From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 1: A Bromance with Bhagavan December 20, 2022

Questions on today’s Swami call:

How to maintain one’s sadhana in turbulent times?

Does the vow taken at initiation to not take intoxication extend beyond the obvious intoxicants like drugs and alcohol to other things that may be intoxicating such as social media or tv-series?

What is the Gaudiya Vaishnava view of Lord Jagannatha? Is his form representing a moment of ecstasy or a permanent reality in the spiritual world?

Can you elaborate on the term “braindead bhakti” as it relates to trusting one’s heart and the heart of one’s guru?

Swami B. V. Tripurari — December 11, 2022 — Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Tirobhava

Questions on today’s Swami call:

How are we to understand the statements from scripture that say the jiva is one with Brahman?

Sometimes, it appears that the experiences of the saint Mirabai are downplayed by representatives of our tradition. As Sri Krishna has all rights reserved, is he not free to reciprocate with Mirabai in the way she approached him?

If we have more enthusiasm for kirtana than for japa, how can we bring that enthusiasm with us when we engage with in japa?

Can one replace japa with kirtana?

Do you call yourself a sanatani (a follower of sanatana dharma)?

Questions of today’s Swami call:

The wives of the brahmanas in Krishna-lila are said to have been sadhakas. Are there other instances of Vraja Krishna interacting with sadhakas?

Some people say that guru and Sri Krishna speak to us through sastra. As the mind is fickle, how can we know whether we are hearing guru or Krishna speaking through sastra and not just finding what we want to be true?

Is it possible to just let go of our karmic baggage without engaging in spiritual bypassing?

Was it that Srila Rupa Goswami defined sraddha as faith in the meaning of sastra and then Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura unpacked the definition?

Questions on today’s Swami call:

It may be confusing for people to hear that the Bhagavad-gita was spoken on a battlefield and that Sri Krishna told Arjuna to kill. This may sound like jihad or parallels may be drawn to people who claim that God told them to kill someone. Can you explain this?

It is very discouraging to me to hear that Dhruva Maharaja only saw the Lord once. If it is so hard even for pure devotees to get a vision of the Lord, what to speak of us? Can you offer any consolation?

Who was it that said, “Don’t try to see Sri Krishna. Try to act in such a way that Krishna would like to see you”?

Who was it that said, “Repeated experience does not constitute realization”?

In the Brahma-vaivarta Purana it is said thet Tulasi-devi came to this world due to being cursed in the spiritual world. This is confusing to me. Can you explain?

Can you say something about the possible pitfalls of attempting to become a saragrahi vaishnava? It appears that one may forget the essence in the process of giving up the externals.

Did there use to be a daiva-varnashrama system in India that gradually degraded to the caste system of today?

Have you written on Srila JIva Goswami’s Sandarbhas other than the Tattva-Sandarbha?

Questions on today’s Swami call:

Is it good to encourage children to chant japa, or is it better for them to wait until they are mature enough to understand the deeper meaning of the practice?

Who was it that first said there are no hard and fast rules to chanting the holy names of Sri Krishna?

The statements about the holy name speaking of its extraordinary power, as shown by the transformation of persons like Valmiki and Ajamila, seem contradictory to the warnings about the ten offenses, etc. There seems to be mixed messages. Can you comment on this?

What did Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura mean when he said we can find sakhya-rasa in Christianity?

When Christians say “Holy Father”, could this be seen as a reversed form of vatsalya-rasa?

A nondualist asked me for advice on spiritual practice. He is not interested in a personal manifestation of divinity yet. Is there something you think I can tell him to create a bridge from nondualism to personalism?

How can someone be influenced by bhakti if they haven’t first gone through the paths of karma and jnana?

Questions on today’s Swami call:

Can you clarify what it means when Sri Krishna’s associates expand along with him from one lila to another, such as from Vrindavana to Dvaraka?

Bharata Maharaja was reborn as a deer for becoming attached to a fawn he was taking care of after its mother died. How are we to understand this story in light of the teaching that our practice should soften our heart?

Sastra says that Krishna is our dear friend. But in each individual case, there is or was a time before we realize/d this. I’m interested in this point where a devotee realizes Krishna to be a dear friend. Would you like to share your personal story?

Why did Krishna speak karma-mimamsa philosophy in the Govardhana-lila?

When the relative does not align with the absolute, we need to side with the absolute.

Q&A: First Day of Kartika-Vrata 2022 October 9, 2022

Questions on today’s Swami call:

3 min

Sometimes the guru’s behavior may seem awkward, but at the same time it can’t be expected of the guru to conform to every disciple’s sensibilities. Instead, the disciple is expected to accept the guru as he or she is. At the same time, there are extreme examples of people who are supposed to be gurus but behave very badly. Considering all of this, how do we harmonize the absolute and relative aspects of the guru?

34 min

How can I overcome the fear I feel when I’m surrounded by materialistic people?

43 min

What is a tamasic person like?

52 min

Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that the soul has no birth. We also hear that a perfected sadhaka takes birth in the prakata-lila. How can we reconcile these teachings?

59 min

How to deal with the pressure of one’s family’s expectations, knowing what they want is only in relation to our temporary dharma?