What do yoga, spiritual music, and Hare Krishna have to do with Barack Obama? At first blush, not a whole lot. Sure, Obama carried around a Hanuman trinket for some time, as indicated by Time Magazine.

The publication of "The Yoga of Kirtan: Conversations on the Sacred Art of Chanting," while sparking some mild controversy within ISKCON, has enabled me to share our philosophy in venues I wouldn't have previously thought possible

I have received several letters expressing an entirely predictable ISKCON concern: “I love the new book but I wonder about ‘milk touched by the lips of a serpent.’ I refer, of course, to the non-ISKCON people represented in your book.

On my way over here, I noticed that your Student Union will be airing the Woody Allen film, Deconstructing Harry. The film's title is intriguing, because, in a sense, it directly relates to the subject you want me to discuss tonight: "Is Krishna the God of creation?"

According to Srila Prabhupada, one can gauge a person's spiritual status by how they react to finding money on the street: Do they keep it for themselves? Do they leave it lying there? Or do they look for the original owner? What would you do?

I recently heard a woman say, "least but not last." She meant to say the usual, "last but not least," but somehow, due to a slip of the lip, or perhaps because of some mild form of dyslexia, she inverted the words in this somewhat humorous way. And this got me thinking about humility, which people sometimes confuse with low self-esteem, thus viewing it as an inferior quality.

Black Lotus: The Spiritual Journey of an Urban Mystic explores the life and mission of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami, an African-American seeker who became one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the twentieth century.

It must be reiterated here that devotees of Krishna are more concerned with the soul than with the body, and while embracing Ayurvedic principles for bodily care, they look to the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam – and to the teachings of Rupa Goswami -- for spiritual advancement and guidance in life.

Historian Arnold Toynbee predicted that "India will conquer her conquerors." While addressing The Philosophical Society of Edinburgh University in 1952, he proposed that while the balance of the twentieth century would belong to the West, the twenty-first century would see India become a major world culture.

"Wow," she said. "God in the Vaisnava tradition is certainly a complex and multi-faceted individual." She then added, continuing in the humorous mood, "I guess David is only "partially" aggressive, too. He's actually a great kid." We laughed and looked at each other knowingly, recognizing that there are truths that go beyond a child's passing tantrums, and that even these tantrums have a basis in a reality that is simply more important.

The idea is to absorb one's senses in Krishna -- to see his form, to taste food and to smell incense that is offered to him, to read about his pastimes and, mostly, to hear the chanting of his names. This creates a sort of "wrap-around awareness" that engulfs you in the spiritual world. And by being so engulfed, you remember what you have long forgotten.

Once, when a young hippie had attended a few Sunday feasts in the early days of the Krsna consciousness movement, he noticed that, when devotees became angry, they would say to each other, "Just chant 'Hare Krsna.'" On one particular occasion, Srila Prabhupada was in attendance, and he had become angry about something. Seeing this, the young hippie naturally turned to Prabhupada and said, "Just chant 'Hare Krsna.'"

In the end, the "religion leads to violence" argument falters; you might just as easily say that education leads to violence since there is so much violence in schools. One might counter the argument by borrowing a slogan from the National Rifle Association: Religion doesn't kill, people do.

Everyone has asked the following question, at least in some form: "How can I be certain that what I believe to be true is actually true?" Vedic philosophy arrives at such certitude through pramana, "evidence," which refers to sources of knowledge that are held to be valid. In our Gaudiya Sampradaya, there are basically three pramanas: pratyaksa (direct perception), anumana (logical argument) and sabda (scriptural testimony).

Setting aside all of this back and forth, it would be useful if we came to some mutual conclusions, especially because I have no intention of engaging in an ongoing debate. (Many others – stalwart devotees -- will soon be sending in their articles, and these will be far more convincing than my own.)

Now it is time to be dharmic, and to stand behind Dhanurdhar Swami, who has certainly shown his dedication to the institution. Please do not judge me too harshly for stating what's on my mind, even if it may not conform to popular opinion. I wish only harmony and happiness for the association of Vaishnavas.

Real Sankirtana must be infused with selflessness, with the intense desire to share the rich virtues of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Without this mood of giving, it is only a shadow of Sankirtana. I therefore recommend that all devotees cultivate an inner mood of giving – giving what we have been fortunate enough to receive, but, more, to give what we never had.

Originally, in India, of course, no separate religion called Hinduism ever existed. Rather, there are numerous religious traditions, from Vaishnavism, which is the eternal function of the soul – the religion of transcendental principles brought West by Srila Prabhupada – to Shaivism, Shaktism, and a host of other sectarian religions.