Ramananda Raya
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"Because You are asking me to speak of the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa," Rāmānanda Rāya humbly submitted, "I will obey Your order. I will speak in whatever way You like." The Lord has said that the varnasrama-dharma is not properly executed in this age of Kali; therefore He ordered Ramananda Raya to go further into the matter. Ramananda replied with this verse from Bhagavad-gita (9.27) that while remaining in the system of varnasrama-dharma, one may offer the results of his activities to Lord Sri Krsna in loving service. Naturally Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was asking Ramananda Raya about the execution of devotional service. Ramananda Raya first enunciated the principle of varnasrama-dharma in consideration of materialistic people. However, this conception is not transcendental. As long as one is in the material world, he must follow the principles of varnasrama-dharma, but devotional service is transcendental. The system of varnasrama-dharma refers to the three modes of material nature, but transcendental devotional service is on the absolute platform. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu belonged to the spiritual world, and His methods for propagating the sahkirtana movement were also imported from the spiritual world. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sahkirtana, rati na janmila kene taya. This states that the sahkirtana movement has nothing to do with this material world. It is imported from the spiritual world, Goloka Vrndavana. Narottama dasa Thakura laments that mundane people do not take this sahkirtana movement seriously. Considering the position of devotional service and the sahkirtana movement, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu deemed the system of varnasrama-dharma to be material, although it aims at elevation to the spiritual platform. However, the sahkirtana movement can raise one immediately to the spiritual platform. Consequently it is said that varnasrama-dharma is external, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested Ramananda Raya to proceed deeper into the matter and uncover the spiritual platform.
(More...) He said that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Source of all incarnations, and the Cause of all causes. There are innumerable Vaikuntha planets, and there are innumerable incarnations and expansions of the Supreme Lord, and there are innumerable universes also. Of all these existences the Supreme Lord Krishna is the only Source. His transcendental Body is composed of eternity and blissfulness and knowledge, and He is known as the Son of Maharaj Nanda, or as the Inhabitant of Goloka Vrindaban; He is full with six opulences-namely, all wealth, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge, and all renunciation.
(More...) So Ramananda Raya was feeling a little agitation, that "How is that? I am a grhastha, householder, not even born in high family, brahmana family. And I am engaged in politics, I am governor, and He is a sannyasi, renounced order of life. How is that that He is asking question and I am replying? The question is enquired by the student, and the answer is given by the spiritual master. So how is that?" He was feeling little agitation. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately encouraged him, "Don't hesitate." This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's example. He is teaching everything by His personal example. His purpose was that in this Kali-yuga the distinction between brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sūdra will be almost finished. Then who will instruct? Because the instructor's position is brahmana. One must be brahmana. Brahmana's business is pathan pathan yajan yajan dana pratigraha. A brahmana should be personally very highly learned scholar. Therefore brahmana is called panḍita. Even in India, still a brahmana is addressed "Panḍitji." He may be a fool number one, but he is addressed like that, "Panḍitji." So because without becoming a learned scholar nobody can become a brahmana... We are also giving our student position as brahmana, but if he remains a fool number one, then we are misusing our attempt. He should be very learned scholar. That should be the aim. And there is no difficulty to become a learned scholar, because we have got so many books. You simply read and digest what we are speaking. Not that we are simply meant for selling books. We are reading. We must read. Then our position as brahmana will be fulfilled. Because brahmanas are teacher. Anyone who can teach, he is brahmana. So unless you read thoroughly what you are going to speak to the world, how you can become a brahmana and panḍita? You should carefully note this.
