General
General

Question the Question

I have been teaching for almost 35 years, although I do not have a penchant for it. What I like most is studying, not teaching. But teaching seems to be my karma. As soon as I began learning Sanskrit, I also began teaching it. It seemed that I was always being approached to teach something

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 Questions on Jīva-tattva

Question: If we have no inherent devotion, does it mean that we have no complete personality? What is a “person” in that case? Answer: Personality is understood to be the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual’s distinctive character. I am not sure what you mean by the qualifier “complete.” As human beings,

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Where Does the Drive for Happiness Come From?

Every living being, not just human beings, has a drive for happiness. It is a natural tendency from birth and is not something acquired by training. Whether someone is learned or illiterate, cultured or uncultured, rich or poor, theist or an atheist—everyone hankers to be happy.  The nonhumans such as birds, animals, and aquatics avoid

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Ultimate Authorities for the Gaudiya Sampradaya

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. Rather, he personally instructed

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Discrepancies Between Shastra and Science

Question: A devotee scholar explained that when śāstra clashes with pratyaksa, we should accept modern science when it comes to descriptions of Vedic cosmology, and not be literal fanatics of śāstra. I am confused by this. Why should we accept the arguments of NASA for the moon landing and the shape of the Earth as absolute truth? Answer: Yes, no need.

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The Gender of Sanskrita Nouns

Sanskrit nouns have genders. Sometimes, a noun may even have two or three genders. Every noun, whether used for a sentient being or an insentient object, has a gender. That means even objects such as water, table, chair, and so on have genders. It is important to know the gender of a noun because Sanskrit

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Feelings of Revenge and Controlling the Mind

Question: Is it OK to seek revenge? I have the tendency to want to get even with people. I am working on myself, but it’s a challenge. I try to justify my actions by referring to the Mahābhārata. When Draupadī was insulted in the assembly of the Kuru dynasty, Bhīma took a vow to avenge

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