Śrī Guru Vandanā -

A book in veneration of Śrī Guru,

on the occasion of the centennial appearance day of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja,

by

Rays of The Harmonist

A True Servant, A True Master presents a treasury of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava con­ ceptions. The letters were composed by a pure Vaiṣṇava, an exemplar of the elevated ideals he imparts, and therefore carry spiritual potency. They are more than just words or advice.

A true saint is unphased by any manner of situation and predicament presented to him, and with genuine concern, he imparts spiritual guidance to elevate and inspire. Transcendental wisdom and even humour flow through the author’s pen from his heart, in letters containing such nuanced under­ standings of the authentic path to pure bhakti that the serious practitioner can revel in a wealth of life changing understandings

A priceless collection of Sanskrit, Bengali and Hindi devotional prayers and songs written by the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas. By learning these prayers and reciting them regularly under the guidance of a rasika Vaiṣṇava, one will be able to perceive the devotional moods of their exalted self-realized authors.

A Glimpse of the Transcendental Life & Teachings of
nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja

For those who truly desire to understand the great mystery of the spirit soul, the conceptions revealed in this book will be the cause of excitement and increasing wonder.

Svarūpa of the Jīva is a response to all related enquiries. It is a documentation of the verses, commentaries, and excerpts of the books, lectures, and discussions of our disciplic succession of self-realized gurus – as well as the words of the ancient Vedic literatures that form the basis of the gurus’ teachings – regarding the svarūpa [perfect spiritual form and nature] of the jīva [the eternal living entity within each body] that is inherent in his constitution.

This book also reveals the super-most process by which that exquisite spiritual form, now in seed-like potential, can manifest in its full glory.

Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja (Śrīla Gurudeva) was always extremely eager to extol the superlative character and precepts of his beloved gurudeva, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, one of the foremost disciples of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.

This book is divided into four parts. Parts 1 and 2 consist of articles and letters by Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja (hereafter referred to as Paramagurudeva, or our “grandfather guru”). Part 3 consists of words of tribute by his godbrothers and a godsister, and Part 4 consists of homages by his own disciples.

It is our sincere hope of bringing Śrīla Gurudeva joy that we present Kṛti-ratna: Jewel Among Guru-sevakas on the occasion of the 50th disappearance day of his gurudeva, who is the object of his deepest love and highest veneration.

In order to reveal to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava society the intrinsic nature of pure devotion (śuddha-bhakti), the sequence of its appearance, bhakti’s self-manifesting nature and her unfathomable glories, he who is most worshipful and the best among the rasika Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, has composed this unparalleled, sacred volume entitled Mādhurya-kādambinī. Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura is one of the prominent and effulgent pillars in the line of the śrī rūpānuga Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, or spiritual preceptors in the line of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

It is only by tasting the rasa of the ocean of His sweet pastimes that the topics described in this Mādhurya-kādambinī are realized. By regularly putting into practice, with devotion, the topics in this book, the sādhaka- bhakta can easily traverse the various obstacles to bhajana, such as aparādha and the desire for wealth, worship and prestige, and achieve prema. In this way, by relishing the mādhurya of Bhagavān, his life is forever blessed and fulfilled. Of this there is no doubt.

This pdf file contains an image entitled The Blossoming of Bhakti.  This image is a graphical representation of the verses from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.4.15–16):

ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu- / saṅgo ’tha bhajana-kriyā tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt / tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas / tataḥ premābhyudañcati sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ / prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ

An excerpt from a lecture entitled "The Jewel Book":

"Sri Gita-govinda is a "jewel book" brought by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We all know that Sri Jayadeva Gosvami has written this beautiful Gita-govinda, but without Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu it would have remained locked like a pearl in the oyster shell or a jewel in a locked case. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifested the glories of Sri Gita-govinda. Just as without Srila Rupa Gosvami no one would have known the inner moods of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, similarly, by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu relishing the moods of Sri Gita-govinda its glories became manifest for the whole world. I have explained this very high-class philosophy, but only rare devotees in this world can understand it. I have called you here only to give you this."

With the desire to establish the superiority of Vaiṣṇavism, I have written this composition, entitled Prema-pradīpa, and published it in installments in my magazine Sajjana-toṣanī. Through this, many learned youths have taken up kṛṣṇa-bhakti, and according to their desire, I have now printed it in book form.

Why is Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura heralded as nāmācārya – one who, by example, teaches the world to chant the holy name? Because his blissful absorption in chanting, even in the face of severe adversity, does not waver for a fraction of a moment. This small book, compiled for our eternal benefit by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, consists of eighteen pastimes of Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura, as narrated in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata and other books. With the insightful commentaries of Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda woven throughout, these documented accounts of Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s life illuminate his astonishing humility, dedication, magnanimity, devotion and numerous other transcendental qualities, and strengthen our relationship with him. By his mercy, we are filled with the hope that one day we, also, will become internally resolute in our chanting of the holy name.