(More...) "What is the highest standard of education?" Lord Caitanya began His inquiry, and Rāmānanda Rāya immediately replied that the highest standard of education is knowledge of the science of Kṛṣṇa. There are three books prominent in this connection. One was written by Bhakta dasa Baula and is called Vivarta-vilasa. Another was compiled by Jagadananda and is called Prema-vivarta. Sri Ramananda Raya's book is called Prema-vilasa-vivarta. The Vivarta-vilasa by Bhakta dasa Baula is completely different from the other two books. Sometimes a university student or professor tries to study these transcendental literatures and attempts to put forth a critical analysis from the mundane view, with an end to receiving degrees like a Ph.D. Such realization is certainly different from that of Ramananda Raya. If one actually wants to take a Ph.D. degree from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and be approved by Ramananda Raya, he must first become free from all material designations (sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam). A person who identifies with his material body cannot understand these talks between Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Man-made religious scriptures and transcendental philosophical talks are quite different. Indeed, there is a gulf of difference between the two. This subject matter has been very diligently described by Sriman Madhvacarya. Since material philosophers are situated in the material prema of vilasa-vivarta, they are unable to realize the spiritual prema-vilasa-vivarta. They cannot accommodate an elephant upon a dish. Similarly, mundane speculators cannot capture the spiritual elephant within their limited conception. It is just like a frog's trying to measure the Atlantic Ocean by imagining it so many times larger than his well. Materialistic philosophers and sahajiyas cannot understand the talks between Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu concerning the pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna. The only tendency of the impersonalists or the prakrta-sahajiyas is to face the platform of impersonalism. They cannot understand the spiritual. Consequently, when Ramananda Raya attempted to sing his own verses, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stopped him by covering his mouth with His own hand.
(More...) At the time of separation, Ramananda Roy fell down at the feet of Lord Chaitanya and prayed as follows: "My dear Lord, You have come just to deliver me from this mire of nescience. Therefore I request that You may remain here at least for ten days, and You can purify my mind of this material contamination. There is nobody else who can deliver such transcendental love of God."
(More...) The Lord replied, "I have come to you to purify Myself by hearing from you of the transcendental Pastimes of Krishna and Radha; and I am so fortunate, for you are the only teacher of such transcendental Pastimes. I do not find anyone else in this world who can realize this transcendental loving reciprocation between Radha and Krishna. You are requesting Me to stay here for ten days, but I feel that I wish to remain with you for the rest of My life. Please come toJagannath Puri, My headquarters, and We may remain together for the rest of My life, and I can pass My remaining days in understanding Krishna and Radha by your association."
(More...) In a transcendental discourse between Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Ramananda Raya, one of the greatest devotees of the Lord, the Lord inquired from Ramananda Raya: "What is the highest standard of education?" Ramananda immediately replied that the highest standard of education is to know the science of Krsna. Srimad-Bhagavatam says that Vasudeva (another name of Lord Sri Krsna or God) is the ultimate object of knowledge:
(More...) Bhaktisiddhanta-Sarasvati Thakura Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada (1874-1937) the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and thus the spiritual grandfather of the present day Krsna consciousness movement. A powerful preacher, he founded sixty four missions in India; The transcendentally empowered son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared in this world on February 6, 1874. His father was deputy magistrate of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa at this time. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had been very concerned about unauthorized pseudo-Vaisnavas who were usurping the pure teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and therefore had begun a revival of the sahkirtana mission. Though very busy with his profession, he wrote profusely about all aspects of Krsna consciousness. He prayed constantly for someone to boldly preach his writings. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's prayers were answered in Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. When he was six months old, the Ratha-yatra festival of chariots was held in Puri. Lord Jagannatha's chariot stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda's house, which was on the main road between the temple and the Gunḍica mandira. The chariot stayed there for three days. On the third day, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's mother brought the child out to see the Lord. The pūjaris picked him up and put him on the cart. He crawled to the base of Lord Jagannatha, touching His lotus feet. Simultaneously a garland fell from the neck of the Lord and landed around the child. The pūjaris exclaimed that this child was especially blessed by the Lord. The boy grew up to be a great scholar in many fields of learning. But when he reached twenty-two, he left his studies at college, vowing to never take to householder life. For three years, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura held the post of raja-panḍita (royal scholar) of the Vaisnava king of Tripura. Thereafter he took initiation from Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji. Srila Gaurakisora was a Vaisnava renunciate who had fully absorbed himself in the worship of Krsna at Vrndavana for a long time. Then he settled at the holy city of Navadvipa on the bank of the Ganges. By this time Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had retired from his government work and was worshiping Lord Krsna in a small house near Navadvipa, at Godruma. Every day he gave Srimad-Bhagavatam class there. Srila Gaurakisora used to attend these classes. