Currently Browsing: QA Audio : 2015

: Audio   : Video   : Transcription   : Hindi Language

April 2021

• 698) Should one take saffron only when one is convinced that Krishna is God?

November 2020

• 697) How can we distribute our time between hearing and chanting?
• 696) Do the modes come from Krishna or from prakriti?

June 2020

• 695) When an eye for an eye will make everyone blind, why does the Gita teach that?
• 694) If bhakti is the conclusion of the Vedas, shouldn;t the Vedas be filled with bhakti?
• 693) How do we give up bad habits?

February 2020

• 692) Are jnana and karma complementary instead of hierarchical?

December 2019

• 691) What is the difference between destiny and free will?

December 2015

• 690) How can scripture be understood relevantly without deviant interpretations?
• 689) Why are we unable to apply what we hear?
• 688) How can spiritual wisdom be introduced in academic curricula?
• 687) When we understand scripture with senses and intelligence, how is the knowledge acquisition descending, not ascending?
• 686) Is it because scripture’s message is spiritual that we don’t find it interesting?
• 685) Does our capacity for intelligence prove the reality of our free will?
• 684) If a devotee feels depressed does that mean they are not chanting properly?
• 683) Which is the abode for sakhya rasa?
• 682) What are the various levels of bhakti Sri Vishvanatha analyzes in the Gita?
• 681) When we are speaking at some other organization’s forum, should we adjust or speak the truth?
• 680) While sympathizing with outsiders, how to ensure that insiders dont become like outsiders?
• 679) What were the most striking experiences of your US preaching tour?
• 678) How can we be sympathetic to people whose beliefs differ from scripture?
• 677) For those practicing some other religion, should KC be presented analytically or synthetically?
• 676) How does the jiva fall to the material world?
• 675) Is the Warkari sampradaya personalist or impersonalist?
• 674) How do we understand Prabhupada’s statement about Shankaracharyas conception of Krishnas form?
• 673) When Krishna disapproves premature renunciation why did Prabhupada give sannyasa to his young disciples?
• 672) Is performing dandiya an undesirable imitation of Krishna-lila?
• 671) The ego is higher than the intelligence – can it be controlled using the intelligence?
• 670) Is Jesus a forgiving God and Krishna a punishing God?
• 669) If a senior devotee states something factually wrong in a Bhagavatam class what should a junior devotee do?
• 668) Why does Prabhupada differentiate between knowledge and devotion in Gita 2.14 purport?
• 667) Wasn’t Hanuman’s burning Lanka excessive vandalism?
• 666) Wasn’t Lakshmana’s disfiguring Shurapanakha disproportionate and cruel?
• 665) When Rama descended in the Surya Vamsha why is he called Ramachandra?
• 664) When the soul doesn’t feel hunger, how can the body tire the soul?
• 663) Can holy places be haunted?
• 662) How do parts of a plant when cut sometimes grow as separate plants?
• 661) Can the soul in a grain get a human body in the next life especially if it has fallen from heaven?
• 660) Are souls present in seeds – where does it go when souls remain inactive for years before germinating?
• 659) Do souls move continuously from one body to another or are they inactive in between bodies?
• 658) Is there one soul in all Tulsi plants?
• 657) If we are getting too many doubts, should we just switch off our intellectual faculty?
• 656) How to decide whether our intellectual needs are for logical study or empirical research?
• 655) If we doubt Krishna’s existence, how can we have faith that he will remove our doubts in future?
• 654) Is it ok to be disturbed in our bhakti when some questions don’t get answered?
• 653) How did the soul enter during the birth of 100 Kauravas from Gandharis miscarriage?
• 652) Aren’t renunciates who lose semen accidentally denying bodies to the souls present in their semen?
• 651) During the birth of twins does the soul split into two?
• 650) During conception, how do sperm, egg, soul, karma and Krishna’s will inter-relate?
• 649) During conception, when and where does the soul come into the picture?
• 648) What is the relation between the Ishopanishad cover picture and its content?
• 647) Why are the Ishopanishad verses called mantras?
• 646) How can women be encouraged to get a sense of success in their home responsibilities?
• 645) Do women-devotees always have to be homemakers?
• 644) Were women always housewives in Vedic culture?
• 643) Does the presence of the Gayatri in the Bhagavatam mean that it should be studied only by the brahmanas?
• 642) How is the Bhagavatam’s first verse correlated with the Gayatri mantra?
• 641) Why does the Bhagavatam repeatedly refer to Vasudeva instead of Krishna?
• 640) How does the principle of sacrifice apply in a devotee’s life?

