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 Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
Sri nama is Sri Krsna Himself. Not just Sri Krsna Himself, but indeed sri nama is directly the form of the supremely original Sri Krsna Himself (svayam-rupa Sri Krsna). There is no other means to dispel our misfortune than engaging in sri nama-bhajana. Only the ecstasy of chanting the holy names of Sri Krsna can...
Read More
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Our debt to sri guru and the Vai??avas for their unlimited compassion and supra-mundane affection can never be repaid. When a person performs hari-bhajana, he gets an understanding and appreciation of that debt, and his life becomes blessed...
Read Moreby Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
There are many obstacles in the way of the search for the Truth. Those obstacles serve to eclipse the real nature of the seer of the Truth, of the search, and of the object of the search. It is the enlightening potency of words that alone is able to destroy all those obstacles...
Read More
Bhakti-rasāyana, or the nectar tonic of bhakti-rasa, consists of a compilation of verses from the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Parīkṣit Mahārāja spoke to his mother, Uttarā, in the final chapter of Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta. Like stringing pearls on a thread, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī has composed a necklace of these verses for the benefit of the sādhakas (practitioners of bhakti) of this world, to stimulate the moods of bhakti in their hearts.
For us fallen conditioned souls, Krsna has personally become Ekadasi. Ekadasi has no consideration of caste or creed. For example, it is not that Ekadasi will give its fruit only to someone who is initiated by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. If anyone, irrespective of caste or creed or any designation follows Ekadasi, he will gain internally and externally...
We should not always remain in the kanistha-adhikari stage. There should be a way to go up to something superior, but our minds will not go there. We should try to make advancement through someone who is superior, through those who are practically serving, whose minds are there, who know Prabhupada’s mood, and who know the very deep process of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami that Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja has written about in his books. We should try to go very deep...
Srimati Radhika came in the form of Sri Gadadhara. You should try to know Gadadhara-tattva. There is no difference between Sri Gadadhara Pandita and Srimati Radhika, but the activities are different in Krsna's pastimes and Gaura's pastimes. In Gaura-lila Sri Gadadhara Pandita is in the mood of a servant....
You should try to attend morning mangala-arati, Tulasi-parikrama (circumambulation of the sacred Tulasi plant), giving water to Tulasi, vandana (singing prayers), some kirtana, then breakfast, and then again hearing class from 10am to 12 noon. Then taking some rest, always chanting and remembering, and again attending our class in the evening up till 8 or 9pm. Then after class, you can chant by yourselves, and then take the remnants of Krsna's prasada. Then you can sleep, continuing to chant and remember at that time as well, and then again begin all these devotional activities the next morning...
Rama-katha is endless. Sankarsana (Lord Anantadeva) himself continuously sings the glories of Sri Rama, but even with unlimited mouths he is unable to touch the end in any way. We can just relish, and pray that these infinite pastimes may appear in our heart. Tulasi dasa has written Rama-caritra-manasa, which is based on Sri Valmiki's Ramayana. All the pastimes written by Tulasi dasa come from the Ramayana and other Puranas, but the principles of bhakti that he gave there have been taken from Srimad-Bhagavatam. He presented important selected verses, especially from the eleventh canto, and translated them into Hindi poetry.
Janaka Maharaja had given the definition of bhakti to Lord Rama’s brother, Bharata. "Anyabhilasita-sunyam, jnana-karmady-anavrtam, anukulyana krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama. One who has no other desire than to please Krsna, and who is not influenced by the process of jnana-marga (cultivation of knowledge) karma, and so on, is situated in pure bhakti.” The king told him that nothing can control prema (pure love of God); it has its own law. One who has prema will always consider the desires of his object of love. He has no personal interest. He will always think, "How will my beloved be pleased?" Our real purpose is to please our worshipful deity, God and Guru; not to please ourselves."
Devotee: Gurudeva, I want to ask if it's okay to chant the Panca-tattva mantra ["Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasadi Gaura-bhakta-vrnda"] on my japa beads?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Why?
Devotee: Because if we chant to Panca-tattva, they forgive all our aparadhas in chanting. There is no aparadha...
In this world, it is essential to maintain our life. Without this, we can't do our bhajana. But don't be worried about this. Your maintenance will come automatically, according to our previous activities. If something comes, that is okay, and if something that you have collected is lost, still you should not worry. Suppose you have deposited many thousands of dollars in a bank, but somehow your business failed and your money was lost. Don't worry about that. You cannot achieve krsna-prema, or anything else, by money. You cannot eat your bank money. You can only eat two capatis or two slices of bread – nothing more. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura quotes in his Bhajana Rahasya...
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Navadvipa and performed His pastimes there. It is said that after these pastimes were completed, He took sannyasa and went to Puri. Later He went to South India, met Srila Ramananda Raya, and revealed to him His form as Sri Sri Radha and Krsna combined – Rasaraja-mahabhava. This form of Rasaraja-mahabhava is also described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, as the pastimes of Radha and Krsna...
Generally, devotees chant without faith that the holy name can give them everything. Please realize this; Krsna's names can give anything. So, chant with great love, and with a sense of having the relation with Krsna that I have explained to you. Don't 'chant;' rather 'serve.' Do you eat prasadam? Never 'eat.' To consider that we are 'eating' prasadam is an offense. Can you eat Krsna? Similarly, don't 'chant' or 'utter' harinama. Rather, serve harinama...
Minute by minute people are changing their wives and husbands. They are divorcing so many in one life, and therefore no one is happy. If you want to be happy, you must accept a qualified guru and guru-parampara. If you do not do so, you will have to experience the miseries of old age and death. When you die, whatever you have collected in your life cannot be taken with you. Always remember that death is sure. No one can save you from death...
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja personally invited all of us to attend Sri Navadvipa-mandala Parikrama in the holy land of Sri Navadvipa-dhama. This parikrama will be very special for those that make the journey...
