Q/A on chanting
Maharajji answers questions in Śrī Guru Darśanam, pp. 111-112 Question: Should I chant a certain amount of rounds on my japa beads, because formerly I was told […]
Month: December 2018
Inferiority complexes and hero worship
From the Yoga of Dejection, p. 57. One who has confidence in himself can genuinely praise others because he is capable of recognizing the good in […]
The role of the ātman in experience and thought
Sri Jiva Goswami lists several properties of the ātman in the Paramātma Sandarbha. Pertinent to this article are its qualities of knowership and experiential capacity. […]
The functions of manas, citta and buddhi
To understand human psychology, we have to first understand how the mind operates. The mind is classified into different categories based on function. Here we consider […]
The goal of making advancement is a defect on the path of bhakti
Maharajji answers questions in Śrī Guru Darśanam, pp. 343-344 Question: How can we understand these different levels of spiritual development? Sometimes there is a different pace of […]
The value of a crisis
From the Yoga of Dejection: pp. xxiv-xxv [sub-headings added by this author]: Misery wakes us from slumber Although no one welcomes misery, it should not […]
Rupa Goswami defines japa and kīrtana
Rupa Goswami defines japa in the Bhakti rasāmṛta sindhu (1.2.149-151) as follows: mantrasya sulaghūccāro japa ity abhidhīyate || Here, sulaghūccāraḥ = su + laghu + […]
Sādhanā bhakti is outside-in, while bhāva bhakti is inside-out.
We have previously examined the concept of sādhanā bhakti and bhāva bhakti, and the difference between them. The article below explains the difference between them […]
How not to chant the mahā-mantra
Maharajji answers questions in the Śrī Guru Darśanam, pp. 97-106 Question: What should I concentrate on during chanting? Should it be the sound, a certain deity or […]
The difference between bhakti and fanaticism
In this article, we examine the difference between bhakti and fanaticism, by quoting from two sources. The first one is from the Yoga of Dejection: […]
Who is the ādi-guru?
[ādi-guru means the teacher of all teachers, or original teacher]. From Śrī Guru Darśanam, pp. 177 – 178 Question: Previously we have heard that Balarāma […]
Denying that Kṛṣṇa is Indian may be a form of cultural appropriation
With the globalization of bhakti, people argue that Kṛṣṇa is not Indian because God cannot belong to any country. So the idea that Kṛṣṇa is […]