November 2015

• 639) What does distancing oneself from negative situations, relations and emotions mean?
• 638) How important is truthfulness in bhakti?
• 637) Should grihastha gurus also be addressed as Maharajas?
• 636) Was Arjuna’s faith enhanced by seeing the Universal Form?
• 635) What is the spiritual significance of the Gopinath Patnaik story?
• 634) Was rain an adequate reason for Rama to delay his search for Sita?
• 633) When Yashoda’s rasa is vatsalya, how is her bhakti coming from Radharani whose rasa is madhurya?
• 632) Was Dhruva’s determination in passion or transcendental?
• 631) Please explain varnashrama, its different types and its relevance in urban settings.
• 630) Is varnashrama hierarchical with brahmanas higher and shudras lower?
• 629) What does emotional distance from a principle mean?
• 628) What is the significance of the different names used for Arjuna in the Gita as in 14.11 & 12?
• 627) Is there any difference between attaining Krishna’s dharma mentioned in Gita 14.2 and attaining his bhava mentioned in Gita 14.19?
• 626) How are Buddhism and Jainism different from Mayavada?
• 625) Does Krishna guide everyone or only those his devotees?
• 624) Are we apes because theres only 2% difference genetically between us and apes?
• 623) Are the other 5 schools of Indian philosphy relevant for devotees – are they speculations?
• 622) Are Nirvisheshavada and Mayavada two names of the same?
• 621) Spiritual sound vibration sometimes feels boring – how to avoid?
• 620) Whats wrong with verifying scientifically the material knowledge given in scripture?
• 619) Are all the many expansions of the Lord eternal?
• 618) How to understand the descriptions of material settings in scriptural pastimes?
• 617) Are all of Krishnas’ associates the same in each kalpa?
• 616) What to do if one feels inspired to be a brahmacari but doesnt have a suitable nature?
• 615) How to understand Chaitanya Charitamrita descriptions that Lord Chaitanya flooded the whole world with ecstasy?
• 614) Where are the pastimes of the countless incarnations described?
• 613) What happened to Radharani after Krishna left for Mathura?
• 612) Are some Sanskrit words not translatable?
• 611) Why do the scriptures while narrating pastimes describe the beauty of the female form?
• 610) Does selfless devotion mean that we shouldnt be getting any happiness ourselves in it?
• 609) Is feeling grateful to Krishna for saving us from material sufferings self-centered – what should we be grateful for?
• 608) Does serving for Krishna’s pleasure mean that we should not even consider what give us pleasure?
• 607) Is trying to determine how we can serve according to our nature against the principle of following the spiritual master’s instruction?
• 606) When problems overwhelm us, how can we take shelter of Krishna?
• 605) How much can we adjust right or wrong actions according to their consequences?
• 604) Should we help materially those who make a business out of asking for charity?
• 603) Is detachment not included in 64 items of bhakti because it makes one hardhearted?
• 602) How can we keep our mind genuine during our daily activities?
• 601) When Bhagavatam talks about karma as a cause, shouldnt we see karma causally?
• 600) If someone’s child has cancer should we not offer charity to avoid interfering with karma?
• 599) What is the difference between detachment and carelessness?
• 598) If suffering is not because of karma then what is its cause?
• 597) Does the guru literally come back lifetime after lifetime till the disciple is delivered?
• 596) Isn’t faultfinding necessary for correcting and benefiting others?
• 595) How can we cultivate humility without becoming negatively self-centered?
• 594) If our mantra shouldn’t be “I am fallen” why do we sing daily trnad api sunicena?
• 593) What does the Pandavas didn’t deserve to live mean in Bhagavatam in 1.9.12?
• 592) What is the difference between repentence and self-blame?

