Inquiry Type: Insightful

Q. "While going through Srimad Bhagavatam, in Canto 11 Chapter 7.19-21, it is revealed that one can become his own guru and experience Krishna's full potencies.

Q. Kindly inform me on what basis we identify Krishna/Bhagavan Vigraha, which is sat chit ananda, with deity/archa which is made up of matter. I want to know the Gaudiya logic and appropriate scriptural backing.

Q. You have explained that the Supreme Lord Himself personally descends in the archa-murti at the request of the acharyas, and invests all His spiritual potencies within the Deity.

The use of the word "descends" creates the impression in my mind that the murti is like a residence, with the Lord being free to leave anytime if He is not well taken care of. I've also heard from a senior vaishnava that Srila Prabhupada had once stated that the deity form is Krishna.

Q. While reading Krishna Book I read that Garuda, a pure devotee of Lord Vishnu, used to visit Vrindavana and would eat fish from Yamuna River. I also read that every living entity in Vrindavan is a devotee of Lord Krishna. It follows that the fishes were also devotees of the Lord. How can we understand this act of Garuda? My doubt is that in Vrindavan, especially when Lord Krishna was personally present, all living beings (including fishes) in Vrindavan were in their spiritual form. How can living being in spiritual form be killed?

Q. "Spiritual Masters are representatives of God". I think this statement applies to person who is an acharya and not anyone and everyone who preaches Krishna consciousness. Am I right? Can you expand a little bit and explain.

Q. 1. Also, if a man is born as sudra, is he not eligible to study the shastras, because the sudra's karma is to help all other varnas?

As you stated in the initial premise of your question, one cannot be designated as sudra solely on the basis of birth, but by guna and karma.

Q. I am wondering whether it is actually Paramatama prompting someone when he says that his conscience tells him that something is right or wrong. Is it correct to say that what one calls conscience is actually Paramatama?

Often, but not always.

Supersoul sanctions everything that happens within the material energy, so we can say that "Not even a blade of grass moves without the sanction of the Supreme."

Q. We know that this running age is Kali yuga and from scriptures we understand its symptoms. Are the Svarga-loka planets or lower planetary systems also influenced by Kali yuga?

Q. I have heard that karma is counted only for those who are in human form and staying on earth. Can you elaborate on this?

Bharata-varsha or the earthly realm is referred to as the field of activities, or karma bhumi. That is to say one gets the opportunity here to perform activities by which one can either accumulate pious credits or sinful reactions. In all the other realms, one is more or less expending their karmic account, good or bad.

Q. I have a question related to the chariot analogy of the living entity. In the Katha Upanishad a description is given of a chariot drawn by 5 horses representing the senses, the mind the reins, the charioteer the intelligence and the passenger the soul.

My understanding is that as long as the soul/passenger is asleep, the living entity is conditioned, as he has no proper direction and undergoes repeated "birth and death" in the material world.