Ask Swamiji

What stops one from complete surrender? Do one’s past negative saṁskārs and vāsanās play a part in determining the level and speed of surrender? How can one overcome one’s inherent negativities and make progress towards self-surrender faster? Answer: Surrender is not a one-time procedure. It is not that we surrender once, and we are done [...]

Question: You teach us that we should increase our tolerance, but if someone is doing wrong with me, should I practice forgiveness, or should I oppose him and stop the atrocity? Answer: On the spiritual path, we naturally learn to practice tolerance, forgiveness and humility. However, this does not mean that we should knowingly allow [...]

Question: When anyone criticizes me or gets annoyed with me, it disturbs me to no end; so much so, that sometimes the whole day is spent in brooding. How can I insulate my mood from fluctuations based on the behavior of others? Answer:  The solution is to develop a better understanding of the world, based [...]

Answer by Swamiji: To answer your question, let me tell you a story.  There was once a very rich man, who had a fifteen-year old son.  One day, the son was alone in his father’s office, when he saw a fifteen-year old newspaper.  It had an article titled, “Billionaire adopts orphan child.”  The boy was [...]

Question: When God is the actual Doer, why are the souls subjected to the results of their karmas? Answer:  Many people diminish the need for self-effort in their minds by saying, “Nothing is in our hands.  God is seated within us.  He is the doer of all our actions, and we act as He inspires [...]

Question:  There was a Ram temple in our house; I was in the habit of hearing the Tulsi Ramayan, and meditating on the form of Lord Ram.  But after marriage, in my in-laws’ house, I began reading the Durga Saptaśhati and observing Navrātras.  When I heard the Bhāgavat saptāha, I liked the leelas of Shree [...]

Question: I have heard in the Pravachans (discourses) of many saints where they say that no description of Radha Rani exists in the Bhagavatam written by Maharshi Ved Vyas. I want to know whether there is any scriptural mention of Radha Rani. Or is it only a personal opinion? Answer by Swamiji: Your question addresses [...]

Question:  My question is about how to teach and train mind that there is no happiness in the material world.  My mind is revolting while accepting that there is no happiness in material things. Is it ok if we will go through these circumstances and get realization that there is no happiness?  For example, there [...]

Question: I have many questions from the Puranas. Why did Shree Krishna do the Maharaas? Why did Shree Krishna leave the gopis and go to Dwarika? Why did Ram hide and kill Baali? Why does Shiv ji wear a snake around His neck and a apply ashes on His body? Why does Vishnu Bhagavan sleep [...]