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Thirty-three years have passed since I sat near the Ganges River having the conversation described in this book. Since it …

My conservative Jewish family instilled in me an inner longing to understand God. Self-discovery and anti-war protests highlighted my college …

I learned that yoga means “union with God.” The concepts of yoga attracted me, yet did not contradict the tenets …

India was not as I had imagined. Abject poverty was, I discovered, for the most part an urban phenomenon. Though …

After starting my assignment as a high school science teacher in Bihar, I began visiting temples, mosques, and churches. It …

My existential search began to go up in smoke. In February 1972, I visited Calcutta during a school break. There …

We took a train through the verdant Bengali countryside to Māyāpur, a beautiful spot near the Ganges River. Upon arriving, …

There were sixty or so Kṛṣṇa followers, mostly American or European and under twenty-five years old. They were enthusiastic to …

Now for the “perfect questions” part that has caused me so much discomfort. The Bhagavad-gītā (the primer on transcendence) includes …

According to this instruction there are three qualifications for the novice:

visit the guru inquire without challenging assist the guru in some way

The Gītā suggests that the guru can “impart knowledge” when these three conditions are met.

My intention in visiting Śrīla Prabhupāda was to explore rather than contend. After meeting and studying many self-proclaimed instructors, I …

Once I got past their zealousness, I found a genuine blend of mysticism and renunciation along with convincing explications. I …

In this way I met the first and second of the Gītā’s three credentials. The famine relief program of the …

From Śrīla Prabhupāda’s point of view I was following the Gītā’s edicts: hence Perfect Questions. Meanwhile, Śrīla Prabhupāda answered my …

Śrīla Prabhupāda answered my questions based on the ancient system of disciplic succession – repeating what he had heard from …

The first conversation I had with Śrīla Prabhupāda was not recorded by his secretary. Therefore the book begins without our …

May reading my conversations with Śrīla Prabhupāda lead you to your own perfection.

– Bob Cohen