October 2015

• 591) Is serving according to our nature lower than serving as per instruction?
• 590) Can lack of intellectual nourishment stop or slow our bhakti?
• 589) As consciousness in lower species is too covered to perceive suffering, what is the problem with falling to lower species?
• 588) Why did Krishna not inform Karna initially that he was Kunti’s son?
• 587) Does study of philosophy in Prabhupada’s books automatically awaken rasa?
• 586) How can we develop creative skills for writing?
• 585) Are devotees living in farm communities better situated than those living in cities?
• 584) If our profession indirectly contributes to breaking the regulative principles, what can we do?
• 583) If some new devotees want to donate organs, what should we tell them?
• 582) If different strategies work in outreach with different people, how can we know in advance how best to share bhakti?
• 581) How can we resist temptations?
• 580) How to preach to people who want to speak their own ideas and not hear?
• 579) Why did Krishna manifest four arms while teasing Rukmini?
• 578) Why did Barbarika’s mother tell him to fight on the weaker side instead of on the Pandavas’ side?
• 577) Was the solar eclipse a predicted event or created by the Lord to help Arjuna?
• 576) When our chanting is not good what can we do?
• 575) How can we increase our concentration in chanting?
• 574) How can we study scripture systematically?
• 573) How can a devotee coming from impersonalist background give up those leanings?
• 572) Should we hear Mayavadis submissively as Lord Chaitanya heard Sarvabhauma?
• 571) Can devotee-couples avoid having kids to avoid distraction in bhakti?
• 570) How can we reconcile being sensitive with Prabhupada’s being rigid?
• 569) What is the difference between zonal division present in ISKCON and zonal acharya system?
• 568) How to understand statistics that indicate the world is more peaceful than in the past?
• 567) When the mind becomes our friend, does it become the same as the intelligence?
• 566) When Buddha and Kalki appear in Kali-yuga, why is Vishnu called Tri-yugi?
• 565) When Sarvabhauma was an impersonalist how could he appreciate symptoms of love of God in Lord Chaitanya?
• 564) If I don’t have enough sattva to study sabda constantly, should I not become a brahmachari?
• 563) When staying silent amidst injustice is wrong, why did Yudhishthira passively accept the Kauravas’ atrocities?
• 562) Is dissatisfaction because of not being able to read scripture regularly good?
• 561) What does worshiping the Lord through our work mean?
• 560) What is meditation?
• 559) All our problems aren’t mental – how to deal with real problems?
• 558) Is it necessary to research our nature?
• 557) Is resentment caused by outer events or inner mentality?
• 556) How to cooperate joyfully with devotees of radically different natures?
• 555) Does demoniac goodness become divine goodness by bhakti?
• 554) Can we transcend goodness without coming to goodness?
• 553) Does our nature change as become purified?
• 552) How is consciousness carried through food?
• 551) Is being over-intellectual dangerous for devotion?
• 550) Should we not do service if we are not pure?
• 549) Why is sleepiness during chanting sometimes resistible and sometimes not?
• 548) Why does the mind suddenly get agitated sometimes?
• 547) Why does the sound of mantras produce purification whereas other sound doesn’t?
• 546) How does hearing a pastime produce an entirely unrelated result?
• 545) How to understand scriptural promises about result of hearing pastimes?
• 544) Does the soul go closer to God during sleep?
• 543) If everything has a cause, why should God not have a cause?
• 542) How are optimism and pessimism related to the modes?
• 541) If scripture gives knowledge in goodness, how can it help us know what is beyond goodness?
• 540) Why does the Supersoul sanction our unhealthy choices?
• 539) How do the soul, Supersoul and nature contribute to action?
• 538) How can we convince the mind of truths that are beyond science?
• 537) How is the soul full of knowledge?
• 536) How can we focus on Krishna without imagining or speculating?
• 535) Is absorption in Krishna a combination of all the four levels of consciousness?
• 534) How do our actions leave impressions on the mind?
• 533) How is the body sustained when the soul leaves the body?
• 532) Does the soul leave the body during dreams?
• 531) Why don’t we have consciousness during sleep?
• 530) How do we understand that Krishna is the cause of all causes?
• 529) Why do mathematical concepts correlate with things in nature?
• 528) How does the sound of the holy name penetrate beyond the universe – and other sounds don’t?
• 527) How does the subtle body interact with the physical body?
• 526) Good jobs in crative fields are difficult – what should creatively gifted devotees do?
• 525) Is going deep in any creative field desirable for devotees?
• 524) Are our present spiritual emotions real or just mental?
• 523) How can we avoid getting carried away by worldly things?
• 522) How can we avoid being over-concerned about others’ feelings?
• 521) How is the Gita’s detachment different from Mayavadi detachment?
• 520) If we look for some easy work, are we running away from hard work in the name of finding a work according to our nature?
• 519) Are we karmically responsible for work that later leads to unknowing harmful consequence?
• 518) If my boss tells me to do something wrong, who gets the karma – my boss or me?
• 517) Does improperly performed work in the Gita shreyan sva-dharmo vigunah refer to incompetence in work?
• 516) Is it wrong to get intellectual pleasure in our academic studies?
• 515) If charity is a mentality to be cultivated, is automatic monthly donation from ones bank account undesirable?
• 514) Are direct bhakti in brahmachari life and indirect bhakti in grihastha life equivalent?
• 513) When Bhagavatam focuses on devotion through renunciation, how do we understand Lord Chaitanya’s having grihastha followers and stressing Bhagavatam both?
• 512) What to do when the mind overpowers the intelligence?
• 511) What does the Gita verse karmany evadhikaraste mean?
• 510) While making choices how to decide which are important and which aren’t?
• 509) If senior devotees ask us to renounce everything, should we do that?
• 508) How much should sadhaka discriminate between matter and spirit while practicing bhakti?
• 507) How did you scientifically come to the conclusion of bhakti?
• 506) Is sadhaka’s suffering because of past karma or Krishna’s arrangement?
• 505) Amidst life’s storms, does our relationship with Krishna shelter us automatically or do we need to do something special?
• 504) Can we live without expectation in relationships?
• 503) Is our relationship with guru a vertical relationship or a horizontal relationship?
• 502) When many spiritual paths say they are the best, how to choose our path?
• 501) Can we be enthusiastic without being passionate?
• 500) How to deal with people who don’t want to clarify misunderstandings?
• 499) How can we control anger?
• 498) How to connect Vedic mathematics to Krishna consciousness?
• 497) What spiritual principles can inspire devotees to live cooperatively?
• 496) How exactly did Krishna depart from the world?
• 495) How can we dovetail attraction to fiction in bhakti?
• 494) Do we need to hear true spiritual sound to be elevated?
• 493) Is there any formula to always appreciate devotees?
• 492) Why does scriptural knowledge differ from modern anthropological knowledge?
• 491) How can we know whether our emotions are spiritual or sahajiyaic?
• 490) How can we practically redirect our emotions towards Krishna?
• 489) When Nectar of Devotion is the lawbook for ISKCON, why is it not stressed enough?
• 488) Do those who die fighting against Krishna attain the spiritual world earlier than those who fight for him?
• 487) How did Duryodhana win Balaram over to his side?
• 486) How does Krishna take away the karma of his devotees?
• 485) How can we understand that God is a person?
• 484) How can we develop a taste for bhakti and chanting?
• 483) Does destiny determine how we respond to situations?
• 482) How is destiny related to karma?
• 481) Why do people in goodness sometimes not take up bhakti?
• 480) How to spiritually reach people who aren’t receptive to hearing Krishna’s glories?
• 479) Why is Krishna selectively merciful in inspiring some people to take to bhakti and not others?
• 478) How can we help reluctant people to become spiritually elevated?
• 477) How to reconcile Krishna’s omniscience with our having free will?
• 476) If God is the explanation for everything, what is the explanation for God?
• 475) How to deal with doubts about God’s existence coming from the study of science?
• 474) How to understand that there is life after death?
• 473) How to see death of a loved one philosophically without becoming hardhearted?
• 472) How are trust and expectation related? Can we love without trust?
• 471) Should criminals who go on murderous sprees be forgiven?
• 470) How to deal with anger when others hurt us?
• 469) How can I write a book?
• 468) Is thinking that we may not attain Krishna in one life being realistic or being lethargic?
• 467) How can we avoid losing enthusiasm as we keep practicing bhakti over the years?
• 466) How do our relationships in this world relate with our relationship with Krishna?
• 465) Why does the Bhagavatam end with impersonal knowledge?
• 464) When prasad is so purifying, why don’t those who take prasad regularly get fully purified?
• 463) What is the source of desire?
• 462) How can we know that God exists?
• 461) How can we connect with God to get positive energy?
• 460) If destiny is supreme, how do we have free will?
• 459) How do we deal with negativity coming from reading bad news?
• 458) What is the best way to get positive thoughts regularly?
• 457) Why are we suffering in this world?
• 456) How can we decide when pursuing material things is enough?
• 455) How do impersonalists derive impersonal conclusions from the Gita?
• 454) What are the destinations of those who realize Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan?
• 453) How do we balance serving according to our nature with asssiting our guru’s mission?
• 452) How can we find like-minded association?
• 451) How can we do akarma practically?
• 450) How are thoughts generated?
• 449) How does association lead to spiritual advancement?
• 448) How can we avoid taking steps forward and then backward in our spiritual life?
• 447) How can we differentiate between Krishna and Maya in subtle situations?
• 446) How can we cultivate the disposition of surrender?
• 445) How does the existence of the finite point to the existence of the infinite?

