Gita Made Easy (Q&A from attendees)

Question: What is Dharma ? Mathaji said that “take care of Dharma , Dharma will protect me ? ” . so what is Dharma for me ?

Answer: (Refer Video Time at – 22:05) Dharma is to follow our constitional duty. Bhagavad Gita describes that Dharma of a human being is to Serve. We see in our daily routine we are serving parents, kids, relatives, country, community, boss etc. Now, to answer 2nd part “What is Dharma for me”, as we move forward in Bhagavad Gita we’ll be knowing what is our Dharma.

Question: I missed first section….how to go through it

Answer: We have uploaded Video session, Course Content and Quiz at our website www.studygita.com. Course content is also available at our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/studygita). In case you find some difficulty, kindly check the video at https://youtu.be/xjnv7SMvnlk

Question: What is the meaning of the slogan that starts like Rake krishna in which many are typed as jai?

Answer: Rakhe Krsna mare ke mare Krsna rakhe ke.Meaning is – ” If Krishna decides to protect/save, no one can kill and if Krishna decides to kill no one can protect/save”.

Question: Difference between human and animals?

Answer: (Refer Video at time 8:22 onwards) We constantly endeavor to derive happiness as we heard in class story from childhood till marriage and kids and again the same story repeats. We are all busy in 4 activities similar to animals – eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Same happens with animals. Only thing that differentiate us Humans from animal is the inquisitiveness to do self realization or do higher inquiry about where the real happiness is and that we get through Bhagavad Gita. That is the beginning of BEING HUMAN.

Question: Hanuman belongs to a different yuga altogether, how come he is instrumental in this yuga also. Who approached him for assistance and why?

Answer: We understand from Bhagavad Gita 1.20 that – Both Rama and Hanuman were present on the chariot of Arjuna to help him. Lord Krsna is Rama Himself, and wherever Lord Rama is, His eternal servitor Hanuman is present.Regarding 2nd part – There is another pastime between Hanuman and Arjuna where they both were trying and testing each other and to keep the words of both of their devotees, at end, Lord Krishna appears and resolves the issue and there, under the direction of Lord Krishna, Hanuman promised to be present on the flag of Arjuna and assist in the war against the Kauravas. Similarly during another pastime with Bhima, Hanuman mentioned about the same that he will appear on the flag of Arjuna during Mahabharata war and by his shouts he will damp the courage of enemies.

Question: Please which website will I’ll find the slides and notes of chapter one which was discussed yesterday

Question: It is said that the Gita gives us lessons for life. How can we relate to a war like scenario in today’s world? There was lot of bloodshed and loss of life because of the Mahabharata war. Was that acceptable then and even now?

Answer: Any action performed for self-pleasure is not justifiable however same act under the guidance of the bonafide authority is justified. As we heard in today’s class an example of an army man killing at border is justified as it’s an act performed under the guidance and order of bonafide authority, the Govt, whereas same army man killing his neighbor over his personal fight is punishable under the law.We see here Arjuna was initially not ready to fight as he was constantly thinking that he is killing his kinsmen and elders in family but when he got fully confused and surrender to Lord Krishna and worked under the guidance of Krishna then he understood fighting for Dharma is more important than his personal motives.Also we learned today war is not only external between countries we are at war even with in our self. We understood 3 types of miseries we are facing entire life. So Bhagavad Gita gives us life lesson how we can live in peace by following our duties towards Sanatana Dharma i.e. by establishing our missing link with Lord Krishna (Duty towards Soul).

Question: Can we see the recording of yesterday’s session

Question: I haven’t been able to register in studygita.com. I provide my email and name but no email is sent to me, so I couldn’t set the password and so have not been able to complete the registration process; I’m afraid of not being able to take the tests/examns that lead to certification.

Answer: Due to overwhelming response sometimes site get technical issues. Apologies for the inconvenience caused. I would request you to try “Lost your password?” option or you can do the following steps. To do quiz. You need to follow the below steps: 1. Log onto www.studygita.com 2. You will see “Gita Made Easy” Button on Home page. Click on that. 3. On next page click on “Login/Register” button on right top of page 4. Enter your username or email id and Password and “Log In”. If you have not received initial registration confirmation email. Click on “Lost your password?” option and do password reset and an email will be sent to you. With that you can complete you registration and will be able to login. 5. Once you login, you will reach Gita Made Easy – Course Introduction Page and their following instructions are providedCourse Structure and Important InstructionsThe course is divided into 18 lessons, one lesson per chapter of Bhagavad-Gita. Each lesson contains a recorded Session Video, Class Notes, Bhagavad Gita Shlokas followed by a quiz.How to complete a lesson? 1. Click ‘Mark Complete’ on each topic once you have gone through the video, downloaded class notes and shlokas. 2. Then complete the Quiz. 3. After completing the above you will see a full green tick mark before the lesson title.

Question: You explained about Dharma , it is the guidelines or the norms of life we abide by but what is Dharma Chakra

Answer: Bhagavad Gita explains our Dharma as to serve. We serve our Body throughout life without taking much care of Soul. Similarly as we saw in session where a bird is in cage and the lady was continuously taking care of Cage only but not the bird. Another thing we learnt was our composition which is Gross Body + Subtle Body + Soul. We understand that our Dharma is to serve in both capacity i.e. as Body and as Soul. As body we are engaged in Sva Dharma (taking care of family, job etc) and as Soul also we need to engage our self in Sanatana Dharma (Chanting Krishna’s name and reading Bhagavad Gita) and that will really keep us happy.Now coming to Dharma Chakra, I assume you are talking about life cycle or Samay chakra which was mostly prominent in Buddhism.

Question: I request your goodself to translate all the 18 classes into telugu language and post in whatsapp group and youtube.

Answer: Appreciate your suggestion to translate all 18 classes in Telugu. We surely will try to achieve this in near future.

Question: Goddess Lakshmi is in which form with Arjuna, in the chariot? Lord Hanuman didn’t go back with Lord Rama because he wanted Vishnu in it Lord Rama form of his immense bakthi…then was he ready to support in Lord Krishna avatar as well?

Answer: Lakshmi Devi is known as Goddess of Fortune, so wherever Lakshmi Devi is there all good fortune and auspiciousness prevails. Since Krishna was on Arjuna’s side therefore naturally Lakshmi Devi was also on side of Arjuna. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the beloved husband of all goddesses of fortune. As she never stays without her husband, she is always present with the supreme lord.We understand from Bhagavad Gita 1.20 that – Both Rama and Hanuman were present on the chariot of Arjuna to help him. Lord Krsna is Rama Himself, and wherever Lord Rama is, His eternal servitor Hanuman is present. There is a pastime between Hanuman and Arjuna where they both were trying and testing each other and to keep the words of both of their devotees, at end, Lord Krishna appears and resolves the issue and there, under the direction of Lord Krishna, Hanuman promised to be present on the flag of Arjuna and assist in the war against the Kauravas. Similarly during another pastime with Bhima, Hanuman mentioned about the same that he will appear on the flag of Arjuna during Mahabharata war and by his shouts he will damp the courage of enemies. This gives us clear indication that Hanuman was very much ready to support Lord Krishna.

Question: What is the symbol of hanuman flag?and how it affect signal of victory

Answer: Symbol of Hanuman flag shows as another sign of victory as wherever the Lord Krishna is present his devotees are also present to help. You see Arjuna chooses Krishna although Krishna said he will not hold any weapon. Arjuna was having belief that wherever Krishna is present there is victory, but Duryodhana chooses one million Narayana sena, And he looses. So if we follow Dharma then Krishna will be at our side. If Krishna is on our side then there is victory for sure. That is the significant sign of Victory in Life.Also we see in Bhagavad Gita 18.78 Sanjaya says “Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.”There is another pastime between Hanuman and Arjuna where they both were trying and testing each other and to keep the words of both of their devotees, at end, Lord Krishna appears and resolves the issue and there, under the direction of Lord Krishna, Hanuman promised to be present on the flag of Arjuna and assist in the war against the Kauravas. Similarly during another pastime with Bhima, Hanuman mentioned about the same that he will appear on the flag of Arjuna during Mahabharata war and by his shouts he will damp the courage of enemies. This way Hanumans presence along with Lord Krishna was hinting from beginning about the victory of Arjuna.

Question: I couldn’t find any link on Facebook? Kindly share the URL to join the session

Answer: We have uploaded Video session, Course Content and Quiz at our website www.studygita.com. Course content is also available at our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/studygita).

Question: From 1st chapter i cant able to attend quiz mam,kindly help me to sort out this issue.is their any specific link available? Since common page is opening,its requesting us to register.already we registered na mam? I doknw to solve it.kindly help via sharing in group.my known friends of our group too in such trouble.thankyou🙏

Answer: To do quiz. You need to follow the below steps: 1. Log onto www.studygita.com 2. You will see “Gita Made Easy” Button on Home page. Click on that. 3. On next page click on “Login/Register” button on right top of page 4. Enter your username or email id and Password and “Log In” 5. Once you login, you will reach Gita Made Easy – Course Introduction Page and their following instructions are providedCourse Structure and Important Instructions The course is divided into 18 lessons, one lesson per chapter of Bhagavad-Gita. Each lesson contains a recorded Session Video, Class Notes, Bhagavad Gita Shlokas followed by a quiz. How to complete a lesson? 1. Click ‘Mark Complete’ on each topic once you have gone through the video, downloaded class notes and shlokas. 2. Then complete the Quiz. 3. After completing the above you will see a full green tick mark before the lesson title.

