Dear Swami, Your philosophy states that the soul or Self is eternal, and that God, the Supreme Self, is also eternal. If this is so, then how is God to be considered the Creator ? Sincerely, Mary Welch. Srila Prabhupada: Dear Miss Welch, Creator means the Source, and creation means the emanation from that Source. The Creator and the creation are both eternal but the creation depends upon the Creator, and not vice versa. It is like the sun and the sunlight. They are always together, but the sun is supreme and independent, while the sunlight ...

Lord Brahma told Vrishabhanu that this girl was the origin of the goddess Lakshmi and that he should take great care of Her. Lord Brahma then placed the baby girl in the arms of Vrishabhanu who became overjoyed, and after taking permission from Lord Brahma, returned to his home. Seeing the beautiful baby girl shining like millions of autumnal moons, mother Kirtida was overcome with joy and immediately arranged for all kinds of religious rites to be performed and donated thousands of cows to...

He who reads this confidential prayer, which bears the title Ananda-candrika (The Moonlight of Bliss), and which is beautiful with ten names of the queen of Vrndavana, becomes free of all troubles and decorated with great good fortune. He quickly becomes the object of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava's mercy. 1. Radha , 2. She who is dear to Lord Damodara, 3. His greatest worshiper, 4. the daughter of King Vrsabhanu, 5. She who is the crowning garland of mallika flowers on the decorated braided hair of ...

This is my English rendition of the Sri Radhikastaka from the Govinda-lilamrta, by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja. Her gold complexion steals the pride of golden lotus tinged with red. Her fragrance mocks the scent of lotus bloom with saffron powder spread. Her skill in satisfying Sri Hari is perfect and complete . . . May Radhika bestow on me the service of Her lotus feet. Her wondrous silken garments shame the splendor rubies can display. She is a blooming garden where the bee of K...

Srimati Radharani is the Supreme Goddess. She is most always seen with Lord Krishna. It is described that She is the Chief Associate and devotee of Lord Krishna, and topmost of all Goddesses. Her name means the She is the most excellent worshiper of Lord Krishna. However, She is also an expansion of the Lord's energy. Since She is also an extension of Krishna, She is the feminine aspect of God. Thus, in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, God is both male and female. They are One, but Krishna ...

This question has probably caused more people to lose their faith than anything else. Why does God sit peacefully in his cloud or wherever, feet up and smoking his pipe, while we suffer all kinds of grim miseries down here on earth? The best answers we can usually manage are: a) He can’t do anything about it, b) He is mean and nasty, or c) He is not there at all. Obviously these three conclusions mean our faith is gone or as good as gone. So are there any other answers? In my short book “Why Me?”, I explore this question. Mainly based upon the Bhagavad-gita, I t...

It was 3.45 am at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. I was at the guestroom of the ISKCON temple, waiting for the ride that would take me to the airport for my flight to Panama. Shanta Vigraha P, the devotee who had coordinated my visit there and who was to drive me to the airport, had been slightly delayed. Meanwhile, I had thought of using the restroom, which was in an adjacent room. Before going there, I had locked the door of the guestroom. But then I went back to open that door slightly, thinking that as the atmosphere outside was hot and mosquito-ridden, Shant...

Ujjain is an ancient holy city on the bank of the Kshipra River, today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Ujjain is the place where Lord Krishna, along with Balarama and Sudama, received education from Maharishi Sandipani. Ujjain is one of the four sites in India that host the Kumbh Mela (also called the Simhastha Mela), once in 12 years. On the occasion of Simhastha Kumbh Mela the divinity and spiritual aroma of Ujjain meets its highest peak when millions of pilgrims take dips and worship sacred River Kshipra. The Garuda Purana enumerates seven sacre...

Srila Prabhupada, you mercifully employed me as one of your office boys in this mission to spread Krishna consciousness. It is for this reason that Bombay has special significance for me. It was my spiritual birthplace.I was conceived at your first Bombay festival at Cross Maidan in 1971 and I was born in 1972 at Hare Krsna Land. Srila Prabhupada, you always said, "If you want to remember something, write it down." In the introduction to "A Transcendental Diary", Hari-sauri Dasa recalls that within two days of his assigned association with you, he purchased a blank noteb...

My Vyasa-puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada. Last month your spiritual granddaughter Smriti “Baby” Warrier (now Sravana Dasi) lost her son in a tragic accident at the railroad. When I wrote to offer my condolences, I was wonderstruck by her reply: “Thank you for your kind blessings and prayers for our son Nrsimha Guru. Due to the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, we are all blessed with our journey in Krishna consciousness. In such a situation all we can see is Krishna’s hand and how He orchestrated the whole incident. Though it is the most horrific thing I have experience...