Currently Browsing: Vedic Wisdom

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March 2023

• 2617) Understanding Mayavada and dealing with Mayavadis: learning from Mahaprabhu?
• 2616) When Lord Chaitanya hid his divinity, why do devotees broadcast his divinity?

October 2022

• 2615) Krishna himself has expended as Radharani, then why does he have to come as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to understand Radharani?

June 2022

• 2614) 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?
• 2613) 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?
• 2612) 198 Presenting Lord Chaitanya to today’s world via biography writing – The Monk’s Podcast Yogesvara P

May 2022

• 2611) When the soul is an individual, how can the same soul be manifest as Arjuna, Arjuniya gopi and Ramananda Raya?
• 2610) Chota Haridasa pastime: What it teaches & what it DOES NOT TEACH

March 2022

• 2609) The power of humility & sensitivity – How Mahaprabhu transformed Prakashananda Saraswati

February 2022

• 2608) Nityananda Trayodashi Special Discourse 2022
• 2607) Four ways Nityananda Prabhu glorifies Mahaprabhu – PADA acronym

January 2022

• 2606) When Satyavati had a child out of wedlock, why was Kunti’s having a child similarly so scandalous that she had to abandon that child?
• 2605) Can we say Mahaprabhu’s teachings are the culmination of all previous teachings?

October 2021

• 2604) Was the medieval desecration of temples due to providence or due to incompetence of Indian rulers
• 2603) If those who chant a lot face material problems, are they chanting too much
• 2602) Haridasa Thakura’s glories 1, Transcendence amid Intolerance, HARI acronym

September 2021

• 2601) How Vedic wisdom can be empirically demonstrated. The Monk’s Podcast 148 with Lila Purushottam Prabhu

August 2021

• 2600) Are our svabhava and prarabdha-karma two results of our past karma?
• 2599) Do karmic actions and reactions happen at gross and subtle levels – do our present actions add to our destined pleasure or pain?

July 2021

• 2598) Can the souls between lives learn from guides and choose their next lives – what is the Vedic perspective?
• 2597) How exactly is change the only constant in the world?
• 2596) How is mantra meditation different from other forms of meditation?
• 2595) When scriptures depict animals speaking human languages, how is that to be understood?

June 2021

• 2594) If we forget everything upon rebirth, how do our instincts carry over to the next life?

May 2021

• 2593) How do we understand scriptural statements that reject all non-devotional literature

April 2021

• 2592) Should one take saffron only when one is convinced that Krishna is God?
• 2591) Why is there no description of a pandemic in the Vedic scriptures?
• 2590) Were kshatriyas allowed to eat meat in Vedic culture?
• 2589) How can contradictory-seeming scriptural statements be understood?
• 2588) Are Radharani and Lakshmi devi the same person?
• 2587) What is the reason for shaving the head at Tirupati?

March 2021

• 2586) Sanatana Goswami’s surrender to Lord Chaitanya Adversity, Adventure and Advancement
• 2585) How does bhakti change our inner impressions?
• 2584) Universal Dimensions of Chaitanya Ramananda Samvada
• 2583) How Lord Nityananda Complements Lord Chaitanya – Part 2
• 2582) Why is the conclusion of the Gita–18.66–rejected as external in the Chaitanya-Ramananda Samvada?

February 2021

• 2581) How Lord Nityananda Complements Lord Chaitanya – Part1
• 2580) If unfulfilled lust leads to anger, where was the lust behind Parashurama’s anger?
• 2579) What is Karma? Is kartavya and karma same? As a student what are my karma and kartavya? – Hindi
• 2578) If a butcher is following their employer, as a soldier might follow a king, why does the butcher get karma, but the soldier doesn’t?
• 2577) If I am happy now why do I need to learn about reincarnation?
• 2576) If we say the Itihasas – historical scriptures – are not historical, won’t people get reasons to reject scriptures as imaginary?

January 2021

• 2575) When Narada has a transcendental body, how does he appear through Brahma’s body
• 2574) Does surrender mean simply leaving our fate to God – then why practice bhakti-yoga to attain him?

December 2020

• 2573) When our life is going on well and we hear that the world is a place of distress, how can we avoid becoming paranoid that problems will befall us in future?

November 2020

• 2572) Does Everyone Who Eat Meat Go To Hell – What About Their Other Good Deeds?
• 2571) Even after getting the darshan of the Lord, why do Kardama Muni or Aditi not become free from their material desires, the way Dhruva Maharaj did?
• 2570) Is there place in ISKCON for someone who has belief in belief in God, but not belief in God?

October 2020

• 2569) Is the universal form of Krishna a material form?

September 2020

• 2568) When exactly does the soul enter during the process of conception?
• 2567) Why is the Vedic Sanskrit and Puranic Sanskrit different?
• 2566) During animal sacrifices in Vedic times, did the animals experience pain – what was the rationale for such sacrifices?

August 2020

• 2565) Where do butchers and prostitutes fall among the four varnas – are they outcastes?
• 2564) What does follow your heart mean – does it involve the conscience or the soul?

July 2020

• 2563) What is the relationship between Maya and the Three Modes of Nature?
• 2562) How do we reconcile Bhagavatam cosmology with scientific cosmology?
• 2561) What is loyalty – how does it relate with spirituality?

June 2020

• 2560) Is intelligence a part of consciousness or a part of the mind?
• 2559) When we become unconscious because of anaesthesia, does the soul leave the body?
• 2558) What are the three modes of material nature?
• 2557) If bhakti is the conclusion of the Vedas, shouldn;t the Vedas be filled with bhakti?
• 2556) Does brahmaloka refer to the abode of Brahma or to the Brahman effulgence?

May 2020

• 2555) During distress if someone turns away from Krishna and becomes an atheist, what is the role of God’s will in their misuse of free will?
• 2554) When the holy name is everything, why do we need prudent action to complement prayer?
• 2553) As the devatas are serving in a system created by Krishna, does it mean they are pure devotees?
• 2552) What does it mean when it is said Yudhishthira’s gambling was orchestrated by Krishna – why would Krishna cause so much distress and destruction?
• 2551) How do we understand harsh scriptural statements about certain classes of people as found in Bhagavatam 6.18.42
• 2550) Why don’t Hindu gods have as vehicles non-Indian animals such as kangaroos
• 2549) What is the difference between asuras and rakshasas?
• 2548) When a pauper and a millionaire both have human bodies, how is their happiness different and destined by their bodies?

April 2020

• 2547) Even when cows are cared for, still during reproduction aren’t bulls essentially allowed to rape the cows?
• 2546) Does practicing bhakti at only the cultural level deprive us of intellectual and spiritual growth?
• 2545) Why do we attribute some people’s actions to their present association and others’ actions to their past lives?

March 2020

• 2544) How are karma and jnana the cause of material desires?
• 2543) How are jnana and karma uncovered in bhakti?

February 2020

• 2542) How can knowing Krishna as the proprietor, enjoyer and benefactor bring us peace?

January 2020

• 2541) Is the amount of grieving on the death of a loved one inversely proportional to one’s spiritual advancement?
• 2540) What does simply living really mean?
• 2539) Can you explain Brahman and Paramatma realizations in detail?
• 2538) Is the Brahman aspect also sat-cit-ananda or is it only sat?
• 2537) ​Does Brahman always refer to the Lord’s effulgence?
• 2536) When everything is destined how can we have free will?
• 2535) How can we know that the Deity accepts the bhoga when it remains as it is?
• 2534) Is Deity visarjan required – why?

December 2019

• 2533) Where do we get our individuality from – matter or spirit?
• 2532) Is there one standard way to apply scripture at all times?
• 2531) If we use intellectual tools such as acronyms to analyze philosophy, is such analysis devotional service?
• 2530) If misery is an undeniable reality, then is its opposite – joy – also an undeniable reality?
• 2529) What is the difference between destiny and free will?
• 2528) What is the Vedic perspective on euthanasia?

November 2019

• 2527) What factors determine our destiny?

October 2019

• 2526) What is the difference between vibhuti and shaktyavesha avatar?
• 2525) If the finite can’t become the infinite, then what is liberation?
• 2524) If animals’ instincts come from the Supersoul, why are animals considered spiritually unintelligent?
• 2523) Do all embryos in the womb pray to God?
• 2522) If the soul is complete, why is purification needed?
• 2521) Why should we focus more on satisfying the soul than on satisfying the body?

September 2019

• 2520) Is the voice of conscience always the voice of God?
• 2519) Are we meant to face our destiny or to fulfill our destiny?
• 2518) How does one’s past spirituality become activated?
• 2517) How can we differentiate between a dharmika and a fanatic?
• 2516) Was Putana delivered because of destiny?

August 2019

• 2515) When Vrajavasis are pure devotees, how were they attracted to Putana’s beauty?
• 2514) Why does God give some people an evil mind?
• 2513) When we surrender to our guru, are we surrendering to the guru or to the guru tattva or to Krishna?
• 2512) How does quantum entanglement happen – is it because of the Supersoul?
• 2511) How does jnana-yoga progress to dhyana-yoga?

July 2019

• 2510) When our natural varna can’t be changed, does taking brahmana diksha makes us all brahmanas?
• 2509) Is consciousness intrinsically divine – is it the same as the mind?
• 2508) How can we better use sleep to grow spiritually?
• 2507) The search for meaning 1 – How science points to spirituality
• 2506) What is the concept of the evil eye – what is its rational and scriptural basis
• 2505) When we fail in life, how can we immediately understand that past karma is at work?
• 2504) When people don’t get what they desire, they sometimes become angry and sometimes depressed – are anger and depression twins

June 2019

• 2503) To what extent is metaphorical understanding of scripture acceptable or unacceptable?
• 2502) The painkiller of entertainment is easily available, but does the cure of enlightenment needs to be given by someone enlightened
• 2501) Scripture without guru is deluding
• 2500) Going back to godhead 1 – Three ways to cultivate spiritual desire – RAP acronym
• 2499) If we can’t go to heaven in human bodies, how do some kings like Dasharatha fight for the gods in heaven?
• 2498) If Brahma is the creator of the universe, from where did the lotus on which he was born come?
• 2497) If the author is not present in the book, how is Valmiki present in Ramayana?
• 2496) How are faith and knowledge related – how is faith in the dharmic tradition differnt from faith in Christianity?

May 2019

• 2495) How the laws of nature work and what role Krishna plays in them
• 2494) Are our present sufferings because of our past karma?
• 2493) Understanding papa, punya and bhakti – How the good obstructs and supports the best
• 2492) Are there any brahmavadis in the world today?
• 2491) How is Paramatma realization an evolution from Brahman realization?
• 2490) Is Brahman the effulgence of the Absolute or is it the realization of our own eternality?
• 2489) Is blaming past karma for bad things just a way to avoid blaming God?
• 2488) When a mother will keep mud away from a child, why does Krishna make lust so easily available in this world?
• 2487) Won’t it help us spiritually if we remember our past lives?

April 2019

• 2486) Why God is not always “nice”
• 2485) Is heaven attained by any warrior who fights a war in obedience to authority and dies?
• 2484) What is the destination of those who obey their authorities and fight in unfair wars such as Vietnam – will their obedience elevate them to heaven?
• 2483) What is wrong with ancestors falling from higher planets to earth, as only from earth they can be liberated?

March 2019

• 2482) Parallels in Krishna lila and Gaura lila
• 2481) How Lord Chaitanya manifested, shared and savoured love for Krishna
• 2480) If offensive chanting is ineffective, then how was Ajamila’s chanting effective?
• 2479) Why did Vyasadeva give Vedic rituals instead of just giving bhakti, as Prabhupada did?
• 2478) How Lord Chaitanya thwarted Kali’s attacks – Based on Kavi Karnapura’s Chaitanya Chandrodya Nataka

February 2019

• 2477) Lust when unfulfilled leads to anger – does that mean the short-tempered have excessive lust that is unsatisfied?
• 2476) When Dhruva already had darshan of Vishnu, how could be become disproportionately angry at the Yakshas?
• 2475) Does Krishna sometime violate the revealed scriptures?
• 2474) When non-literal interpretations often lead to misinterpretations why do scripture contain them – and how much should we use them?
• 2473) Krishna assumes a childlike form – does this mean he has some other original form?

January 2019

• 2472) Won’t saying that God is not the sole controller imply that he is helpless in certain situations?
• 2471) Is Krishna present in the book Bhagavatam – is he also present in a digital book?
• 2470) Does preaching essentially mean changing people’s faith?
• 2469) If everything attractive comes from Krishna how do we see a young attractive girl?
• 2468) Can morality be objective and universally acceptable?

December 2018

• 2467) Does God take credit for our good deeds and give us blame for our bad deeds?
• 2466) When does philosophical speculation change to mental speculation – what makes certain explanations of scripture unacceptable? (Vedic wisdom)
• 2465) When the holy name is self-fulfilling, why do we need other things such as elaborate analysis of the mind?
• 2464) If Krishna’s love is unconditional, why didn’t he help Draupadi till she raised both her hands in surrender?
• 2463) If Krishna takes hundred steps towards us when we take one step towards him, is he partial or impartial?

November 2018

• 2462) Can you explain the significance of the ten offenses in practical terms?
• 2461) Are ritvikas who reject Krishna’s pure devotees better or worse than the Mayavadis who reject Krishna’s personal form?
• 2460) God in the bhakti tradition – How can we infer his existence and communicate with him?
• 2459) What is the difference between consciousness, conscience and guilt?

October 2018

• 2458) As bhakti-yoga requires faith, do we need to give up our questioning nature?
• 2457) Why does Jagannatha Puri temple forbid non-Hindus from entering?
• 2456) Is the mind a covering on consciousness or does the mind contain the covering?
• 2455) If we are already complete as parts of the Complete, how can we feel incomplete?
• 2454) Are Krishna’s feelings like our feelings or different from our feelings?

September 2018

• 2453) Who or what is Krishna?
• 2452) Is our attempt to mitigate destiny also determined by destiny?
• 2451) If good karma can’t change bad karma, how does atonement work?
• 2450) Doesn’t the universal form vision indicate that the war was destined?
• 2449) Was the Kurukshetra war Krishna’s plan?

August 2018

• 2448) Where does hostility towards God and the godly come from?
• 2447) Does God suffer?
• 2446) Are all of God’s names the same or are there gradations of intimacy?
• 2445) Is God male or is he transcendental?
• 2444) Where does our personality come from?
• 2443) Do animal species have no intelligence?

July 2018

• 2442) Are destiny and God the same thing?
• 2441) Why does Shiva Puarana say that Shiva is the source of Brahma and Vishnu?
• 2440) Why are Krishna and bhakti not mentioned in the Vedas?
• 2439) Does causeless mercy have any cause?
• 2438) If sense objects seem more attractive than Krishna, what to do?
• 2437) Are some sections of the scriptures outdated? – Understanding the compassionate intent of the Vedas 2
• 2436) If demons are devotees descending for mausala-lila, will they go to brahmajyoti on being liberated?
• 2435) Understanding the compassionate intent of the Vedas 1 – Are the Vedas agnostic?
• 2434) Who is the source of all incarnations – Vishnu or Krishna?
• 2433) Who is to be purified – mind or soul?
• 2432) Should we not do good to others because to get the good reaction we will have to take birth again?
• 2431) With our current knowledge of the material world, what can we understand about the spiritual world?
• 2430) If a couple has to divorce, do they keep getting the other’s karma even after divorce?
• 2429) Might we have been created by some higher civilization instead of God?
• 2428) Do Krishna’s personal attributes symbolize something higher?
• 2427) Are all ungodly people vicious?

June 2018

• 2426) What is the traditional meaning of yoga in the Yoga sutras?
• 2425) What is the difference between conscience and intelligence?
• 2424) Why do many people consider the soul and the Supersoul to be one?
• 2423) What is the role of the intelligence in the metaphor of the mind as the software?
• 2422) What is the difference between the material mind and the spiritual mind?
• 2421) Is aversion always bad – isn’t Yamunacharya averse to sensual pleasure? (Vedic wisdom)
• 2420) What is the happiness that comes from inside?
• 2419) What is the causal body or karana-sharira?
• 2418) Does causeless mercy exist – are we qualified for it?
• 2417) If circumstantially we can’t get initiation, does that mean Krishna thinks we aren’t yet qualified?
• 2416) Does consciousness flow inside-out or outside-in?
• 2415) In the metaphor of mind as inner screen, how does purification occur? (Vedic wisdom)
• 2414) When Indra commits so many mistakes, why is he considered a great person?
• 2413) How is spiritual sound different from material sound?
• 2412) In the metaphor of mind as inner screen, how does spiritual sound lead to spiritual realization?

May 2018

• 2411) What is the difference between varnashrama, daivi varnashrama and pure devotion?
• 2410) What is the scriptural basis for the idea that only desire and endeavor are in our hands?
• 2409) When souls should be losing human bodies because of bad karma, why is the population increasing?
• 2408) How do we present bhakti wisdom to moral relativists?
• 2407) Does reincarnation continue infinitely?
• 2406) Are we meant to face our destiny or to fulfill our destiny?
• 2405) How can we actually understand Krishna’s form?
• 2404) How does bhakti correlate with raising our energy to higher chakras?

April 2018

• 2403) Where do intuitions come from – are they related with instincts or impulses?
• 2402) Three ways of perceiving Krishna’s love
• 2401) How do we know that Krishna accepts our gratitude?
• 2400) When our nature is to be spiritual, why are we not attracted to Krishna?
• 2399) Is purification of the intelligence the same as purification of the mind?
• 2398) Praising by criticizing – The paradoxical ways of expressing love

March 2018

• 2397) What is the destination of good non-spiritual people such as Stephen Hawking?
• 2396) What is the relationship between soul, consciousness and heart?
• 2395) When Garuda is a pure devotee, why does he eat fish?
• 2394) If we have free will, how does Krishna know the future?
• 2393) Why is atma translated as the Supreme in Ishopanishad mantra 6?
• 2392) In Paramatma realization, is God the subject or the object?
• 2391) In the Prasthana-traya, what does nyaya mean – how does it relate with Vedanta-sutra?
• 2390) What is the Moksha Dharma that Prabhupada sometimes quotes?
• 2389) Where is the verse om purnam adah .. from – why is it included as the Ishopanishad invocation?
• 2388) The Absolute truth covered by maya is called matter – What does this mean?
• 2387) How can we say that we are spiritually equal when in the spiritual world every soul is different?
• 2386) If thoughts come from the intelligence and feelings from the mind, then do thoughts grow into feelings?
• 2385) Gaur Purnima class – How Lord Chaitanya defeated the attacks of Kali and how he empowers us to defeat those attacks
• 2384) Gaur Purnima class – How Ratha Yatra fulfilled external and internal reasons for Lord Chaitanya’s appearance
• 2383) Why do we have a mind at all – wouldn’t we function better without it?

February 2018

• 2382) Yoga tells us to become observers of our attachment and aversion – what does bhakti tell?
• 2381) Does being open-minded mean learning from everyone but not following anyone?
• 2380) How are humility and honesty different – why are they needed in spirituality?
• 2379) What is spirituality?
• 2378) If everyone is meant to be spiritual, why are so few people attracted to spirituality?

January 2018

• 2377) What happens to a person who commits suicide while remembering Krishna?
• 2376) Appreciating Nityananda Prabhu’s mercy, devotional ambitiousness and humility
• 2375) How is our intelligence partly our friend and partly our enemy?
• 2374) Is satisfaction a brahminical virtue that is impractical for kshastriyas and other varnas?
• 2373) Can self-help techniques be used in Krishna’s service?
• 2372) Why are some people attached to godly things and some to ungodly things?
• 2371) Can harmonization with contemporary culture lead to dilution of tradition?
• 2370) How does hypnosis work?
• 2369) How is the moon the mind’s predominating deity?

December 2017

• 2368) Why do devotees sometimes die in ghastly accidents?
• 2367) Is disorder also a part of Krishna’s plan for creation?
• 2366) The soul has knowledge that is presently covered – does this mean the soul knows exact scriptural verses?

November 2017

• 2365) Appreciating the purpose of worship of the devatas
• 2364) When the mind becomes a mirror for the pure soul, does the soul perceive itself through the mind or without it too?
• 2363) In Shikshashtakam, what is the difference between ceto darpanam and sarvatma snapanam?
• 2362) Let personal conception of God lead to personal dealings with God’s parts
• 2361) Go beyond rationality and imagination to revelation for relishing Krishna’s lotus feet
• 2360) In Damodarashtakam, what does not wanting any benediction other than Vaikuntha refer to?
• 2359) In Damodarashtakam, what does duhka-jala abdhi magnam mean?
• 2358) Understanding how bhakti-yoga and the holy name work
• 2357) To rise from karma to bhakti, change your benchmark of reality from the world to Krishna
• 2356) If our attitude is determined by our modes, then how much can we change our attitude?
• 2355) How the mind harvests the bad within – and how to harvest the good within
• 2354) How our intelligence acts as our enemy – and how to make it our friend
• 2353) Why people do bad things – and how to stop it
• 2352) Why do people who live religiously suffer terribly?
• 2351) What was the need for Ramananda Raya to massage young girls?

October 2017

• 2350) When intelligence is the sitting place of lust, how can it point us to our long-term interest?
• 2349) When love is not real, how can it be the ultimate reality?
• 2348) When the consequence is not in our hands, why is the consequence considered a factor in deciding right and wrong action?
• 2347) The need for appropriate adaptors when transmitting the current of bhakti
• 2346) Does bhakti practice free us from past bad karma?
• 2345) Will Krishna help us out of a situation that we have got in because of our own desires?
• 2344) Worldly intoxication and devotional intoxication differ in consciousness, content and consequence
• 2343) How can we develop our relationship with Krishna without minimizing the position of the guru?
• 2342) If a child becomes orphaned because the parents commit suicide, is that because of the child’s destiny or the parents’ misuse of free will?
• 2341) Where can I get mantra diksha?
• 2340) Do we need to know God before we can have faith in him?
• 2339) What does it mean to serve the Lord?
• 2338) How does one find a spiritual path?
• 2337) How do we explain the non-physical is differentiated as the mind and the soul?
• 2336) How do we help people who hold that nature is their god?
• 2335) Understanding religion and bhakti in the three modes
• 2334) Just as Nalakuvera-Manigriva were given remembrance their past lives, why can’t we be given remembrance of our past lives?
• 2333) If our intelligence can never supersede Krishna’s intelligence, how can our will supersede his will – how can we act independent of him?
• 2332) Just as Krishna gives conviction to different people to worship different devatas, does he give different devotees conviction to serve him in different ways?
• 2331) Is our free will infinite, just the facility to fulfill it is finite?
• 2330) Can those who have more material desires not come in Krishna’s gravity pull?
• 2329) If we feel that Krishna is not reciprocating, should we intensify our devotion?
• 2328) Can unconscious people hear the holy name?
• 2327) To which level of reality are people with Alzheimer’s escaping?
• 2326) Understanding the spiritual world, the power of bhakti and Narottama Das Thakura’s contribution to the bhakti tradition
• 2325) What is the difference between believing a half-man half-lion and believing a half-man half-spider?
• 2324) Tolerating phases of bad fortune
• 2323) Our survival instinct tells us to avoid pain, whereas austerity means to accept pain – how to decide what to do?
• 2322) As most people nowadays are born without any garbhadhana samskara, will the world soon be filled with people in ignorance?
• 2321) Are religious rituals entirely separate from philosophy – why do different religions have different rituals?
• 2320) Is the caste system wrong?
• 2319) Might our desire for eternal life come from our experience of an external long-living object, not from an eternal soul?
• 2318) How do we differentiate between the mind and the soul?
• 2317) Are there different mantras for different effects?

