His Divine GraceA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada appeared in this world in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcultt...

Question: I am doing a project on Hinduism at school, so could you please give me some imformation on the Hindu conception of the Supreme Being.

I went through your site and found it very interesting and useful. Infact I was searching for just such a site for a long time. From my younger days I have been very curious to know more about Hinduism. I have read lots of books, especially Vivekanada's teachings.

Question: I have been chanting this mantra: 'Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare' as taught by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Ji in his books. But time and time again I read (mostly on the internet) that one should not chant self-prescribed mantras, and that one should receive a mantra from a Guru. I won't find a Guru unless I really sincerly want to find God and have purified myself. So until such a time that I meet my Guru, how do I carry on my Sadhana? Can I continue chanting the above mantra?

Question: In some places in South India there are people who claim to enter trance and communicate with God. In such states they do amazing things, like pierce their skin with many needles without bleeding, etc. They are also able to predict the future or tell you things that no one knows. Are these people actually communicating with God in this state?

Question: In the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.36, Srila Prabhupada states that even third-class neophyte devotees are liberated souls. How is it possible that such neophyte devotees, who don't possess the qualities of a liberated soul, are in fact liberated?

Sri Chaitanya is the Kali-yuga avatara, and He descended for the purpose of establishing the yuga dharma, which in this age is the chanting of Lord Krishna's names. He appeared in the guise of a devotee to perfectly show how the process of devotion should be followed and applied.

The Bhagavata Purana, commonly referred to as the Srimad  Bhagavatam, is considered the ripened fruit of all Vedic  knowledge. The Srimad Bhagavatam describes the various incarnations of Lord Hari, and in the process of these descriptions ten important subject matters are explained, namely sarga (the elemental creation), visarga (the secondary creation), sthanam (the planetary systems), poshanam (protection by the Lord), utayah (the creative impetus), manvantara (the periods of Manu), isha-anukatha (the science of God), nirodha (dissolution), mukti (liberation), and ashraya (the supreme shelter).