Author Archives: Vic DiCara / Vraja Kishor

KRISHNA: The Bright Black Master of Pleasure
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In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.7.26, Brahmājī introduces the avatāra named “Krishna.” It is an exceedingly deep and wondrous śloka, so I would like to avail myself of the honor and pleasure of discussing it to some extent with those of you who might chance to happen upon this page. bhūmeḥ suretara-varūtha-vimarditāyāḥ kleśa-vyayāya kalayā sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ jātaḥ kariṣyati janānupalakṣya-mārgaḥ karmāṇi cātma-mahimopanibandhanāni To erase […]

RE: “Q&A with Srila Acharyadeva on Raganuga Bhakti”
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First, I would like to honor His Holiness Hrdayananda Dasa Goswami for his jolly disposition and his determination to assist his glorious master to his very best ability – which is considerably better than my own. Since he has encouraged and helped me in the past, I will attempt to reciprocate in a humble way […]

Why is the Mantra the Way it is?
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By Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s gentle arrangement, I was asked to explain as best I could why the Hare Krishna mahāmantra is the way it is – why the words are ordered and patterned the way they are. I actually answered this question in Japanese, which must have been at least semi-comical for the native Japanese audience. […]

When God Leads a Political Revolution
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This is a translation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven, Śloka 22 Brahmā: When the hell bent government strayed from the moral path by controverting the philosophers who explained the spirit of the law, the Great Soul made them the oil in the sacrificial offering to fate. With his very sharp, terribly powerful axe, […]

Was Vāmana immoral?
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Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.7.17 presents an interesting conversation. There, Brahmā says that Vāmana claimed the entire world from Bali using three “deceptive steps” (tripada-cchalena). This is said in the third line of the śloka. The fourth line answers the anticipated question, “How can Viṣṇu’s avatāra, Vāmana, employ deceit, an immoral tactic?” The answer Brahmā submits is that it was not an […]

No Garlic?
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I believe that the details of the Vaishnava diet are not solely determined by the vegetarian principle of ahimsa (non-violence). The principles of ahimsa intersect with another set of principles, those of śaucam (cleanliness) to produce the various specific morays of the Vaishnava diet. The Vaishnava eats what s/he offers to Viṣṇu – and what […]

Why Didn’t Krishna Marry Radha?
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Q: Why did lord Krishna not marry Radha? To understand Radha correctly you need to somewhat understand the mysteries of “rasa” and “prema” – the ecstatic experience of spiritual love. Krishna and Radharani playfully married once, as children sometimes do. They did not really marry, however, because their love is more primal, profound, and unbounded than what […]

The word ātmā
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It’s such an interesting Sanskrit word, ātmā, used in so many fascinating ways  and worked into so many amazing compound phrases. Here’s one in particular that inspired this post as a part of the process of unraveling it. ātmātmany ātmanātmānam – SB 2.6.39 This compound phrase uses the word ātmā four times, with four different endings. (1) ātmā (2) […]

The Secret of Happiness
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Anyone can be happy in their life. It is the inalienable right of every living entity to be surrounded by unmitigated happiness. But practically no one realizes this right, because practically everyone looks for happiness in external objects and situations, or even if they look inward, they retain a selfish subjective viewpoint. Happiness is actually […]

A Few Words Related to “Falldowns” of “Swamis” and “Gurus”
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Everyone falls down. Gurus fall down, nobodies fall down. Men fall down, women fall down. Old people fall down, young people fall down. People who write books fall down, people who never say a single word fall down. People who practice rāgānugā-sādhana fall down, people who practice vaidhi-sādhana fall down. Brahmacaris fall down, grhasthas too, […]

To Dance in the Downpour of Devotion!
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My newest book is now available in print and Kindle editions! To Dance in the Downpour of Devotion A Summary Study of Mādhurya Kādambinī Exactly following Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakur’sMadhurya Kadambini, this book provides an inspirational and practical guide to each step along the road from ignorance to bliss. It vividly and enticingly describes each […]

How the Universe Became the Universe (Vedic Proto-Evolution)
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The Vedic view on primordial evolution (as for example expressed in Bhāgavata Purana, 2.5) is that time enters the material energy (which itself is a threefold energy reflecting the original threefold energy of Godhead). When time enters, things can proceed, things can evolve. The force driving the evolution is the svabhāva, which is the psychological disposition […]

Before the Universe was the Universe
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Viz. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.5.22 Time (kāla) is the primary catalyst activating the three qualities (guṇa) by permitting the progress of evolution. The psychological inclinations (svabhāva) of living beings can then stimulate evolutions (pariṇāma) within the three qualities, creating a primordial destiny (karma) for the universe, which can thus evolve into its primeval form (mahāt-tattva).

Without Hearing How Will You Chant
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We should all read Śrīmad Bhāgavatam more carefully. It is the foundation of our entire spiritual practice, for without hearing attentively and with an ear for detailed comprehension, how will we invest our consciousness into chanting? And without chanting attentively, how will we expect to make any advancement towards a transcendental goal? By winning a […]

Second Chapter, Second Canto – Finished
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To celebrate finishing the presentation of the Second Chapter of the Second Canto – here is an excerpt, one of my favorite śloka from this chapter 35 Parīkṣit: These yogīs you described, how do they love the All-Attractive? Śuka: They experience All-Attractive Hari by his qualities present within the core of all living beings. Parīkṣit: […]

A Little More About Chanting Hare Krishna
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In Bhajana Rahasya, Srimad Bhaktivinode Thakur explains the following verse from Sri Sanatana Goswami’s Haribhakti-vilasa: manah samharanam saucam maunam manträrtha-cintanam avyagratvam anirvedo japa – sampatti – hetavah The Thakur says that this instruction applies to both nama-japa and mantra-japa (a.k.a “gayatri”). The advice here is: “Take complete control of your thoughts, making them pure and silent. Contemplate the […]