Currently Browsing: QA Audio : 2013

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June 2022

• 844) Why do scriptures urge women to do vat-savitri puja to get the same husband for seven lives when the goal of life is to attain liberation?
• 843) Why should one not go to the temple after there is a death in the family? Can we chant on Tulasi beads in a crematorium?

July 2021

• 842) Why does Krishna talk about controlling the senses to Arjuna when the purpose of the conversation seems to be to incite Arjuna to fight?
• 841) How can we cultivate the mode of goodness when we are puppets of the modes?
• 840) Is it really possible to be happy while you yourself see so much suffering in yours like as well as everywhere around?
• 839) Wasn’t it immoral for Rama to exile Sita on just a rumour?

April 2021

• 838) Were kshatriyas allowed to eat meat in Vedic culture?
• 837) Why does Ayurveda prescribe medicines with non-veg ingredients when meat is forbidden in Vedic culture?
• 836) Can food with onion and garlic be offered to Krishna during emergencies?
• 835) How should we respond when sacred characters from our tradition are criticized?
• 834) Isnt the Pandavas’ killing their own relatives over a property dispute immoral?

September 2020

• 833) Why is the Vedic Sanskrit and Puranic Sanskrit different?

March 2020

• 832) How are karma and jnana the cause of material desires?

October 2019

• 831) Do the ends justify the means, as your Mahabharata explanations imply? Won’t that justify terrorism too?

September 2019

• 830) How can we differentiate between a dharmika and a fanatic?

August 2017

• 829) Is our relationship with our guru a vertical relationship or a horizontal relationship?

December 2013

• 828) Is offering the heart to Krishna easier and more fulfilling than offering the head?
• 827) How can an aspiring devotee-precher put one’s heart in a career that increases people’s illusions?
• 826) How can we avoid the ego’s feeling that service to others is demeaning?
• 825) If Krishna frees the surrendered of sinful reactions , why do pure devotees suffer?
• 824) How can we avoid pride during times of material success and remain thankful to Krishna?
• 823) In our efforts to become pure, pride somehow or the other sneaks in. How to avoid this?
• 822) When we have to spend time on family duties, how can we stay strong in our devotional standards?
• 821) What can we do when the mind gets agitated by a tempting sense object that can’t be avoided?
• 820) We surrender to Krishna’s will sometimes but mostly act for our own pleasure. What is our hope?
• 819) When something happens, how do we decide whether it was due to past karma or present actions?
• 818) If gambling makes people do foolish things, why are kshatriyas ordained to gamble when challenged?
• 817) Though Yudhishthira is the oldest Pandavas, why does Gita chp 1 mention him after Arjuna & Bhima?
• 816) Are the four defects hierarchical: imperfect senses cause illusion, illusion causes mistakes etc?
• 815) Among the four defects, can the first three be unintentional, but cheating is always intentional?
• 814) As all the bodily forms we take are temporary, does that mean the eternal and real is formlessness?
• 813) What can we do when religions use surrogate advertising for converting unsuspecting needy people?
• 812) Is institutionalization alien to Vedic culture? Did Gaudiya acharyas import if from Christianity ?
• 811) When Hinduism is not a missionary religion, why does ISKCON stress missionary activities so much?
• 810) If we are served more prasad than what we can eat, can we throw it away?
• 809) When even Americans are concerned about Christian conversions in India, why is ISKCON unconcerned?
• 808) When Prabhupada did many things different from his spiritual master, how did he not change anything?
• 807) How can we identify false ego while doing services?
• 806) When do questions move from being inquisitive to offensive? What kind of questions can be asked?
• 805) Is chanting with beads more blissful because the fingers are connected with certain brain parts?
• 804) When sex is an experience of Krishna, as the Gita states, why does Yamunacharya spit at sex desire?
• 803) Is Ramananda Raya’s decoration of devidasis a standard devotional practice or an exception?
• 802) Is it possible for a human being to be entirely free from sex desire?
• 801) Are the beliefs “kshatriya martyrs attain heaven” & “jehadi suicide bombers attain paradise” different?
• 800) When so many microbes are present in a cm, isn’t the idea of a God who loves everyone impractical?
• 799) Isn’t Prabhupada’s Gita 18.65 call to worship Krishna alone and no other Vishnu form fanatical?
• 798) Don’t descriptions of Krishna’s form make us imagine as spiritual our material attraction to forms?
• 797) Is Gita 18.55’s impersonal message (vishate tad anantaram) overridden by Prabhupada’s translation?
• 796) If the Gita is a manual why is it so confusing? Why couldn’t it have been clearer?
• 795) Is the Gita an attempted reconciliation of different Upanishadic thoughts and not a revelation?
• 794) What is the destination of those people who die after receiving blessings of advanced devotees?
• 793) Does “knowing in truth” (Gita 4.9) happen by “experiences of Truth” or by “understanding”?
• 792) When Prabhupada’s perfect purports to the Gita are there, why are Gita daily articles needed?
• 791) Considering “gurushu naramati..”, isn’t thinking about spiritual teachers’ human failings offensive?
• 790) Does ISKCON promote subtle emotional enjoyment in the name of spiritual enjoyment?
• 789) Is ISKCON’s conception of God like the Abrahamic religion’s jealous God?
• 788) Could the unbelievable stories about Krishna not be some poets’ fabrications?
• 787) What does sound travels to ether mean when science says ether doesn’t exist?
• 786) As Brahma has come as Haridasa Thakura what is the meaning of the statement that Maya could tempt Brahma but not Haridas Thakura?
• 785) Does having some ambitions in life mean having material attachments and doing tenth offence?
• 784) Why do we take shelter of Krishna more in difficult times like exam period but not during sadhana and service?
• 783) How is the material world non-existent as Prabhupada states in the Gita introduction?
• 782) In Gita 13.12 is there any difference between atma-vinigrahah and indriyartheshu vairagya?
• 781) What is the meaning of kavitam in the na dhanam na janam verse?
• 780) In the namo-brahmanya devaya prayer, why does hitaya come twice?
• 779) What does Shad-Goswami Ashtakam mean by ‘the devouring mouth of liberation’?
• 778) Should a devotee oppose crimes like rapes? Should he feel compassion for the criminal?
• 777) Does Prabhupada’s request to cooperate with devotees mean that we allow them to exploit us?
• 776) How can we pray for those who are troubling us?
• 775) How can sitting erect like Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati help in our chanting?
• 774) How can a devotee use the ambition to research in Physics in Krishna’s service?
• 773) How can a student who wants to become a brahmachari in future feel inspired to do academic studies?
• 772) How can we avoid getting caught in doubts about unimportant issues while studying scriptures?
• 771) Did Ekalvaya fight in the Kurukshetra war?
• 770) If Vrajavasis love each other doesn’t that mean Krishna is not all-attractive for he can’t exclusively attract their love?
• 769) How do we understand our love for our relatives from the soul point of view?
• 768) Why does Srila Prabhupada criticize Mayavadis but not mlecchas who desecrate Deities?
• 767) Can we use Tulasi as medicine in life-threatening diseases?
• 766) Why do devotees quote as authorities scientists who belong to Christian-funded institutes?
• 765) When devotee-scientists’ books are criticized by mainstream scientists can we quote them as scientific evidence for KC?
• 764) Will counteracting the causes of falling down also prevent falling away?
• 763) As we can’t independently control matter, how do our senses function in the world?
• 762) Should we avoid discriminating between male and female to avoid agitation by lust?
• 761) How can we increase our tolerance to temptations?
• 760) Do instincts come from genes or from the Supersoul’s guidance?
• 759) If dharma is the innate characteristic of a thing, how can it differentiate humans from animals?
• 758) If we feel grief-struck on losing a loved one, how do we relate with Krishna thereafter?
• 757) How do we understand Prabhupada’s statements about the Holocaust?
• 756) Which varna do doctors belong to?
• 755) What is the Gita’s position on deontology?
• 754) What is the Gita’s etiology?
• 753) What is the Gita’s ontology?
• 752) What is the Gita’s soteriology?
• 751) What is the Gita’s eschatology?
• 750) How can we best offer prayers from the Bhagavatam?
• 749) Does Gita 9.32 which says that anyone can begin bhakti apply to those who fall while practicing bhakti?
• 748) Is the Gita 18.66 exclusivist or inclusivist in spirit?
• 747) If we need to see intellectually before we can see visually, what about non-intellectual practitioners?
• 746) Isn’t unconsciousness of Krishna more harmful than unconsciousness of our faults?
• 745) Is there any difference between dambha, darpa and abhimana in Gita 16.04?
• 744) How much should a grihastha plan for financial security and how much depend on Krishna?
• 743) Is there any actual difference between Brahman Paramatma and Bhagavan, or is it just a matter of perception?
• 742) If the Ishopanishad is spoken by a sage, how is it apaurusheya?
• 741) What is the destination of the yogis who meditate on the Paramatma?
• 740) If madhurya rasa is taught in other traditions, then what is unique about the Gaudiya tradition?
• 739) As yoga refers to connection and Patanjali is said to have taught yoga did he teach all the various ways of connecting with God like karma-yoga etc?
• 738) Is love of God available to followers of non-Vedic systems?
• 737) Instead of Vyasadeva begetting a successor king in his deceased brother’s wife couldn’t he have become the king himself?
• 736) What are the English translations for the six systems of philosophy?
• 735) If Krishna is God, how could he have been killed by a hunter’s arrow?
• 734) Is there a philosophical significance to the difference between the singular scripture and the plural scriptures?
• 733) In Vraja the cows go ahead of Krishna to remove the thorns from his path, who goes ahead of Radharani?
• 732) Just as Vedanta Sutra explains Vedanta are there other books that explain the other five systems of philosophy? How authentic are they?
• 731) As the Lord plays the part of a human being in his pastimes, doesn’t it imply that there’s a higher realer feature of the Lord beyond the part he plays in his pastimes?
• 730) What is the authenticity of Lord Rama’s pastimes that are not mentioned in the Ramayana?
• 729) Prabhupada presented Krishna consciousness sensitively, then why did he use the word cult not culture to refer to his movement?
• 728) Is Vedanta is the conclusion of the Vedas or is it one of the six philosophies derived from the Vedas? What exactly is their mutual relationship?
• 727) What does crying for Krishna, as Srila Prabhupada recommends, mean practically?
• 726) How can we develop divine passion? Do we need an external motivation?
• 725) Is the passion for our material duties like excelling in studies desirable or undesirable?

