Questions and Answers with Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja The following article appeared in issue number 15 of Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu, the free fortnightly email magazine from ISKCON Gopal Jiu Publications. Question: How can we have unalloyed devotion to our guru and also see the godbrother of our spiritual master as our spiritual…

It so happened that a frog found a half-rupee coin at the bottom of his pond. He seized it and thought, “Is there anyone who is as rich as I am now? So now I shall claim what is rightfully mine. This pond belongs to me alone!” Clutching the half-rupee coin tightly, the frog sat…

This was written by Jaya Govinda Prabhu who is a devotee caught up in the war in Iraq. It seems he has managed to keep his eye on the real target even in such spiritually austere circumstances. (This is submitted with his permission.) From: http://blog.world-sankirtan.net/jayagovinda/index.php?p=8#more-8 Joe Millionaire Gains Wealth in Iraq August 24, 2004 –…

So who is God? In all parts of the world and in every human culture there is some conception of God. Sometimes God is seen as being all pervasive within nature and sometimes God is depicted as having personal qualities and a form. How are we to reconcile all of the different opinions and understandings…

A village was predominated by a proud pandit named Dada Thakura who, in spite of his brahminical heritage, was an unlettered fool. But it had been the custom for many generations for the villagers to respect the male members of Dada Thakura’s family as great learned authorities. There was one villager who was a little…

Krsna Consciousness means We should always be satisfied and happy, Not that we must work something impossible, Become overburdened and then, Because we are unhappy by so much trouble, We lose enthusiasm and give up all hope. By all means we must preserve our spiritual status, that is the point. Not that we are mad…

Amar was a boy of the village. He’d been suffering intensely from a boil on his back. Around him, friends and relatives tried to alleviate his pain in different ways. His mother waved a hand-fan upon the swollen boil, and sometime she blowed upon it orally. A neighbor suggested that Amar be given an anaesthetic…

A foolish boy was flying a kite to his heart’s content upon an unwalled rooftop. So engrossed was he in the fun that he was totally oblivious to his surroundings. A man passing by on the street below looked up to see the boy standing right on the edge of the roof, one foot dangling…

Today I took an entire class. It was the last period on a Friday – so that presented a few challenges with management. According to the feedback given to me by my associate it seems I did well. She said that I could improve in these areas: – clear simple instructions at the beginning of…

A rich landlord had a flattering servant, a “yes man” who was always most deferential to his master only because he desired reward. The master asked the servant one day, “What is your opinion of potatos?” The servant was hesitant in his reply. “Oh, my dear sir, I suppose I’ve never thought about potatos much,…

Today was mainly spent planning lessons and clarifying the specific areas I will be teaching. Tommorrow one of my associates is wanting me to take her entire class. This would be my first real full class. Because the topic is something I’m familiar and comfortable with I think it will go well.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura: In the teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu, there are two principal instructions: developing a taste for the chanting of the Lord’s holy names and displaying compassion for the fallen souls. The greatness of a Vaishnava depends on the extent to which he possesses these qualities… All good qualities of a Vaishnava automatically manifest…

Srila Prabhupada: “So far we are concerned, we shall live very simple life, simply in Krsna consciousness. That is brahmana. Brahmana does not go to construct big, big house. He simply constructs his character, and the other ksatriyas and vaisyas, they offer him, ‘Please come here and sit down.’” Room Conversation – October 5, 1975,…

A grocer had two sons named Lalu and Kalu. He wanted them to be trained in the use of weights and measurements so that they’d be of help to him in his business. And so he hired a tutor to educate them. But these boys were incorrigibly naughty, and the tutor quit in disgust. So…

Today was mainly spent planning a few lessons. This friday I will take one class the demonstrates the practical use of a spreadsheet. I thought to bring in the one I keep on my electricity readings to show the girls. This gives them a real world example of how it can be used. I have…