September 2015

• 444) Can’t judging be a means of self-defense?
• 443) If we correct with good intention, isn’t that good enough?
• 442) How can we practice bhakti-yoga on a daily basis?
• 441) How can we control the unstable mind?
• 440) How can we set spiritual goals that harmonize with our material goals?
• 439) How to find our true nature?
• 438) How is the worship of devatas inclusive within worship of Krishna?
• 437) Why does Krishna say the devatas are different from him in chp 7 and same with him in chp 10?
• 436) Does karshati in Gita 15.07 refer to attraction or struggle?
• 435) Why does the Gita 15.1 compare the Vedas to leaves?
• 434) How much should we discipline our children in practical things such as watching TV?
• 433) How do we develop the qualities the Gita recommends?
• 432) How can devotee-parents deal with children who don’t practice bhakti seriously?
• 431) How can I overcome sleepiness when studying the Gita?
• 430) How can bhakti help our children in their careers?
• 429) Can science by its progress gain spiritual knowledge?
• 428) Why is the soul’s connection with the Supreme established only through sound – and a specific mantra at that?
• 427) Where does our longing for love come from?
• 426) What to do when our vertical and horizontal relationships are not symbiotic?
• 425) What is the highest form of love?
• 424) Should one love oneself to be happy?
• 423) How can killing for one’s country be considered love?
• 422) Happiness lies inside, not outside – is this a spiritual and scriptural principle?
• 421) Prabhupada encouraged competition but that sometimes led to ego and power struggle – how to understand?
• 420) Why did Balaram favor Duryodhana?
• 419) If a thief after praying to Krishna robs a devotee, whom is Krishna merciful to?
• 418) How to recover from harsh words of some devotees?
• 417) When Krishna is so loving, why is loving him so difficult?
• 416) How can we practically experience Krishna’s love for us?
• 415) What to do if the mind gets caught in the sector of disagreement between science and scripture?
• 414) How do we differentiate between scriptural principle and detail?
• 413) How to reconcile science and religion?
• 412) How to be selective in our association without becoming judgmental?
• 411) What does beating the mind with broom and shoe mean?
• 410) How do we reconcile the mind’s coming from goodness with goodness giving rise to knowledge?
• 409) How can we prevent the mind from obsessing over negative things that shouldn’t happen?
• 408) How can we spiritualize the willing function of the mind?
• 407) Is the mind or a source of desires or just a channel of the soul’s desires?
• 406) Does the working of the mind match with our desires?
• 405) How to fight against the minds self-sabotaging inner dialogue?
• 404) Does Krishna not help us when we are not his pure devotees?
• 403) Does the Gita contain verses against meat-eating?
• 402) How to deal with relatives who hurt us by their ego and negativity?
• 401) Philosophy seems abstract – how can we undestand that Krishna tangibly helps us?
• 400) What does the Gita say about attachment, detachment and rupture in relationships?
• 399) How exactly is work worship – is bad work also worship?
• 398) How can we go beyond suppressing desire to becoming free from even the urge?
• 397) How to sustain our bhakti when we have to live in materialistic association
• 396) Do aliens exist?
• 395) Why do great devotees die due to painful dieases or terrible accidents?
• 394) Akbar built temples and Aurangzeb destroyed temples – why the difference?
• 393) Did man go to the moon or not?
• 392) What is our approach to the theory of evolution?
• 391) Are dreams about Krishna factual or just imaginary?
• 390) Why do Abrahamic religions call Deity Worship as Devil Worship?
• 389) Do our dreams reflect our anarthas?
• 388) How to respond when a devotee is criticized by a devotee or a nondevotee?

August 2015

• 387) Is bhakti as rasa a contemporary presentation at Lord Chaitanya’s times or an eternal truth?
• 386) Can a devotee do karma-kandi rituals for earning a living?
• 385) Did the presentation of bhakti evolve or even its definition evolve over time?
• 384) How can we reconcile “act according to your nature” and “do what Krishna wants you to do, not what you want to do”?
• 383) How can we avoid comparing ourselves with others while living in a comparing culture?
• 382) How can we avoid moroseness caused by repeatedly falling for sense gratification?
• 381) How can we serve according to our nature within an institutional setup?
• 380) Why did Vasudeva not allow Krishna to return to Vrindavana?
• 379) How can we understand that Krishna’s form is transcendental?
• 378) How are the Bhagavatam’s cantos named?
• 377) How can we reconcile “Krishna provides for devotees” and “Krishna takes everything from devotees”?
• 376) How can we make our heart into a temple?
• 375) Animals threaten each other the way humans do – how are humans more threatened?
• 374) What is pushti-bhakti and pushti and tushti in bhakti?
• 373) When Narasimha had promised Prahlad that his descendents would be protected, why did Krishna kill Putana?
• 372) Are Krishna bhaktas outside ISKCON at the neophyte stage?
• 371) How does fasting on Ekadashi increase our love for Krishna?
• 370) How can knowledge alone free us from karmic bondage, as Gita 4.14 says?
• 369) Is a person in Krishna consciousness transcendental to varnashrama?
• 368) How can we develop the contradictory qualities of enthusiasm and patience?
• 367) When Arjuna had enough mind control to perform great austerities, why does he say that he can’t control the mind?
• 366) How has surrender in Gita 2.7 changed Arjuna’s consciousness when he expresses the same sentiment in 1.35 and 2.8?
• 365) When Krishna calls as divine the vision for seeing the Universal Form, why does Vishvanatha Chakravarti call it a downgrade of vision?
• 364) When Arjuna was already able to see Krishna’s intimate form why did Krishna have to give him divine vision to see the Universal Form?
• 363) How was Sanjay able to see the Universal Form without being given special eyes by Krishna?
• 362) Does the fact that religious knowledge doesn’t grow like scientific knowledge prove its irrelevance?
• 361) Do the differences in various religions’ conceptions of God prove his non-existence?
• 360) Should the Bhagavad-gita be made India’s national book?
• 359) Should we love ourselves or hate ourselves?
• 358) When cities were present in scriptural times too, why does ISKCON criticize urbanization?
• 357) Isnt fear of entanglement in grihastha life desirable?
• 356) Should one not become an IAS officer because one will get the karma of the people under one’s jurisdiction?
• 355) Is the quote about Macaulay systematically planning to destroy Indias glorious education and culture false?
• 354) If a devotee commits suicide, will he become a ghost? What can his relatives do for him?
• 353) Doesn’t ISKCON’s rule to glorify Srila Prabhupada and not one’s guru go against Vedic culture of glorifying one’s guru?
• 352) Why did Yudhisthira while gambling Draupadi describe her physical beauty publicly?
• 351) Why did Arjuna to avenge Abhimanyu kill the weaker Jayadratha and not a stronger opponent like Karna?
• 350) Lord Chaitanya gives special mercy – does that mean souls before his descent were deprived of mercy?
• 349) Why dont the Vedas talk only about bhakti – how are they the authority for bhakti?
• 348) Is Krishna’s coming only once in Brahma’s day mean that he is partial?
• 347) How can we ensure that we apply what we learn?
• 346) After completing brahmachari training, how to overcome fear of entanglement while entering grihastha ashrama?
• 345) Should we pray for Krishna’s help for dealing with some problem in our profession even when such problem is material?
• 344) Should we pray for going BTG or pray for serving Krishna in this world?
• 343) While praying how can we cultivate emotions without becoming sahajiyaic?
• 342) What does it mean to remember Krishna while chanting?
• 341) Why don’t devotees discuss the eight stages of jnana?
• 340) When we are in tears, we need self-confidence to deal with it practically – what is the use of chanting?
• 339) If a famous person is dying and people pray for his longevity what is the Vedic perspective on it?
• 338) If something is destined, then will it not happen even if we don’t endeavor?
• 337) Can devotees perform Satyna-Narayan puja?
• 336) When later never comes, why tell people to postpone spiritual life for material life?
• 335) Shouldn’t we teach the highest standard, otherwise people will rationalize their materialism?