November 2013

• 724) If a Gaudiya Vaishnava sadhaka feels attracted to Vishnu worship, what should he do?
• 723) When the Supersoul is a judge, how is he neutral? And how is his role reconcilable with deism?
• 722) How are communism, socialism, altruism, humanitarianism and nationalism misdirections of the loving propensity?
• 721) Why does Vasudeva Krishna, not Vrindavan Krishna, kill demons? Why do demons like Putana killed by him attain Goloka, not Vaikuntha?
• 720) Can Kuruskshtera be compared to the body, the senses to the Pandavas, the Kauravas to the vices and the war to the inner battle?
• 719) Among the 8.4 million species, where do the demigods and demons belong?
• 718) When hearing about Krishna from nondevotees can create interest in people and act as a stepping stone to devotional service, why is such hearing considered like milk touched by a snake?
• 717) Why do devotees in demoniac bodies like Bali and Vritrasura act like other demons and attack the demigods?
• 716) If the temple management organizes kirtan festivals with singers who do not follow high standards of sadhana, should we participate in such festivals?
• 715) Is it right for devotees to use kirtan singing for earning their living?
• 714) How are the lower planetary systems different from hell? What purpose do they serve?
• 713) Is the Lanka in the south of India the same as Ravana’s Lanka?
• 712) What is the relationship between the moon and Chandraloka?
• 711) What is the meaning of the higher dimensional perspective in understanding whether man went to the moon or not?
• 710) Why do some people during NDEs feel peace and don’t see Yamadutas? Doesn’t this prove that such experiences are just imaginations based on their subconscious conceptions?
• 709) Why did Krishna ask Arjuna to worship Durga before the Mahabharata war?
• 708) Srila Prabhupada recommended monarchy in his books, yet instituted democracy in managing ISKCON through the GBC. Why?
• 707) Why did Lord Chaitanya not give the Hare Krishna mantra to Tukaram Maharaj?
• 706) Is the Absolute Truth like water that appears liquid to the impersonalists and solid to the personalists?
• 705) What is the logical proof for the existence of the spiritual world?
• 704) Does one have to accept everything in the philosophy of ISKCON to become a devotee-preacher?
• 703) Can you explain the various characteristcs by which the essential meaning of a book can be ascertained?
• 702) How can we practice and share Krishna consciousness when the political leadership is uncooperative or even opposed?
• 701) In what mood should we take darshan of Deities?
• 700) When scriptures teach bhakti clearly, why do Mayavadis misinterpret scriptural teachings?
• 699) Should we chant and wait for feeling to come or chant with feeling?
• 698) In Deity Worship why do we offer specific items and rotate them a specific number of times?
• 697) How do we deal with people who become cold or hostile when we share Krishna consciousness with them?
• 696) What exactly does the Gita say about ‘work is worship’?
• 695) Why do religions have both commandments to not kill and sacrifices involving animal killing?
• 694) How is hearing a service to Krishna?
• 693) Is a shudra devotee better than a brahmana nondevotee? How?
• 692) Do devotees realize Brahman first, then Paramatma and then Bhagavan?
• 691) In today’s competitive society, how can we practice simple living & high thinking?
• 690) How can we determine our varna?
• 689) How can we avoid becoming lethargic in spiritual life?
• 688) If we are not to slave for worldly recognition, how can we go ahead in life?
• 687) Doesn’t Krishna protect devotees from black magic?
• 686) Isn’t it superstitious to believe in black magic?
• 685) Why do jnanis say that bhakti is for the less intelligent and Prabhupada say that only the intelligent can take to bhakti?
• 684) How can we counter competitive mentality when we see other devotees succeeding in spiritual life?
• 683) If devotees are troubled by black magic can they seek a remedy from tantriks?
• 682) When Yudhisthira says that only foolish people seek worldly things in the famous “ascharyam” verse, why does he seek a kingdom?
• 681) Was Yudhisthira the most immoral among all the Pandavas because he gambled away all of them and even their innocent wife?
• 680) Can ISKCON devotees participate in social causes like anti-corruption activism or do they have to only cultivate and teach pure devotion?
• 679) How do we see spiritualists who want to control others to maintain their own position?
• 678) To present KC from a contemporary intellectual perspective which all books of Prabhupada’s followers can I read?
• 677) 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?
• 676) If my sva-dharma is not favourable for my bhakti, then can I accept another dharma favourable for my bhakti?
• 675) Can our prescribed duties be changed according to our likes or dislikes?
• 674) Why do we avoid specific food items in specific months during Chaturmasa?
• 673) As the world judges us by actions not dispositions how can we avoid the confusion caused by wrong judgments?
• 672) What is the difference between qualities and abilities?
• 671) How much importance should devotee-parents give for the material education of their children, especially preparing them for competitive exams etc?
• 670) Why do scriptures contain provocative descriptions of female beauty as in the Mohini Murti pastime?
• 669) Does having equal disposition towards all mean tolerating troubles from others passively?
• 668) How can we avoid pride without going into self-pity?
• 667) Does being humble mean being indifferent towards honor or being absorbed in Krishna?
• 666) Do householder devotees need to attend the temple morning program daily to be surrendered?
• 665) Wasn’t Arjuna’s taking on the garb of a mendicant to abduct Subhadra immoral?
• 664) When Uddhava already had so much knowledge about Krishna, why did Krishna send him to learn from the Vrajavasis?
• 663) Is the concept of good and bad omens a superstition?
• 662) Why did Arjuna despite being a pure devotee hunt animals?
• 661) When Jayadratha didn’t actually kill Abhimanyu, why did Arjuna target him to avenge Abhimanyu’s death?
• 660) How can we rectify an offense, especially when the devotee whom we have offended doesn’t know about the offense?
• 659) Why do Abrahamic religions violently oppose Deity Worship?
• 658) Should we hear only from advanced pure devotees or from whichever devotees inspire us?
• 657) Are all vegetarian seekers more spiritually advanced than non-vegetarian seekers?
• 656) Should there be dowry in devotee-marriages?
• 655) Is all sex an expression of lust or can it be an expression of love?
• 654) Can devotees do abortion if it is favorable for their bhakti?
• 653) Do women have the same varna as their husbands?
• 652) How can we avoid isolation when people around us misunderstand our intentions and hurt us?
• 651) How can we become equally disposed toward every living entity?
• 650) How is the Vaishnava assertion that the world is like a dream different from the Advaita rejection of the world as unreal?
• 649) Why does the Avanti brahmana say that the mind is the cause of our suffering and not we ourselves?
• 648) Wasn’t it fanatical of Lord Chaitanya to punish Chhota Haridas so severely for such a minor transgression?
• 647) Does telepathy really happen? If yes, how?
• 646) If our svarupa is fixed, then is our endeavor to experience a different rasa futile?

