Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan

185 What are the modes? why is understanding them so important? – The Monk’s Podcast with Garuda Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 185 What are the modes, why is understanding them so important – The Monk s Podcast- Garuda Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 185 What are the modes Why is understanding them so important The Monk s Podcas…

When Satyavati had a child out of wedlock, why was Kunti’s having a child similarly so scandalous that she had to abandon that child?
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Chaitanya Charan · When Satyavati had a child out of wedlock, why was Kunti’s having a child similarly so scandalous?

What did Kaliya eat when his poison destroyed everything around him How did he have human-like wives?
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Chaitanya Charan · What did Kaliya eat when his poison destroyed everything around him How did he have human-like wives

If the Sita who had sweet interactions with Hanuman in Lanka was Maya-Sita, then were those interactions also Maya?
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Chaitanya Charan · IftheSitawhohadsweetinteractionswithHanumaninLankawasMaya-Sita,thenwerethoseinteractionsalsoMaya

184 Creativity:how to see it devotionally and use it effectively – The Monk’s Podcast with Yogesvara Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 184 Creativity how to see it devotionally and use it effectively The Monk’s Podcast-Yogesvara Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 184 Creativity how to see it devotionally&use it effectively The Monk’s Podcast-Y…

183 Gita Political Philosophy series 2 Capitalism Communism Dharma The Monk’s Podcast with Govinda Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 183 Gita&PoliticalPhilosophy series2 CapitalismCommunism&Dharma The Monk s Podcast Govinda P Summary
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Chaitanya Charan · 183 Gita&PoliticalPhilosophy series2 CapitalismCommunism&Dharma The M…

182 How to guide effectively – The Monk s Podcast with Radha Gopinath P and Shyamananda Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 182 How to guide effectively The Monk s Podcast 182 with Radha Gopinath P and Shyamananda P
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Chaitanya Charan · 182 How to guide effectively The Monk s Podcast 182 with Radha Gopinath P and Shyamananda P …

181 Challenges in implementing varnashrama – The Monk s Podcast 181 with Bhakti Vikas Maharaj
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Chaitanya Charan · 181 Challenges in implementing varnashrama, The Monk’s Podcast 181 with Bhakti Vikas Maharaj 5

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Chaitanya Charan · 181 Challenges In Implementing Varnashrama The Monk S Podcast 181 With Bhakti Vikas Maharaj Summary

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Is there anything spiritual about our nature or is it simply result of our past desires & karma according to which Krishna has given us our body & mind with their nature?
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Chaitanya Charan · Is There Anything Spiritual About Our Nature?

179 Varna and ashram roles of women: Impact of the Industrial Revolution The Monk’s Podcast Urmila Mataji
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Chaitanya Charan · 179 Varna & ashram roles of women: Impact of the Industrial Revolution, The Monk’s Podcast #Urmila M

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Chaitanya Charan · 179 Varna and ashramrolesofwomenImpactoftheIndustrialRevolution The Monks Podcast Urmila M summary

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180 – 8 universal teachings of the Bhagavad-gita (Gita Jayanti Special), The Monk’s Podcast Garuda Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 180 8 universal teachings of the Bhagavad-gita (Gita Jayanti Special), The Monk’s Podcast #Garuda P

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Chaitanya Charan · 180 universal teachings of the Bhagavad gita Gita Jayanti Special The Monks Podcast Garuda P summary

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178 Gita & political philosophy series 1: Freedom & State Power, The Monk’s Podcast with Govinda Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 178 Gita & political philosophy series 1: Freedom & State Power, The Monk’s Podcast 178 – Govinda P

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Chaitanya Charan · 178 Gita Political Philosophy Series 1 Freedom State Power The Monks Podcast 178-Govinda P Summary

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177 Ethics in epics: Decoding Bhishmas choices – The Monks Podcast with Shyamananda Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 177 Why did Bhishma not stand up against evil? The Monk’s Podcast with Shyamananda P

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Chaitanya Charan · 177 Why did Bhishma not stand up against evil? The Monk’s Podcast with Shyamananda P summary

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Is hearing devotees speak in confidence about their grievances with devotee-leaders a Vaishnava-apradha?
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Chaitanya Charan · Is hearing devotees speak in confidence about theirgrievances with devotee-leadersaVaishnava-apradha

How can we deal with our past mistakes, especially if some devotees bring up those mistakes repeatedly?
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Chaitanya Charan · How can we deal with our past mistakes,especially if some devotees bringup those mistakes repeatedly

How can we pass on inheritance to our children in a way that they won’t misuse by acting in the lower modes?
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Chaitanya Charan · How can we pass on inheritance to our children that they won’t misuse by acting in the lower modes?

