Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Is%20our%20free%20will%20infinite%2C%20just%20the%20facility%20to%20fulfill%20it%20is%20finite.mp3
The post Is our free will infinite, just the facility to fulfill…
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/If%20my%20chanting%20remains%20inattentive%20despite%20my%20best%20effort%2C%20am%20I%20being%20offensive.mp3
The post If my chanting remains inattentive despite m…
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Can%20those%20who%20have%20more%20material%20desires%20not%20come%20in%20Krishna%27s%20gravity%20pull.mp3
The post Can those who have more material desires not come in Krishna’s gravity pull? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/If%20we%20feel%20that%20Krishna%20is%20not%20reciprocating%2C%20should%20we%20intensify%20our%20devotion.mp3
The post If we feel that Krishna is not reciprocating,…
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Stories%20about%20Krishna%20remain%20the%20same%2C%20whereas%20new%20stories%20about%20fictional%20heroes%20keep%20coming%20up%20-%20how%20then%20are%20Krishna%20stories%20ever-new.mp3
The post Stories about Krishna remain the same, whereas new stories about fictional heroes keep coming up – how then are Krishna stories ever-new? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Material%20entertainment%20requires%20no%20thinking%2C%20spiritual%20entertainment%20requires%20deep%20thinking%20-%20are%20the%20two%20comparable.mp3
The post Material entertainment requires no thinking, spiritual entertainment requires deep thinking – are the two comparable? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Can%20unconscious%20people%20hear%20the%20holy%20name.mp3
The post Can unconscious people hear the holy name? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/To%20which%20level%20of%20reality%20are%20people%20with%20Alzheimer%27s%20escaping.mp3
The post To which level of reality are people with Alzheimer’s escaping? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Bhagavatam class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.13.26 at Alachua, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/How%20the%20fictional%20points%20to%20the%20spiritual.mp3
Podcast Summary
http:…
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2014.19%20Seeing%20that%20our%20actions%20are%20impelled%20by%20the%20modes%20inspires%20us%20to%20resist%20the%20…
The post Understanding Surrender – Meditation on Prabhupada’s prayer Markine Bhagavata Dharma?(06) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at Retreat in Breckenridge, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Understanding%20Surrender%20-%20Meditation%20on%20Prabhupada%27s%20prayer%20Markine%20Bhagavata%20Dharma%20-%206.mp3
PPT:
Understanding surrender meditation on prabhupada’s prayer markine bhagavata dharma from Chaitanya Charan
The post Understanding Surrender – Meditation on Prabhupada’s prayer Markine Bhagavata Dharma – 6 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/QA%20on%20dealing%20with%20material%20desires%2C%20excessive%20workload%2C%20inattentiveness%20in%20chanting%20and%20other%20bhakti%20principles….
[Bhagavatam class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.15 at ISKCON, Denver, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Understanding%20the%20spiritual%20world%2C%20the%20power%20of%20bhakti%20and%20Narottama%20Das%20Thakura%27s%20contribution%20to%20the%20bhakti%20tradition.mp3
Podcast Summary
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Understanding%20the%20spiritual%20world%2C%20the%20power%20of%20bhakti%20and%20Narottama%20Das%20Thakura%27s%20contribution%20to%20the%20bhakti%20tradition.mp3
The post Understanding the spiritual world, the power of bhakti and Narottama Das Thakura’s contribution to the bhakti tradition appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2014.18%20Goodness%20leads%20to%20elevation%2C%20passion%20to%20stagnation%2C%20ignorance%20to%20degradation.mp3
…
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/What%20is%20the%20difference%20between%20believing%20a%20half-man%20half-lion%20and%20believing%20a%20half-man%20half-spider.mp3
The post What is the difference be…
[Talk at Retreat in Breckenridge, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Science%20Spirituality%20%26%20Self-Improvement.mp3