October 2013

• 645) Did Dasharatha Maharaj go to heaven instead of the spiritual world?
• 644) How did you come to Krishna consciousness?
• 643) Is having doubts unfortunate? Are doubts undesirable?
• 642) How did God create black holes?
• 641) Can’t the universe have always existed the way it is? Why bring God into the picture?
• 640) Is spirituality the explanation that we resort to when we can’t get explanations?
• 639) If a senior brahmachari changes his ashrama, how should we understand that situation and deal with that devotee?
• 638) How does evil harden our heart towards Krishna? How can we prevent such hardening?
• 637) How do we respond to those who say that different Puranas glorify different devatas as Supreme?
• 636) Why is Krishna often thought of as one of the incarnations of Vishnu?
• 635) If dharma leads to artha, then why do devotees have financial difficulties and what does Krishna’s special mercy of taking away artha mean?
• 634) If the desire for liberation is selfish should we desire liberation or not?
• 633) Does the Dashavatara conception – with aquatics in the start, semi-humans in the middle and humans in the end – support the theory of evolution?
• 632) Is buddhi-yoga a separate type of yoga apart from the four main yogas?
• 631) Can one person have true love for other person in material world?
• 630) If Padma Purana is written by Vyasadeva then how can the Damodarashtakam in it Purana be composed by Satyavrata Muni?
• 629) While glorifying Damodara why do we say Radha-Damodara and not Yashoda-Damodara?
• 628) Should devotees be promoting any particular candidate during political elections?
• 627) What is the meaning of the Gita 6.44 statement that the advanced yogi goes beyond the range of Vedic sound?
• 626) When adharma continues to exist in the world, what does it mean to say that the Lord’s mission is complete?
• 625) Is the Brahmastra Brahma’s weapon? Why is it considered so special?
• 624) Can a homosexual become a brahmachari?
• 623) Do material laws cease to apply for devotees?
• 622) How can we offer all the results of our work to Krishna?
• 621) People say “Pursue your passion.” Is such passion coming from the soul or the mind?
• 620) How can we take shelter of Krishna when the sexual urge troubles us while we are resting in bed?
• 619) Why do we talk about the benefits of chanting when we are meant to chant selflessly for Krishna’s pleasure?
• 618) Should we avoid debates with argumentative people who believe that technology is beneficial?
• 617) Is our capacity to practice devotional service limited by our prarabhda karma and the resulting guna configuration?
• 616) Who has the proof or knowledge that incredibly well-designed natural crystals, the natural arches, or even complicated biological things were designed by someone ‘intelligent’?
• 615) If the mechanisms of evolution are just imagination, then isn’t religion also just the imagination of some sages?
• 614) Is there a difference between the spirit soul and the spiritual body that he possesses?
• 613) Does the spirit soul remain the non-doer in the spiritual world just like he is the non-doer of his activities in the material world?
• 612) Does one need to be materially opulent to preach Krishna consciousness?
• 611) What prevents us from applying what we hear? How can we correct it?
• 610) If we like to hear do we still need to chant more to make spiritual advancement?
• 609) In what consciousness should we attend festivals centered on demigod worship that we are obligated to attend?
• 608) Comparison of Bhagavata worldview with scientific materialism, Christianity and impersonalism
• 607) Can hearing classes on the internet substitute for going to the temple to hear classes?
• 606) Aren’t we blaming the victim when we say that women’s revealing dresses are the cause of crimes against them?

September 2013

• 605) Can we attain a level where nothing that Krishna does can stop us from loving him?
• 604) Does the Vishva-rupa’s devouring the Kauravas prove that the Hindu God is a cannibal, as preachers of some other religion claim?
• 603) How can a butcher be advanced in spiritual knowledge as the Vyadha Gita in the Mahabharata depicts?
• 602) What does the Mahabharata pastime of Draupadi and all the Pandavas except Yudhisthira falling before they reach the top of the Himalayas signify?
• 601) When the Gita says the world is duhkhalayam, does that mean we should face all duhkha passively?
• 600) While hearing scripture, should we seek solutions to our current problems through the hearing or just focus on hearing about Krishna?
• 599) When Lord Chaitanya didn’t insist that Haridas Thakura be allowed entry into Jagannatha temple, why do ISKCON’s non-Hindu devotees want entry?
• 598) Why do some temples not allow non-Hindus from entering? Is this rule scriptural or merely cultural?
• 597) Isn’t it self-promotion to put one’s own lectures on the internet for the world to hear?
• 596) Why do Krishna and all incarnations descend according to such a tightly fixed schedule in particular yuga in specific Manavantara etc?
• 595) When Krishna has all the qualities of all the other incarnations, why are other incarnations needed?
• 594) Why is going Back to Godhead most important when the creation reflect the causeless mercy of creator?
• 593) When devotional service is meant to free us from material desires, how do we understand the Dhurva pastime in which devotional service was performed to fulfill material desires?
• 592) When Lord Chaitanya refused to meet king Pratap Rudra, why do ISKCON leaders invite politicians like the President of India for inaugurating their temples?
• 591) What is the ideal path to live according to the Bhagavad Gita As It Is?
• 590) What is the difference between wealthy people who live simply and real renunciates?
• 589) Sometimes the philosophy seems too philosophical and not practical. What should we do in such situations?
• 588) Is it correct to say Vaishnavism is a sex religion?
• 587) What does the word Srimad Bhagavatam mean?
• 586) I have joined as a brahmachari but am opposed and troubled by my relatives. How should I stay strong?
• 585) I am suffering from a diease from last 10 years almost. May i know how my problem can be resolved.
• 584) How can we overcome laziness, especially wrt waking up in the morning?
• 583) Due to some problems with the local temple devotees, I have stopped going there. How can I maintain my enthusiasm in practicing devotional service?
• 582) When money offers security amidst uncertainty how can one give up material ambition for spiritual pursuits?
• 581) How can we love Krishna when he is not like a normal person and doesn’t reciprocate immediately?
• 580) Does loving Krishna always protect us from all heartbreaks?
• 579) When famous religious teachers are accused of crime, how can we expect people to keep faith in religion?
• 578) Can the level of language in Gita-daily articles be made simpler?
• 577) How can we excel in our work if we are detached and don’t set goals?
• 576) Is Krishna consciousness spirituality or spiritualism?
• 575) How can we avoid complacency in spiritual life?
• 574) How can any energy of Krishna be inferior?
• 573) Are sexless marriages the best marriages?
• 572) What does Prabhupada’s statement “All men should remain as brahmacharis and all women should get married” mean?
• 571) Are demigods bhavagrahi? Otherwise when demigod worship is done improperly, how does it produce results?
• 570) Does deja vu have spiritual significance?
• 569) Can the jnanis situated in Brahman perceive the Narayana form?
• 568) In the Krishna seeing Mahavishnu pastime, why does Mahavishnu say that Krishna is his incarnation?
• 567) How do we choose whether to serve in the cities and reach out to many people or in rural communities for reviving varnashrama?
• 566) If one likes to study scripture more than do other services does that make one a jnani and not a bhakta?
• 565) 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?
• 564) How can an IAS officer help in sharing Krishna consciosness since India is a secular country?
• 563) Can a scientist who accepts evolution practice Krishna consciousness?
• 562) When Krishna appeared at midnight according to the time in Mathura why do we fast on Janmashtami till midnight according to the local time at different places?
• 561) How do we discover our sva-dharma? Should we wait for the spiritual master to tell us our lifelong service?.mp3
• 560) Why does the Gita emphasize sva-dharma repeatedly from the second chapter (2.31) to the eighteenth chapter (18.47)?
• 559) When the Bhagavatam simply condemns household life, how can we as householders get encouragement from it to face life’s problems?
• 558) 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?
• 557) What should I do when my devotional service interferes with my duties as a mother?
• 556) When a loved one has passed away, isn’t it heartless to dismiss the resulting grief as mundane?
• 555) If the cultivation of knowledge is important in bhakti, then why does Lord Chaitanya say “I am a fool, so I simply chant the holy names”?
• 554) Is the state of impersonal merging higher that personal devotion?
• 553) Does one need to be intellectual to understand Krishna tattvatah, in truth?
• 552) Can devotees practice hath yoga for health?
• 551) How can we best study scriptures?
• 550) How can we make rapid spiritual advancement?
• 549) Where exactly is memory – in the soul, mind or brain?
• 548) Can you explain what is sphurti?
• 547) What to do when we feel attracted to holy names other than the mahamantra?
• 546) When our love naturally does not extend to every living being does it mean that we are not actually connect with God’s love?
• 545) In the example of returning a lost dollar bill to the owner wouldn’t it be better to say a lost wallet as finding the owner of a dollar bill is impossible?
• 544) What is Karma Mimamsa? If Krishna himself speaks it, how can it be considered wrong?
• 543) 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?
• 542) 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?
• 541) How can we say that the Garuda Purana verse glorifying the Bhagavatam refers certainly to Bhagavatam as we have it (and not pre-edited version written by Vyasadeva)?
• 540) Can we conclude that ‘God’ refers to Lord’s role in material world and ‘Absolute Truth’ conveys the idea of Lord in touch with spiritual energy?
• 539) Why the word ‘summum bonum’ is used to convey ‘ultimate source of all energies’, when the word actually means ‘source of all goodness’?
• 538) Is Raksha Bandhan an authorized Vaishnava festival?
• 537) As you were a GRE topper, can you tell how we can prepare for GRE?
• 536) When prominent godmen are accused of sexual assualt how should we respond especially with people who have been following those godmen?