Question: Soul is eternal Body is like a dress When we died only Gross body is died Soul is left to other body We accept the concept But in the present life we are not understanding or feeling of soul going out That is why on early death we feel miseries How do understand this and feel or realize this concept

Answer: Your understanding is correct about Soul and Body. To realize the presence of Soul and accepting self as soul is what this entire lifetime is for. We need to practice, learn to do our Dharma. Connect with the Supreme Lord Krishna and he reveals from within as Krishna also says in Bhagavad Gita 10.10 – “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Here Krishna clearly says that those who are devoted in serving Me, I give understanding. So He will help from within, once you start connecting with Him. The simplest way to connect with Him in this yuga is Chanting of the Holy Name – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare…We saw in class also how we can understand the presence of SOUL. Through Common Sense, Near Death Experiences, Out of Body Experiences and Past Life Memories. You can do search on YouTube for Dr Ian Stevenson, Dr Satwant Pasricha and Michael Sabom researches.

Question: What is meant by three fold miseries?

Answer: In Bhagavad Gita chapter 1-6 describes that every living being in the material world are subjected to three fold material miseries every moment.The three kinds of miseries that living being lives continuously with are – Adhyātmika – miseries inflicted by the body and mind itself Adhibhautika – those inflicted by other living entities, society, community, nation Adhidaivika – those inflicted upon us by natural disturbances from earthquakes, famines, draughts, floods, epidemics, extreme weather conditions

Question: 1. During the class, you mentioned the verses about Bhagavan will be represented as Sri Bhagavanuvacha. Request you to explain the same. 2. The first step to failure is contemplating and followed by 7 others. So, in order to avoid failure, should i stop contemplating and consider it as the root for all the problems?

Answer: Ans 1: What speaker was trying to mention was that wherever Arjuna is speaking its said in Bhagavad Gita as “Arjuna Uvacha” and where Dhrtarashtra speaking its said “Dhrtarashtra Uvacha” and when Sanjaya speaks it is said “Sanjaya Uvacha” but wherever Krishna is speaking it is NOT said “Krishna Uvacha” instead it is mentioned as “Bhagavan uvacha” which was mentioned to show that Krishna is the Bhagavan and then we saw 6 qualities of Bhagavan which Krishna possesses.Ans 2: Yes, Contemplation on sense objects leads to  Attachment  Lust  Anger  Delusion  Bewilderment of memory  Intelligence is lost  one falls down in to material pool. Now question is how to stop or where to divert our contemplation so that we don’t fall prey to lust. This we will be discovering in our further sessions/chapters of Bhagavad Gita. Chapter 3 today also discussed how we can move from Lust to Love of God. Lets wait for more chapters and will discover more on this. Please read 3rd chapter and get some more details.

Question: For escaping from miseries soal can not departs by destroying the body. What is the impact when the soal departs in any stage of life other than attainjng old age

Answer: As I understand your question you want to know what happens to soul if it leaves body due to unnatural death i.e. not due to natural old age For example: Suicide or accidental. In case soul leaves body due to Suicide then soul has to spend life in Bhoot (Ghost) Yoni for 1000 yrs. And in case of accidental death it follows normal course of movement to next body.

Question: For escaping from miseries soal can not departs by destroying the body. What is the impact when the soal departs in any stage of life other than attainjng old age

Answer: Duplicate question

Question: Hare Krishna,1) Krishna says (my selection of words may be wrong), ” You are allowed to perform duty and have no right to expect a result”. So for what should a human strive, when God himself is saying that results are uncertain?2) Mataji gave an example of a restaurant owner enjoying the income from the business without doing much work and God is an enjoyer similarly/supremely. This gives me an impression of this being an extension of what happens on regular basis in this world.Thank you for your service.Krishna Malladi

Answer: As you asked this question on Day 1, by now you would have seen and understood what action we as human should strive for after Chapter 3. Bhagavad Gita 3.9 explains – “Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.“

Question: Hare Krishna..Awesome session. Thanks and Pranams to the Teacher. My question is, How do we stop the negative thought or thought of fear, anxiety, greed or lust at the first place itself so that it doesn’t reach the further stages and eventually the last fall down?

Answer: Following thoughts can help : 1. We need to understand our real Identity i.e. I am not this body, I am spirit Soul. 2. We should take shelter of Krishna when we have any doubt or negative though t 3. We have tendency to possess anything and everything as soon as we see something satisfying our senses. So better develop detachment 4. In chapter 3 we understood that we need to renunciate (detach) and real renunciation is getting rid of mentality of possessiveness. 5. We can make ourselves spiritually strong by being Krishna Conscious (chanting Hare Krishna and Reading Bhagavad Gita) and that brings peaceful and happy life.

Question: Crisis management, My real identy, Two duties and what is the fourth one.

Answer: Crisis Management – (2.1 – 2.10) My Real Identity – (2.11 – 2.30) Two Duties – (2.31 – 2.53) Sustained Happiness – (2.54 – 2.72)

Question: In the two duties, one to the body and the soul, what duty should be done to the Subtle body to be in peace? The Gross body is mere sensory happiness and the Soul is thinking of the Divine. How about the Subtle Body? What duty keeps it happy?

Answer: Subtle body is constituted of Mind, Intelligence and False Ego. This is what drives the inclinations towards the needs of Gross Body and Soul. When these are focusing only on needs of Gross body we are always just engaged in the material activities and try to satisfy our material senses only. Like taking care of only Cage in the example shown in session. However, when these are strengthened by KNOWLEDGE of our real eternal identity as SOUL then these help us in also taking care of Spiritual needs i.e. the bird inside the cage. Subtle body maintains us in striking a balance in taking care of needs of both Gross Body and Soul.

Question: Lord Krishna was chosen by Arjuna & his army was chosen by Duryodhana How to justify that King (Lord Krishna) was indirectly responsible for killing of his own army by Pandavas ?

Answer: Krishna tells Arjuna in BG 2.12. “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.“ Hope this gives you understanding that everything is Krishna’s plan and whatever action is performed by Supreme Lord has a purpose.

Question: among 6 quality of bhagavan can u pls tell about fame

Answer: 6 Qualities of Bhagavan: Beauty, Strength, Knowledge, Wealth, Renunciation, FameFame: Lord is all Glorious – Lord is ALL famous. He is famous among theist as well as atheist. Devotees of the lord are anyway always thinking of Him, glorifying Him, chanting His Holy names. His name, qualities, form, pastimes, dham are all considered as Krishna Himself. Even non devotees like Kansa, Ravana, Hiranyakashyapu etc were also constantly thinking of Lord.In material world a person can be famous in his street, locality, city, country or planet earth, however, Supreme Lord Krishna is famous in all 14 planetary systems and also as we saw in yesterday class He is Supreme Source of everything that Exist. He is Supreme Proprietor, Supreme Controller and Supreme Enjoyer.Whatever Lord does adds on to His fame, example: running away from battlefield is infamy for a Kshatriya however, when Krishna left the battlefield He is remembered and worshiped as Ranchor. Even Lord Krishna steels butter though same activity (theft) in material world is matter of infamy but same is glorified for the Supreme Lord (Makhanchor) and also followed and worshiped too.Krishna’s fame and glories are unlimited.

Question: Everything lost in this material world.ok I agree. But Bhakti continue with other birth. How please explain?

Answer: In Bhagavad Gita 2.40 Krishna is saying “In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” Further it is explained that Any work begun on the material plane has to be completed, otherwise the whole attempt becomes a failure. But any work begun in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness has a permanent effect, even though not finished. The performer of such work is therefore not at a loss even if his work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is incomplete. One percent done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness bears permanent results, so that the next beginning is from the point of two percent……Also, material activities and their results end with the body. But work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness carries a person again to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even after the loss of the body. At least one is sure to have a chance in the next life of being born again as a human being, that will give one a further chance for elevation. That is the unique quality of work done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Question: Where can I watch the recording of Day 1 and 2

Answer: We have uploaded Video session, Course Content and Quiz at our website www.studygita.com. Course content is also available at our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/studygita)Day 1 video at https://youtu.be/xjnv7SMvnlk Day 2 video at https://youtu.be/aqGY86fblw0?t=2m17s and https://youtu.be/BV0PjDldZnE

Question: What is the difference or how do I distinguish between Soul, Mind, Conscious and Life?

Answer: Consciousness is the symptom of Soul. Consciousness means ability to think, feel & will which comes from the presence of SOUL. Gross Body is dead matter. Mind is part of Subtle Body as you would have understood by now seeing the details in 2nd chapter session. You can refer notes of Chapter 2 on www.studygita.com

Question: Can I chant – Om Namo Narayanaya in addition to the Mahamantra or in lieu of it sometimes?

Answer: Yes, you can chant Om Namo Narayana in addition of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Whatever you are doing just ADD Hare Krishna Mahamantra in your life – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Question: During the explanation of first chapter/Adhyaya the terms stress and miseries were often used interchangeably. So my question is are the two terms imply same meaning in Bhagavad Gita?

Answer: Stress is an activity that causes misery/suffering to living being. So it’s considered as Misery. It comes as part of Adhyaatmika Miseries.

Question: In Quiz section Q10 answer could be compassion and loss of enjoyment (But answer is limited to only compassion) Sloka 1.31 refers to loss of enjoyment also . In this case option C must be correct.pl clarify.

Answer: Yes, you are right and we sincerely apologize for that. We’ll take corrective action asap.

Question: Please define swadharma and paradharma.

