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Atha Sadhu-sanga (Part 2)
By Satyanarayana Dasa Search for a Guru One day I was in a mall and discovered a sale of old books. “Easy Journey to Other Planets” by Srila Prabhupada was one of the books I picked up. I began...
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Svadhyaya – Japa and Shastra Treat
By SatyanarayanaDasa In 2012 I experimented with something I had been deliberating on for many years. Along with twelve of my students, I rented a house in Switzerland for a week in the summer and...
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Pitfalls in Approaching Indian Thought
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...
View ArticleThe Self and Free Will in the Caitanya Sampradāya – Part 1
By Satyanaryana Dasa Section 1: The Nature of Ātmā Different schools of Indian philosophy and theology present different doctrines regarding the agency, enjoyership and knowership of ātmā, the...
View ArticleThe Self and Free Will in the Caitanya Sampradāya – Part 3
h.) Ātmā is Ever Pure and Possesses Knowership, Doership and Enjoyership Ātmā is nitya-nirmala, ever pure. This means it never mixes with the qualities (guṇas) of matter (prakṛti), it is always...
View ArticleThe Self and Free Will in the Caitanya Sampradāya – Part 6
Different Types of Vṛttis All acquired knowledge, valid and invalid, is a product of the mind (mano-vṛtti). Śrī Kapila says that there are five types of vṛttis (SB 3.26.30): saṁśayo ‘tha viparyāso...
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Shastric References for the Proper Use of Tulasi?
Question: Can Tulasi also be used for consumption, in food and beverages? Answer: Vaisnavas do not use Tulasi plant or leaves as food or beverage. They use it for worship and take it as prasada....
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Babaji Awarded the Position of Mahanta in Vrindavan
On January 25th 2015, thousands of renounced Vaishnavas and other guests gathered at Jiva Institute to commence the official installment of Babaji Sri Satyanarayana Dasa as a Mahanta. This position is...
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Memories of Kurma Rupa Prabhu
by Satyanarayana Dasa ISKCON Vrindavan Gurukula When I first joined Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula, Vrindavan in 1987 as a Sanskrit teacher, Kurma Rupa Prabhu was the first faculty member who was...
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Śrī Guru Darśanam – New Publication
On the occasion of Śrī Haridāsa Śāstrī Mahārāja‘s Tirobhava Mahotsava (Disappearance Day celebration) at Kalidaha on October 14th, a new book was published and presented: Śrī Guru Darśanam – An...
View ArticleAre the Vedas Inherent in the Heart? (1)
Question: I’m currently exploring Bhaktivinod Thakur’s understanding of the nature of sastra. He seems to suggest that sastra (Veda) is an expression of the inherent knowledge of the jiva. Here is a...
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New Publication: Gaura-gana-svarupa-tattva-candrika
One of the aims of Jiva Institute is to publish rare books. Dr. Demian Martins discovered this previously unknown work of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and translated it into English. It has been...
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Questions on Sri Caitanya
Sri Caitanya’s Initiation Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Question: I had a question regarding Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s initiation. Some friends and I were talking about His pastimes and wondering why...
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Spiritual Traditions in Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Question: I have done spiritual research especially on Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy for several years and would like to clarify a few things. First, are there any similarities between Vaishnavism and...
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On Vaishnava Culture and Customs
Question: Previously, was there any distinction of dress between Gaudiya Vaishnavas and the regular population in India, and for the different varnas? What did people generally wear? There seems to be...
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