September 2017

• 2316) What type of yoga is best for rising to spirituality?
• 2315) Why do some devotees see things in terms of black and white without any nuance?
• 2314) How to balance between following Prabhupada faithfully and adjusting to time-place-circumstances?
• 2313) The essence of the spiritual world, and of spiritual life, is not location but disposition
• 2312) Does the mind discourage the soul?
• 2311) Do the different senses of the word karma come from scripture or from usage?
• 2310) Does loss of intelligence lead to control by the mind or does control by the mind lead to loss of intelligence?
• 2309) When our intelligence is controlled by lust, how can it control the mind?
• 2308) Why doesn’t Krishna make things easy for his devotees?
• 2307) Is the opposite of gratefulness resentfulness or neglectfulness?
• 2306) Why didn’t God create another dimension for us to enjoy?
• 2305) Why can’t all realized souls join hands to demonstrate a working model of harmonious spiritual living?
• 2304) Can the principles of bhakti solve the world’s practical problems?
• 2303) If we don’t have full faith, are we hedging our bets?
• 2302) When we ask Krishna to protect us, are we treating him as our servant, and are we advanced enough for him to intervene?
• 2301) When we want to go to the spiritual world, is our devotion motivated or unmotivated?
• 2300) Appreciating Srila Prabhupada’s presentation of devotion and of Ratha Yatra as a global festival of devotion
• 2299) Should devotees do sandhya as a daily sadhana as per their family tradition?
• 2298) The jnanis concepton of the Absolute Truth lacks potency – please explain?
• 2297) How can ghosts, being subtle, act on gross objects as when opening doors or breaking things?
• 2296) When ghosts have only subtle bodies, how can they be seen by humans?
• 2295) Desires exhaust us, but remain inexhaustible themselves
• 2294) To be devoted means to look for devotional openings constantly
• 2293) When our goals are in the future, how can we live in the present?
• 2292) For devotees, are things happening beyond our control due to destiny or Krishna’s mercy?
• 2291) If connection with Krishna makes the inauspicious auspicious, then if a devotee gets caught in sinful activities, is that also good?
• 2290) Seeing Shiva and Vishnu as equal is considered offensive, but seeing them as different is also considered offensive – how to understand?
• 2289) When we can experience peace through oneness with nature, why do we need to depict God as a person?

August 2017

• 2288) How does time affect the dhama in the material world?
• 2287) When Prabhupada says that God can never be illusioned, how can we understand that Krishna comes under Yoga-Maya?
• 2286) By focusing on future spiritual happiness, are we running away from living in the present?
• 2285) Does spiritual knowledge decrease our tendency to find faults with the present?
• 2284) As we are controlled by material nature, do we really have free will?
• 2283) Can dreams be considered unreal because they are temporary?
• 2282) Are dreams real or not?
• 2281) How is inner growth more important than external growth in bhakti?
• 2280) How does the hierarchy in bhakti differ from mundane hierarchy?
• 2279) Can we heal our emotional hurts by knowing about our past lives?
• 2278) What is the nature of eternal life?
• 2277) Reincarnation and the Search for Meaning – Evidence, Explanation & Evolution
• 2276) Who is it that observes the mind has wandered off?
• 2275) How can we understand Prabhupada’s statement that there is no love in this world?
• 2274) If we have fear or mistrust towards God, how does the process of bhakti work for us?
• 2273) Is our relationship with our guru a vertical relationship or a horizontal relationship?
• 2272) Can an animal become a ghost – Hindi?
• 2271) Our parents are destined – are our friends also destined?
• 2270) How do we understand Prabhupada’s statement that most of my disciples will go to heaven – Hindi?
• 2269) The soul can’t be cut, but can God cut the soul – Hindi?
• 2268) Isn’t everything that happens to a surrendered devotee good?
• 2267) When birth in a wealthy family can deviate one spiritually, how is it spiritually favorable – Hindi?
• 2266) Why does nature hide spiritual truths – why don’t all of us have past-life memories or near-death experiences?
• 2265) If justice needs to be seen to be done, how does this apply when karmic justice gives us results for unknown actions – Hindi?
• 2264) When the gopis criticize Akrura for taking Krishna away, are they not offending Akrura?
• 2263) If the expansion of our consciousness stops with humanity, will it reach Krishna?
• 2262) One moon is better than a thousand stars – what does this imply in terms of outreach strategies?
• 2261) How exactly were we created?
• 2260) How can we differentiate between our cheating propensity and our tendency to be illusioned by duality – Hindi?
• 2259) What is the definition of conditioning – Hindi?
• 2258) What is the difference between the mind and the intelligence – Hindi?
• 2257) How can we prevent our eyes from seeing lustily – Hindi?
• 2256) How much does our spiritual progress depend on our endeavor and how much on Krishna’s mercy – Hindi?
• 2255) Gratitude and originality in spiritual creativity

July 2017

• 2254) Does God laugh at our plans?
• 2253) Can the self be realized without realizing Krishna?
• 2252) Does self-realization as understood in psychology – understanding our strengths and weaknesses – come automatically by bhakti practice?
• 2251) As sadhakas with anarthas, how much should we rely on astrology?
• 2250) Till what level of bhakti can devotees fall away?
• 2249) When dasya permeates all rasas, why is it considered a separate rasa?
• 2248) Is bhakti materially independent or is it more likely to occur in certain places?
• 2247) How can the impatient people of Kali-yuga have the patience to wait for the results of bhakti-yoga?
• 2246) Is reincarnation a Hindu belief?
• 2245) If bhakti is transcendental, why is cultivating the mode of goodness important?
• 2244) Is it better to be overwhelmed by knowledge or by ignorance?
• 2243) How can our vertical and horizontal progress be harmonized?
• 2242) If impulses can be controlled, why can’t instincts be controlled?
• 2241) Suppose Krishna desires me to win a race, but I decide to not participate – what happens?
• 2240) In the spiritual world, can we act entirely freely without being controlled by our nature?
• 2239) Does the Gita 13.30 support the idea that the soul has no free will?
• 2238) If God’s inscrutable will is good for everyone, what’s wrong with letting whatever is happening happen?
• 2237) When suicide is bad, why did Arjuna resolve to commit suicide if he failed to kill Jayadratha by sunset?
• 2236) On hearing offense to devotees, why is the extreme option of committing suicide recommended?
• 2235) During the manifestation of action, what or how does Krishna sanction?
• 2234) Is the Supersoul present in the spiritual world?
• 2233) Karma & Reincarnation radio show – English with Tamil translation
• 2232) Most past-life memories involve people who lived sinfully in their previous lives – shouldn’t such people have gone to animal bodies, not human bodies?
• 2231) In the Bhagavatam, devotees renounce the world to serve the Lord, but in the Vitthal tradition, devotees serve their parents while the Lord waits – how to reconcile?
• 2230) Do you remember your past lives?
• 2229) When presenting philosophy from one perspective, how can we avoid getting carried away and rejecting other perspectives?
• 2228) Does the subconscious mind help us to do whatever we think repeatedly with our conscious mind?
• 2227) What is the difference between the mind and the modes?
• 2226) Understanding what is mental and what is spiritual
• 2225) Which is better – learning with the intelligence or learning with the mind?
• 2224) Authenticity, Superficiality, Purity – Understanding the difference
• 2223) For transmitting spiritual knowledge, cultivate fixity of purpose and flexibility of process
• 2222) How is the discriminatory caste system justifiable?
• 2221) Happiness will come by destiny, without our endeavoring – how do we understand this practically?
• 2220) When Krishna tells Arjuna that your nature will make you fight, then where is free will?
• 2219) If a child is born retarded and dies without doing anything, what is the point of such a life?
• 2218) How can we know what karma we have done in the past?
• 2217) Why should we go to a temple when we can serve poor people or open hospitals?
• 2216) When we can have a temple in our home, why do we need to go to a temple?
• 2215) See the positive, not the negative, as the primary active force in the cosmos
• 2214) If we cursed someone who disappointed us in a relationship, are our present problems a karmic reaction for cursing that person?
• 2213) To evaluate devotion by its material benefits is like evaluating dancing by the distance covered Gita 02.44
• 2212) When dharma has gone down so much now, why is Krishna not appearing?
• 2211) How is the intelligence connected with the heart?

June 2017

• 2210) God refuses to be a co-dependent in our addiction
• 2209) Can the soul remember its eternal position?
• 2208) What are the ways in which the Nectar of Instruction text 1 can be misapplied?
• 2207) If after praying we take a decision and it turns out to be wrong, has Krishna misled us?
• 2206) What exactly does Krishna sanction – how?
• 2205) How does free will interact with the modes?
• 2204) When Krishna knows everything including what we need, what is the need to pray to him?
• 2203) How to understand that we can’t understand Krishna – then why do we study scripture?
• 2202) What is the monistic conception of pure consciousness in terms of subject, object and stream of consciousness?
• 2201) When Vaishnavas don’t take meat, why do Shaivites take meat?
• 2200) How is scripture a window to God?
• 2199) During possession, what is the relation between the subtle bodies of the possessing ghost and the possessed person?
• 2198) When the possessed soul and the possessor soul are equal, how can one soul dominate another ?
• 2197) Do the laws of material nature work on ghosts ?
• 2196) Is our life duration determined by past karma?
• 2195) When the soul is different from the body, why does injury to the brain cause the soul to leave the body, but not injury to the foot?
• 2194) Some people can see ghosts, some can’t – why?
• 2193) Beauty is a spark of Krishna, but it makes us forget Krishna – what to do?
• 2192) Isn’t the mode of goodness alone enough for serving Krishna – during the churning of the milk ocean, why were the other modes needed?
• 2191) Understanding the five functions of intelligence
• 2190) A mentally retarded child can’t do any karma – what determines his future life?
• 2189) A mentally retarded child can’t pursue any worthwhile goal – what is the point of such a life?
• 2188) How is karma connected with our future destination?
• 2187) Can a spiritual mind know the destiny?
• 2186) How is an action classified as good karma or bad karma?
• 2185) How can we minimize our past karma’s impact on us?
• 2184) Are hungry people starving because of their past karma?
• 2183) Does karma contribute to our achievements?
• 2182) During the evolution of life on the earth, when did the soul enter into the picture?
• 2181) Transformation is inevitable – positive transformation has to be intentional
• 2180) Why can’t the soul be seen with microscopes – where is it located in organisms that have no heart?
• 2179) How can conservation of energy be reconciled with temporariness of matter?
• 2178) How can we prove that life has the purpose of loving Krishna?
• 2177) Are there different levels of seeing Krishna?
• 2176) If guru-shishya parampara was always present, how could monism become so prominent?
• 2175) Can we have a thoughtless mind?
• 2174) Does the mind have more impressions from the present life than from past lives?
• 2173) What happens to the mind when we sleep?
• 2172) Remembering Srila Prabhupada’s mood and sacrifice – Hindi
• 2171) Tamal Krishna Maharaj books appreciation
• 2170) Drinking water and sleeping are both bodily needs – why is sleeping considered in the mode of ignorance?
• 2169) Is the mind like a TV on which pictures are projected?
• 2168) Are material objects less pure than us?
• 2167) When the soul moves from one body to another, is there complete conservation of the mind?
• 2166) Does beauty lie in the eye of the beholder – A Vedic Perspective
• 2165) Analyzing various perceptions and conceptions of God
• 2164) Scripture is a torch to see the world, a mirror to see the self and a window to see God
• 2163) Understanding who is the doer – Analyzing instincts, impulses and intelligence
• 2162) Meta-thinking is vital for fruitful thinking Gita 14.23
• 2161) When scripture says our parents are God, why do some young devotees renounce their parents?
• 2160) As humans can do a wide variety of activities, doesn’t that prove we have free will?
• 2159) What does knowledge in the mode of ignorance mean in today’s world?
• 2158) Is there some science other than modern for explaining matter?
• 2157) Address misery first by recognizing its fundamental cause then its circumstantial cause Gita 09.33
• 2156) Devotion, renunciation and aversion are differentiated by the direction of emotion
• 2155) From the karmic perspective, what is the difference between ignorant wrongdoings and intentional wrongdoings?
• 2154) Why do scriptures not describe technology such as bulbs?
• 2153) Does chanting automatically make us kinder or do we have to strive to become kinder?
• 2152) Why is the mind considered a sense?
• 2151) How can we remain respectful to the devatas while describing their non-supreme position or their non-ideal activities?
• 2150) Just as the mind is personified, are other things such as Bhakti devi and Kali also personifications?
• 2149) Are our problems caused by our past karma or arranged by Krishna?
• 2148) Are poor people responsible for their poverty?
• 2147) Are there two ways of thinking – the mind’s way and the soul’s way?
• 2146) How can bhakti increase our ability to think, which is a material ability?

May 2017

• 2145) Do dreams mean something – should we try to understand their meaning?
• 2144) Can we counter bad karma with good karma?
• 2143) During the course of evolution, when did people develop the capacity to understand spirituality?
• 2142) Does duty means doing that which we don’t like to do?
• 2141) Why is it so difficult to become attracted to God and so easy to get attracted to sense objects?
• 2140) Gita 16.24 Absolute Knowledge doesn’t have to be dogmatic and open-mindedness doesn’t have to relativize everything
• 2139) When the vibrations of different people chanting mantras are different, how does the mantra purify?
• 2138) Can destiny be changed by technology?
• 2137) What is the starting point for bhakti yoga?
• 2136) How do mantras change our consciousness – by their frequency, word order or word choice?
• 2135) How can we know that the ultimate source of everything is good?
• 2134) Does suicide change destiny?
• 2133) How are the eight stages of ashtanga-yoga related with bhakti-yoga?
• 2132) Does bhakti remove karmic reactions or give relief amidst karmic reactions?
• 2131) Can’t knowing about Krishna push us to know Krishna?
• 2130) Amidst karmic suffering, can astrology offer relief?
• 2129) Can karma be inherited – do children get the good karma of their parents?
• 2128) If we are born with demoniac qualties, are those qualities God’s gift to us?
• 2127) If Kali-yuga is set to be degraded, can we do anything to change it?
• 2126) What does it mean to hear the holy name?
• 2125) What is the difference between intellect and intelligence?
• 2124) When does the intelligence become the form direction of the Lord?
• 2123) Can our intelligence be contaminated?
• 2122) Prostitutes were present in Dwarka, the abode of pure devotees – how to understand?
• 2121) Reincarnation – Myth or Reality with Spanish Translation
• 2120) The Karma Conundrum – Does our destiny make us or do we make it?
• 2119) How can we explain Bhagavatam sections that contradict modern science?
• 2118) If scripture contains advanced material knowledge such as Vimana-shastra, why don’t we use it to make planes today?
• 2117) How can we understand unbelievable statements from scripture?
• 2116) Why is Krishna thirsty for our love when he has so many devotees loving him?
• 2115) Does everything exist for Krishna’s pleasure?
• 2114) Many scriptural storylines appear to be predestined – do we really have free will?

April 2017

• 2113) Understanding how Krishna is everything and controls everything even amidst worldly sufferings
• 2112) If karmic reactions come on earth itself, what is the need for sufferings in hell?
• 2111) As science keeps people away from God, can scientists be considered reincarnations of demons?
• 2110) When Krishna is unlimited, how can he be a person?
• 2109) Have people who can remember their past lives done some special good karma?
• 2108) Is Krishna as the holy name a sound vibration or is he beyond all sound vibrations?
• 2107) What exactly is the holy name – does its potency lie in the words or the meaning or somewhere else?
• 2106) Does courtesy japa help us attain Krishna after death?
• 2105) If karma, daiva and kala lead to phala, what is Krishna’s role?
• 2104) If parents have two children – one bright, one dull – is it the parents’ karma or the childrens’ karma?
• 2103) Why did Krishna save Parikshit, but not Abhimanyu?
• 2102) How do we define the Paramatma?
• 2101) How can we choose our mantra?
• 2100) Romanticizing Reincarnation – The danger of divorcing knowledge from its purpose
• 2099) Reincarnation – what explains it and what it explains
• 2098) Do happiness-distress have objective reality or are they just mental constructs?
• 2097) How can we prove that God exists?
• 2096) How important is the exact pronunciation of Rama in the maha-mantra?
• 2095) How can those with an impersonal understanding of God be helped to taste bhakti?
• 2094) If our spiritual master is not easily accessible and other spiritual masters give time primarily to their disciples, how can we get inspiration?
• 2093) If an initiated devotee does something non-standard such as eating food cooked outside, will the spiritual master get the karma?
• 2092) “The Holy Name is everything” – how to appreciate and apply this
• 2091) Was Ajamila’s calling out to Vishnu an utterance or a remembrance?
• 2090) What exactly is time – from yesterday to today what has changed?
• 2089) How important is praying in bhakti?
• 2088) In Vishnu Sahasra Nama, how are Vishnu’s names Nimisha and Animisha reconciled?
• 2087) What is the process by which the false ego gets hurt?

March 2017

• 2086) Is there any reference to the subconscious mind in the Vedic literature?
• 2085) QA with Boston-Seattle devotees
• 2084) Should we see non-philosophical devotees as not needing intellectual conviction or as weak because of intellectual malnourishment?
• 2083) When we don’t love Krishna, we suffer – doesn’t that mean Krishna forces us to love him?
• 2082) What is the relationship between ashtanga-yoga and bhakti-yoga?
• 2081) How could Krishna’s soldiers fight against him in the Kurukshetra war?
• 2080) Does time apply only for us, not for Krishna?
• 2079) If Krishna knows the future, how do we have free will?
• 2078) Doesn’t God have unlimited opulences – why limit them to six?
• 2077) Does Krishna understand our feelings or does he also experience them?
• 2076) When Krishna knows everything, how can we not know Radharani’s love for him?
• 2075) Do emotions come from the heart, the soul or the subtle body?
• 2074) If Krishna is God, why is Vishnu widely considered to be God and Krishna his incarnation?
• 2073) Demystifying Reincarnation
• 2072) Can followers of other religions who don’t follow the regulative principles go back to Krishna?
• 2071) Is Vedic philosophy confusing because it has so many holy books, unlike Christianity and Islam that have only one holy book?
• 2070) How does repetition in bhakti lead to attraction when normally repetition leads to satiation?
• 2069) Is our affection for Krishna to be cultivated as between wife-husband or spontaneous as between child-parent?
• 2068) How can we know that deceased devotees go back to godhead?
• 2067) Redirecting our desires and our speech towards Krishna
• 2066) Lord Chaitanya demonstrates that the heart is higher than the head
• 2065) Relishing Shikshashtakam – Appreciating how meditation on the holy name blossoms to meditation on Krishna
• 2064) Shouldn’t bhakti be a natural evolution in our love, not an imposition based on being told whom to love?
• 2063) What is the difference between attachment and obsession?
• 2062) Accepting that we are beyond the brain, how can we know whether we are the mind or the soul?
• 2061) Is the brain the generator of emotions or the responder to emotions?
• 2060) Can we get to higher consciousness only through near-death experiences or by other means?
• 2059) Can those undergoing near-death experiences choose not to return to their body?
• 2058) During near-death experiences, is everything that happens predetermined or can the experiencer choose?
• 2057) Who were the vanaras in the Ramayana – what happened to them?
• 2056) Is a woman’s unchaste dressing responsible for a man’s misbehaviour?
• 2055) How much of traditional culture needs to be replicated to practice bhakti today?
• 2054) Are we the makers of our destiny?
• 2053) When we take or get blessings from someone, what actually happens?
• 2052) While understanding scripture according to time-place-circumstance, which factors need to be considered?
• 2051) Isn’t ISKCON sectarian that it stops devotees from hearing from other Vaishnava groups?
• 2050) QA session with Dallas congregation
• 2049) QA session with Dallas youth
• 2048) When a devotee does bhakti activities for someone else, what actually happens?
• 2047) Is Vedic apara-vidya a better painkiller than modern knowledge?
• 2046) Who all are the active factors in our inner world – soul or mind or Maya?
• 2045) Does the soul go to the next body by its own desires or is it taken by the mind?

February 2017

• 2044) Were the ancient sages humbler than the modern acharyas as only the latter mention their names in their compositions?
• 2043) Who remembers Krishna – the mind or the soul, or the mind in the conditioned stage and the soul in the liberated state?
• 2042) When the mind is external to the soul, what does externally serving and internally remembering Krishna mean?
• 2041) When the Upanishads say the Absolute Truth is unchanging, how do bhakti teachers say that even Krishna’s abode is changing?
• 2040) Does mithya mean illusion or hallucination – is the material world illusion or hallucination?
• 2039) When intelligence can be used or misused, is intelligence a power of our consciousness or a gift from the Supersoul?
• 2038) Why is the intelligence said to come from goodness and the mind from passion – Hindi?
• 2037) When the intelligence is subtler than the mind, why does the Gita ask us to control the mind and not the intelligence – Hindi?
• 2036) The Creator’s Cruelty and the Saints’ Selflessness
• 2035) If the intelligence and the Supersoul’s voice are the same, why do many intelligent people act sinfully – Hindi?
• 2034) When spiritual culture encourages men to become brahmacharis, how does it spiritualize the male-female relationship?
• 2033) Is the love between a pet and a master coming from hormones or from the soul?
• 2032) Love is in the air, but where is the air? 
• 2031) Nityananda Trayodashi – NITAI acronym for appreciating Nityananda Prabhu’s glories – Hindi
• 2030) Why did Krishna allow the desecration of Deities by foreign invaders in medieval times?
• 2029) Does the soul come first in the womb and the subtle body comes later after which consciousness manifests?

January 2017

• 2028) When children of same parents such as Ravana and Vibhishana have the same DNA, why are their characters so different (Hindi)?
• 2027) Does presenting scripture as meant for moral instruction lead to the rejection of scripture’s transcendental teachings?
• 2026) If Bhagavatam and Mahabharata tell incidents from different perspectives, are they histories or historical fictions?

December 2016

• 2025) When God is omniscient, doesn’t he know that some people will misuse their free will?
• 2024) When God knows everything, why doesn’t he stop bad things from happening?
• 2023) When we have to choose between two good options, how do we choose?
• 2022) If our mind acts according to default settings, what is the role of our free will?
• 2021) When Jaya-Vijaya became demons by Krishna’s will and performed so many atrocities, what was the fault of their victims?
• 2020) How is it fair to be punished for past karma without being told what that karma was?
• 2019) Why do we say that we think with the mind and not with the soul?
• 2018) Does Krishna have a plan for us even when we are not serious devotees?
• 2017) When intoxication doesn’t harm others, as does meat-eating why is it considered bad?
• 2016) Did Shankaracharya accept Krishna’s form as transcendental?
• 2015) How can spontaneous devotion be practiced in shanta-rasa?
• 2014) If the soul gets a body through the semen what happens to it when conception doesn’t occur?
• 2013) How can atma be translated as the Supreme Lord?
• 2012) Nothing is in my control – why worry?
• 2011) What karma should we avoid so that we won’t have to suffer?
• 2010) What is the use of getting reactions for wrongdoings without knowing those wrongdoings?
• 2009) When humans kill animals for eating, is it that animal’s destiny or are humans interrupting God’s plan?
• 2008) If someone commits suicide, was it their destiny or are they interrupting God’s plan?
• 2007) If bhakti means to give up all designations then how do we see our duties to our country?
• 2006) What is the difference between the mental and the spiritual?
• 2005) Is love for our parents, brothers, sisters Maya – does such love have no meaning or value?
• 2004) Are the sense and mind different – which of them drives us?

