Download Sanskrit Terms for Self: Definition and Use in Sacred Literature of the Vedas There are two basic words for self in Sanskrit, the original language of India, as well as the language of philosophers and theologians there today. The first term is ātmā or ātman, and the second is jīva or, both words combined as jīvātman. The former word is defined as: “1. the soul; the individual soul, 2. self; oneself” (Apte, 1988, p.78). The latter’s...

One of the six symptoms of surrender is to take the Lord as one’s only protector. What does it mean to go to the Lord for protection, and how do we pray for protection? This amazing prayer by Jayadeva Gosvami not only gives us the proper mood and suitable words, but also impresses upon our minds the amazing grandeur and beauty of the Supreme Lord.   “May the Lord who destroys obstacles, who seems to increase himself, taking many...

“Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura states that the business of the tongue is to gratify itself with the varieties of flavor, but by wandering in the twelve holy forests of Vraja-mandala (Vrndavana), one can be freed from the twelve flavors of material sense gratification. The five principal divisions of material relationships are neutral admiration, servitude, friendship, parental affection and conjugal love; the seven subordinate...

This quote interests me because devotees of the Lord not only make promises to help others (as is the case here) but also makes personal promises of spiritual practices they will perform. In my experience, there are many times when devotees struggle to keep, or even fail to keep, their promises. But here, Srila Prabhupada notes that the Lord personally arranges to help his devotee keep those promises. Perhaps when we struggle or fail, our...

From The Teachings of Lord Caitanya, by Srila Prabhupada: “Praṇava, or oṁ-kāra, is the chief sound vibration found in the Vedic hymns, and it is considered to be the sound form of the Supreme Lord. From oṁ-kāra all Vedic hymns have emanated, and the world itself has also emanated from this oṁ-kāra sound.”