August 2013

• 535) When Gita 5.18-25 talks about brahma-nirvana, why does Prabhupada say that impersonalism is troublesom?
• 534) QA on Scriptures
• 533) QA on Science and Scripture 3
• 532) QA with Haldia Devotees 3
• 531) QA on Science and Scripture 2
• 530) QA on Science and Scripture 1
• 529) QA with Haldia Devotees 2
• 528) QA with Haldia Devotees 1
• 527) Why have Hindus suffered for a thousand years? Why don’t Hindus unitedly fight against their aggressors?
• 526) Wasn’t Vedic culture destroyed because of its own faults and not external forces like Macaualay’s schemes?.m4a
• 525) Why do Christianity and Islam allow meat-eating? Is it essential for Muslims to eat meat?
• 524) Why do some spiritual organizations that believe in the Vedas not accept Deity Worship?
• 523) Why hasn’t ISKCON presented Prabhupada as a national spiritual hero?
• 522) Was Vedic education responsible for social evils like caste system that Indian reformers tried to remove by adopting Western education?
• 521) Why does ISKCON focus on English outreach when everyone understands Hindi?
• 520) Due to its emphasis on class preaching, is ISKCON not losing the opportunity for mass preaching?
• 519) Why does Prabhupada say that God has no names?
• 518) What is the difference between enjoyment and sense enjoyment?
• 517) Is the Shiva-sahasra-nama that glorifies Lord Shiva as supreme an interpolation in the Mahabharata?
• 516) When the Bhagavatam declares Krishna to the source of all incarnations then why does it refer to the Supreme by the name Vishnu repeatedly, even in the rasa-lila section?
• 515) Isn’t the Hindu belief that girls are the result of bad karma and boys the result of good karma responsible for female foeticide?
• 514) How can we differentiate between offering help and interfering in others’ business?
• 513) Is the Garga-Samhita authentic? If yes, why don’t the Goswamis quote it?
• 512) What does Krishna’s threefold bending form signify?
• 511) Isn’t Balaramji’s killing Romharshana just because of failure to offer respects objectionable?
• 510) What is the Vedic perspective on artificial meat?
• 509) Won’t adjusting according to time-place-circumstances lead to deviations?
• 508) Does bhakti come from bhakti or from punya?
• 507) If we get sensual immoral dreams, does that indicate we are fallen? How should we respond?
• 506) What is the story behind the origin of gopi chandana?
• 505) When Krishna never leaves Vrindavan how is he present in all the Deities all over the world?
• 504) What is the Vedic equivalent of the Golden Rule of Chrisitianity?
• 503) When the tongue is non-living why does King Kulashekarha pray to the tongue in Mukunda Mala Stotra 26?
• 502) Should devotees adopt politically correct usages like “senior citizens” for old people or “medical termination of pregnancy” for abortion?
• 501) Did Lord Rama have to be separated from Sita due to Bhrigu Muni’s curse to Vishnu?
• 500) Won’t inter-caste marriages lead to varna sankara (unwanted progeny)?
• 499) Did Draupadi love Arjuna more than the other Pandavas as a controversial South Indian novel claims?
• 498) When Krishna tells Arjuna in the Gita to do his duty, why do brahmacharis give up their duty in the name of the Gita?
• 497) Why does Bhishma say in SB 1.9.22 that he is a pure devotee? Shouldn’t a devotee be humble?
• 496) Why does Kavi Karnapura say he is writing Anand Vrindavana Champu for my own pleasure?
• 495) Should devotees network with thinkers focusing on Hinduism and Indian nationality?
• 494) If the soul is inconceivable, why should we bother to conceive it?
• 493) Why does the “yena sarvam idam tatam” in Gita 2.17 refer to the body and not all of existence
• 492) How do we ensure that we don’t just enjoy KC intellectually and not advance spiritually?
• 491) Why is the Bhagavad-gita so important among the Vedic texts?
• 490) When Lord Chaitanya knew he was soon going to take sannyasa, why did he marry for a second time?
• 489) Should devotees do kirtan in drought-afflicted places to produce rains and thereby attract people to devotional service?
• 488) Why do scriptures refer to the mind negatively when it is our faculty for deep thought as in “Einstein was the greatest mind of the 20th century”?
• 487) Can a devotee pursue a career as a cricketer?
• 486) Can devotees enter into politics?
• 485) If bhakti offers higher taste why do devotees still struggle with sex desire?
• 484) When scriptures teach matra devo bhava, why do brahmacharis give up their parents for the sake of God?
• 483) Why is the Gita’s first chapter called a chapter on yoga when it contains no yogic teachings?
• 482) Why is the Gita called yoga-shastra?
• 481) What do we mean by the mind’s eye? How does the mind see?
• 480) What does the Gita say about love and inter-caste marriages?
• 479) Why does the Krishna book publically present confidential tenth canto pastimes?
• 478) Is the soul conscious in the period between death and the next birth?
• 477) What is the difference between free will and desire?
• 476) Are birthday celebrations for devotees authentic from the Vedic perspective?
• 475) If a person is attached to a family member will he be reborn in the same family?
• 474) How can we stop our family members from using items having animal products?
• 473) When trying to figure out Krishna’s lesson for us makes us indecisive what should we do?
• 472) How did Darwin spoil our culture?
• 471) How did Macaulay spoil our culture?
• 470) What is the conscious mind and the unconscious mind?
• 469) Are the Vedic scriptures faith-based theology or logic-based philosophy?
• 468) How can we deal with doubts rising on seeing that many leading Prabhupada disciples are no longer practicing KC?
• 467) Why do many Vedic sages engage in behavior that is lower than the moral standards of modern Vedic practitioners and even many modern atheists?
• 466) How can we absorb ourselves in devotional service?
• 465) When all did Krishna reveal the universe in his mouth to Mother Yashoda?
• 464) When we could learn so much about Krishna’s glories by asking him about, say, how quantum mechanics and relativity are reconciled, why are his simple pastimes like playing with children considered the highest?
• 463) When knowledge comes easier than faith, why does CC say that faith develops in the madhyama stage and knowledge in the uttama stage?
• 462) When should we concern ourselves with helping other devotees and when should we mind our own business?
• 461) How can we differentiate between yukta-vairagya and bhoga-vrtti?
• 460) Wasn’t Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s rejecting his spiritual master Bipin Bihari Goswami offensive?
• 459) Can one go back to Godhead just by chanting without taking initiation?
• 458) How should we prepare for giving our first Bhagavatam class?
• 457) Does Lord Chaitanya appear in all Kali yugas or only in this Kali yuga?
• 456) Why were prostitutes present in Ayodhya?

