Questions & Answers
Questions & Answers

God’s Compassion – Part 2

Question: Thank you for your reply. You have raised some interesting points. My understanding is that Jīva Gosvāmi ultimately admits that there is no harm in thinking that Bhagavān’s knowledge of material misery is an indirect cause of Bhagavān’s compassion. The direct cause is His compassionate affection toward His devotees, who do feel compassion for samsārins, desiring to give them bhakti. Thus

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Gaudiya Philosophy Philosophy Questions & Answers

God’s Compassion – Part 1

Question: I would like to discuss an apparent contradiction concerning the impassibility of God (the theological concept that God does not experience pain or pleasure in relation to material happiness or suffering of the living entities). As you know, Jīva Gosvāmi is firm on this point. God’s emotional life plays out under the influence of

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Questions & Answers

Intricacies of Kṛṣṇa–līlā

Identity of asuras Question: When the asuras take on a body in Kṛṣṇa’s līlā, is that body eternal, and if not how to understand that?  For example, Aghāsura or Pūtanā, who are his eternal associates, come as demons. Is this body their siddha svarūpa? Answer: Kṛṣṇa has two kinds of līlās, prakat and aprakat. When

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Questions & Answers

Qualification for Karma or Bhakti?

Question: I read in Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākur’s commentary on SB 6.2.10 that the Lord himself will cause the continuance of sin in order that other philosophies (karma-kāṇḍa etc.) will not be completely uprooted.  Can you please explain why the Lord does not want the karma-kāṇḍa scriptures to get destroyed even while causing the devotee to continue

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Questions & Answers

Why does God Create the World?

Question: Bhāgavat Sandarbha, anuccheda 49 states: “lokavat tu līlā-kaivalyam,” the Lord’s pastimes, without motive, are similar to actions in this world. (Brahma-sūtra 2.1.33) In this world a madman out of intense bliss dances without a particular motive. Similarly the Lord acts without motive. sṛstyādikaṁ harir naiva prayojanam apehsya tu I kurute kevalānandādyathā mattasyanartanam || pūrnānandasya tasyeha

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Questions & Answers

Short Questions and Answers

Preaching Question: Is preaching one purpose for Śrī Caitanya’s appearance? He ordered Śrī Nityānanda to beg people to chant Kṛṣṇa’s names from door to door and also asked him to stay in Bengal to do this. If the Gauḍīyas don’t do preaching, do they displease Mahāprabhu? If so, I wonder why Śrī Rūpa’s 64 aṅgas

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Questions & Answers

Eternal Associates of Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Question: Are all the 16000 queens of Dvārakā nitya-siddhas, like the eight prime queens of Kṛṣṇa? I’m curious to know if there are some sādhana-siddhas queens among them, too? Answer: All the queens of Krishna are nitya-siddhas. Question: It’s stated in the Rāmāyaṇa that Mahirāvaṇa kidnapped a nāga-kanyā named Chitrasenā and forcefully married her. When

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