Questions & Answers
Questions & Answers

Questions and Answers on Tilak, Gopis and Krishna’s Age

Question: It is said that all items of Krishna 's appearance, including His dress and ornaments, are parts of His sandhini shakti and are eternal. However, there are many different types of tilak of Krishna described in the Gosvamis' books - kumkum, chandan, gorocana or musk (kasturI tilakaM lalATa paTale).

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Questions & Answers

Miscellaneous Questions on Philosophy

Question: Bhakti doesn’t come by tapasya, but because of Grace and through association. It is yadrcchaya. However, according to Mahabharata, the bhakti to the Supreme Lord arises in the heart of an individual as a result of penances performed in the thousands of the previous birth. What is the reason for giving a different explanation

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Questions & Answers

Vaishnava Perspective on Organ Donation

Question: In my country organ donation will become compulsory. Therefore I would like to know the Vaishnava perspective on this.  Some say that one cannot get liberated if the entire body is not cremated or one becomes a ghost. Others say that it is an act of charity to donate organs and will create good

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Philosophy Questions & Answers

Karma, Samskaras and the Final Dissolution

Question: When Brahma’s life ends after 100 of his years or 311,040,000,000,000 earth years, this universe faces a final dissolution and all the living entities are destroyed along with the entire material creation. This material creation is absorbed back into the Lord. From what I understand,  the samskaras (which are the records or memories that drive

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Philosophy Questions & Answers

Qualities of the Jivas

Question: You seem to say that ananda is only in the svarupa-shakti. However the jiva shakti would not even be able to experience prakritic happiness if it did not have the potential to experience ananda. Consciousness and knowledge are the same thing. None of these things have any support in Sri Jiva from what I

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Philosophy Questions & Answers

Raganuga Bhakti not Inspired by Injunction

Question: I am confused about Jiva Goswami’s view of raganuga bhakti. It seems somewhat different from that of Rupa Goswami and Visvanatha Cakravartipad. In Bhakti Sandarbha Anuccheda 310 he quotes SB 2.1.7, prAyeNa munayo rajAn nivRtta vidhi-SedhataH | nairguNya-sthA ramante sma guNanukathane hareH which seems to indicate that raganuga is free from rules, while Visvanatha

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Philosophy Questions & Answers Vedic Literature

Sakama Karma in Sastra

Question: Can you name references in sastra to sakama [action based on the desire for sense enjoyment] Answer: The reference for sakama karma, usually called kamya karma, can be found in many places. The first is in Gita itself kamyanam karmana nyasam …. (18.2)  The other places are Gitabhusana commentary on Gita 2.31,2.40,2.41,2.45,2.49,18.7 etc., Sararthavarsini

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