Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa
Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Shastra

Women and Lust

by Satyanarayana Dasa There are popular statements found in smṛtis and nīti sāśtra that women have eight times more kāma than men. For example:  strīṇāṁ aṣṭa-guṇā-kāmaḥ (Bṛhat-pārāśara-smṛti) kāmaśca aṣṭā-guṇaḥ smṛtaḥ (Garuḍa-purāṇa 1.109.33, Hitopadeśa 2.71) The word kāma in these statements is often thought of as sexual “lust,” giving the impression that śāstra considers women to

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa

Faith

by Satyanarayana Dasa Faith is a very important part of our character and our life. New Oxford American Dictionary defines it as, “Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” We cannot move an inch without faith. We have faith in the banks, or we would not deposit our money in them. We have faith in

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa

Charity Begins at Home

by Satyanarayana Dasa One peculiar phenomenon I have observed in Vrindavan is that many sadhus talk about changing the world. There are plenty of trusts, societies, and institutes here whose names contain words like, “world peace”, “international”, “universal love,’” etc. However, despite so many organizations and individuals, the level of peace or love in the

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa

External and Internal Uncleanliness

Dharma-śāstra gives a detailed description of situations that cause us to be aśuca (“unclean”). The death of a relative, birth or miscarriage of a child, menstruation or any bleeding, copulation, clipping the nails or hair, passing urine or stool, sneezing, spitting, and eating are examples of such situations that make us aśuca and therefore restricted

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa

I Am the Cause of my Problems

We tend to think that only poor people suffer, and incorrectly assume that the affluent do not. However, the fact is that everyone suffers, rich and poor, though we all suffer in different ways.  Poor people tend to suffer at a more physical, tangible level. The rich seem to be better off there, but they

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa

The Source of All Sources: Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Svayaṁ Bhagavān – II

The word tu in kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam distinguishes Kṛṣṇa from all the avatāras mentioned in the preceding verses, including all the aṁśas, vibhūtis, and even the Puruṣa Himself. According to Amara-koṣa, a noun followed by tu has no relation to anything that precedes it. Alternatively, the word tu implies restriction, in the sense of “only” or “exclusively.” The

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa

The Source of All Sources: Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Svayaṁ Bhagavān – I

By Satyanarayana Dasa Avatāra is a popular concept in Hinduism. It means that the Supreme Divinity descends into the cosmos and becomes visible to people in general. Viṣṇu is accepted as the Supreme God among the trinity of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva. Usually, it is Viṣnu who manifests as an avatāra. There are various forms of

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