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A story from the Ramayana that reflects the challenges and the growth we experience on our spiritual journey is the story of the great sage Vishwamitra. The Ramayana is primarily the journey of Lord Ram, but it also includes stories that describe how various characters in the Ramayana reached the positions they were in. I’ll…
The post The story of Vishvamitra – Obstacles on the spiritual path – Part 1 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
After that question and answer session, followed by Aarti, Maha Aarti, Jyotindra and the temple hall. So, it is our request to all of you that after the class and question and answer session, please proceed to the temple hall. We will have a Aarti over there and after that we will go for the…
The post Special Sunday Satsang Program by HG Chaitanya Charan Das appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
On the topic of relationships, there must be give and take, not just an imposition of authority and obedience. Let’s look at this dynamic through the lens of the Ramayana, focusing on the relationship between Ram and Lakshman. In Ayodhya, King Dasrath had four sons. Does anyone know who they were?Ram, Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughna.Excellent,…
The post Relationships flourish by sharing not by dominating – Rama Lakshmana interactions appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
In the Name of the Lord, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Let us take this wonderful opportunity to come together and listen to Prabhu’s enlightening discourse. Without further ado, let’s welcome him by chanting: Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna! Krishna Krishna! Hare Hare!Hare Rama! Hare Rama! Rama Rama! Hare Hare!. Thank you all for gathering…
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So, I have a very big ego. When I am writing on the board, I notice people often look away from me. I don’t like that. Maybe it’s true that I’m overly conscious of it. One devotee even joked with me, saying I must be doing a lot of neck exercises from all the glancing…
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Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Thank you for coming today evening. Am I audible to you? Can you hear me? Okay. Can you hear or difficult? Loud. Okay. Thank you. So, I’ll speak today on the topic of, winning the inner war. All of us have a war going inside us between the part of us…
The post How temptation attacks visibly and invisibly – Lessons from Indrajita’s attack on Rama-Lakshmana appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Hare Krishna!Am I audible to all of you?Okay, thank you. So, today I will speak on the topic, “From Darkness to Light.”Is it better now? Still not clear?You can come a little forward, if you’d like.Yeah, maybe a little ahead. If you can.Okay.Last time, I was sitting there, wasn’t I? You changed it?No, but how…
The post Hanuman in the cave Persevering in bhakti through pleasure and trouble appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Thank you so much for accepting the invitation for this interview. I feel very fortunate to have met you about 10 days ago in the UAE, where we had a wonderful class with you. I’d love to hear how you were introduced to Krishna Consciousness, Prabhuji, and how your journey has unfolded over the years….
The post Bhakti Sanga Interview With HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu Dec 2024 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Today, let’s discuss determination and why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. When we make resolutions, we often start with sincerity and earnestness. Yet, many times, we fail to stick to them. Why does this happen? The Bhagavad Gita explains that one of the key steps in self-realization is understanding the forces that act within…
The post New Year Resolutions and Three Kinds of Determination GEV appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Happy to be here with you today for the last session.In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I bow to you.Ram Ram Hare Hare Hare Krishna. Today, we’ll discuss a relatively lesser-known verse from Bhagavad Gita, 18.76. I chose this verse deliberately because it illustrates an important theme of the…
The post Gita key verses course 51 – Appreciating the Gita’s three conversations Gita 18.76 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Today, we come to the devotional conclusion of the Gita. I have titled this talk Love is the Ultimate Reality. In this session, we will discuss how Krishna’s loving heart is revealed in the final verses of the Gita. I will base my discussion on this verse, where Krishna speaks about four key points. First,…
The post Gita key verses course 50 – Love is the ultimate reality Gita 18.65 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
This discussion is going to be one of our concluding discussions on the Bhagavad Gita. We will have two more discussions after this. We will be discussing a topic that we have already hinted at in many ways, but we will address it directly for the first time: the search for oneness—where it is right…
The post Gita key verses course 49 – The Quest for Oneness – Where it is right and where it goes wrong? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Today, we will discuss an important concept from the Bhagavad Gita: Work as Worship—or as it is commonly expressed in Hindi, Karmahi Puja Hai. However, the Gita does not teach that “work is worship” in the literal sense but rather emphasizes work in the mood of worship. Let’s explore this idea in three parts, with…
The post Gita key verses course 48 – Can I be spiritual and still be ambitious? Can my work be my worship? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
So today we are discussing one of the key concepts in the Gita about the subtlety and the complexity by which the modes interact with each other. So I’ll talk about this based on 18.35 in the Bhagavad Gita, which talks about intelligence in the mode of ignorance. Krishna is speaking here that actually he…
The post 47 Why some people are knowledgeably ignorant or intelligently foolish appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Hare Krishna. Thank you for your patience today. We are discussing today one of the philosophically critical as well as somewhat confusing concepts of the Gita, that is the concept of doership, which we may often have heard: we are not the doers. Then the next question comes up: why are we held responsible if…
