Question: The tilaka that Vaiṣṇavas wear represents Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu’s lotus feet. Why does the Lord Himself wear it? Answer: This is Bhagavan’s nara-līlā. He plays as a human being, like Śrī Caitanya, who acted as a devotee. He puts it on so that you can follow His example. Question: But what about His forms

Question: What have our śāstras and ācāryas said about inter-caste marriage? Can we perform inter-caste marriage? Answer: First of all, “caste” is not the correct word. The proper word is varṇa, or jāti. According to smṛti, there are two types of inter-varṇa marriage – anuloma and pratiloma. Anuloma means an upper-varṇa man marrying a lower-varṇa

Question: Why do Mathurā and Vṛndāvana change with the seasons if they are eternal? If “eternal” means no change, then why does Kṛṣṇa grow after being born? Does this mean that He is not eternal? Answer:  He is eternal, His abode is eternal, and change in them is also eternal. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī explains that

Question: I have a question regarding bhakti-yoga and śaraṇāgati. In the Śrī-sampradāya, the bhakti-yoga and śaraṇāgati paths are separated. It is also said in Śrī-sampradāya that only brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas, not śūdras, can perform bhakti-yoga. Śrī-sampradāya similarly says that women are ineligible to perform bhakti-yoga. Śaraṇāgati is the only path through which everyone can

Question: What do we consider to be śāstra in our Gauḍīya sampradāya? An ācārya’s book is also śāstra, correct? Answer: For us, śāstra means bhakti–śāstra and anything that supports it and teaches it. The original source and core literature is the Bhāgavata. Then we have everything that is aligned with the message of the Bhāgavata, such

Question: Do traditional Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas and our Gauḍīya ācāryas accept dharma-śāstra such as Manu-smṛti? How can verses like Manu-smṛti 8.270–8.272 be justified? They deny a śūdra’s right to Vedic knowledge from a guru, as in these statements: “One should not teach him sacred duties, nor sacred vows” (Manu 4.806; Vasiṣṭha-smṛti 18.12). “One should not impart

Question: I am attracted to the philosophy of acintya-bheda-abheda and I regard Kṛṣṇa as my iṣṭa-deva. However, Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s interpretation of Bhagavad Gītā 16:19-20 bothers me because I cannot accept the idea that Kṛṣṇa keeps certain jīvās in constant suffering, devoid of any opportunity to attain Him. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura takes a different view. Is it necessary to accept that certain jīvās will