Rays of The Harmonist
- Serving Śrī Guru with Heartfelt Affection (Part 2)
- The Incomparable Affection and Compassion of Śrī Guru and Vaiṣṇavas
- My Friend Renders More Intimate Service Than I Can
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
“Don’t think, “A better result will come from my sādhana-bhajana than by engaging in that guru-sevā.” One may think, “What special fruit will I get merely by sitting near gurujī and serving him?” Do not think like this. Consider what he wants and depend on him.” ...
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by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja
There is nothing equal to the Vaiṣṇavas’ transcendental affection and compassion. If a soul who wishes to perform bhajana can appreciate this compassion, then he will surely reap auspiciousness. It is indicative of great fortune to be able to comprehend the essence and substance of the chastisement and compassion of Guru and Vaiṣṇavas. ...
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
I will be all more pleased if I find that another person competes in my line to serve my All-love in a better way perhaps than I can. ...
Read MoreFeatured: Damodarastakam
For thousands of years, devotees have sung Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam, especially in the revered month of Kārtika. These eight verses mark the profound blossoming of Śrī Satyavrata Muni's love for Śrī Dāmodara, as he prays, "Please appear before me in Your beautiful, eternal form as a young cowherd-boy, and grant me the perfection of life." The true meaning of this prayer remained mostly hidden until the late 1500s, when Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī wrote his elucidating commentary. Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja's lively and poignant supplementary commentary serves to make these essential meanings even more accessible.
Be Careful
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If we imagine that we are meditating on Krsna's asta-kaliya-lila and we have not reached the stage of rati, we will also not experience His sweetness. Rather, we will experience our own lusty and other material desires...
The Guru's Guru
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You cannot imagine what this stage will be like. It will come, after a very long time. That is the general process. However, by the mercy of Gurudeva, it can come very quickly. Sannyasi Thakura said to his Gurudeva, "You are Caitanya parisad (an associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu). Really you are." He did not say this blindly, because he had some realization. He had read all the scriptures, and he saw all the symptoms in his Gurudeva...
The Ocean Of Essence in a Bottle
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Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written this book in the form of a dialogue, with questions and answers. You would not be able to even think of as many questions as Bhaktivinoda Thakura has presented there. As many questions as are possible to be asked has been presented there. No one else could have put forward such questions...
Explanation Of Vibhavari Sesa
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Now the night is over and dawn is coming. All living entities should wake up with the rising of the dawn and chant these names of the Lord. What is the meaning? Try to hear very carefully...
Divine Installation
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I have been traveling around the world, preaching Vedic culture. The Vedic teaching is that we are not this body. This body is made of bones and blood. We are eternal, but this body is perishable. All the world’s scientists and doctors cannot extend a person’s life for even one second. In the heart of this body, we souls reside along with Paramatma, the Lord’s localized four-armed expansion...
Sri Guru - More Intimate Than Our Atma
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First, we must think that guru is our atma. Being totally surrendered to him, we must depend solely on him. Tan abhajet. Tan means the Supreme Lord, Krsna. If we serve Krsna under the guidance of sad-guru, then certainly, like magic, we will be out of maya....
Is Srila Jiva Gosvami Different?
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Jiva Gosvami also means to say that since the svarupa of the jiva, which is in an unmanifest or seed-like state in the jiva's conditioned life, has everything in it in seed form (as a seed of a tree has the whole tree in it). Therefore, the planet on which we live, Vaikuntha, Vrndavana, etc., is also there in the soul. In this way the parsada, the spiritual body of the jiva that is presently in a latent position can also be explained....
What To Do After Parikrama
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Someone may think that he has no taste or interest in chanting or meditating. He may be considering, “Money is not coming by chanting.” But money cannot give happiness or transcendental feelings. The holy name, on the other hand, will give everything. It will stop the endless pain of birth and death forever, and you will be happy forever, engaged in the service of Sri Krsna in Vrndavana...
I am Inviting You All
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You have been following some rules and regulations during the four months of Catur-masya, and especially during this one month of Kartika. This is now completed. We have also given some “wind-up,” so that you will be able to go on for the next four months. Then, after four months another winding will be given in Navadvipa-dhama. I am inviting you all. Not only should you all come, but each of you should bring ten people from your country. I want at least 15-20,000 devotees to come and perform parikrama in Navadvipa...
Last Day of Kartik
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By the causeless mercy of my Gurudeva, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, my Gurupada-padma (siksa-gurus) and Gandharvika-Giridhari Sri Sri Radha-Vinoda-bihari, our Vraja-Mandala parikrama is very successful in all respects.
Sri Krsna's Kartika Rasa-lila
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One year after Krsna made His promise to the gopis, on the full-moon night in autumn He looked at the moon and began to play His flute. He considered, "Our forefather, the moon, has a beloved other than his wife, Rohini. His beloved is Purva-disa, the eastern horizon...
The Disappearance Day of Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Gosvami Maharaja
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For the service of the brhad-mrdanga (book publication), Srila Puri Maharaja stayed in various places like Calcutta, Krsna Nagar, and Mayapura. For the sake of preaching gaura-vani, the message of Gaurasundara, he traveled not only throughout Bengal, but also to many places throughout India, and he met with great success...
To His Rope and His Belly
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Srila Sanatana Gosvami explained the mood of this prayer in Brhad-Bhagavatamrta. The devotee does not fear taking any birth. For example, although Vrtasura took birth as a demon, he was always glorifying Krsna's pastimes...
Govardhana/Kartik Mornings Discourses
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During the first half of Kartika, Srila Maharaja gave discourses at Gopinatha Bhavan in Vrndavana each evening, and called upon others to speak as well. He discussed the life and precepts of the Savior of this Age of quarrel and hypocrisy, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, with reference to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. He also discussed the Lord’s divine pastime places visited by the devotees during the day. In the mornings he spoke on the abounding philosophy and sweetness of the pastime of Mother Yasoda binding Krsna – Sri Damodara-lila...
Srila Gaura-kishora dasa Babaji Maharaja
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We cannot touch Srila Gaura-kishora dasa Babaji Maharaja’s renounced lifestyle and high standard of bhajana, but we can at least accept and follow whatever lower principles that he established for us and practised in his own life. After making sufficient spiritual progress, we may be able to accept the higher things, but we should not desire to follow them in our present condition. Who can possibly follow his extreme renunciation...
We've Already Been Married
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Those who have attended this parikrama should think about why they have come. We have come here to earn bhakti, especially suddha-bhakti (pure devotion), and more especially vraja-bhakti - the very highest attainment. We have come to the best place in the world - Vraja. In Vraja, superior to Gokula is Nandagaon and Varsana, more superior is Vrndavana, more superior is Govardhana and most superior is Radha-kunda. You have come here, so we should not have any desire other than vraja-bhakti and radha-dasyam...