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura told his son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, to accept Srila Gaurakisora as his initiating spiritual master. He received the name Varsabhanavi-devi-dayitaya dasa. Thereafter Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave up all other activities to chant 194 rounds daily for seven years. He stayed in a kutira (hut) but did not take time to repair the roof; if it rained, he just used an umbrella. In 1918 he opened the first center of the Gauḍiya Mission in Ultadanga Road in Calcutta. He was then forty-four. All across India he established Lord Caitanya's teachings as the most excellent spiritual philosophy. He started his mission in the midst of war and political agitation for national liberation. He was uncompromising in his disregard of such mundane concerns. The most important thing is to invoke the spirit of devotion to the Supreme Lord; this concern lies far above any material consideration. Many leaders objected that he was diverting too many young men from India's national interests, but he paid them no heed. In this period, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada visited Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on the rooftop at Ultadanga Road. Srila Prabhupada, at that time known as Abhay Caran De, was an adherent of Gandhi's svaraja movement. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura convinced him in just one sitting of the vital necessity of Lord Caitanya's mission over everything else. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura departed this world in 1936. Two weeks before leaving his body, he instructed Srila Prabhupada to introduce the sahkirtana mission to the Western world. See Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krsna. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the foremost Vaisnava acarya in the modern age. In 1896, he appeared in this world as Abhay Caran De in Calcutta, where he received an English-language education. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in 1922. At their first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In 1933, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura initiated Srila Prabhupada as Abhaya Caranaravinda dasa. In the years that followed, he wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, assisted the Gauḍiya Mission in its work, and in 1944 started Back to Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine, still continued by his disciples today. He received the title Bhaktivedanta in 1947 from the Gauḍiya Vaisnava Society. In the 1950's, Srila Prabhupada retired from family life, accepting the vanaprastha order. Thus he was able to devote more time to his studies and writing. He came to Vrndavana to live humbly at the historic medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. After several years of deep absorption in Krsna consciousness, Srila Prabhupada accepted the order of sannyasa from his Godbrother Kesava Prajna Maharaja, in 1959. It was then that he began to work on his life's masterpiece: a multivolume translation of and commentary on the eighteen-thousand verse Srimad-Bhagavatam. After publishing three volumes of the Bhagavatam in India, Srila Prabhupada came to the United States in 1965. After great difficulty, with no initial financial resources, he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New York in July, 1966. The residents of that great metropolis of materialism were astounded as the youthful American followers of Srila Prabhupada danced and chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in their midst, that eternal Vedic sound echoing between the glass and steel skyscraper canyon walls. The Krsna consciousness movement soon spread to San Francisco, where the Ratha-yatra festival of the chariots was held for the first time outside of India. A group of American disciples started a branch in London, where George Harrison of the Beatles became a life-long follower of Srila Prabhupada. From England the movement went to Germany, Holland, France, and other European countries. It likewise flourished in Canada, Latin America, Australia and Africa. Simultaneously, Srila Prabhupada personally established several multi-million-dollar ISKCON temple and guesthouse projects in India at Bombay, Vrndavana, Mayapur and Hyderabad. But Srila Prabhupada considered his most significant contribution to be his books, which form a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, culture and literature. Highly respected by the academic community for their authority, depth and clarity, they serve as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into more than eighty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish his works, is the world's largest publisher in the field of Vedic studies. In the twelve years after his first arrival in America up to his departure from this world in 1977, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents. Even in his physical absence, his great mission continues to move forward. With the collapse of the Soviet Empire that Srila Prabhupada predicted during his 1972 visit to Moscow, Krsna consciousness is vigorously blossoming throughout Eastern Europe, Russia, a (More...) After giving a summary of the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, Rāmānanda Rāya began to speak of the spiritual energy of Kṛṣṇa, which is headed by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The word prakrti means material nature, and purusa may also refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one wants to continue his association with prakrti, the female energy of Krsna, and be separated from Krsna by the illusion that he is able to enjoy prakrti, he must continue in his conditional life. If he changes his consciousness, however, and associates with the supreme, original person (purusam sasvatam), or with His associates, he can get out of the entanglement of material nature. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (4.9), janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvataḥ: one must simply understand the Supreme Person, Krsna, in terms of His form, name, activities and pastimes. This will keep one always in the association of Krsna. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so'rjuna: thus after giving up his gross material body, one accepts not another gross body but a spiritual body in which to return home, back to Godhead. Thus one ends the tribulation caused by his association with the material energy. In summary, the living entity is an eternal servant of God, but he comes to the material world and is bound by material conditions because of his desire to lord it over matter. Liberation means giving up this false consciousness and reviving one's original service to the Lord. This return to one's original life is called mukti, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (muktir hitvanyatha rūpam svarūpena vyavasthitiḥ).
