Rays of The Harmonist
- Who is a True Guru?
- Śrī Rādhā-tattva and Śrī Rādhā’s Appearance
- “Take Special Care of Śrīla Gurudeva”
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
Who is a true guru? It is he who is constantly engaged in the service of Śrī Hari. And who is the truly learned man? It is he who, in the words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is well conversant with actual knowledge of the jīva’s bondage and his deliverance from it (C.f. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 11.19.41). ...
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝It is natural that every sādhaka is eager to know about Śrī Rādhikā, because without serving Her, attaining the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is a distant prospect. However, the truth of who She is can only be preserved if She is revealed or described as She is. Otherwise, all we perceive are deceptions that assert truth to be false or falsehood to be truth.❞ ...
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝Knowing that most worshipful Śrī Śrīla Gurudeva is gradually feeling more weakness filled me with concern and pain. All of you there, especially you, must take special care of him.❞ ...
Read MoreHow To Balance The Day
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Perhaps we are in this category. When worldly affairs come into their mind, like their job or anything else of that nature, they are very careful and cautious. Their minds are always in computers and here and there. They cannot give their energy to the guru-mantra, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, or any mantra. Some pure devotees may come to visit, and they are then somewhat inspired, but after those pure devotees leave, the inspiration also leaves. Their number is also greater than that of real devotees...
Just After the Chariot Festival
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The first Chariot Festival has now been completed, and the chariot has returned to Nilacala. On the return journey, Mahaprabhu and all His associates continued to think they were going to Vraja from Kuruksetra, and they performed the same pastimes as on their journey to Gundica. Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami explained that they did not think, "Krsna is returning to Dvaraka." Even at the time of returning, they always maintained the idea, "We are taking Krsna to Vrndavana...
Mahaprabhu and King Prataparudra
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The Chariot Festival is performed every year in Jagannatha Puri, a very beautiful place near the shore of the Indian Ocean. I have explained that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself made the Gundica Temple neat and clean on the previous day, using His own garments, and after that Jagannatha went there. I have also related two histories explaining how Jagannatha, Subhadra, and Baladeva Prabhu manifested their forms...
The Origin of Ratha-yatra
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As I have explained before, Mahaprabhu very rarely sees Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. When He does, He at once enters a mood of very intense separation and prays, "After a long time I am meeting with My most beloved, for whom I was burning in the fire of separation." He addresses Jagannatha as gopibhartuh and prays, "Pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah"...
The Appearance of Lord Jagannatha
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Today is the day of the Jagannatha Chariot Festival. What is the meaning behind this festival? Our heart is like a chariot, and we pray to Krsna, "Please come and sit in my heart." This is how the gopis prayed to Him at Kuruksetra: "You should come and sit in our hearts. Our hearts are Vrndavana...
Hera-Pancami - Ch 7 Of The Origin Of Ratha-Yatra
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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."
I have come for ISKCON
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Svamiji has arranged everything and Krsna is arranging everything as well. Without his mercy, I could not have come here. He has made a platform for me. Actually, he has given the seeds some water and nourished them. The plants are now dry. So, Svamiji told me, “You should go there and give water to the plants...
Gundica Mandira Marjana
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Today is the day of gundica-mandira-marjana, the cleansing of the Gundica Temple. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta states that the temple of Jagannatha represents Dvaraka, while the temple at Gundica is called Sundaracala and represents Vrndavana. All the gopis, such as Lalita, Visakha, and Srimati Radhika, are there in Vrndavana, and so are Nanda Baba, Yaçoda, and all the other Vrajavasis. Vasudeva, Devaki, Baladeva, Subhadra, and all the other Dvarakavasis reside in Dvaraka...
Don't Quarrel
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I am also not a court. You can go to court if you have any dispute. I have not told you to quarrel with your wife; and I have not told that wife to quarrel with her husband. I have not come from India to be like a court. I have come simply to help devotees-to teach you how you can advance...
Humility, the Heart, Bandhava
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The conditioned soul doesn’t have any activities now. The conditioned soul has forgotten himself. But when the mind of the conditioned soul becomes clear; when the soul starts to associate with the sadhus, then by this sat-sanga, the mind becomes pure and that soul becomes inclined towards Krsna l...
The Glories of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
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The glories of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura are so great that even Lord Brahma, with his four mouths, cannot completely describe them. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a transcendental personality and we are not transcendental, so how then can we touch his glory? Only a transcendental person can expound on his glory...
Srila Gadadhara Pandita’s and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur's Disappearance Day
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Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Gadadhara Pandita are in the same line. We can say, and it is also stated in sastra, that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is a manifestation of Srila Gadadhara Pandita. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was always in a mood of service to Srila Gadadhara Pandita. He is Kamala Manjari, serving the Divine Couple Sri Sri Radha-Krsna under the guidance of her beautiful friend Rupa Manjari, with a special inclination towards Srimati Radhika.
Excerpts on Sri Gadadhara Pandita
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Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja came to this world with the mission of Iskcon – Vaisnavism. What was that? It is the same mission as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And who is Mahaprabhu? He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna Himself. But He is also more than that; He is not only Krsna. He is the combination of both Srimati Radhika and Krsna. Sri Krsna has combined with Srimati Radhika, His power.
To Hear Or Not To Hear
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Today I want to discuss the subject of Tenth Canto Srimad-Bhagavatam. There has been some confusion in this regard. A preacher from India came and told something that we don't agree with. What he told is not written anywhere in sastra. I think that you should wash away your doubts and be clear about this...
Krsna 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...