July 2015

• 334) Is it hypocrisy to kill animals for getting yoga-seat while claiming to be a vegetarian?
• 333) Is the idea of focusing on material life instead of spiritual life a deviation from Prabhupadas teachings?
• 332) In Bhagavatam canto 2, what is the relation between Parikshitas question and Brahmas listing various avataras?
• 331) In yugas when Krishna doesnt descend which avatar descend?
• 330) In Gita 13.24 why does Krishna say that he has spoken about the modes when he hasn’t spoken about them?
• 329) What to when the mind despite our devotional practices gets caught in something?
• 328) Are ISKCON devotees CIA agents?
• 327) Are the nine items of devotional service progressive?
• 326) What is the Vedic perspective on panpsychism?
• 325) Are sakhyam from nine items of devotional service and sakhya from the five rasas related?
• 324) How can we avoid blaming our spiritual life for our not being fast enough or ambitious enough in our material life?
• 323) What is the role of creativity in goodness?
• 322) How can we remember Krishna constantly in a passionate company environment?
• 321) The Deity has form but the holy name doesn’t – isn’t worshiping both together contradictory?
• 320) Does humility mean dishonestly blaming ourselves for things we haven’t done?
• 319) What is the difference between humility and inferiority complex?
• 318) How do the sages’ austerities produce fire?
• 317) Why is Dattatreya described so briefly in the Bhagavatam – what is the significance?
• 316) How was Kunti ever truthful when she lied to conceal Bhima’s identity?
• 315) Why was there ajnata vasa in Mahabharata, but not in Ramayana?
• 314) Isn’t it material conception of Deity to offer fan or candana when we feel hot in summer?
• 313) Is the bead bag to be worshiped like Krishna?
• 312) How much is the jurisdiction of our free will?

