Swami B. V. Tripurari

Questions on today’s Swami call: How are we to think of our participation in Gaura-lila as it unfolds in the present day? Will Jaya and Vijaya appear in Kali-yuga? How can I attain perfection despite the distractions that are there and given the fact that one could get burnt out by trying too hard? Could you also explain what the fifth dimension is? Are there unconventional ways to get absorbed in...

Questions on today’s Swami call: What is the importance of the order in which the name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Sri Krishna are realized? If it’s easier for me to meditate on harinama while seated in kirtana, is it best if I remain seated even if others get up and dance? In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, dancing before the deities is listed among the angas of sadhana-bhakti. Can you comment...

Questions on today’s Swami call: Is it okay to pray to Sri Krishna and the higher Vaisnavas for help when we are in bad physical health or feel down emotionally? There is an idea that since the guru-disciple relationship is eternal, if the guru rejects the disciple, the guru cannot be bona fide. Can you comment on this? When did misogyny become prevalent in ISKCON? Did it originate with Srila Prab...

Questions on today’s Swami call: Can you clarify about the tattva of Sri Balaram? Would he pacify the gopis in the aprakat-lila the way he does in the pratat-lila? Can he be said to be the best friend of the jivas? Does the diksa-guru and the siksa-guru have to be the same person? Is it known what kind of initiation Srila Saraswati Thakura was given by Srila Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji? Should we feel...

Questions on today’s Swami call: Why don’t we follow all that is in the Vedas? Why do we focus only on Sri Krishna? Sometimes, material suffering is too overwhelming for one to be able to practice. How to remember Krishna in such times? Some say we should always strive to improve ourselves, and others say that we are good as we are. How do these views relate to the practice of bhakti? Even if Budd...

Questions on today’s Swami call: Is it okay to see Sriman Mahaprabhu and Sri Krishna as the same person, that is, more the same person than Lord Ramachandra and Sri Krishna are the same person? If Sanskrit is a holy language, does it mean the other languages are ungodly? Is there a Vedic version of the Tower of Babel? How can we harmonize the ideal of universal compassion with our feelings of ange...

Questions on today’s Swami call: Some pastimes of Sri Krishna are intimate and secret. Yet an infinite number of sadhakas are aspiring to attain them. How does this fit together? Can you explain about the ways of saranagati? Can you share something about Sri Balarama and his group of cowherd boys and what they do in relation to the pastimes with Srimati Radharani? Some say that Sriman Mahaprabhu w...

Questions on today’s Swami call: Sometimes animals come into the lives of devotees, and they seem special and inclined to bhakti in some ways. Could it be that they come to devotees because it’s their last birth before they will take on a human form? How is it that material opulence makes people forget about spiritual life, especially if material opulence comes as a result of previous pious acts?...

Questions on today’s Swami call: What does it mean to have a soft heart? Is the uttama-bhagavata’s vision more true than that of the madhyama-bhagavata? If so should the kanistha-bhagavata follow the uttama perspective because it’s more real or follow the madhyama perspective as it is more close to their own? Some people argue that Srila Prabhupada engaged his disciples beyond their qualification....

Questions on today’s Swami call: I have heard you say that Sri Madhvacarya taught that jivas are of three kinds; sattvika, rajasika, and tamasika. Only sattvika jivas are eligible for liberation. How did he support this view? Might this view be influenced by the caste system where only brahmins are eligible for liberation? What does it mean to identify as a Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Vaishnava when Mad...

Questions on today’s Swami call: Is it that we first learn to study sastra under guidance and then we become able to study it on our own? Can the principle of thesis-antithesis-synthesis be seen in the different types of personalities of our lineage?  Is the ability to see the svarupa sakti manifesting itself in different ways something that will come with advancement? What is the origin of Ayurve...

From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 8: No Gopa Should Go Hungry

From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 7: Sukadeva Carried to Another Madhurya Lila

From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 6: Krsna Helps the Gopis Perfect Their Vrata

From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 5: The Last Day of the Katyayani Vrata

Questions on today’s Swami call: Today being the appearance day of Jesus Christ whom we consider a saktyavesa-avatara, do you have any insights about him or his lila that you would like to share? Sometimes when we want to go all in with our bhakti practice it is disturbing to others. What would be a good way to prevent or deal with that? Sometimes it is said that different descriptions of the same...

From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 4: The Mantra, Tantra, and Yantra of the Vraja Kumaris December 23, 2022

From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 3: Nanda Maharaja Taken to Varuna’s kingdom December 22, 2022

From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 2: The Irresistible Flute Song of Krishna December 21, 2022

From Madhurya to Audarya, Part 1: A Bromance with Bhagavan December 20, 2022

Questions on today’s Swami call: How to maintain one’s sadhana in turbulent times? Does the vow taken at initiation to not take intoxication extend beyond the obvious intoxicants like drugs and alcohol to other things that may be intoxicating such as social media or tv-series? What is the Gaudiya Vaishnava view of Lord Jagannatha? Is his form representing a moment of ecstasy or a permanent reality...

Swami B. V. Tripurari — December 11, 2022 — Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Tirobhava

Questions on today’s Swami call: How are we to understand the statements from scripture that say the jiva is one with Brahman? Sometimes, it appears that the experiences of the saint Mirabai are downplayed by representatives of our tradition. As Sri Krishna has all rights reserved, is he not free to reciprocate with Mirabai in the way she approached him? If we have more enthusiasm for kirtana than...

Questions of today’s Swami call: The wives of the brahmanas in Krishna-lila are said to have been sadhakas. Are there other instances of Vraja Krishna interacting with sadhakas? Some people say that guru and Sri Krishna speak to us through sastra. As the mind is fickle, how can we know whether we are hearing guru or Krishna speaking through sastra and not just finding what we want to be true? Is i...

Questions on today’s Swami call: It may be confusing for people to hear that the Bhagavad-gita was spoken on a battlefield and that Sri Krishna told Arjuna to kill. This may sound like jihad or parallels may be drawn to people who claim that God told them to kill someone. Can you explain this? It is very discouraging to me to hear that Dhruva Maharaja only saw the Lord once. If it is so hard even...