Rays of The Harmonist
- The Highest Transcendental Wealth – Guru-sevā
- Who Is a True Disciple?
- Material Attachment is Never the Result of Guru-sevā
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝You are blessed to have attained service to such a gurudeva. What instruction can I give you? Indeed, if you would explain to me matters regarding service to him – how he will be pleased – then someone like me, a low and worthless jīva who has been deprived of guru-sevā, may attain auspiciousness. You are most fortunate. Sincerely and one-pointedly continue to serve śrī gurudeva’s lotus feet.❞ ...
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
“It is incumbent upon me to submissively accept whatever arrangements śrī gurudeva makes for my well-being.” This is truly the attitude of a real disciple. Without it, inauspiciousness is inevitable. Real disciples are those who constantly serve the Supreme Lord under the guidance of the spiritual master, without becoming enjoyers – that is, without trying to use their senses to enjoy the sense objects. ...
Read Moreby Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝The ultimate fruit and success of everything in this world, or all assets – that is, all studying, writing, reading of Veda, sacrifice, chanting, austerity, vaidhī-bhakti and rāgānuga-bhakti – is the attainment of service to the lotus feet of śrī guru, who is a non-different manifestation of Bhagavān, Śrī Hari Himself. Or is the result of service to guru attachment to mundane knowledge and sense enjoyment? I think that attachment to material learning and the acquirement of wealth, women, prestige, and sense enjoyment can never be the result of guru-sevā.❞ ...
Read MoreFeatured: Sri Upadesamrta
This unprecedented edition contains the commentaries Srila Radha-ramana dasa Gosvami, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada. Translated from the Hindi edition of Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, Sri Upadesamrta gives instructions indispensable for practitioners of the devotional path. Without following these instructions, entering the realm of pure devotion and especially following the intricate and elevated path of spontaneous devotion (raganuga-bhakti) is not only difficult, but impossible.
Guru-sevā Is Essential
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If we accept only guru and not guru-paramparā there will be problems [in our spiritual life] and divya-jñāna will not manifest. Therefore we also worship guru-paramparā on the day of Vyāsa-pūjā. Nityānanda Prabhu was waiting for Mahāprabhu...
Aksaya-tritiya
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Today is a very auspicious day – Aksaya-trtiya. We will observe it tomorrow, however, because today there are three tithis touching one day. Today the door of Bhadri-narayana will be open, and therefore a festival will be observed in Puri with Lord Jagannatha. Candana-yatra will also begin on this auspicious day. Today the door of Bhadri-narayana will be open, and therefore a festival will be observed in Puri with Lord Jagannatha. Candana-yatra will also begin on this auspicious day...
True Sannyasa verses Sahajiya Babajis
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A personality who can preach the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu throughout the world in very short time, who can translate and write commentaries to authentic books like Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, who can publish and explain Srimad-Bhagavatam and the books of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Jiva Gosvami – how can he be an ordinary person? He was certainly in the line of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Rupa Gosvami, Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu...
What to Think About While Chanting
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Syama-kunda and Radha-kunda are extremely beautiful, surrounded by the many exquisite sweet groves of Lalita, Visakha, and all the other principle sakhis. We want the mercy of Radha and Krsna Conjugal. Srimati Radhika is our Svamini, our worshipful mistress, so we must please Her. How do we please Her? Not by glorifying Her...
Sadhu-sanga a must
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This time is very critical for all devotees, as shown by the example of ISKCON after the departure of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. All the devotees became weak because they had not developed real taste for bhakti. They had given up their jobs, wealth and everything else, but they did not develop a taste for bhakti, nor did they even have nistha, the determination of mind to do bhajana. To develop these qualities, a high class of association (sadhu-sanga) is needed...
If You Don't Know
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Yesterday we were explaining sadhana. When our objective is to attain rati, and with these material senses - the tongue, mind, etc. - we do our sadhana, only then will it be real sadhana; otherwise not. First there must be the objective: "I want to attain rati." What is rati?
Where Is Your Wealth?
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We have been discussing about the bhakti creeper. First of all we should know what is real bhakti. Pure bhakti is called uttama-bhakti. We must know this. Nowadays, some persons here, also in India but especially in Western countries, want to jump at once without any sadhana and without any bhajana. They don't practice the limbs of bhakti as explained in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindu. At once they want to jump - to see naked Radha-Krsna in Their nisanta-lila...
The Appearance Day of Gadadhara Pandit
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Who is Gadadhara Pandita? He is Srimati Radha Thakurani. Why did he come? To help Mahaprabhu enjoy Radhika’s three moods. From time to time he used to help Mahaprabhu experience these moods. When Nityananda Prabhu went to the house of Nandana Acarya in Navadvipa, Gadadhara went with Mahaprabhu, Srivasa Pandit, Mukunda, and so many others....
Excerpts on Sri Gadadhara Pandita
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Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja came to this world with the mission of Iskcon – Vaisnavism. What was that? It is the same mission as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And who is Mahaprabhu? He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna Himself. But He is also more than that; He is not only Krsna. He is the combination of both Srimati Radhika and Krsna. Sri Krsna has combined with Srimati Radhika, His power.
Sri Gadadhara Pandita And Tota-Gopinatha
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When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu lived in the cave at Gambhira, He was always thinking of Krsna and weeping. He came to this world to taste radha-bhava, and His activities while in Gambira comprise a drop of the ocean He experienced. While living in Gambira He gave the deity of Gopinatha to Srila Gadadhara Pandita and told him, "Today I will give you a very good thing. Will you accept it?"
The Glories of Sri Gadadhara Pandita
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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....
How Will You Get There?
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If you do not know the real goal of your life - where you must ultimately go - then where will you go? Therefore, we should know the aim and object of our life, and the process by which we can attain it. We can understand all these truths from the literature of Srila Rupa Gosvami, and especially from Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura...
A Glimpse Into Sri Ujjvala-Nilamani
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On this island I am totally absorbed in writing about the very elevated moods of Srila Rupa Gosvami; moods that were inspired in him by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. Mahaprabhu ordered Srila Rupa Gosvami to write about the deep moods of the gopis, as well as the process by which we can achieve similar moods. Most of you are not qualified to hear or read about this, what to speak of follow, and yet we are writing. Otherwise, if we do not do so...
The Goal And How To Get There
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Why did Krsna appeared in this world. What was the main reason? Why did Krsna appear in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Hear this very patiently...
A Great Scholar Meets Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
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We explained in yesterday's class that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became angry after His danda was broken by Nityananda Prabhu. He said, "O Nityananda Prabhu, Mukunda, Damodara, Jagadananda - either all of you should go to see Lord Jagannatha first, or I should go first. I do not want to go with you...
Siksa-Guru
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If he is expert in sastra but has no realization of Krsna, he is not able to be a guru. He should be rejected as guru. It may be that he can quote all the sastras, but he is not a guru if he has no realization, if he himself is not chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna and Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, if he is not always happy, if he has so many problems, if he is very angry and very lusty, if he has no detachment from this world, and if he has many desires...
