Rays of The Harmonist
- Everything is Accomplished by Hearing Hari-kathā (Part 3 of 3)
- Our Best Friends Are The Servants Of God
- Everything is Accomplished by Hearing Hari-kathā (Part 2 of 3)
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
“Aho, this is the only hari-kathā that can deliver one from the cycle of birth and death. Only from this hari-kathā can I receive kṛṣṇa-prema, not from anywhere else. Oh, how beautiful his hari-kathā is! How glorious this place is, where Bhagavān’s līlā-kathā is being spoken.” In this way, he’ll extol the qualities of hari-kathā. He’ll repeatedly offer praṇāma to the listeners, thinking, “They are blessed to be able to hear such hari-kathā.” ...
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
Our best friends are the servants of God with whom we ally. Yet I shall also speak about service to Hari with such friends of mine who possess lesser power to understand and have thus taken up the duties of kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śudras – if they are not antagonistic. ...
Read Moreby Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
What does nṛpa gāḍha-karṇah mean? To hear hari-kathā with extreme craving, thirst and hunger, drinking each and every word through our ears. This is how it should be. What will happen by doing this? Hunger, thirst, distress, misery, etc., whatever is there will go away; it will end. ...
Read MoreFeatured: Jaiva Dharma
This compelling narrative based on spiritually developed personalities and others 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.
You May Speak Further
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Sri Ramananda Raya then suggested sva-dharma-tyaga, giving up one’s occupational duty. Ultimately, even if one wants to offer the fruits of ones worldly activities to Krsna, since Krsna actually owns everything, what can one actually offer to Him? Everything belongs to Krsna, and therefore one should simply renounce and leave one’s material designation in varnasrama. One should be very careful to avoid anything that is against bhakti...
Deep Teachings at Gambira - II
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We have come to this very sacred place called Sri Gambhira, the palace residence of Kasi Misra, who offered it to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This place was given to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the request of the king, who said, "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself. I want Him to stay here." And it was so managed...
Deep Teachings at Gambira
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I remember when I used to come with my param-aradyatama (most worshippable) Sri Gurudeva and his disciples to Purusottama-ksetra during the Ratha-yatra Chariot Festival, and after that we all returned here for one month to observe Purusottama-vrata, the vows of this month...
Purusottama Month in Puri
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We are all very supremely fortunate to have come here to Purusottama-ksetra Jagannatha Puri-dhama, and stay so close to Purusottama-deva Sri Jagannatha Himself. We are especially fortunate to be here in this month called Purusottama-masa and to perform Purusottama-vrata (the auspicious vows taken on this month). We are even more fortunate to have the shelter of this particular place...
The Glories of Sri Purusottama Month
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The glories of adhimasa (extra month) are mentioned in the thirty-first chapter of the Naradiya Purana. Adhimasa considered the sovereignty of the twelve months and saw that he was being slighted. He went to Vaikuntha and related his dilemma to Sri Narayana. Out of compassion, Vaikuntha-pati took Adhimasa with Him and appeared before Sri Krsna in Goloka...
Observance of Purusottama Month
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This is Purusottama Month. Krsna is Purusottama, the Supreme Person, and therefore this month is actually Krsna’s month. Among all the incarnations, Krsna Himself is Purusottama. Therefore, this month is also supreme among all months, as is the month of Kartika. We are also so fortunate to be here in New Vraja, very near to Giriraja-Govardhana. Syama-Kunda and Radha-kunda are also here. All the pastime places of Vrndavana are here, as Vrndavana itself has manifested here. Peacocks are dancing, and so much is reminding us of Sri Vrndavana-dhama.
Krishna Kills Kamsa
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This is Kamsa Tila, the place where Krsna killed Kamsa. Tila mean hill, and it was upon this hill that Kamsa was sitting when Krsna pulled him from his dias. Our temple, Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha, is situated in part of Kamsa's wrestling arena, and it is also where Krsna and Balarama killed the elephant demon...
More Humble Than A Straw
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We want to do bhajana, but at the moment we are doing bhajana of nama-aparadha, and sometimes of nama-abhasa. We cannot do bhajana because we neglect the importance of this third verse of Sri Siksastaka, beginning with trnad api sunicena. In Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi-lila 17.32), Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami says: "I am raising my hand and taking a vow. Please listen, all devotees; hear this: if you want to do bhajana, then make a garland with the thread of nama and the jewels of trnad api sunicena."
How To Follow
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Even if you are very busy at that time, always try to engage your mind in Krishna. Try to have a siksa-guru, keep your heart with that siksa-guru, and ask him or her questions. I will also help, but sometimes I may not be physically available. There are many qualified devotees here who can help you...
Srila Prabhupada's Legacy
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I have realized from my experience that if we are not independent, but rather meet and preach together, then we will be successful. Mahaprabhu has told, "Prithivite ache yata nagaradi gram. Sarvatra pracar haibe more nama". "All over the earth, in every town and village, my Name should be preached". There is a great possibility to fulfill the transcendental desire of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu...
A Vaisnava Is Always Merciful
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If you befriend a sense enjoyer, a person who is attached to the opposite sex or one who opposes bhakti, the association of that ‘friend’ will cause you to go to hell. On the other hand, if you engage in inimical dealings with a pure Vaisnava, this will bestow a result similar to that which occurred with Kaliya...
Krsna Will Make Arrangement For Guru
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Diksa-guru must be qualified; Or, siksa-guru must be qualified. We cannot achieve perfection without a qualified guru.
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....
Weeping in Love
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The word prema-vivarta refers to that love and affection which sometimes appears as anger, but which is not. It is actually the highest class of love and affection, which appears in the form of a sulky mood of transcendental loving anger...
Invitation to write an offering for Śrīla Gurudeva's Centennial Vyāsa-pūjā
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As you know, February 11, 2021 is the Centennial Vyāsa-pūjā of our most worshipful Śrīla Gurudeva, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja...
Love And Affection
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Today I am especially remembering my śikṣā-guru, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja and his first journey to America by boat. He passed through the Mediterranean Sea, on to the Atlantic Ocean, and finally he arrived in Boston. On the order of his gurudeva, he carried the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī to America. During his journey across the seas, he performed the humanlike pastime of becoming so sick that he seemed to be on the verge of death...