The post Understanding Surrender – Meditation on Prabhupada’s prayer Markine Bhagavata Dharma – 5 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at Retreat in Breckenridge, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Understanding%20Surrender%20-%20Meditation%20on%20Prabhupada%27s%20prayer%20Markine%20Bhagavata%20Dharma%20-%204.mp3
The post Understanding Surrender – Meditation on Prabhupada’s prayer Markine Bhagavata Dharma – 4 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at Retreat in Breckenridge, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Understanding%20Surrender%20-%20Meditation%20on%20Prabhupada%27s%20prayer%20Markine%20Bhagavata%20Dharma%20-%203.mp3
The post Understanding Surrender – Meditation on Prabhupada’s prayer Markine Bhagavata Dharma – 3 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at Retreat in Breckenridge, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Understanding%20Surrender%20-%20Meditation%20on%20Prabhupada%27s%20prayer%20Markine%20Bhagavata%20Dharma%20-%202.mp3
The post Understanding Surrender – Meditation on Prabhupada’s prayer Markine Bhagavata Dharma – 2 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at Retreat in Breckenridge, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Understanding%20Surrender%20-%20Meditation%20on%20Prabhupada%27s%20prayer%20Markine%20Bhagavata%20Dharma%20-%201.mp3
The post Understanding Surrender – Meditation on Prabhupada’s prayer Markine Bhagavata Dharma – 1 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2014.17%20Different%20modes%20foster%20different%20emotions%2C%20dispositions%20and%20destinations.mp3
The post G…
khalvāṭo divaseśvarasya kiraṇaiḥ santāpite mastake
vāñchan deśam anātapaṁ vidhi-vaśāt tālasya mūlaṁ gataḥ
tatrāpy asya mahāphalena patatā bhagnaṁ sa-śabdaṁ śiraḥ
prāyo gacchati yatra bhāgya-rahitas tatraiva yānty āpadaḥ
khalvāṭaḥ — a bald man; divaseśvarasya — of the sun; kiraṇaiḥ — by the rays; santāpite — on experiencing burning; mastake — of the head; vāñchan — desiring; deśam — some place; anātapam — free from heat; vidhi-vaśāt — out of his fate; tālasya — of a palm-tree; mūlam — under; gataḥ — went; tatrāpi — there too; asya — his; mahāphalena — by a big coconut; patatā — by falling; bhagnam — cracked open; sa-śabdam — with a great sound; śiraḥ — head; prāyaḥ — usually; gacchati — goes; yatra — wherever; bhāgya-rahitaḥ — an unfortunate person; tatraiva — there too; yānti — arrive; āpadaḥ — his destined suffering;
“A bald man’s head was burning by the strong rays of the sun. He decided to find some relief from the heat, and by the arrangements of providence he found shelter under a palm-tree. Even after finding relief with such great difficulty, a coconut fell on him, breaking open his head with a loud cracking noise. Truly, wherever an ill-fated person goes, his misfortunes follow him.”
— (Nīti-śataka of Bhartṛhari, Verse 90)
We sometimes go through phases of bad fortune when things keep going wrong, one after another. Whatever we do to set things right only makes them worse. Gita wisdom helps us understand that such phases deliver us concentrated doses of reactions to our past karma. To navigate such phases, or even to just survive them, we need patience and tolerance. Kneejerk reactions can cause aggravation, even devastation.
Does this mean that we fatalistically do nothing to solve problems? No, the Vedic tradition wasn’t fatalistic. For example, it didn’t ask the sick to just live with their pain; it treated them with a sophisticated branch of medical knowledge, Ayurveda.
Still, spiritual traditions the world over have been realistic enough to recognize that sometimes, despite our best efforts, nothing works. Such times call for not frantic action, but philosophical contemplation. To become contemplative, we need the capacity to tolerate distress – intolerance keeps us agitated, rushing from one apparent solution to another.
Unfortunately, our capacity to tolerate distress is eroded by modern thought. Most contemporary thought-systems operate on the foundational ideology of self-determination, which holds that we alone are the makers of our destiny. By our intelligence and efforts, we can stave off everything undesirable and attain everything desirable. Or so we are taught to believe. The notion that we are the controllers of our life is so central to our worldview that we define our success and even our self-worth in terms of our capacity to mold our circumstances to our will. Given such self-conceptions, uncontrollable situations don’t just frustrate us – they shatter us. No wonder mental health problems have risen with the spread of modernity.