July 2013

• 455) Can we be fully dependent on Krishna? How?
• 454) Does everyone have to take sannyasa to go back to Godhead?
• 453) How can Parshurama be affected by sinful reactions?
• 452) If rains come due to kirtan, then are floods due to too much kirtan?
• 451) As Gajendra had been a Vaishnava king, why did he offer impersonal prayer?
• 450) Is the bridge between India and Lanka Rama-setu?
• 449) How can we offer correction without committing offenses?
• 448) Should devotees bathe in Radha-Kunda?
• 447) How should we receive criticism constructively?
• 446) Is using Radha Kunda tilaka authentic?
• 445) What is the basis of the authenticity of those Chaitanya Charitamrita teachings that are not present in the Vedic scriptures?
• 444) What is the disciplic succession by which Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami got the knowledge to write the Chaitanya Charitamrita?
• 443) How can I understand and apply the Gita?
• 442) If all living beings are God’s children, then isn’t killing plants but not animals like killing the handicapped child of a parent while sparing the healthy child?
• 441) Why do we get the same karmic reactions in hell, lower species and human form too?
• 440) Where does the soul go after death – heaven, hell or lower species?
• 439) What are the 7 secondary relationships? Do demons have those relationships with Krishna?
• 438) How can we remember Krishna constantly and also do our work properly?
• 437) Is it right to say that we have a right to happiness when we are sinful, having rejected Krishna?
• 436) If our KC becomes weak away from devotee association, does it mean that our core conviction is weak?
• 435) What’s the significance of “new” in the “New Vedic Cultural Center”, the ISKCON temple at Pune?
• 434) If we chant while doing other activities, won’t that chanting be inattentive and thereby offensive?
• 433) How do the modes and the astrological planets inter-relate?
• 432) When does medical treatment interfere with nature?
• 431) Do engineers have secure future in devotional life?
• 430) Is a devotee born in a brahmin family working in a bank a brahmana or a vaishya?
• 429) How many types of bodies are there in the spiritual world?
• 428) Should one give charity even while being in debt?
• 427) Doesn’t the idea that devotees deliver their ancestors indicate bodily identification?
• 426) Can devotees perform agnihotra sacrifice?
• 425) Isn’t the Goswamis’ having boatful of gold atyahara?
• 424) How can we learn to contemplate on scriptural verses?
• 423) Why did Prabhupada recommend worship of Narasimha amongst all avataras? Isn’t this against the principle of peace?
• 422) How were Ikshvaku kings rulers of the earth when Ravana was in Lanka?
• 421) Does the Rantideva pastime exemplify social service?
• 420) Can we use the word “our spiritual glory” when actually we are meant to be humble servants in spiritual life?
• 419) Is obesity a medical problem or a behavioral problem?
• 418) If we are in a service that doesn’t inspire us how long can we continue in that service?
• 417) If devotees don’t notice our service, then is our service authorized or whimsical?
• 416) Isn’t it better to do one thing at a time instead of chanting inattentively while doing other things?
• 415) Is it ok to celebrate Holi to attract new people to the temple?
• 414) How can we differentiate between humility and humiliation?
• 413) Do those who don’t accept that Prabhupada descended from the spiritual world comprise an apasampradaya?
• 412) What does the sentence “From your place at your pace join the race” mean?
• 411) Does Krishna protect his devotee-students from bullies at school?
• 410) Are sahajiyas better than Mayavadis?
• 409) Will those who reject Gaur-Nitai go to hell?
• 408) Don’t you like me? You haven’t answered my question for a long time.
• 407) 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?
• 406) What are the kind of questions that fall under counseling questions which you won’t be answering on the site?
• 405) How can devotees engage in charity so that they will not become bound in karma?
• 404) How can we sustain the momentum in spiritual life year after year?
• 403) Why do we need to preach?
• 402) During their spiritual advancement, do devotees see the Supersoul in their heart? How?
• 401) Does commitment to ideology make us blind to objective understanding?
• 400) Is it ok to ask for a specific wish like our family’s well being in our prayers?
• 399) If devotees don’t help the needy because of fear of being bound by good karma, aren’t they sacrificing basic humanity for spirituality?
• 398) When cows are souls who were cow-killers in their past life, why is killing them considered so sinful?
• 397) Why do we glorify George Harrison so much when he was not chanting 16 rounds or following the regulative principles?
• 396) Do we need to chant 25 rounds on Ekadashi?
• 395) How can we ensure that honest communication doesn’t become Vaishnva apradh?
• 394) Is the Buddha mentioned in the Bhagavatam different from the historical Buddha?
• 393) How and Who decides that the involvement in the stock market is cautious and won’t effect the mind?
• 392) How can we better recollect what we hear in classes?
• 391) I dont get any questions on hearing lectures. Is this good or bad?
• 390) Can a devotee who longs to go to Golok end up going to one of the Vaikunthas? Can souls from Vaikunthas go to GolokA?
• 389) Why do we as eternal souls get entangled in the cycle of birth and death?
• 388) How can a deaf and dumb person chant the holy names?
• 387) Do we have to first purify our mind and then our intelligence and then our existence?
• 386) Is dealing in shares in the stock market against the principle of no gambling?
• 385) Krishna asked Arjuna to fight but Buddhism supported Ashoka’s resolve not to fight Why the difference?
• 384) Is the state of faith at the level of chidanti sarva samshya same as that at Nistha stage?
• 383) Is there benefit even if we chant without hearing?
• 382) How can there be stool and urine in the spiritual world?
• 381) If I am facing problems with my counselor’s behavior towards me, should i tell him directly or to some other senior devotee?
• 380) Draupadi called out to the Lord for protection whereas Prahlad just remembered the Lord with faith in his protection. Which attitude is higher?
• 379) When the yuga dharma now is chanting, why do we still worship the Deity?
• 378) As Buddha is mentioned in the Bhagavatam does it prove that it was written after the time of Buddha?
• 377) Are divorces among ISKCON devotees happening because most devotees have Western gurus who subsconsciously Western culture among their disciples?
• 376) When we as sadhakas face sufferings, are they due to our past karma or due to Krishna’s arrangement especially when bhakti is said to remove all karmic reactions?
• 375) What does the term Gita wisdom refer to in your Gita-daily articles, when it refers to points not present in the Gita?
• 374) We devotees are ready to hurt our loved ones for the sake of Krishna and religious zealots are ready to kill others to please their God. What is the difference?
• 373) As guilt due to falldown can also be a temptation, should one just neglect guilt and keep practicing devotional service?
• 372) 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?
• 371) What should one do if after practising years of devotional service also, one gives in to temptations and falls down?
• 370) How can we always be conscious that the Paramatma is present within our heart and hear his inner voice?
• 369) When fake godmen are destroying the spiritual life of people isnt it the duty of the government or ISKCON to end this nonsense?
• 368) What happens if an unqualified person chants the Gayatri mantra?
• 367) What does the Gita 2.47 purport statement “One who is attached to the result of his work is also the cause of the action” mean?
• 366) How can we apply sarva dharman parityajya in our life as, for example, students?
• 365) 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?
• 364) Can the maha prasade prayer be chanted at times apart from prasadam times? What do they actually refer to?
• 363) Spiritual advancement requires servitude towards Krishna and mastery over our senses Dont these two call for opposite attitudes?
• 362) When chanting is the yuga dharma why does Rupa Goswami give five potent forms of devotional service and not give exclusive emphsis on chanting?
• 361) Does Lord Shiva chant the name of Lord Rama in the ears of everyone who dies in Kashi and grant them liberation?
• 360) What are the types of lectures we need to hear in a week so that we will joyfully stay in KC?
• 359) How can we logically persuade others that scriptures like the Gita are the words of God?
• 358) Is there any diiference between a devotee taking medicine for a disease and he doing demigod worship for treating the disease?
• 357) As per Gita 10.10 does Krishna help only those who serve him constantly and with love or does he help all his devotees?
• 356) When I chant I cry like a child for the mother Is this normal or is it because I am emotional?
• 355) When hearing Vedic philosophy distracts me from studies what should I do?
• 354) When the verses in the Bhagavatam are counted, why do they turn out to be less than 18,000?
• 353) Please clarify the two words–Lord Shiva and Lord Shankar.
• 352) Why should I develop Love of God?
• 351) Why are cows referred to as unintelligent in the scriptures when they are in goodness, are dear to Krishna, and even their urine and dung are useful?
• 350) In your acknowledgments in the OMG book why have you not thanked Krishna and Srila Prabhupada who has shown you the way?
• 349) Why it is said that Lord Shiva is a true Vaishnav?
• 348) Anybody who is related to Krishna is worshiped then why Lord Shiva who is maha-Vaishnava is not worshiped?
• 347) Can we offer milk breads of good companies to Krishna ?
• 346) Why do we need to get rid of good reactions in addition to bad reactions?
• 345) What does the word ’cause’ mean in Gita 2.47 “Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities…”?
• 344) Is the male-female attraction present in us because that attraction is present in Krishna?
• 343) Is the Supersoul the observer and permitter or just the observer as is conveyed by the analogy of the two birds in the heart?
• 342) How do our present actions affect the results when our happiness and distress are fixed by destiny?
• 341) What is the difference between monarchy and autocracy as indicated in SB 4.13.11 purport?
• 340) How can I overcome the tendency to neglect aspects of bhakti like Kuntis prayers that are not focused on the worship of the highest form of Krishna?
• 339) If Radha and Krishna are one then what is the point of Krishna coming as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to understand Radha’s love for him?
• 338) How can intellectually inclined devotees engage themselves in devotional service?
• 337) What is Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s contribution to our tradition?
• 336) Should devotees put their children in English Medium or in vernacular medium schools? Should they avoid convent schools?
• 335) Is lying sinful? How can we give it up?
• 334) Why do different paintings of Krishna depict him differently? Why dont we have even one photo of Krishna that depicts him accurately?
• 333) What is the significance of the Gita’s reference to Krishna as Bhagavan because Mahabharata also refers to Shiva as Bhagavan?
• 332) Does ISKCON have its commentary on the Mahabharata?
• 331) How can we decide that our seeing Krishna’s hand in daily events is proper or is just imagination?
• 330) Isnt it immoral for demigods to unite with earthly women? Why has God created things like intercourse??
• 329) Are the current changes in India’s religious landscape with the spreading of intolerant religions part of Krishna’s plan?
• 328) Is science never wrong because it is objective and is religion subjective?
• 327) Is the subtle body being material destroyed by the power of time, as is the gross body?
• 326) How can daily diary writing be used as a tool for spiritual growth?
• 325) I want to write articles as a service to Krishna. But I am unable to get time. How should I go ahead?
• 324) What does the marble and nail grid analoy exactly illustrate wrt the relationship between free will and destiny?
• 323) My obsessive thoughts dont allow me to chant and if I force myself to chant i feel haterful towards the Lord. Please advice.
• 322) Please explain the four levels of consciousness
• 321) Why did Lord Rama run after a deer not realising it was a demon from the beginning?
• 320) Does watching TV and reading newspapers comprise breaking the regulative principles?
• 319) When some organisms reproduce asexually doesnt this falsify Prabhupadas argument that mother nature cant produce offspring without the father God?
• 318) Should we hate our body because it obstructs and distracts us in devotional service?
• 317) When we face problems in our spiritual life, is chanting extra rounds the way to solve all those problems?
• 316) Is there physical intercourse in the spiritual world?audio icon
• 315) Why are many people unable or not showing interest to fully surrender to Krishna although knowing from BG that they will get eternal happiness and also knowing human life is rare to obtain (in India)?
• 314) Which form of Krishna is the original one existing eternally? The baby, young or adult Krishna?
• 313) Why did Prahlad Maharaj not stop Bali Maharaj from his demoniac activities?
• 312) Why are Ambarish Maharaja and Dhruva Maharaja not counted amongst the 12 mahajans?
• 311) Why didnt Bhishma pitamah stop the Kurus from disrobing Draupadi?
• 310) Why does Brihaspati face no consequence when he did a grievous misdeed as described in the Bhagavatam ninth canto?
• 309) How can we deal with materialistic people while practicing Krishna consciousness?
• 308) Is destiny fixed at the macro level and changeable at the micro level?
• 307) If death is as painful as thousands of scorpion bites, then how do some people die peacefully in sleep?