November 2016

• 2003) Understanding surrender – Hindi
• 2002) ​What factors determine the mental pitch we get?
• 2001) ​What is stillness of mind?
• 2000) If someone says the sparks of Krishna’s splendor are enough for me, how can we connect them with Krishna?
• 1999) ​Where are the mind, intelligence and ego located?
• 1998) Bhakti yoga – cultural practice or spiritual science?
• 1997) When we make choices, where does our karma fit in?
• 1996) When God knows the future, is our free will really free?
• 1995) What is wrong with we as God’s children asking him for our material needs?
• 1994) Does scripture guide us for spiritual decisions or also for material decisions?
• 1993) Material solutions to problems lead to bigger problems – so, should we seek material solutions?
• 1992) How can we overcome the infection of karma and jnana?
• 1991) Does the mind tempt us because of the modes or do the modes tempt us because of the mind?
• 1990) We get only temporary happiness and that too after lot of struggle – does God not want us to be happy?
• 1989) Why do we get karmic reactions for one life in another life?
• 1988) What are the sizes of the soul and the mind?
• 1987) What is Maya – are women Maya?
• 1986) How can inductive-deductive-abductive reasonings be correlated with pratyaksha-anumana-shabda?
• 1985) Do our default settings come from our past karma or our association?
• 1984) What is more powerful – the soul or the mind?
• 1983) Do the spikes of desire vanish when we become spiritually advanced?
• 1982) What is the difference between being religious and being spiritual?
• 1981) How can we attract materially comfortable people who don’t feel the need for spirituality?
• 1980) Learning from the guru named death
• 1979) How do we differentiate between the mind and the heart?
• 1978) Does God want us to torture ourselves by fasting on holy days?
• 1977) How do we know that the knowledge coming through disciplic succession is authentic?
• 1976) How do we convince people that scriptures are true, not fictional?
• 1975) What is the significance getting darshan of Radharani’s lotus feet on Radhashtami day?
• 1974) Will you please talk something about Devi Bhagavatam?
• 1973) Do we relate with God only as our father?
• 1972) What is the difference between humans and animals?
• 1971) What makes Vedic knowledge infallible and human knowledge fallible?
• 1970) Why is Vedic knowledge received through disciplic succession?
• 1969) Does existence alone go from one life to another without carrying any karma from the past?
• 1968) Can spiritual wisdom explain split personality disorder?
• 1967) Can the soul experience anything other than what is displayed on the mind’s screen?
• 1966) Does the level of consciousness indicate the strength of the soul?
• 1965) How are the soul, mind and body brought together?
• 1964) Will we ever come to a spiritual level when we understand Krishna’s plan perfectly?
• 1963) How can some people remember their past lives?
• 1962) ​Is the golden cord that goes with the soul permanent or temporary?
• 1961) ​What should we do if we have a near-death experience or a mystical experience?
• 1960) ​I saw a shining light during a vision – what does it mean?
• 1959) ​Are reports of people having gone to Yamaraja and returned true?
• 1958) ​When does the soul get connected with the body?
• 1957) ​Do pure devotees have no worldly desires or do they have desires but no inclination to act on those desires?
• 1956) ​Is there a difference between vairagya and virakti?
• 1955) ​When God is omniscient and knows our suffering, why do we need to go to him to get relief?
• 1954) ​How can the presence of suffering be reconciled with God’s existence?
• 1953) ​Can we change our destiny by living according to a particular path?
• 1952) ​Every effect has a cause – why can’t this argument be applied to God?
• 1951) ​When the Paramatma is always in the heart, how can Krishna leave the heart?
• 1950) When bhakti provides higher pleasure than sensuality, why does the mind still crave for sense pleasure?
• 1949) When we can’t even be sure whether this world will exist tomorrow, why bother thinking about some other world that is anyway held as inconceivable?
• 1948) ​Is old age present in the spiritual world?
• 1947) ​Yoga Maya can cover Krishna – how is this different from the Mayavadi idea that we all are God covered by Maya?
• 1946) ​How can we explain rasa-lila to new people?
• 1945) ​Are all svakiya relationships in this world false?
• 1944) ​Does our enthusiasm in bhakti come from our sincerity or from Krishna’s mercy?
• 1943) How can we know that God is still living?
• 1942) ​How can we prevent our faith from going down with the passage of time?
• 1941) ​We know our likes and dislikes, but how can we know ourselves?
• 1940) When religious conflicts cause violence, how can religious practice bring peace?
• 1939) When mantra meditation involves actions and changes, how does it take us from the unchanging to the changing?
• 1938) Where is the svabhava stored – is svabhava always unfavourable to bhakti?
• 1937) ​What is the difference between svabhava and conditionings?
• 1936) ​Is meditation on sound preferable to silent meditation?
• 1935) Does becoming spiritual involve running away from problems instead of solving them?
• 1934) As exalted devotees don’t want liberation, should we not desire to get out of this world?
• 1933) If it is Radharani’s love that binds Krishna, then is her love greater than Yashoda’s?
• 1932) Appreciating the devotional despair of Damodarashtakam
• 1931) Appreciating Tattva Sandarbha
• 1930) ​What is the difference between premature death due to accident and due to suicide?
• 1929) ​What is consciousness – can we attain consciousness without giving up family life?
• 1928) ​If we all are parts of God, then is God the sum total of all beings?
• 1927) ​Is knowing our weaknesses one of the results of materialism?
• 1926) ​Krishna is the basis of all being, not just the best of all beings – what does this mean?

October 2016

• 1925) Does exercising that increases our breathing rate decrease our lifespan?
• 1924) Why do some people come close to death, but escape death?
• 1923) If some people are more tolerant by their nature, does that tolerance mean they are advanced devotees?
• 1922) Is bhakti the only way to higher taste – or are there other ways too?
• 1921) What exactly is polymorphic monotheism?
• 1920) ​How do we see people who use their faith to justify their bigotry?
• 1919) Does the soul choose its parents in its next life?
• 1918) ​Do the Puranas talk about caste by birth and the Gita, caste by qualities?
• 1917) ​Why were the lower castes so abused in the caste system, though it was given by Krishna?
• 1916) ​Why would kshatriyas, especially devotees like Arjuna, hunt?
• 1915) Is bhakti meant for setting things right in our life or for liberating our soul?
• 1914) ​If we don’t grieve at someone’s death, aren’t we devaluing them?
• 1913) Is our next body shaped by our desire or by our mind?
• 1912) ​Are all our material choices pre-determined by our past karma?
• 1911) When Krishna is in our heart and knows our desires, why do we need to pray to him?
• 1910) ​When Krishna descends to destroy the miscreants, why does he try for peace with the miscreant Kauravas?
• 1909) ​How does the mind make decisions?
• 1908) ​Why are academic scholars of a tradition often derided by the tradition?
• 1907) ​What happens to our accumulated karma when we surrender to Krishna?
• 1906) Why do some pious people face prolonged suffering before death?
• 1905) What is the destination of those who have died too young to have done any good or bad?
• 1904) Does the soul of those who die prematurely come back?
• 1903) ​Do all the millions who commit suicide become ghosts?
• 1902) ​How can we help the souls of those people who have committed suicide?
• 1901) ​Rasa Lila or rash lila 2- The historical misunderstanding
• 1900) ​Rasa Lila or rash lila 1- The philosophical misunderstanding
• 1899) Does the soul age?
• 1898) ​Is the form of the soul similar to our present form?
• 1897) ​Why is the atheistic West more prosperous than religious India?
• 1896) ​As the spiritual is not visible or quantifiable, how can we know that we are not pursuing something delusional?
• 1895) ​Can becoming spiritual make us lazy and unambitious?
• 1894) ​Why does Krishna in the hearts of terrorists allow them to murder people?
• 1893) ​Are the varnas applicable today?
• 1892) Do impersonalists who do jnana-tapasa attain liberation?
• 1891) ​How does bhakti invert social hierarchy?
• 1890) ​Is dharma the same in all ages?
• 1889) ​When we all lose everything at death, how does making better choices matter at death?
• 1888) ​If spirituality helps us make better choices, who decides which choices are better?
• 1887) ​If devotion is innate for all of us, why does it seem alien to some?
• 1886) ​Can yogis leave their body at will?
• 1885) ​​​​What happens after death
• 1884) ​How is there no passage of time in the spiritual world?
• 1883) Are there any scriptural references that people’s caste is determined by their qualities?
• 1882) Are there any scriptural references that people’s caste is determined by their qualities?
• 1881) Does bhakti lead to brahman, as Gita 14.26 says or does brahman lead to bhakti, as Gita 18.54 says?
• 1880) How is the soul immoveable?
• 1879) Does the Supersoul go with the soul or is the all-pervading Supersoul already there where the soul goes?
• 1878) Is the Paramatma in the heart same as the Paramatma in the atom?
• 1877) Do all those who become deviated from yoga go to heavens?
• 1876) ​What does one get by doing sva-dharma without doing bhakti?
• 1875) ​Is thinking done by the mind or by the soul?
• 1874) ​Why does the Gita say that sva-dharma shouldn’t be given up whereas Bhagavatam says sea-dharma should be given up for bhakti?
• 1873) ​What exactly are the modes?
• 1872) ​QA on Bhagavad-gita and bhakti philosophy
• 1871) ​Matters that matter more than matter – Origin, value & purpose
• 1870) ​Does developing our conscience and intelligence develop our bhakti?
• 1869) ​Are materialists completely controlled by the modes or can they make choices?
• 1868) ​Is the Gita’s statement that all endeavors are covered by faults applicable to a butcher’s profession?
• 1867) ​How do we explain the concept of achintya to scientific people?
• 1866) ​How do we address the conflict between the mind and the heart?
• 1865) ​How could omniscient Krishna not locate his abducted son Pradyumna for many years?
• 1864) ​Does bhakti cause increase in our problems or does increase in problems intensify our bhakti?
• 1863) ​What is the bigger reality that spiritualists talk about?
• 1862) ​If Bhagavan and Brahman are non-different, are a gulab jamun and its fragrance non-different?
• 1861) Does our past karma determine our present actions?
• 1860) ​Why are some people not inquisitive about life’s big picture?
• 1859) Does spiritual life begin only after initiation
• 1858) ​How can we share bhakti with atheists who are nature-conscious and are relatively in the mode of goodness?
• 1857) ​When Krishna is the protector of cows, how are so many cows being slaughtered?
• 1856) ​How is rationality correlated with the mode of goodness?
• 1855) ​Does scripture say that spiritual life doesn’t begin till we are initiated?
• 1854) Analyzing Nanda-Vasudeva conversation – Destiny is never an excuse for neglecting duty
• 1853) ​Is sadachara as a sign of spiritual advancement relative – eg. some serious devotees find anger difficult to control?
• 1852) Doesn’t Valmiki’s transformation demonstrate that spirituality can change nature?
• 1851) Will a person with vaishya nature transcend that nature by spiritual growth?
• 1850) ​Does siddhanta refer to philosophy or principle?
• 1849) ​Do our present natures reflect our soul’s nature or our upbringing?
• 1848) ​Can happiness come from some higher work such as social service?
• 1847) Can some people be so scarred as to be incapable of practicing spiritual life?

September 2016

• 1846) Does God exists beyond the world mean that he doesn’t depend on this world?
• 1845) The search for happiness
• 1844) ​The soul is always happy – what does this mean?
• 1843) ​How is one soul different from the other?
• 1842) ​Is there a time when the soul says – I don’t want any more bodies?
• 1841) ​On leaving the body, does the soul retain its identity or merge with the cosmic whole?
• 1840) ​Can the soul exist without the body?
• 1839) ​Where is the soul located in the body?
• 1838) Are all types of meditation equally beneficial?
• 1837) ​If intention is more important than action, why was Nriga punished despite his charitable intention?
• 1836) Why is spiritual reality not easily accessible?
• 1835) Why are we not born with spiritual consciousness?
• 1834) We are what we eat – how to understand this in terms of the three-level model of the self?
• 1833) When cows are being brutally slaughtered why does Krishna not intervene?
• 1832) Parikshit was ready to slay a cow-killer – should we follow in his footsteps?
• 1831) ​If problems help people to grow, does that mean we shouldn’t help others when they have problems?
• 1830) If I am destined to meet an accident, can I do anything to avoid it?
• 1829) ​Is it self-centered to call out to Krishna only when we have problems and not at other times?
• 1828) ​The quest for happiness is frustrated materially and fulfilled spiritually
• 1827) ​God helps those who help themselves – Common understanding, misunderstanding and devotional understanding
• 1826) ​Why are some people born wealthy and some born poor?
• 1825) ​Does destiny determine who comes to spirituality and who doesn’t?
• 1824) ​Can soul and consciousness exist separately from each other?
• 1823) ​If we ask Krishna for something material that is not good for us, will he give it?
• 1822) ​If chanting Hari’s name is the only way, how can chanting Allah elevate people?
• 1821) ​Why are atheists sometimes better behaved than religious people?
• 1820) ​Are specific forms of suffering such as being victimised by brutal crimes determined by past karma?
• 1819) ​Why have I got an autistic child?
• 1818) ​If we help someone and we both get into trouble, is such trouble due to past karma?
• 1817) ​Will purification enable us to make good choices always?
• 1816) ​Does the Hare Krishna mahamantra have specific times for chanting, as does the Gayatri mantra?
• 1815) Does anger arise in the mind or in the soul?
• 1814) Is Maya just a conception or is it an energy that captures us?
• 1813) Can the soul be conscious of itself?
• 1812) Were Prabhupada’s early followers the eternal associates of Lord Chaitanya?
• 1811) ​Are physical handicaps in this life the scars of sins from previous lives?
• 1810) ​Is our intelligence enough for making right choices or do we need Krishna’s mercy?
• 1809) Does personality come from the brain or the mind?
• 1808) ​Is the mind living or dead?
• 1807) ​In what mood can we recite the later Shikshashtakam verses that describe exalted devotion?
• 1806) ​How do some people get the power to die at will?
• 1805) ​Does detachment from the body and mind come only after full spiritual realization?
• 1804) ​How is the soul’s consciousness transmitted at the liberated stage?
• 1803) ​What is the weight and the size of the soul?
• 1802) ​What does sarvatma snapanam in Shikshashtakam mean?
• 1801) ​Balancing renunciation with responsibility
• 1800) ​Growing in devotion through assimilation, application and appreciation
• 1799) ​Sometimes we say Krishna is acting and sometimes karma is acting – what is it really?
• 1798) Why does Krishna send problems that take devotees away from him?
• 1797) Why do devotees sometimes suffer and don’t get relief despite praying?
• 1796) ​How is the mind like a mirror?
• 1795) ​How could the Narayana sena agree to fight against Krishna?
• 1794) ​Separation from Krishna is like a yuga for the gopis but like twelve years for Lord Chaitanya – why the difference?
• 1793) Do spiritual memories ever come automatically, as material memories do presently?
• 1792) ​Why should esoteric memories of spiritual experiences not be shared?
• 1791) ​Should we share our devotional memories when such memories are considered Krishna’s private gifts to us?
• 1790) ​After Uddhav sees the gopis’ exalted love for Krishna, why does he still speak about Krishna to them?
• 1789) How is Krishna impartial if he offers kripa-siddhi to some and asks for sadhana from others?
• 1788) Aren’t both sadhana-siddha and kripa-siddha ultimately dependent on kripa?
• 1787) If we are never disqualified in bhakti, why did Lord Chaitanya reject Kala Krishnadas for just one mistake?
• 1786) Is Krishna partial because he responds only those who call out?
• 1785) Is praying for the removal of our material desires a selfish prayer?
• 1784) ​What is the difference between remorse and atonement?
• 1783) When plants too have life, how is killing plants different from killing animals?
• 1782) Religious tolerance, intolerance and transcendence – Reflections on Haridasa Thakura pastimes
• 1781) Chanting is yuga dharma – does this mean it is recommended way, the best way or the only way?
• 1780) Did the songs of Narottam Das Thakura and others not protect the popular Gaudiya tradition?
• 1779) Did the Goswami’s books not help preserve the Gaudiya tradition after their departure?
• 1778) What exactly is the false ego – where is it located?
• 1777) How did the Gaudiya tradition become deviated by the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura?
• 1776) Is the pronunciation of the mahamantra important or is intent alone important?
• 1775) How important is initiation in the process of assimilating spiritual knowledge?
• 1774) How do we understand that demons like Ravana were expert mantra chanters?
• 1773) When we chant, does Krishna come from inside outside or from outside inside?
• 1772) Are varnavada and sphotavada studied in academic circles?
• 1771) In the light of Gita 2.47, how can we understand the Gita’s call to see action in inaction and action in inaction?
• 1770) Why do we label the good inner side as the intelligence and the bad inner side as the mind?
• 1769) In Shikshashtakam 1, why does knowledge come after emotion?
• 1768) Is the intelligence that takes us towards Krishna different from ordinary intelligence?
• 1767) Understanding how bhakti-rasa reclaims those who fall away
• 1766) What does self-mastery mean?
• 1765) For knowing God, is there any basis other than the Bhagavad-gita?
• 1764) Does change adopted because of frustration induce growth?
• 1763) Can abuse of power occur in spiritual organisations?
• 1762) Radhashtami class – Appreciating the transcendence of the Radha-Krishna relationship
• 1761) ​Radhashtami class – When Krishna leaves the gopis and Radharani during rasa lila
• 1760) ​Science is based on curiosity to know – where does faith come in?
• 1759) ​Does Krishna accept service done passionately?
• 1758) Should we feel guilty about some immoral desires that are unconnected with our waking desires?
• 1757) ​What is conscience – and what is the subconscious?
• 1756) If we have to go against our family members to practice bhakti, is the inner bad feeling conscience or pseudo-conscience?
• 1755) Do we experience higher spiritual states through the intelligence?
• 1754) ​Is cessation of misery not stable without bhakti?
• 1753) ​What is intuition?
• 1752) Chanting frees us from suffering – is this a conceptualisation or an experience?
• 1751) ​What is the relationship between studying exalted devotional states and experiencing those states?
• 1750) Does meditating on Krishna’s pastime while chanting comprise inattentive chanting?
• 1749) Are the acharyas’ names also non-different from them?
• 1748) Shikshashtakam – 12-part series at Alachua
• 1747) If we are not doers, why are we held responsible for our actions?
• 1746) Shikshashtakam 12 Text 8 Radharani manifests the highest summit of love
• 1745) Shikshashtakam 11 Text 7 Treasure devotional memories to propel your devotion
• 1744) Shikshashtakam 10 Text 6 Curb sentimentality but cherish sentiments
• 1743) Shikshashtakam 9 Text 5 The subtle interplay of endeavor and grace in bhakti
• 1742) Shikshashtakam 8 Text 4 Let your bhakti be Krishna-centered, not renunciation-centered
• 1741) Shikshashtakam 7 Text 3 Tolerance means to call off our war with reality
• 1740) Shikshashtakam 6 Text 3 Humility means to not let our ego interfere with our purpose
• 1739) ​Shikshashtakam 5 Text 2 The mysterious non-difference of Krishna and his holy name
• 1738) ​Shikshashtakam 4 Text 1 From the partial nectar to the complete nectar
• 1737) ​Shikshashtakam 3 Text 1 The flower metaphor for the blossoming of consciousness
• 1736) Shikshashtakam 2 Text 1 The mind as a window, a TV screen and a mirror
• 1735) Shikshashtakam 1 Overview and flow of the ashtakam
• 1734) The point of this world is to point beyond this world
• 1733) What does “our inner desires are not me” mean?

August 2016

• 1732) What is special about kala in the Gita not present in other books?
• 1731) How to reconcile Gita bhogaishvarya prasaktanam and Bhagavatam akamah sarva kamo va?
• 1730) How do we know everything when we know Krishna?
• 1729) Are the material problems of a devotee solved automatically?
• 1728) Can material problems have spiritual solutions or do they need material solutions?
• 1727) Can wanting to know more about Krishna distract us from bhakti especially from chanting?
• 1726) How to understand the contradictions between modern cosmology and Bhagavatam cosmology?
• 1725) Is bhakti centered on commitment to Krishna or on attachment to him?
• 1724) Does knowledge of Krishna’s supremacy come before sankhya study or after it?
• 1723) ​If the husband practices bhakti, does the wife automatically get the benefit even if she doesn’t practice?
• 1722) ​Where do our intuitions come from?
• 1721) ​If we are purpose-centered, aren’t we still self-centered?
• 1720) ​How to understand statements of extreme humility in saints?
• 1719) ​Does humility mean complete surrender to Krishna?
• 1718) ​Why do we talk only about mind control and not about intelligence control?
• 1717) ​What is the destination of spiritualists who don’t follow scripture properly?
• 1716) ​Are brahmanas allowed to eat meat?
• 1715) ​Where is the soul present in plants?
• 1714) Can not desiring perfection lead to a casual attitude in service?
• 1713) ​When a person is possessed by a ghost, where are the two souls situated?
• 1712) Is meat-eating sinful or is it just to be avoided for spiritual progress?
• 1711) ​What happens to Krishna when his deity is desecrated?
• 1710) ​Does the seekers’ consciousness make the deities divine or are they actually divine?
• 1709) ​Can we present scripture according to our understanding?
• 1708) Can the guru take back to godhead even disciples who are still works in progress?
• 1707) Who can be affected by black magic?
• 1706) What is tantra – is it material or spiritual?
• 1705) How can we draw lessons from scripture – should we stick only to lessons given by acharyas?
• 1704) ​How can Vishvanatha Chakravarti say that scriptural verses are grammatically inaccurate?
• 1703) ​Do we need different teachers for different areas of life?
• 1702) ​Is deity worship meant for the less intelligent?
• 1701) How to respond to scholars who consider abstract principles more important than bhakti specifics?
• 1700) ​What does “Yamadutas are afraid to approach devotees” mean?
• 1699) Why doesn’t Lord Shiva guide his devotees to Vishnu?
• 1698) Can there be pure devotion to Lord Shiva?
• 1697) Can Lord Shiva also grant liberation?
• 1696) Isn’t the idea that everyone can’t understand dharma elitist?
• 1695) QA on balancing the material and the spiritual
• 1694) Balaram Jayanti class – Balaram acts as the via media between Krishna and the Vrajavasis as well as the conditioned souls
• 1693) Understanding how to understand scripture – Ladder of abstraction and nature of attribution
• 1692) Is the mind alone the link between the gross body and the soul – or are the intelligence and false ego also included?
• 1691) Is citta a part of the subtle body?
• 1690) ​Why is Krishna not revealed in the Vedas – why was Bhagavatam needed to reveal him?
• 1689) Why is Lord Chaitanya considered supremely merciful?
• 1688) ​Why does Rupa Goswami talk about vaco-vega and jihva-vega separately?
• 1687) ​How is the whole world full of question-answers?
• 1686) ​Why is the Paramatma considered impersonal?
• 1685) Do different people perceive Krishna’s mercy differently?
• 1684) ​When all forms of God exist eternally, what does Krishna is the source of all those forms means?

July 2016

• 1683) ​Did Bhima hate Duryodhana and not follow hate the sin, not the sinner?
• 1682) ​Don’t let astonishment over mystical or technological marvels distract from bhakti
• 1681) ​How does Krishna decide when to protect and when to not protect?
• 1680) ​If dharma is about principles, how does it differ from belief system?
• 1679) Are both people who chant simply out of piety and those who chant as sadhana at namabhasa level?
• 1678) If the soul immovable, how do the Yamadutas drag the soul?
• 1677) ​Does Krishna sometimes violate the other three legs of dharma but never violate mercy?
• 1676) ​Does Krishna intervene in the system of karma or lets it act even on devotees?
• 1675) ​Stimulate desired emotions through right setting
• 1674) ​What exactly are the modes? How does raja guna give rise to lust?
• 1673) ​If lust is present in our own senses, why does proximity to sense objects make us lusty?
• 1672) When the mind beats us for doing wrong, how is that different from repentance?
• 1671) ​When the mind simply does sankalpa and vikalpa, what does the mind understanding something mean?
• 1670) Shikshashtakam 7 – Go beyond sentimentality to spiritual sentiments
• 1669) What is the best thing a mother can do for her deceased son?
• 1668) Avatar – Digital, Christian, monistic and bhakti conceptions
• 1667) How can infinity minus infinity give infinite results?
• 1666) ​Does Krishna go through childhood, boyhood and youth stages in the spiritual world?
• 1665) ​Why did Krishna close his eyes on seeing Putana?
• 1664) As a householder what rules did Krishna follow?
• 1663) Metaphorical understanding in bhakti philosophy and in Krishna’s killing of Putana
• 1662) ​Why do some people get facilities for bhakti practice and some don’t?
• 1661) ​Is mercy proportionate to our endeavor?
• 1660) ​Is brahmanas’ feeling hurt at just a harsh glance due to their sensitivity or their ego?
• 1659) ​Are there many Gitas other than the Bhagavad-gita?
• 1658) Is worshipping some devata while practicing bhakti a dilution of bhakti?