The post 46 If we are not the doers why are we held responsible – Gita 18.14 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Hare Krishna. Thank you very much for joining today for this discussion on the Bhagavad Gita. Today, we will be discussing one of the most important, yet often misunderstood or under-applied verses from the Gita, particularly in terms of how we conduct ourselves and our relationships with others. Applying this verse in our practical devotional…
The post 45 Speak to give peace of mind not a piece of your mind – Gita 17.15 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
So, today we discuss the 16th chapter, 24th verse, where we’ll be talking about the role of rules in spirituality.Three questions we’ll discuss: Is spirituality a matter of the heart? Why are there rules? And what if we can’t follow the rules?This is based on 16.24. Tasmad shastram pramanam te, karya akarya vyavasthitau, gyatva shastra…
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So today we will discuss the topic of the divine and the demoniac nature. This is Chapter 16 from the Bhagavad Gita. And what we’ll discuss is: are people basically good, and are some people innately bad? This is based on Gita 16.6. Krishna is speaking here that there are two kinds of living beings….
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Hare Krishna. Thank you very much for joining today. Today, we’ll be discussing one of the most commonly quoted verses from the Gita, 15.15. We’ll explore the topic of how to see God’s hand in our life, beginning with a philosophical perspective on God’s hand in material existence and then moving toward practical applications in…
The post 42 How to see God’s hand in our life – Gita 15.15 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Thank you all for joining today. We’re diving into one of the most vivid yet often misunderstood metaphors from the Bhagavad Gita: the metaphor of the upside-down tree. This unique imagery, found in the 15th chapter, serves as a profound representation of our material existence and its entanglements. Through this session, we’ll explore what this…
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Hare Krishna. Welcome to our session on the Gita ki verses. Today we’ll be discussing the topic of why is life so tough and if God loves us, why doesn’t he make our life easier? So this is based on a well-known verse from the Gita 8.15, which often strikes people as pessimistic. Maa mupetya…
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Hare Krishna. So today we continue our discussion on the Bhagavad Gita. We’ll be discussing the seventh chapter, 24th text, and the topic we’ll be discussing is: Is the ultimate reality personal or impersonal? A quick overview of what we have discussed in the previous sessions: in the last session, we discussed different Gods. The…
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The Concept of Many Gods in the Vedic Tradition Thank you for joining today’s discussion. We’re going to explore a concept that has often been misunderstood and debated—the idea of multiple Gods within the Vedic tradition. Specifically, we’ll address the question: why are there so many Gods in Indian tradition, and what does this mean…
The post Gita key verses course 26 – Isn’t one God enough? Does the Gita teach polytheism? – Gita 07.21 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
So today, we are discussing the 7th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, specifically the topic of prayer. Does God hear our prayers? And when our prayers go unanswered, what can we do? I’ll discuss this based on verse 7.19 of the Bhagavad Gita. Before we get to that verse, let’s quickly review where we are…
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Topic Introduction: The Bhagavad Gita’s Teachings on Sex and Spirituality Thank you all for joining today. In this session of our continued Bhagavad Gita course, we’ll delve into a very relevant and insightful topic that the Gita addresses. The seventh chapter, titled “Knowledge of the Absolute,” offers deep wisdom on issues that are central to…
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Hare Krishna,Today we will discuss two questions: Can a rational person be spiritual, and how can science and spirituality go together? At first, this topic might seem very basic. When we talk about subjects like the existence of the soul and God, they are often introduced in the early stages of spiritual courses, like those…
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So, today, welcome to this Gita discussion, and we are discussing the prospects of growth in spiritual life and the challenges in that growth. This is specifically one question: what happens if I am not spiritual enough by the time I die? We will discuss this based on 6.40 in the Bhagavad Gita. So, Partha,…
The post Gita key verses course 22- What if I am not spiritual enough at the time of death? – Gita 6.40 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Oh, my God. Thank you very much for joining today. Today, we’ll be continuing our discussion on the Bhagavad Gita. I believe the PowerPoint has already been shared with you, so we’ll be focusing on the third chapter today, specifically the 36th verse, which addresses an important and relevant theme for us. We will be…
The post 10 Do I have inner demons? How can I slay them? – Gita 03.36 Gita Verse appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
So, I’m sharing the screen now, and we’ll start. This is our 7th session, actually the 9th session. We are on verse 3.9, which we’ll be discussing. We’ll be introducing the concept of sacrifice, specifically the sacrifice in the form of yajna. To trace back, basically, what we are doing in this course is that…
The post 9 What is sacrifice? Is it a ritual? Are rituals needed? – Gita 3.9 Gita Key Verse appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
So grateful to be here among all of you today, and I’ll be speaking on the topic of happiness. What is happiness, and why is it so elusive? We discuss this based on verse 255 in the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna is describing the characteristics of one who is enlightened. Prajayata, Kaman sarvan partamano, ganaan atmanyavadmanan….