June 2013

• 306) If the only questions I have are inquisitve not transformative then what will be the effect on my devotional creeper?
• 305) What do the terms ‘revealed scriptures’ and ‘lotus feet’ mean?
• 304) When we meet people distributing Mayavadi literature should we challenge them philosophically or just recommend Prabhupadas books and leave?
• 303) How we can train our mind to have faith in ourselves?
• 302) Why does Prabhupada say that all the verses of the Bhagavatam are spoken by Shukadeva G to Parikshit M when the first canto isnt spoken by him?
• 301) Why do ISKCON devotees sometimes say that they are Hindus and sometimes deny it?
• 300) Why are many people attracted to spiritual organizations that have no philosophical substance so much that they even dedicate their lives?
• 299) What is it that Christianity possesses and Hinduism lacks because of which Christianity is spreading and Hinduism is not?
• 298) Is Govardhana Krishna or devotee of Krishna?
• 297) Why do we use a bead bag for keeping our chanting beads?
• 296) In your OMG book what do you mean when we say that the rejection of all material representations will lead to the rejection of Krishna himself as material representation?
• 295) What do you imply when you say that the heaven is not above the earth in a simplistic geographical sense?
• 294) How does Krishna cover the large distances between say Vrinadavan and Barsana while performing pastimes?
• 293) Is it true that the Uttarkhand disaster is caused by the moving of the Deity of Dhari devi?
• 292) Why was polygamy allowed in Vedic culture?
• 291) Is serving deities at our place in nuclear families by ladies during 4 days of menstruation allowed in ISKCON?
• 290) What is the purpose of worshiping demigods and going to heaven when those in heaven are praying to come to the earth?
• 289) If destiny can be changed then what was changed isn’t that our destiny?
• 288) Is our coming to devotional service destined?
• 287) Is destiny fixed or flexible? If it is flexible then how?
• 286) If a person commits suicide due to frustration in an incomptabile marriage what is the role of destiny here; was that marriage destined? If mariage is destined, then are the parents a soul gets also destined?
• 285) Is ISKCON an American institute run by Americans who take donations given by Indians to America?
• 284) When women are victimized by violent crimes, often they are blamed for dressing or behaving provocatively. Is it right to blame the victim thus?
• 283) Are the reactions of our present actions mixed with our past reactions? Or do we get the past reactions separately?
• 282) Can we speak strongly in informal meetings with nondevotees so as to prevent discussions from going in provocative directions?
• 281) 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
• 280) Should we avoid services like writing because we will become proud by doing those services?
• 279) How can we maintain a positive attitude in devotional life when we face reversals?
• 278) Is it practical to live in the mode of goodness in our fast-paced culture?
• 277) How can we avoid blurting out and learn to think before speaking?
• 276) How can devotees choose a career that is compatible with our devotional life?
• 275) If we need some material skills for serving Krishna can we pray for those skills?
• 274) Why should we practice bhakti?
• 273) If bhakti is perfect then why does it contain restrictions?
• 272) How can we increase our taste for reading Prabhupada’s books?
• 271) How do the terms substance and form apply in the Vedic context?
• 270) Why do natural disasters wreck havoc in holy places like in Kedarnath?
• 269) When devotees bathe several times each day arent they wasting water?
• 268) Why is Arjuna’s name not mentioned in the guru-shisya parampara at the start of the Gita when Krishna gave him knowledge in parampara?
• 267) When hens produce more eggs than in the past then where do the extra souls come from? Do all eggs contain souls?
• 266) Does knowledge progress in moving from personal vision to impersonal vision?
• 265) 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?
• 264) How can we use the holy name meditations for improving our chanting?
• 263) Do we need to come to the stage of ruchi to go BTG? If we chant but don’t remember Krishna at the time of death, will we go back to him?
• 262) What is the position of Dattatreya? Did he teach impesonalism? Does he have eka-mukha and tri-mukha forms?
• 261) When some devotees use harsh words to condemn other spiritual paths, I feel uncomfortable but i dont want to offend those devotees. What should I do ?
• 260) How can we please the spiritual master, as Prabhupada repeatedly states in his books? Does this refer to diksha guru or shiksha guru? What to do when we don’t have much association with the spiritual master?
• 259) What does it mean that we should have implicit faith in the spiritual master, as Prabhupada says in his books
• 258) When should an upcoming devotee start reading Bhagavatam?
• 257) Does the pure devotee feel pain when the body meets with an accident or undergoes surgery?
• 256) Some people are telling that aliens are controlling the earth. Is it true?
• 255) Is there any online database or on paper of all the vedic scriptures intact for instant access?
• 254) If science is wrong why do devotee go to a hospital when they fall sick and not to a temple?
• 253) Is Prabhupada’s appearance and activities predicted in scriptures? If so please tell them
• 252) Are the revelations in other religious traditions as for example they do not accept the law of karma?
• 251) Is chanting a service to Krishna or our expression of love to Krishna?
• 250) 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?
• 249) Scientists talk about end of the earth. Is such a thing true?
• 248) A devotee is practicing sincere bhakti. Suddenly he dies in accident with material desire. Will he go BTG or he takes birth according to his desire?
• 247) What is written in the Kuran regarding Jihad?
• 246) As you preach to influential people then why don’t you preach to BJP, SANGH-PARIVAR people and end communal politics and riots?
• 245) Modern medicine contains alcohol and meat extracts. Does taking such medicines cause sinful karma. What to do when there is no option?
• 244) How will Brahma take back the Tiruapti temple if mad humans exploded a H-bomb in that temple?
• 243) Kamasutra is the scripture which is against Vedas. Please explain.
• 242) Is falldown or progress in bhakti predestined by karma or destiny? What role does karma or destiny have in determining our bhakti?
• 241) What is difference between the mind and the intelligence?
• 240) Is it true that Ramakrishna Paramhamsa has seen God? If yes, then which God?
• 239) How can we not lose faith in Krishna when we are faced with lots of suffering?
• 238) Is chanting the holy name and reading scriptures without preaching enough to take us back to godhead?
• 237) I feel that without association I can continue bhakti. Please explain why association is essential.
• 236) What is the deep meaning of philosophy? It cannot be ultimate as scientist give ultimate in mathematical formulae and experiments.
• 235) It is impossible to not see women with an enjoying mentality. Please guide.
• 234) How can we avoid lust?
• 233) Prabhupada says one who is not able to control mind is animal but in Gita Arjuna says that he cannot control mind. Please explain
• 232) Science says that universe contracts and expands but how… when Mahavishnu takes breath only one time in million years?
• 231) Normal temples have deities of Krishna and other demigods should prasadam offered in such temple be taken or not?
• 230) What actually happens and the end of every yuga?
• 229) If somehow it is known before birth that the child in womb is crippled can it be aborted?
• 228) If a person is born mad and to abuse god is his habit then how he can be elevated to KC?
• 227) Who experiences pain: body or soul?
• 226) How can we say our spiritual experiences are not just chemical reactions?
• 225) To become Krishna conscious do we need to change our complete behaviour or do we just need to learn respect and love for Vaishnavas?
• 224) Why has God created a mind that misleads us?
• 223) Is there any quick way to control the mind?
• 222) Radharani and Padmavati took birth on lotus only. Why didn’t they take natural birth?
• 221) Why is Krishna not descending now when there is so much adharma?
• 220) The Vedas say na tasya pratima asti. Then why do we worship the Deities and the laminations of the Deities?
• 219) Is the relationship between Krishna and the soul like that between two quantum entangled particles?
• 218) Why do we require faith to understand spirituality where as we don’t require faith to know science ,only proof can work?
• 217) How can we improve our intelligence to control our mind?
• 216) After death are we reborn into the cycle of 84 lakh species or does it depend on our desire at the time of death?
• 215) Lord Rama says janani janma bhumischa svargad api gariyasi. How to understand it?
• 214) When we become devotees should we not read newspaper or magazines and read only spiritual books? So how will we improve our general knowledge?
• 213) Do you feel that only if you follow Iskcon principles you will be elevated? Are all others lacking somewhere?
• 212) Can we make other organizations merge with ISKCON and have just one way?
• 211) Plz give geometrical dimensions not just one ten thousandth of hairtip. As soul is unchangeable, does it remain as it is when it goes back to spiritual world?
• 210) Why does Prabhupada put in his translations references to Krishna that are not actually there in the Sanskrit verses of the Gita?