Answer: We discussed in class about Sva Dharma and Sanatana Dharma. Sva Dharma is – Duty towards body like taking care of family and job Sanatana Dharma is – Duty towards the soul like chanting Krishnas names and reading Bhagavad Gita

Question: Would like to know about who am I concept

Answer: Who Am I: The real identity of self is explained in Bhagavad Gita in Chapter 2 verse 11 till 30. Also you would have seen yesterday in class about composition of Self – it’s made up of Gross Body (destroyed at death) + Subtle Body + Soul. Krishna explains in BG that we are spirit Soul and we are not this body. We are Soul which has a body that is temporary. Entire Bhagavad Gita from 2nd chapter onwards will be based on and discussed keeping this principle in mind. To go more deeper in this subject matter you can register for course “Discover Yourself” with ISKCON Chennai after lockdown period is over, on your first visit to temple if you are in Chennai.

Question: In Adhyaya/chapter-2, an explanation was provided ‘My Real Identity’ section. So my question is that is subtle body, like the soul, also eternal?

Answer: Stress is an activity that causes misery/suffering to living being. So it’s considered as Misery. It comes as part of Adhyaatmika Miseries.

Question: Who was the first author to write bhagwad gita?

Answer: The first author of Bhagavad Gita was Ganesha and it is part of Epic Mahabharata.

Question: Why we are afraid of death

Answer: We are afraid of death because we are not aware of our real identity as soul. We keep working based on considering ourselves to be this body and we feel afraid of losing this possession and anything related to it that we have accumulated throughout our life, at the time of death (leaving the Gross body). As we see Bhagavad Gita 2.20 explains that for the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He is not slain when body is slain. Once we start living by knowing our real identity as SOUL and establish our lost relationship with Lord Krishna by performing our Sanatana Dharma (duty towards soul) then we won’t be afraid of death, as concept of death is alien to Soul.

Question: BG 2:50 yoga karmasu kousalam.what type of skill is mentioned here.? How to achieve the skill while we doing our duties?

Answer: Skill what is talked here is Art of Krishna Consciousness. This skill can be developed by Chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita. yogaḥ — Kṛṣṇa consciousness; karmasu — in all activities; kauśalam — art.

Question: My question is related to Bhagwaan( Krishna) being the ultimate Proprietor… The analogy given was of a restaurant where he comes and takes the earnings of the day…and nobody questions him…does this mean he will not look at our difficulties or our problems ( of let say running the restaurant..as in the example) …but is only concerned about the final earnings…It can’t be true…!??

Answer: Yes you are right. The point of giving that analogy was to just make us understand only the point that Krishna is the Supreme Source of everything and He is the Supreme Proprietor, Supreme Controller and Supreme Enjoyer. As you would have understood in todays’ 5th chapter class 5.9 says that “A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries”Here you can see that though He is ultimate beneficiary He is also well-wisher of all living entities..

Question: How can we overcome the steps of failure in life ? Does our miseries affect sanathana dharma?

Answer: Our miseries do not affect Sanatana Dharma. We can execute Sanatana Dharma in any situation of life and as we do that, our perception of success or failure, loss or gain will take on a positive angle.

Question: My question is related to chapter 1-. While explaining Krishna brings all auspiciousness n glory you gave 5 reasons.. One was related to Hanuman.. you said he would scream to make the enemy die.. I thought he was depicted on Arjuna’s flag with some other motive – like to stabilize and protect Arjuna’s chariot..Did he get an opportunity to scream n if yes in what context?

Answer: There is pastime in Mahabharat between Hanuman and Arjuna where they both were trying and testing each other and to keep the words of both of their devotees, at end, Lord Krishna appears and resolves the issue and there, under the direction of Lord Krishna, Hanuman promised to be present on the flag of Arjuna and assist in the war against the Kauravas. Similarly during another pastime with Bhima, Hanuman mentioned about the same that he will appear on the flag of Arjuna during Mahabharata war and by his shouts he will damp the courage of enemies.

Question: Can u explain the difference between Brahman, paramatma and bhagavan?

Answer: The same Absolute Truth, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is realized as impersonal Brahman by the students of the Upaniṣads as localized Paramātmā by the Hiraṇyagarbhas or the yogīs, and as Bhagavān by the devotees.Brahman – impersonal Brahman is the glowing effulgence of the Personality of Godhead Paramatma – Paramātmā is the partial representation of the Personality of Godhead, present in every living entity Bhagavan – Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, Himselfthe above three features of the one Absolute Truth are different perspective views seen from different angles of vision.

Question: Hare krishna. I am really liking the sessions a lot.. I just have the query as i have two sons one is 6 years old and the other one is 2 years.How do i inculcate Gita teachings in my kids life as they are small and i think it is my kids foundation years…

Answer: You can enroll your kids for Summer camps organized by ISKCON Chennai for age group 6-12 yrs. Its online. You can contact on below numbers for more details – +91-9445849608 or +91-9282157776

Question: Suppose human subtle body with soul gets transferred to tree or animal then what happens with thoughts, ego associated with subtle body of that human that gets transferred with soul to new body of new species and vice versa?

Answer: Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita 8.6, “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.” This means that whatever you think or desire at the time of death you get your next body according to that. So if we waste our human life performing activities (eating, mating, sleeping, defending) of animals only, then at time of death our consciousness will be of animal only and that will decide our next body as animal.For the same reason a verse before Krishna says in 8.5 “And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me alone at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” So if we live our life performing our sanatana dharma i.e. chanting Krishnas name and reading Bhagavad Gita along with Sva Dharma, and train our consciousness to be Krishna Conscious entire life then for sure we may have chance, by mercy of Krishna, that we remember Krishna at time of death and go back to Him.

Question: Gita has 18 chapters and many sections. You are teaching only a very few sections under each chapter. Will you not teach us all sections ? Secondly please read the Sanskrit verse also

Answer: We are trying to bring Bhagavad Gita in a simpler and easier way to make it understandable to people from all walks of life in a very short span of time. For the same reason we named it, Gita Made Easy. Hope you like it.We are trying to bring summary of each chapter and giving practical application along with Life Lessons that we learn from it.Hope you registered at www.studygita.com and there you can read all shlokas of each chapter along with watching all videos and presentation.

Question: What is the relation between kuruvamsham and Lord Krishna. They are Kshatriya and Krishna is yadava

Answer: Kauravas and Krishna were Cousins. Mother Kunti was Krishnas aunt (Sister of Vasudev) which makes him cousins of Pandavas & Kauravas.

Question: After having good and bad experience in life already u realise ,one should not be attached to materialistic world,u automatically ditach yourself from karmaphal,stop expecting from people around you. But realising that things around are not good ,not raising voice is how far good? U r encouraging adharma on contrary. Can I get satisfactory answer please

Answer: prasanna pr

Question: Whenever I listen story about krishna, I always felt to cry and feeling like I m in cage, ( in this body ) and I want him. He so attached with me, whenever i close my eye I felt his presence and when I open my eyes it’s vanish and it’s hurts me. Why it happens with me?

Answer: We are naturally part and parcel of Krishna and this is a very favorable situation for Krishna Consciousness that we feel pleasure in His association & painful away from Him. We can stay in His association and feel blissful always by Chanting His Holy name – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and read about Him in Srimad Bhagavatam and His message Bhagavad Gita. This way we can be in His association 24×7 and be blissful and at end of life achieve Him as He mentioned in Bhagavad Gita 8.5.

Question: Hari om. 1.Yesterday u taught abt sva dharma and santana dharma. Could u explain in detail abt Santana dharma with example 2. How to enroll in quiz, guide me.pls

Answer: As we will be going through further chapters of Bhagavad Gita, we’ll be knowing more and more on Sanatana Dharma (Chanting Krishna’s name and reading Bhagavad Gita). So hold on till you discover! Hare KrishnaTo do quiz. You need to follow the below steps: 1. Log onto www.studygita.com 2. You will see “Gita Made Easy” Button on Home page. Click on that. 3. On next page click on “Login/Register” button on right top of page 4. Enter your username or email id and Password and “Log In” if already registered else do registration and login. 5. Once you login, you will reach Gita Made Easy – Course Introduction Page and their instructions are provided.

Question: What is satchidanand ? Please explain in detail.

Answer: Soul – Spirit Soul – Completely Spiritual (Not Material) – Called Satcidananda – Sat (Eternal) Cit (full of knowledge) Ananda (Full of Bliss)

Question: Hare Krishna Marathi. This is Divya I’m unable to take up the quiz though I registered in our website.. I have not received any mails regards the same .. Pls guide further. Thank you Hare Krishna 🙏

Question: It is said that Krishna could have avoided the war he tried also but still wanted that war should happen. What was his motive behind letting huge Destruction happen?

