Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan das

If our spiritual master is not easily accessible and other spiritual masters give time primarily to their disciples, how can we get inspiration?
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Why is devotee association sometimes more stressful and misunderstanding-prone than nondevotee association?
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Sometimes devotee association agitates us – then how can we feel sheltered by it?
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If an initiated devotee does something non-standard such as eating food cooked outside, will the spiritual master get the karma?
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T…

If we can’t follow certain standards while practically living in the world, how should we adjust?
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Interview with AsiaToday (Arizona based newspaper)
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Asia Today, an Arizona-based newspaper, interviewed Chaitanya Charan about his life and contributions, especially in sharing the Bhagavad-gita’s wisdom in today’s world. The interview is given below:
Asiatoday got an opportunity to meet a young travelling monk, Chaitanya Charan Das, from ISKCON aka Hare Krishna group. Chaitanya Charan Das is an acclaimed author, scholar, mentor, life coach, and monk. He has been an invited speaker at several international conferences on the interface of science and spirituality, including the World Peace Conference 2006 and World Peace Congress 2008 organized by UNESCO.  Based in India, he has given talks at colleges and companies all over the world from Australia to America. He was visiting phoenix as part of his North America tour this year.

Asia Today(AT): It is very nice to meet you. We have heard lot about you but want to know more about of your journey to spirituality.

Chaitanya Charan Das (CCD): Nice to be here with you. I was following a normal career chart and I did engineering and was planning to come to America. I gave my GRE in 1996 and I was first in the state of Maharasthra, India to get 2350 out of 2400 at that time. And at that time my dream was two things. One was I want to achieve something extraordinary and secondly to contribute something to society. But, my criteria for achievement were primarily on academic field. I wanted to be a topper and when I got high score in GRE, I was not the first in my college, but first in the history of my university to achieve this. So, I felt my dreams come true. But then unfortunately there was no real satisfaction. Because looking at the marksheet does not give any pleasure rather someone has to come and congratulate you then only you feel happiness. I felt that I am becoming more dependent on others for my happiness. That time I came across Bhagavad Gita (BG). which helped me to understand that the real happiness is found within through spiritual realization and I started following the principles of BG. I was positively transformed. I had a short temper that time but that also substantially went down. Before that time I was looking at BG more like a religious book or a philosophical book. But later I realized that BG can also be a book for self development and for self empowerment. Parallel with my studies, I was doing some social service in my college. And as part of that social service group, I used to go to the slum and teach slum children. I would teach them english, maths and history and I found them most of the kids came from dysfunctional home. like father is alcoholic or there is so much  of domestic abuse in the house. And I felt that I was really helping them substantially by teaching them maths, history etc. I was very much convinced about the power of education to help people. During that time, one of […]

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Are problems relative – they are big for one person, small for another?
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​Our material needs are like painkillers – necessary but not sufficient
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​Home program in Singapore

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If we work hard, doesn’t that hard work become the cause of our positive destiny?
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“The Holy Name is everything” – how to appreciate and apply this
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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Columbus, Ohio, USA]

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Why does the Gita consider karma-yoga better than jnana-yoga when jnana-yoga is higher in the yoga ladder?
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Transcriber: Keshavgopal Das

Question: Why does the Gita consider karma-yoga better than jnana-yoga when jnana-yoga is higher in the yoga ladder?

Answer: As per popular conception, action (karma) in this world is a source of bondage and disconnection (sannyasa) from this world is a source of liberation. This was the same paradigm based on which Arjuna’s question begin in the Gita. He thinks that if he fights the war, he will be bound. On the contrary, if he does not fight the war, he will be liberated. Krishna in the Gita challenges these fundamental conceptions. He says, “Yes, action leads to bondage and renunciation leads to liberation. But things are not so simple. Action, if done with renounced spirit, can also lead to liberation. Also, renunciation, if done without purification, can also lead to bondage. Spiritual growth is a matter of changing our intention.”
The whole principal of the yoga-ladder is based on gradual elevation of our intention.

Initially, the intention is, “I want to enjoy the world”. This is basically karma-kanda mindset. This intention then elevates to “I want to live in this world so that I do not suffer.” This is karma-yoga mindset. Next, the intention elevates to, “This world is a place of trouble, I want to stay away from the trouble, so let me stay away from this world.” These are jnana-yoga and ashtanga-yoga intentions.

Largely, all these yoga processes (karma, jnana, ashtanga) are “I” centric – whether I am enjoying, or staying away from trouble. Bhakti-yoga focusses on Krishna – How can I best serve Krishna? The mindset of a bhakti-yogi is – “If I can serve Krishna by acting in this world, I will act. If I can serve Krishna by renouncing this world, I will renounce.”
In the bhakti perspective, it is possible to have a person connected in this world having a purer intention to serve Krishna than a person who has renounced the world. The person who has renounced the world from material perspective is less entangled in this world. However, the person is still entangled in self-obsession (I do not want to suffer in this world). Therefore, Bhagavad-gita gives a normal hierarchy – action (karma) > renunciation (jnana, dhyana, ashtanga) > devotion (bhakti).

The normal hierarchy that has been talked in Bhagavad-gita is described from 18.47-55. In 18.47-48, Krishna talks about daivi-varnashrama (svakarmana tam abhyarcha, by your work worship him). Then from 18.49-53 Krishna talks about jnana-yoga, renouncing the world (sannyasam upashritaha). Then in 18.54-55, Krishna talks about those who have attained brahman realization (brahma bhuta prasannatma) will attain my bhakti (mad bhaktim labhate param). Therefore, the hierarchy is – karma > jnana > bhakti.

Then in 18.56, Krishna says, “You do not have to go through all this.” (sarva-karmany api sada kurvano mad-vyapashrayah – whatever level you are located at, you start practicing bhakti you will be liberated).

Therefore, one hierarchy is action>renunciation>devotion, but if the action itself is done with devotional intention, then the person is higher than the person who […]

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Was Ajamila’s calling out to Vishnu an utterance or a remembrance?
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What exactly is time – from yesterday to today what has changed?
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How can we inspire ourselves to chant when we don’t feel any immediate benefits?
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