Answer: Please let me have your full address so that if there is any centre of ours nearby, I shall direct you to go & meet the Swami there, so that you can know things in detail. Don’t get confused in mind, your first duty is to complete your medical graduation. By that time, you will be quite mature and also you can decide what life to take over. For the present, don’t think of renouncing anything. Pray to Lord Krishna whole heartedly and also serve your mother. If one is sincere, he can see Lord Krishna, either being a good devotee or a monk. It is not exclusively meant for anybody. In life, duty stands first and for the present, the duty of a student is to study well. Lead a good & clean life. Pray sincerely & read good books, when you find time.

Response to the Answer: thank you for your advice, found much solace after many months. i reside at Basavaswarnagar.

Reply to the above Response: You have written that you are at Basavaswarnagar. I don’t know if it is at Bangalore. If so, you can kindly come someday so that we can discuss further. You may take an appointment before coming here by telephone.

Response to above Reply: I live in bangalore sir surly after my exams i will be coming to meet you .please mould my spiritual life so that my fickle mind does not hither and tither and firmly stands in bhakthi .lookinn forward yo our meeting.

Answer: My Dear ****** ******, I am happy to know your interest in listening to the words of Swami Vivekananda. At the outset give your whole mind to the studies, so that you will be able to do justice. Excelling is not very difficult. As the proverb goes – “A genius is 90% perspiration & 10% inspiration.” If you can concentrate fully in your studies, you will be definitely able to do well. You will have plenty of time & opportunity to serve the poor & downtrodden once you start earning money.

Answer: My Dear ********, You write that you are fascinated by formless aspect of the God. If so, the question now – Ishhtam – does not arise at all. You should have full faith & confidence in feeling yourself as all pervading Brahman. That is what “Aham Brahmaasmi”, refers to. Follow the “Neti” (Not this, Not this)path & go on discriminating & rejecting everything as unreal. In your meditation, do Vichara or discrimination and get more & more established in the Advaitic thought of “Aham Brahmaasmi”, I am Brahman. This also needs the Scriptural study, which confirms this truth. I wish you make a thorough study of Shankaracharya’s Viveka Chudamani.
From the e-mail I am unable to find out, your address. If I know where you are staying, I shall suggest you to get a copy of it from the nearest centre, if you do not already possess it. However, I wish you all success in your endeavor.

Answer: My Dear ***** ****, You are now in the 12th standard and the Examination is very near. No doubt your favorite art is very interesting, but, this examination alone decides your future. All your friends will go for higher studies and different fields, whereas you will be left behind. Taking all these into consideration, give rest to your arts, for sometime and put your whole mind to the studies. Take some private tuition, if needed. But, determine to do well in the examination. Wish you all the best

Answer: All these statements have a philosophy behind which you have to think over carefully. Just as production of bad actions are of God, the results also belong to Him. Conviction also naturally belong to the God. He who does good, will be rewarded and the other punished for his guilt.

Answer: Thank you for your kind e-mail. Nothing to get despaired. You are a young man and studying in college. Nobody can make you pure and that too by paying money. Lost is lost. Don’t bother. Since you are in Chennai, you please go to the following address and meet Swami Bhaktirupananda. You show this e-mail and also tell your problems. He will personally guide you. His address is

            Bhaktirupananda,
            Vivekanandar Illam (Lady Willingdon College Campus),
            Kamarajan Salai (Marina), Triplicane,
            Chennai - 600 005. Phone : 844-6188. 

If possible, I shall also talk to him. After meeting him write to me. If you happen to visit Bangalore call on me.

Answer: My Dear **** ****, You are welcome to write whenever you feel like.
I am happy you are studying Bhagavad Gita. If you are really interested & sincere you will definitely make progress in Spiritual life. But, you will have to put the teachings of Gita into action.
It is the nature of things to be born & die and reborn again. It is a circle or a ‘dharmachakra’ as called in our Scriptures. Unless something dies, new thing can not be born. Moreover, suppose, if the body grows hundred years & still remains, as you know that body will loose the power of all sense organs. That means, one can not see, or hear, etc. What is the use of that body existing ? So, the body dies & the soul within takes another fresh body and continues. This is called as annihilation. Not that God will come & destroy the whole universe. The same law applies to all living & non-living beings.
Moreover, the question of ‘how & what’ will not arise within the framework of universe. Since, you are also a part of the universe, unless you go beyond this universe, by realizing the Lord, this will be an observed question. For example, when you are dreaming, you can not question for yourself – why you are dreaming. You will take it as a real as long as you are dreaming. Only when you get up you know that it was only a dream and not real. Similarly, when you realize the God, you will understand, what a child’s play this universe is.