June 2015

• 311) Are there some Deities that are jagruta?
• 310) Is it good to practice bhakti because it teaches us good values?
• 309) Is it good to practice bhakti due to our cultural upbringing?
• 308) Krishna went to Kubja to satisfy her desires – how to understand?
• 307) Is KC also exclusivist because those who don’t accept Krishna’s form are said to be doomed?
• 306) How does bhakti compare with vipashana?
• 305) How does KC take us inwards when it involves many external activities?
• 304) When thinking is done by the soul, how can our thoughts be material?
• 303) When infinity is an attribute of Bhagavan, how can he manifest in a finite form?
• 302) When matter is indestructible what’s wrong with attraction to material forms?
• 301) Why are we attracted towards forms and not attracted towards Krishna’s forms?
• 300) Aren’t those who doubt whether Deities can perform miracles faithless skeptics?
• 299) Does seeing natural laws instead of Deities’ reciprocation amount to shallow Krishna consciousness?
• 298) Why are personalists better than impersonalists? What is the destination of impersonalist?
• 297) Why did the Pandavas blindly follow Kunti’s uninformed words to share Draupadi?
• 296) What are ISKCON’s views on adoption, in-vitro fertilization and surrogacy?
• 295) Should a devotee cardiac surgeon avoid doing angioplasty because it uses an animal product injection?
• 294) If soul doesn’t need food, why is cooking needed in the spiritual world?
• 293) Should we be humble with nondevotees who may exploit us?
• 292) Do mental, emotional and psychological refer to the same thing?
• 291) How do we understand the statement that women are less intelligent?
• 290) Even after practicing bhakti why do we still have worldly desires?
• 289) When a ghost possesses a person, how do two souls function in the same body?
• 288) Does a science student need to give up all faith in science for practicing bhakti?
• 287) How can we overcome loneliness?
• 286) Does God play dice with the universe?
• 285) How can I serve with someone who doesn’t like me?
• 284) If science just uses pre-existing mechanisms how does that apply to computer codes and programs?
• 283) Does scripture have mathematical equation for relativity?
• 282) Can yoga be copyrighted?
• 281) Is yoga a cure-all?
• 280) Can there be something called Christian yoga?
• 279) Is yoga Hindu or not?
• 278) World Yoga Day – Let’s Go Beyond Political and Physical Posturing
• 277) If God’s will is the universal cause for everything, why do some events such as quakes that happen only at specific places?
• 276) When heavenly residents have subtle bodies dont all bodies contain all elements?
• 275) When doctors find treatments nature endows germs with resistance to medicies – why?
• 274) When likings are relative to species, what’s wrong with a hog’s attraction to stool?
• 273) How do we differentiate between the mind and the intelligence when the mind can also speak good things?
• 272) How do we know which is our voice, the minds voice and the Supersoul’s voice?
• 271) How can we use emotional intelligence to manage our relationships?
• 270) As we will become attached to services we like should we also take services we dont like?
• 269) Does the soul’s composition change from the material world to the spiritual world?
• 268) How can the soul carry subtle elements from one body to another?
• 267) When the Supersoul is with the soul how can it be covered by the material energy?
• 266) Do elderly people in the spiritual world remain eternally elderly?
• 265) Should we seek financial security first so that we can focus more on bhakti later?
• 264) In Gita 6.35 what does abhyasa and vairagya mean?
• 263) How do we differentiate between sentimental practice of bhakti and sentiments coming from bhakti?
• 262) How can following rules lead to developing of spontaneous love?
• 261) Should we seek satisfaction by serving according to our nature of sacrifice by doing whatever we are told to do?
• 260) Are Prabhupada’s standards being diluted by, say, singing mahamantra in Bollywood song tune?
• 259) How can I overcome confusion about which spiritual master to choose?
• 258) Is work worship?
• 257) What is the relationship between intelligence and consciousness?
• 256) If even sinful devotees are considered saintly should we not look for trustworthiness in relating with devotees?
• 255) If descending to lower species is the greatest fear why does Bhaktivinoda T not fear an insect birth?
• 254) If morality can be developed without religion, will religion become redundant?
• 253) How does the reconditioning of the soul from one body to another happen?
• 252) Can working devotee-mothers send their children to child care?
• 251) Do the Vedas already contain a Theory of Everything?
• 250) Hasn’t Stephen Hawking already come up with a Theory of Everything?
• 249) Can’t scientists experiment about origins using Large Hadron Collider?
• 248) Are abnormal behaviors caused by nervous breakdowns or by ghosts?
• 247) If the soul is eternal why does it need food?
• 246) Should we work without worrying about result or work for Krishna?
• 245) Why does Prabhupada give Sanskrit word-to-word translations that aren not found in Sanskrit dictionaries?
• 244) Is it ok to savor the good feelings we get while practicing bhakti?
• 243) If the number of our breaths is fixed do exercises that accelerate our breathing decrease our lifespan?
• 242) How can we stay busy in Krishna consciousness?
• 241) How to avoid boredom while hearing the same points being repeated in classes?
• 240) In Gita 3.1 what does intelligence and fruitive work refer to?
• 239) How should we pray in front of the Deities?
• 238) How do we know whether we are accepting and rejecting while surrendering based on the mind or the intelligence?
• 237) Why are the Bhagavatam’s and science’s conceptions of the universe so different?
• 236) If time is an independent reality why do different people perceive it differently?
• 235) If time moves only forward how do we explain hypnotic regression?
• 234) How important are close relationships with devotees?
• 233) How can we prevent ability from making us proud?
• 232) How can brahmacharis avoid feeling superior to grihasthas?
• 231) Is mathematics a source of absolute knowledge as its concepts are not dependent on imperfect senses?
• 230) Is science not needed to help people see the truth of Vedas as people want practical proofs that science can offer?
• 229) Is thinking only about God and not at all about the world not a restriction of the mind?
• 228) Is scripture inferior to science because scriptural knowledge is not verifiable by experiments?
• 227) In the name of not worrying, how can we avoid becoming irresponsible?
• 226) Can we program our mind for achieving success?
• 225) Why is pleasure easily accessible in material life but not in spiritual life?
• 224) How can we avoid becoming proud on getting a position of power?
• 223) Science proves its faith as factual by experiment – so isn’t it a preferable way of gaining knowledge?
• 222) How do we deal with faultfinding mentality wrt uncleanliness among our loved ones?
• 221) Despite having so many time-saving devices, why do we not have time?
• 220) How can we manage our relations with nondevotee family members?
• 219) Do all paths lead to the same goal?
• 218) How do we get rid of the propensity to want to prove our greatness to the world?
• 217) Why not accept nature as God and do social service without becoming religious?
• 216) How do we know there is life after death?
• 215) How can we give up addictions so that we can practice bhakti?
• 214) How do the modes affect our intelligence’s capacity to choose our emotions?
• 213) When our professional and family responsibilities already fill our schedule, why should we take the additional burden of practicing bhakti?
• 212) How do we deal with emotions of others – friends, relatives and devotees?
• 211) How do we deal with the inner conflict created by having within us both dharmic knowledge and worldly emotions?
• 210) 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?
• 209) 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?
• 208) How can we increase nama-ruchi?
• 207) How can we serve according to our nature when knowing our nature takes time?
• 206) Why does the world offer more wrong options than right options?
• 205) Should we force our teenage children to take to bhakti or leave it to Krishna’s will?
• 204) When people say we don’t care about next life karmic consequences how should we preach to them?
• 203) Why did God give us free will when he knew we could misuse it?
• 202) How do we reconcile science and spirituality when they are contradictory?

May 2015

• 201) How can we continue in bhakti when our faith in devotees is shaken?
• 200) How can we avoid pride while doing service?
• 199) We feel more eager to read news than scripture – what to do?
• 198) How can we strengthen our faith in Krishna amidst difficulties?
• 197) Why do both Krishna and Lord Chaitanya appear in Vaivasvata Manu’s period?
• 196) Do those who live in Vrindavan live on the lap of Krishna?
• 195) Why does mantra chanting calm the dying?
• 194) Is there a relationship between mantra chanting and physical healing?
• 193) Can mantra chanting help us to access all the knowledge that was known to humanity in the past?
• 192) How does mantra singing help in emotional healing?
• 191) As qualities in goodness are favorable to bhakti should devotees try to cultivate them?
• 190) Have all devotees already practiced yoga, jnana, tapa and all such processes for transcendence?
• 189) What is the effect of hearing rasa-lila pastimes with mundane intentions?
• 188) Will accepting reincarnation make people more lazy or more responsible?
• 187) Can an OBE be repeated and experimented upon?
• 186) Are there any scientifically verified cases of past-life memories?
• 185) Are there any NDEs that conclusively prove the existence of the soul?
• 184) How do we counter the explanation of NDEs as mind-body split?
• 183) What are the proofs for reincarnation accepted by mainstream scientists?
• 182) Cant past-life memories be coincidences among the earth’s eight billion people’s stories?
• 181) Why do people consider the Bhagavatam’s history to be mythological?
• 180) How do we deal with the material-spiritual conflict in our heart?
• 179) How can we make the effect of hearing last for long?
• 178) Do devotees have to give up humor?
• 177) How can we face problems caused by others without falling for the blame game?
• 176) Does Krishna’s not being able to remember the Gita later in the Mahabharata prove that some higher being spoke the Gita through him?
• 175) When chanting is so simple why do we feel so lazy – how can we chant constantly?
• 174) How should we see unbrahminical behavior of brahman-initiated devotees?
• 173) As advanced spiritualists have no material desires, do they get no dreams while sleeping?
• 172) If tamasic people are attracted to ghastly worshipable forms, then are those who worship Narasimha tamasic?
• 171) Why is Rama Navmi fast broken in some temples with grains and in others without grains?
• 170) Is Christianity Mayavada because many Christians consider Jesus to be God?

