Rays of The Harmonist
- "Serving" Jīvas
- Unalloyed Theism
- To Refute Misconceptions is Guru-sevā
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝The terms jīva-sevā (service to other entities) and jīva-prema (eternal love for other entities) are fictions, contrary to conclusive truth, and are illogical. One will never attain the result of service to Śrī Bhagavān by serving the conditioned souls’ gross senses and becoming a regular purveyor of their bodily and mental demands. One can never attain a transcendental life of service by serving that which is inert or loving the illusory objects produced by māyā.❞ ...
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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.❞ ...
Read MoreRevelation Of The Real Iskcon
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The bhakti that is defined here in that verse, raganuga-bhakti or Vraja-bhakti, can never be achieved simply by great quantities of sukrti. It can be achieved only if you are so fortunate as to have darsana and association of a rasika-bhakta of Vraja. That high-class devotee's heart is saturated with love and affection, like an Indian rasagulla, and everywhere there is rasa and rasa. If you squeeze a rasagulla, rasa will come out and still so much rasa will remain inside...
Introduction to Raya Ramananda Samvada
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Come with me. Let us join Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in our minds as He went from Puri to South India to search for His brother, Visvarupa. This was only a pretext, however. Actually, Mahaprabhu wanted to make all of South India, and the entire world, pure devotees. He wanted them to all chant and remember Krsna, and be happy forever.
Alloyed And Unalloyed Devotion
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Our subject is now very exalted, and I request you all to hear this high, sweet and powerful tattva-katha very attentively. I know that some of the devotees will hear it, but will keep it in cold storage after I leave. Never keep it in cold storage. We should try to go over what we have discussed, again and again, in our minds. If anything else enters your mind just after hearing hari-katha and you focus on that thing, the hari-katha may leave your heart...
Sanatana Gosvami Comes to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
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Sanatana Gosvami was very happy. It has been written: raja more priti kore emor bandhana. My wife is loving me so much that it is bondage for me. The father is giving love-it is bondage for me. What is the meaning of this sloka, do you know? It is a very important thing. If you want to follow Rupa and Sanatana, you should know this meaning and then you can follow them...
In Glorification of Srila Prabhupada
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There were so many seniors, like Pujyapada Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja and Srila Vana Maharaja and others, but Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada sprinkled so much mercy on Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada by telling him, "Your English is perfect, you are a poet and preacher, you play mrdaìga and you can do everything. You are qualified to preach this mission in the West..."
Glorification of Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja
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Seeing the wedding party, Srinivasa Acarya said, "This foolish person has obtained a poisonous black snake, and he is keeping it around his neck. That very snake will bite him and he will die, but he does not know this."
Hearing the words of Srinivasa Acarya, the bridegroom at once approached him and said, "What are you saying? I could not understand thoroughly."
The Assembly Of Srila Rupa Gosvami
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Try to realize this mood. I have explained to you the process: you must first take shelter of the lotus feet of the Guru, totally, without having any doubt in him at all. Visramabhena-guro seva (intimate service to Sri Guru), taking siksa and diksa from him - these are the root of bhakti. If you doubt him, the fruit of. bhakti will not come to you Mayadevi will take it away. Doubt can be there in the very beginning so that you can determine whether or not the Guru is bona fide...
Oh Mind, Please Worship Nanda-Nandana
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Narottama dasa Thakura, Srinivasa Acarya, and Syamananda prabhu were associates. Srinivasa Acarya was a high class of acarya. Once he was sitting in an asrama, and nearby were a newly wedded girl and her husband. Approaching the asrama, the carriers of the wedding palanquins thought to stop there for water and cooling shade. They put the palanquins down there and took water. Seeing the wedding party...
First Darśana in the West
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Our whole philosophy is based on the Gītā. On the basis of the Gītā, a loving tree like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has grown and produced very sweet smelling fruits. Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupāda has made the platform. When he came, no-one was here to welcome him; he was a penniless person. No one knew him in Western countries. But wherever I go, I see that there are big crowds dancing and singing. All are there welcoming me. This is certainly the mercy of Śrīla Swāmī Mahārājaji...
A Hint of Srila Prabhupada's Glories
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Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja came for this purpose: that from vaidhi-bhakti we will develop through sadhana-bhakti to bhava-bhakti and then to prema-bhakti. He has not only come to clear the jungles and for harinama. He wanted the people of the world to realize the identity and meaning of harinama. He did not want them to chant harinama without any rasa. He wanted them to become so attached to chanting Hare Krsna that they would not be able to ever leave it, and he wanted their taste and attachment to increase continually...
Defeating Mayavada
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Today, I am telling something about advaitavada and mayavada. In the modern day, some people think that the real meaning of the Vedanta-sutra is the advaitavada or mayavada* [see endnote 1], as preached by Sripad Sankaracarya. Sankaracarya's commentary is called Sariraka-bhasya and many people think that the philosophy expounded by him is the real meaning of the Vedanta-sutra...
For The Future
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One thing more you should know. You should not be anxious if anyone comes and goes. I have heard that at the time of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura thousands came and went. At the time of my Guru Maharaja, so many expert and very learned, intelligent persons came and left. You know Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja – thousands came, and are still going and coming. No one can do anything about this...
How to Read Srila Gurudeva's Books
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We should treat all the books of the Gosvamis as our siksa-gurus. We should offer pranama to the books, and then read them. If we do this, we will realize that all siddhanta is coming automatically in our heart. This is the process of reading ‒ not reading, but serving ‒ the books...
No Control Over Freedom
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Even nama-aparadha is not ordinary, it is high-class. Nama-aparadha is of so many of kinds and gradations, not only one kind; for example one of the varieties is vaishnava-aparadha. Actually, it is very good that one is chanting nama-aparadha. That will bring one to nama-abhasa, nama-abhasa will bring one to suddha-nama, (pure chanting of the holy name, wherein Krsna is revealed as non-different from His name) and that will bring one to a still better stage, prema-bhakti...
The Second Stage of Bhakti
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Nowadays I see that devotees have so many problems, and because of these problems, they cannot chant regularly. Sometimes they are restless and upset, and thus they give up worshipping Thakurji (the deity), chanting, remembering and reading books. I have come to remind you to not be like that; do not be weak...
You Can Make Easy Money By Nama Aparadha
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Suppose there is a person who is committing many offences, who is a murderer, who slaughters cows, and who is full of bad qualities. Suppose that sinful person somehow chants Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare. Will his chanting have any effect or not? What will be the gain? What will be the result?
