Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan das

How can we share Krishna’s message purely, without the need for validation?
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Answer Podcast

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What India can offer to the World?
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This talk was given by His Grace Chaitanya Charan Das at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Chaitanya Charan Das – From spirituality to Yoga, from culture to technology, from number system to the World’s first University, India has already offered many valuable things to the world. Watch what now India can offer to the world. Chaitanya Charan is a monk, mentor and spiritual author. He has done his Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the Government College of Engineering, Pune. Seeing the prevalent problems of stress, depression, addiction and overall misdirection – all caused by a lack of spirituality – he felt inspired to dedicate his life to the cause of sharing the spiritual wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita under the aegis of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). He is the author of the world’s only Gita-daily feature, wherein he writes daily a 300-word inspirational reflection on a verse from the Bhagavad- Gita. Till now he has written over seventeen hundred Gita meditations that are posted on www.gitadaily.com and are read through daily feeds by thousands from all over the world. He also answers questions by seekers on his site www.thespiritualscientist.com , where his over three thousand five hundred audio answers and several hundred articles are available.

Video:

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Managing the voice inside the head – 1
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[Congregation program at Montreal, Canada]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/05-18%20classes/Managing%20the%20voice%20inside%20the%20head%20-%201.mp3

 

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/05-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20Managing%20the%20voice%20inside%20the%20head%20-%201.mp3

 

Video:

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Inner Change: Gita Daily Series Book 5
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Drawing from the timeless philosophical classic, the Bhagavad-gita, Inner Change features 121 thought-provoking, action-inspiring reflections on a wide gamut of human issues. Each reflection is encapsulated in an attractive title that doubles as a tangible carry-home message.

Managing the mind:
We are not our feelings – we are the feelers of our feelings
Cultivate a tender heart, but cover it with a thick skin

 

 

Growing through pain:
We can’t delete our memories, but we can choose what we remember
Focus not on letting go of things – focus on taking hold of your thoughts

Relationships:
In the war of egos, the winner is the bigger loser
We may be unloved, but we are never unlovable

Inner Change is your aid to a richer life, today and every day

 

You can get the Kindle edition of book at: Amazon.com

 

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Self-pity, humility and maturity explained – Bhagavad-gita 18.35
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[Congregation program at Calgary, Canada]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/Self-pity%2C%20humility%20and%20maturity%20explained%20-%20Bhagavad-gita%2018.35.mp3

 

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20Self-pity%2C%20humility%20and%20maturity%20explained%20-%20Bhagavad-gita%2018.35.mp3

 

Video:

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Krishna descends to establish dharma – what does that dharma refer to?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/04-18%20QA/Krishna%20descends%20to%20establish%20dharma%20-%20what%20does%20that%20dharma%20refer%20to.mp3

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Where do intuitions come from – are they related with instincts or impulses? (Vedic Wisdom)
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/03-18%20QA/Where%20do%20intuitions%20come%20from%20-%20are%20they%20related%20with%20instincts%20or%20impulses.mp3

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God as the Supreme therapist 7 – Understanding how Narasmiha gave strength to Prahlada
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[Narasimha Chaturdashi Bhagavatam class on 5.18.14 at ISKCON, Denver, USA, concluding part of 7-part series on Prahlada’s prayers to Narasimhadeva 5.8.8-14]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/God%20as%20the%20Supreme%20Therapist%20%207%20-%20Understanding%20how%20Narasmiha%20gave%20strength%20to%20Prahlada.mp3

 

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20God%20as%20the%20Supreme%20Therapist%20%207%20-%20Understanding%20how%20Narasmiha%20gave%20strength%20to%20Prahlada.mp3

 

Video:

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God as the supreme therapist 6 – Seek not the facility to do whatever we desire – seek the clarity to discern our deepest desire
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[Bhagavatam class on 5.18.13 at ISKCON, Denver, USA]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/God%20as%20the%20supreme%20therapist%206%20-%20Seek%20not%20the%20facility%20to%20do%20whatever%20we%20desire%20-%20seek%20the%20clarity%20to%20discern%20our%20deepest%20desire.mp3

 