Answer: Lord Krishna has purpose behind every action. With this war He gave us many lessons and below are few: 1. Spoke Bhagavad Gita for us to understand ourselves and get out of this world of misery 2. Showed that Dharma always wins. 3. If one takes shelter of Supreme Lord, he/she is always protected 4. Lord has two objectives to appear – Protect His devotees and destroy the miscreants or those who are against dharma. And then establish Dharma. Paritranaya Sadhunam Vinashaya ca dhushkritam dharma sansthapanarthaya

Question: Perform your duty, you are not entitled to fruits or action but in a family situation we perform our duty regardless of any fruits but still we are mentally drained at times. How to keep our selves mentally strong in miserable times

Answer: Performing our duties keeping Krishna in center will help improve the situation. By knowing our real position/identity and taking shelter of Krishna keeps us mentally strong. As we saw in class we keep all our focus towards Sva Dharma (family, job) but we need to understand that Sanatana Dharma is also equally important which helps in balancing our life and keeping our mental state strong. Please include chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra in your daily routine and that will definitely help you. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Question: How to become Free from duality? Good or bad

Answer: By becoming Krishna Conscious. Krishna is present in every living entity and when we see that we are all spirit soul and are His part and parcel we can be free from duality. Be compassionate to all. That is like reaching the Paramhamsa state. But the beginning to reach that state is to start including Krishna in life by chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita.Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Question: Take care of dharma and dharma will protect you. Inspite of following dharma, pandavas still had to undergo lot of miseries. .. Why Krsna made them undergo miseries… Could have evited them… Before war

Answer: If we look in case of Pandavas, during every trouble time, Krishna was protecting them. As we understand from Bhagavad Gita 4.8, Krishna comes to protect His devotees and Destroy the miscreants and establishes Dharma millennium after millennium . Krishna was protecting them and also through them giving message of Bhagavad Gita to entire humanity. From our materialistic point of view when we see we feel they were suffering but if we really look spiritually they were in constant shelter of Krishna.

Question: How is lust different from our duty to our body & mind..? Acharya ji, you said that lust expects something in return, But our population growth, for example happens with lust – Sometimes lust as a bodily desire to satisfy our hormonal needs (kama, i think maybe the right word), but again, isn’t it the duty for a person to expand his species. Isn’t that the duty of the body and mind? Another example I can think is that I will raise my child with all goodness,integrity and love, hoping that tomorrow, when he is a grown up man, he will love me back with the same level and show me compassion and love. Isn’t this also a bodily duty, for example, that I take care of my parents in old age.? Kindly clarify.

Answer: prasanna pr

Question: Kindly give more info karma yoga and karma kanda

Answer: Karma Kanda – Actions performed for sense enjoyment without having any consciousness of Krishna. Karma Yoga – Actions performed but having consciousness of Krishna.The Karma-kāṇḍa portion stresses the execution of fruitive activities. A person in Karma Kanda wishes to enjoy material pleasures to their fullest extent.Whereas BG 3.7 mentions about Karma Yoga – “On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Kṛṣṇa consciousness] without attachment, he is by far superior.”

Question: Its a question about attachment and miseries. Why does it so happen that even if we follow all the dharma principles and be good,just,compassionate to people- we still suffer? People cheat us, hurt us and leave us.

Answer: Answer to both of your questions:Whatever happens to us in the life is actually the results of Karma performed in this or previous many life times. We need to understand we are not this body and we are spirit soul (Chapter 2). We are in this material world since we want to enjoy separate from Krishna due to our envy and many desires. On top of that in every body we kept on performing many good or bad actions for which we are reaping good or bad reactions in next lives. When soul moves to next body along with that goes subtle body which keeps record of all unfulfilled desires of previous body. Based on what we desire at the time of death Krishna says we get next body (8.6) which can be any out of 84 lakh species of life i.e. of human or animals or beasts or plants or aquatic or birds etc…How we can get out of this and go back to godhead is by reestablishing our relationship with Krishna by chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita.

Question: Need more clarity on Sat Chid Ananad

Answer: Answer to both of your questions:Soul – Spirit Soul – Completely Spiritual (Not Material) – is Satcidananda – Sat (Eternal) Cit (Full of Knowledge) Ananda (Full of Bliss)About both Yoga you can refer to slides/notes of Chapter 3 and get more details. Briefly described below:Sakam Karma Yoga – Person in this yoga is like a beginner with some interest in spiritual life and accepts the Supreme Lord. Still busy in material life. Offers a part of his gains to the lord but still have some selfish motives.Nishkam Karma Yoga – Person in this yoga becomes more serious in spiritual life (chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita). Accepts only the portion necessary for the maintenance of body & family and offers balance in the service of the lord. Although he works but keeps himself detached from the results.

Question: Namaskaram, You said everything comes from Krishna… But he was 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu. So if everything comes from and goes unto Krsna, before his Avatar, what was the real scenario?? Did world not exist?? So did you mean Lord Vishnu or (any) Lord Almighty or Krsna only…??

Answer: Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that we understand from Srimad Bhagavatam where incarnations are explained in 1st Canto, 3rd Chapter from 7th till 27th verse and then finally 28th verse explains as below:S.B 1.3.28 – ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yugeAll of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.

Question: Hare Rama , Hare Krishna! Referring to class on 25th May, I have 3 questions to put forth and look forward for your clarification1) Regarding sources of Miseries : When mataji spoke about 3 type sources of miseries , Adhyathmika / Adhidaivika and Adhibautika , could you please help me understand at what will I categorise my job related miseries and how do I better address it .2) Relating to Composition of Myself : Mataji spoke about Gross body, Subtle body and Soul .Please explain how does subtle body trans migrates with an example3) Regarding Symptoms of Imbalance : When we balance ‘ Duty towards body ‘ and ‘ Duty towards the soul’ it was mentioned that we can experience happiness in this birth and next .As many of us believe the essence of life is attainment of ultimacy, which Sri Krishna Charan , we look forward for no rebirth and constant stay with Sri Krishna. May I know why there is no such category here or is it not mentioned in Bhagvat Gita ? please help me understand what should we do attain it , if there is any mention about it.Hare Rama , Hare Krishna .

Answer: Ans1. As your question is not very clear, let’s try to put situation and explain and hope that will help understand it. If you are facing issues very explicitly given by another person to you, they will be Adibhautika (by other living entities). However if the miseries or issues created by self-stress and contemplation of work then it’s only due to your own thoughts because you think there is a problem and rest others are ok then it can be called Adiatmika (from self-body and mind)Ans 2. Every time death takes place Gross Body (physical body) is destroyed. However Subtle Body and Soul transmigrate to next body based on our desires at time of death. Bhagavad Gita says in 8.6 – “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.” Let’s wait for more chapters to come ahead and you can discover more…Ans 3. When we train our mind throughout life by being Krishna Conscious (following sanata dharma-Duty towards Soul) then only we could remember Krishna at the time of death and then in Bhagavad Gita 8.5 Krishna says – “And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me alone at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.”. This is the process to attain Krishna’s abode and never come back to the material life. Once we reach Chapter 8 it will be more clear to you. So let’s wait to discover further…

Question: 2 types of yoga Nishkarsh yoga and Sahakarma yoga in more details

Question: Dear Mam , I have a question from chapter 1 , “where there is Krishna and Arjuna there is victory” what exactly this means, should we pray keeping the idols of lord Krishna and Arjuna in our pooja room, or mentally we imagine Lord Krishna and Arjuna and pray? Please explain.

Answer: This is the last shloka of Bhagavad Gita 18.78 where Sanjaya mentions this statement about Krishna and Arjuna. Here Arjuna is representation of Krishna Devotee who are fully surrendered to Krishna. We can understand this statement as – wherever the Supreme Lord Krishna is present and His devotees are engaged in His service by following His instructions life is successful, full of peace and happiness (meaning Victory). You can have Krishna in picture or deities form and worship Him.

Question: 1. How to attend the quiz on Bhagavad Gita? 2. Does it happen daily?

Question: 1. How to attend the QUIZ? 2. Does it happen daily?

Answer: Duplicate question

Question: Hare Krishna…When an earth worm is cut , it immediately becomes two living entity..so how many souls are there in one body? Is it one or many..? Since each atom contains a soul , our body is made of multiple atoms…..our we conscious of only one soul? And so once we take to bakthi yoga then which soul have the chance to go back home , back to godhead?

Answer: Each living body have only one soul and one Supersoul. Once we take to Bhakti path one soul only goes back to Godhead.

Question: I understand we have a duty towards soul- we should be krishna concious and help this soul go back to the lord.. But why did this soul detach from Krishna and come to earth? Was it due to an unfulfilled lust of the soul– or an unfulfilled lust of the previous body of this soul..So we are suffering because of our Soul’s ill deeds in previous birth? our because of ill deeds of our last body?

Question: reason for looking at western countries?…. why not India ….. as we are more spiritual than western countries. What made us backward?

Answer: In general it’s a tendency that opposite attracts. Also, we see that India being developing country and was recently been independent, was influenced by western countries and culture in 1960’s. So Spiritual Master of Srila Prabhupad wanted him to go to west and preach the message of Krishna Consciousness and eventually today we see that many people from all parts of entire planet earth are part of this International movement of Krishna Consciousness. It’s nothing like making us backward, it’s more like being a visionary.

Question: I felt the lecture was quite rushed today so I couldn’t grasp many a things.However, I would want to understand more about Sakarma and Nishkarma, also bit about what is lust and how do we regulate our senses to defeat it?Lust coverts into anger, but even Arjuna was supposed to be angry to fight the battle, how do we justify?Even animals and humans are made by Krishna, but in his service we can’t sacrifice a lamb let’s say and eat it as food, why is it?

