Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan das

If even sinful devotees are considered saintly should we not look for trustworthiness in relating with devotees?
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Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/06-15%20QA/If%20even%20sinful%20devotees%20are%20considered%20saintly%20should%20we%20not%20look%20for%20trustworthiness%20in%20relating%20with%20devotees.mp3
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If descending to lower species is the greatest fear why does Bhaktivinoda T not fear an insect birth?
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Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/06-15%20QA/If%20descending%20to%20lower%20species%20is%20the%20greatest%20fear%20why%20does%20Bhaktivinoda%20T%20not%20fear%20an%20insect%20birth.mp3
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Bhagavatam-daily 236 – 11.11.42 – Don’t see God as reduced to the world or as disconnected from the world
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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20236%20–%2011.11.42%20–%20Don’t%20see%20God%20as%20reduced%20to%20the%20world%20or%20as%20disconnected%20from%20the%20world.mp3
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Why does Prabhupada give Sanskrit word-to-word translations that aren not found in Sanskrit dictionaries?
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Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/06-15%20QA/Why%20does%20Prabhupada%20give%20Sanskrit%20word-to-word%20translations%20that%20aren%20not%20found%20in%20Sanskrit%20dictionaries.mp3
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Personal Management Mantra – Productivity in Activity through Spirituality
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Talk at Urban Yoga, Melbourne

Lecture Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Personal%20Management%20Mantra%20-%20Productivity%20in%20Activity%20through%20Spirituality.mp3
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Lecture Ppt

CC daily 132 – M 6.185-86 – Attraction of the liberated to the Lord demonstrates the transcendence of his qualities
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CC daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20132%20–%20M%206.185-86%20–%20Attraction%20of%20the%20liberated%20to%20the%20Lord%20demonstrates%20the%20transcendence%20of%20his%20qualities.mp3
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Bhagavatam-daily 235 – 11.11.41 – By giving our dearmost things to Krishna, we make Krishna our dearmost thing
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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20235%20–%2011.11.41%20–%20By%20giving%20our%20dearmost%20things%20to%20Krishna,%20we%20make%20Krishna%20our%20dearmost%20thing.mp3
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Bhagavatam-daily 234 – 11.11.40 – Maintaining the sanctity of Deity worship protects our vision from sliding to the mundane
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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20234%20–%2011.11.40%20–%20Maintaining%20the%20sanctity%20of%20Deity%20worship%20protects%20our%20vision%20from%20sliding%20to%20the%20mundane.mp3
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If the number of our breaths is fixed do exercises that accelerate our breathing decrease our lifespan?
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Answer Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/06-15%20QA/If%20the%20number%20of%20our%20breaths%20is%20fixed%20do%20exercises%20that%20accelerate%20our%20breathing%20decrease%20our%20lifespan%20.mp3
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CC daily 131 – M 6.183-84 – Lord Chaitanya defeats Sarvabhauma without dishonoring him
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CC daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20131%20–%20M%206.183-84%20–%20Lord%20Chaitanya%20defeats%20Sarvabhauma%20without%20dishonoring%20him.mp3
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CC daily 129 – M 6.181 – Rationalization enables us to believe what we want to believe
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CC daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20129%20–%20M%206.181%20–%20Rationalization%20enables%20us%20to%20believe%20what%20we%20want%20to%20believe.mp3
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CC daily 128 – M 6.180 – Dont make peoples emotion come in the way of their reason
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CC daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20128%20–%20M%206.180%20–%20Dont%20make%20peoples%20emotion%20come%20in%20the%20way%20of%20their%20reason.mp3
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CC daily 127 – M 6.179 – Understand scripture not by coming up with an original interpretation, but by coming to the original intention
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CC daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20127%20–%20M%206.179%20–%20Understand%20scripture%20not%20by%20coming%20up%20with%20an%20original%20interpretation,%20but%20by%20coming%20to%20the%20original%20intention.mp3
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CC daily 126 – M 6.178 – Use the three-fold typology to understand import of scripture
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CC daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20126%20–%20M%206.178%20–%20Use%20the%20three-fold%20typology%20to%20understand%20import%20of%20scripture.mp3
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Krishna can bring good out of everything – even our mistakes
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Sometimes when we commit mistakes, we may become embarrassed, irritated or enraged with ourselves. If we become excessively disturbed, that often becomes a second mistake. By fretting or seething, we waste the time and energy that could have been used for rectification. Certainly we need to learn from our mistakes, but learning requires calmness, which is lost when we let ourselves over-react.

