Swami B. V. Tripurari

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 In Circle of Friends, you wrote that the devotees never cease to be amazed at seeing demons in the disguise of devotees. Can you explain this? 13:44 Why is the relationship between Sri Gadadhara Pandit and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu described in terms of friendship rather than romantic love? 21:52 Dandavats Maharaja. Do you think we can dissipate our shadow sides...

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 News. 0:20 Bhakti is ever-fresh and will naturally express itself in newer and newer ways through acaryas. At the same time, the desire to share bhakti in new ways could be an anartha, and so could the desire to hear about bhakti in new ways. Can you help me understand the distinction? 5:09 Srila Rupa Goswami writes that an uttama-adhikari is sastra-nipuna, a...

Questions on today's Swami Call: Dandavat pranama, dear Guru Maharaj. In circle of friends, during the first meeting of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna, Subal Sakha instructs Rupa Manjari to fan Krishna. Kindly reveal more about how Krishna’s sakhas also act as leaders to manjaris. Is the fact that the manjaris have dasya for Srimati Radharani the reason that dasya is so prominent in Gaura-lila? It...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 News. 2:29 Dandavats, Maharaja. A friend from a traditional Vaishnava lineage shared with me one of their teachings, saying that a devotee will keep reincarnating in this tradition due to the particular contributions it provides to the development of bhakti. What is your opinion on this? 19:40 My dandavats, Maharaja. Is an aspiring devotee obligated to bel...

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 News. 1:16 Why did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu show himself as Lord Vishnu to Sri Raghava Pandit? 4:27 What is the difference between prema-bhakti and vishrambha-bhakti? 11:48 What is the role of Lord Shiva in Krishna-lila and Gaura-lila? 17:32 Is mount Nandisvara related to Lord Shiva? 21:03 There is an ashtakam dedicated to Lord Shiva attributed to Sri Caitanya...

Questions on today’s Swami call: It is said that if we have the right intention, our bhakti practice will please Sri Krishna even if we happen to make technical mistakes? Pranama, Guru Maharaja and the assembled devotees. Is there any scope within Gaudiya Vaishnavism to see God as one’s father, like in Christianity and other faith traditions? How does the moods cultivated in saranagati, seeing God...

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 It is said that the role of the guru is to correct us, but a guru should also be free from the propensity to criticize. Is this a contradiction? 35:06 (Comment from Sajjan das regarding affection and criticism) 37:36 Do you think that it should be specified at initiation what the format will be for further instruction from the guru? 40:27 (Comment from Gokulac...

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 What’s the difference between when sthayi-bhavas are mixed and when they are bundled? 7:30 Dear Guru Maharaja; some pure devotees set the example of not speaking or hearing negative things about other devotees even when those things are true. Others set the example of criticizing the misbehavior of other devotees to show the correct path. Which example are we...

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 Nityananda Trayodashi 12:43 Is a vrtti something like a samskara? 14:09 Dandavats pranama, Guru Maharaja. How did Subala-sakha manage to save Srimati Radharani from being caught by Jatila? 17:36 Pranama, Gurudeva. On this special day of Sri Nityananda Trayodasi, can you speak something about how Lord Nityananda reflects the light of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Do...

0:00 With regards to Srimad Bhagavatam 11.19.3, who does it mean that the perfect knowledge of the transcendentalist maintains God in happiness? 3:50 In text 38 of the same chapter, it says that truthfulness means to speak the truth in a pleasing way. I have also heard that the truth should be spoken whether it's pleasing or not. Can you comment on this? 16:38 Guru Maharaja, how can we see our...

Questions on today's Swami call: 0:00 News. 1:06 There are scriptural statements that can be taken to mean that everyone is encouraged to become gurus. But it seems that many people are unqualified for that task. Is it then okay to not become a guru? 35:49 What does it mean when it is said that in the stage of ruci one is more attached to bhakti than to Sri Krishna, whereas in a sakti one beco...

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 News. 1:34 Sometimes it is said that one can simply practice surrender (saranagati) if one is not able to practice the limbs of bhakti. Other times it is said that surrender is practiced by practicing the limbs of bhakti. Can you resolve this apparent contradiction? 11:02 What does Sri Krishna wear in the winter season? 17:44 Hare Krishna, Maharaja. My cat pas...

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 Among the nine processes of bhakti listed by Sri Prahlad Maharaja, what does ‘sakhyam’ refer to? 0:05:40 Can you comment on the position of Madhumangala, as he is curiously both a brahmana and a priya-narma sakha? 0:10:33 Would failure to follow the regulative principles and chant 16 rounds of japan prevent one from delving into deeper topics of Krishna consci...