June 2016

• 1657) ​How can we develop faith in the acharyas’ commentaries on scripture?
• 1656) ​Why do we need to read purports while reading scripture?
• 1655) ​How can we balance between understanding God as a principle and loving him as a person?
• 1654) How can we present scripture without compromising its truth?
• 1653) ​Is truth different for people in different modes?
• 1652) ​How is Vaishnava classification of scripture different from Advaitic classification of paramarthika and vyavaharika?
• 1651) Cultivating absorption through conviction
• 1650) In scriptural study, be not just faithful but also purposeful
• 1649) ​Can we pray to get the ecstatic symptoms of bhakti?
• 1648) ​When Krishna married so many queens, why is his marriage with Tulsi alone celebrated?
• 1647) ​Isn’t the Tulsi-Shalagrama vivaha rooted in an immoral pastime?
• 1646) Was Krishna only eight years old when he performed rasa-lila?
• 1645) ​Did Jayadeva Goswami introduce eroticism is krishna-bhakti?
• 1644) ​Can devotee children become sensually agitated by reading some pastimes from Krishna book?
• 1643) Shikshashtakam 6 – Calling for mercy elevates us from our fallen condition
• 1642) ​When we take a decision does the soul or the mind take the decision?
• 1641) Surrender is not just exalted sentiment but also practical action – Gita 18.66
• 1640) ​Can ghosts practice devotional service?
• 1639) ​Can dogs see subtle things such as Yamadutas?
• 1638) ​Do superstitious people believe in ghosts?
• 1637) ​Can ghosts see past and future?
• 1636) ​Does karma exist for ghosts?
• 1635) ​How are some people able to see the forms of ghosts?
• 1634) ​What is the difference between us and ghosts – why are they afraid of the holy name?
• 1633) ​Why do scriptures give mathematical knowledge – is it needed to go back to godhead?
• 1632) ​Isn’t saying that everything came from a four-headed being’s navel’s lotus more absurd than saying it came from a bang?
• 1631) ​Why do devotees use things like laptops that are made by people with materialistic consciousness?
• 1630) ​If Krishna is the supreme cause, how is our destiny in our hands?
• 1629) ​Do non-living things have covered consciousness – why?
• 1628) ​How can material sound vibrations be used to access spirit?
• 1627) ​When science keeps changing, why do we use scientific analogies to explain scriptural teachings?
• 1626) If objects are made of waves, how does consciousness come into objects?
• 1625) What do scriptures say about UFOs?
• 1624) How do souls get different bodies right at the beginning?
• 1623) ​Why are scriptural figures not absolutely precise?
• 1622) ​If science doesn’t have authority to explain life, why does scripture have that authority?
• 1621) Shikshashtakam 5 – Channel the avalanche of desire
• 1620) ​How do we reconcile differences between academic and traditional dating of the Vedas?
• 1619) Are all the holy places in dhamas with Krishna’s footprints authentic?
• 1618) Do science and scripture see things from different perspectives?
• 1617) Did Prabhupada’s servant bloop because he couldn’t deal with the moon issue?
• 1616) ​How do we deal with contradictions in scripture’s spiritual information?
• 1615) ​Is choosing not to fight some battles like Bhishma-Drona’s silence in the Kuru silence?
• 1614) Should we stress materially accurate information in the Vedas to boost their faith?
• 1613) Are we bound by the modes like a cow bound by a rope?
• 1612) ​Is our temperament determined by the modes?
• 1611) ​What exactly is the eternal treasure of bhakti (Hindi)
• 1610) ​How do we see philosophical differences among acharyas of different sampradayas? (Hindi)
• 1609) How do we understand which section of scripture is literal and which poetic?​ (Hindi)
• 1608) When the soul is liberated, is the subtle body spiritualized or abandoned? (Hindi)
• 1607) Unravelling the Mystery of Karma with QA
• 1606) The spiritual is beyond the social, national cultural and traditional
• 1605) ​Does our conditioning from human body carry on to a future nonhuman body?
• 1604) Can transcendentalists act passionately like kshatriyas?
• 1603) Parashurama avatar – Brahmana, kshatriya and post-kshatriya phases
• 1602) ​How do we determine when to treat life like a program and when like a manual?
• 1601) Why did Parashurama destroy kshatriyas and not their greed?
• 1600) ​If we are to act according to our nature, why did Parashurama appear as brahmana and then act as kshatriya?
• 1599) ​What is the Vedic perspective of modern asymmetric warfare?
• 1598) ​Why does definition of kshatriya not refer to protection of dharma?
• 1597) Self-determination and denial of destiny characterize modernity

May 2016

• 1596) Shikshashtakam 3 – Humility and tolerance empower us to focus on our purpose
• 1595) How to understand Prabhupada’s statement that planets move because of cosmic air, not gravity?
• 1594) ​When we talk about Krishna, do we refer to the universe?
• 1593) Does bathing in sacred rivers free one from all sins?
• 1592) ​Does forgiving someone end all associated karmic consequences?
• 1591) ​Do fate and destiny refer to the same thing?
• 1590) Does depending on Krishna mean using our analytical framework in his service or giving up that framework?
• 1589) ​How is daiva different from destiny?
• 1588) ​How to understand when some sages feel greater bliss in impersonal realization than in personal realization?
• 1587) ​Do pure devotees always experience themselves as different from the body?
• 1586) ​As yogis see Paramatma within, do bhaktas see Bhagavan within?
• 1585) How does the holy name penetrate beyond the mind, intelligence and ego?
• 1584) Can some people get things without endeavoring?
• 1583) ​How does endeavor figure in people who get good things easily?
• 1582) ​What role do star signs play in our destiny?
• 1581) If scripture is eternal, are all pastimes given in scripture destined?
• 1580) ​Does the precision of astrological predictions imply that we don’t have free will?
• 1579) ​Are we forced to act according to our nature?
• 1578) ​When the modes control us, how do we have free will?
• 1577) ​When the modes control us, how do we have free will?
• 1576) Do we need problems to grow internally?

April 2016

• 1575) ​Does thought become matter – can thought enable us to achieve everything?
• 1574) ​Why does God not give everyone equal capacity to understand right and wrong?
• 1573) ​If Krishna is merciful, why do we get karmic reactions?
• 1572) How can knowledge of God be understood in scientifically acceptable terms?
• 1571) Does consciousness necessitate the existence of personality?
• 1570) When God is one, how can the one manifest as the divine couple?
• 1569) Does worshiping different forms of God for different purposes not limit God?
• 1568) ​ Varahadeva – Bhakti theology goes far beyond zoomorphism
• 1567) Why did Nityananda Prabhu curse Shivananda Sena’s son to die?
• 1566) ​How does Shivananda Sena exemplify the three great strengths in bhakti?
• 1565) Do our realizations arise because of our past karma?
• 1564) Why is Arjuna’s renunciation disapproved and the Goswamis’ renunciation appreciated?
• 1563) ​Krishna’s beauty brings unity amidst diversity – Meditation on Venkatesh Stotram 6
• 1562) Facilitate devotional creativity – Address at Children’s Ratha Yatra in Singapore
• 1561) If Krishna loves us unconditionally, why has he created bad things such as alcohol?
• 1560) Why has Krishna created this miserable world?
• 1559) Is karma always bound to happen – what makes it happen?
• 1558) Do transcendentalists go beyond the body’s need for sleep?
• 1557) Why do people blame women – Draupadi and Sita – for the epic’s wars?
• 1556) How important is convincing people about Rama’s historicity?
• 1555) Mad people seem happy in their own world – are they really happy?
• 1554) ​The cause of temptation lies inside not outside
• 1553) ​If Draupadi can have five husbands, what’s wrong with Muslims having many wives?
• 1552) ​How can I understand the mysterious things I saw in my out-of-body-experience?
• 1551) ​Can two souls be present in the same body?
• 1550) ​Can people’s intelligence be improved by giving external inputs?
• 1549) ​Can two souls swap their bodies?
• 1548) Are our decisions taken by the soul or the mind?
• 1547) ​​​​Is there any information in the universe other than that available through the senses?
• 1546) ​Can the soul see and have all sense perceptions without the body?
• 1545) Is memory stored in the brain or the soul?
• 1544) ​During out-of-body experiences how does the soul stay connected with the body?
• 1543) ​How can we know for sure that the soul exists?
• 1542) Why does Uddhava say that remembering Krishna’s pastimes causes him distress?
• 1541) Are unconsciously committed offenses also counted as offenses?
• 1540) ​Does the guru always speak the will of God perfectly?
• 1539) ​Why does Krishna perform pastimes that are misunderstandable?
• 1538) ​Can women study scripture when their body is in an unclean state?
• 1537) ​How can Krishna’s loving nature be reconciled with the sufferings of hell?
• 1536) QA in Nasik 2 April 2016
• 1535) QA in Nasik 1 April 2016
• 1534) Should women be allowed to enter Shani temple?
• 1533) ​How does destiny affect our life’s ups and downs – how is it affected by our spiritual practice?
• 1532) ​Does devotion need to be exhibited?
• 1531) ​Should we try to seek clarification to all our doubts?
• 1530) What is the importance of Ekadashi and of visiting temple on Ekadashi?
• 1529) How can we establish the authenticity of scripture?
• 1528) ​When the senses, mind and intelligence do wrong, why does the soul suffer consequences?
• 1527) ​How do we understand Krishna’s disappearance?
• 1526) Who is Vishnu – who is Krishna – what is their relationship?
• 1525) If Krishna is reciprocal, why does Shikshashtakam call for loving Krishna even if he neglects us?
• 1524) ​Don’t be attached to being detached
• 1523) ​Do we need diksha guru – is shiksha guru enough?
• 1522) ​Is there a purpose for punishment?
• 1521) When everyone is ultimately a devotee, what does avoiding nondevotee association mean?
• 1520) ​What is atma-nirikshana or soul-searching?
• 1519) ​Are tolerance and surrender directly proportional to each other?
• 1518) When Krishna controls our karma, do we really have free will?
• 1517) ​Abrahamic and impersonalist misconceptions about Krishna’s position
• 1516) ​When different people have natures of different varnas, what is the purpose of brahman initiation?
• 1515) ​How is liberation Krishna’s mercy when its pleasure is insignificant in comparison with bhakti?
• 1514) How can demons killed by the Lord get the same destination as the devotees?
• 1513) ​Isn’t “dishonor is worse than death” an egoistic calculation?
• 1512) ​Is the spiritual bliss we experience real or sentimental?
• 1511) Does any literature declare that the devatas are supreme?
• 1510) ​Is worshiping the devatas a means to Krishna consciousness?
• 1509) ​What is the difference between the atman and the mana?
• 1508) ​What can help us develop faith?
• 1507) How are faith and trust correlated?
• 1506) ​Are forms like Narasimha eternal in the spiritual world?
• 1505) ​When we are sinful, does Krishna still protect us?
• 1504) ​How do we understand lilas that appear immoral?
• 1503) ​Do madhyama devotees have one leg in the material world and one in the spiritual?
• 1502) ​Does Krishna enjoy being a master and forcing us to serve him?
• 1501) ​I​​s a mad human higher than a mad animal?
• 1500) ​Who exactly imagines – the mind or the intelligence?
• 1499) Are we the supreme power or are we part of that power?
• 1498) ​What is raj-vidya and raj-guhya in Gita 9.2?
• 1497) ​If no one can be free from the modes, is it really possible to be free from material desires?
• 1496) ​Are realizations permanent or do we need to get the same realizations again and again?
• 1495) ​What is the subconscious mind – is it related with karana sharira?
• 1494) ​Why does Radharani not wear tilaka?
• 1493) ​The earth-bound are dearth-bound
• 1492) ​Appreciating Krishna’s love for us
• 1491) Understanding Krishna’s position and disposition from the Gita and the Mahabharata
• 1490) Is constantly thinking about death psychologically damaging?
• 1489) ​Can our past-life karma force us to do sins in this life?
• 1488) How important is it to be aware of our thoughts?
• 1487) Is dreaming about Krishna also remembrance of Krishna?
• 1486) How can we think of Krishna constantly?
• 1485) ​How is daiva related to karma?
• 1484) We can realize the mind, but how can we realize the intelligence?
• 1483) Do the six stages of anartha-nivrtti come one after the other?
• 1482) How does the intelligence control the mind?
• 1481) Is the mind just a repository of past impressions?
• 1480) How are multiple personality disorders related with the mind?
• 1479) Faith is essential in daily life, science – and spiritual life
• 1478) Different levels of seeing Krishna

March 2016

• 1477) Eating can be spiritualized, but how can mating be spiritualized?
• 1476) How do sages like Kardama Muni enjoy material things despite being great spiritualists?
• 1475) How did ordinary people see Lord Chaitanya’s ecstatic trances?
• 1474) How are the Gita and the Bhagavatam related?
• 1473) Understanding the purpose of explicit language in scripture
• 1472) Two ways to realization: as sudden illumination and as gradual awakening
• 1471) How do I know which type of surrender is suitable for us?
• 1470) Is black magic real – what should devotees targetted by it do?
• 1469) How much does Krishna intervene in the lives of good people, if they are not devotees?
• 1468) What is the relationship between astrology and karma, especially for devotees?
• 1467) Why does Bhaktivinoda Thakura refer to temporary duties as anitya-dharma?
• 1466) How does our material varna relate with our spiritual svarupa?
• 1465) Why is tamo-guna needed at all?
• 1464) Krishna is realer than reality
• 1463) Concluding QA session in Dharma to Prema Retreat
• 1462) Overcoming discouragement in life
• 1461) Understanding the many forms of surrender
• 1460) Mapping our inner territory – Anartha nivritti explained from Madhuraya Kadambini
• 1459) Understanding karma dharma and destiny
• 1458) From dharma to prema
• 1457) GAURA acronym – 5 glorious qualities of Lord Chaitanya
• 1456) Can association through electronic media be the same as personal association?
• 1455) Is asking lots of questions a sign of a jnani, not a bhakta?
• 1454) Can Krishna’s exalted pastimes be understood without philosophically understanding his greatness?
• 1453) Can we relish the same level of love for Krishna that Radharani relishes?
• 1452) Is Radharani attracted to Krishna because he is handsome?
• 1451) Is Lord Chaitanya’s lila too elevated for general people?
• 1450) Gaura Purnima lecture – Lord Chaitanya manifested the three internal reasons for his descent in his Ratha-yatra lila
• 1449) Bhakti is an experiential science
• 1448) Pray not to get things done but to connect with Krishna
• 1447) Is untimely death of a son the will of God – how is this to be explained to grieving parents?
• 1446) Why are things that we hear and accept still difficult to apply?
• 1445) Is our sampradaya’s credibility weakened because of having shiksha links instead of diksha links?
• 1444) When there are so many scriptures how is the essential scriptural message to be understood?
• 1443) If someone dies because of drunken driving, was the death due to destiny or drunkenness?
• 1442) When our sampradaya is of shiksha, why are diksha-gurus deemed so important and shiksha-gurus deemed unimportant?
• 1441) Are ghastly rituals such as animal sacrifices given in scriptures?
• 1440) What is the significance of Lord Chaitanya’s chastising Balabhdara Bhattacharya?
• 1439) What is the relationship between our intelligence and our desires?
• 1438) What is wrong with aversion to sense objects?
• 1437) Do the modes determine our moods or our modes determine the modes?
• 1436) When Prabhupada speaks so strongly against Mayavadis, how can we avoid becoming judgmental?
• 1435) Can we engage in any desire without being bound by it?
• 1434) How can we know that we are conscious while tables are not conscious?
• 1433) Why focus on sound alone for raising our consciousness – why not exercise, food etc?
• 1432) What is the channel by which the soul gives signals to the brain?
• 1431) Devotion amidst persecution – Lord Chaitanya delivers Chand Kazi part 3
• 1430) How do the Vedas correlate with the Gita?
• 1429) When we use our imagination in devotional service, will whatever we imagine come true?
• 1428) How is sense pleasure not imaginary but a product of imagination?
• 1427) Do brahmavadis know that something exists beyond brahman?
• 1426) Do animals have souls – if yes, then how are humans different from animals?
• 1425) What is happiness – how can we achieve it?
• 1424) What is a human being’s purpose on earth?
• 1423) What is the soul – is it real?
• 1422) What is the relationship between science and Krishna consciousness?
• 1421) How does fear enhance our relationship with Krishna?
• 1420) Why couldn’t Krishna have killed miscreants without leaving Vrindavan?
• 1419) How to respond to people who say that they are satisfied with their mental maps?
• 1418) Is humanity more important or is spirituality more important?
• 1417) Does prolonged expectation for a thing make us value it more- does this apply to the gopis separation from Krishna?
• 1416) Appreciating Gaudiya Vaishnavism 3 – Srila Prabhupada made the transcendental practical
• 1415) Are the gopis separated from Krishna even in the spiritual world?
• 1414) Why does God send different teachers who teach different paths?
• 1413) Why is the Gaudiya sampradaya a branch of the Brahma-Madhva sampradaya and not its straight continuation?
• 1412) Appreciating Gaudiya Vaishnavism 2 – Learn to relish bhakti rasa
• 1411) Appreciating Gaudiya Vaishnavism 1 – Bhakti inverts social hierarchy
• 1410) How are spiritual experiences different from chemically-induced experiences?
• 1409) How did Nimai Pandit’s name become Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?
• 1408) Why did Lord Chaitanya first become a scholar and then a devotee?
• 1407) Devotion amidst persecution – Lord Chaitanya delivers Chand Kazi – Part 2
• 1406) Devotion amidst persecution – Lord Chaitanya delivers Chand Kazi Part 1
• 1405) Can any pastime be analyzed metaphorically for some moral instruction?
• 1404) How do we explain the authenticity of the Lord’s pastimes to skeptics who doubt Vyasadeva’s saintly authority?
• 1403) How do we explain the authenticity of the Lord’s pastimes to skeptics who doubt Vyasadeva’s saintly authority?
• 1402) What were the sources based on which the sages who wrote the Lord’s pastimes?
• 1401) If everything unconnected with Krishna is Maya, then are all systems for valuing different things differently also Maya?
• 1400) When the Paramatma is present everywhere, how is he undivided?
• 1399) Are there any practicing brahmavadis today or are all impersonalists mayavadis?
• 1398) Is there any correlation between the Dashavataras and the four yugas?
• 1397) What are the differences between plenary portions, expansions and incarnations?
• 1396) What is the exact difference between brahmavadis and mayavadis?
• 1395) If Bhagavatam and Bible come from different frames of reference, does that mean everything is relative?
• 1394) Is the soul is eternal, how is Krishna the cause of the soul?
• 1393) Is the Biblical Adam-Eve story of creation reconcilable with the Bhagavatam’s description of narration?
• 1392) If everything coming from Krishna is also Krishna, then is everyone God?
• 1391) The living bhakti tradition is a garden, not a museum
• 1390) Dasha Mula Tattva 13 – Study scripture with focus on the purpose of scripture
• 1389) Dasha Mula Tattva 12 – Enter higher rasas by purification, not imitation
• 1388) What is the Gaudiya Vaishnava understanding of Manu Smriti?
• 1387) Do the Vedas teach that only brahmanas by birth can become brahmanas?
• 1386) How can we explain that Krishna’s pastimes are not mythological?
• 1385) Why are the same pastimes described differently in different scriptures?

February 2016

• 1384) Why does Krishna do certain things for maintaining people’s faith in paths other than bhakti?
• 1383) Does one need to know one’s svarupa to be liberated?
• 1382) Does pure devotion mean expecting no reciprocation from Krishna?
• 1381) Can we have a relationship with someone without reciprocation from them?
• 1380) How can we correlate shastra with our daily life?
• 1379) Dasha Mula Tattva 11 – Love is not just feeling but also doing
• 1378) Why do senior devotees sometimes join apasampradayas?
• 1377) Dasha Mula Tattva 10 – Mayavada is the inversion, not contradiction, of Vaishnavism
• 1376) Dasha Mula Tattva 9 – Association is the way to liberation
• 1375) Why has God given us such a troublesome mind?
• 1374) Does spirituality choke our scientific enquiry?
• 1373) Dasha Mula Tattva 8 – Maya binds us not as prisoners but as puppets
• 1372) What is the difference between shunyavada, mayavada and nirvisheshavada?
• 1371) Dasha Mula Tattva 7 – Achintyabhedabheda is the most evolved understanding of Vedanta
• 1370) When the Vedas talk about so many gods, isn’t that confusing?
• 1369) How does the hladini shakti entering our consciousness please Krishna?
• 1368) How to respond to the Buddhist argument that the universe is eternal?
• 1367) What does the Absolute Truth being one in synthesis and separate in analysis mean?
• 1366) Dasha Mula Tattva 6 – The Absolute Truth delights and shares delights through three internal energies
• 1365) Dasha Mula Tattva 5 – The Absolute Truth and its energies are one in synthesis, different in analysis
• 1364) Advaita Acharya 1 – Compassionate call to the Lord
• 1363) If human will is strengthened by connection with divine will, how do nondevotees sometimes have great determination?
• 1362) If Indra got the reaction of brahma-hatya for killing Vritrasura, why didnt Rama, for killing Ravana?

January 2016

• 1361) Dasha Mula Tattva 4 – Hari is the Absolute Truth concealed and revealed in the Vedas
• 1360) Dasha Mula Tattva 3 – Understanding the necessity and focus of Vedic knowledge
• 1359) Both Narada and Shakuni incited others – what is the difference?
• 1358) How can we raise our remembrance of Krishna from intellectual recollection to devotional redirection?
• 1357) Narada Muni – Not kalah-priya, but krishna-priya
• 1356) If everything comes from Krishna why doesn’t everything take us to Krishna?
• 1355) If the soul is marginal energy, how can it never fall after attaining Krishna?
• 1354) From moksha one falls back, from svarga one can be elevated – is kama better than moksha?
• 1353) Dasha Mula Tattva 2 – Scripture is the only way to know inconceivable Absolute Truth
• 1352) How does spiritual sound stimulate and facilitate meditation?
• 1351) When the Lord’s pastimes are transcendental, should they be analyzed?

December 2015

• 1350) How can scripture be understood relevantly without deviant interpretations?
• 1349) Which is the abode for sakhya rasa?
• 1348) Using jnana in bhakti
• 1347) How can we be sympathetic to people whose beliefs differ from scripture?
• 1346) How does the jiva fall to the material world?
• 1345) When the soul doesn’t feel hunger, how can the body tire the soul?
• 1344) Can holy places be haunted?
• 1343) How do parts of a plant when cut sometimes grow as separate plants?
• 1342) Can the soul in a grain get a human body in the next life especially if it has fallen from heaven?
• 1341) Are souls present in seeds – where does it go when souls remain inactive for years before germinating?
• 1340) Do souls move continuously from one body to another or are they inactive in between bodies?
• 1339) Is there one soul in all Tulsi plants?
• 1338) Aren’t renunciates who lose semen accidentally denying bodies to the souls present in their semen?
• 1337) During the birth of twins does the soul split into two?
• 1336) During conception, how do sperm, egg, soul, karma and Krishna’s will inter-relate?
• 1335) During conception, when and where does the soul come into the picture?
• 1334) How can women be encouraged to get a sense of success in their home responsibilities?
• 1333) Do women-devotees always have to be homemakers?
• 1332) Were women always housewives in Vedic culture?

November 2015

• 1331) What is the spiritual significance of the Gopinath Patnaik story?
• 1330) When Yashoda’s rasa is vatsalya, how is her bhakti coming from Radharani whose rasa is madhurya?
• 1329) Was Dhruva’s determination in passion or transcendental?
• 1328) Please explain varnashrama, its different types and its relevance in urban settings.
• 1327) Is varnashrama hierarchical with brahmanas higher and shudras lower?
• 1326) What does emotional distance from a principle mean?
• 1325) How are Buddhism and Jainism different from Mayavada?
• 1324) Does Krishna guide everyone or only those his devotees?
• 1323) Are the other 5 schools of Indian philosphy relevant for devotees – are they speculations?
• 1322) Are Nirvisheshavada and Mayavada two names of the same?
• 1321) Whats wrong with verifying scientifically the material knowledge given in scripture?
• 1320) Are all the many expansions of the Lord eternal?
• 1319) How to understand the descriptions of material settings in scriptural pastimes?
• 1318) Are all of Krishnas’ associates the same in each kalpa?
• 1317) How to understand Chaitanya Charitamrita descriptions that Lord Chaitanya flooded the whole world with ecstasy?
• 1316) Where are the pastimes of the countless incarnations described?
• 1315) What happened to Radharani after Krishna left for Mathura?
• 1314) Are some Sanskrit words not translatable?
• 1313) Why do the scriptures while narrating pastimes describe the beauty of the female form?
• 1312) Appreciating Prabhupada’s resourcefulness and sharing his legacy – Prabhupada Disappearance day class
• 1311) Govardhan Dashakam Meditation – Ten appeals for residence at Govardhan
• 1310) Meditating on the Damodarashtakam: The supreme controller is controlled – and still remains in control (Part 2 – Verses 5 to 8)
• 1309) Meditating on the Damodarashtakam: The supreme controller is controlled – and still remains in control (Part 1 – Verses 1 to 4)
• 1308) Damodarashtakam explained – The Controller is controlled and still remains in control
• 1307) Damodara Lila – Scientific, Philosophical, Theological and Devotional Analysis
• 1306) Approach scripture as history described for spiritual elevation, not material precision
• 1305) Does selfless devotion mean that we shouldnt be getting any happiness ourselves in it?
• 1304) Is feeling grateful to Krishna for saving us from material sufferings self-centered – what should we be grateful for?
• 1303) Does serving for Krishna’s pleasure mean that we should not even consider what give us pleasure?
• 1302) Is trying to determine how we can serve according to our nature against the principle of following the spiritual master’s instruction?
• 1301) Categorize the material and spiritual philosophically and harmonize them practically (Bhagavatam 10.70.27)
• 1300) How much can we adjust right or wrong actions according to their consequences?
• 1299) Is detachment not included in 64 items of bhakti because it makes one hardhearted?
• 1298) Does the guru literally come back lifetime after lifetime till the disciple is delivered?