(More...) When the pleasure potency is further condensed, it is called Mahabhava. Srimati Radharani, the eternal Consort of Krishna is a personification of that Mahabhava. This Mahabhava representation is explained by Rupa Goswami in his book Ujjal Nilmoni [4.3] in the Second Canto, 2nd Sloka. It is stated there, that although there were two competitors in love of Krishna, Radharani and Chandravali; still, by comparison, it appears that Radharani is the best, and She is possessed of the Mahabhava Svarupa. Therefore, this Mahabhava Svarupa, or personification, is applicable to Radharani only, and no one else.
(More...) Krsna consciousness is a practical solution to the problems of the Age of Kali. The Age of Kali is symptomized by the absence of religious principles. In the Vedic scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam it is described that 5,000 years ago the entrance of Kali was first observed by the pious king of that time, Maharaja Pariksit. He was out inspecting his kingdom, and he saw a cow, the personification of religion, standing on one leg, being beaten by a very low-class man in the dress of a king. The pious king saw that the Age of Kali was just beginning and three out of four of the cow's legs were broken. Since the cow is the emblem of religion, her legs are compared to the four basic religious principles-austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness-which are one by one being destroyed in this age. Austerity means to undergo a little difficulty in order to get something higher, just as a student may stay home and study and miss some nice entertainment because he has a higher goal. Austerity for the highest purpose, to develop love of God, is not being practiced at all in this age, and the main reason according to Srimad-Bhagavatam is that people are too proud of their money. Even a pauper becomes very proud and puffed up if he gets a little money; he thinks that he can buy everything he needs and that there is no need to hear about God consciousness. Pride wipes out austerity, and cleanliness is destroyed by illicit connections with women. Women and sex of course exist, but the perverted conception whereby the whole society, the whole civilization, is pinpointed simply on sex life is most degraded. And the principle of mercy is being destroyed by lying propaganda on the national, international and familial levels. Everyone has this lying propensity. The Age of Kali, however, is described to be like the rainy season. Even though the rain has to come, this does not mean that one should not take precautions and go out with an umbrella.
(More...) Although I appear to be speaking, I am actually not the speaker. You are speaking. Therefore You are both the speaker and the audience. Lord Chaitanya, after hearing from Sri Ramananda Roy about the qualities of Srimati Radharani and Krishna, desired to hear from him about the reciprocal exchange of love between Radharani and Krishna. Krishna is described by Ramananda Roy as Dhirlalita, and He is always engaged in love affairs with Radharani. Dhirlalita describes a person who is very cunning and youthful, and always expert in joking, without any anxiety, and always subservient to his girlfriend. This Krishna is always engaged in the bushes of Vrindaban to enjoy lusty activities with Radharani, and thus He successfully carried out the instincts of lust.
