service – SB 1.5.32
• 77) Utilizing fame in Krishna_s service_SB 1_12_5
• 76) When all killing brings karmic reactions how can we do pest control?
• 75) Is Debating wrong?
• 74) What are the things we need to be attached to and detached from during the initial and advanced stages of spriitual life?
• 73) If Dhruva Maharaj attained the Lord in 6 months can we go back to godhead in six years?
• 72) From knowledge to realization
• 71) Art of Becoming Happy – Seminar given at Tech Mahindra
• 70) Preaching with emotional sensitivity
• 69) Get_Beget_Forget_Regret 08-08-30 _SB 2_1_3
• 68) KAILASH acronym – 7 insights from the Kailash story
• 67) Why do senses go wild in worldly atmosphere after they have been peaceful in devotional atmosphere?
• 66) How to study scriptures – Purposes, Principles and Practices
• 65) What is more important: japa or kirtan?
• 64) Why do we have a propensity towards evil instead of good?

July 2012

• 63) If one is unable to follow a regulative principle after many years of chanting, should one give up chanting due to guilt and shame?
• 62) ENERGY: Your sutra for positive thinking
• 61) How can we access Lord Chaitanya’s mercy in this age when the standards are high and the culture is hostile?
• 60) How can we get the determination to wake up in the morning?
• 59) Can a person live without lust?
• 58) Can devotees read books like “7 habits of highly successful people” to learn to better organize their lives so that they can serve Krishna better?
• 57) When atheists read theistic books, why don’t devotees read atheistic books in addition to theistic books? Shouldn’t one understand both points of view?
• 56) Can the higher taste through chanting be experienced even on a neophyte stage?
• 55) How can we observe the death anniversary of a loved one in a devotional way?
• 54) If a person despite trying sincerely is still struggling because of past conditionings and he wants to be honest with guru, what should he do?
• 53) Why should the mind cooperate with bhakti when that will lead to its own annihilation?
• 52) What will happen if one is following Krishna consiousness only on logic and no devotion?
• 51) Does too much seriousness in spiritual life makes one irresponsible and unambitious
• 50) The Power of Habits

June 2012

• 49) If two devotees are not speaking to each other, what should be my consciousness?
• 48) Should we suppress or express our emotions of sorrow when our fellow-devotees pass away in sudden tragedies?
• 47) How can we give up hating a person?
• 46) Is a devotee-householder who earns a living and contributes a part to Krishna’s service practicing karma-yoga or bhakti-yoga?

May 2012

• 45) The Romance and the Resistance in Fasting
• 44) How can one strengthen his will power and increase his determination? And how to avoid further weakning of the both?
• 43) What should a wife do when her husband totally opposes her Krishna consciousness?
• 42) Should we postpone the chanting of the mahamantra till we are able to follow the regulative principles so as to avoid offenses?
• 41) Is there a need to build spirituality among youths and how can it be done ?
• 40) How are we to see Krishna’s hand amidst tragic, premature death of devotees?
• 39) How can we avoid rash impulsive behavior?

April 2012

• 38) As a practicing devotee, which is the medication method recommended, (since ayurvedic treatment is not suitable for emergencies)?
• 37) What should a devotee do when material desires start increasing and chanting doesn’t help?
• 36) How do people who eat onion-garlic still seem to be in goodness?
• 35) How to avoid worldly distractions in concentrating on Krishna?
• 34) How can we become free from irritability?
• 33) How to overcome base passions like anger, hate, fear etc?
• 32) When japa is individual meditation, why should one chant in the association of Devotees

March 2012

• 31) Why should a devotee study when it is only materialistic and is called dogism by Srila Prabhupada?
• 30) How can one control envy?
• 29) Should one come up to the level of chanting 16 rounds gradually so that we can sustain it or as quickly as possible?
• 28) Isn’t it easier and safer to experience material enjoyment and then renounce it?
• 27) How can we increase our mental energy?
• 26) What is the reason for constantly falling down in spiritual life?
• 25) Do material desires age with age? If one finds it difficult to control material desires, is it advisable to put off the inner fight till one grows older when it will be easier?
• 24) How to deal with aggressive atheists
• 23) How to deal with a blasphemous colleague?

February 2012

• 22) How to overcome spiritual boredom?
• 21) Unless we find fault how can we differentiate between saint from a swindler?
• 20) Does becoming tolerant mean letting oneself be manipulated?
• 19) Lets Stop Daydreaming
• 18) Make Your Family Divine
• 17) If somebody asks questions arrogantly, how should we respond?
• 16) How to control our jealousy and ego?
• 15) Can i pursue my material ambitions and still make spiritual advancement?

January 2012

• 14) D – Anger
• 13) Are You A Positive Thinker?
• 12) The power of Humility and Tolerance
• 11) Is personal association of devotees essential?
• 10) Isn’t doing our duties better than spending hours chanting?
• 9) The secret of fearlessness
• 8) How can we increase pure affection to Krishna in the age of Kali?
• 7) How can we be Krishna conscious while doing our daily activities?
• 6) When Krishna says that we shouldn’t chant his names in front of an atheist, why do devotees do so openly?
• 5) Why do we need to control our senses when Krishna cannot be reached by the senses?
• 4) Doesn’t the requirement for submissiveness lead to blind acceptance?
• 3) Shouldn’t we be practical and focus on our present life instead of worrying about future lives?

December 2011

• 2) Smiling Faces, Crying Hearts

August 2010

• 1) Can spirituality help us when we are sick?