If we wish to respond to difficulties intelligently, not impulsively, we need to challenge our debilitating beliefs about controllership. Gita wisdom offers a better understanding of our […]
The post Tolerating phases of bad fortune appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2014.16%20Piety%20purifies%2C%20craving%20torments%20and%20intoxication%20stupefies.mp3
The post Gita 14.16 Piety…
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2014.15%20The%20modes%20are%20not%20just%20psychological%20constructs%2C%20they%20are%20also%20post-mortem%20desti…
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Should%20medicines%20be%20used%20to%20treat%20depression.mp3
The post Should medicines be used to treat depression? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/If%20negative%20events%20cause%20a%20panic%20attack%2C%20what%20can%20we%20do.mp3
The post If negative events cause a panic attack, what can we do? appeared first …
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Our%20survival%20instinct%20tells%20us%20to%20avoid%20pain%2C%20whereas%20austerity%20means%20to%20accept%20pain%20-%20how%20to%20decide%20what%20to%20do.mp3
The post Our survival instinct tells us to avoid pain, whereas austerity means to accept pain – how to decide what to do? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Should%20we%20be%20simply%20attached%20to%20the%20principle%20of%20service%20or%20to%20specific%20services%20according%20to%20our%20nature.mp3
The post Should we b…
[Reflection at Krishna House, Gainesville, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Ramayana%20reflections%20-%20Maricha%20represents%20worship%20in%20fear.mp3
The post Ramayana reflections – Maricha represents worship in fear appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Bhagavatam class at Bhakti House, Jacksonville, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Damodara%20lila%20analysis%20-%20Going%20beyond%20cultural%20conceptions%20to%20spiritual%20revelation.mp3
Podcast Summary
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Damodara%20lila%20analysis%20-%20Going%20beyond%20cultural%20conceptions%20to%20spiritual%20revelation.mp3
The post Damodara lila analysis – Going beyond cultural conceptions to spiritual revelation appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Bhakti Shastri Class at Krishna House, Gainesville, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/How%20our%20vision%20alters%20our%20perception%20-%20Gita%20study%2001.24-36.mp3
Video:
The post How our vision alters our perception – Gita study 01.24-36 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at North Florida University]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Overcoming%20negative%20emotions%202%20-%20Depression.mp3
Podcast Summary
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Overcoming%20negative%20emotions%202%20-%20Depression.mp3
Video:
The post Overcoming negative emotions 2 – Depression appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Bhagavatam class on 1.2.28-29 at Krishna House, Gainesville, USA]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Is%20Krishna-bhakti%20universal%20when%20it%20is%20so%20specific.mp3
Podcast …
Audio Podcast :
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/Srila%20Prabhupada%20life-story/Prabhupada%20life-story%2008%20-%20Journey%20on%20Jaladuta%20-%20Physically%20demanding,%20Divinely%20revealing.mp3
Video :
The post Prabhupada life-story 08 – Journey on Jaladuta – Physically demanding, Divinely revealing appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2014.14%20A%20disposition%20of%20knowledge%20and%20purity%20elevates%20to%20the%20destination%20of%20the%20knowled…
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2014.13%20The%20mode%20of%20ignorance%20block%20us%20in%20both%20contemplation%20and%20action.mp3
The post Gita 1…
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2014.12%20Desires%20that%20drive%20us%20with%20the%20lure%20of%20pleasure%20are%20insatiable.mp3
The post Gita 14…
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/How%20can%20we%20deal%20with%20gossipy%20or%20critical%20family%20members.mp3
The post How can we deal with gossipy or critical family members? appeared first on T…
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/What%20is%20the%20difference%20between%20greed%20and%20ambition.mp3
The post What is the difference between greed and ambition? appeared first on The Spiritual Sci…