May 2013

• 209) Can one transcend the modes by processes other than devotional service?
• 208) If love guides and doesnt hide then why did Narada Muni hide the news of Krishnas departure from the Pandavas?
• 207) Why does Krishna refer to two different seasons as his opulences in Gita 10.35?
• 206) Does the mention of Buddha in the Bhagavatam indicate that it was written after Buddha?
• 205) Why do our anarthas increase when we start practicing bhakti? How can we avoid becoming discouraged??
• 204) How can we make our chanting purer and better?
• 203) Why are there rules for chanting some mantras like Gayatri and no rules for chanting other mantras like the Hare Krishna mantra?
• 202) Why do we worship God in such a fierce form of Narasimha?
• 201) Does chanting Rama Krishna Hari give liberation as does chanting the Hare Krishna mantra?
• 200) When Hiranyaksha caused the earth to sink where did people live at that time?
• 199) What is the relationship between the Krishna keshava pahi mam mantra and the Hare Krishna mantra?
• 198) Does the publicizing the names of donors in temples not encourage ego in the name of religion?
• 197) Are the Bible and the Koran to be considered scriptures?
• 196) Is the Bhagavad-gita shruti or smriti? Did it become important only recently in the Indian tradition?
• 195) What does the Gita 4.24 verse brahmarpanam brahma havir mean? How do we respond to its impersonalist interpretation?
• 194) Why can’t clothes stitched by devotees be worn while worshiping the Deities?
• 193) What is the significance of the Gita’s definition of yoga as equanimity?
• 192) What exactly is Shivalinga? What is the pastime behind it?
• 191) How are instructions in Uddhav Gita higher than instructions in Bhagwat gita?
• 190) How can the daughters of Daksha produce progeny of species different from their own?
• 189) What exactly does the random number generator experiment prove – does it demonstrate the power of prayer?
• 188) How can we avoid prajalpa and still maintain relationship with devotees with whom we have indulged in prajalpa in the past?
• 187) We often become discouraged when our plans in devotional service dont work. How can we make plans that work?
• 186) What is the Vedic perspective of the book Shiva’s trilogy?
• 185) Why does the Gita 8.13 recommend the chanting of om and not Hare Krishna?
• 184) As the soul is higher than the intelligence then how can the intelligence understand the soul as the Gita 3.43 says?
• 183) Does saying that people disbelieve in half-man half-lion but believe in half-man half-spider prove the existence of the half-man half-lion?
• 182) As the Brahman Paramatma Bhagavan are referred to in the Gita 6.28-30 then how are these terms not referred to in the Vedic texts?
• 181) Why is your answer in the OMG book to the milk-pouring-on-shiva-linga question so wishy-washy?
• 180) The traditional system of responding to nature outdoors leads to so much unhygienic and dirty situations? How is that superior to the modern system of indoor washrooms?
• 179) What does it mean to say that we are envious of Krishna?
• 178) How can bhakti help me when my grandfather is suffering terribly with a terminal disease?
• 177) Is ISKCON present eternally in the spirtual world? Can we see Srila Prabhupada there?

April 2013

• 176) What does the statement that Prabhupadas purports are more important than even the translations really mean? And are scriptures written such that they cannot be misinterpreted?
• 175) When obstacles distract us from KC instead of deepening our KC what should we do?
• 174) Can I chant less and do other forms of devotional service that inspire me more?
• 173) Why do devotees not using mystic siddhis in Krishnas service?
• 172) What is the destination of those who serve cows?
• 171) Though devotees are doing HARINAM all over why there is drought?
• 170) Are souls falling from Vaikuntha even now?
• 169) What is the real translation of Gita 7.21?
• 168) What is the difference between heavenly, earthly and spiritual body?
• 167) What is the logical basis for inferring the existence of the subtle body?
• 166) If there are 33 crore demigods, then why does Shatpatha Brahman mention 33 gods?
• 165) Isn’t science better than religion because science is objective whereas religion is subjective?
• 164) What is the meaning of the statement “The Origin of sex life in its pure form is Krishna”
• 163) Why is the whole environment considered polluted during eclipses?
• 162) Should devotees hate criminals who commit extreme crimes?
• 161) Does matter come from spirit? if so how does matter emerge from it?
• 160) If holy places are similar to Vaikuntha and crimes happen there also, how are holy places different from material places?
• 159) Being the author of Srimad-Bhagavtam why didn’t Srila Vyasadeva speak Srimad-Bhagavatam himself ?
• 158) As spiritual attachment leads to material detachment how can we stay balanced?
• 157) Are mountains conscious? To which species do they belong?
• 156) Does the Lord become fed up with those who commit offenses repeatedly?
• 155) Is it necessary to pray in an orderly way or can we chant anywhere?
• 154) Is body necessary for the progresss of the soul?
• 153) Why does Prabhupada say that “Consideration of the Paramātmā and impersonal Brahman arose after the creation; before the creation, only the Supreme Personality of Godhead existed.” in Bhag 6.4.47 purport?
• 152) Is the intelligence unaffected by material interactions?
• 151) Are women made for the enjoyment of men?
• 150) Why does the Gita say that “for a respectable person, dishonor is worse than death” and also say “consider honor and dishonor to be the same”?
• 149) When bows-arrows are more cumbersome than machine guns why did the advanced technology of the past use primitive weapons?
• 148) How do we distinguish the heart and mind?
• 147) Why does Krishna express surprise in some of his pastimes when he is omniscient?
• 146) If genes dont determine our behavior then why are some features of our behavior similar to our parents?
• 145) How should we react to greek “gods” like zeus and what significance do them hold to us in todays life?
• 144) Has science debunked the four elements called fire, air, water, earth and ether?
• 143) How do we respond to ‘Ramayana and Gita are speculators delight’?
• 142) What is the Vedic perspective on planchet?
• 141) Why is ISKCON no longer challenging atheists as Hamsaduta Swami did in Lanka?
• 140) Are non-Vedic scriptures approaching God at the level of fear, demigod worship at desire, Visnhu worship at duty and Krishna worship at love?
• 139) Does the brahmajyoti come from Lord Shiva?
• 138) How can we wash our sins – is there any water or oil?
• 137) Are scientists like people who refuse a readymade meal and want to cook a meal themselves?
• 136) What does ‘contamination of the material qualities’ mean?
• 135) Can my parents be my spiritual master if they are not devotees and are not in guru parampara
• 134) Is devotion a feeling to be developed or does it come naturally?
• 133) As Kaikeyi’s demands led to the unfoldment of the Ramayana why is she considered the symbol of ignorance
• 132) Can spirit produce shadow? Can light pass through spirit?
• 131) How do knowledge and realisations help us if they become covered due to lust?
• 130) From the Absolute Platform If Lord Is the Only Purusa, What do words Like Pursottama, Apauresya actually mean?
• 129) What happens to the koshas after death?
• 128) Is it ok to get knowledge Especially religious From Wikipedia ?
• 127) What should be the highest priority in ISKCON when some devotees emphasize specific aspects like varnashrama?
• 126) As some species have become extinct what happens to those souls who have desires that those species are meant to fulfill?