(More...) On hearing this, Ramananda Roy said, "It is very difficult for me to express anything beyond this. But I can only say that there is an emotional activity which is called Prembilasa Bivarta. I may try to explain the Prembilasa. I do not know whether You will be happy to hear it, but I must explain it toYou." In the Prembilasa emotion there are two kinds of emotional activities, which are called separation and meeting. That transcendental separation is so acute that it becomes more ecstatic than meeting. Ramananda Roy was expert in understanding such highly elevated dealings between Radha and Krishna, and he composed a very nice song which he narrated to the Lord. The purport of that song is as follows: the lover and the beloved, before their meeting, by the exchange of their transcendental activities, generate a kind of emotion. That emotion is called Raga, or attraction. Srimati Radharani expressed Her willingness, that "This attraction and affection between Ourselves has risen to the highest extent"-but the cause of such attraction is Radharani Herself. "Whatever the cause may be, that affection between Yourself and Myself," said Radharani, "has mixed Us in oneness. Now it is the time of separation, so I cannot see the history of the evolution of this love between You and Me. There was no other cause or mediator in Our love, the only cause was Our meeting and visionary exchange of feelings."
(More...) Ramananda replied, "It is similarly difficult for me to make You understand, but so far as I am concerned, I can speak what You would like me to say before You. For no one can escape Your Supreme Will. There is nobody in the world who can surpass Your Supreme Will, and although I appear to be speaking, I am not actually the speaker-You are speaking. Therefore, You are both the speaker and the audience. Let me speak as You will me to speak, about the performance required to achieve this highest transcendental position." Ramananda Roy then began:
(More...) With the Absolute Truth in Your blessed Hand, chanting and dancing across the land! Thinking Yourself the most fallen, The lowest beggar at the feet of Your spiritual master, But You are part of the mahatma tree Which is eternally giving the conditioned souls The most relishable fruits of krsna-prema. You are the most humble and kind and merciful! You are begging everybody to take the most precious gem: The Hare Krsna mantra. The demigods churned the milky ocean, First came poison, next precious stones, then the moon; And later on, the kalpa-taru which grants everything wished for. All these were discarded by the gods in favor of the nectar, amrta, For securing which they had embarked on their great endeavor. Similarly You have given the world The most essential teaching of the Scriptures: Chanting the mahamantra as taught by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Leaving aside the unessential things; Lecturing non-stop, without caring for the occasional flop, At a frantic pace, Your Divine Grace, Your wonderful face glowing like the sun Illuminating all directions with its light, Conquering us all, without a fight. Your heart overflows with nectarean bliss Upon hearing the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. So it has happened that Thee, O Graceful Prabhupada, Have risen like the sun in the Eastern horizon, Illuminating the hearts of all with pure love for Krsna. You are the one who has the power from Lord Krsna to give all living entities eternal liberation. We offer our humble obeisances again and again to You, because You are a pure devotee of Krsna, we respect You always. O Srila Prabhupada, who is so much absorbed in transcendental love That Krsna can't leave You even for the time of a breath. You who are the attraction of Radharani. By the waves of devotional service, Overflowing the conditioned souls With an ocean of Grace! You, who stays in life only for the service that You render to Govinda. Because You are the kindest man in the world, You give everything, whether to beast, boy, or girl; Even dogs like us can have some, if only we would accept it! Our burned-out hearts full of materialistic dilemma, Because of You, we know that we must chant Hare Krsna! No one would tell us except the Lord Himself, But our ears were deaf to Him millions of lifetimes ago - - - You know. Krsna has given You to us And Y1ou have given Him, We like You very much. By the mercy of Your greatness and purity, You can deliver all the fallen souls. Your greatness is recognized by all the demigods, And You are the most dear to Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani, You are such a rare soul, who knows Krsna as He is. By Your grace alone, we have the chance to taste These wonderful fruits of love Coming down from the desire-trees in sweet kirtana. We pray for the time when we might follow Your most humble example By becoming Krsna conscious, Helping our blessed brothers Rather than hindering them, We pray that very soon we will be able to use every second in Your service rather than to dream About illusory sense gratification and personal prestige. Please accept this humble prayer- Let us ever lie prostrate Beneath the dust of Your lotus feet. A single word from Your sanctified lips Can turn a gloomy night into a fresh spring afternoon! You have come to lead us all back to Home Back to Godhead, To the tulasi-scented forests of Sri Vrndavana. Please have mercy on these lowly fools called: (More...) This science of love of God was delivered five hundred years ago by Lord Krsna in His avatara feature of Lord Caitanya, and it has been protected since that time by the parampara disciplic succession, headed by Srila Rūpa Gosvami Prabhupada. But of all the great acaryas to whom this precious knowledge has been entrusted, it must be admitted that it is you, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who have astounded the world the most. You have compiled the message of Mahaprabhu into a veritable library of transcendental literatures, each volume of which is exactly like your own touchstone association, which sanctifies all that it contacts. And to distribute these wonderful books and demonstrate their teachings for all to see, you have assembled an army of disciples from all corners of the earth. Though we may be German or American, African or Chinese, we have surrendered to you only, impelled by your causeless mercy. We are praying desperately on this day of your appearance for the spiritual power needed to push ahead your mission to all peoples of all nationalities and languages.
