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 MoreKrsna dances with the Gopis
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The pastimes that Krsna performs in Dvaraka and Mathura are filled with opulence. Krsna displays His Bhagavatta, His Godhood in these pastimes. Although opulence is prominent even in the pastimes of Vrndavana, there is so much sweetness that these pastimes seem human-like. Krsna killed Putana; He lifted Giriraja-Govardhana; He killed Aghasura; yet, He always remained a child and did not assume a huge form. Although He lifted the greatest of mountains, Giriraja-Govardhana; at that time He was a five year old child. Smiling, He lifted Giriraja on the little finger of His left hand. Why?
Make Plans Only for Sadhu Sanga
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There is no need to make worldly plans for the future. There is no need to think, "We don't know what will happen after Maharaja leaves this world. We should make a separate arrangement for our future so that we can be peaceful." Don't think like this...
Recitation of the Spotless Purana
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In India, there is a place called Naimisaranya. It is a very pure place. It is on the banks of the Gomati River. Thousands of years before, over 80,000 Rsis had assembled in that place. Kali Yuga was about to come; it had made its arrival immediately after Krsna left this world...
Attachments
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Try to give your attachment to Krsna, and in that way you will become happy forever. Other attachments will lead you to hell...
Personal Exchanges
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Transcendental greed is very sacred and exalted. It must therefore be kept concealed within the heart, as burning camphor is kept in a closed room so that its fragrance will not evaporate but instead become more and more condensed. If you have any realizations, it is best to conceal them. Do you understand the word yara-mata?
Why Bother Singing Bhajanas and Kirtanas?
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Why do we do so many kirtanas? Is it a waste of time? Why not always chant, “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna…” When you will sing, “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna,” and “Hari haraye namah krsna yadavaya namah,” and “Jaya radhe, jaya krsna,” other devotees think they should take their mala and sit behind, and they can chant, “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna…”
Good Questions, Great Answers
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Devotee: Gurudeva, I am looking for a guru. What are the qualities of a good guru – a bona fide guru?
Srila Gurudeva: He knows all sastra – Vedas, Upanisads, and all other Vedic scriptures – and thus he can remove devotees' doubts. He has some realization of the Supreme Lord, and by that realization he is able to transfer Krsna from his own heart to his disciple...
The Bhakti-Lata-Bija
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Very good, thank you. From today on, you should all try to have the firm belief that by serving Krsna your lives will be successful, and that your maintenance and everything else will automatically be taken care of. With this firm belief, you will not need to do anything except chant and remember Krsna. I am repeating these very important topics again and again, in order that you may come to realize them. Try to realize this: if you are serving Krsna, your whole life will be successful; you will not need to do anything for your worldly necessities. In this way, instead of doing anything for your maintenance, you will perform all devotional activities: sravana kirtanam visnu smaranam pada sevana.
Srivasa Pandita’s Appearance Day
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Some of the neighbors complained about Srivasa to the Muslim Kazi. They told him "He thinks he is better than Muslims because he is a Hindu. He is a culprit. If he and the other Hindus have to sing so loudly, it must mean that their God is blind and deaf; He cannot hear well. They spend their entire nights creating disturbances. We cannot sleep. What should we do?"...
Vaidhi-bhakti or Raganuga-bhakti?
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The meaning of this sloka is that in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sampradaya the practices of vaidhi-bhakti take one to raganuga.
It is not raganuga at first. It begins from vaidhi-bhakti. If one in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami follows vaidhi-bhakti, that vaidhi-bhakti is really the beginning of raganuga.
Why Did Sri Krsna Come? (part 2)
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For the benefit of those who do not know about spiritual life full with Vedic wisdom, Srila Vyasadeva wrote down what he saw in his trance. First he wrote the four essential verses (catuh-sloki) of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Lord Narayana had spoken it to Brahma, Brahma then spoke it to Narada, and then Narada elaborated upon it.
Is Guru Really Omniscient?
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Especially, I have instructed the brahmacaris and sannyasis to be very careful. There is no more to tell than what I have told in Badger. Even those who are householders should try to come out from that burning well. Don't again try to enter household life. But hardly anyone is listening to me, so what can I do? This is maya.
Whom to Follow and How Much to Follow Them - part 2
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We began from sraddha. We told so much hari-katha, and the essence of all is found here - that our object is to serve Srimati Radhika. We should begin practicing bhakti from the smallest fraction, from sraddha, and that practice is called vaidhi-bhakti. Then we should gradually go up. When you develop a real taste for bhakti, you will not fall down, and if you have no taste, oh, you are already fallen. There is no further down to fall...
Whom To Follow And How Much To Follow Them
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It does not matter if you do tapasya, if you execute household life perfectly, if you are a brahmacari or if you take vanaprastha or sannyasa. It doesn't matter if you stay submerged in the water in the cold winter, or if you sit in the blazing sun in the summer. All these things will not make any difference in understanding the actual situation of the Absolute Truth, the living entity, and his relationship with that Absolute Truth. Only by associating with a maha-bhagavata (a great soul), will you realize these things. This is the essence of this instruction...
Initiations and Other Topics
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Somebody may say that because in some societies there are no high-class Vaisnavas, there is a need for kanisthas to give initiation...
Two Questions
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It is very hard to utter Sri Krsna’s name at the time of death. At that time one’s throat will be choked up. You should speak hari-katha to that person, and chant Lord Sri Krsna's name: “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.” If you cannot do this, then chant: “Krsna, Radhe, Rama...