To calm ourselves, we can contemplate how Krishna is always in control and how he is always our benefactor. So he can bring good out of even our mistakes –provided we let him, that is, we keep our calm so that he can give us intelligence to make the best of the situation. Just as an expert musician can produce quality music even with a poor instrument, so too can Krishna produce auspiciousness out of a messy situation.

Krishna restores Arjuna’s vision – and grants the world vision

On the Kurukshetra battlefield, with the war about to start, Arjuna suddenly got an impulsive desire to see his opponents. So, he asked Krishna, who was acting as his charioteer, to take the chariot between the two armies (Bhagavad-gita 01.21). When he looked at the opposing forces, he saw his venerable elders, especially his grandsire and his teacher (01.25). He became overwhelmed, lost his will to fight and broke down.

Arjuna’s decision to see his opponents was imprudent, being an error of judgment. Firstly, he already knew who were arraigned on the opposite side – the alliances formed by both sides had been done openly, not covertly. Secondly, even if the Kauravas were planning to unveil any hidden ace, the Pandavas’ competent spies would have sounded them off. Thirdly, Arjuna was well aware of his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses – that had been discussed just the previous night in the Pandavas’ strategy planning meeting. So there really was nothing for Arjuna to see. Yet he saw and had to reap the consequences when his vision sabotaged his determination. His eyes changed his perception of the opposing forces from dispassionate to sentimental: from “the well-wishers of the wicked-minded son of Dhritarashtra” (01.23) to “my relatives” (01.31).

Of course, both perceptions were true, but every activity requires us to cultivate the appropriate vision for doing it properly. Our letting ourselves see with an alternate vision can be a mistake, especially when it triggers emotions that compromise our performance. For example, if a judge has to adjudicate a case in which his son is the defendant, he needs to adopt the appropriate vision, or in today’s parlance, wear the right cap. He has to see the person standing in the box as a defendant, not as his son.

Such vision adjustment is undoubtedly difficult. Most judges would probably recuse themselves – or would be told by the government to do so. But recusing was not an option for Arjuna; he was the foremost fighter in his army, and he couldn’t let down his comrades who were counting on him to counter the Kauravas’ formidable forces. So knowing the […]

CC daily 123 – M 6.175 – tat tvam asi is a statement of direction not conclusion
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CC daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20123%20–%20M%206.175%20–%20tat%20tvam%20asi%20is%20a%20statement%20of%20direction%20not%20conclusion.mp3
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CC daily 122 – M 6.174 – Lord Chaitanya turns the impersonalist strategy of maha-vakya on impersonalists
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CC daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20122%20–%20M%206.174%20–%20Lord%20Chaitanya%20turns%20the%20impersonalist%20strategy%20of%20maha-vakya%20on%20impersonalists.mp3
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How do we know whether we are accepting and rejecting while surrendering based on the mind or the intelligence?
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Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/06-15%20QA/How%20do%20we%20know%20whether%20we%20are%20accepting%20and%20rejecting%20while%20surrendering%20based%20on%20the%20mind%20or%20the%20intelligence.mp3
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Bhagavatam-daily 233 – 11.11.39 – The counter for duplicity is not just honesty but also simplicity
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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/06-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20233%20–%2011.11.39%20–%20The%20counter%20for%20duplicity%20is%20not%20just%20honesty%20but%20also%20simplicity%20.mp3
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