Questions on today’s Swami call: 0:00 News. 0:00:28 It appears that narrations of Sri Krishna’s sakhya-rasa pastimes are easier to digest for beginners than the madhurya-rasa pastimes. Is this true? 0:12:13 Is the belief that one has to be psychologically balanced to enter Krishna-lila tantamount to karma-misra bhakti or the belief that one has to be accomplished in karma and jnana before practici...

0:00 News. 00:40 Guru Maharaja, I’m wondering why Srila Prabhupada chose Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s Gurvastakam for mandala arati. I also wonder why in Iskcon the last verse of the song is not sung. And why is there a song for Sri Guru during the morning arati and a song for Sri Gauranga during the evening arati? 09:10 Who’s song is Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Gaura-arati based on? 11:05...

0:00 Could you recommend poetic works dealing with Krishna lila? 04:15 Should we direct our prayers to Sri Krishna or to Lord Caitanya, or Sri Radha or to different appearances of the absolute according to the circumstance or level of advancement? 27:57 Do you have any advice for dealing with stress and anxiety in the moment as it is affecting one? 34:00 Is Yoga-maya present in Vraja-lila? 36:06 I...

0:00 News. 00:00:59 You sometimes make the point that 'I' is the smallest, most used, and least understood word in the English language. Have you read that somewhere? 00:01:30 Was Lord Brahma really able to overpower the cowherd boys in the Brahma vimohana lila? 00:07:11 Did Sri Krishna experience sakhya-rasa during the year that he took the form of the other cowherd boys? 00:09:15 Is self...

0:00 News. 00:02:56 Is chanting Sri Krishna’s names a service to Krishna? 00:33:52 What is lila-kirtana? 00:40:39 Do other angas of bhakti depend on kirtan? 00:45:46 Is Sri Haridas Thakura’s threefold practice of kirtan something that can be followed by anyone? 00:54:18 Why does Sri Krishna not speak directly about bhakti in the Vedas?

0:00 News. 00:00:25 Can you say something about the elaborations on the maha-mantra by our acaryas? 00:10:12 I have heard about one way of seeing the maha-mantra as being names of Sri Krishna chanted for the pleasure of Sri Radha. Is this bona fide? 00:18:48 One of the offenses to the holy name is to give interpretations. How should we understand this offense, given that our acaryas have given ela...

0:00 News. 00:01:44 Jaya, Maharaja. You speak very naturally about higher topics. Have your insights come from your own practice or through the guidance of a particular sadhu? 00:11:49 What is the significance of Kuruksetra with regards to madhurya rasa? As Radha and Krishna could not have full union in that setting because of the social circumstances, is it also that sadhakas in lower stages get...

uestions on today's Swami call: In Gaudiya Vaishnavism it is taught that devotees embody five types of love. How is the type of love chosen? How do the attributes of the soul play a part in our lives or reflect into our everyday lives if in any way? Can you explain how a samskara that happens in time can have an effect on an eternal svabhava? Can you explain the analogy of the gold box and the...

0:00 News. 01:19 How come we cannot shorten the realization gap between disciple and guru faster? Why does it need to take several lifetimes? 14:38 On this long path, how do we make sure to not go astray? 21:11 In the Uddhava-Gita it is said that there are three ways to worship: Vedic, Tantric, and mixed. Can you elaborate on this? 24:51 Some devotees are of the opinion that the book distribution...

0:00 If one prays to Sri Krishna for a material boon before one learned that it is more wise to simply ask for devotional service to Sri Krishna, and the boon was granted, should one keep the boon or return it? 04:35 What would your opinion be of a devotee giving harinama initiation to others after having distanced themselves from their own guru who was engaged in bad conduct? 09:16 Dandavat prana...

0:00 Technicals details. 0:46 Is the division of Vishnu into Karanadakasayi, Garbhodakasayi, and Ksirodakasayi unique to the teachings of the Gaudiya sampradaya? 6:06 Dandavats, Maharaja. Thank you for maintaining your association with us every Sunday. Can you please share an explanation of the term ‘aesthetic rapture’ that you often use? 25:56 When did Sri Sukadeva Goswami study the Srimad Bhagav...

0:00 News. 00:01:37 What is the origin of harinama-initiation in Gaudiya Vaishnavism? Who is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's harinama-guru? Is someone with only harinama-initiation a full member of the tradition?  00:13:47 Can you share something about the pastime of Srila Jiva Goswami appearing to Srila Prabhupada at Radha Damodara mandir? 00:18:42 It is common for religious groups to consider them...