Answer: About both Yoga you can refer to slides/notes of Chapter 3 and get more details on www.studygita.com. You can even watch the entire session again on the site.Part 1- Briefly both are described below:Sakam Karma Yoga – Person in this yoga is like a beginner with some interest in spiritual life and accepts the Supreme Lord. Still busy in material life. Offers a part of his gains to the lord but still have some selfish motives.Nishkam Karma Yoga – Person in this yoga becomes more serious in spiritual life (chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita). Accepts only the portion necessary for the maintenance of body & family and offers balance in the service of the lord. Although he works but keeps himself detached from the results.Part 2- Any action performed in anger does not give appropriate results rather it creates delusion and bewilderment. Arjuna was compassionate in beginning and decided not to fight but Krishna did not make him angry to fight. Krishna gave him understanding of Self, of Krishna and Performance of different Yoga and ultimate instruction to Surrender unto Him and follow His instructions. Arjuna was fighting for the pleasure of the Lord and not out of anger on Kauravas.Part 3 – Sacrificing a lamb is not for Krishna’s pleasure, it’s a process in Karma Kanda section where eating goat is mentioned for those who really can’t control their senses and it comes with a Karma reaction clause attached to it. The offering is to goddess Kali. Person has to chant mantra before sacrificing the goat “Mamsa” which means I am taking your life and that give you opportunity to take my life in next birth. So any sane person if follows the process will understand what is he really committing to. For every Karma there is reaction to that Karma.Eating meat is strictly forbidden for the same reason and Krishna clearly says you can offer me Patram, Pushpam, Phalam, Toyam… So these 4 things we should offer as sacrifice to Krishna and consume as Prasad.

Question: What’s your view on COVID? Whether it is adivaidika or adhibautika?

Answer: This comes under the category of Adhidaivika misery.

Question: Hare Krishna.. Which day of the mahabarath war was bagawath geetha adviced to arjuna…? Was sanjaya there during the whole battle?

Answer: Before the beginning of battle Bhagavad Gita was spoken to Arjuna. Yes, Sanjaya was present for entire battle and was narrating to Dhrtarashtra.

Question: In Chandogya Upanishad it is mentioned “Ekkam Avvidityam”. There is only 1 GOD without a second. Then why do we have so many aspects, incarnation and manifestations in Hinduism ??Q.2. Why didnt Lord Krishna stop the bloodshed in Battle of Kurukshetra since he had the power ss he was billion years ahead of the rest ??

Answer: God by definition is the Supreme Being. And there can be only one Supreme. Yet the Bhagavad-gita talks about multiple worshipable beings, devatas.Who are these beings?Some people equate them with the “false gods” condemned in certain religions as God’s competitors.But the Gita is clear that the devatas are real beings. They occupy in the cosmic administration the posts of departmental heads under the Supreme Being, Krishna. As they have some of the powers of God, Gita commentators often refer to them as demigods.Through the demigods, Krishna facilitates the progress of people who are not spiritually evolved enough to worship him. By arranging for his subordinates, the demigods, to act as his surrogates, intermediate objects of worship, he provides people the facility to worship according to their mentalities.When people choose to worship one of the demigods, Krishna with extraordinary large-heartedness strengthens their faith in that demigod (07.21) and also empowers the demigods to bestow benedictions on their worshipers ( 07.22). But these demigods are not eternal. Of course, as souls, they are eternal, but as occupiers of the posts of cosmic administrators, their tenure and power is temporary. So they cannot grant the eternal liberation that the eternal Supreme Being can grant (07.23). To gain that perennial benediction, demigod worshipers need to grow in spiritual understanding and graduate to the worship of the Supreme Being. Till then, the system of demigod worship accommodates within the precincts of dharma those not yet ready to fulfill the purpose of dharma: love for the Supreme.Of course, for those enterprising enough to embrace that purpose, the Gita’s conclusion (18.66) recommends single-minded devotion to Krishna, thereby facilitating their swift progress towards life’s supreme attainment – eternal life of love in the spiritual world.Ans 2: Krishna says in BG 4.7 & 4.8 the purpose for which Krishna appears : 4.7 – Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself. 4.8 – To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium So we can understand He appeared to protect Pandavas who was on side of Dharma and anniliate Kauravas who were living life on Adharma principles.

Question: Why does god give miseries to his own devotees (to a pure soul) when he/she has done punya in both the lives and not even one papakarma in both the lives?

Answer: Krishna never gives miseries to His devotees and those who are pure devotees never sees the cause of any misery to be the Supreme Lord. For devotees Krishna is the only source of pleasure and pleasing Krishna is the soul aim of pure devotees.Krishna says in BG 4.7 & 4.8 the purpose for which Krishna appears : 4.7 – Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself. 4.8 – To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millenniumSo we can understand He appears to protect and deliver His pure devotees and annihilate the miscreants i.e. non devotees.

Question: I don’t have Facebook and zoom. How to watch the episodes

Answer: You can register for self on www.studygita.com and there you can watch recording of previous days sessions and refer to shlokas and notes and also attempt quiz. If you pass all the quiz you will be qualified to receive certificate.You need to follow the below steps: 1. Log onto www.studygita.com 2. You will see “Gita Made Easy” Button on Home page. Click on that. 3. On next page click on “Login/Register” button on right top of page 4. Enter your username or email id and Password and “Log In” 5. Once you login, you will reach Gita Made Easy – Course Introduction Page and their instructions are provided

Question: How do we practise Nishkam Bhakti that we heard in this chapter? What are the steps to achieve that?

Answer: We’ll be discussing more and more on the topic of Sakam, Nishkam way of acting in further chapters. To give you basic idea you can refer to the slides used in the session. A quick changes in thought process as mentioned below can help : 1. We need to become bit more serious about our Spiritual life i.e. Krishna Consciousness. 2. Whatever is required for maintenance of Sva dharma i.e. family and job, has to be taken care and whatever is extra should be utilized for the service of the Lord. 3. Start working in a way where when we perform our duties and we understand that we are not in control of the results. But that should not lead to attachment towards Not performing duty itself.

Question: What is the difference between gross body and subtle body??

Question: Hi Sir, i do not see class notes and quiz for 3rd chapter. can you plz share those. Thanks

Answer: You can see now. Generally after the session or next morning all content is loaded on www.studygita.com.

Question: According to Gita, our soul never dies, it just changes from one body to another. Can you explain this with some credible example.

Answer: In Bhagavad Gita Krishna says in 2.13 – As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change. In present world you can search on internet about researches done by Dr Ian Stevenson, Dr Satwant Pasricha and Dr Michael Sabom and it will help you seeing some credible examples authorized by Science.

Question: There are so many gods I have been connecting to,like ganesh, saraswati, ambal, shiva and the list goes on apart from vishnu. how can i justify just taking krishna’s name alone ? before justifying others ,for me to have clairity. what about kul devta? family deity….though in visvaroopa chapter he shows few of these deities I am not clear whether it includes all deities of our hindu religion? please clear my doubt.

Answer: God by definition is the Supreme Being. And there can be only one Supreme. Yet the Bhagavad Gita talks about multiple worshipable beings, devatas.Who are these beings?Some people equate them with the “false gods” condemned in certain religions as God’s competitors.But the Gita is clear that the devatas are real beings. They occupy in the cosmic administration the posts of departmental heads under the Supreme Being, Krishna. As they have some of the powers of God, Gita commentators often refer to them as demigods.Through the demigods, Krishna facilitates the progress of people who are not spiritually evolved enough to worship him. By arranging for his subordinates, the demigods, to act as his surrogates, intermediate objects of worship, he provides people the facility to worship according to their mentalities.When people choose to worship one of the demigods, Krishna with extraordinary large-heartedness strengthens their faith in that demigod (07.21) and also empowers the demigods to bestow benedictions on their worshipers ( 07.22). But these demigods are not eternal. Of course, as souls, they are eternal, but as occupiers of the posts of cosmic administrators, their tenure and power is temporary. So they cannot grant the eternal liberation that the eternal Supreme Being can grant (07.23). To gain that perennial benediction, demigod worshipers need to grow in spiritual understanding and graduate to the worship of the Supreme Being. Till then, the system of demigod worship accommodates within the precincts of dharma those not yet ready to fulfill the purpose of dharma: love for the Supreme.Of course, for those enterprising enough to embrace that purpose, the Gita’s conclusion (18.66) recommends single-minded devotion to Krishna, thereby facilitating their swift progress towards life’s supreme attainment – eternal life of love in the spiritual world.

Question: What are the parameters sinful living.

Answer: Sinful parameters – Life without the consciousness of Self, about God, our relationship with God, how to live in this world and what our next life is. Godless civilization is most abominable and considered as sinful life.Krishna is the Supreme Source of everything that Exist. He is the Supreme Proprietor, Controller and enjoyer.Life based on Krishna Consciousness is the best way to live. Chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra and read Bhagavad Gita daily.Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Question: What is the difference between subtle body and soul ????

Answer: Gross Body – Made up of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether – Its destroyed at death and its temporary Subtle Body – Made up of Mind, Intelligence and False Ego – It along with Soul moves to the next Gross body Soul – Spirit Soul – Completely Spiritual (Not Material) – Called Satcidananda – Sat (Eternal) Cit (full of knowledge) Ananda (Full of Bliss)

Question: Can ladies chant mantra ( about lord Krishna) during menstrual period????

Answer: Yes you can chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra 24×7 365 days irrespective of any condition/situation including mensuration.

Question: Can ladies chant mantra ( about lord Krishna) during menstrual period???

Answer: Duplicate question

Question: Can you explain about Nish Kama Karma yogi. I am not very clear on this.

Answer: Nishkam Karma Yoga – Person in this yoga becomes more serious in spiritual life (chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita). Accepts only the portion necessary for the maintenance of body & family and offers balance in the service of the lord. Although he works but keeps himself detached from the results.

Question: Shiya (disciple) will be in research of Guru ( adhyatmik guru), how one can find his Guru? Guru will be equally in search of his true shiya?

