A most endearing hallmark of his preaching was the heart-stealing affection he showed to all. As an uttama-bhāgavata, he entered the deepest recesses of the heart to give the unmistakable reassurance that he is one's eternal well-wisher. The depth of his affection is a tangible reality for all who have experienced it, and this in itself bears subjective testimony to the fact that he was a true emissary of the Supreme Lord.
As long as Śrīla Gurudeva, the beloved of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is physically manifest, it is wise to render intimate service to him, and thereby attain perfection. But if we are not able to attain perfection because we have failed to develop attachment to him, attachment wherein we consider him to be the lord of our heart; if we have failed to serve him by giving him our full heart in complete sincerity and selflessness, then we have certainly been deprived...
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is certainly more intelligent than each and every one of us, and He knows how to make the fallen souls of Kali-yuga best understand His high-level teachings. Indeed, His teachings are comprehensible by all. Still, our misfortune prevails. First, we do not accept His teachings. Second, to impress others with our prowess we mix something of our own with them...
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
Worship of some object enacted by those who desire religious merit, worldly prosperity, sensuous gratification or emancipation, is not śuddha-bhakti (pure devotion). Moreover, the temporary excitation of bhakti resulting from peculiarities in place, time or object can be interrupted and distorted by the progress of time, and is therefore not pure devotion...
Read Moreby Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
In a like manner, most philosophers or religious sects conceive of the undifferentiated Truth – because it the opposite of differentiated matter – as the ultimate object of attainment. Thus they endeavour to approximate that undifferentiated Truth with the help of their personal experiences, which in turn are a product of their material senses...
Read Moreby Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
The comparative study of religions attempted in this journal seeks to avoid any foul against any practice or doctrine that is really in keeping with the religion of unmixed service to the Absolute, as professed by all the revealed creeds of the world...
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This compelling narrative, based on spiritually developed personalities in cultured Bengali life a few hundred years ago, serves as the basis of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's presentation of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy, from its basic tenets to its esoteric pinnacle. Woven into the story are penetrating philosophical questions that are commonly pondered and eternally relevant. The depth of the answers gives clarity and direction to the quest to establish ourselves in our jaiva-dharma, our soul's constitutional function.
In the month of Sravana (the rainy season), the clouds in the sky begin to make a thundering sound, and extremely fine mist-like rain drizzles everywhere. The atmosphere is very beautiful and pleasant after the heat of the summer months, for at that time all the forests of Vrndavana begin to bloom. Many types of flowers on both sides of the Yamuna, such as beli, cameli, jui, and madhavi begin to bloom...
In Sri Krsna’s pastimes, Srila Rupa Gosvami is Rupa-manjari, a special maidservant of Srimati Radhika. Rupa-manjari is always serving Srimati Radhika, and she is always on Her side. If Krsna orders her to do something, she will not be afraid to disobey, and by disobeying she will be so pleasing to Krsna. Among all the maidservants of Radhika, including Rati-manjari (Raghunatha dasa Gosvami) and Labanga-manjari (Sanatana Gosvami), she is the most prominent. Ananga-manjari, the younger sister of Radhika, is her bosom friend...
I met Prapujyacarana Srila Sridhara Maharaja in 1946, at which time he did not have any disciples. He was with my Gurudeva, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, from 1942. He left the Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Matha and came with Guru Maharaja when Guru Maharaja established the Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti in 1942...
Try to advance. Don’t waste your time criticizing or trying to control everything around you. Gurudeva can control. He is a controller. Sri Krsna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Sri Nityananda Prabhu are controllers. It is best to think in this way: “I am not the controller. Rather, I should be controlled by Them. I should try to control myself...
If there is no bhakti, or even a part of bhakti, ignorance cannot go. To the degree that bhakti manifests, in the same proportion, ignorance, unwanted desires, and anarthas disappear; otherwise they can never go. It is absurd to think, "First I should purify my heart, and then I will chant and remember Krsna." First the sun should come, and then darkness will go. Without the appearance of the sun, how will the darkness dissipate? Narottama dasa Thakura is praying to his gurudeva, "Please be merciful. Sprinkle a drop of your mercy, and then I will be able to serve Radha-Krsna Conjugal...
I take shelter of my lord and master, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, who is an ocean of compassion and who always feels sorry for the suffering of others. Although I was unwilling and blinded by ignorance, he diligently made me drink the nectar of devotion laced with renunciation.
First let us glorify Gopal Bhatta Gosvami. During Caturmasya-vrata Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to South India, to the Ranganathji temple. He began to dance and perform kirtana there, and all were attracted. The members of a very holy family met Him there, and they requested Him, "Please stay at our residence for these four months of Caturmasya, and after that You can go anywhere else...
July 19th (see calendar) is the beginning of Caturmasya, the four month period each year from July into November, in which devotees observe certain rules and regulations in order to advance in their bhakti. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to follow all these rules very strictly...
As I have explained before, Mahaprabhu very rarely sees Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. When He does, He at once enters a mood of very intense separation and prays, "After a long time I am meeting with My most beloved, for whom I was burning in the fire of separation." He addresses Jagannatha as gopibhartuh and prays, "Pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah"...
Mahaprabhu moved with such speed, that He appeared to be simultaneously present at every point of His circumambulation. Such a sight is certainly astonishing, but our amazement should not stop there. What bhava was manifesting in Sriman Mahaprabhu at a given moment, and what internal transformations was He undergoing as a result? This was the foundation of His dance...
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...
Today is the day of gundica-mandira-marjana, the cleansing of the Gundica Temple. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta states that the temple of Jagannatha represents Dvaraka, while the temple at Gundica is called Sundaracala and represents Vrndavana. All the gopis, such as Lalita, Visakha, and Srimati Radhika, are there in Vrndavana, and so are Nanda Baba, Yaçoda, and all the other Vrajavasis. Vasudeva, Devaki, Baladeva, Subhadra, and all the other Dvarakavasis reside in Dvaraka...