RESPONSE to the Above REPLY:
Pranam, Hare Krishna!
Thank you for sparing some time and replying my question. Yes, along with reading Gita, I have also started to put its teaching in action such as; completely stopped using foul language, stopped eating meat–which destroys the disciple’s “mercy” quality. I have stopped consuming alcohol and working on other forms of intoxication such as consuming tea, coffee and smoking–which destroys austerity. Stopped unnecessary emotional attachments with material objects. It is a start and slowly I know I will lose all the bad qualities which would keep me from realizing self.
Along with gita, I also read Six Systems of Vedic Philosophy… I mean not the whole thing yet, but I downloaded the essentials from Iskcon.org site just to get an overview of what it is like before I start reading actual philosophies.
Well about my question, I didn’t actually mean that. I meant, in Gita it is explained that our 4 yugs that we experience is one day of Lord Brahma and at the end of His day, everything is annihilated and once again created…that is what I meant. Why is our Human and other non-living existence depended on the life of Lord Brahma? What about people in the last yug who are spiritual and aware of their self? What happens to them? Are they sent back? If so, do they come with the knowledge they already acquired in their previous birth? Once again, thank you for shedding light and explaining clearing my doubts. Hoping to hear from you soon Swami. Sincerely, ****.

REPLY to the Above Response:
My Dear **** ****, The human & other non-living existence does not completely depend upon the life of Brahma. Brahma allots life according to the previous Karma of every being. If you are spiritual at the time of one Yuga, in the next life, you will be born in such a place where you can continue your spiritual practices. They definitely come back with the Knowledge they had acquired in the previous birth.
To give you a small example, there are some prodigies who from their young age, excel in certain fields. It is due to the enormous knowledge they had stored in their previous lives.

Answer: My Dear ****** *********, The world is a dog’s tail. The absolute sorrow, misery and poverty can never be removed. In fact, you can never point such a place on the earth. But we in the process of removing poverty and misery, become better and better persons. Even though education improves the lot of the people, we also see simultaneously how inhumanely they behave in their dealings. In fact, the wars & conflicts are not the contributions of illiterates, but, of the so called civilized. In fact, I am a believer of Karma Theory & each one face for what he has done. Somehow it only seems to me a rational theory. So, let us be good and go on doing good.

RESPONSE to Above REPLY: Thanks very much for your kind response. My mind runs numerous varied thoughts all the time and generates restlessness. I need to practice some spiritual discipline to achieve some peace of mind. May be attending spiritual retreat once in a while or spending few days in solitary place might help.
Certainly I fully agree with you on Karma Theory, we do our good and surrender to God and God’s will. I need to learn to live on this principle imbibed in my heart. Of course, this would again depend on God’s grace. … …

Answer: My Dear Doctor, Received your e-mail with some questions & doubts. You have not written what are the conflicting thoughts haunting your mind. Nobody tells to work without any expectation. It is a wrong concept of Karma Yoga. All it is said is work without any expectation of immediate result for every work. Give more importance to the means than end. Put all your effort and work very sincerely. Every work does produce the proper result, good work good result, & bad work bad result. Only with our small mind, we cannot guess when that result will come. So do your work sincerely and leave the result to the Lord. This is Karma Yoga in essence. I wish you try to get a copy of ‘Karma Yoga’ by Swami Vivekananda, a small booklet, but it clears all your doubts. As regards to your wife, never think you are superior to her in any way. Respect her feelings, love her as your own, and fulfill all her wants. In most of the cases, the simple ego is the cause for the quarrels and misunderstandings. This applies to your wife too. Married life is no bar to practise spiritual life. Every minute of our life can be spiritual whether we work or pray. Doctor’s is a holy profession. You have great opportunity to relieve the sufferings of others. The more you sacrifice your time the more you can serve them.

RESPONSE to the Above REPLY : Thanks for the mail. It is so kind of you to have taken your time to answer my question. I do have the book on Karma Yoga. I have the “Complete works of Swami Vivekananda”. It gives me great inspiration when I read his books. I would like to become a Life Member of the ashram. Can you mail me the details? I hope you have not misunderstood my question about my wife. I have a very understanding wife by His grace. It is her fear that I might go away from her if I go towards spirituality. I hope I have not wasted your time.