Appreciating Radhanatha Maharajas holistic faithfulness to the Gaudiya tradition including to the flexibility of the tradition
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Chaitanya Charan · Appreciating Radhanatha Maharajas Holistic Faithfulness & flexibility To The Gaudiya Tradition
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How Gaudiya Vaishnavism can inspire eco-friendly living, The Monk’s Podcast 176 with Radhika Raman Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 176 The Monk’s Podcast, How Gaudiya Vaishnavism can inspire eco-friendly living – Radhika Raman P

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Chaitanya Charan · 176 The Monk’s Podcast, HowGaudiyaVaishnavism can inspireeco-friendlyliving – RadhikaRaman P summary

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Protecting dharma 2 Lessons from history guidelines for today – The Monks Podcast 175 with Govinda Prabhu
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Chaitanya Charan · 175 What is dharma and how can it be protected? part 2, The Monk’s Podcast 175 with Govinda P

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Chaitanya Charan · 175 The Monks Podcast Protecting dharma2Lessons from history guidelinesfortoday – Govinda Pr summary

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Why do you put an unlimited God into the small box of a particular scripture, group or practice?
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Chaitanya Charan · Why Do You Put An Unlimited God Into The Smallbox Of A Particular Scripture, Group Or Practice

Prabhupada — the transcendentalist who embodied the best of the traditionalist, the existentialist and the utopianist
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Prabhupada — the transcendentalist who integrated the best of the traditionalist, the existentialist and the utopianist
Traditionalists live for the past, existentialists live for the present, utopianists live for the future. Religious teachers are often presumed to be traditionalists, but Prabhupada was a transcendentalist: he lived for the supreme transcendental reality, Krishna. And in his service to Krishna, he drew the best from the past, focused on the best in the present and aspired for the best in the future. Let’s see how.

Transcendentalist beyond traditionalist

Traditionalists believe that the past was the reservoir of everything good and that turning back the clock is the only way to human flourishing. They spend much of their time, emotion, energy and intelligence in lamenting how dreadful the present is and in nostalgically reminiscing how wonderful the past was.
Prabhupada certainly held that we had much to learn from the past. In our contemporary infatuation with progress, we have cut ourselves off from the past’s treasure trove of enriching wisdom. Therefore, Prabhupada presented and represented the wisdom that had been prevalent in India in the past. But he didn’t consider that wisdom as belonging to the past; it was timeless and transcendental, having its source in the supreme transcendental reality, Krishna. Because he knew that the timeless is timely at all times, he didn’t feel the need to center his outreach efforts on turning back the clock.
Recognizing that many of the religious rituals and cultural customs of the past couldn’t be replicated in the present, he downplayed those mores of the past. Steering clear of a naive idolization of the past, Prabhupada judiciously selected from the past those things which would help people today to come closer to Krishna. He engaged his students in spiritual practices that were doable and transformational for them. In a similar spirit of not fighting unnecessarily against the flow of history, he didn’t insist on rejecting the many facilities provided by modernity, especially by modern technology. In fact, he went far beyond acknowledging the utility and even necessity of technology for daily living in today’s world; he even encouraged the use of technology for sharing spiritual wisdom more efficiently and extensively.
Striking an even grander note in that same vein, he envisioned his movement as a global synthesis of the East and the West. Speaking metaphorically, he talked about how two people — one blind and one lame — can help each other. The lame man can show the way to the blind man and the blind man can carry the lame man, and thus both can reach their destination. Unpacking the metaphor, he asserted that India was like the lame man and the West was like the blind man. The two needed to work together for raising human consciousness and promoting the world’s welfare. How is this metaphor relevant to our discussion on transcendental vis-a-vis traditional? Because through the metaphor, Prabhupada conveys that India today needs to join forces with the West, not change itself to the India of […]