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Gaudiya Vaishnavas General Questions & Answers Sadhana

Mahamantra and Diksha Mantras

Question: As practicing Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, we chant the Hare Krishna mahāmantra. Did Śrī Caitanya and His associates chant the Hare Krishna mantra? In Caitanya-caritāmṛta or other biographies of Śrī Caitanya, the mahāmantra is not mentioned as the mantra that was chanted. The mahāmantra is itself a legitimate mantra as per Kali-saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad, so I have

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Deity Installation, Varṇa and Jāti

Question: I have been doing some research on deity installations and the idea of invoking the Lord directly into the fire and came across this verse from  Bhakti Sandarbha, Volume 3, Text 11, which is referring to SB11.11.42-46 (where Kṛṣṇa described the worship of Himself in the following objects: sun, fire, brahmaṇa, cow, Vaiṣṇavas, sky,

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The Significance of Guru-pūrṇimā

Everyone is born in ignorance. Therefore, everyone is blind without a teacher to guide him. A mother is the first teacher of a child. The child learns from its mother by observing her and by hearing her instructions. Later when the child grows up, the guru becomes his or her second mother. The śāstra proclaims that a

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Science and Spirituality

The following is a conversation between Babaji and a devotee scientist Scientist: What is the difference between science and spirituality, and can these two ever agree? Babaji: Science and spirituality have different approaches. Science works to study matter and works to improve external instruments to probe matter. It does not have any intention to study

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Offenses at the Stage of Bhāva

Question: It seems that anyone who has doubts cannot completely believe in the words of śāstra. In SB 1.2.21 it is said that doubts are destroyed upon seeing Paramātmā at the jīvan-mukta stage. It follows that there must be doubts at the anartha nivrtti stage. How should I understand this? Answer: The doubt is not whether

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General Questions & Answers

The Purpose of the Law of Karma

Question: Karmic reactions are often compared with punishment by an authority. But the difference is that there is a clear cause / effect relation in the case of punishment, where the person who receives the punishment knows why they are being punished, and that it is meant to rectify him. In the case of karma,

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Academics, Different Readings

Question: As a student of Religious Studies, I notice that the general focus of scholars in this field is on context, society, institutions, power dynamics, etc. When they read the Gītā, they ask why it emerged based on society, who the author was, what the motive was etc. I feel it is a mistake to

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