Questions on today's Swami call: How to hear the caitya-guru before we have reached higher stages of bhakti? Are there any contemporary sadhus that you would recommend hearing from? What is the difference between Dvaraka bhava and Mathura bhava? If Sri Krishna is supposed to be humanlike, why did he mature faster than normal? Why do some devotees in the Brhad-Bhagavatamta say that they have not received any mercy? Is there evil according to Gaudiya Vaishnavism? Will sincere engagement in karma- ...
Mar 15, 2026•1 hr 22 min
Questions on today's Swami call: Dear Guru Maharaja, how can learn to see the good qualities in others like you do instead of getting stuck on bad qualities that I perceive If one does the heavy lifting of overcoming a bad tendency in this life, will one be reborn without that tendency in the next life? What is the role of constructive criticism in Gaudiya Vaishnavism? Dandavats Guru Maharaja. How can a person leave the plane of tama-guna? What are your thoughts on focusing on sastra and not loo...
Mar 08, 2026•1 hr 9 min
Questions on today's Swami call: Is the limb of saranagati called atma-niksepa the same as the limb of bhakti called atma-nivedanam? Could the idea that bhakti is not inherent cause the problem of thinking that one has to go to a different guru if one does feel they are making progress? Is it correct that the svarupa-sakti in the jiva is minute and needs stronger
Mar 01, 2026•1 hr 10 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: The Narada Bhakti Sutra offers different definitions of bhakti. How would you define bhakti? Comment: It appears that Bhagavad-gita 10.10 goes well with the emphasis of the Bhaktivinoda parivara that everything will be revealed from within in due course of our practice.XXX What is the role of varnasrama in the practice of bhakti? What do you think of attempts among devotees to modernize varnasrama dharma? Comment: Alex O’Connor, a famous atheist, is becoming inte...
Feb 22, 2026•1 hr 9 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: There is a song that is said to be written by Sri Vrindavan Das Thakura, the translation of which mentions Nityananda Prabhu dancing with sakhis. What should we make of this? Why did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu show his sadbhuja form to Sri Nityananda Prabhu? Is there any worship of Sri Sadbhuja Gauranga in the Bhaktivinoda parivara? Pranams, dear Guru Maharaja. Is the vanaprastha ashram a part of our lineage? What are your thoughts on lab-produced meat? What role do...
Feb 15, 2026•1 hr 2 min
Questions on today's Swami call: Does Sri Krishna ever jokingly encourage his gopa friends to unite with gopis? Hare Krishna! Dandavats, Guru Maharaja. If calamity is predicted in scripture, is there any point in praying for the world? Why did Lord Krishna create the yugas? Are the secondary rasas more prominent in the material world? Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that adept sadhakas can advance faster. What is the crucial difference between an adept and a non-adept sadhaka? If one has rejecte...
Feb 01, 2026•47 min
Questions on today's Swami call: How can one carry the environment of the dhama with one when leaving after a visit? Are we practicing raganuga-bhakti before we attain ruci? Are the terms aparoksa/paroksa synonymous with jnana/vijnana? Could you share something about your experience in leaving Iskcon? When external circumstances keep me from doing my desired amount of book distribution seva, I feel unproductive and depressed. Is that a bad or a good thing? Also, could you share any advice on dis...
Jan 25, 2026•1 hr 2 min
Questions on today's Swami call: If I made a commitment to be patient and kind, would it be okay to detach from this commitment in extenuating circumstances? How can I avoid offering too ordinary prayers to Sri Krishna rather than dignified prayers? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's associate Kalidas would accept maha-prasadam from everyone without considering their level of advancement. I myself find it difficult to accept maha-prasadam from anyone, even from advanced devotees. What principle is being ...
Jan 18, 2026•1 hr 1 min
Questions on today's Swami call: In Jaiva Dharma, the jiva-shakti is called incomplete. How could any of Bhagavan's shaktis be incomplete? Can you simplify the description from Jaiva Dharma of how Bhagavan manifests in relation to his different shaktis, such as cit-shakti, jiva-shakti, and maya-shakti? Are jivas manifest in the world through the jiva-shakti? What does it mean to be a "transformation" of a shakti? Because "transformation" implies change. Pranams, my dear Guru Maharaja. Could Anan...
Jan 11, 2026•59 min
Questions on today's Swami call: What is the difference between Lord Shiva and Maha-Sankarshana? Dandavat pranams, Guru Maharaja. What can we lear from experiences where we thought we were going to die but forget to pray? Should I eventually give up my habit of offering Sri Krishna ready-made cakes from the store? If Lord Shiva and Maha-Sankarshana are one, why is it listed among the ten offenses to the holy name to consider the demigods like Lord Shiva to be independent of or on the same level ...
