Rays of The Harmonist
- Unalloyed Theism
- To Refute Misconceptions is Guru-sevā
- Appropriate Renunciation
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
❝Factually, our restricted perspective in relation to the phenomenal domain should not be imposed on the Personality of a thoroughly Independent Integer. The Personality of Godhead is to be humbly approached, not subjected to our sensuous inspection, as though He were an accused in the court. We should accept that all existences are, and ought to be, His own. This method of approach is known as unalloyed theism.❞ ...
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝To refute misconceptions is guru-sevā. If, at any point, one can understand that someone is giving misleading teachings, one should, in a civil manner, refute them and establish the faultless siddhānta. Doing so is the ideal of conviction in service to guru. If, despite knowing and hearing the truth, one conceals it, hypocrisy finds its outlet, and that entails a lapse of duty. This (refuting someone’s views) is never contrary to humility or amānī-mānada-dharma.❞ ...
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝The renunciation by which the body becomes completely useless and which awakens impediments to hari-bhajana is not favourable for bhakti. You must accept bhagavat-prasāda appropriately. It is indeed proper to accept all the objects of the senses that are essential for one’s well-being, in a manner that is favourable for one’s kṛṣṇa-bhajana.❞ ...
Read MoreSrila Sanatana Gosvami and Lord Siva
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Srila Sanatana Gosvami was practicing bhajana near the Yamuna River at Kaliya-hrada, the former abode of the very poisonous snake named Kaliya. Kaliya-hrada was close to the Yamuna, and therefore its surrounding area was full of sand. Srila Sanatana Gosvami wore only a loincloth. He used to go begging door-to-door for a small amount of prasada...
Guru Purnima
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Today is the birthday of Srila Vyasadeva, the son of Parasara Rsi. Srila Vyasadeva divided the Vedas into four sections, and then he took the essence of all the Vedas and Upanisads and wrote Brahma-sutra so that everyone would be able to easily understand. He then wrote fifty-four Puranas, but they were also very difficult to understand...
The Beginning of Caturmasya
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This year, 2021, July 25th and 26th ( 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...
Tulasi Dasa's Rama-Carita-Manasa Glorification
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Tulasi dasaji was a Vaisnava belonging to the Ramananda Sampradaya, a branch of the Sri Sampradaya. All the four Vaisnava Sampradayas are worthy of our respect. His name, Tulasi dasa, is a Vaisnava name and he wore the vertical (urddhva-pundra) Vaisnava tilaka. He also wore tulasi mala around his neck and was initiated into the sri-rama-mantra, which is a mantra for obtaining perfection...
Ekadasi Can Fulfill All Desires
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Those who are not fortunate cannot honor maha-prasada with the understanding that it is Govinda Himself, as they cannot understand that Krsna has invested all His power, opulence, mercy, and everything in His name. The holy name of Krsna is Krsna Himself, and maha-prasada is Krsna Himself, and the pure Vaisnavas are also non-different from Krsna. There is a special power in them. We should not neglect them...
It Is Not a Day - It Is Krsna
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What is the speciality of today that gives it the name Ekadasi? It is the eleventh day from the dark moon day (Amavasya) and from the full moon day (Purnima). We have eleven senses – five working senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses. That makes ten, and the mind is the eleventh. With these eleven senses we should try to become nearer to Krsna. Ekadasi – by our eleven senses we do 'upavasa'. Upa means 'very near' and vasa means 'to reside...
The Powers of an Ekadasi Family
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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...
Give Radha and Krsna Your Heart
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The Guru is supposed to be on a higher platform than the disciples. And, you should treat him like, “Saksat-hari.” You should always honor him. A disciple cannot sit on the same asana as Gurudeva. But, a Siksa Guru is also honored. Sometimes, he becomes like a bosom friend. You can embrace and joke with a Siksa Guru. But it is very hard to joke and laugh with your Diksa Guru. But you can joke and become a bosom friend of Siksa Guru; laughing together like Sridhama, Subala, and Krsna...
Sweet Talks with Srila Prabhupada’s disciples
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Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra, Vrndavana, Radha-Krsna, Vrnda Devi, Navadvipa Dhama, Gaura-Nitai—all are here. So, I am so glad to come here. There are so many devotees here. Perhaps, everyone knows me. Some are new. Have you met me before? Is this the first time? What is your name?
What Do You Want? What Are You Doing?
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By reading Bhagavad-gita, you will be qualified to read Srimad Bhagavatam. Bhagavad-gita is a book of primary school and Srimad Bhagavatam is for post-graduates. If you do not read Bhagavad-gita, you cannot understand Srimad Bhagavatam. This is the basic platform. Bhagavad-gita is also essential to make a platform. After this you can make a very sweet building of Vrindavana, where you can serve Radha and Krishna...
Krishna Is Sweet
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Krishna's beauty is sweet, His mother, Yasoda, is sweet, and His father is sweet. Especially His flute is very sweet when He plays on it and smiles with His very sweet and crooked side-long glance. Even the stick which He uses for cow-grazing is very sweet...
Oh Madhava! and Two Questions
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This greed is so valuable that however wretched, or lusty one may be; but greed may be there. It is not certain if this greed can be found in a very sacred, pure hearted person. It depends on the mercy of any bona fide guru and rasika-bhavuka bhakta. So, he has some association, some sadhu-sanga of Rupa Gosvami. Brahma cannot have this, but the devotee wants this. Brahma cannot have this in his samadhi; but the devotee prays, “I want this...
Gosvami Tulasi Das
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we should try to develop our relation with them. You should know that Rupa Gosvami knows so many things about bhakti-rasa as Caitanya Mahaprabhu had told him. But how to apply these teachings? How to practice them from our mind, senses, and heart and to make all these things as a rasa? So, Raghunatha das Gosvami has written the answers. So, he is also a siksa guru.
Hong Kong Airport Darsana
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It is very difficult to understand the gopis' mood without their mercy. When they are absorbed in meditation on Krsna, they see Him and converse with Him. Through meditation, the gopis hear and realize all these things. The gopis meditate and think, "if Krsna would hear what we say, He may reply like this or like that." They know: "He will say that...
A Casual Airport Darshan
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Sometimes, in Jagannatha Puri, Jagannatha does not reach His chariot for two, three, or four days. And sometimes He stops midway. Why does He do so? Because He is independent. What mood is in Krsna and when it is in Him, only He knows. Even Baladeva may not know. Only Srimati Radhika can know; we cannot know. It is very mysterious...
Hera Pancami
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The meaning of Hera-pancami is as follows. On the fifth day of the Chariot Festival, Laksmi-devi becomes very worried and thinks, “Where has my husband gone? He told me, ‘I am going for a change of environment for some days, and I will return very soon.’ It has been five days now, and still He has not come back.” Unable to tolerate this, she becomes very angry and gives orders to all her associates as though they had to fight with the enemy: “Take up your weapons!...