March 2013

• 125) How do i get ideas for writing articles and specifically articles for BTG?
• 124) Does the idea that matter can be a means to spirit have any basis?
• 123) If Ganga is coming from heaven, then why is it drying up?
• 122) If one wants to become a brahmachari how can one develop the courage to give up everything and fear of failure?
• 121) Why did Lord Chaitanya worship Shiva-linga if it is not the highest form of worship?
• 120) What is the significance of Shiva-linga?
• 119) Why are there irreconcilable differences between various religions?
• 118) Why do devotees not celebrate Holi?
• 117) What do we do when we go through a no nectar zone in our devotional service?
• 116) What does it mean to transcend problems by Krishna consciousness?
• 115) Isnt Vyasadeva’s birth illegitimate?
• 114) Oh My God! with QA
• 113) What is the basis for saying that the mode of goodness is right?
• 112) If Tulsi das was a devotee, why did he want to merge in impersonal brahman?
• 111) Isn’t the boiling the milk concept contradicting to ‘jare dekho tahe kaho krishna updesh’?
• 110) 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?
• 109) Are the different sangas of devotees within the same city recommended by Srila Prabhupada?
• 108) How can I overcome anger and study calmly college subjects that blaspheme dharma?
• 107) What does the unborn nature of the Lord mean?
• 106) What was the technology used in the Pushpaka vimana described in the Ramayana?
• 105) Why did Krishna’s parents not stop him from going to the forest to graze the cows to avoid the danger of demons?
• 104) Who is a bhakta? Were saints like Tukaram Tulsidas Kabir bhaktas?
• 103) Is ISKCON meant for only educated people like IITians and IIMians?
• 102) Why does Islam say that those who convert others to Islam will get good credits?
• 101) How do we differentiate between our Intelligence guiding us or the Mind in the Mode of Goodness?
• 100) As Parvati is the chaste wife of Lord Shiva how could she have come personally to tempt Haridas Thakura?
• 99) If ether is present everywhere does that mean sound waves will transmit forever?
• 98) How does gambling break the principle of truthfulness?
• 97) What is kham brahma? What is ether? Is ether same as brahman?
• 96) Why is vatsalya and madhurya not included in the 9 forms of devotional service?
• 95) As bhakti centers on smarana, is just chanting enough to take us back to Godhead?
• 94) Why does Prabhupada’s Gita 6.46 translation of karmi not include nishkama karmis?
• 93) Is the verse ‘Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu’ Mayavadi?
• 92) Do animals act by instinct or they have intelligence also?
• 91) Why do we consider 108 times chanting as 1 round?
• 90) How do we respond to atheists who refer to god as a magician?
• 89) Was the concept of sun-god invented by ancient people who didnt know about solar flares?
• 88) Can we remember in the spiritual world the technology Krishna used to make both the worlds?
• 87) Does Brahma have 4 or 5 heads?
• 86) Is stating that god has created the universe like saying a magic fairy moves a car piston?
• 85) What does Bhaktisiddhanta’s statement “The world doesnt need any reformer” mean?

February 2013

• 84) Does the mind wander more while chanting Hare Krishna as compared to other mantras?
• 83) Why was Arjuna so dear to Krishna?
• 82) What is the difference between expansion and incarnation?
• 81) What is Krishna consciousness?
• 80) What does Krishna’s statement that “I am time the destroyer” mean?
• 79) Why is the dowry system prevalent among Hindus?
• 78) Isnt the idea that only by modern science have diseases been cured West-centric?
• 77) What is the relation of Vedvyasji with Parashar Muni and King Shantanu?
• 76) Is ISKCON’s claim for a paramapara connection to understand the Gita not an attempt to monopolize the Gita?
• 75) Why do most people think that religion is for making us do good and for teaching us to love God?
• 74) Can you explain how the mind addresses us in the first person and the second person?
• 73) When the soul goes from one body to another where is the karma stored?
• 72) What is the Vedic perspective of homosexuality?
• 71) How can we be affectionate without being attached?
• 70) What does it mean to choose material things based on their utility?
• 69) 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?
• 68) Does the Gita’s instruction that we work without expecting results mean that we work without salaries?
• 67) Can we experience real love through relationships in this world?
• 66) When a relative is materially abusive how should a devotee respond?
• 65) Do higher dimensions in scriptures refer to higher spatial dimensions or higher levels of consciousness?
• 64) When a relative becomes hostile to our devotional practices how should we respond?
• 63) Why are most past life memories found in children of families who already believe in reincarnation?
• 62) Why did the gopis worship Katyayani? Can we worship demigods to attain Krishna?
• 61) As we need to arrange for our bodily needs how do we understand Prabhupada’s statemen that there is no need for economic development?
• 60) How can we regulate material desires that are not sinful?
• 59) Should devotees donate organs?
• 58) Do spiritualists lack critical thinking and are all thinking people atheists?
• 57) If Bhishma departed on Makar Sankranti then what is Bhishmashtami?
• 56) Do the Vedic scriptures support moral policing?
• 55) Is gender segregation the cause of violence against women?
• 54) What does the Shikshashtakam verse “shreyah kairava chandrika vitaranam” mean?
• 53) When our computer breaks down and troubles us, which klesha is it? How are the kleshas classified?
• 52) Why do some religions oppose Vedic cultural symbols like tilaka when they also have their religious symbols like beard and cap?
• 51) What does the statement that “protons and neutrons are the effects of the Paramatma feature” mean?

January 2013

• 50) Does a daughter have the duty to deliver her parents, as does a son?
• 49) Why is the Pururava pastime told partially in the ninth canto and then later completeted in the eleventh canto?
• 48) Isn’t the skeptical antenna the same as the doubting faculty?
• 47) How exactly was Balaramji born? How much is the age difference between him and Krishna?
• 46) Why did Krishna run away when Jarasandha attacked for the 18th time?
• 45) Why did Krishna say to Arjuna that he had not shown the Universal Form to anyone else when he had shown it to Yashoda and Duryodhana?
• 44) As students of science and as sadhakas how should we implement the understanding of realist and instrumentalist approaches to science?
• 43) When Krishna doesn’t recommend roots as items to be offered to him why do we offer him potatoes?
• 42) “Brahman spoke through Krishna by entering into him like a ghost.” How do we respond to this idea?
• 41) What is the difference between pleasure, indulgence and temptation?
• 40) When we see that senior devotees have factual flaws, how should we respond?
• 39) How do we understand that the number of people killed in the Mahabharata war was more than the earth’s population at that time
• 38) Can devotees use products containing Tulasi for medicinal purposes?
• 37) Why is sleep considered to be a characteristic of intelligence in the Bhag 3.26.30?
• 36) Why did the Vrajavasis not go to Mathura to meet Krishna when they were suffering in separation from him?
• 35) As sexual abuses are so widespread in society isn’t sex education essential to protect potential victims of abuse?
• 34) As vaccination can prevent diseases that come as karmic reactions has science disproved or defeated the law of karma?
• 33) 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?
• 32) Why did Krishna go to Kubja though she was known to be a society woman?
• 31) Is Maya eternal? Why does she illusion the jiva but not God?
• 30) As milk is today produced by causing violence to the cow should devotees take such milk?
• 29) Some people say that no species drink milk beyond infancy, so our drinking milk is unnatural. How do we respond?
• 28) Why is stitched cloth not used for Deity Worship?
• 27) Why do devotees use silk when it involves killing of silkworms?
• 26) If Jesus is a pure devotee why was he not protected, as was Prahlada?
• 25) Is there any scriptural basis to the quantum physics idea that the observer determines the observation?
• 24) Why are we selective about the analysis or purports of the scriptures?
• 23) What is the position of grihasthas in ISKCON? Should brahmacharis criticize them?
• 22) How do we respond if someone says I am satisfied in my material life and am not spiritually ambitious?
• 21) Why is Jiva Goswami known as the Siddhanta acharya of the Gaudiya sampradaya?
• 20) As devotees are sincerely trying to live according to principles can the mithyachari Gita verse 3.6 be applied to them?
• 19) Are the abuses against women in India due to the negative view of women in the Vedic tradition?
• 18) If the sexualization of the culture is to be blamed for the Delhi gang- rape, then doesn’t that imply the criminals are not to be blamed?
• 17) If “Svetasvatara Upanishad ” is dedicated to Lord Shiva , why is it dedicated to Krsna by Vaishnava Acharyas?
• 16) Why does one have to break Ekadashi at a specific time?
• 15) What was the karma of the girl who got so brutally raped?
• 14) Please explain how we become co-creators with God through sex, as you mention in your Gita-dailies
• 13) Do all the residents of Dhams go back to the spiritual world?
• 12) Does one have to come to goodness in terms of one’s activities before one can become transcendental?
• 11) Did Krishna return to Vrindavan as per his promise? Please explain the pastime.
• 10) Is the classification of the four kinds of miscreants in Gita 7.15 strict?
• 9) Is the size of the Supersoul in the heart literal or figurative?
• 8) Is the tree at Jyotisar in Kuruskhetra the spot where the Gita was spoken?
• 7) Which all are the bonafide religious practices of the world?
• 6) Why is Brahma requesting the Lord Varaha to kill Hiranyaksha before twilight hours when the Lord is omnipotent?
• 5) Do Prabhupada books contain only preliminary points of Gaudiya philosophy, not its advanced tenets?
• 4) Does the Hare in the maha-mantra refer to Hari or to Radharani?
• 3) Why did acharyas like Bhaktisiddhanta ST and Bhaktivinoda T not support the Indian national movement?
• 2) What is the Krishna conscious perspective on patriotism?
• 1) Why did Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati give sannyasa to himself?