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Q. WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A PURE DEVOTEE ?
One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in de
Read more…Q. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRAHMAN, PARAMATMA AND BHAGAVAN ?
Kṛṣṇa and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are identical. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is referred to as Bhagavān throughout the Gītā. Bhagavān is the ultimate in the Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding, namely Brahm
Read more…VEDIC RITUALS AND FRUITIVE SACRIFICES.
In the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas it is said, apāma somam amṛtā abhūma and akṣayyaṁ ha vai cāturmāsya-yājinaḥ sukṛtaṁ bhavati. In other words, those who perform the four-month penances become eligible to drink the soma-rasa beverages to become
Read more…MUSTARD SEEDS.
In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the total universes in the external potency of the Lord are compared to a bucketful ofmustard seeds. One mustard seed is calculated to be a universe itself. In one of the universes, in which we are now living, the number o
Read more…CREMATION AND CREMATORIUM.
He is far more powerful than any living entity up to the standard of Brahmā, yet he is not on an equal level with Viṣṇu. Since he is almost like Lord Viṣṇu, Śiva can see past, present and future. One of his eyes is like the sun, another is like the m
Read more…CLARIFIED BUTTER.
Generally, the sacrifice is offered with clarified butter and grains, but with the progress of time, human society has produced varieties of goods by transforming materials supplied by God's material nature. Human society, therefore, must learn to of
Read more…ASAFOETIDA (hing).
In the Varāha Purāṇa the following offenses are mentioned: (a) to eat in the house of a rich man, (b) to enter the Deity's room in the dark, (c) to worship the Deity without following the regulative principles, (d) to enter the temple without vibrati
Read more…COCONUT.
When a devotee completely forgets his bodily existence, he should be understood to be liberated. He is no longer encaged in the body. The example is given that when a coconut becomes completely dry, the coconut pulp within the coconutshell separates
Read more…BARLEY.
In his commentary on this occasion, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura quotes from the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. Barley powder, wheat powder, vermilion powder, urad dhal powder and another powder preparation called āvāṭā (made by mixing banana powder
Read more…HONEY.
It is the Paramātmā also who gives the intelligence by which the bees can construct a hive, collect honey from various flowers, store it and enjoy it. Although the Paramātmā is aloof from the living entities, He knows their intentions, and He gives t
Read more…RITUALISTIC CEREMONIES.
Everyone has to eat something to live; therefore he should accept the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Kṛṣṇa. Any civilized man has to perform some religious ritualistic ceremonies; therefore Kṛṣṇa recommends, "Do it for Me," and this is called arca
Read more…AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY.
The vaiśyas, the members of the mercantile communities, are especially advised to protect the cows. Cow protection means increasing the milk productions, namely curd and butter. Agriculture and distribution of the foodstuff are the primary duties of
Read more…FUNERAL CEREMONY
He was present even during the exile of the Pāṇḍavas and used to advise them in circumstances when they were perplexed. He instructed them how to live incognito for one year, and his instructions were strictly followed by the Pāṇḍavas during that tim
Read more…WHEREVER THERE IS LORD KRISHNA AND ARJUNA, THERE IS VICTORY.
In the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, Dhṛtarāṣṭra inquired from his secretary Sañjaya, "What happened on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra?" The entire study was related to the heart of Sañjaya by the grace of his spiritual master, Vyāsa. He thus explained
Read more…NO MISTAKES, ILLUSIONS, CHEATING AND DEFECTIVE PERCEPTION OCCUR IN THE SAYINGS OF THE AUTHORITATIVE SAGES.
Mistakes, illusions, cheating and defective perception do not occur in the sayings of the authoritative sages.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has listed the avatāras, the plenary expansions of the puruṣa, and Lord Kṛṣṇa appears among them. But the Bhāgavatam furt
THE BULL AND THE COW.
The bull is the emblem of the moral principle, and the cow is the representative of the earth. When the bull and the cow are in a joyful mood, it is to be understood that the people of the world are also in a joyful mood. The reason is that the bull
Read more…AGRICULTURE AND COW PROTECTION.
The vaiśyas, the members of the mercantile communities, are especially advised to protect the cows. Cow protection means increasing the milk productions, namely curd and butter. Agriculture and distribution of the foodstuff are the primary duties of
Read more…Q. WHAT IS UNMOTIVATED DEVOTIONAL SERVICE ?
The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.
(SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM
Q. WHAT DOES HARE RAMA MEANS ?
In whatever form one knows the Lord, one speaks of Him in that way. In this there is no falsity, since everything is possible in Kṛṣṇa.
In this connection we may mention an incident that took place between two of our sannyāsīs while we were preaching
