Question: In present times, other cultural literature is deemed as mythology by the general and intellectual masses. These include Hindu, Christian, Islamic, Greek, Roman, Japanese, Chinese, Norse, and other literature. While I would like to believe that Hindu philosophy is true, I wonder about other literature and cultures. There has to be one truth; consequently,
Recently I received a few emails from devotees, inquiring if my Gurudeva said that Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Ācarya could not grant mādhurya-bhāva or mañjarī-bhāva. It seems that one of my satīrthas (the Sanskrit word used for a person who has the same guru as oneself, commonly translated as “godbrother”) posted a conversation between
Question: Why are Bhīṣma and Droṇa on the side of the Kauravas? They are, after all, the good guys. Answer: The reply is given by Bhīṣma himself to Yudhiṣṭhira: arthasya puruṣo dāso dāsas tvartho na kasyacit iti satyaṁ mahārāja baddho ‘smyarthena kauravaiḥ O King, a person is the servant of wealth, but wealth is nobody’s servant. This
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
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,
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
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
