Rays of The Harmonist
- Enter Into the Message of the Gosvāmīs
- Associating with Sādhus
- The Nature of True Devotees
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝Within your mind, you should always reside in Vraja or Śrī Dhāma Navadvīpa. In other words, you should always think about those places. Try to enter into the message of the Gosvāmīs. By performing harināma and hearing hari-kathā with prīti (affection), all perfection is attained. This is the opinion of the scriptures.❞ ..
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝When one reads spiritual texts on one’s own, often one does not attain the real result of hearing and reciting hari-kathā. That is why it remains imperative for one to hear the sounds issuing from the mouths of sādhu and guru. Only within a siddha (perfected) mantra is all potency manifest, and only that yields special results. Hence, there is more benefit and welfare contained within hari-kathā issuing from the mouths of the devotees [than from spiritual texts]. Dry skeptics who are bereft of sādhu-saṅga are incapable of appreciating the necessity and attracting potency of sādhu-saṅga.❞ ...
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
❝Devotion to God is attained by associating with those who serve both Him and His devotees. They have made service to God the very essence of their life. They have made the narrations of the names, appearance, attributes and sports of God the mainstay of their existence and they are always engaged in discoursing about them.❞ ...
Read MoreThe Importance Of Book Distribution
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By this kirtana, and by writing and distributing books, almost the entire world knew about him; and this mission was preached everywhere in a couple of years. I also want this. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja is my siksa-guru. Also, my diksa gurudeva, Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, told me to translate books, from their original languages, and I am doing so. Up tonow, about 50 books have been published, and they are both supplementary and complementary to the books of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja...
Why Am I Touring The World?
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Why have I come here, and why am I travelling here and there? Why have I invited everyone to come here, and why am I touring throughout the world? What is my mood and mission, and why I am journeying in this old age?
When Can You Change Your Diksa-Guru?
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The second parastiti (condition) is as follows: Suppose at the time of taking diksa, one's gurudeva was really following the Vaisnava line, he was a madhyama-adhikari, and he knew many tattvas like krsna-tattva, and maya-tattva. Then, after some time, he began to take the association of a mayavadi, sahajiya, or materialist...
Why There Are Different Religions
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So there are no separate Indian, English, or Christian Gods. God is one, and all living entities are souls. There is no difference between the souls in dogs, cats, rats, ants, or even grasses and creepers. The quality of all souls is the same. They have forgotten Krsna, they are in different species of life, and they are tasting the fruits of their past activities...
Dhīra-samīre Yamunā-tīre, How Will Pure Bhakti Come?
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We should think about whether we have bhakti, or uttamā-bhakti. Even bhakti is rare, what to tell of uttamā-bhakti. When moods come, rati will come, and then pure bhakti, uttamā-bhakti; otherwise not. This is the process. But you cannot realize without more explanations...
An Interesting Truth
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Devotee: Gurudeva, I want to ask if it's okay to chant the Panca-tattva mantra ["Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasadi Gaura-bhakta-vrnda"] on my japa beads?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Why?
Devotee: Because if we chant to Panca-tattva, they forgive all our aparadhas in chanting. There is no aparadha...
Darsan for ISKCON Gurukula Alumni
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Do you know Prahlada Maharaja? He remained very tolerant, even though his father tried to kill him. At least your father is not saying that he will kill you. It is better to wait and tolerate their behavior, but don’t be derailed. Be very strong like Prahlada Maharaja – more so than Prahlada. Of course you cannot be more tolerant than he was; yet try.
Even Half Of A Half
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What is the duty of a pure disciple towards his god-brothers, gurudeva and superiors? Should he criticize others or not, and should he be humble or not? We should not criticize anyone. Always be humble and try to respect both superiors and inferiors...
What Is The Real Truth?
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I came to you because you are a very good person. You should realize that only your soul is you, and that soul is part and parcel, an eternal servant of Krishna. You should realize that this is the truth. There is no birth and death of the soul. Due to these worldly truths you are coming and going in this world...
The Meaning of Vyasa-puja
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Yesterday in evening class, we were all glorifying guru-padapadma (the lotus feet of the spiritual master). To serve Gurudeva, to have very strong faith in the lotus feet of Gurudeva, is the backbone of Krsna consciousness. If anyone’s nistha (faith) in Guru is unsteady – not so strong, always moving here and there, flickering – he cannot develop his Krsna consciousness and one day he will fall down...
Sri Vyasa Puja
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If we do not commit any offences, we will see that, very quickly, our Krsna consciousness will increase. Krsna consciousness coming from our guru-parampara. Try to follow all these principles. Chant and remember, and very quickly Krsna will be merciful. I pray to my gurudeva, my whole guru-parampara, to Sri Krsna, Srimati Radhika, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Baladeva Prabhu that they be merciful to all of you. As Sri Rupa Gosvami has said...
The Deep Meaning Of Vyasa-puja
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I have seen how my Gurudeva and his god-brothers used to observe their Vyasa-puja. They used to worship their guru and entire guru-parampara, because the knowledge of Krsna and bhakti, or pure devotion, to Krsna does not come only from guru. Where did guru receive this from? He received it from his gurudeva, His gurudeva received from his gurudeva, and so on. In the end, we see that Krsna is jagat-guru: "Krsnam vande jagat-gurum."
Vyasa is Guru; Vyasa is Right
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I have seen and organized the Vyasa-puja celebration of my Gurudeva. I have also seen the Vyasa-puja of Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami Maharaja and Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Maharaja. They would worship their Gurudeva, the entire guru-paramapara, and then Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, Gaura-Nityananda Prabhu, Gaura-Gadhadhara and so on...
In Honor of Srila Gurudeva's Appearance Day
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We have heard that by remembering pure devotees on their appearance and disappearance day, they give us special blessings for advancement in Krsna consciousness. We therefore give all our energy to glorify them on that day.
We want everyday to be his actual appearance day...
The Vyasa Puja Lecture
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Whatever I have instructed you, I have received from the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. They are very near to us, and by their mercy they can give us strength in tattva-siddhanta and good character...
The Acarya's Example [A Vyasa-Puja Celebration]
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Srila Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja was illiterate; he could not even write his own name. When he would speak, however, he would do so with all Vedic references. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada was the greatest scholar of his time, and he accepted Srila Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja as his Guru...
