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Philosophical articles on Gaudiya Vaisnavism that focus on the tradition’s scriptural conclusions as well as its feeling for the nature of ultimate reality.

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Articles in philosophy

A Thief Requires No Invitation
September 1, 2010 – 1:27 am | One Comment
A Thief Requires No Invitation

We may have erected high walls on all sides to protect ourselves so that Krishna consciousness may not enter, but Krishna is a thief, and a thief requires no invitation. No preparation is necessary for his welcome.

Reasoning and the Crooked Flow of Lila
August 24, 2010 – 1:07 am | 3 Comments
Reasoning and the Crooked Flow of Lila

One day, Balarama slapped Krishna, but Krishna went to Mother Yasoda and told on him. Thus, in Krishna lila we shall find that although no party is defective, still, one will find fault with another and begin a quarrel. This is the meaning of lila.

The Line of Sri Rupa
August 20, 2010 – 11:57 pm | 7 Comments
The Line of Sri Rupa

Eliminating all other camps, direct service to Radharani is considered to be the highest. Still, there is another point…

The Guru: Remove, Reform, or Re-Establish?
August 10, 2010 – 1:14 am | 5 Comments
The Guru: Remove, Reform, or Re-Establish?

With seemingly endless examples of less-than-ideal guru-disciple relationships, how should the principle of guru be conceived and how should one go about incorporating that relationship into their spiritual life?

Love Supreme
July 29, 2010 – 12:40 am | One Comment
Love Supreme

Even in the best of relationships one thing is for sure: our connections will come to an end. It is this fact that is readily acknowledged at wedding nuptials with the ominous phrase “until death do us part.”

The Vaishnava Sampradayas
July 7, 2010 – 12:45 am | One Comment
The Vaishnava Sampradayas

A brief and informal discussion of the four Vaishnava sampradayas, spoken by Srila Sridhara Deva Goswami.

Equality, Varnasrama, and Transcendence
July 4, 2010 – 12:50 am | 101 Comments
Equality, Varnasrama, and Transcendence

It is true that we are all created equal, but this truth cannot be realized solely through any sociopolitical system.

Form, Spirit, and Sadhu-Sanga
June 22, 2010 – 6:16 pm | 9 Comments
Form, Spirit, and Sadhu-Sanga

Formalism may be favorable for devotion, but not always. The spirit is all-important, even when crossing every formality. What is required of us is our absolute attraction for service.

Whose World?
June 20, 2010 – 10:53 pm | One Comment
Whose World?

Modernity cannot reveal to humanity where we stand in what has been called existential space, in the hierarchy of universal existence. It therefore cannot provide “orientation,” for to orient our lives means to know where we come from, where we are to go, and most of all who we are.

Brahma Gayatri and Sacred Threads
June 13, 2010 – 1:11 am | 16 Comments
Brahma Gayatri and Sacred Threads

Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta incorporated the Brahma Gayatri and sacred threads into Gaudiya practice in order to make an impression on the society in which those practices were significant. Now, in a different time and in different societies, are these practices still useful?

Kala-Krsna Dasa and the Mercy of the Vaishnavas
May 29, 2010 – 11:50 pm | 5 Comments
Kala-Krsna Dasa and the Mercy of the Vaishnavas

The line of causeless mercy is extending from the center, but the extension gets the more intense position. In this way we find the servants are more benevolent than even their Lord. It is inconceivable.