ISTAGOSTHI: Questions and Answers with Swami Padmanabha — May 18, 2024

00:00 Swami Padmanabha welcomes questions as a blessing—where Krishna, the Sweet Absolute, is blessing both the speaker and the inquirer. And we should expect something transformative to come from that sacred event. Maharaja also invites us to approach Ekadasi, which occurs tomorrow in the Eastern US, as a way to step outside of our routine and into sacred disruption, allowing ourselves to enter liminal space water we can be taken by surprise by Krishna’s presence. We can create some kind of ritual to mark the day as something extraordinary, which every day is, but we need to be reminded of that and that is what these special observances are for.

08:23 If Krishna interacts only with his svarupa-shakti, and Paramatma acts just as a witness, what is the efficacy of prayer? Is there efficacy in praying to pure devotees? Do they hear or respond?

25:39 Does nondual thinking occur naturally in one of the particular stages of our bhakti practice, or can it be present in any stage if it is cultivated?

40:40 How do we accept the desires and opinions of the guru and at the same time maintain our own individuality?

53:38 I’ve heard that as long as we are worshipping in the mood of awe and reverence, we are actually worshipping Vishnu and Lakshmi, even if we are worshipping Radha-Krishna deities. Is there truth to that? When do we no we are no longer in the mood of awe and reverence?

01:08:53 What is the mula mantra about, especially the reference to Parabrahma and Paramatma?

01:28:02 What does 3rd nama-aparadha, guror avajna (to neglect the guru), actually mean?

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RADICAL PERSONALISM: Revival Manifesto for Proactive Devotion.