Answer: So happy to see your interest in searching a genuine guru who would guide you.When we go for admission in college, most importantly we check the college’s affiliation. Similarly when we look for a guru it’s most important to check if he is affiliated! According to padma purna, there are 4 scripturally accepted line of authority. We call it ‘parampara’. ISKCON is affiliated to Brahma-Madhava sampradaya. These lines of authority would be discussed in detail in the upcoming session.Also, for someone to be a teacher, it is very important that he practices what he preaches. Guru or acharya is a person who ‘walks his talks’. He personally demonstrates what he expects others to follow.So these are the two basic characteristics. We would get in more detail in the upcoming chapters. This will give you proper direction in selecting a guru who is genuine and wouldn’t cheat. So hold on till you discover! Hare Krishna!

Question: What are the qualities of true adhyatmik guru? How to find him? How u will come to know who will be your guru?

Question: I have passed Quiz on chapter 1.But the Quiz for chapter 2 I am not able to click. It asks you want to start from where you left. When I say yes or no it goes to the presentation.

Answer: vishvanath pr

Question: I want to know what is the difference between karma Kanda and sakama

Answer: Karma Kanda – A person engages in Karma Kanda – Accepts Vedas and uses them for his enjoyment. Ex: performing certain puja ceremony will bring certain result. Have No spiritual inclination like knowing about self and Krishna and trying to live life based on Spiritual principles.Sakam Karma Yoga- A person who accepts the Supreme Lord and tries to live life and shows interest in spiritual life. Person in this yoga is like a beginner with some interest in spiritual life and accepts the Supreme Lord. Still busy in material life. Offers a part of his gains to the lord but still have some selfish motives.

Question: Why are you wearing kum kum on nose?

Answer: It was not kum kum that course facilitator was using. It is called Vaishnava Tilaka, made with Gopi Chandan. The portion which is on the nose is representation of Tulasi leaf.

Question: Q1. Meaning of ‘Religious principles’ & ‘Religious duty’? (ref.text 2.31 &2.33 ) Q2. What are the ‘three modes of material nature’ ?(ref.text 2.45) Q3. Can I construe that ‘flowery language of the vedas’ are not my goal? (ref text 2.42&53) Q4. Please provide me Sanskrit words for the 6 qualities of Bhagavan. Hare Krishna.

Answer: A1. Religious duties are performed based on religious principles. Based on varna that a person belongs he has to perform his duties. Ex: Kshatriya Principle – Kshatriya has to fight to protect Dharma. Fighting is his Duty. A2. Mode of Goodness, Passion and Ignorance A3. Yes, flowery language of vedas are not our goal. A4. Aiśvaryasya – Wealth, Vīryasya – Strength, Yasasah – Fame, Sriyah – Beauty, Jnana – Knowledge, Vairagya – Renunciation

Question: Hi I don’t know sanskrit I tried to do quiz but the question 3 did not match any option .so can u tell me what shreeyaha,veerayasya,vairagya,Aishearasya I think beauty ,yasha means fame, jnana means knowledge. Can u tell me in detail

Answer: Aiśvaryasya – Wealth, Vīryasya – Strength/Power, Yasasah – Fame, Sriyah – Beauty, Jnana – Knowledge, Vairagya – Renunciation

Question: Q1.’Discharging in another’s duty is dangerous.’ Why? Who is another? (text 3.35) Q2. Tamil or Sanskrit equivalent for the words: transcendental. consciousness Q3. Ref. text 3.9 means: ‘sarvam Krishnarpanam’. Is it correct? Hare Krishna

Answer: A1. A person in one varna must not perform duties of another varna. Like When Arjuna was bewildered to see both sides and wants to go to secluded place and want to meditate rather than fighting. Krishna tells him that being Kshatriya your duty is to fight and you should not act like a Brahmana and go and sit in secluded place and perform tapasya. That is what is meant as performing anothers duty and it is not recommended.A2. Transcendental = Divyam ; Consciousness – Cita or ChetnaA3. Yes. Perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction. Offer everything to Krishna for His satisfaction.

Question: Hare Krsna !In Verse 3.13- Devotees are free from sin when they eat food offered first to lord krsna.Later during the lecture we also discussed about renunciation & how our senses misguide us & take us away from renunciation. Eg the pizza example given during the lecture. The sense of smell say Wow!!! there is a pizza being baked nearby , Mind tells us we have money, & intelligence tell us how best can we get that pizza.Ques 1. Say we bake a pizza at home Or we just had some roadside food because we were hungry, how do we serve it lord and then consume it ? —-or is it just a mental exercise (offering him thro mind).

Answer: We need to understand the process and purpose of offering Bhoga and honouring prasadam. Whole process begins with what we should prepare for Krishna and offer to lord for His pleasure. Then we partake the remnants of Krishna prasadam. Whereas that is not the intention of cooks in restaurants that they are preparing for Krishna and feeding us prasadam. Also in restaurants they are preparing veg and non veg together which is again not a hygienic place to offer food to Krishna even in mind and then eat it.At Home – Cook everything for Krishna and offer with love and devotion to Krishna. Later take prasadam. At Hotel/Restaurants – Nothing called as offering in mind and taking it. Because it’s not cooked for the lord and not cooked in appropriate conditions.

Question: I want ask Why does soul need a body? Why is it not free? At the time of death, body is left behind and soul along with subtle body goes to another body, then why it doesn’t remember it’s past life? How it is decided which soul would get which body? Isn’t true that a soul is trapped inside the body? Is it possible for a soul to live free and doesn’t want any body to live in? What is moksha?? Thankyou Hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama Rama Rama hare hare

Answer: Q1. I want ask Why does soul need a body? Ans1: Soul is a spiritual spark, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Krishna, originally belonging to spiritual world however due to Envy and desires to enjoy away from Krishna it needed a place. That place is this material world. This material world is a dead matter world (mrtyu lok) and to live in this world soul is provided with a body (or can say a vehicle that can operate under the circumstances required to live in this material world).Q2: Why is it not free? Ans 2: Covered in above answerQ3: At the time of death, body is left behind and soul along with subtle body goes to another body, then why it doesn’t remember it’s past life? Ans 3: Not remembering past life is a blessing else if we really look just by remembering the matters of this life itself we are feeling so much suffering and pains every moment. Ex: any issue in office or personal life, when we remember it, how long it keeps troubling us.Q4: How it is decided which soul would get which body? BG 8.6 Krishna says – “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.” A person who at the end of his life quits his body thinking of Kṛṣṇa attains the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord but it is not true that a person who thinks of something other than Kṛṣṇa attains the same transcendental state. This is a point we should note very carefully. One’s thoughts during the course of one’s life accumulate to influence one’s thoughts at the moment of death, so this life creates one’s next life. If in one’s present life one lives in the mode of goodness and always thinks of Kṛṣṇa, it is possible for one to remember Kṛṣṇa at the end of one’s life. That will help one be transferred to the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa. If one is transcendentally absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s service, then his next body will be transcendental (spiritual), not material. Therefore the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is the best process for successfully changing one’s state of being at the end of one’s life. Q5: Isn’t true that a soul is trapped inside the body? Ans 5: YesQ6: Is it possible for a soul to live free and doesn’t want any body to live in? What is moksha?? Ans6: As mentioned in answer 4 above that is the way to get rid of getting material bodies, that we go to our original place spiritual world and never come back to this material world. That is real moksha also.

Question: shree Krishna is an avatar or Lord Vishnu, then while teaching about sakam, why did you said that lord vishnu is not the center?

Answer: 1st Part – Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that we understand from Srimad Bhagavatam where incarnations are explained in 1st Canto, 3rd Chapter from 7th till 27th verse and then finally 28th verse explains as below:S.B 1.3.28 – ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge“All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.”2nd Part – It was mentioned in class that person who is doing Sakam Karma, he is not interested in Vishnu or for him Vishnu is not the center of his life because he is grossly engaged in materialistic activities and trying to enjoy materially only.

Question: 1) dhrama these days are been separated by name of caste this follow this you wil be successful follow this that now people are playing with this not all but mostly and people are making money in name of dhrama we all know this then why don’t lord protect it because this is happening from very Long time as we all know but till now we have seen nothing is been. Protected instead they are making lots of money an making people fool in name of charity this is truth and ik some of them who are doing this in big Temple’s they are still enjoying why is it ? Why lord is not destroying them until that they wil create so many hateness in minds of people in millions an spread greedy ?2) how to get feel of paramatma at this kalyug i mean when the example was given as bird is eating and another bird is watching and he is lord Krishna he said i will be with u an watch you in any form my question is how do we know he is near us an how to recognize that paramatma Feeling?3) this question is about karma and vikarma These days humans are changing into animal an behaviors are like devils these people are destroying humanity day by day as you know many women’s safety is not really these days but why do those people are enjoying freely outside are they enjoying their soul because they did pervious karma and why some women’s are facing those activities what thet are doing with them is that women’s vikarma she is suffering why are they aren’t punished by Superme lord Krishna he is watching all these but till now nothing our government is taking care and why are they still enjoying Krishna said he will protect in every yug when there it is about women safety ? And i know this question is not really from chapter 4th just a topic with karma ?

Answer: Tarini

Question: We generally say that we should work with passion to achieve any thing and to motivate we set some materialistic target and it is this which motivates people to work harder and passionately and if that is not done people are not motivated then how can we say that we should be not attached with material world?