The very concept that the all-powerful Supreme Person is unaware of His Godhood, fears His mother, and plays mischievously with His friends is universally delightful. This book presents a number of the childhood pastimes of God, Kṛṣṇa, who, by the act of His own spiritual potency, forgets that He is God and plays like an ordinary child.
These pastimes are described in India’s ancient scriptures, which state that although God is infinite, unlimited, and inconceivable, He is ultimately a person. He manifests in many forms and is mostly worshiped with great reverence. In His original and topmost feature, however, He inspires such intimate, sweet affection in the heart of his dear devotees that, although He enacts astonishing pastimes, both He and they remain unaware of His Godhood.

Who is Śrī Rādhā? She is the tender, divine counterpart of the Supreme Personality, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. She is the personification of His potency, specifically His potency of bliss, and She kindly bestows that transcendental bliss upon anyone who takes shelter of Her. This has been fully realized by stalwart practitioners of bhakti, such as the exalted authors of the articles herein. It is their sincere desire to see others relish substantial, never-diminishing happiness, the path to which they skillfully reveal in Śrī Rādhā: Our Supreme Shelter.

A priceless collection of Sanskrit, Bengali and Hindi devotional prayers and songs written by the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas. By learning these prayers and reciting them regularly under the guidance of a rasika Vaiṣṇava, one will be able to perceive the devotional moods of their exalted self-realized authors. (Page number compatible with 2013 Edition)

Śrī Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā is bound to take one’s appreciation of Ratha-yātrā to new heights, beyond the thrill of an extraordinary cultural or religious experience. Annually, in Purī, India, approximately a million people attend the ancient Ratha-yātrā festival, to take darśana of Lord Jagannātha on His chariot, and at least three times that view it from other places in India and around the world. Still, the deep significance of Ratha-yātrā, being most confidential, is not widely known. Śrī Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā is rich with this significance, offering Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas an invaluable perspective of this wonderful event. The book contains three separate ancient histories of Ratha-yātrā as well as an elaborate description of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s inner moods during the festival.

Arcana-dīpikā means “the lamp that illuminates arcana”. The term ‘arcana’ signifies honor, or worship. As one of the nine processes of devotional service it refers to worshipping the deity form of the Lord. Arcana-dīpikā teaches us how to perform this service and thus please the Lord through this process of worship. It contains the exact details of worship, waking, bathing and feeding the Lord, and putting Him to rest at night. It also includes exact details of the rules and regulations for brahminical cleanliness – all to help us develop pure bhakti.

This pocket guide is, for the most part, a condensed version of the section entitled “The Nine Islands” from Śrī Navadvīpa- dhama and Other Prominent Holy Places of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas in Gauḍa-maṇḍala by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, our beloved Śrīla Gurudeva. In that book, his comprehensive and detailed description of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma and the entire Śrī Gauḍa-maṇḍala contains numerous unique photos and elaborate maps.

By his own life’s example, Śrīla Gurudeva, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja reveals the stages acquired in the gradual development of pure devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He teaches us what to do, and what not to do, in order to advance in bhakti. He also teach us the importance of acquiring sukṛti, spiritual credits accrued by knowingly or unknowingly engaging in acts of devotion, and saṁskāras, impressions on the heart attained from the sukṛti of this and previous lives.

This book is a glimpse of the transcendental life and teachings of nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aśtottara śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Gosvāmī Mahārāja compiled by the servants of his servants and inspired by our beloved Gurudeva, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aśtottara śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja.

A humble offering on the occasion of his centennial appearance anniversary (1915–2015) and the inauguration of his samādhi-mandira (25th February 2015).

In his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu, Śrīpāda Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has briefly explained the path of rāgānuga-bhakti (spontaneous loving devotion). He has given a more detailed description of the same subject matter in this book, presented in two illuminations. In the First Illumination, he ascertains the paths of vaidhī and rāgānuga-bhakti.

The Second Illumination presents concepts in relation to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s aspects of supreme opulence (aiśvarya) and consummate sweetness (mādhurya). Also described are the principles of Kṛṣṇa’s sarvajñatā (omniscience) and mugdhatā (quality of being charmingly oblivious and captivated), the concepts of svakīya (marital love) and parakīya (paramour love), the types of cherished eternal forms attained by rāgānuga devotees upon ascending to the realm of perfected divine love (prema), the authority of the Yogamāyā potency, and so on.