October 2015

• 1297) Can lack of intellectual nourishment stop or slow our bhakti?
• 1296) As consciousness in lower species is too covered to perceive suffering, what is the problem with falling to lower species?
• 1295) Kurukshetra – Arena of fratricide and reunion
• 1294) When Buddha and Kalki appear in Kali-yuga, why is Vishnu called Tri-yugi?
• 1293) When Sarvabhauma was an impersonalist how could he appreciate symptoms of love of God in Lord Chaitanya?
• 1292) What is meditation?
• 1291) Is resentment caused by outer events or inner mentality?
• 1290) Does demoniac goodness become divine goodness by bhakti?
• 1289) Can we transcend goodness without coming to goodness?
• 1288) Does our nature change as become purified?
• 1287) How is consciousness carried through food?
• 1286) Why does the mind suddenly get agitated sometimes?
• 1285) Why does the sound of mantras produce purification whereas other sound doesn’t?
• 1284) How does hearing a pastime produce an entirely unrelated result?
• 1283) How to understand scriptural promises about result of hearing pastimes?
• 1282) Does the soul go closer to God during sleep?
• 1281) If everything has a cause, why should God not have a cause?
• 1280) How are optimism and pessimism related to the modes?
• 1279) If scripture gives knowledge in goodness, how can it help us know what is beyond goodness?
• 1278) Why does the Supersoul sanction our unhealthy choices?
• 1277) How do the soul, Supersoul and nature contribute to action?
• 1276) How can we convince the mind of truths that are beyond science?
• 1275) How is the soul full of knowledge?
• 1274) How can we focus on Krishna without imagining or speculating?
• 1273) Is absorption in Krishna a combination of all the four levels of consciousness?
• 1272) How do our actions leave impressions on the mind?
• 1271) How is the body sustained when the soul leaves the body?
• 1270) Does the soul leave the body during dreams?
• 1269) Why don’t we have consciousness during sleep?
• 1268) How do we understand that Krishna is the cause of all causes?
• 1267) Why do mathematical concepts correlate with things in nature?
• 1266) How does the sound of the holy name penetrate beyond the universe – and other sounds don’t?
• 1265) How does the subtle body interact with the physical body?
• 1264) Are our present spiritual emotions real or just mental?
• 1263) Is sadhaka’s suffering because of past karma or Krishna’s arrangement?
• 1262) Is our relationship with guru a vertical relationship or a horizontal relationship?
• 1261) When many spiritual paths say they are the best, how to choose our path?
• 1260) How to connect Vedic mathematics to Krishna consciousness?
• 1259) GOD acronym – Reconciling human independence with divine omnipotence
• 1258) How exactly did Krishna depart from the world?
• 1257) Increasingly intimate manifestations of Krishna in Mahabharata, Gita, Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita
• 1256) Do we need to hear true spiritual sound to be elevated?
• 1255) Appreciate the depth and length of our existence to appreciate Krishna’s love
• 1254) Why does scriptural knowledge differ from modern anthropological knowledge?
• 1253) How can we know whether our emotions are spiritual or sahajiyaic?
• 1252) Do those who die fighting against Krishna attain the spiritual world earlier than those who fight for him?
• 1251) The Quest for Happiness – Collecting the material or recollecting the spiritual?
• 1250) How can we understand that God is a person?
• 1249) Does destiny determine how we respond to situations?
• 1248) How is destiny related to karma?
• 1247) Life’s 4 defining D’s: Desire, Decision, Destiny and Dharma
• 1246) Why do people in goodness sometimes not take up bhakti?
• 1245) Why is Krishna selectively merciful in inspiring some people to take to bhakti and not others?
• 1244) Tread the path of the ears to the eyes and the heart
• 1243) How to reconcile Krishna’s omniscience with our having free will?
• 1242) RASA acronym for finding rasa in bhakti
• 1241) If God is the explanation for everything, what is the explanation for God?
• 1240) How to deal with doubts about God’s existence coming from the study of science?
• 1239) How to understand that there is life after death?
• 1238) How to see death of a loved one philosophically without becoming hardhearted?
• 1237) Should criminals who go on murderous sprees be forgiven?
• 1236) When prasad is so purifying, why don’t those who take prasad regularly get fully purified?
• 1235) What is the source of desire?
• 1234) How can we know that God exists?
• 1233) If destiny is supreme, how do we have free will?
• 1232) Why are we suffering in this world?
• 1231) What are the destinations of those who realize Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan?
• 1230) Bhakti is the inclusive summit of all spirituality (Bhagavatam 1.2.6-13)
• 1229) How are thoughts generated?
• 1228) How does association lead to spiritual advancement?
• 1227) Practicing bhakti amidst todays fast-paced life
• 1226) How does the existence of the finite point to the existence of the infinite?
• 1225) QA tradition brings intellectual vibrancy to bhakti

September 2015

• 1224) Why is the soul’s connection with the Supreme established only through sound – and a specific mantra at that?
• 1223) Where does our longing for love come from?
• 1222) What is the highest form of love?
• 1221) Should one love oneself to be happy?
• 1220) How can killing for one’s country be considered love?
• 1219) Love is the highest reality
• 1218) Happiness lies inside, not outside – is this a spiritual and scriptural principle?
• 1217) Why did Balaram favor Duryodhana?
• 1216) Analyzing envy through Duryodhana’s history
• 1215) If a thief after praying to Krishna robs a devotee, whom is Krishna merciful to?
• 1214) When Krishna is so loving, why is loving him so difficult?
• 1213) MIND acronym 3 – The mind neglects opportunity and denies reality
• 1212) What to do if the mind gets caught in the sector of disagreement between science and scripture?
• 1211) How do we differentiate between scriptural principle and detail?
• 1210) How to reconcile science and religion?
• 1209) Appreciating scripture’s perennial relevance
• 1208) How do we reconcile the mind’s coming from goodness with goodness giving rise to knowledge?
• 1207) Is the mind or a source of desires or just a channel of the soul’s desires?
• 1206) Does the working of the mind match with our desires?
• 1205) Does Krishna not help us when we are not his pure devotees?
• 1204) Philosophy seems abstract – how can we undestand that Krishna tangibly helps us?
• 1203) Appreciating Radharani’s position and devotion – Radhashtami class
• 1202) Why do great devotees die due to painful dieases or terrible accidents?
• 1201) Are dreams about Krishna factual or just imaginary?
• 1200) Why do Abrahamic religions call Deity Worship as Devil Worship?
• 1199) Do our dreams reflect our anarthas?
• 1198) Relevance of Krishna’s descent – TEMPLE acronym – Janmashtami special
• 1197) Comparing appearances of Krishna and Rama – Janmashtami special

August 2015

• 1196) Is bhakti as rasa a contemporary presentation at Lord Chaitanya’s times or an eternal truth?
• 1195) Did the presentation of bhakti evolve or even its definition evolve over time?
• 1194) From the Mahabharata Krishna to the Bhagavatam Krishna
• 1193) Why did Vasudeva not allow Krishna to return to Vrindavana?
• 1192) Balaram Jayanti – How Balaram helps Krishna remember Vrindavan outside Vrindavan
• 1191) How can we understand that Krishna’s form is transcendental?
• 1190) How can we reconcile “Krishna provides for devotees” and “Krishna takes everything from devotees”?
• 1189) Animals threaten each other the way humans do – how are humans more threatened?
• 1188) What is pushti-bhakti and pushti and tushti in bhakti?
• 1187) When Narasimha had promised Prahlad that his descendents would be protected, why did Krishna kill Putana?
• 1186) Are Krishna bhaktas outside ISKCON at the neophyte stage?
• 1185) Does the fact that religious knowledge doesn’t grow like scientific knowledge prove its irrelevance?
• 1184) Do the differences in various religions’ conceptions of God prove his non-existence?
• 1183) Lord Chaitanya’s momentous victory in Puri – Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya Chp 6
• 1182) Lord Chaitanya gives special mercy – does that mean souls before his descent were deprived of mercy?
• 1181) Why dont the Vedas talk only about bhakti – how are they the authority for bhakti?
• 1180) Is Krishna’s coming only once in Brahma’s day mean that he is partial?
• 1179) Lust brings out our lower side; love, our higher side
• 1178) Why don’t devotees discuss the eight stages of jnana?
• 1177) When we are in tears, we need self-confidence to deal with it practically – what is the use of chanting?
• 1176) If a famous person is dying and people pray for his longevity what is the Vedic perspective on it?
• 1175) If something is destined, then will it not happen even if we don’t endeavor?
• 1174) Can devotees perform Satyna-Narayan puja?

July 2015

• 1173) Is it hypocrisy to kill animals for getting yoga-seat while claiming to be a vegetarian?
• 1172) In yugas when Krishna doesnt descend which avatar descend?
• 1171) Brahma Samhita 5.44 – Cultivate a Krishna-centered, not self-centered, vision of nature
• 1170) Gita 04.35 – Focus on the knowledge that fulfills the purpose of knowledge
• 1169) Brahma Samhita meditation 2 – Krishna is not just the greatest in a hierarchy but the greatest beyond any hierarchy
• 1168) Gita 16.09 – Our conception critically changes our contribution
• 1167) Meditation on prayer to Jagannatha
• 1166) Three levels of manifestation of Jagannatha Rath Yatra
• 1165) Are the nine items of devotional service progressive?
• 1164) What is the Vedic perspective on panpsychism?
• 1163) Are sakhyam from nine items of devotional service and sakhya from the five rasas related?
• 1162) What is the role of creativity in goodness?
• 1161) The Deity has form but the holy name doesn’t – isn’t worshiping both together contradictory?
• 1160) Does humility mean dishonestly blaming ourselves for things we haven’t done?
• 1159) What is the difference between humility and inferiority complex?
• 1158) Pada-sevanam – Bhakti is a relationship of ecstatic inequality
• 1157) Isn’t it material conception of Deity to offer fan or candana when we feel hot in summer?
• 1156) How much is the jurisdiction of our free will?

June 2015

• 1155) Are there some Deities that are jagruta?
• 1154) Is it good to practice bhakti because it teaches us good values?
• 1153) Is it good to practice bhakti due to our cultural upbringing?
• 1152) Is KC also exclusivist because those who don’t accept Krishna’s form are said to be doomed?
• 1151) How does bhakti compare with vipashana?
• 1150) How does KC take us inwards when it involves many external activities?
• 1149) When thinking is done by the soul, how can our thoughts be material?
• 1148) When infinity is an attribute of Bhagavan, how can he manifest in a finite form?
• 1147) When matter is indestructible what’s wrong with attraction to material forms?
• 1146) Why are we attracted towards forms and not attracted towards Krishna’s forms?
• 1145) Aren’t those who doubt whether Deities can perform miracles faithless skeptics?
• 1144) Does seeing natural laws instead of Deities’ reciprocation amount to shallow Krishna consciousness?
• 1143) Why are personalists better than impersonalists? What is the destination of impersonalist?
• 1142) Going beyond misconceptions about Deity Worship
• 1141) If soul doesn’t need food, why is cooking needed in the spiritual world?
• 1140) Do mental, emotional and psychological refer to the same thing?
• 1139) When a ghost possesses a person, how do two souls function in the same body?
• 1138) If God’s will is the universal cause for everything, why do some events such as quakes that happen only at specific places?
• 1137) When heavenly residents have subtle bodies dont all bodies contain all elements?
• 1136) When doctors find treatments nature endows germs with resistance to medicies – why?
• 1135) When likings are relative to species, what’s wrong with a hog’s attraction to stool?
• 1134) Does the soul’s composition change from the material world to the spiritual world?
• 1133) How can the soul carry subtle elements from one body to another?
• 1132) When the Supersoul is with the soul how can it be covered by the material energy?
• 1131) Do elderly people in the spiritual world remain eternally elderly?
• 1130) Are Prabhupada’s standards being diluted by, say, singing mahamantra in Bollywood song tune?
• 1129) What is the relationship between intelligence and consciousness?
• 1128) If descending to lower species is the greatest fear why does Bhaktivinoda T not fear an insect birth?
• 1127) If morality can be developed without religion, will religion become redundant?
• 1126) How does the reconditioning of the soul from one body to another happen?
• 1125) Are abnormal behaviors caused by nervous breakdowns or by ghosts?
• 1124) If the soul is eternal why does it need food?
• 1123) If the number of our breaths is fixed do exercises that accelerate our breathing decrease our lifespan?
• 1122) Scientific, Christian and Bhagavatam conceptions of God
• 1121) Why are the Bhagavatam’s and science’s conceptions of the universe so different?
• 1120) If time is an independent reality why do different people perceive it differently?
• 1119) If time moves only forward how do we explain hypnotic regression?
• 1118) Conceptions of time in science, Christianity and Bhagavatam
• 1117) Is mathematics a source of absolute knowledge as its concepts are not dependent on imperfect senses?
• 1116) Is thinking only about God and not at all about the world not a restriction of the mind?
• 1115) Is scripture inferior to science because scriptural knowledge is not verifiable by experiments?
• 1114) Can we program our mind for achieving success?
• 1113) Why is pleasure easily accessible in material life but not in spiritual life?
• 1112) How do we get rid of the propensity to want to prove our greatness to the world?
• 1111) Why not accept nature as God and do social service without becoming religious?
• 1110) How do we know there is life after death?
• 1109) How do the modes affect our intelligence’s capacity to choose our emotions?
• 1108) When subtle body evolves from nonhuman body to human body, is it right to say that the only evolution is spiritual not material?
• 1107) Extra-terrestrial life – Scientific and scriptural approaches to the subject
• 1106) Difference between humans and animals – Christian, scientific and Bhagavatam understandings
• 1105) Why does the world offer more wrong options than right options?
• 1104) Why did God give us free will when he knew we could misuse it?
• 1103) The purpose of the world – atheistic, theistic and Bhagavatam understandings

May 2015

• 1102) Why do both Krishna and Lord Chaitanya appear in Vaivasvata Manu’s period?
• 1101) Do those who live in Vrindavan live on the lap of Krishna?
• 1100) Why does mantra chanting calm the dying?
• 1099) Is there a relationship between mantra chanting and physical healing?
• 1098) Can mantra chanting help us to access all the knowledge that was known to humanity in the past?
• 1097) Love is in the SOUND
• 1096) As qualities in goodness are favorable to bhakti should devotees try to cultivate them?
• 1095) Have all devotees already practiced yoga, jnana, tapa and all such processes for transcendence?
• 1094) What is the effect of hearing rasa-lila pastimes with mundane intentions?
• 1093) Why do people consider the Bhagavatam’s history to be mythological?
• 1092) How do we deal with the material-spiritual conflict in our heart?
• 1091) Do devotees have to give up humor?
• 1090) Accepted limitation facilitates elevation – resented limitation doesn’t
• 1089) As advanced spiritualists have no material desires, do they get no dreams while sleeping?
• 1088) If tamasic people are attracted to ghastly worshipable forms, then are those who worship Narasimha tamasic?
• 1087) Why is Rama Navmi fast broken in some temples with grains and in others without grains?
• 1086) Does God have favorites?
• 1085) Lakshmi Narasmiha Karavalamba Stotra Meaning 1

April 2015

• 1084) How can karma such as fighting in army be spiritualized?
• 1083) How are other rasas higher than shanta rasa?
• 1082) In what sense is the Brihad Aranyaka Upansihad before the Ishopanishad?
• 1081) How can the finite soul experience infinite happiness?
• 1080) Which is the best way to read scripture?
• 1079) Why is the irreligious West prosperous and religious India poor?
• 1078) Is pain is caused by bodily attachment, how can painkillers stop the pain?
• 1077) Is anand present in the cit aspect of the Absolute Truth too?
• 1076) If brahmajyoti is nondifferent from Krishna, as is his holy name, what’s wrong with meditating on brahmajyoti?
• 1075) Is super-consciousness the same as Krishna consciousness?
• 1074) If Krishna acts exemplarily why did he perform rasa-lila?
• 1073) Why are Krishna and Arjuna both referred by the name Jishnu?
• 1072) Are the names Ramayana and Narayana related?
• 1071) When Lord Shiva is the destroyer why is he considered auspicious?
• 1070) Whose Sankhya is the authorized Sankhya – the sage Kapila’s or of the avatara Kapila’s?
• 1069) How can devotees avoid getting deviated to the heavenly planets?
• 1068) How could a brahmana be so illiterate as to to not be able to read the Gita?
• 1067) What does “our senses are meant for Krishna’s satisfaction” mean?
• 1066) What is the difference between doubt and curiosity?
• 1065) When we don’t get any reciprocation despite calling Krishna earnestly for long, what can we do?
• 1064) What is the difference between goodness and pure goodness?
• 1063) Jaya Jaya Jagannatha meaning – The Lord’s many forms manifest his manifold mercy
• 1062) How does marriage change sex from wrong to right?
• 1061) Are the Vedas actually ambiguous or just nonspecific about ultimate purpose?
• 1060) Just delight in the Lord’s glories – he govinda he gopala song meaning
• 1059) If we have devotional intention do we still get karmic reactions for incidental sins?
• 1058) How does the material body become spiritualized by bhakti?
• 1057) Is the notion of time – of past, present, future – an illusion?
• 1056) Treasure the supreme realization – ekhona bujhinu prabhu meaning
• 1055) Rasa analysis of Krishna’s teasing of Rukmini
• 1054) What is the rasa-abhasa in chanting “nitai gaur radhe shyam” mantra?
• 1053) What is the position of bhakti teachers not connected with the four sampradayas?
• 1052) Is doing sadhana bhakti in vatsalya bhava sahajiyaism?
• 1051) Is Vallbha Bhatta of CC same as Vallabhacharya?
• 1050) Is Vallabhacharya Krishna or devotee of Krishna?
• 1049) What is time – Is there no time in the spiritual world?
• 1048) What exactly is humility – how do we develop it in bhakti?
• 1047) Is the Sakshi-Gopal pastime mundane with a brahmana using God to futher his marriage?

March 2015

• 1046) Shuddha bhakata charana renu meaning – Delight in devotional stimuli
• 1045) Vraje prasiddham meaning – Invite the ultimate thief to plunder the heart
• 1044) Value a great love more than you love a great value
• 1043) Vidyara vilase meaning – Godless knowledge is the intellect’s monument to illusion
• 1042) How was sati meant for spiritual cultivation?
• 1041) Emona durmati meaning – Put good news to good use
• 1040) Was sati suicide or murder?
• 1039) Why do serious devotees sometimes die prematurely?
• 1038) Which is more helpful on the spiritual path – intelligence or inclination?
• 1037) Are dharma, artha, kama and moksha to be pursued sequentially or simultaneously?
• 1036) If God created everything, who created God?
• 1035) Is diversity the DNA of Hinduism?
• 1034) Why does Krishnadas KG in CC offer obeisances to his readers?
• 1033) Bhuliya Tomare Meaning – Even success story is sorry story
• 1032) Is surrendering to God fatalistic?
• 1031) Krishna demonstrates prevailing definition of success – and transcends it
• 1030) Gaur Purnima Special – Lord Chaitanya makes the abominable age worshipable
• 1029) Gaur Purnima – Lord Chaitanya makes supremely fortunate the materially unfortunate and the materially fortunate
• 1028) Why did Lord Chaitanya perform shraddha?
• 1027) Is the religionist’s God different from the philosopher’s God?
• 1026) Is identifying according to our nature false ego?
• 1025) Is sex pleasure due to hormones or mental imagination?
• 1024) What does om mean?
• 1023) If we do someone else’s work well, then is that work is our nature?

February 2015

• 1022) PURI acronym – 4 special qualities of Madhavendra Puri
• 1021) Is applying material science to spiritual things wrong?
• 1020) Do devotees who commit suicide become ghosts?
• 1019) Are all attractive things good for devotees of the all-attractive?
• 1018) Doesn’t population growth disprove reincarnation?
• 1017) How do we understand different devotees interpreting the moisture on the Pancha Tattva Deities differently?
• 1016) Who created God?
• 1015) What is violence for the infectant is benevolence for the infected
• 1014) The destructibility of the body is not a license for its wanton destruction
• 1013) Don’t just see the provision – see the provider
• 1012) Can’t all miracles be ascribed to natural causes?
• 1011) How do we understand contradictions in scriptures?
• 1010) How is shabda-pramana free from four defects?
• 1009) What exactly is false ego and true ego?
• 1008) Did the Pancha Tattva Deities shed tears of ecstasy due to the ecstatic kirtan mela?
• 1007) Why does God let some people be atheists?
• 1006) Do sampradayas other than 4 Vaishnava sampradayas also have divine origin?
• 1005) Harinaam Sankirtan unites dance with meditation
• 1004) Should we hate the mind?
• 1003) Are miracles compatible with science?
• 1002) Ishopanishad says God’s body has no veins, whereas SB says rivers are the veins of Virat rupa – how to reconcile?
• 1001) Krishna rewards according to surrender, but Lord Chaitanya sees no qualification. How to reconcile?

January 2015

• 1000) Is the Absolute Truth just a stream of consciousness for jnanis and a Person for bhaktas?
• 999) If smriti is compiled by sages, how can we know that it is free from the four defects?
• 998) When Ajamila chanted with the wrong conception, why did Vishnutas come?
• 997) What is the result of chanting the names of godmen who have the name of God?
• 996) When Vedas are said to be superior to pratyaksha and anumana, which meaning of Veda is used?
• 995) Can you give an example of unnecessarily provocative presentation of apara-vidya that we should avoid?
• 994) How can we give people initial faith so that they can practice para-vidya and experience its potency?
• 993) How to present scriptural wisdom scientifically
• 992) Why is the same story told differently in different scriptures?
• 991) If sensory knowledge is defective, why do we use it to refute atheistic theories?
• 990) In the three scopes of meanings of the word Veda, which meaning is used by the Vedas themselves?
• 989) When Bhagavatam is the commentary on Vedanta-sutra, why do Advaitins still study Vedanta-sutra
• 988) Does achintyabhedabheda harmonize dvaita & advaita – or fall in the dvaita category?
• 987) As varna means color, is varnashrama based on bodily color?
• 986) Does fear take people towards God or away from him?
• 985) Is speaking to new people about Krishna the ninth offense to the holy name?
• 984) Don’t anoint everything as spiritual or denounce everything as material
• 983) As neophytes can’t understand tattva and rasa accurately, isn’t it better to consider Krishna-lila depictions as literal and not artistic?
• 982) Won’t atheists use the concept of artistic license in depciting Krishna-lila to say that his supernatural pastimes are poetic exaggerations?

December 2014

• 981) Is dharma same as religion?
• 980) If God has given scripture, then which scripture and to whom?
• 979) If scripture is given by God, why is it not visible to a newborn child?
• 978) What is artistic license and how can it be used in devotional dramas?
• 977) In NoI 8 why is kirtanam mentioned separately from engaging the tongue?
• 976) Is there any difference between urges and feelings?
• 975) What feelings do impersonalists experience – material or spiritual?
• 974) What does it mean to see Krishna everywhere?
• 973) Dealing with old age – individual and social responsibility – 3.30.15
• 972) Why would Prabhupada quote inauthentic books like the Aquarian Gospel?
• 971) Do we learn shastra by studying more or serving more?
• 970) If we dont understand something in the Gita should we re-read it till we understand before going ahead?

