Question: Why is Rādhā’s name not mentioned in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa? Answer: This is a big mystery. Śrīmad Bhāgavata is primarily a book about Śrī Kṛṣṇa. There is no other book that describes Kṛṣṇa-līlā in such detail. Out of 335 chapters, the Tenth Canto contains 90 chapters that are only about Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The Eleventh
The jīva is conditioned by avidyā, which has no beginning—anādi-avidyā-yuktasya puruṣasya (SB 11.22.10). There was never a time that the jīva was not under the influence of avidyā. The interesting fact is that like the conditioning of avidyā, the jīva also has vidyā without a beginning. Vidyā here means the awareness of being a conscious
According to modern science, the world is made of matter, which follows certain natural laws. One of the most important natural laws is the cause-and-effect relationship. A cause is that which must exist before the effect comes into existence. Causes are of two types, namely, the ingredient or material cause, upādāna kāraṇa, and the instrumental cause, nimitta
There is an important sūtra of Purva-mīmāṁsā (3.1.22): guṇānāṁ ca parārthatvāt asambandhaḥ samatvāt syāt. Its translation is very technical, so I will explain it in a simplified manner. The word guṇa here refers to objects and actions that are meant for the main yajña, which is referred to by the word para, primary. The sūtra is in relation to the action of the ādhāna (placing of fire) and pavamāna-havis (a type of offering for
Human beings are special because of their inner senses which have the ability to function in the past and future. Progress in humanity, material or spiritual, is due to these two capabilities. First, we have memory which enables us to learn from the past. Second, we have the power to imagine, which enables us to
I recently got an email from one of my students. He wrote, “I’m sitting here in a park, looking at the blue sky, and the following thoughts are running through my mind: Why am I working? I feel suffocated, living the same routine every day. Waking up in the morning, making breakfast, going to the
Every human being suffers from three types of misery: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, and ādhidaivika roga. The word ādhyātmika means that which is related to the ātmā. The word ātmā in Sanskrit has various meanings such as body, mind, senses, essence, nature, God, vitality, courage, character, self, intellect, and so on. However, in relation to ādhyātmika suffering, the
