Rays of The Harmonist
- Symptoms of Degradation
- "There is no way I can imagine a separate institution"
- Why are we not realizing Bhagavān?
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝Unnecessary gossip about others (paracarcā) and acts of hypocrisy and deceit (kuṭīnāṭī) are symptoms of degradation. These disturbances are bound to occur if there is no taste for harināma and hari-kathā. Those who are desirous of progressing in hari-bhajana must keep distance from the association of anyone who indulges in paracarcā. If they don’t, the dirtiness of their hearts can also affect the hearts of those associating with them.❞ ..
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝Many preaching centres of the Gauḍīya Maṭha have been established today in the East and West, yet I consider all of them to be a single indivisible unit. I know those who have been favoured by jagad-guru Śrīla Sarasvatī Prabhupāda and those who are his disciples and grand-disciples to be my own people, and I convey my obeisance to them, knowing them to be Gauḍīyas. I know every Vaiṣṇava who is bathed in the current of Śrī Gaura-vāṇī-vinoda (the delight of Śrī Gaura’s message) to be my supreme well-wishing friend and most intimate relative, but there is no way I can imagine a separate institution.❞ ...
Read Moreby Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
❝Service to the devotees promises more than service to the Lord Himself. The association of the bhaktas is even more beneficial than the association of the Lord. The living place of the bhakta, the abode of śrīla gurudeva, is more favourable for śuddha-bhajana (pure, loving devotional service) than the abode of the Lord.❞ ...
Read MoreHow to Honor Prasadam
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Generally, devotees chant without faith that the holy name can give them everything. Please realize this; Krsna's names can give anything. So, chant with great love, and with a sense of having the relation with Krsna that I have explained to you. Don't 'chant;' rather 'serve.' Do you eat prasadam? Never 'eat.' To consider that we are 'eating' prasadam is an offense. Can you eat Krsna? Similarly, don't 'chant' or 'utter' harinama. Rather, serve harinama...
The Glories of Srila Haridasa Thakura
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Come with me to Jagannatha Puri, near to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Haridasa Thakura. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes are more deep than the ocean, more deep than even thousands upon thousands of oceans. No ordinary person can understand the Lord's pastimes, and even most devotees cannot realize them...
No Separation Between Us
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After hearing from the gopis, and especially after hearing Brahmara-gita from Srimati Radhika, Uddhava was astonished. He was especially astonished to hear and see Srimati Radhika's divyonmada, of which citra-jalpa is one of the features, and which is one of the symptoms of Her adhirudha-modana-mahabhava.
The Miracle of Mahat-sanga
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If someone unknowingly mixes with a worldly person who has many desires for worldly sense gratification, he will be influenced by that person's qualities. Similarly, though not knowing the glorification of sadhu-sanga, if one associates with sadhus, his life will soon change...
Weeping in Separation
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Krsna has now returned to Mathura from Sandipani Muni's gurukula. One day, having ascended to the roof of His palace in Mathura, He looked towards Vrndavana. Weeping, He was remembering past days, when He was in Vraja...
Developing Devotion
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Where does uttama-bhakti begin? Its smallest fraction is called sraddha. Sraddha means the desire to serve Sri Krsna and Srimati Radhika, and this desire is the root of all devotion (bhakti) to the Supreme Lord. The symptoms of sraddha are faith in Guru's words, Vaisnava's words, Krsna's words, and words of the scriptures, especially the Srimad-Bhagavatam...
A Morning Walk Excerpt
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Have you realized something of this? How tall you are - or whether your complexion is black or white or golden? How strong are you? Do you know? You should try to know by entering the correct process. You should first come in this process Don't waste your time. If you are not realizing yourself, you have no intelligence. You cannot be happy. You cannot be happy. You cannot be happy...
Don't Have Any Doubt
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Why do we become weak? The process of bhakti is complete, but we cannot follow it due to our anarthas (obstacles in the execution of bhakti created by our own past sins and offences). Srila Haridasa Thakura chanted three hundred thousand names, or 128 rounds, of harinama daily. So at least we should be able to chant 64 rounds daily. Can you do that?
If They Were With Me...
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There are two kinds of guru; diksa-guru and siksa-guru. Sri Syamananda prabhu, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura and Srinivasa Acarya had their own diksa-gurus, but they all took shelter of Srila Jiva Gosvami as their siksa-guru. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's diksa guru was Yadunandana Acarya, in the line of Sri Advaita Acarya, but he took shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu...
The Highest Objective
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In my class last evening I explained that we should fix our goal. We should know what is the goal of our life, and we should know what is the goal of our sadhana and bhajana. It was for this reason that I read to you from Caitanya-Caritamrta, Adi-lila, third and fourth chapters...
Srila Sanatana Gosvami
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Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami were very intelligent in their worldly life. Due to their extraordinary intelligence, the Muslim king invited them to be engaged in government service. He changed their names to Dabir Khas and Sakara Mallika, and kept them as his private secretary and minister...
Super Astounding Effects
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If one thinks he has bhakti, but he has no jnana (knowledge), and no vairagya (renunciation), his so-called bhakti is bogus. It is absurd to think that bhakti can be present without tattva- jnana and vairagya. Both jnana and vairagya are like sons of bhakti They are part of bhakti. Without bhakti they have no true existence...
Yes, It Applies To US
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If bhakti is performed to the lotus feet of Vrajendra-nandana Syamasundara, causeless knowledge and detachment follow. Ahaitu means causeless. Bhakti comes, then vairagya (renunciation or detachment), and then tattva-jnana (knowledge and realization of all established philosophical truths) manifests in the heart. They are sure to come...
More Important Than Srimad Bhagavatam
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The Siksastakam slokas are authentic, and they are more important than the Vedas, Upanisads, and other sastras. I think that they are even more important than the Srimad Bhagavatam. We can say that Srimad Bhagavatam is the bhasya, commentary, of the Siksastakam...
Sri Krsna-Namastakam
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You should not be idle or weak at all, but always chant, always chant. If you are fixed in chanting, this will help you more than making money. Money can kill you, and money can rob you of all your transcendental energy. But Name is very powerful and merciful. He cannot cheat you, and He cannot kill you. You know, if you have so much money and you go outside, anyone will come and shoot you and take your money. Money brings many problems...
Morning Walk - Badger, CA
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This verse tells the process. The devotee will be in Vrndavana, the place of Krsna's pastimes. Tan nama – He will always chant the holy names. And smarana – he will remember the pastimes connected with these particular names – such as Damodara, Rasa-bihari, Radhanatha. Under the guidance of a raganuga-bhakta he will remember these important names that are connected with Radha,. This is the process. If one cannot physically reside in Vrndavana, then he should think, "I am in Vrndavana...