November 2014

• 969) If six systems of philosophy are progressive why are they contradictory?
• 968) Is death alone away from loved ones successful death?
• 967) Isn’t forcing ourselves to thank God for bad things self-repression?
• 966) Devotion is the culmination of our aspiration for liberation
• 965) Was Mirabai greater than Jiva Goswami because she saw beyond bodily gender?
• 964) Why is every sin ultimately a sin against God?
• 963) What does it mean to be free from sin?
• 962) What does it mean to be a slave to sin?
• 961) How can I overcome a habitual sin?
• 960) Why do we sin?
• 959) Are all sins equal to God?
• 958) Do parents suffer the sins of their children?
• 957) Are children punished for the sins of their parents?
• 956) How can I know if something is a sin?
• 955) What is the definition of sin?
• 954) Is caffeine addiction a sin?
• 953) Is it ever right to lie?
• 952) Is joking a sin?
• 951) How is Mayavada offensive?
• 950) How is chanting in the washroom not an offense to the holy name?
• 949) Where does people’s evil tendency come from?
• 948) Could God have prevented the Holocaust?
• 947) Who is responsible for the Holocaust – Hitler or the Jews’ karma?
• 946) Why does God not protect his devotees today like he protected Prahlad?
• 945) When we don’t know what past-life karma caused our present suffering how do we learn?
• 944) Are only Indian breed cows go mata?
• 943) When God doesn’t need to do research, can he be considered a scientist?
• 942) Where exactly is the pleasure of sex: in our mind, in our body’s hormonal secretion or in the other person’s body?
• 941) Shikshashtakam 3 – Varnavada, sphotavada and the holy name’s potency
• 940) Is God a scientist or a magician?
• 939) Does one lose wealth or gain wealth by worshiping Hari?
• 938) Does God create energy out of nothing?
• 937) Why do devotees consult psychologists instead of chanting mahamantra?
• 936) Does om purnam imply that we should be complete and so we should be Krishna?
• 935) Why does Bhishma Panchaka have 4 days this year instead of 5?

October 2014

• 934) Do animals have mind – how do they control it?
• 933) What does panentheism mean?
• 932) When sex is a fact of life, why be prudish about depicting it in the media?
• 931) Does covering our bodies with clothes make us obsessed to see others’ bodies?
• 930) Is wearing clothes unnatural as no other species in nature wears clothes?
• 929) What is the benefit in hearing about Krishna?
• 928) When the gopis were Dandakaranya sages, why does the Bhagavtam say that they had not gone on pilgrimage?
• 927) Why does the list of eight siddhis not include garima?
• 926) Aren’t Brahmavadis ultimately Mayavadis because they consider the Lord’s form to be temporary?
• 925) Is the ability to remember past lives the mercy of the Lord?
• 924) What is the basis for the classification of scripture as shruti smriti and nyaya?
• 923) Is sensitivity the same as sentimentality?
• 922) Is birthday celebration non-Vedic?
• 921) What is the philosophy behind the worship of a pure devotee’s Deity?
• 920) Do devotees have to go through Brahman realization to attain Bhagavan realization?
• 919) The soul longs for meaning, but the body settles for pudding
• 918) The soul longs for meaning, but the body settles for pudding
• 917) Don’t reduce all thinking to logical thinking
• 916) Does varnashrama romanticize, demonize or utilize the world?
• 915) Should we just chant more or should we study philosophy more?
• 914) Shikshashtakam 2 – The life of knowledge, the ocean of happiness and the complete nectar and bath (Part 2)
• 913) Is the love of a mother for her baby Maya?
• 912) When bhakti can’t be quantified, why have a bhakti shastri course with marks?
• 911) What does the CC statement that scripture contains illusory stories mean?
• 910) When the word ‘Bhagavan’ is used in scripture for sages and demigods why does Prabhuapda say it should be reserved only for God
• 909) If we shouldn’t use questionable empirical sources to support scripture, why did Prabhupada do so?
• 908) Do women have no varna?
• 907) Shikshashtakam 1 – Understanding the mind’s mirror, the forest fire and the white lotus
• 906) Is there any major difference between generic lust and specific lust
• 905) How does the soul come under the influence of material nature?
• 904) If heavenly planets exist at a higher level does that mean there exist elements other than the eight elements?
• 903) How do we see an acharya’s comments on contemporary issues?
• 902) Is scripture not enough to determine the divinity of incarnation – is experience necessary?
• 901) Who is the most recent acharya mentioned in the Chaitanya tree in CC?
• 900) Are scriptural descriptions of huge numbers of people in lilas literal?
• 899) How the Chaitanya Charitamrita unified and systematized Gaudiya Vaishnavism
• 898) How do we understand that Krishna’s pastimes are still happening in the dhamas?
• 897) Are the Sthala Puranas and Upa-Puranas considered smriti?
• 896) Does the body change cell-by-cell or is it like a TV frame that changes completely at every moment?
• 895) When material nature is unconscious how is it the doer?
• 894) Why do some scriptures say that the demigods are supreme?
• 893) Are the Vedas like a jungle, as a blasphemous scholar alleges?
• 892) When Krishna is supreme, how can the knowledge he gives get lost?
• 891) How can we know that there’s no loss in transmission of knowledge through the parampara?
• 890) Are Bible and Koran considered to be smriti?
• 889) How can we know that the Vedas have a divine origin?
• 888) How does the Gaudiya philosophy relate with the six systems of philosophy?
• 887) Are Puranas recent as compared to the Vedas?
• 886) How do the four Vaishnava sampradayas relate with the six systems of philosophy?
• 885) When Brahma says we should just accept misery as mercy, why do that Pandavas fight to take revenge
• 884) When Krishna loves his devotees and can check karma, why does he let them suffer?
• 883) When Krishna loves his devotees and can check karma, why do scriptures describe as karma being the cause of their suffering
• 882) Balance philosophy with sensitivity – Be dharma-centered, not karma-centered
• 881) If someone asks ‘have you seen God’ how do we answer?
• 880) Is Krishna’s giving kripa-siddhi an interference with the soul’s free will?
• 879) How do we understand when a pure devotee’s dealings lead to a person going away from Krishna?
• 878) How do 4 lakh species correlate with 4 varnas – how do we determine our varna?
• 877) When Krishna gave special darshan to Dhanurdas, didn’t he interfere with his free will?
• 876) Do our past sukritis determine our ability to continue in devotion?
• 875) Do offeneses to devotees make Krishna stop loving us?
• 874) If Krishna loves us, why is it necessary to suffer to return to him?

September 2014

• 873) Understanding Krishna’s love for us
• 872) Can God create a stone that he can’t lift?
• 871) How can the spiritual soul taste or enjoy a material sweet?
• 870) What is the difference between object and concept – and how does it apply to our philosophy?
• 869) Does ISKCON consider the English of the 1920s to be sacred?
• 868) Can we realize our spiritual identity only by bhakti and not by intelligence?
• 867) Is the insignificance of the duration of evil from an eternal perspective the only explanation for evil?
• 866) Is the problem of evil inconceivable and beyond explaining through words?
• 865) What is the actual difference between mind and intelligence?
• 864) Are those who abuse their intelligence jnanis and those who use it to serve Krishna jnana-yogis?
• 863) Do we need to endeavour to get what is in our quota?
• 862) If misery is caused by misidentification, then why is there not just mental pain but also physical pain?
• 861) Is there any spiritual reference for the meaning of ‘Bharata’ as ‘the land absorbed in light’?
• 860) Why do the original Vedas give so little knowledge about the ultimate goal of bhakti?
• 859) When the intelligence is material, how can it take us to the spiritual level of reality?
• 858) To know the meaning of challenge, know the challenge of meaning
• 857) Boro kripa koile krishna song meditation
• 856) To know the meaning of challenge, know the challenge of meaning
• 855) Gopinath 1 song meditation
• 854) Bhajahu re mana song meditation
• 853) How do we reconcile the conflict of values in the Gita and the Chaitanya Charitamrita?

August 2014

• 852) In monozygotic twins where do the differences come from?
• 851) How is the world a lila of the Pursha avatara? Is it a virtual reality manufactured by him with chosable scripts for us?
• 850) To realize everything is illusion amidst adversities, is yoga and pranayama the way or is bhakti-yoga sufficient?
• 849) When the number of breaths of a soul in a body are fixed, how can a purpose-driven attitude increase longevity?
• 848) People pray to God; the Vrajavasis pray for God (Meditation on Nandotsava)
• 847) Why does Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati criticize organized churches when ISKCON is also an organised church?
• 846) Is the holy name transcendental or immanent?
• 845) How is the holy name different from ordinary sound
• 844) Has the Lord come under Maya in Kali-yuga that he is not able to protect Deities
• 843) Why were Indian rulers other than Shivaji not empowered by the Lord to protect Vedic culture?
• 842) When we are attracted to material things through our senses, whereas Krishna is spiritual, how can Krishna be considered all-attractive?
• 841) Why do we say that lust needs to be curbed when it can be channelized towards Krishna as Narottama Das Thakura says?
• 840) If consciousness of the couple at conception determines the nature of the child, will a child born through rape be evil?
• 839) How is the holy name different from ordinary sound?
• 838) Does Krishna control us through remembrance and forgetfulness just as computer controls through zeroes and ones?
• 837) In shabda pramana we receive knowledge from our senses (ears), so how is it superior to pratyaksha pramana?
• 836) How does Ishopanishad mantra 17 refute impersonalism?

July 2014

• 835) When different religious groups have their own scriptures how is the authority of Vaishnava scriptures to be established?
• 834) What guided humanity before scripture was written?
• 833) Where does Vishishtadvaita fall in the six systems of philosophy?
• 832) Did God create humans to care for him as no other living beings care for him?
• 831) What exactly is vrtti?
• 830) Does ISKCON have a phobia for the tenth canto? (Bhagavatam 10.47.28)
• 829) Is scriptural knowledge needed only when devotion is dilute and not when devotion is pure?
• 828) Is God hard of hearing that his devotees need to chant his names loudly?
• 827) Do the scriptures treat women as the property of men?
• 826) What is wrong with worship of devatas if one understands them to be devotees of Krishna?
• 825) How do we reconcile different Puranic versions of the origin of Lord Shiva?
• 824) Why is Krishna worshiped in North India in intimate mood and Vishnu worshiped in South India in reverential mood?
• 823) If one doesnt practice raganuga bhakti then how will one get the realizations needed to return to our svarupa?
• 822) Does one have to practice raganuga bhakti to go BTG or is just departing in devotional circumstances enough
• 821) Hearing Krishna’s pastimes with the gopis is said to remove lust, but it often induce lust. How do we understand

June 2014

• 820) Ratha-Yatra – When the Lord comes out, let’s invite him in
• 819) Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s contributions 4 – The Eastern Savior offers the zenith of religious experience among all the world’s religions
• 818) Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s contributions 3 – The sara-grahi redefinition of Panchopasana as progressive modes of comprehending the divine
• 817) Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s contributions 2 – See the unity of purpose underlying the diversity of religions
• 816) Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s contributions 1 – Let faith and reason remove the mosses of illusion
• 815) Is Deity worship needed only for neophyte devotees who can’t see Krishna in the heart?
• 814) Jagannatha Ashtakam 2 – Spiritual vision goes beyond abstraction to transcendental specification
• 813) If Krishna is the cause of all causes, is he the cause of everything that we and others do?
• 812) If we concede that scripture doesn’t contain literal report of conversations then where will the erosion of scriptural authority end?
• 811) Why are certain important verses quoted by acharyas not found in the scriptures?
• 810) Are chanting praying and meditation the same?
• 809) Why do some scriptures declare other gods to be Supreme?
• 808) I was born in another sampradaya, but became introduced to seriously bhakti through ISKCON. Which sampradaya should I follow?
• 807) Why is there no Radha Krishna worship in the Madhva sampradaya?
• 806) When Krishna always uses his free will properly, why don’t we too when we are his parts?
• 805) If Durga is the superintendent of material nature how can Krishna alone grant liberation?
• 804) Is Durga devi a demigodess in the category of jiva tattva?
• 803) For a devotee-sadhaka Is the desire to go BTG desirable or should one just desire service?
• 802) Is instantaneous forgiveness the characteristic of pure devotion and seeking retribution that of neophyte devotion

May 2014

• 801) If all three aspects (SAT CIT ANANDA) are present within brahman, why can’t we perceive all of them just within the brahman itself?
• 800) Just as one can climb out of a well without a rope using footholds in the wall, can one get liberated without following a valid process?
• 799) Isn’t demonisation of the present with its promise of hi-tech paradise necessary to make people seek spiritual happiness?
• 798) What does it mean to see Krishna everywhere?
• 797) Do cultural practices change as per age as does the yuga-dharma?
• 796) When religions like Buddhism are non-Vedic, how can Veda be the source of all knowledge?
• 795) When Ramanuja has refuted the design argument, why does Prabhupada use it so extensively?
• 794) Why has Ramanuja refuted the design argument in his Vedanta Sutra commentary?
• 793) Isn’t varnashrama based on looking at the harness instead of the horse?
• 792) What is vidvat pratiti? How can it be attained?
• 791) Does our seeking end after we find God as the Bible indicates or continue forever as Gaudiya Vaishnavism indicate?
• 790) Why do we do pradakshina?
• 789) Are Manava seva and Madhava seva like two largely overlapping circles?
• 788) Why does Prabhupada translate bhakti in Bhaktirasamritasindhu as ‘devotion’ instead of ‘devotional service’?
• 787) When South Indian brahmins are famous as learnt, why does Chaitanya lila depict an illiterate South Indian brahmin?
• 786) When scriptures usually refer to Vishnu, do they refer to Maha-vishnu, Garbhodakshayi Vishnu or Kshirodakshayi Vishnu?
• 785) What is the relationship between Sadashiva, the Shiva born from Brahma and the eleven Rudras?
• 784) What is the difference between brahma of Mayavadis and shunya of voidists?
• 783) What is the difference between hatha-yoga, dhyana yoga and ashtanga yoga?
• 782) If our svarupa happens to be in dasya, how will be satisfied in that svarupa now that we know madhurya is highest?
• 781) Why does the Lakshmi Narasimha karavalambam stotra focus more on misery of material existence than the glory of Narasimhadeva?
• 780) Can you explain the difference in the defects of being illusioned and committing mistakes as illustrated through the evolution theory?

April 2014

• 779) Does Krishna initiate us to do punya? Did he initiate Dhritarashtra to do punya for getting 100 sons?
• 778) In the division of the Vedas into Samhitas, Aranyakas and Upanishads, where do the Brahmanas fall?
• 777) If the material world is perfect in itself, then why do we need to go to Godhead?
• 776) Why is prana-pratistha not performed for the utsava-murtis though they ave their own names?
• 775) Are the five rasas progressive? What is the difference between rasa and bhava? Does rasa grow into bhava?
• 774) Ramayana and Gaudiya Vaishnavism
• 773) What is the philosophical meaning of common expressions like “My head has become hot” or “My heart is fully satisfied”?
• 772) What is the difference between the mind and the citta?
• 771) What exactly is the mind? And where exactly is it located?
• 770) When we are the soul, why do we use the phrase ‘my soul’ as in ‘my soul was crying’?

March 2014

• 769) How can women be said to have their own varna when Prabhupada says that the wife’s varna should be identified by the husband’s varna?
• 768) Can ghosts commit suicide?
• 767) Have all the people who die in disasters done the same bad karma?
• 766) When we worship God so that he will solve our problems aren’t we bribing God like students who flatter their teachers to get better marks?
• 765) As all paramparas are based on beliefs and as Prabhupada’s Gita is an interpretation based on his beliefs why not just follow our own paramapara?
• 764) All parents want their children to get married. Then wouldn’t Krishna the supreme parent want his children to become married and not take sannyasa?
• 763) Were Valmiki and Vyasadeva eyewitnesses to the full Ramayana and the Mahabharata? Or did they write them based on some historical sources?
• 762) Can different family members take diksha from different spiritual teachers?
• 761) Is it proper for one to neglect one’s family duties to devote oneself to God?
• 760) You have your sampradaya, others like Shiva worshipers have their sampradaya – ultimately it’s all just different beliefs. Why should one sampradaya be considered higher than another?
• 759) If we give up our controlling tendency completely won’t we lose our individuality and become like trees who don’t do anything differently?
• 758) Has God created the universe for living things or living things for the universe?
• 757) Why does God not come as a savior incarnation when things are already so bad?
• 756) What is the definition of development in spiritual science?
• 755) If God is the proprietor of everything is he the proprietor of tsunamis that kill thousands?
• 754) If God becomes controlled by the love of his devotees then how is he the supreme controller?
• 753) What is the need for God to have made the creation?
• 752) Three ways to understand the maha-vadanyaya nature of Lord Chaitanya – the magnitude of the charity, the unworthiness of the recipients and the self-sacrifice of the giver
• 751) Rekindling Wisdom 3 – How God is the supreme enjoyer and what that means for our enjoyment
• 750) Rekindling Wisdom 2 – How is God the supreme controller and what does it imply
• 749) Rekindling Wisdom 1 – Understanding how God is the supreme proprietor
• 748) NoI 9 refers to the Mathura in the material world being the birthplace of Krishna as higher than Vaikuntha Where does Mathura in the spiritual world fit in this hierarchy?
• 747) By hearing about a particular rasa say Madhurya rasa in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, we will become attracted to it But if our svarupa is in a different rasa what will happen?
• 746) What is the relationship between the svarupa of the soul and its present seed form?
• 745) Is there a hierarchy among the five potent forms of devotional service? Is any one of them the highest?
• 744) When bhakti is transcendental, why do scriptures give importance to bodily designations like birth in India or birth in a royal dynasty?
• 743) When all of us are unique, why do we compare devotees as per their level of advancement?
• 742) Is their a hierarchy of devotees at higher and lower levels even in the spiritual world?
• 741) If the soul’s nature is to love and serve Krishna, where does our nature to love and serve worldly things come from?
• 740) How can we explain to newcomers the difference between prasad and ordinary food?
• 739) As repeated hearing leads to belief, what is the difference between devotional hearing and indoctrination by religious fanatics?
• 738) NoI 11 Text 4 – How the six exchanges nourish devotion
• 737) How is the car-body analogy a good analogy when the car can’t reproduce and the driver can live independent of the car?
• 736) Our endeavor play a part in determining the result, so does endeavoring more make the result more likely?
• 735) With what attitude should we quote new verses or scriptural points apart from those given In Prabhupada’s books?

February 2014

• 734) While explaining the philosophy we sometimes come up with examples that we not have heard in classes. How can we know whether they are realizations or speculations?
• 733) What is the mechanism of memory recollection? What is the Supersoul’s role in it?
• 732) If one’s nature doesn’t change even after purification then how is a pure devotee transcendental?
• 731) When we become purified does the predominant mode of the mind change?
• 730) Doesn’t the idea that the infant suffers in the womb deny the glory of the mother’s love in caring for her infant?
• 729) Should a devotee be eager to die, as Kulakshekhar Maharaj’s prayer says?
• 728) When we face unexpected and big problems, does that meant God is angry with us?
• 727) Can you explain clearly the role of mind, intelligence and consciousness in the path from impulse to intent?
• 726) Are our senses actually defective or do we just have to be alert while taking in sense information?
• 725) If the demigods are not Krishna’s competitors, why do they compete with him as in Govardhan lila?
• 724) Lord Nityananda’s mercy: The magnitude, the motivation and the magic
• 723) When our senses are designed by God and they are defective, doesn’t that make God’s design defective?
• 722) Is our memory a manifestation of our mind, intelligence or soul?

January 2014

• 721) Is niyoga – begetting children through some man other than one’s husband – an authorized Vedic practice?
• 720) At the end of OMG, Kanjibhai throws away Krishna’s keychain to avoid idolatry. Do we need to similarly discard everything connected with God to avoid idolatry?
• 719) Isn’t it better to refer to women as behenji instead of mataji especially when they are of the same age as the men?
• 718) If both Krishna and we are eternal, then how is he our source and why don’t we have the six opulences fully?
• 717) When we suffer due to our past karma does the Supersoul feel pain because his part is suffering?
• 716) Do Yamadutas commit mistakes by taking some person other than the intended?
• 715) Is the worship of Deities a tool meant for less intelligent people, a tool that should be given up once one becomes spiritually advanced?
• 714) The stone image can’t even wave away a fly on its face. It can be broken by vandals. How can such an image be God?
• 713) The stone image is limited, whereas God is unlimited. How can it be God?
• 712) How can a stone image be God?
• 711) When God is present everywhere, why should we worship him in the temple images?
• 710) Why has God given us free will?
• 709) If God is complete and doesn’t desire anything, doesn’t he desire our deliverance?
• 708) Why do we need big temples when God doesn’t need them?
• 707) Why do bad things happen to good people?
• 706) What is the cause of earthquakes?
• 705) Doesn’t the Bhagavad-gita (9.8) state that God is the destroyer? So isn’t he the cause of earthquakes too?
• 704) Are earthquakes acts of God?
• 703) Does hell exist? What about the hell menu card?
• 702) When priests tell people about future sufferings and make them do rituals, aren’t they acting like hooligans who threaten people to extort money?
• 701) Doesn’t religion make people feel helpless by teaching that everything is destined and nothing is in their hands?
• 700) Doesn’t religion make people violent?
• 699) Do godmen who live in luxury represent God?
• 698) What qualifications should we look for in gurus?
• 697) When God is in our heart, why do we need any guru to come between us and him?
• 696) Doesn’t the institutionalization of religion kill its spirit?
• 695) Why has religion become an exploitative business in the name of God?
• 694) Aren’t some rituals like those in which the offered milk gets drained into a gutter wasteful? Wouldn’t it be better if that milk was offered to beggars instead?
• 693) Isn’t the idea that religious rituals provide happiness just sentimental imagination?
• 692) Why do temples spend so much money on expensive religious rituals when beggars are starving outside the temples? Wouldn’t God be more pleased if his starving children – those beggars – are fed?
• 691) Why do temples provide special queues for quick darshan to those who give more donations? Shouldn’t everyone be equal in the house of God?
• 690) Why should we offer our hair, a dirty part of our body, to Balaji? And as this hair is later sold, kya ye shraddha ka dhanda nahi hain?
• 689) Are rituals needed in religion?
• 688) As we wouldn’t chant “Papa, papa” if we wanted a chocolate from our father, why should we chant “Krishna, Krishna” if we want something from him?
• 687) Is religion meant to teach us to love God or to fear God?
• 686) Is religion made by man or by God?
• 685) What is the definition of religion?
• 684) Does God help atheists and oppose godmen, as OMG depicts?
• 683) Do we need middlemen to approach God?
• 682) Is ignorance a thing? What does “ignorance is nothing but the absence of knowledge” mean?
• 681) If serving the Lord is more important than serving parents, why did Pundalika keep Vitthal waiting?
• 680) Why do so many saints from so many traditions desire to merge with the Absolute Truth?
• 679) When the Gita instructs sarva dharman parityajya why does a devotee need to perform apara dharma?

