Narada told him, "You can only know these topics by bhakti-yoga. Krsna is controlled by bhakti." We defined pure bhakti (uttama-bhakti) yesterday, and that bhakti is supremely situated in Radhika. In fact, bhakti is Radhika.
You should understand who is a real guru. He is the abode of bhakti, and he has all kinds of serving moods towards Radha-Krishna Conjugal or Mahaprabhu. He can give sadhana-bhakti, and he can also give rati - a high class of rati. If he is qualified to even give prema-bhakti in Goloka Vrindavana, and the love and affection of Conjugal Radha-Krishna, can he fall down?
[Question:] Since we spirit souls haven't fallen from Krsna's pastimes in Goloka Vrndavana, why do the scriptures say we ‘revive' our relationship with Krsna, or that we have ‘forgotten' that relationship? Since we have never experienced it, what is the question of ‘reviving' or ‘forgetting' it?
Sripad Bhaktivedanta Tirtha Maharaja, one of Srila Gurudeva's prominet servants, left this world in 2020, in Vaisanva month of Sridhara, Krsna Dvadasi tithi. His samadhi is at Kesavaji Gaudiya Math, Navadvipa, next to Srila Gurudeva's samadhi mandira...
Without accepting diksa from a bona fide guru, can one develop bhakti or not? Some think that chanting, remembering, reading books, and performing arcana, sravanam and kirtanam is sufficient and there is no need for a mediator. They think that accepting a 'ritvik' person is sufficient for attaining pure bhakti, and there is no need of accepting diksa from any living self-realized guru...
If one's guru is not qualified, then, taking his permission, the disciple should at once take initiation from a higher rank of guru. This is not an offense. If that guru is not giving permission, he should at once be given up and the disciple should take proper initiation. This is because that guru is not a Vaisnava...
If we accept only guru and not guru-paramparā there will be problems [in our spiritual life] and divya-jñāna will not manifest. Therefore we also worship guru-paramparā on the day of Vyāsa-pūjā. Nityānanda Prabhu was waiting for Mahāprabhu...
If you are abusing anyone, criticizing anyone, or quarreling with anyone, these sounds will evaporate in the air and it go throughout the whole universe. If you are speaking any nonsense it will not 'go in vain.' It will go throughout the whole world by air. An example may be given of a big pond....
Once, someone said to Gurudeva, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, "Those who have left the Gaudiya Mission have left Srila Prabhupada's teachings." Gurudeva replied, "We have never left Srila Prabhupada, we will never leave, and in the future we will continue to serve. Let us see what happens in the future....
Great souls have one-pointed faith, determination, enthusiasm and complete conviction in the service of Lord Krsna; and they want to distribute this to others. But who can receive such mercy? Only those who feel themselves to be utterly insignificant. Those who receive the mercy of Vaisnavas can become successful in their life and realize the service of the Lord. Without the mercy of Vaisnavas this is not possible...
Today, on this holy occasion, so many learned scholars and saints of Vraja are gathered. I am neither a saint nor a learned person nor a speaker, but I am very glad to see that this scholarly assembly has honored our siksa-guru, Sri Srimad Bhakti Hrdoy Bon Maharaja, with their beautiful offerings to his lotus feet. I am also glad to have the darsana of these great personalities as well as the great opportunity to have heard from them. The learned persons here have described some of the glories of Srila Bon Maharaja in very ornamental language, and I want to say a few additional words in this regard...
Today is the birthday of Srila Vyasadeva, the son of Parasara Rsi. Srila Vyasadeva divided the Vedas into four sections, and then he took the essence of all the Vedas and Upanisads and wrote Brahma-sutra so that everyone would be able to easily understand. He then wrote fifty-four Puranas, but they were also very difficult to understand...
Today is a very sacred day in our line. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa and began to search for his brother, Sri Visvarupa. While searching, He found out on this day that His brother had been in Pandarapur, and there he had left his body and had taken samadhi on the bank of the river Bhima. Then, although Mahaprabhu was observing Caturmasya-vrata very strictly for four months, He shaved off His hair on this day. Before this year, He had never shaved for these four months, nor did He cut his nails. He observed all the rules and regulations of Caturmasya...
Tulasi dasaji was a Vaisnava belonging to the Ramananda Sampradaya, a branch of the Sri Sampradaya. All the four Vaisnava Sampradayas are worthy of our respect. His name, Tulasi dasa, is a Vaisnava name and he wore the vertical (urddhva-pundra) Vaisnava tilaka. He also wore tulasi mala around his neck and was initiated into the sri-rama-mantra, which is a mantra for obtaining perfection...
From the 1932 edition of the weekly Gauḍīya, we obtain the following information:
On Saturday, 1 October 1932, oṁ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, the foremost of śrī rūpānuga commanders, accompanied by his associates, departed from Howrah Station for Śrī Mathurā via the Delhi Express, to lead Śrī Vraja-maṇḍala parikramā.
It was the strong desire of our supremely worshipful Śrīla Gurudeva, nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata-śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, for Śrī Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha in Mathurā to be magnificently reconstructed. During his manifest presence, he consulted a few prominent engineers and architects in Mathurā city, but work could not commence during his lifetime.
Page 35 of 47