Question: “In one lecture Prabhupada says that we (spirit souls) have voluntarily accepted this material condition and in another he says we have been forced to accept it. Which one is correct?”

Hindus are known to believe in the idea of reincarnation. A common misconception is that reincarnation only refers to the idea that a sinful person comes back in their next life as a rat or a tiger or some lower animal. Reincarnation actually means the soul accepts a material body and that after death, the current body is discarded and the soul enters a new one.

In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna says,

“For the soul, there is no birth or death. The soul has never not existed in the past, nor it will it cease to exist in the future.” (BG 2.20)

 “(British Prime Minister Gordon) Brown also says the 20 countries at the summit will enact common policies to crack down on tax havens, regulate hedge funds, and rebuild trust in the financial system to ‘prevent a crisis such as this from happening again.’” (AP, 2009.04.02)

World leaders met recently in London as part of the Group of 20 Summit to combat the global financial crisis. Countries from around the world, with varying and sometimes competing interests, came together to form a consensus on the proper action needed to be taken.

Today is Lord Ramachandra’s appearance day. This day is known as Rama Navami, and it marks the anniversary of when Lord Krishna descended to earth in the form of Lord Rama, to give protection to His devotees and to kill the evil demon Ravana.

  Yogurt is one of the staples of Indian cuisine. Known as dahi in Hindi, it is used in hundreds of dishes and is most often prepared directly at home. Aside from being included in palatable dishes, yogurt plays an essential role in the most important Vedic religious traditions.

We all appreciate nice people. During the course of our day, we may encounter many different types of people, good and bad, some nicer than others.

“O Rama, there is no one more fortunate on this earth than You since you have Vishwamitra as Your spiritual master.”

Sage Shatananda speaking to Lord Rama (Valmiki Ramayana, Balakanda)

Gaura Purnima is the celebration of the appearance day anniversary of Lord Shri Krishna Chaitanya. The Vedic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, and purnima is the period of the cycle when the moon is full. It is considered a very auspicious time and Lord Chaitanya was born during this cycle of the moon in Mayapur, India in 1486. The Lord’s complexion was golden, so hence the date is celebrated as Gaura Purnima.

Maharishi Valmiki is the author of the original story of Lord Ramachandra, known as the Valmiki Ramayana. He lived during the Treta Yuga and through guidance from his spiritual master, he wrote the epic Ramayana prior to Lord Rama’s advent.

Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, also referred to as Vyasadeva or Vyasa, is the literary incarnation of Lord Krishna and is known as the father of all Vedic literature.