Answer: Your question covers your answer. In material world we have issue with mistaken identity. We think we are this body which we are not. Then we work anything and everything for pleasure related to this body. Which makes concept of I me and mine the most important. In material life the person in center is “I”. Motivation, reward everything is for “I, Me and Mine”.Now if we really look towards our real identity which is that I am NOT this body, I am SPIRIT SOUL, which is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Krishna and by constitution I am servant of the Lord. He is my master, most lovable and source of all pleasure and I have to work for His pleasure.If every living entity start understanding this concept, then everybody will be bringing KRISHNA IN CENTER and everybody will be working towards pleasure of Krishna. Then no one needs motivation and no one looks for rewards because serving lord is purely based on unconditional Love and natural result is peace, love, pleasure in action ….Now this makes it more important that we must live our life on the principles of Krishna Consciousness and don’t be too attached to objects of material world because everything related to this body will be destroyed/lost along with the body, but whatever Spiritual gain we do in this body goes along with it to the next life and remains eternally with us.

Question: How are Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati considered as Demi Gods and their positions as temporary when they are the consorts of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva? Don’t they share equal responsibilities along with the Supreme?

Question: What has one to do to attain Moksha without rebirth,other than chanting” Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Hare Rama Hare hare!” Kindly also clarify,is there any possibility without rebirth?

Answer: In BG 8.6 Krishna says – “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.”A person who at the end of his life quits his body thinking of Kṛṣṇa attains the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord but it is not true that a person who thinks of something other than Kṛṣṇa attains the same transcendental state. This is a point we should note very carefully.One’s thoughts during the course of one’s life accumulate to influence one’s thoughts at the moment of death, so this life creates one’s next life. If in one’s present life one lives in the mode of goodness and always thinks of Kṛṣṇa, it is possible for one to remember Kṛṣṇa at the end of one’s life. That will help one be transferred to the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa. If one is transcendentally absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s service, then his next body will be transcendental (spiritual), not material. Therefore the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is the best process for successfully changing one’s state of being at the end of one’s life.We have two choices ONLY:Material World – Place of misery, Rebirth, many material bodies one after another. We are here at present. Spiritual World – Place of Bliss (Ananda), Once reached no returning back to material world, no rebirth in material world. We must aspire to go here, by chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

Question: Hare Krishn.. We understand that each and everyone have Krishna Inside us. This is just question posted and discussed by many people around us. When a person very ill and in one situation takes a bad decision himself to reach Krishna, will this be considered a OKAY dharma, as per GITA. Means Is Krishna himself is telling him to take that decision? How does dharma works in that situation for him. Hare Krishna Sudha Rajesh

Answer: Not clear about your question and it will help if you can rephrase your query and share again. We’ll surely reply back to your query.

Question: How to do Quiz? OR I am unable to get Quiz? Will I get certificate on completion of Quiz

Answer: To do quiz. You need to follow the below steps: 1. Log onto www.studygita.com 2. You will see “Gita Made Easy” Button on Home page. Click on that. 3. On next page click on “Login/Register” button on right top of page 4. Enter your username or email id and Password and “Log In”, if dont have login, first register and then login. 5. Once you login, you will reach Gita Made Easy Page where you can see below instructions and Course Content for each chapter. Session Audio, Presentation Notes and Quiz are available there.Course Structure and Important Instructions The course is divided into 18 lessons, one lesson per chapter of Bhagavad-Gita. Each lesson contains a recorded Session Video, Class Notes, Bhagavad Gita Shlokas followed by a quiz. How to complete a lesson? 1. Click ‘Mark Complete’ on each topic once you have gone through the video, downloaded class notes and shlokas. 2. Then complete the Quiz. 3. After completing the above you will see a full green tick mark before the lesson title.

Question: I missed few sections how to get presentation or ppts or the recorded session videos?

Answer: We have uploaded Video session, Course Content and Quiz at our website www.studygita.com. Course content is also available at our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/studygita).

Question: What is Dharma ? Mathaji said that “take care of Dharma , Dharma will protect me ? ” . so what is Dharma for me ?

Answer: (Refer Video Time at – 22:05 of Chapter 1) Dharma is to follow our constitional duty. Bhagavad Gita describes that Dharma of a human being is to Serve. We see in our daily routine we are serving parents, kids, relatives, country, community, boss etc. We serve our Body throughout life without taking much care of Soul. Similarly as we saw in session where a bird is in cage and the lady was continuously taking care of Cage only but not the bird. Another thing we learnt was our composition which is Gross Body + Subtle Body + Soul. We understand that our Dharma is to serve in both capacity i.e. as Body and as Soul. As body we are engaged in Sva Dharma (taking care of family, job etc) and as Soul also we need to engage our self in Sanatana Dharma (Chanting Krishna’s name and reading Bhagavad Gita) and that will really keep us happy.

Question: What is the meaning of the slogan that starts like Rake krishna in which many are typed as jai?

Answer: Rakhe Krsna mare ke mare Krsna rakhe ke.Meaning is – ” If Krishna decides to protect/save, no one can kill and if Krishna decides to kill, no one can protect/save”.

Question: Difference between human and animals?

Answer: (Refer Video at time 8:22 onwards in Chapter 1) We constantly endeavor to derive happiness as we heard in class story from childhood till marriage and kids and again the same story repeats. We are all busy in 4 activities similar to animals – eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Same happens with animals. Only thing that differentiate us Humans from animal is the inquisitiveness to do self realization or do higher inquiry about where the real happiness is and that we get through Bhagavad Gita. That is the beginning of BEING HUMAN.

Question: Hanuman belongs to a different yuga altogether, how come he is instrumental in this yuga also. Who approached him for assistance and why?

Answer: We understand from Bhagavad Gita 1.20 that – Both Rama and Hanuman were present on the chariot of Arjuna to help him. Lord Krsna is Rama Himself, and wherever Lord Rama is, His eternal servitor Hanuman is present.Regarding 2nd part – There is another pastime between Hanuman and Arjuna where they both were trying and testing each other and to keep the words of both of their devotees, at end, Lord Krishna appears and resolves the issue and, there, under the direction of Lord Krishna, Hanuman promised to be present on the flag of Arjuna and assist in the war against the Kauravas. Similarly during another pastime with Bhima, Hanuman mentioned about the same that he will appear on the flag of Arjuna during Mahabharata war and by his shouts he will damp the courage of enemies.

Question: Request your goodself to translate all the 18 classes into different languages and post in whatsapp group and youtube.

Answer: We appreciate your suggestion to translate all 18 classes in different languages and we surely will try to achieve this in near future and will get back to you all.

Question: What is meant by three fold miseries?

Question: Why Krisna gave his army to Duryodhana to be killed when He knew everyone is going to be killed? Is this justified?

Answer: Krishna tells Arjuna in BG 2.12. “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.“ Hope this gives us understanding that everything is Krishna’s plan and whatever action is performed by Supreme Lord has a purpose. Also, all those who got killed in the battlefield in the presence of Krishna, got Moksha.

Question: Who was the first author to write bhagwad gita?

Answer: The first author of Bhagavad Gita was Ganesha and it is part of Epic Mahabharata.

Question: What is the relation between kuruvamsham and Lord Krishna. They are Kshatriya and Krishna is yadava.

Answer: Kauravas and Krishna were Cousins. Mother Kunti was Krishnas aunt (Sister of Vasudev) which makes him cousins of Pandavas & Kauravas.

Answer: Whatever happens to us in the life is actually the results of Karma performed in this or previous many life times. We need to understand we are not this body and we are spirit soul (Chapter 2). We are in this material world since we want to enjoy separate from Krishna due to our envy and many desires. On top of that in every body we kept on performing many good or bad actions for which we are reaping good or bad reactions in next lives. When soul moves to next body along with that goes subtle body which keeps record of all unfulfilled desires of previous body. Based on what we desire at the time of death Krishna says we get next body (8.6) which can be any out of 84 lakh species of life i.e. of human or animals or beasts or plants or aquatic or birds etc…How we can get out of this and go back to godhead is by reestablishing our relationship with Krishna by chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita.

Question: In how much time Bhagavad Gita was spoken?

Answer: It was spoken with in 45 mins

Question: What is sanathana dharma

Answer: Sanatan Dharma is to perform our duties towards the SOUL (Spiritual duties like chanting Hare Krishna mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita)

Question: Where can I read complete Bhagavad Gita with explanations of each shloka?

Answer: You can read Bhagavad Gita with complete purports at https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/

Question: Why does god give miseries to his own devotees (to a pure soul)?

Question: How to understand the concept of body and soul more practically OR How to feel or realize this concept?

Answer: To realize the presence of Soul and accepting self as soul is what this entire lifetime is for. We need to practice, learn to do our Dharma. Connect with the Supreme Lord Krishna and he reveals from within. As Krishna also says in Bhagavad Gita 10.10 – “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Here Krishna clearly says that those who are devoted in serving Me, I give understanding. So He will help from within, once you start connecting with Him. The simplest way to connect with Him in this yuga is Chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare…We saw in class also how we can understand the presence of SOUL. Through Common Sense, Near Death Experiences, Out of Body Experiences and Past Life Memories. You can do search on YouTube for Dr Ian Stevenson, Dr Satwant Pasricha and Michael Sabom researches.

Question: Why it is said Bhagavanuvacha?

Answer: In Bhagavad Gita, wherever Arjuna is speaking it’s mentioned as “Arjuna Uvacha” and where Dhrtarashtra speaking it’s mentioned “Dhrtarashtra Uvacha” and when Sanjaya speaks it is mentioned as “Sanjaya Uvacha” but wherever Krishna is speaking it is NOT said “Krishna Uvacha” instead it is mentioned as “Bhagavan uvacha”. This shows that Krishna is the Bhagavan and then we saw 6 qualities of Bhagavan which Krishna possesses.

Question: My question is, How do we stop the negative thought or thought of fear, anxiety, greed or lust at the first place itself so that it doesn’t reach the further stages and eventually the last fall down?