December 2013

• 678) Is offering the heart to Krishna easier and more fulfilling than offering the head?
• 677) If Krishna frees the surrendered of sinful reactions , why do pure devotees suffer?
• 676) When something happens, how do we decide whether it was due to past karma or present actions?
• 675) Sankirtan – Where dance and meditation intersect for spiritual therapy
• 674) Sankirtan churns feelings of separation and union to increase attraction to Krishna
• 673) Lord Chaitanya – The Divine Alchemist
• 672) Are the four defects hierarchical: imperfect senses cause illusion, illusion causes mistakes etc?
• 671) Among the four defects, can the first three be unintentional, but cheating is always intentional?
• 670) Is chanting with beads more blissful because the fingers are connected with certain brain parts?
• 669) Is Ramananda Raya’s decoration of devidasis a standard devotional practice or an exception?
• 668) Is it possible for a human being to be entirely free from sex desire?
• 667) Don’t descriptions of Krishna’s form make us imagine as spiritual our material attraction to forms?
• 666) Considering “gurushu naramati..”, isn’t thinking about spiritual teachers’ human failings offensive?
• 665) Does ISKCON promote subtle emotional enjoyment in the name of spiritual enjoyment?
• 664) Is ISKCON’s conception of God like the Abrahamic religion’s jealous God?
• 663) Could the unbelievable stories about Krishna not be some poets’ fabrications?
• 662) As Brahma has come as Haridasa Thakura what is the meaning of the statement that Maya could tempt Brahma but not Haridas Thakura?
• 661) What is the meaning of kavitam in the na dhanam na janam verse?
• 660) In the namo-brahmanya devaya prayer, why does hitaya come twice?
• 659) What does Shad-Goswami Ashtakam mean by ‘the devouring mouth of liberation’?
• 658) If Vrajavasis love each other doesn’t that mean Krishna is not all-attractive for he can’t exclusively attract their love?
• 657) How do we understand our love for our relatives from the soul point of view?
• 656) Why does Srila Prabhupada criticize Mayavadis but not mlecchas who desecrate Deities?
• 655) As we can’t independently control matter, how do our senses function in the world?
• 654) How do we understand Prabhupada’s statements about the Holocaust?
• 653) Which varna do doctors belong to?
• 652) Is there any actual difference between Brahman Paramatma and Bhagavan, or is it just a matter of perception?
• 651) If the Ishopanishad is spoken by a sage, how is it apaurusheya?
• 650) What is the destination of the yogis who meditate on the Paramatma?
• 649) If madhurya rasa is taught in other traditions, then what is unique about the Gaudiya tradition?
• 648) 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?
• 647) What are the English translations for the six systems of philosophy?
• 646) If Krishna is God, how could he have been killed by a hunter’s arrow?
• 645) Is there a philosophical significance to the difference between the singular scripture and the plural scriptures?
• 644) In Vraja the cows go ahead of Krishna to remove the thorns from his path, who goes ahead of Radharani?
• 643) Just as Vedanta Sutra explains Vedanta are there other books that explain the other five systems of philosophy? How authentic are they?
• 642) 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?
• 641) 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?
• 640) What does crying for Krishna, as Srila Prabhupada recommends, mean practically?

November 2013

• 639) If a Gaudiya Vaishnava sadhaka feels attracted to Vishnu worship, what should he do?
• 638) How are communism, socialism, altruism, humanitarianism and nationalism misdirections of the loving propensity?
• 637) Why does Vasudeva Krishna, not Vrindavan Krishna, kill demons? Why do demons like Putana killed by him attain Goloka, not Vaikuntha?
• 636) Among the 8.4 million species, where do the demigods and demons belong?
• 635) 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?
• 634) Why do devotees in demoniac bodies like Bali and Vritrasura act like other demons and attack the demigods?
• 633) How are the lower planetary systems different from hell? What purpose do they serve?
• 632) Why did Lord Chaitanya not give the Hare Krishna mantra to Tukaram Maharaj?
• 631) Is the Absolute Truth like water that appears liquid to the impersonalists and solid to the personalists?
• 630) What is the logical proof for the existence of the spiritual world?
• 629) Does one have to accept everything in the philosophy of ISKCON to become a devotee-preacher?
• 628) Can you explain the various characteristcs by which the essential meaning of a book can be ascertained?
• 627) When scriptures teach bhakti clearly, why do Mayavadis misinterpret scriptural teachings?
• 626) In Deity Worship why do we offer specific items and rotate them a specific number of times?
• 625) Is a shudra devotee better than a brahmana nondevotee? How?
• 624) Do devotees realize Brahman first, then Paramatma and then Bhagavan?
• 623) Doesn’t Krishna protect devotees from black magic?
• 622) Why do we avoid specific food items in specific months during Chaturmasa?
• 621) What is the difference between qualities and abilities?
• 620) Is the concept of good and bad omens a superstition?
• 619) Why did Arjuna despite being a pure devotee hunt animals?
• 618) Are all vegetarian seekers more spiritually advanced than non-vegetarian seekers?
• 617) Is all sex an expression of lust or can it be an expression of love?
• 616) Do women have the same varna as their husbands?
• 615) How can we avoid isolation when people around us misunderstand our intentions and hurt us?
• 614) How is the Vaishnava assertion that the world is like a dream different from the Advaita rejection of the world as unreal?
• 613) Wasn’t it fanatical of Lord Chaitanya to punish Chhota Haridas so severely for such a minor transgression?
• 612) If our svarupa is fixed, then is our endeavor to experience a different rasa futile?

October 2013

• 611) Is having doubts unfortunate? Are doubts undesirable?
• 610) How did God create black holes?
• 609) Can’t the universe have always existed the way it is? Why bring God into the picture?
• 608) Is spirituality the explanation that we resort to when we can’t get explanations?
• 607) How does evil harden our heart towards Krishna? How can we prevent such hardening?
• 606) How do we respond to those who say that different Puranas glorify different devatas as Supreme?
• 605) Why is Krishna often thought of as one of the incarnations of Vishnu?
• 604) If dharma leads to artha, then why do devotees have financial difficulties and what does Krishna’s special mercy of taking away artha mean?
• 603) If the desire for liberation is selfish should we desire liberation or not?
• 602) Can one person have true love for other person in material world?
• 601) If Padma Purana is written by Vyasadeva then how can the Damodarashtakam in it Purana be composed by Satyavrata Muni?
• 600) While glorifying Damodara why do we say Radha-Damodara and not Yashoda-Damodara?
• 599) When adharma continues to exist in the world, what does it mean to say that the Lord’s mission is complete?
• 598) Is the Brahmastra Brahma’s weapon? Why is it considered so special?
• 597) Do material laws cease to apply for devotees?
• 596) People say “Pursue your passion.” Is such passion coming from the soul or the mind?
• 595) Why do we talk about the benefits of chanting when we are meant to chant selflessly for Krishna’s pleasure?
• 594) Is our capacity to practice devotional service limited by our prarabhda karma and the resulting guna configuration?
• 593) If the mechanisms of evolution are just imagination, then isn’t religion also just the imagination of some sages?
• 592) Is there a difference between the spirit soul and the spiritual body that he possesses?
• 591) 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?
• 590) Does one need to be materially opulent to preach Krishna consciousness?
• 589) Madhavacarya’s contributions to re-establishing pure devotion

September 2013

• 588) When Lord Chaitanya didn’t insist that Haridas Thakura be allowed entry into Jagannatha temple, why do ISKCON’s non-Hindu devotees want entry?
• 587) Why do some temples not allow non-Hindus from entering? Is this rule scriptural or merely cultural?
• 586) Isn’t it self-promotion to put one’s own lectures on the internet for the world to hear?
• 585) Why do Krishna and all incarnations descend according to such a tightly fixed schedule in particular yuga in specific Manavantara etc?
• 584) When Krishna has all the qualities of all the other incarnations, why are other incarnations needed?
• 583) Peace, purity and pleasure – The benefits of mantra meditation (World Holy Name Week Special)
• 582) Why is going Back to Godhead most important when the creation reflect the causeless mercy of creator?
• 581) 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?
• 580) When Lord Chaitanya refused to meet king Pratap Rudra, why do ISKCON leaders invite politicians like the President of India for inaugurating their temples?
• 579) What is the difference between wealthy people who live simply and real renunciates?
• 578) Sometimes the philosophy seems too philosophical and not practical. What should we do in such situations?
• 577) Is it correct to say Vaishnavism is a sex religion?
• 576) How Prabhupada’s sannyasa was a part of Krishna’s master-plan
• 575) How Bhaktivinoda Thakura reformed and presented the Gaudiya tradition
• 574) How Haridas Thakura demonstrates the universality and the glory of bhakti
• 573) Is Krishna consciousness spirituality or spiritualism?
• 572) How can any energy of Krishna be inferior?
• 571) Are sexless marriages the best marriages?
• 570) What does Prabhupada’s statement “All men should remain as brahmacharis and all women should get married” mean?
• 569) 11 glories of Bhaktivinoda Thakur based on the acronym BHAKTIVINODA
• 568) How Radharani cooked the first time for Krishna – Radhashtami 2013 class at Nasik
• 567) 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?
• 566) 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”?
• 565) Is the state of impersonal merging higher that personal devotion?
• 564) Where exactly is memory – in the soul, mind or brain?
• 563) Can you explain what is sphurti?
• 562) When our love naturally does not extend to every living being does it mean that we are not actually connect with God’s love?
• 561) 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?
• 560) What is Karma Mimamsa? If Krishna himself speaks it, how can it be considered wrong?
• 559) 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?
• 558) Why the word ‘summum bonum’ is used to convey ‘ultimate source of all energies’, when the word actually means ‘source of all goodness’?
• 557) Is Raksha Bandhan an authorized Vaishnava festival?

August 2013

• 556) QA on Scriptures
• 555) QA with Haldia Devotees 3
• 554) QA with Haldia Devotees 2
• 553) QA with Haldia Devotees 1
• 552) Why does Prabhupada say that God has no names?
• 551) Gopi Gita Part 3 SB 10.31.9-19 “Your remembrances doesn’t decrease but increases our agony – Please appear.” (Janmashtami class)
• 550) Gopi Gita Part 2 – SB 10.33.5-8: “Krishna, please bless us with with your hands, your face, your feet and your lips” (Janmashtami class)
• 549) Gopi Gita Part 1 – SB 10.33.1-4: “Krishna, please appear before us” (Janmashtami class)
• 548) What is the difference between enjoyment and sense enjoyment?
• 547) KRISHNA acronym – How Krishna shares his opulences with his devotees
• 546) The God who conceals his godhood so that love can reign supreme (Janmashtami special)
• 545) Is the Garga-Samhita authentic? If yes, why don’t the Goswamis quote it?
• 544) What does Krishna’s threefold bending form signify?
• 543) How Balarama helps Krishna remember Vrindavana outside of Vrindavana (Hindi) – Balaram Jayanti Class
• 542) Does bhakti come from bhakti or from punya?
• 541) What is the story behind the origin of gopi chandana?
• 540) When Krishna never leaves Vrindavan how is he present in all the Deities all over the world?
• 539) When the tongue is non-living why does King Kulashekarha pray to the tongue in Mukunda Mala Stotra 26?
• 538) Why does Kavi Karnapura say he is writing Anand Vrindavana Champu for my own pleasure?
• 537) Why is the Bhagavad-gita so important among the Vedic texts?
• 536) When Lord Chaitanya knew he was soon going to take sannyasa, why did he marry for a second time?
• 535) 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”?
• 534) When scriptures teach matra devo bhava, why do brahmacharis give up their parents for the sake of God?
• 533) What do we mean by the mind’s eye? How does the mind see?
• 532) Is the soul conscious in the period between death and the next birth?
• 531) What is the difference between free will and desire?
• 530) If a person is attached to a family member will he be reborn in the same family?
• 529) Are the Vedic scriptures faith-based theology or logic-based philosophy?
• 528) Why do many Vedic sages engage in behavior that is lower than the moral standards of modern Vedic practitioners and even many modern atheists?
• 527) 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?
• 526) When knowledge comes easier than faith, why does CC say that faith develops in the madhyama stage and knowledge in the uttama stage?
• 525) Wasn’t Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s rejecting his spiritual master Bipin Bihari Goswami offensive?
• 524) Can one go back to Godhead just by chanting without taking initiation?
• 523) Does Lord Chaitanya appear in all Kali yugas or only in this Kali yuga?
• 522) Why were prostitutes present in Ayodhya?
• 521) Is the Gita’s message life-negating?

July 2013

• 520) Does everyone have to take sannyasa to go back to Godhead?
• 519) How can Parshurama be affected by sinful reactions?
• 518) What is the basis of the authenticity of those Chaitanya Charitamrita teachings that are not present in the Vedic scriptures?
• 517) What is the disciplic succession by which Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami got the knowledge to write the Chaitanya Charitamrita?
• 516) Why do we get the same karmic reactions in hell, lower species and human form too?
• 515) Where does the soul go after death – heaven, hell or lower species?
• 514) What are the 7 secondary relationships? Do demons have those relationships with Krishna?
• 513) Is it right to say that we have a right to happiness when we are sinful, having rejected Krishna?
• 512) How do the modes and the astrological planets inter-relate?
• 511) How many types of bodies are there in the spiritual world?
• 510) Doesn’t the idea that devotees deliver their ancestors indicate bodily identification?
• 509) Why did Prabhupada recommend worship of Narasimha amongst all avataras? Isn’t this against the principle of peace?
• 508) Can we use the word “our spiritual glory” when actually we are meant to be humble servants in spiritual life?
• 507) Do those who don’t accept that Prabhupada descended from the spiritual world comprise an apasampradaya?
• 506) Are sahajiyas better than Mayavadis?
• 505) Will those who reject Gaur-Nitai go to hell?
• 504) When cows are souls who were cow-killers in their past life, why is killing them considered so sinful?
• 503) Do we need to chant 25 rounds on Ekadashi?
• 502) Can a devotee who longs to go to Golok end up going to one of the Vaikunthas? Can souls from Vaikunthas go to GolokA?
• 501) Why do we as eternal souls get entangled in the cycle of birth and death?
• 500) Do we have to first purify our mind and then our intelligence and then our existence?
• 499) Krishna asked Arjuna to fight but Buddhism supported Ashoka’s resolve not to fight Why the difference?
• 498) Is the state of faith at the level of chidanti sarva samshya same as that at Nistha stage?
• 497) Is there benefit even if we chant without hearing?
• 496) How can there be stool and urine in the spiritual world?
• 495) Draupadi called out to the Lord for protection whereas Prahlad just remembered the Lord with faith in his protection. Which attitude is higher?
• 494) When the yuga dharma now is chanting, why do we still worship the Deity?
• 493) Is spiritual life a supplement or a complement to material life?
• 492) 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?
• 491) What happens if an unqualified person chants the Gayatri mantra?
• 490) Can the maha prasade prayer be chanted at times apart from prasadam times? What do they actually refer to?
• 489) Spiritual advancement requires servitude towards Krishna and mastery over our senses Dont these two call for opposite attitudes?
• 488) When chanting is the yuga dharma why does Rupa Goswami give five potent forms of devotional service and not give exclusive emphsis on chanting?
• 487) Does Lord Shiva chant the name of Lord Rama in the ears of everyone who dies in Kashi and grant them liberation?
• 486) Please clarify the two words–Lord Shiva and Lord Shankar.
• 485) Why should I develop Love of God?
• 484) 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?
• 483) Why it is said that Lord Shiva is a true Vaishnav?
• 482) Anybody who is related to Krishna is worshiped then why Lord Shiva who is maha-Vaishnava is not worshiped?
• 481) Is the male-female attraction present in us because that attraction is present in Krishna?
• 480) Is the Supersoul the observer and permitter or just the observer as is conveyed by the analogy of the two birds in the heart?
• 479) How do our present actions affect the results when our happiness and distress are fixed by destiny?
• 478) 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?
• 477) If Radha and Krishna are one then what is the point of Krishna coming as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to understand Radha’s love for him?
• 476) What is Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s contribution to our tradition?
• 475) Why do different paintings of Krishna depict him differently? Why dont we have even one photo of Krishna that depicts him accurately?
• 474) Isnt it immoral for demigods to unite with earthly women? Why has God created things like intercourse??
• 473) What does the marble and nail grid analoy exactly illustrate wrt the relationship between free will and destiny?
• 472) Is there physical intercourse in the spiritual world?audio icon
• 471) 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)?
• 470) Which form of Krishna is the original one existing eternally? The baby, young or adult Krishna?
• 469) Is destiny fixed at the macro level and changeable at the micro level?
• 468) If death is as painful as thousands of scorpion bites, then how do some people die peacefully in sleep?

June 2013

• 467) If the only questions I have are inquisitve not transformative then what will be the effect on my devotional creeper?
• 466) What do the terms ‘revealed scriptures’ and ‘lotus feet’ mean?
• 465) Is Govardhana Krishna or devotee of Krishna?
• 464) How does Krishna cover the large distances between say Vrinadavan and Barsana while performing pastimes?
• 463) Why was polygamy allowed in Vedic culture?
• 462) What is the purpose of worshiping demigods and going to heaven when those in heaven are praying to come to the earth?
• 461) If destiny can be changed then what was changed isn’t that our destiny?
• 460) Is destiny fixed or flexible? If it is flexible then how?
• 459) 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?
• 458) Are the reactions of our present actions mixed with our past reactions? Or do we get the past reactions separately?
• 457) Why should we practice bhakti?
• 456) How do the terms substance and form apply in the Vedic context?
• 455) When devotees bathe several times each day arent they wasting water?
• 454) Does knowledge progress in moving from personal vision to impersonal vision?
• 453) Understanding the Spiritual Reality and Parakiya Rasa
• 452) Heredity, Destiny, Divinity – Channelizing the factors that shape us
• 451) 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?
• 450) What is the position of Dattatreya? Did he teach impesonalism? Does he have eka-mukha and tri-mukha forms?
• 449) Does the pure devotee feel pain when the body meets with an accident or undergoes surgery?
• 448) What does the metaphor of river merging into the ocean actually imply? Does it support impersonalism?
• 447) 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?
• 446) How will Brahma take back the Tiruapti temple if mad humans exploded a H-bomb in that temple?
• 445) Kamasutra is the scripture which is against Vedas. Please explain.
• 444) Is falldown or progress in bhakti predestined by karma or destiny? What role does karma or destiny have in determining our bhakti?
• 443) What is difference between the mind and the intelligence?
• 442) Is it true that Ramakrishna Paramhamsa has seen God? If yes, then which God?
• 441) What actually happens and the end of every yuga?
• 440) Who experiences pain: body or soul?
• 439) Why has God created a mind that misleads us?
• 438) Radharani and Padmavati took birth on lotus only. Why didn’t they take natural birth?
• 437) Why is Krishna not descending now when there is so much adharma?
• 436) The Vedas say na tasya pratima asti. Then why do we worship the Deities and the laminations of the Deities?
• 435) Why do we require faith to understand spirituality where as we don’t require faith to know science ,only proof can work?
• 434) How can we improve our intelligence to control our mind?
• 433) After death are we reborn into the cycle of 84 lakh species or does it depend on our desire at the time of death?
• 432) 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?
• 431) Let logic be our minister not our master
• 430) 3 considerations in reconciling Science and Scripture
• 429) The Password for Happiness – Utkarsh Camp 2013 Pune
• 428) Spiritual World – The World of Mirth and Merry
• 427) Why do we put faith in the spiritual world?
• 426) Balancing faith and questioning spirit on the spiritual path

May 2013

• 425) How devotees’ suffering is different from that of nondevotees
• 424) If love guides and doesnt hide then why did Narada Muni hide the news of Krishnas departure from the Pandavas?
• 423) Bhuliya tomare meaning (Meditations on Vaishnava songs)
• 422) Why are there rules for chanting some mantras like Gayatri and no rules for chanting other mantras like the Hare Krishna mantra?
• 421) Why do we worship God in such a fierce form of Narasimha?
• 420) Does chanting Rama Krishna Hari give liberation as does chanting the Hare Krishna mantra?
• 419) What is the relationship between the Krishna keshava pahi mam mantra and the Hare Krishna mantra?
• 418) Does the publicizing the names of donors in temples not encourage ego in the name of religion?
• 417) Are the Bible and the Koran to be considered scriptures?
• 416) Why can’t clothes stitched by devotees be worn while worshiping the Deities?
• 415) What exactly is Shivalinga? What is the pastime behind it?
• 414) 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?
• 413) Meditating on the Sanskrit and Bengali prasadam prayers – Hindi
• 412) What does it mean to say that we are envious of Krishna?

April 2013

• 411) Why do devotees not using mystic siddhis in Krishnas service?
• 410) What is the destination of those who serve cows?
• 409) Are souls falling from Vaikuntha even now?
• 408) What is the difference between heavenly, earthly and spiritual body?
• 407) If there are 33 crore demigods, then why does Shatpatha Brahman mention 33 gods?
• 406) What is the meaning of the statement “The Origin of sex life in its pure form is Krishna”
• 405) Why is the whole environment considered polluted during eclipses?
• 404) Does matter come from spirit? if so how does matter emerge from it?
• 403) Are mountains conscious? To which species do they belong?
• 402) Does the Lord become fed up with those who commit offenses repeatedly?
• 401) Do nondevotees have no good qualities
• 400) Mahajanas 5 – Lord Kapila
• 399) Is the intelligence unaffected by material interactions?
• 398) Are women made for the enjoyment of men?
• 397) How do we distinguish the heart and mind?
• 396) Why does Krishna express surprise in some of his pastimes when he is omniscient?
• 395) Is chanting a prayer or a meditation?
• 394) How do we respond to ‘Ramayana and Gita are speculators delight’?
• 393) Does the brahmajyoti come from Lord Shiva?
• 392) How can we wash our sins – is there any water or oil?
• 391) Why do we feel envious of God but not of materially rich people?
• 390) What does ‘contamination of the material qualities’ mean?
• 389) Is devotion a feeling to be developed or does it come naturally?
• 388) How do knowledge and realisations help us if they become covered due to lust?
• 387) From the Absolute Platform If Lord Is the Only Purusa, What do words Like Pursottama, Apauresya actually mean?
• 386) What happens to the koshas after death?
• 385) As some species have become extinct what happens to those souls who have desires that those species are meant to fulfill?

March 2013

• 384) Lord Chaitanya Sannyasa lila – Chaitanya Chandrodaya Nataka 4 Hindi
• 383) Dana Keli Lila enacted by Lord Chaitanya – Chaitanya Chandrodaya Nataka 3 Hindi
• 382) Vairagya and Bhakti in Kali Yuga – Chaitanya Chandrodaya Nataka 2 Hindi
• 381) Explanation of Sacisuta Ashtakam – Gaur Purnima 2013 Hindi
• 380) Does the idea that matter can be a means to spirit have any basis?
• 379) Why did Lord Chaitanya worship Shiva-linga if it is not the highest form of worship?
• 378) What is the significance of Shiva-linga?
• 377) How Kali’s weapons failed against Lord Chaitanya – Chaitanya Chandrodaya Nataka 1 Hindi
• 376) What does the unborn nature of the Lord mean?
• 375) Why did Krishna’s parents not stop him from going to the forest to graze the cows to avoid the danger of demons?
• 374) Who is a bhakta? Were saints like Tukaram Tulsidas Kabir bhaktas?
• 373) How do we differentiate between our Intelligence guiding us or the Mind in the Mode of Goodness?
• 372) As Parvati is the chaste wife of Lord Shiva how could she have come personally to tempt Haridas Thakura?
• 371) How does gambling break the principle of truthfulness?
• 370) What is kham brahma? What is ether? Is ether same as brahman?
• 369) Why is vatsalya and madhurya not included in the 9 forms of devotional service?
• 368) As bhakti centers on smarana, is just chanting enough to take us back to Godhead?
• 367) Is the verse ‘Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu’ Mayavadi?
• 366) Why do we consider 108 times chanting as 1 round?
• 365) Can we remember in the spiritual world the technology Krishna used to make both the worlds?
• 364) Five aspects of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura’s outreach

February 2013

• 363) What is the difference between expansion and incarnation?
• 362) What is Krishna consciousness?
• 361) What does Krishna’s statement that “I am time the destroyer” mean?
• 360) Why is the dowry system prevalent among Hindus?
• 359) Can you explain how the mind addresses us in the first person and the second person?
• 358) When the soul goes from one body to another where is the karma stored?
• 357) As we need to arrange for our bodily needs how do we understand Prabhupada’s statemen that there is no need for economic development?
• 356) Fulfilling our longing for love
• 355) Do spiritualists lack critical thinking and are all thinking people atheists?
• 354) What does the Shikshashtakam verse “shreyah kairava chandrika vitaranam” mean?
• 353) When our computer breaks down and troubles us, which klesha is it? How are the kleshas classified?