Jan 04, 2026•1 hr
1. Follow-up from last week on consciousness: "If the difference between vishaya (object) and ashraya (subject/shelter) disappears at a certain point, then in terms of the subjective experience of the manjaris, does the difference between Radha and Krishna also disappear to them, and does service to one become service to the other?" [ 00:25 ] 2. Object of consciousness: "Can consciousness also be the object of consciousness? On one hand, no, because consciousness belongs to subjective reality an...
Dec 28, 2025•1 hr 2 min
• [ 00:43 ] : I would appreciate your guidance regarding the Mridu stage of Anartha-nivritti as described in Madhurya Kadambini. When I am conscious of an anartha being triggered and there is emotional pain, I notice that remembering Krishna and taking shelter of philosophical understanding brings relief. Is this movement from being absorbed in the anartha to returning to remembrance a healthy sign of progress? • [ 09:02 ] : I understand that chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is our bhajan. ...
Dec 21, 2025•1 hr 8 min
• [00:00:21] : Is the fear justified that if someone sees Krishna personally while awake, they might be considered insane and unable to perform their service to the Guru? • [00:06:50] : Who is the Sri Guru who resides in the heart along with Paramatma, if Paramatma is a passive witness and Guru provides active guidance from within? • [00:09:40] : Could you explain the "Sphota" theory regarding the meaning of words and the idea that someone with wrong understanding or bad intentions can turn even...
Dec 14, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Questions on today's Swami call: Obeisances, Srila Maharaja. How do the levels of kanistha, madhyama, and uttama relate to the nine stages of bhakti? Pranam, Guru Maharaja. Will our eternal identity and service upon attaining perfection be determined by qualities inherent one one's self or by the desires of Sri Sri Radha Krishna? Is sakhya-rasa an uddipana for other Vraja-vasis than the gopis? Dandavat pranam, do the disciples of a guru carry krishna-shakti to other people? Are there any discipl...
Dec 07, 2025•59 min
Questions on today's Swami call: Dandavats, Maharaja. Pranama to you and all the devotees here. You mentioned in another session that one can make Krishna-bhakti a limb of one's guru-bhakti, rather than the other way around, and this will be pleasing to Sri Krishna. How does one do this? Could it, for example, be to pray to Krishna to bless us in fulfilling the desires of our spiritual master? Radhe Radhe! What did you mean when you said that your inner guide inspired you to wear gopi-candana ti...
Nov 30, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Questions on today's Swami Call: To what extent is Gaudiya Vaishnavism intertwined with Bengali culture? Is it necessary to adopt this culture to experience Gaudiya Vaishnavism fully? What does it mean that Sri Krishna's lilas are present in his name? Pranams, Maharaja. If someone is aspiring for madhurya-rasa and joints the lineage of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, will they join the group of Sri Nayana-mani Manjari upon attaining perfection? I have noticed you are now wearing gopi...
Nov 23, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: Dear Guru Maharaja. My husband does not identify as a Vaishnava, but he is supportive of my practice and also approves of me teaching our children about bhakti. I think of him as a Vaishnava and serve him prasadam. However, he does not like food without onion, and according to deity worship standards, onions should not be offered to Sri Krishna. Can I still serve my husband food with onions, meditating that I am serving a Vaishnava according to his preferences? W...
Nov 16, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Questions on today’s Swami Call: Can you share some advice to encourage our children in Krishna consciousness, especially pre-teens? If we are not the actual doers of action (as per Bhagavad-Gita 3.27), do we have free will? Pranams, Guru Maharaja. Regarding the title and artwork of your upcoming book, ”Birds of the Same Feather”, using the analogy from the Upanishad’s of two birds in the tree, isn’t this usually referring to the atma and Paramatma whereas your book is about the atma and Bhagava...
Nov 02, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Questions on today’s Swami Call: Did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings reach the whole world during his manifest lila on Earth? Good morning, Maharaja. Pranama. What is the difference between Sri Krishna and the sages’ glorification of him? What is the difference between the unmanifest and the manifest lilas of Sri Krishna? Dear Guru Maharaja, can you tell us something about the extraordinary devotee Sri Akincana Krishna Dasa Babaji? Pranama. At what point did it become a practice to offer a g...
Oct 19, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Questions on today's Swami Call: In what ways could the Brahma-vimohan-lila be an entry point for those desiring servile (dasya-) or friendly love (sakhya-rati) for Sri Krishna? Dear Maharaja; in the Bhagavad-Gita, Sri Krishna says he spoke this knowledge to the sun god. How come there is no Surya vaishnava sampradaya? (Comments from Sajjan about the Kumara sampradaya, the sun god, and the upcoming appearance day of Srila B. R. Sridhara-Deva Goswami Maharaja) Besides the tenth canto of the Srima...