Answer: Following thoughts can help : 1. We need to understand our real Identity i.e. I am not this body, I am spirit Soul. 2. We should take shelter of Krishna when we have any doubt or negative thoughts 3. We have tendency to possess anything and everything as soon as we see something satisfying to our senses. So better develop detachment. 4. In chapter 3 we understood that we need to renunciate (detach) and real renunciation is getting rid of mentality of possessiveness. 5. We need to make ourselves spiritually strong by being Krishna Conscious (chanting Hare Krishna and Reading Bhagavad Gita) and that brings peaceful and happy life.

Question: Everything lost in this material world.ok I agree. But Bhakti continue with other birth. How please explain?

Answer: In Bhagavad Gita 2.40 Krishna is saying “In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” Further it is explained that any work begun on the material plane has to be completed, otherwise the whole attempt becomes a failure. But any work begun in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness has a permanent effect, even though not finished. The performer of such work is therefore not at a loss even if his work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is incomplete. One percent done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness bears permanent results, so that the next beginning is from the point of two percent……Also, material activities and their results end with the body. But work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness carries a person again to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even after the loss of the body. At least one is sure to have a chance in the next life of being born again as a human being, that will give one a further chance for elevation. That is the unique quality of work done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Question: Would like to know about who am I concept.

Question: Why we are afraid of death?

Question: BG 2:50 yoga karmasu kousalam.what type of skill is mentioned here.? How to achieve the skill while we doing our duties?

Question: Can u explain the difference between Brahman, paramatma and bhagavan?

Answer: The same Absolute Truth, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is realized as impersonal Brahman by the students of the Upaniṣads as localized Paramātmā by the Hiraṇyagarbhas or the yogīs, and as Bhagavān by the devotees.Brahman – impersonal Brahman is the glowing effulgence of the Personality of GodheadParamatma – Paramātmā is the partial representation of the Personality of Godhead, present in every living entityBhagavan – Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, Himselfthe above three features of the one Absolute Truth are different perspective views seen from different angles of vision.

Question: What is satchidanand ? Please explain in detail.

Answer: Soul – Spirit Soul – Completely Spiritual (Not Material) – Called Satcidananda – Sat (Eternal) Cit (full of knowledge) Ananda (Full of Bliss)

Question: How to become Free from duality? Good or bad

Question: What is the difference between gross body and subtle body??

Question: Can you provide 6 qualities of Bhagavan with sanskrit words?

Answer: Aiśvaryasya – Wealth, Vīryasya – Strength, Yasasah – Fame, Sriyah – Beauty, Jnana – Knowledge, Vairagya – Renunciation

Question: Meaning of ‘Religious principles’ & ‘Religious duty’? (ref.text 2.31 &2.33 )

Answer: Religious duties are performed based on religious principles. Based on varna that a person belongs he has to perform his duties. Ex: Kshatriya Principle – Kshatriya has to fight to protect Dharma. Fighting is his Duty.

Question: I want ask Why does soul need a body?

Answer: Soul is a spiritual spark, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Krishna, originally belonging to spiritual world however due to Envy and desires to enjoy away from Krishna it needed a place. That place is this material world. This material world is a dead matter world (mrtyu lok) and to live in this world soul is provided with a body (or can say a vehicle that can operate under the circumstances required to live in this material world).

Question: How it is decided which soul would get which body?

Answer: BG 8.6 Krishna says – “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.” A person who at the end of his life quits his body thinking of Kṛṣṇa attains the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord but it is not true that a person who thinks of something other than Kṛṣṇa attains the same transcendental state. This is a point we should note very carefully.One’s thoughts during the course of one’s life accumulate to influence one’s thoughts at the moment of death, so this life creates one’s next life. If in one’s present life one lives in the mode of goodness and always thinks of Kṛṣṇa, it is possible for one to remember Kṛṣṇa at the end of one’s life. That will help one be transferred to the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa. If one is transcendentally absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s service, then his next body will be transcendental (spiritual), not material. Therefore the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is the best process for successfully changing one’s state of being at the end of one’s life.

Question: Kindly give more info about karma yoga and karma kanda.

Question: Can you explain Nishkam karma yoga and Sakaam Karma yoga?

Answer: Sakam Karma Yoga – Person in this yoga is like a beginner with some interest in spiritual life and accepts the Supreme Lord. Still busy in material life. Offers a part of his gains to the lord but still have some selfish motives.Nishkam Karma Yoga – Person in this yoga becomes more serious in spiritual life (chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita). Accepts only the portion necessary for the maintenance of body & family and offers balance in the service of the lord. Although he works but keeps himself detached from the results.

Question: Lust converts into anger, but even Arjuna was supposed to be angry to fight the battle, how do we justify?

Answer: Any action performed in anger does not give appropriate results rather it creates delusion and bewilderment. Arjuna was compassionate in beginning and decided not to fight but Krishna did not make him angry to fight. Krishna gave him understanding of Self, of Krishna and Performance of different Yoga and ultimate instruction to Surrender unto Him and follow His instructions. Arjuna was fighting for the pleasure of the Lord and not out of anger on Kauravas.

Question: Can ladies chant mantra ( about Lord Krishna) during menstrual period?

Answer: Yes you can chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra 24×7, 365 days irrespective of any condition/situation including mensuration.

Question: How to find a right Guru?

Question: What is difference in Karma Kanda and Sakam Karma Yoga?

Question: Discharging another’s duty is dangerous.’ Why? Who is another? (text 3.35)

Answer: A person in one varna must not perform duties of another varna. Like When Arjuna was bewildered to see both sides and wants to go to secluded place and want to meditate rather than fighting. Krishna tells him that being Kshatriya your duty is to fight and you should not act like a Brahmana and go and sit in secluded place and perform tapasya. That is what is meant as performing anothers duty and it is not recommended.

Question: What has one to do to attain Moksha without rebirth,other than chanting” Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare !”

Answer: We have two choices ONLY:Material World – Place of misery, Rebirth, many material bodies one after another. We are here at present. Spiritual World – Place of Bliss (Ananda), Once reached no returning back to material world, no rebirth in material world. We must aspire to go here, by chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

Question: Our enemy is sitting in senses,mind and intelligence as told in class but however you try to hold on physical world, some thing pushes you away from it, why is it so?

Answer: When we start following the path of bhakti yoga then it starts becoming easy to control mind, intelligence and senses. Why? because then we are trying to dovetail the same propensities or senses in the service of the lord, rather than repressing them. So this is how it is an easy process, please try it out and good luck !

Question: Can a Guru be younger than disciple?

Answer: Yes, because age is for the body and not for the soul. Spiritual maturity is not calculated based on body. Example: Sukhadev Goswami – Speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam

Question: Please define swadharma and sanatana dharma.

Question: A person got a suffering because during the previous birth, whether there is no remedy to come out of the suffering in this birth? Will it happen only in the next birth? How he can get out of suffering during current birth?

Answer: Reactions of Karma whether good or bad are given in any birth. To come out of the sufferings we have choice in this birth itself by performing Akarma.A person acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is naturally free from the bonds of karma. His activities are all performed for Kṛṣṇa; therefore he does not enjoy or suffer any of the effects of work. Consequently he is intelligent in human society, even though he is engaged in all sorts of activities for Kṛṣṇa.Akarma means without reaction to work. So we can start involving activities related to Krishna in our life by Chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra and reading Bhagavad Gita.

Question: When Krishna Himself said I am everything and I am in everything, So why if I worship other God, doesn’t lead to Moksha?

Answer: Because direct relationship always give direct result. Krishna says you surrender unto me and I will take care of you but if you worship a demigod then you will attain their planets. In a simpler way we can understand that whichever destination we choose to go we reach there. If we choose Krishna we reach Him.

Question: All spiritual paths do not lead to the same destination?

Answer: Destination depends on our choice of destination. If we want to achieve Devatas we can do demigod worship and if we want to achieve impersonal Brahman than we can act in that way, but if we want to have personal loving association/relationship of Krishna then Bhakti yoga path is the best way. We have different goals and different processes to achieve those.

Question: According to BG – “Choose your career and life based on your ‘ guna ’ and ‘karma’, not on the external factors. That way you would excel in the field you chose!”. How do I know my guna and karma? Is there a way to assess my specific guna and karma details, and accordingly choose my profession without over endeavor and anxiety?

Answer: Guna means qualities we have naturally imbibed. We will be discussing them in more details in future sessions. These qualities can be inferred from our choices of food, work, recreation and other preferences. Based on these we can assess available options and then make a choice of occupation.

Question: Hare Krishna, what are the 4 regulative principles of freedom?

Answer: No Meat Eating, No Illicit Sex, No Gambling and No Intoxication are the 4 regulative principles of Freedom.

Question: Hare krishna Prabhu, in today’s session you told plants, animals all living entities have supersoul in them, we should not harm them. You gave example of tree also, if we pull the branches it is hurt .But being vegetarians we live on vegetables, greens and fruits .so how far are we right? Are we not hurting the supersoul in them? Kindly help me with the answer.

Answer: Nature’s law is that a living entity survives on another living entity. As a human being we also have to maintain body on other living entities. However, which ones and how to consume is different from animals. Lord instructs vegetarian food that is first offered to Krishna should be consumed. As a human being with higher intelligence, we understand spiritual goal of life and perform all those activities that help us move forward towards that goal.

Question: Does a soul have gender?

Answer: In Bhagavad Gita many places we see soul is referred as “He”.2.20 – He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.2.24 – He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.2.29 – Some look on the soul as amazing,some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.