April 2015

• 169) How can karma such as fighting in army be spiritualized?
• 168) What does “avyakta” mean in the Gita’s eighth chapter?
• 167) How can we work for Krishna and avoid contaminating association in our workplaces?
• 166) When Upadeshamrita is for seekers, why does it start by telling who can become a guru?
• 165) How are other rasas higher than shanta rasa?
• 164) In what sense is the Brihad Aranyaka Upansihad before the Ishopanishad?
• 163) How can the finite soul experience infinite happiness?
• 162) Which is the best way to read scripture?
• 161) Why is the irreligious West prosperous and religious India poor?
• 160) Is pain is caused by bodily attachment, how can painkillers stop the pain?
• 159) Is anand present in the cit aspect of the Absolute Truth too?
• 158) How is Krishna attained by doing duty – doesn’t one need to rise to love for him?
• 157) How does mastery in yajna lead to Krishna consciousness?
• 156) As Krishna is the ultimate beneficiary, is devata prasad also Krishna-prasad?
• 155) If yajnas are not done will there be no rains?
• 154) What is the destination of those who take devatas’ prasad?
• 153) If brahmajyoti is nondifferent from Krishna, as is his holy name, what’s wrong with meditating on brahmajyoti?
• 152) Why do Hindus worship ghastly gods with skulls?
• 151) Is Jesus the only way to God and Hinduism the lie of the Devil?
• 150) If Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth, why are Hindus so poor?
• 149) Is God too big to be contained in a picture?
• 148) Does the system of karma and rebirth imply that there is no forgiveness?
• 147) Is super-consciousness the same as Krishna consciousness?
• 146) If Krishna acts exemplarily why did he perform rasa-lila?
• 145) Why did Dhirtarashtra ask for eyes to see the universal form but refuse the eyes to see the Kurukshetra war?
• 144) Why are Krishna and Arjuna both referred by the name Jishnu?
• 143) Are the names Ramayana and Narayana related?
• 142) When Lord Shiva is the destroyer why is he considered auspicious?
• 141) Was Drona a pure devotee? Was he a spiritual teacher?
• 140) Why are the Gita’s first and last chapters of Krishna’s instructions its longest chapters?
• 139) What do the terms karya karana kartrtva adhyatma adhibhuta and adhiyajna in SB 2.5.19 mean?
• 138) Why does Prabhupada say in Gita 2.38p that sankhya doesn’t refer to and does refer to the Bhagavatam’s sankhya?
• 137) Whose Sankhya is the authorized Sankhya – the sage Kapila’s or of the avatara Kapila’s?
• 136) How is internal cleanliness a bodily austerity?
• 135) What is the difference between austerity and penance?
• 134) How can we ensure that our words of correction act as scalpels, not axes?
• 133) How can devotees avoid getting deviated to the heavenly planets?
• 132) How could a brahmana be so illiterate as to to not be able to read the Gita?
• 131) Which are the important commentaries on the Gita?
• 130) Why are there so many commentaries on the Gita?
• 129) What does “our senses are meant for Krishna’s satisfaction” mean?
• 128) What is the difference between doubt and curiosity?
• 127) What can we do in a relationship when the other person doesn’t want clarification?
• 126) When we don’t get any reciprocation despite calling Krishna earnestly for long, what can we do?
• 125) What is the difference between goodness and pure goodness?
• 124) How does marriage change sex from wrong to right?
• 123) What exactly was Bharata Maharaj’s mistake?
• 122) How could Bharata Maharaj have become attached to a deer after renouncing the world?
• 121) How can we overcome our ego?
• 120) What does it mean to not take credit for the things we do?
• 119) When neither yajnik-brahmanis nor their husbands get Krishna’s shelter, what is the point of that pastime?
• 118) Why is Vritrasura portrayed as a demon in the Rig-Veda and as a devotee in the Bhagavatam?
• 117) Why does Jiva Goswami deem Bhagavatam 2.2.37 the book’s phala-shruti?
• 116) How can we avoid getting lost in the many conversations in the Bhagavatam?
• 115) Which are the important commentaries on the Bhagavatam?
• 114) What is the difference between energies in Gita chp 7 and potencies in chp 9?
• 113) Are the Vedas actually ambiguous or just nonspecific about ultimate purpose?
• 112) What is the difference between giving up action and renunciation in Gita 3.4?
• 111) If we have devotional intention do we still get karmic reactions for incidental sins?
• 110) Did others apart from Arjuna see Krishna’s universal form?
• 109) How does the material body become spiritualized by bhakti?
• 108) Is it hypocritical to criticize others for faults we ourselves have?
• 107) Is the notion of time – of past, present, future – an illusion?
• 106) What is the rasa-abhasa in chanting “nitai gaur radhe shyam” mantra?
• 105) What is the position of bhakti teachers not connected with the four sampradayas?
• 104) Is doing sadhana bhakti in vatsalya bhava sahajiyaism?
• 103) Is Vallbha Bhatta of CC same as Vallabhacharya?
• 102) Is Vallabhacharya Krishna or devotee of Krishna?
• 101) What is time – Is there no time in the spiritual world?
• 100) What exactly is humility – how do we develop it in bhakti?
• 99) Why did Hanuman not defeat Vali?
• 98) Is the Sakshi-Gopal pastime mundane with a brahmana using God to futher his marriage?

