Lessons from Hitopadeśa: how can I trust someone to be my guru?
Question: I have been struggling with something for some time. I do not know how …
Back to basics
Causes in nyāya – nimitta kāraṇa
I continue discussing the types of causes or kāraṇas in nyāya based on Śrī Devadatta …
The grace of bhakti is not invoked by suffering
Suffering in the world ultimately arises from beginningless ignorance and the karma that proceeds from …
What is the use of saying there is no free will?
Q: Do we have free will?
A: No we do not. Most people resist this …
Does Bhāgavatam 1.5.11 permit changes to siddhānta?
Q: Are some changes to siddhānta that important? Sometimes, siddhānta is adjusted for the audience. …
Karma, bhakti and jnana are distinct paths
Q: Karma-yoga can be translated as devotional service when it is offered to Kṛṣṇa. What …
Why does Bhagavān not manifest now when adharma is increasing?
Q: Bhagavān says that He manifests to protect dharma and destroy adharma in the Bhagavad-Gītā. …
Is everything predestined?
Reader Madhukar ji and I were discussing the law of karma. Our discussion focused on …
The need for chanting japa
We often hear that the name of Bhagavān is all-powerful, such that uttering it even …
Is there no happiness in the material world?
Q: How would we define the happiness we experience in the world?
A: The Tarka-saṅgraha …
Does self-realization have a role in bhakti?
Q: In my previous sanga, there was a lot of emphasis on self-realization. What are …
The Sattvic Lover of Knowledge vs. the Tamasic Counterfeit
Introduction
In Indian philosophy, the surest test of sattva is the response to truth.
A …