January 2013

• 352) Does a daughter have the duty to deliver her parents, as does a son?
• 351) How Krishna left and returned to Vrindavan – Hindi
• 350) Isn’t the skeptical antenna the same as the doubting faculty?
• 349) What is the difference between pleasure, indulgence and temptation?
• 348) Why did the Vrajavasis not go to Mathura to meet Krishna when they were suffering in separation from him?
• 347) As vaccination can prevent diseases that come as karmic reactions has science disproved or defeated the law of karma?
• 346) Why did Krishna go to Kubja though she was known to be a society woman?
• 345) Is Maya eternal? Why does she illusion the jiva but not God?
• 344) As milk is today produced by causing violence to the cow should devotees take such milk?
• 343) Some people say that no species drink milk beyond infancy, so our drinking milk is unnatural. How do we respond?
• 342) Why is stitched cloth not used for Deity Worship?
• 341) Why are we selective about the analysis or purports of the scriptures?
• 340) Why is Jiva Goswami known as the Siddhanta acharya of the Gaudiya sampradaya?
• 339) If “Svetasvatara Upanishad ” is dedicated to Lord Shiva , why is it dedicated to Krsna by Vaishnava Acharyas?
• 338) Why does one have to break Ekadashi at a specific time?
• 337) Do all the residents of Dhams go back to the spiritual world?
• 336) Did Krishna return to Vrindavan as per his promise? Please explain the pastime.
• 335) Is the size of the Supersoul in the heart literal or figurative?
• 334) Does the Hare in the maha-mantra refer to Hari or to Radharani?
• 333) Why did Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati give sannyasa to himself?

December 2012

• 332) How do we respond to the Mayavadi notion of a two-level Brahman?
• 331) Is the Absolute Truth inexpressible by words, even the words of scriptures?
• 330) How can we know that Balarama’s gopis are different from Krishna’s gopis?
• 329) Why does Krishna love cows when whatever qualities they have are simply given to them by nature?
• 328) If a devotee goes to Goloka Vrindavana, does that mean he can never see great personalities like Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman, Parvati etc.?
• 327) What is Krishna consciousness perspective on sex education in general and in schools in particular?
• 326) What is the significance of Gayatri Mantra? What result does one get by chanting this mantra?
• 325) If we can go back to Godhead from any mode then what is the need to come to goodness?
• 324) When Krishna does so many immoral activities how can he be God?
• 323) Why did Lord Chaitanya not initiate Tukaram M in the Hare Krishna mantra?
• 322) Is only heavy drinking harmful and occasional drinking good for health?
• 321) Does the father get the sin if his children misuse the money he gave them?
• 320) Which form of Vishnu is referred to by the Sahasra Shirsha purusha prayers as none of the Vishnu forms actually have 1000s of heads?
• 319) Why was ancestor worship by meat offerings allowed in earlier ages?
• 318) How exactly do the demons killed by Krishna become liberated?
• 317) If Narada Muni is an incarantion then is he a jiva-tattva or Vishnu-tattva?
• 316) Does soul have shape? Does that shape change from body to body?
• 315) If the spiritual world is thrice the material world doesnt that make the total creation finite?

November 2012

• 314) Is initiation essential? What if devotees after initiation become proud?
• 313) Question: If spiritual happiness is eternal, why is our experience of that happiness temporary?
• 312) What should be a devotee’s attitude towards scientists?
• 311) Gopashtami class – Spiritualizing rites of passage like birthdays
• 310) Do those who study the Gita go to Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana?
• 309) How did you first realize that there was a Supreme God?
• 308) Is Krishna’s love conditional or unconditional?
• 307) As spiritual happiness is eternal and the happiness we experience in spiritual activities is temporary is this happiness material?
• 306) What is the difference between ahankara as concept and as object?
• 305) Does initiation change the gotra of a person?
• 304) Why does Sanskrit have words with many meanings Why are the concepts open to varying interpretations?

October 2012

• 303) Question: What is the difference between the past ages and the present age?
• 302) If madhurya rasa is highest then how are those in other rasas satisfied? Do all souls progressively rise from shanta rasa to madhurya rasa?
• 301) Is the soul projected to the material world as in a virtual reality or has the soul actually fallen to the material world?
• 300) If several spiritual organizations urge us to study their philosophy and try our their process how should we decide what to follow?
• 299) If our svarupa is fixed then why is it is said that Lord Chaitanya came to teach love in the mood of the gopis?
• 298) If our suffering in material existence is just a momentary dream then wont this thought make us feel lazy about becoming liberated?
• 297) If Krishna is complete how can he feel incomplete due to which he comes as Lord Chaitanya?
• 296) “By destiny the quantity of our suffering is fixed” and “The more we become attached, the more we suffer.” How to reconcile these two statements?
• 295) What is the essential moral of the brahmin cobbler story because the huge tree is not literally present in the small seed?
• 294) QA on Ramayana Comparative Religion and miscellaneous topics
• 293) GLASS acronym – Five tangible aspects of mercy
• 292) As those people who are destined to take to spirituality will take it up anyway how does it matter whether we use technology for sharing spirituality or dont use it?
• 291) If experience is the highest pramana how does it fit into the three standard pramanas with shabha as the highest?
• 290) Why do the different Vaishnava traditions have a different understanding of the Absolute Truth?
• 289) If Vaishnava traditions with an understanding of Gods relationship with the world different from that of the Gaudiyas can take their followers back to godhead how important is this understanding for us as practicing Gaudiyas?
• 288) How long should we go on questioning about Krishna when all our acharyas have already accepted him?
• 287) Prabhupada says Brahma falls whereas Haridas Thakura doesnt but they are the same. Then why the difference? person
• 286) How does the spiritual soul first get material desires?
• 285) If one can chant the name of Allah or Jesus with love and reach God, then why cant one chant the name of Ganesh or Shiva with love and reach Him?
• 284) Does the fact that whatever happens to us is a result of our own karma imply that we passively accept whatever happens to us or not bother about the results on others of what we do?
• 283) If aquatics are lower than plants in the Vedic evolutionary scale then why is eating aquatics forbidden and eating plants allowed?
• 282) When Brahma is an incarnation of the Lord. then how can he be illusioned by maya and how can a person become Bramha?

September 2012

• 281) Is the Virat Rupa Real or False? If it is false then was Vamanadeva’s revelation to Bali Maharaj false?
• 280) Is the Universal Form Material or Spiritual? How is it different from the Deity form?
• 279) Intelligence is the representation of Paramatma,then why does our intelligence sometimes fail to take the right decision?
• 278) Why do Vishnu and Shiva have several common names?
• 277) If pure devotees know everything from all perspectives then why do they have differences as in different commentaries?
• 276) When we are 100% spiritual we see everything as spiritual. Then what is the difference between material and spiritual?
• 275) Spiritual happiness depend on external sources, so isnt it outside-in not inside-out?
• 274) Is chanting the mahamantra starting with Hare Rama a namapradha?
• 273) What is the correct pronunciation of Rama in the mahamantra?
• 272) How are scriptures preserved when the parampara is lost?
• 271) Why do we need big temples?
• 270) If we worship the spiritual master as a devotee of Krishna why not worship demigods similarly?
• 269) Is humanitarian activity not a form of subtle sense gratification?
• 268) PROTECT – Seven ways Krishna protects (Hindi)
• 267) Are demigods and demons present in the spiritual world?
• 266) Is hearing demigod pastimes prajalpa or devotional service?
• 265) Why are brahmacharis necessary? If they are necessary then why shouldnt everyone become brahmachari?
• 264) When the mind sometimes makes us do good, why do we consider it to be a enemy?
• 263) What is the proof that someone has gone back to Godhead?
• 262) As devotion is a matter of the heart, does it matter whether one wears dhoti-kurta – saree or T-shirt & jeans?
• 261) A Lament of Misdirected Love – Avatara Sara song explanation
• 260) How does Krishna decide which family we are born when we first come from the spiritual world?
• 259) Why were child marriages advocated in Vedic scriptures?
• 258) Why is Parashurama mentioned in the Dashavatara stotra and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu not mentioned?

August 2012

• 257) Isn’t renunciation a sign of frustration?
• 256) Are dinosaurs and ghosts included in the 8.4 million species?
• 255) Is mother earth a jiva a demigod or a metaphor?
• 254) How does Lord Jagannatha reciprocate in Puri when the temple priests are so rude?
• 253) Is the Yamuna purer than Ganga? On whose banks was the Bhagavatam spoken?
• 252) User Friendly spirituality and Krishna consciousness
• 251) Janmashtami meditation: Krishna is committed to our freedom. Are we?
• 250) Science of Transforming the Modes
• 249) Why does Krishna accept a bluish complexion when blue is considered to be in the mode of passion?
• 248) Goal of a devotee is to know Krishna
• 247) Rituals and Essence – Understanding why we do what we do
• 246) Liquid beauty – Going beyond false beauty to real beauty
• 245) Heroism – Real vs Virtual
• 244) Krishna’s childhood boyhood pastimes
• 243) Anand Vrindavana Champu – Childhood pastimes of Krishna SB 10.23.22
• 242) Krishna lila from Gopal Champu
• 241) When we dont get results due to our karma, does service get affected by our karma?
• 240) Why does the Lord send Kali if he wants the souls to come back to him?
• 239) How Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura preached amidst nationalism and impersonalism
• 238) Lord Balarama – Tattva and Lila
• 237) How do the liberated souls simultaneously participate in Vrindavan lila and Navadvipa lila?
• 236) Why didnt Brahmaji see Navdvipa Dham in the spiritual world (as described in Brahma Samhita)?
• 235) Democracy and Impersonalism
• 234) What is real dharma?
• 233) From emotional turbulence to spiritual enlightenment
• 232) Empowerment through Austerity

July 2012

• 231) The Spiritual Origin of Sex Desire
• 230) Blossoming of Consciousness
• 229) Won’t the parampara message get diluted because the present acharyas are not as powerful as the previous acharyas?
• 228) As the soul can’t be cut, how does the cow cut and chew grass in the spiritual world?
• 227) What is the significance of offering bhoga to Lord Krishna only for 7 minutes?
• 226) All the vedas and puranas are written by Vyasadeva, then why do they give contradictory accounts of the creation of the universe?
• 225) What is the significance of touching ones feet?
• 224) Why is Krishna considered as Supreme?
• 223) If we feel too burdened by our services, then does that indicate our service is not succesful?
• 222) Isn’t our very existence a sin because we kill millions of micro-organisms with every breath? What can we do about it?
• 221) When a devotee suffers more than a nondevotee, won’t this send a wrong message to atheists or novice devotees?
• 220) Isnt it that all the miseries can ultimately be put as Adhi-daivika rather than differentiating them into separate categories.
• 219) Might a beggar be an elevated devotee in Goloka? Why don’t we treat him as such?
• 218) Conceiving the Inconceivable
• 217) Importance of doubting – and danger of blind faith
• 216) Is lust a real entity that exists separte from us or is it just our own misdirected desire?
• 215) Reviving love – Difference between serving Krishna and serving parents nation society
• 214) Rahu is a severed head and since the Soul resides close to the Heart where does his Soul reside?
• 213) What exactly initiates the death process: the soul’s karma, the Paramatma or the Yamadutas?
• 212) Is it realistic or idealistic to expect our spiritual master to be a pure devotee?
• 211) Do we spiritualize our material mind and take it to the spiritual world?
• 210) Are those who go to Vaikuntha less intelligent than those who go to Goloka?
• 209) How can we know that the original Vedic scriptures have not been changed over many generations?
• 208) When the demigods have to face death, did their drinking nectar after churning the ocean not work?
• 207) When a person tries to renounce the world, why do people call him an escapist?
• 206) Why is Kamadeva considered a demigod although kama is one of the six anarthas?
• 205) How are terrorists so fearless?
• 204) Why did God create the universe?
• 203) Are the Universal Forms in the Gita and the Bhagavatam the same or different?
• 202) Can you please tell about Chiranjivis?
• 201) How does the consciousness of the cook affect prasad?
• 200) If Brahma is a pure devotee, how can he be bewildered?
• 199) How pain protects us
• 198) KC- The real help to society
• 197) Five levels of Vedic Knowledge
• 196) God’s relationship with matter
• 195) Damodarashtakam- Sanatan Goswami Tikka 2
• 194) Damodarashtakam- Sanatan Goswami Tikka 1
• 193) KC pleasure higher than sensual and intellectual
• 192) Understanding Krishna Tattva
• 191) If a person is not interested in spiritual world and is interested only in material enjoyment, what should be done?
• 190) Why can’t women be brahamcharinis?
• 189) Why did Krishna create us?

June 2012

• 188) Do devotional rules take away our freedom?
• 187) Can we develop spiritually through wholesale material indulgence?
• 186) If God is ruling the world, then why is the world not perfect?
• 185) What is the significance of performing proper funeral rites?
• 184) Can we use Ganga water to bathe the Deities when that water is actually Krishna’s own charanamrita?
• 183) How can we be sure that when we go back to the spiritual world, we will never fall back?
• 182) Caste system – Spiritual equality Amidst material diversity
• 181) How will the Yogis who meditate on Paramatma Go Back To Godhead?
• 180) Is Parashurma a shaktyavesha avatar or a full avatar?
• 179) Was Chanakya Pandita a pure devotee?
• 178) If women are so attached to their husbands that they die with them during sati, then how will they go back to godhead?
• 177) Do we get bad karma by visual sexual stimulation?
• 176) If IIT students despite being intelligent don’t do well in their career, is it because of their past life karma or present life karma?
• 175) Can a devotee live without getting married and without joining brahmachari ashrama?
• 174) Will recitation of Vishnu Sahasranama give the blessing of immoral pleasures without sinful reactions?
• 173) When Krishna established dharma, why did it last for such a short time?
• 172) How can we get perfect knowledge when our senses are imperfect?
• 171) 6 Opulences of Krishna

May 2012

• 170) How do we learn from our sufferings in hell and in past lives when we neither remember those sufferings nor the causes of those sufferings?
• 169) Why is the spiritual master of Vishvanath Chakravarti not mentioned in the list of guru-paramapara?
• 168) Why do Vaishnava poets place their own names in their poems? Isn’t that self-promotion?
• 167) Are the words of the pure devotees about the Lord descriptive or indicative about the Lord?
• 166) When the Lord gives Darshan, why do we glorify the spiritual master instead of glorifying the Lord?
• 165) As Radha was the aunt of Krishna, isn’t their relationship illicit?
• 164) Can we pray to Lord Krishna to award us death when we are hale and hearty?
• 163) Will the woman who goes Sati not become a ghost due to committing suicide?
• 162) What is the role of paramatma in atom, in contrast to paramatma in living entities who guides according to desires?
• 161) Does Pitraloka change for different people?
• 160) Where is the Hare Krishna mahamantra mentioned in the Vedic scriptures?
• 159) If we are served charanamrita while we are taking prasad, can we honor caranamrita with contaminated hands?
• 158) What is the difference between a woman’s love for a paramour and the gopis’ love for Krishna?
• 157) Introduction to Philosophy 2: Overview of Western Intellectual History
• 156) What exactly is shakti-tattva? How do we understand the conjugal activities of Shiva-Parvati?
• 155) Why do karmic reactions not come in this life itself?

April 2012

• 154) Who is Narayana? What is the difference between Krishna and Narayana?
• 153) How much does exercise,medication interfere with one’s destiny?
• 152) Is Remarriage of widow allowed in scripture? Was sati a practice or a phenomena?
• 151) What is the devotional and scientific reason of keeping shikha?
• 150) It’s said that phalena parichayate. we can know the quality of endeavors by the result. but then we say Krishna doesn’t care about results but our endeavors. Is this not contradictory?
• 149) Was there no sankirtan before Lord Chaitanya?
• 148) When we see cause-effect relationship within this life itself, doesn’t that make karma irrelevant?
• 147) As only pure devotees are promoted to the spiritual world, why are doorkeepers needed there?
• 146) What is the need for marriage between devotees in Vaikuntha?
• 145) Why do we not celebrate the apperances of avataras like Matsya, Kurma and Varaha?
• 144) Are the characteristics of the child determined by the soul’s own karma or the consciousness of the parents at the time of conception?
• 143) How do the Brahmavadis conceive the forms of the Lord?
• 142) Can corruption be eliminated from human society completely or will it continue till the time of judgement?
• 141) How can Lord Chaitanya have initiated Saint Tukaram when they lived at different times?
• 140) Isn’t belief in karma psychologically damaging?
• 139) Introduction to Philosophy 1: 6 Systems of Indian Philosophy
• 138) Why is Lord Chaitanya not accepted as Lord Krishna by other sampradayas?
• 137) Is Vishnu a primary name or a secondary name?
• 136) Is putting faith in Krishna consciousness like leaping across a chasm with nothing more than the hope that we will make it to the other side?
• 135) Will our svarupa stay vacant if we start worshiping some other form of the Lord?
• 134) How is the Supersoul in the heart different from the Lord in every atom?
• 133) Do all incarnations have spiritual bodies?
• 132) Why should large amounts of money be spend on temples and Deities?
• 131) Why is prana-pratistha needed when the photo of Krishna is non-different from Krishna?
• 130) Why does Krishna love the brahmanas more than other varnas?
• 129) Is there any pleasure in the Brahmajoyati ?.
• 128) When we are suffering, does that mean that God is angry with us?
• 127) History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism – Post-Prabhupada ISKCON
• 126) How can we know whether someone is following parampara?
• 125) If women become devotees, do they need to stick to their traditional roles? Can’t they have their own careers?
• 124) What is the meaning of lila or pastimes? Can our activities also be called lila?
• 123) Are possessions by the goddess genuine?
• 122) Lord Brahma is the first acharya in the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya, but why is he not considered pure devotee?
• 121) How do the ancestors of everyone go to Pitraloka irrespective of their individual karma?
• 120) Why did the Lord make us with the nature to love and serve?
• 119) If initiation and other devotional activities remove the past karma of devotees, then why do they get diseases and other problems?
• 118) History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism IV – Prabhupada’s unprecedented success
• 117) Is one’s complexion related with past karma? They why do people who are doing sinful activities have good complexions?
• 116) Do all incarnations appear in India?
• 115) What happens when a person over-respects or under-respects a devotee who has temporarily fallen?

March 2012

• 114) Is the guru-disciple relationship eternal?
• 113) The History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism III – Transcendence Amidst Independence
• 112) Unravelling the mystery of karma
• 111) Why did our acharyas not travel to South India when foreigners became oppressive?
• 110) How did Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakura restore our tradition after a 100 years of dormancy?
• 109) Why are there no remains of Lord Chaitanya’s South India tours?
• 108) Why did Bhaktivinoda Thakura write a controversial book like Krishna Samhita?
• 107) History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism III – The Beginnings of Modernity
• 106) How can God be happy when we are suffering?
• 105) Do different Brahmas have different lifespans?
• 104) Why are Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda Prabhu on the altar twice – as Deities and in the Pancha Tattva picture?
• 103) Why is the index finger considered inauspicious?
• 102) How to understand Krsna is non-different from His Name?
• 101) Why did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu take sannyasa from a Mayavadi teacher?
• 100) Did the demons’ residing places change over the ages from different planets in Satya Yuga and same heart in Kali Yuga?
• 99) Does God really helps when we are in need?.
• 98) History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism – II (Post Chaitanya phase)
• 97) History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism I – Pre-Chaitanya Vaishnavism
• 96) All animals are said to be in the mode of ignorance. Then is the cow also in the mode of ignorance? If yes, then why is it consdered sacred?
• 95) If Lord Chaitanya is an hidden incarnation, then why do devotees not let him stay hidden?
• 94) Six Opulences of Lord Chaitanya (5): Strength Wealth Fame part 1
• 93) Six Opulences of Lord Chaitanya (6): Strength Wealth Fame part 2
• 92) Six Opulences of Lord Chaitanya (4): Renunciation
• 91) Six Opulences of Lord Chaitanya (3): Knowledge
• 90) Six Opulences of Lord Chaitanya (2): Beauty part 2
• 89) Six Opulences of Lord Chaitanya (1): Beauty
• 88) Why is God not humble?
• 87) What is actually preserved when someone falls down in spirtual life?

February 2012

• 86) If the Vedic culture existed all over the world in ancient times, why are there so many dissimilarities in ancient cultures?
• 85) Doesn’t faith in God express the rejection of our human intelligence?
• 84) Why does God use second-hand souls?
• 83) Why is Krishna considered Supreme among all gods?
• 82) Is seeing Krishna’s hand in everything just a psychological adjustment?
• 81) Is there something called as “Untimely Death”?
• 80) Do all activities other than spiritual fall under eating, sleeping, mating and defending?
• 79) Is the concept of inconceivability not a license of illogicality?
• 78) How does one find the right path to attain peace?
• 77) If God is present everywhere, is he present in stool?
• 76) Why does one get diseases despite having been spiritual since birth?
• 75) Why should we chant on beads?
• 74) How can God be chanchal (restless)?
• 73) Why did God create the forbidden apple?
• 72) Is it a sin to not like the holy name sung by professional singers?
• 71) If God knows the future, doesn’t that make our destiny fixed?
• 70) Is work Worship?
• 69) Why is the Shambhu aspect of Lord Shiva glorified as the topmost devotee?
• 68) What is the source of variety in spiritual world?
• 67) What is the position of women in a spiritual culture?

January 2012

• 66) What is the difference between part and separated energy?
• 65) Why is Krishna blue?
• 64) Why are women considered less intelligent?
• 63) How can we offer the results of karmic misdeeds to Krishna?
• 62) God proposes, Man Accepts
• 61) Can Animals Perceive God? – Discover Yourself Session 3 Explanation
• 60) Is everything pre-destined?
• 59) God Answers Knee-mail
• 58) Is there any difference between praying and chanting?
• 57) Is worshiping deities sinful?
• 56) Are we the makers of our destiny?
• 55) Unraveling the Mystery of Karma
• 54) Idol Worship or Ideal Worship?
• 53) If Krishna’s body is spiritual, then how can it get cut?
• 52) Why are some people born wealthy and some poor?
• 51) Does the concept of karma have a logical basis?
• 50) Why me! What did I do to deserve this? – Understanding Karmic Justice
• 49) Why is holding grass in the mouth considered a sign of humility?
• 48) Why doesn’t Krishna let us enjoy in the material world?
• 47) What is a plenary portion of Lord Krishna?
• 46) How do we differentiate between helping the sick and playing God?
• 45) Is the conception of male & female in this world and spiritual world different?
• 44) Why does Krishna stop us from enjoying when he himself enjoys so much?
• 43) Isn’t women being given initiation non-Vedic?

December 2011

• 42) The One-Eyed Modern Guru
• 41) How Lord Chaitanya’s glory is established in the Chaitanya Charitamrita
• 40) The Science of Karma
• 39) What is the position of Lord Shiva?
• 38) Natural Calamities – Why? What to do?
• 37) Why use material analogies to illustrate spiritual truths?
• 36) How can the unlimited have a form?

November 2011

• 35) Why is it so difficult to know God?

October 2011

• 34) How is a holy place different from any other place?
• 33) Is God Omnipotent, Omniscient or both?
• 32) Why does God demand faith?
• 31) Why does the Vedic tradition emphasize divine sound so much?
• 30) Can Spirituality solve World Problems?
• 29) Why Natural Calamities?
• 28) Is Karma practically relevant?
• 27) Why to Approach God?
• 26) Aren’t Yajnas a Waste of Money?
• 25) Is God a Crutch?
• 24) Did man make God?
• 23) If God exists, why can’t we see him?
• 22) Why rituals?
• 21) Is vegetarianism necessary for spiritual advancement?
• 20) Is The Law of Karma Scientific ?

August 2011

• 19) Does the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra do any practical good for the world?
• 18) Are the words dharma and religion synonyms?
• 17) Isn’t chanting an act of blind faith?
• 16) What is the Vedic perspective on the current agitation against corruption?

July 2011

• 15) If there is only one God, then why do different spiritualists have differing conceptions of the divine?

June 2011

• 14) Why do you consider Krishna to be God?
• 13) When God is one, why does the Vedic tradition teach polytheism – the worship of many gods?

May 2011

• 12) How can pizza be called prasad?

April 2011

• 11) If God is supreme, why does he need weapons?
• 10) If God has designed our world, then why is there so much suffering here?

February 2011

• 9) Is Krishna mythological or historical?
• 8) Why is some food considered sacred?

January 2011

• 7) In temples, why is worship offered to cars instead of God?

December 2010

• 6) Is Deity worship for less intelligent people?
• 5) What is the significance of the aarti performed in temples?

November 2010

• 4) What is the purpose of life?

September 2010

• 3) Why is Vedic philosophy pessimistic?
• 2) Who is God?

June 2010

• 1) Can God make a square circle?