I’m scared that my son has become a ghost
“I’m scared that my son has become a ghost.” These were the words of an anguished mother in her fifties who came to meet me [...]
Krishna Caused My Forgetfulness
Krishna Caused My Forgetfulness That was the reply I got from the young devotee who was supposed to have set up a projector for me [...]
How exactly are the Gita’s verses your friends?
"How exactly are the Gita’s verses your friends?" I was asked this question during a recent podcast. The host was a tall, bespectacled young man [...]
When I need encouragement, I get a lecture on detachment
“When I need encouragement, I get a lecture on detachment.” The statement came from a dark-haired South Indian man in his mid-thirties who approached me [...]
“Which is your favorite Bhagavad-gita verse?”
“Which is your favorite Bhagavad-gita verse?” This was a question a podcast host asked me during a recent interview on my UK visit. I paused [...]
This statement is philosophically misleading and potentially dehumanizing
“This statement is philosophically misleading and potentially dehumanizing.” I looked in shock at the statement that had popped up on my computer. I had just [...]
Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human
“Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human.” The words came spontaneously from my mouth as I was speaking with a dynamic [...]
How Long Will Krishna Keep Punishing Me?
This question was the first thing a young European woman had asked me during my conversation with her husband and her. During one of my [...]
Your Mahabharata Classes Cured My Insomnia
The remark came from a tall, well-built, mustached Indian professional dressed in a suit and tie. He had apparently come directly from work to meet [...]
The True Result of Spiritual Practice
When we commit to practicing spirituality and understanding our true identity as eternal souls, what is the actual, tangible result in our daily lives? According [...]
When Vrindavan Dust Set Off an Airport Alarm
“Stay where you are. Don’t move even one bit.” The airport security officer pointed his gun at me and spoke in a stern voice. I [...]
Am I Bad Luck? Or Am I Just Bad?
“Am I bad luck? Or am I just bad?” In my thirty years as a monk and traveling speaker, I don't think I had ever [...]
I Didn’t Know That You Even Laughed
A student who had completed my self-paced online Bhakti Shastri course once came to meet me at Govardhan Eco Village. He had heard all 162 [...]
Is God Being Unfair to You—or Are You Being Unfair to God?
After one of my talks at Southern Connecticut State University, a young man came up to speak with me. We were in a classroom, and [...]
“I Don’t Think I Can Ever Forgive Krishna”
I still remember the shock that went through me when I first heard those words. The very idea that a human being could think of [...]
Is the Bhagavad Gita Psychologically Damaging?
“My therapist told me to stop hearing classes on the Bhagavad Gita because they are psychologically damaging for me.” This startling statement came from a [...]
If both sequences of the mahā-mantra are scripturally valid, can someone chant the Rāma-first version and still be initiated in the Gauḍīya tradition?
The distinction here is between validity and fidelity. Something can be accepted as valid without being the particular practice to which we commit ourselves when [...]
Did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu change the sequence of the mahā-mantra to bring Kṛṣṇa first instead of Rāma?
To address this question, let us break it into four parts: 1. What does scripture say? 2. Did Mahāprabhu deliberately reverse the sequence? 3. What [...]
“Krishna Saved You from IIT”
“You are so analytical and intellectual. You should have been an IIT graduate. Had you applied for JEE?” This was the question asked by a [...]
Is My Worldview Enriching My Experience—or Merely Confirming My Conceptions?
During my recent visit to Thunder Bay, Canada, I went for a walk to Kakabeka Falls, sometimes called the “Niagara of the North.” Standing before [...]
Was Arjuna Overthinking?
I was asked this question after giving a short talk on overcoming overthinking at Thunder Bay, Canada, on September 14, 2026. The questioner continued, “I [...]