Question: What is the factual punishment for meat eaters in Kaliyuga? The reason for our question is that in some cases it appears to us that a meat-eating materialist has got a much better character than a vegetarian materialist, e.g. in terms of helping others, being charitably disposed, loving to all human beings, being tolerant
Question: Having, recently, read Rajiv Malhotra’s Being Different and your excellent, soon be published, commentary to Bhagavat Sandharba I have come to realize that there are some pitfalls for western people approaching Indian thought, including Gaudiya siddhanta, which can lead to gross and subtle misunderstanding of key concepts in Indian schools of philosophy. In your
Mercy Question: What is mercy? Answer: That which fixes your mind on Krishna. In other words, that which makes you a devotee. Question: What is the difference between devotee’s mercy and Krsna’s mercy? Answer: No difference. Question: What is a “pure” Vaishnava? Answer: Who has no material desires. Whose prime desire is to serve Krishna.
Question: In his tika on Ujjvala Nilamani 8.137 Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur appears to grade the prema of five groups of sakhis with the parama-prestha sakhis having the best prema for Radha Krsna. Both they and the priya-sakhis are said to have greater prema than the prema of the prana and nitya-sakhis (manjaris). How has the
Question: I am reading “The Yoga of Dejection” again. On page 153, when answering a question about varnasrama, you say: “Aptitudes can be ascertained by studying the genes of the students.” This doesn’t sit well with me as this is eugenics, which is something with which I cannot agree. Can you clarify what you mean
Question: Is there any difference between the happiness and distress caused by karma and the happiness and distress that are caused by the Lord’s mercy in terms of “sense” or the “taste” level of that experience? On the “cause and effect” level, you have already explained that non-devotees get happiness or distress according to their
Question: What are offenses? Answer: Offenses are the activities which are against devotion. We have a list of them. It is important to avoid them because they are detrimental to one’s progress in devotion. Question: Do the offences only affect the devotees or also non-devotees? Answer: Both devotees as well as non-devotees. Question: If non-devotees
