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Question: In Bhakti Sandarbha, Anuccheda 238, Śrī Jīva suggests serving Vaiṣṇavas after seeking permission from one’s guru, otherwise such service may be faulty. He also suggests distancing oneself from one’s guru if he doesn’t allow association with genuine sādhus. In such a case, how does one reconcile the following points? It is impractical to ask
Sometimes, a wife may ask someone, “Please pray for my sick husband”. We don’t usually take the time to contemplate this kind of statement, or to understand what it really means, and instead, we just try to say or do something to pacify the distressed person. Depending on what kind of empathy we have, we
Question: Are there a precise number of souls at the beginning of creation, or do the souls multiply? Answer: Do you mean to ask, at the beginning of this particular creation? This is not the first creation but the latest one. Creation follows dissolution, and then it repeats. The cycle of creation and dissolution has
Question: Who are the ācāryas we take as final authorities to settle differing opinions? Answer: Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the propounder of our sampradāya. Therefore, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the ultimate authority. But He did not write any philosophical works, as is seen in the case of the propounders of other sampradāyas, such as Śrī Rāmānujācārya. However, he personally instructed
Question: I am of the opinion that politics and religion should be separate. One should not mix them while working for the government. Is it wrong to have such an opinion? Answer: Wrong from whose point of view? Politics is called rājanīti—the principles followed by a king for administering his kingdom. The king or ruler
Question: My understanding is that the commentaries to the Brahma-vimohana-līlā are used by the Gosvāmīs to show how Kṛṣṇa expands into Nārāyaṇa and other Viṣṇu forms. Apart from SB 1.3.28—kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, is this conclusion, that Kṛṣṇa is the source of all other Viṣṇu forms, based purely on Śrīmad Bhāgavata? My observations from the