Oct 12, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Questions on today’s Swami Call: What do the terms chaya- and pratibimba-bhakti-abhasa mean? I fear death since I became a mother, as I wouldn’t be able to care for my children if I died. How can I turn fear into trust? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura said both that attaining anartha-nivrtti will automatically awaken one’s svarupa and that one needs to focus on artha-pravrtti to attain perfection. How can these statements be harmonized? Pranama, Maharaja. Why is Sri Krishna’s Damodara-li...
Oct 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: If jivas have different origins, such as Maha-Vishnu (for those in samsara) or Lord Balarama (for eternal associates of Sri Krishna), would a jiva going from the material world to Vaikuntha, could this be seen as changing nationality, or is it rather like becoming a world citizen? Throughout my life I have been attracted to both Gaudiya Vaishnavism and Advaita Vedanta. I am now 50 years old. What do you think I should do? Could a devotee both be bliss and taste b...
Sep 28, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: Sometimes it seems that even spiritually powerful devotees have gone astray theologically. How can this be? What constitutes sadhu sanga? Srila Sridhara Maharaja says that devotees need to prepare themselves for times when Sri Krishna will appear indifferent to them. Why are such experience necessary? Would Srila Haridas Thakura’s getting beaten up in different marketplaces be an example? How can we inspire faith in the Veda in others? How to deal with interfaith...
Sep 21, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: Are there demigods in the unmanifest lilas in the spiritual world? What is the interrelation between Bhagavan, Brahman, and the jivas? It is said that chanting the holy name will purify us, but it is also said that we need to chant purely for the practice to be effective. Can you explain this seeming contradiction? Please, would you elaborate on the sixth verse of Gurvastakam by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, as much as time allows?...
Sep 13, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: It appears that Gaura-lila is a meeting place for devotees from different spiritual realms. Is this so only in the pastimes manifest in the world (prakata-lila) or also in the spiritual world (aprakata-lila)? Are there devotees with the love of servitude (dasya-rati) as their dominant emotion (sthayi-bhava) in Vraja-lila? Do the pastimes of separation draw jivas into the lila as there is a need for their service there? Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble obeis...
Sep 07, 2025•1 hr 18 min
Questions on today's Swami call: Is it common to have stronger feelings for one's own guru than for Sri Krishna? Today being Sri Radhastami, is there anything you would like to share about Srimati Radharani or any recommendations for reading and chanting on this day? Also, if you have any particular recommendations for those aspiring for manjari-bhava or priya-narma-sakha-bhava, I would be interested to hear those. It is said that Lalita-sakhi recommends qualified newcomers to enter Sri Radha's ...
Aug 31, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: Dandavats pranama, Guru Maharaja. What keeps the vibhinnamsa-jiva separate from Sri Krishna in liberation? Would you like to share some verses that you like to meditate on? Where can I find the story about the hunter who was purified by Narada Muni’s association and chanting of the holy name? What verses do you like to meditate on for japa? Pranama, Maharaja. Can one worship Srimati Radharani as a baby, similar to Laddu Gopal? If the jiva is not a doer, who is pe...
Aug 24, 2025•1 hr
Questions on today’s Swami Call: Would you like to say something about Srila Prabhupada on the occasion of his appearance day? I heard that Srila Sridhara Maharaja would not perform the Jhulan Yatra festival with his deities as it’s too elevated. What are your thoughts on this? What is the scriptural basis for referring to Lord Balarama as the original guru? Why are some deities of Sri Sri Krishna Balarama decorated with brahmin threads? Is the teaching of the Panihati festival that one cannot a...
Aug 17, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: Can we break free from our material confinement at once, or do we need to collect many moments of clarity to stay in clarity permanently? Have you always had the fortune to be in the association of devotees? Could you share any guidance on practicing sadhana in solitude? (comment from Bijaya Kumara about Trana Karta Dasa’s book “O’Hare Krishna Airport”) Could you say something about the significance of the numbers 8 and 18 in Sri Krishna’s magic creation and in o...
Aug 09, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Questions on today’s Swami call: Do circumstances like what kind of country we live in and where we live in that country make a difference for our spiritual practice? For example, I have heard that living in the countryside, especially in a Western developing country, may pose obstacles. It is said to be an offense to preach the glories of the holy name to the faithless. Does this also include simple recommendations to the general public like “chant the holy name and be happy”? You often say tha...
Aug 03, 2025•1 hr 3 min
