Q/A: Why is Hinduism so complex?
Hinduism has so many gods and so many scriptures. Why?
Hinduism has so many gods and so many scriptures. Why?
Prakaṭa means ‘manifest’, and aprakaṭa is the negation of manifest, or ‘unmanifest’. These terms crop up in the discussions of the tenth canto in the context of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s leaving Vṛndāvana for Mathurā. The gopīs are distraught. Śrī Kṛṣṇa promises them that He would return, but He never […]
Of the many amazing teachings of Śrī Jīva Goswami are his superb explanations of bhakti yoga, and its total difference from karma yoga and jñāna yoga. I heard these terms and frustratingly fruitless discussions about them from many others years ago. For example, in one current and prominent […]
Vairāgya literally means a state in which a person is devoid of attachment or rāga for things. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, we come across the curious term ‘yukta-vairāgya’, or literally, ‘appropriate’ vairāgya. Here we examine the definition of yukta-vairāgya as given by Śrī Rūpa Goswami, and examine Śrī Jīva’s […]
The famous eight instructions of Śri Caitanya
Pradhāna is the unmanifest state consisting of the three guṇas in a neutralized state.
Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism has come to be associated with proselytizing in modern times. However, a deeper study of the foundations of the tradition appear to not support the notion that ‘preaching’ was the main purpose of Śrī Caitanya. I have written about this elsewhere. We can also discern this […]
A sincere question comes from a lack of understanding, and it is the duty of a teacher to answer it.
Leaving an inauthentic teacher and path.
The root cause of suffering is the jīva’s identification with the body. Is this identification real?
There are many names of Bhagavān. What is the significance of the name ‘Kṛṣṇa’?
Some offer the analogy that the jīva is related to Bhagavān in the same way as a drop of the ocean relates to the ocean. The drop of the ocean:ocean analogy has been used to propagate the notion that the jīva is ‘qualitatively similar’ to Bhagavān, but quantitatively […]