The post 8 What is happiness? Why is it so elusive? – Gita 2.55 Gita Key Verse appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
So here we are now discussing the concept of destiny. What happened here? Okay, I was talking about how the Bhagavad Gita’s message can be applied till now. We discussed that this verse has four propositions within it. These four propositions are as follows: Adhikar means rights. The idea of rights is not just a…
The post 7 What is destiny? Is everything destined? – Gita 2.47 Gita Key Verse appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
So, today we are continuing our session on the Bhagavad Gita, and we are having the sixth session now.In this session, till now, we have been discussing how the Bhagavad Gita’s thought flow progresses and how we are taking the concepts accordingly.First, we talked about the concept of Dharma, then we talked about the concept…
The post 6 Do animals have souls? Are humans just evolved animals? – Gita 2.30 Gita Key Verse appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Hare Krishna, so today we continue our discussion on the Bhagavad Gita. Today I’ll be discussing the topic of how we can understand the nature of spirituality. I’ll be sharing a PowerPoint now, and if at any time the PowerPoint is not visible while I’m speaking, please let me know through a message, and I…
The post 5 What is Spirituality? Is it a state of mind? – Gita 02.29 Gita Key Verse appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
So, welcome back to our Bhagavad Gita course, and today we will be discussing one practical application of the understanding that we are not the body, that we are the soul.There are multiple aspects to this understanding, and an important aspect here is how it helps us deal with various life events. For example, whenever…
The post 4 Dealing with grief on losing a loved one – Gita 02.25Gita Key Verse appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
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Oh, my God. Thank you very much for joining today. Today, we’ll be continuing our discussion on the Bhagavad Gita. I believe the PowerPoint has already been shared with you, so we’ll be focusing on the third chapter today, specifically the 36th verse, which addresses an important and relevant theme for us. We will be…
The post Gita key verses course 10 – Do I have inner demons? How can I slay them? – Gita 03.36 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
What is the mind, what is mindfulness, and how can we be more mindful?These three questions we will address, and we will address them as the three parts of this talk.So, let’s begin with verse 6.5, it’s on the next slide:uddharedhātmanātmānam nātmānam avasādayet, ātmaiva yātmano vandhur ātmaiva ripurātmanahā.So, uddharedhātmanātmānam, Krishna is saying here, elevate yourself….
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Our topic is why religious people sometimes are sectarian and it is better to be spiritual, not religious. So, we will discuss based on 5.18 in the Bhagavad Gita. That is our next slide. That is: Samadarshinaha. Samadarshinaha is to see equally. And Panditaha. What happens over here is the wise people, the Panditas, they…
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So, today we discuss 4.34 in the Bhagavad Gita. The topic will be about the spiritual master, the Guru. And here we will be focusing on 4.34 in the Gita.Tadviddhi pranipaten pariprasnena sevaya upadekshanti te jnaninastatvadarshinahaSo, Tadviddhi pranipaten. Krishna is telling us to know that truth, pranipaten. Go and approach the spiritual master. Tadviddhi pranipaten…
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So, today we discuss 4.34 in the Bhagavad Gita. The topic will be about the spiritual master, the Guru. And here we will be focusing on 4.34 in the Gita.Tadviddhi pranipaten pariprasnena sevaya upadekshanti te jnaninastatvadarshinahaSo, Tadviddhi pranipaten. Krishna is telling us to know that truth, pranipaten. Go and approach the spiritual master. Tadviddhi pranipaten…
The post Gita key verses course 15 – Do I need a guru? How can I find my guru? Gita 4.34 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.