“Seeing the city of Kishkindha, which was formerly protected by Vali, Sita, who was feeling shy out of love, then spoke the following humble words to Rama: ‘O King, I wish to enter Your capital city of Ayodhya with You, accompanied by the beloved wives of Sugriva, headed by Tara, as well as the wives of the other Vanara leaders.’” (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kand, 123.23-25)

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A person can be forgiven for lacking clarity in this area. Unless they are taught from authority, tapping into wisdom belonging to the descending process of knowledge transfer, the only resort is speculation.

From such thoughts arise the image of an angry God. The old man with a white beard, looking down disapprovingly from above. As the Valmiki Ramayana of the Vedic tradition presents the idea of the avatara, the personal God descending to the earthly realm…

“I shall go with you today to the forest. There is no doubt about it. I cannot be prevented, O greatly fortunate one. I am ready to go.” (Sita Devi speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 27.15)

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सह त्वया गमिश्यामि वनमद्य न सम्शयः
नाहम् शक्या महाभाग निवर्तयितुम् उद्यता

saha tvayā gamiśyāmi vanamadya na samśayaḥ
nāham śakyā mahābhāga nivartayitum udyatā

1. A pious ruler protecting the people

Sita Devi, the goddess of fortune, entered the family in Videha through an unusual way. The ruler at the time, following in the family tradition, was very pious. Ploughing a field one day in preparation for a yajna, for satisfying the Supreme Lord Vishnu, Janaka found a baby girl in the ground. The previously dispassionate one immediately held affection for her, as he removed the dust from her body and held her in his…

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.16)

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आ-ब्रह्म-भुवनाल् लोकाः
पुनर् आवर्तिनो ऽर्जुन
माम् उपेत्य तु कौन्तेय
पुनर् जन्म न विद्यते

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ‘rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

Friend1: I am well aware of the “origin of the jiva” debate.

Friend2: Would you mind explaining what that is? For anyone listening who may not be familiar.

Friend1: The individual is spirit soul. We are not this body. I am not my hands, my legs, my face, etc. Obviously, it is easy to identify in that manner. I see someone in the distance. It is their physical form which I notice…

“The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.1)

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श्री-भगवान् उवाच
ऊर्ध्व-मूलम् अधः-शाखम्
अश्वत्थं प्राहुर् अव्ययम्
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि
यस् तं वेद स वेद-वित्

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham
aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam
chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni
yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada advises remembering Krishna throughout the day. This is known as Krishna consciousness, which is one way to translate the Sanskrit terms of bhagavata-dharma, bhakti-yoga, and sanatana-dharma.

Follow the ways of the soul. Connect it with the Absolute Truth. Always keep Him by your side. Since He is already with me as the constant companion in the heart, the shift towards an active engagement…

“Once Narada took a parijata flower and presented it to Krishna’s senior wife, Shri Rukminidevi. On account of this, Satyabhama developed an inferiority complex; she also wanted a flower from Krishna.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 4)

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Friend1: One of the prominent teachings in the beginning stages of bhakti life is to not think of the Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna, as an order supplier.

Friend2: He should not be viewed like an online retail outlet. Give some money in return for a product. Any subsequent defect and you run the risk of a negative review. The seller better be perfect in their delivery.

Friend1: I get that such a relationship would not qualify as love. You are exploiting someone else. Granted, the entire world operates in this manner. The free-mingling between the sexes; attractive to me today but later…

“My dear Lord, I had a great desire that someday I might be able to see You personally. I think that my tendency to perform ritualistic and charitable activities, combined with this great desire to see You personally, has enabled me to retain the memory of who I was in my former life, even though I became a lizard.” (King Nriga, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 9)

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Upon learning of the truth of reincarnation, as beautifully explained in the Bhagavad-gita by Shri Krishna, it is natural to wonder about past experiences.

“Where was I in a past life? How many of them were there exactly? I am assuming they all weren’t in the human species. Is this the first time in the human form for me? That would be something.”

To ponder the future next:

“Wait a…

“To perform devotional service means to follow in the footsteps of Radharani, and devotees in Vrindavana put themselves under the care of Radharani in order to achieve perfection in their devotional service. In other words, devotional service is not an activity of the material world; it is directly under the control of Radharani.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 1)

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“Forgive me for asking such a random question, especially with regards to the source. I see pictures floating around the internet now and then. Obviously, some of them are not suitable for children, but within the bhakti tradition they can make a significant positive impact on my day.

“In this instance someone shared a photo of what appears to be the top decoration on a cake. I’m assuming it was done for a special occasion. There is baby Krishna seated on the floor. He…

“Vedic knowledge is not a question of research. Our research work is imperfect because we are researching things with imperfect senses. We have to accept perfect knowledge which comes down, as is stated in Bhagavad-gita, by the parampara disciplic succession. We have to receive knowledge from the proper source in disciplic succession beginning with the supreme spiritual master, the Lord Himself, and handed down to a succession of spiritual masters.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Introduction)

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1. Commit mistakes

“It is a double-edged sword, for sure. The technology recruiter helps in finding people to fill the position. I don’t have to post the listing myself. The incentive for the recruiter is money. They charge a fee if they place someone. It is in their best interest to conduct a thorough review, to make sure the candidate is the right fit.

“For us, the deciding line…

“Vedic knowledge is not a question of research. Our research work is imperfect because we are researching things with imperfect senses. We have to accept perfect knowledge which comes down, as is stated in Bhagavad-gita, by the parampara disciplic succession. We have to receive knowledge from the proper source in disciplic succession beginning with the supreme spiritual master, the Lord Himself, and handed down to a succession of spiritual masters.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Introduction)

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Friend1: One of the four defects of man is imperfect senses.

Friend2: Like mistaking a rope for a snake. Thinking that in the distance in the desert is a reservoir of water, when really the visual is the result of heat on the surface of the sand.

Friend1: It makes sense to me, no pun intended. We can’t see through walls. We can’t talk to people far away without…

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlada, O most pure, O great saintly person, your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.10.18)

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श्री-भगवान् उवाच
त्रिः-सप्तभिः पिता पूतः
पितृभिः सह ते ’नघ
यत् साधो ’स्य कुले जातो
भवान् वै कुल-पावनः

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
triḥ-saptabhiḥ pitā pūtaḥ
pitṛbhiḥ saha te ’nagha
yat sādho ’sya kule jāto
bhavān vai kula-pāvanaḥ

1. Someone cutting in line

“I was taking an international flight the other day. It was during the return trip to the United States where I got a look at how things operate differently elsewhere. In the home country, whenever the announcement for boarding starts, there is an orderly arrangement. Passengers go to their assigned queues.

“With this experience, it was as if…