Vedic Wisdom

​Why are atheists sometimes better behaved than religious people?

​Are specific forms of suffering such as being victimised by brutal crimes determined by past karma?

​Why have I got an autistic child?

​If we help someone and we both get into trouble, is such trouble due to past karma?

​Will purification enable us to make good choices always?

​Does the Hare Krishna mahamantra have specific times for chanting, as does the Gayatri mantra?

Does anger arise in the mind or in the soul?

Is Maya just a conception or is it an energy that captures us?

Can the soul be conscious of itself?

Were Prabhupada’s early followers the eternal associates of Lord Chaitanya?

​Are physical handicaps in this life the scars of sins from previous lives?

​Is our intelligence enough for making right choices or do we need Krishna’s mercy?

Does personality come from the brain or the mind?

​Is the mind living or dead?

​In what mood can we recite the later Shikshashtakam verses that describe exalted devotion?

​How do some people get the power to die at will?

​Does detachment from the body and mind come only after full spiritual realization?

​How is the soul’s consciousness transmitted at the liberated stage?

​What is the weight and the size of the soul?

​What does sarvatma snapanam in Shikshashtakam mean?

​Balancing renunciation with responsibility

​Growing in devotion through assimilation, application and appreciation

​Sometimes we say Krishna is acting and sometimes karma is acting – what is it really?

Why does Krishna send problems that take devotees away from him?

Why do devotees sometimes suffer and don’t get relief despite praying?

​How is the mind like a mirror?

​How could the Narayana sena agree to fight against Krishna?

​Separation from Krishna is like a yuga for the gopis but like twelve years for Lord Chaitanya – why the difference?

Do spiritual memories ever come automatically, as material memories do presently?

​Why should esoteric memories of spiritual experiences not be shared?

​Should we share our devotional memories when such memories are considered Krishna’s private gifts to us?

​After Uddhav sees the gopis’ exalted love for Krishna, why does he still speak about Krishna to them?

How is Krishna impartial if he offers kripa-siddhi to some and asks for sadhana from others?

Aren’t both sadhana-siddha and kripa-siddha ultimately dependent on kripa?

If we are never disqualified in bhakti, why did Lord Chaitanya reject Kala Krishnadas for just one mistake?

Is Krishna partial because he responds only those who call out?

Is praying for the removal of our material desires a selfish prayer?

​What is the difference between remorse and atonement?

When plants too have life, how is killing plants different from killing animals?

Religious tolerance, intolerance and transcendence – Reflections on Haridasa Thakura pastimes

Chanting is yuga dharma – does this mean it is recommended way, the best way or the only way?

Did the songs of Narottam Das Thakura and others not protect the popular Gaudiya tradition?

Did the Goswami’s books not help preserve the Gaudiya tradition after their departure?

What exactly is the false ego – where is it located?

How did the Gaudiya tradition become deviated by the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura?

Is the pronunciation of the mahamantra important or is intent alone important?

How important is initiation in the process of assimilating spiritual knowledge?

How do we understand that demons like Ravana were expert mantra chanters?

When we chant, does Krishna come from inside outside or from outside inside?

Are varnavada and sphotavada studied in academic circles?

In the light of Gita 2.47, how can we understand the Gita’s call to see action in inaction and action in inaction?

Why do we label the good inner side as the intelligence and the bad inner side as the mind?

Understanding how bhakti-rasa reclaims those who fall away

In Shikshashtakam 1, why does knowledge come after emotion?

Is the intelligence that takes us towards Krishna different from ordinary intelligence?

Radhashtami class – Appreciating the transcendence of the Radha-Krishna relationship

​Radhashtami class – When Krishna leaves the gopis and Radharani during rasa lila

What does self-mastery mean?

For knowing God, is there any basis other than the Bhagavad-gita?

Does change adopted because of frustration induce growth?

Can abuse of power occur in spiritual organisations?

​Science is based on curiosity to know – where does faith come in?

​Does Krishna accept service done passionately?

Should we feel guilty about some immoral desires that are unconnected with our waking desires?

​What is conscience – and what is the subconscious?

If we have to go against our family members to practice bhakti, is the inner bad feeling conscience or pseudo-conscience?

Do we experience higher spiritual states through the intelligence?

​Is cessation of misery not stable without bhakti?

​What is intuition?

Chanting frees us from suffering – is this a conceptualisation or an experience?

​What is the relationship between studying exalted devotional states and experiencing those states?

Does meditating on Krishna’s pastime while chanting comprise inattentive chanting?

Are the acharyas’ names also non-different from them?

If we are not doers, why are we held responsible for our actions?

Shikshashtakam 12 Text 8 Radharani manifests the highest summit of love

Shikshashtakam 11 Text 7 Treasure devotional memories to propel your devotion

Shikshashtakam 10 Text 6 Curb sentimentality but cherish sentiments

Shikshashtakam 9 Text 5 The subtle interplay of endeavor and grace in bhakti

Shikshashtakam 8 Text 4 Let your bhakti be Krishna-centered, not renunciation-centered

Shikshashtakam 7 Text 3 Tolerance means to call off our war with reality

Shikshashtakam 6 Text 3 Humility means to not let our ego interfere with our purpose

​Shikshashtakam 5 Text 2 The mysterious non-difference of Krishna and his holy name

​Shikshashtakam 4 Text 1 From the partial nectar to the complete nectar

​Shikshashtakam 3 Text 1 The flower metaphor for the blossoming of consciousness

Shikshashtakam 2 Text 1 The mind as a window, a TV screen and a mirror

Shikshashtakam 1 Overview and flow of the ashtakam

The point of this world is to point beyond this world

What does “our inner desires are not me” mean?

What is special about kala in the Gita not present in other books?

How to reconcile Gita bhogaishvarya prasaktanam and Bhagavatam akamah sarva kamo va?

How do we know everything when we know Krishna?

Are the material problems of a devotee solved automatically?

Can material problems have spiritual solutions or do they need material solutions?

Can wanting to know more about Krishna distract us from bhakti especially from chanting?

How to understand the contradictions between modern cosmology and Bhagavatam cosmology?

Is bhakti centered on commitment to Krishna or on attachment to him?

Does knowledge of Krishna’s supremacy come before sankhya study or after it?

​If the husband practices bhakti, does the wife automatically get the benefit even if she doesn’t practice?

​Where do our intuitions come from?

​If we are purpose-centered, aren’t we still self-centered?