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20God%20as%20the%20supreme%20therapist%206%20-%20Seek%20not%20the%20facility%20to%20do%20whatever%20we%20desire%20-%20seek%20the%20clarity%20to%20discern%20our%20deepest%20desire.mp3

 

Video:

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The way I feel is the way I feel – Accepting our emotions and transcending our emotions
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[Talk at Colorado State University, Denver, USA]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/The%20way%20I%20feel%20is%20the%20way%20I%20feel%20-%20Accepting%20our%20emotions%20and%20transcending%20our%20emotions.mp3

 

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20The%20way%20I%20feel%20is%20the%20way%20I%20feel%20-%20Accepting%20our%20emotions%20and%20transcending%20our%20emotions.mp3

 

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God as the supreme therapist 5 – Cultivating qualities is integral to cultivating devotion
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[Narasimha Chaturdashi series on Prahlada’s prayers to Narasimhadeva 5.8.8-14]
[Bhagavatam class on 5.8.12 at ISKCON, Denver, USA ]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/God%20as%20the%20supreme%20therapist%205%20-%20Cultivating%20qualities%20is%20integral%20to%20cultivating%20devotion.mp3

 

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/04-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20God%20as%20the%20supreme%20therapist%205%20-%20Cultivating%20qualities%20is%20integral%20to%20cultivating%20devotion.mp3

 

Video:

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Can we choose whichever path we prefer – karma, jnana or bhakti?
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Answer Podcast

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/03-18%20QA/Can%20we%20choose%20whichever%20path%20we%20prefer%20-%20karma%2C%20jnana%20or%20bhakti.mp3

 

Transcription :

Transcriber: Sharan Shetty

Edited by: Keshavopal Das

Question: Can we choose whichever path we prefer – karma, jnana or bhakti?

Answer: We all are at different levels in our spiritual evolution. The soul is evolving over many lifetimes and because we are at different levels, there are multiplicities of paths available for us. In the Gita, there is a summary description of all the paths – karma yoga, jnana yoga and bhakti yoga but at the same time, there is a clear recommendation of which path to follow. At the end of the Bhagavad Gita in 18.66, Lord Krishna says,

sarva-dharman parityajya maam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayishyami ma suchah
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”

Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya meaning give up all other varieties of religious paths and then maam ekam saranam – just follow the path of surrendering to me. Before this, Krishna talks something similar in 18.56, 18.57 and 18.58

Krishna speaks about the path of karma yoga in Gita 18.40 to 18.46 and then from 18.47 onwards to 18.53, he talks about jnana yoga. Then in 18.54 and 18.55, he talks about how from jnana yoga, one will rise higher and higher and will ultimately come to bhakti yoga. Therefore, Krishna talks about a progression – from karma yoga to jnana yoga and then bhakti yoga. But in Gita 18.56, he says,
sarva-karmany api sada kurvano mad-vyapasrayah
mat-prasadad avapnoti sasvatam padam avyayam
Krishna is saying this is a gradual way of attaining Me but there is another way. Whatever work you are doing, do it for Me because if you do it for Me, then by My Mercy, you will attain the supreme destination. Thus, Krishna recommends the path of bhakti yoga.

One misconception that we have is, if we are working in our job, we consider it karma yoga and if we are doing pooja in a temple, then it is bhakti yoga. This is a very simplistic understanding. Both karma yoga and bhakti yoga have one thing in common – both involve action. In karma yoga, the focus is primarily on detachment – one must not have selfish intentions, one must give up the fruits of action and cultivate selflessness. However, the important question is – what is the purpose of selflessness? That is to develop detachment from the world. Do not be entangled emotionally and do not be captivated. Bhakti yoga, however, focuses that the one work in this world not just with detachment (as in karma yoga) but with attachment to Krishna. This means that whatever work we are doing, we do it as an offering to Krishna as explained in Gita 9.27:

yat karosi yad asnasi yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurusva mad-arpanam
“Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, O son of Kunti, as an offering to Me.”

Generally, if we search for a particular path […]

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When distancing ourselves from our desires isn’t enough, what to do?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/03-18%20QA/When%20distancing%20ourselves%20from%20our%20desires%20isn%E2%80%99t%20enough%2C%20what%20to%20do.mp3

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