Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan das

Bhagavatam-daily 240 – 11.11.46 – Specific details of Krishna’s forms are not to be transcended but to be treasured
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Bhagavatam daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20240%20–%2011.11.46%20–%20Specific%20details%20of%20Krishnas%20forms%20are%20not%20to%20be%20transcended%20but%20to%20be%20treasured.mp3
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Bhagavatam-daily 239 – 11.11.45 – See social service as a form of devotional service, not its replacement
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Bhagavatam daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20239%20–%2011.11.45%20–%20See%20social%20service%20as%20a%20form%20of%20devotional%20service,%20not%20its%20replacement.mp3
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CC daily 139 – M 6.203 – Krishna’s defining depiction reflects his loving disposition
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CC-daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20139%20–%20M%206.203%20–%20Krishnas%20defining%20depiction%20reflects%20his%20loving%20disposition.mp3
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CC daily 138 – M 6.202 – The bhakti conception of the divine is polymorphic mono-theism
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CC-daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20138%20–%20M%206.202%20–%20The%20bhakti%20conception%20of%20the%20divine%20is%20polymorphic%20mono-theism.mp3
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CC daily 137 – M 6.201 – Self-criticism is for our disposition not our composition
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CC-daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20137%20–%20M%206.201%20–%20Self-criticism%20is%20for%20our%20disposition%20not%20our%20composition.mp3
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A spiritual wonder down under (Reflections on my outreach tour to Melbourne)
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Some eight years ago my spiritual master His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj told me to learn to write for a Western audience. He explained that since Indians were also getting westernized, material written for a Western audience would appeal to them too.

Since then, I have read various books written by devotee-authors for a Western audience. Then I corresponded by email with many of these devotee-authors, appreciating their works and offering to serve them as an editor for their future books. During the ensuing interactions, I got to know the story behind the story – how they came to write what they wrote. Based on the guidance of these devotees, I read many books written for a Western audience by other spiritual authors – Christians, yoga teachers, Buddhists, academic scholars of religion and post-modern thinkers – paying special attention to their choice of diction, style and content.

Finally after nearly a decade of distant preparation and at the prompting of several devotee-authors, I recognized that I needed to interact with my audience firsthand to understand them better. Accordingly, when Muralidhar Prabhu, who has long appreciated my talks and writings, and has even arranged the translation of three of my books into Chinese, invited me to come to Melbourne, I accepted the invitation.

After taking the blessings of senior devotees and offering my prayers to Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Gopinath – “Let this trip deepen my conviction that you, O Lord, are the only ultimate substance and that everything else, no matter how attractive-looking, is eventually insubstantial” – I embarked on the tour to Melbourne from 27th May to 9th June, 2015.

A heartwarming blend of the natural and the devotional

The eighteen-hour flight with a five-hour jet lag was uneventfully pleasant. I landed at Melbourne in the early morning cold in what was the coldest part of the year on one of the southernmost parts of Australia. As we drove to the temple, I noticed that the architecture of Melbourne was a pleasing blend of the traditional and the modern. In the Melbourne ISKCON temple, the central building is the oldest building in the whole area and is a heritage building. It also contains a large devotional heritage room: The room in which Srila Prabhupada lived during his visit in 1975 has been preserved as it is.

With comforting greenery in the premises, the temple atmosphere is a heartwarming blend of the natural and the devotional. The Deities are the divinely beautiful Radha Vallabha, Jagannatha-Baldeva-Subhadra and Gaur-Nitai. By their sacred presence, they manifest in Melbourne simultaneously the three holiest abodes of Gaudiya Vaishnavism: Vrindavan, Jagannath Puri and Mayapur.

I had three illuminating meetings with the Temple President, His Grace Aniruddha Prabhu, who has been a rock of stability for the Melbourne community for the last twenty-five years. He explained the temple’s outreach strategy centered on prasad distribution. When Srila Prabhupada had come there, he had said that anyone from around ten miles should be able to come to the temple and get free prasad. Accordingly, the […]

If Gods will is the universal cause for everything why do some events such as quakes that happen only at specific places?
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Answer Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/06-15%20QA/If%20Gods%20will%20is%20the%20universal%20cause%20for%20everything%20why%20do%20some%20events%20such%20as%20quakes%20that%20happen%20only%20at%20specific%20places.mp3
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How do we differentiate between the mind and the intelligence when the mind can also speak good things?
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Answer Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/06-15%20QA/How%20do%20we%20differentiate%20between%20the%20mind%20and%20the%20intelligence%20when%20the%20mind%20can%20also%20speak%20good%20things.mp3
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Bhagavatam-daily 238 – 11.11.44 – Worship of Krishna is eminently accessible through his devotees
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Bhagavatam daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20238%20–%2011.11.44%20–%20Worship%20of%20Krishna%20is%20eminently%20accessible%20through%20his%20devotees.mp3
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CC daily 135 – M 6.198-99 – What the Bhagavatam teaches in principle it demonstrates in practice
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CC daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20135%20–%20M%206.198-99%20–%20What%20the%20Bhagavatam%20teaches%20in%20principle%20it%20demonstrates%20in%20practice.mp3
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Should we seek satisfaction by serving according to our nature of sacrifice by doing whatever we are told to do?
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Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/06-15%20QA/Should%20we%20seek%20satisfaction%20by%20serving%20according%20to%20our%20nature%20of%20sacrifice%20by%20doing%20whatever%20we%20are%20told%20to%20do.mp3
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Bhagavatam-daily 237 – 11.11.43 – See various worshipable things as pathways to the supreme worshipable
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Bhagavatam daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20237%20–%2011.11.43%20–%20See%20various%20worshipable%20things%20as%20pathways%20to%20the%20supreme%20worshipable.mp3
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CC daily 134 – M 6.196-97 – Krishna’s qualities pull our mind towards him – other spiritual goals don’t
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CC daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20134%20–%20M%206.196-97%20–%20Krishnas%20qualities%20pull%20our%20mind%20towards%20him%20-%20other%20spiritual%20goals%20dont.mp3
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