Month: February 2025
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Dharma-shastras and Manu-smrti
Question: Do traditional Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas and our Gauḍīya ācāryas accept dharma-śāstra such as Manu-smṛti? How can verses like Manu-smṛti 8.270–8.272 be justified? They deny a śūdra’s right to Vedic knowledge from a guru, as in these statements: “One should not teach him sacred duties, nor sacred vows” (Manu 4.806; Vasiṣṭha-smṛti 18.12). “One should not impart
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Liberation or Rotating in Samsara?
Question: I am attracted to the philosophy of acintya-bheda-abheda and I regard Kṛṣṇa as my iṣṭa-deva. However, Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s interpretation of Bhagavad Gītā 16:19-20 bothers me because I cannot accept the idea that Kṛṣṇa keeps certain jīvās in constant suffering, devoid of any opportunity to attain Him. Śrī Viśvanātha
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Aropa-siddha-bhakti
In Bhakti Sandarbha (Anuccheda 217), Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī divides bhakti into three categories, namely Āropa-siddhā, Saṅga-siddhā and Svarūpa-siddhā. It is easy to understand the last category but there is some confusion about the others, especially the first one. As human beings, we have the ability to act using our mind, body,
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Individuality in Mukti?
Question: I doubt whether or not individuality remains in Brahma-sāyujya. I came across an article from The Autobiography of A Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, which indicates that individuality remains even in oneness with Brahman. Sri Yukteshwsar Giri (the guru of Yogananda) tells Yogananda: “When a soul finally