March 2015

• 97) Should I postpone my sadhana bhakti to focus on college studies?
• 96) How can I protect my bhakti from bad association in college?
• 95) How was sati meant for spiritual cultivation?
• 94) Should devotees read news?
• 93) Was sati suicide or murder?
• 92) When the world is Maya, why not just renounce it?
• 91) Why do serious devotees sometimes die prematurely?
• 90) Which is more helpful on the spiritual path – intelligence or inclination?
• 89) Should we eat as less as possible or eat to stay healthy for serving Krishna?
• 88) Can only those who don’t break brahmchari-vrata attain the kingdom of God?
• 87) Why is Bhagavatam 2.6 called the Purusha-Sukta confirmed?
• 86) Are dharma, artha, kama and moksha to be pursued sequentially or simultaneously?
• 85) Is time travel into the past possible?
• 84) On seeing the Pandavas forces why does Duryodhana approach Drona not Bhishma?
• 83) How do we understand Srila Prabhupada’s statements on rape?
• 82) Is diversity the DNA of Hinduism?
• 81) How can devotees face anxieties caused by worldly threats like crimes?
• 80) Why does Krishnadas KG in CC offer obeisances to his readers?
• 79) Why does the Gita say that Krishna can’t be attained by worship?
• 78) Is surrendering to God fatalistic?
• 77) Did Arjuna know Krishna’s supreme position in the Gita’s first chapter?
• 76) Why did Lord Chaitanya perform shraddha?
• 75) Could Krishna not convince Arjuna with philosophy alone and so he displayed the Universal Form?
• 74) How does Schrodinger’s cat paradox point to consciousness’ reality?
• 73) How could Bhima drink Dushashana’s blood?
• 72) Is the religionist’s God different from the philosopher’s God?
• 71) Did Bhima kill Duryodhana or just wound him?
• 70) Do sadhaka-devotees also become free all worldly obligations?
• 69) How does the Vedic rule of “no reactions in killing aggressors” apply today?
• 68) Is identifying according to our nature false ego?
• 67) Is sex pleasure due to hormones or mental imagination?
• 66) What does om mean?
• 65) If we do someone else’s work well, then is that work is our nature?
• 64) Is Prabhupada’s usage of “Thou shall not kill” to meat-eating an out-of-context application?
• 63) What causes inferiority complex?
• 62) Will banning beef lead to economic problems?

February 2015

• 61) Is applying material science to spiritual things wrong?
• 60) Do devotees who commit suicide become ghosts?
• 59) Are all attractive things good for devotees of the all-attractive?
• 58) Doesn’t population growth disprove reincarnation?
• 57) How do we understand different devotees interpreting the moisture on the Pancha Tattva Deities differently?
• 56) Who created God?
• 55) Can’t all miracles be ascribed to natural causes?
• 54) How do we understand contradictions in scriptures?
• 53) How is shabda-pramana free from four defects?
• 52) How can we best present the Gita to intellectuals who feel Prabhupada’s Gita is too devotional?
• 51) Why does Prabhupada say that Haridasa Thakura is superior to Lord Shiva?
• 50) What exactly is false ego and true ego?
• 49) Did the Pancha Tattva Deities shed tears of ecstasy due to the ecstatic kirtan mela?
• 48) Why does God let some people be atheists?
• 47) Will soldiers who fight in today’s wars be doing vikarma?
• 46) Is simplicity and non-duplicity the same as humility or truthfulness?
• 45) Do sampradayas other than 4 Vaishnava sampradayas also have divine origin?
• 44) Did the Gita originally have 745 verses?
• 43) Why do ISKCON devotees pronounce Sanskrit words differently from traditional pronunciations?
• 42) Ishopanishad says God’s body has no veins, whereas SB says rivers are the veins of Virat rupa – how to reconcile?
• 41) Does Krishna consider Arjuna’s concerns about destruction of family meaningless?
• 40) What is the Vedic perspective on organ donation?
• 39) Does the Gita offer spiritual solution to spiritual problem or to material problem?
• 38) Krishna rewards according to surrender, but Lord Chaitanya sees no qualification. How to reconcile?

January 2015

• 37) How can we know which things increase our doubt and which increase our faith?
• 36) Do neophyte devotees also represent Krishna? How?
• 35) Is the mind always our enemy?
• 34) When we get answers to doubts about which we pray, should we see those answers as Krishna’s reciprocation?
• 33) Is the Absolute Truth just a stream of consciousness for jnanis and a Person for bhaktas?
• 32) If smriti is compiled by sages, how can we know that it is free from the four defects?
• 31) When Ajamila chanted with the wrong conception, why did Vishnutas come?
• 30) What is the result of chanting the names of godmen who have the name of God?
• 29) Does upasana kanda contain things other than bhakti?
• 28) Are Gita and Bhagavatam meant for less intelligent people because they are parts of smriti?
• 27) When Vedas are said to be superior to pratyaksha and anumana, which meaning of Veda is used?
• 26) Can you give an example of unnecessarily provocative presentation of apara-vidya that we should avoid?
• 25) How can we give people initial faith so that they can practice para-vidya and experience its potency?
• 24) Why did Bhishma in his previous life as Vasu steal Vashistha’s cow?
• 23) Why does Arjuna brag that he is greater than Dwarkavasis in the brahmana son’s stealing pastime?
• 22) Why is the same story told differently in different scriptures?
• 21) If sensory knowledge is defective, why do we use it to refute atheistic theories?
• 20) In the three scopes of meanings of the word Veda, which meaning is used by the Vedas themselves?
• 19) When Bhagavatam is the commentary on Vedanta-sutra, why do Advaitins still study Vedanta-sutra
• 18) Does achintyabhedabheda harmonize dvaita & advaita – or fall in the dvaita category?
• 17) Is Krishna’s reference to Arjuna as Bharata spiritual because the Bharata dynasty is filled with liberated souls?
• 16) If Krishna addresses Arjuna as per the bodily conception, does it mean that Krishna is in the bodily conception?
• 15) If a senior devotee asks me to take up a major service that he himself is not good at, should I follow him?
• 14) As varna means color, is varnashrama based on bodily color?
• 13) How can we help a dying relative attain emotional closure with an unforgiving relative?
• 12) Does fear take people towards God or away from him?
• 11) Is speaking to new people about Krishna the ninth offense to the holy name?
• 10) Does the improbability of extra-terrestrial life support more the Christian conception of God than the Vedic conception?
• 9) How can we best help a relative who is near death?
• 8) As neophytes can’t understand tattva and rasa accurately, isn’t it better to consider Krishna-lila depictions as literal and not artistic?
• 7) Won’t atheists use the concept of artistic license in depciting Krishna-lila to say that his supernatural pastimes are poetic exaggerations?
• 6) Should conversions be banned in India?
• 5) What is the difference between faith and blind faith? (PK answered 27)
• 4) Are different religions like different companies with their gods as their product? (PK answered 26)
• 3) Are the gods of different religions different? (PK answered 25)
• 2) How can God who is unlimited appear as a limited stone image? (PK answered 24)
• 1) Does a stone smeared with turmeric become God? (PK answered 23)