Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan das

If Arjuna was superior to Karna, why does Bhagavatam say he was a small fish in an ocean of giant fishes?
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Answer Podcast

To know the meaning of challenge, know the challenge of meaning
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Materialists sometimes accuse spiritualists, “You are escapists – you run away from problems. You don’t even know the meaning of challenge.” The fact however is that it is the materialists who run away from the ultimate challenge: the challenge of meaning. The deepest thinkers throughout history have pondered the challenge of meaning, especially when confronted […]

Gita 01.01 – The transcendental manifests as the geographical
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95BxxbhAiDk
Lecture Podcast

Don’t let pseudo-hunger masquerade as hunger
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When we fuel our car, we expect the fuel to last for a particular distance. If we get a low fuel signal prematurely, we will check if the indicator is malfunctioning. We need to check similarly whenever we get an “I am hungry” signal between mealtimes. The hunger signal may be coming from not the […]

Was Prabhupada’s renunciation in the mode of passion as it was triggered by frustration with uncooperative family members?
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Answer Podcast

When devotees are frustrated with the problems of grihastha life, should they think of the renounced ashramas as the solution?
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Answer Podcast
Answer Highlight:
Changing ashrama is not the solution, gaining ashraya of the supreme ashraya-tattva Krishna is the solution
 

How do we reconcile the conflict of values in the Gita and the Chaitanya Charitamrita?
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Why does the Gita ask Arjuna to do administrative responsibility whereas Chaitanya Charitamrita ask the Goswamis to renounce similar responsibility?
Answer Podcast

Value Education and Spirituality 9 – Mahabharata 3 – Vidura – Be a forgiving not a forgetful friend
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Lecture Podcast

Accepting our limitations helps us see the light beyond limitations – SB 10.49.19
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Lecture Podcast Lecture Outline: Dhritarshatra never accepted the limitation caused by his congenital blindness. Hurt people hurt people. Just by being in a position we imagine that we have the qualification for it. It requires courage to aim for the impossible and it requires courage to admit that something is impossible. Don’t be so resentful about […]

In monozygotic twins where do the differences come from?
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From Subhash P In the example of monozygotic twins You have quoted if one is of cruel nature and one is of loving nature does this mean the soul of one has a cruel personality. Isn’t the cruelty due to Ajnana obscuring the pure soul as in chapter 5. Answer Podcast

Is the universal form in the Gita’s ninth chapter a conceptualization and the eleventh chapter, a revelation?
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From Revati Vallabha Prabhu
Answer Podcast

How is the world a lila of the Pursha avatara? Is it a virtual reality manufactured by him with chosable scripts for us?
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From Muralidhara Prabhu: I wonder how the realisation of this material world being a lila of Purusha Avatar will fit into the illusion concept. Can we say that the world is a Virtual Reality (the dream world of MahaVishnu) with the characters having the capacity to write their own script? Can we reconcile this to […]

When everything is in Prabhupada’s books, what is the need to read other books either by ISKCON devotees or previous acharyas?
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Answer Podcast

Does Prabhupada’s instruction ‘do as I have done’ mean there’s no need to innovate in preaching”
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Answer Podcast

Is the prayer to get a good spouse a material prayer?
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It is said that we should not pray to Krishna for material things, but what about those material things that are very important for our spiritual life such as getting a good spouse. Can we pray to Krishna for them?
Answer Podcast

The holy name’s potency is not meant to justify perpetuating our sinful mentality
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“The chanting of the holy name is so auspicious that it can free everyone from the reactions of sinful activities. One should not conclude that one may continue to sin with the intention of chanting Hare Krsna to neutralize the reactions. Rather, one should be very careful to be free from all sins and never […]

Sincerity is more important than procedure
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“But in everything we do, devotion and sincerity are the real things. There is a word in Sanskrit: bhava-grahi-janardana. This means the Lord accepts service in devotional emotion. If we are sincere in offering something to the Lord in devotional love, He will accept it. The procedure may not be very right, but the desire […]

Do not offend the holy name by knowingly committed sins
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“One who continues to act sinfully and tries to neutralize his sins by chanting the holy name of the Lord is a näma-aparädhé, an offender to the holy name”(SB 6.2.supplementary notes).   

The difference between karma and bhakti is in intention
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In Srila Prabhupada’s words, “What is the difference between bhakti and karma? Karma means you do something and whatever you do there is result. So you take the result also. Suppose you do some business. So the result is one million dollars profit. So you take it. And the result is one million dollars loss. […]

Lord Chaitanya’s world-inundating mercy
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“Lord Caitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men of India. Rather, His main objective was to emancipate all living entities of all countries throughout the entire universe and preach the Eternal Religion. Lord Caitanya says in the Caitanya-bhägavata: ‘In every town, country and village, My name will be sung.’ There is no […]

No sin in killing for self-defence
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“If a person comes with an intent to kill, one can immediately take action and kill in self-defense” (SB 5.9.17 purport).

Everyone who participates in wrongdoing is culpable
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“Not only the performer of the theft but also anyone who assists him, instigates the crime, or simply approves of it must also share the reaction in the next life. According to their degree of participation, they each must suffer a proportionate consequence” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.27.55).