(More...) Before Rāmānanda Rāya could even ask the Lord a question about the advancement of spiritual knowledge, the Lord Himself said, "Please quote some verses from scripture about the ultimate goal of human life." When a person becomes famous as a devotee of the Lord, his reputation is never to be extinguished. Lord Caitanya, when discoursing with Ramananda Raya, questioned, "What is the greatest fame?" Ramananda Raya replied that to be known as a pure devotee of Lord Krsna is the perfect fame. The conclusion, therefore, is that Visnu-dharma, or the religion of devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is meant for persons who are thoughtful. By proper utilization of thoughtfulness, one comes to the stage of thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one becomes free from the contamination of the faulty association of the material world, and thus one becomes peaceful. The world is in a disturbed condition because of a scarcity of such peaceful devotees in human society. Unless one is a devotee, one cannot be equal to all living entities. A devotee is equally disposed towards the animals, the human beings and all living entities because he sees every living entity as a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. In the Īsopanisad [6] it is clearly stated that one who has come to the stage of seeing all living beings equally does not hate anyone or favor anyone. The devotee does not hanker to possess more than he requires. Devotees are therefore akincana; in any condition of life a devotee is satisfied. It is said that a devotee is evenminded whether he is in hell or in heaven. A devotee is callous to all subjects other than his engagement in devotional service. This mode of life is the highest perfectional stage, from which one can be elevated to the spiritual world, back home, back to Godhead. The devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are especially attracted by the highest material quality, goodness, and the qualified brahmana is the symbolic representation of this goodness. Therefore, a devotee is attached to the brahminical stage of life. He is not very much interested in passion or ignorance, although these qualities also emanate from the Supreme Lord, Visnu. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam [10.89.14-17] the devotees are described as nipuna-buddhayaḥ, which means that they are the most intelligent class of men. Uninfluenced by attachment or hatred, the devotee lives very peacefully and is not agitated by the influence of passion and ignorance.
(More...) Therefore, Lord Chaitanya, after hearing from Ramananda Roy about the proper execution of regulated life, said that this is external. Indirectly, He asked Ramananda to state something which is better than this external exhibition of life. Formal execution of this ritualistic life or religious life is not very congenial unless it attains the perfection of devotional service. Actually. Lord Vishnu is not satisfied simply by the ritualistic performance of Vedic instructions, but He is actually pleased when one attains the stage of devotional service.
(More...) "Eternity exists in Him," he said, "for it was never without Him. We cannot imagine His beginning. That is not possible, for He is adi-purusa, the primeval person, the first progenitor, the unmoved mover, the cause of all causes, the beginning, middle and end of all beings, the mighty God and everlasting Father of all. His greatness we cannot imagine, but we should not be concerned with this. The gopis, the cowherd girls of Vrndavana, do not recognize Him as such, as the almighty Godhead, but as a boy beloved by them. For them He is not Yahweh, whose name is unspoken, nor a burning bush, nor a voice from the mountain, nor a thunderbolt, nor the multi-handed Maha-Visnu, nor Narayana with all opulences, nor the great Allah, nor the triumphant Messiah, but a young boy named Krsna who simply tends the cows, plays His flute and dances. For the gopis there is no one more beautiful than He, nor anyone as merry, or, for that matter, as wise. Above all, He knows how to make them mad for Him. During the rasa dances He would disappear, and the gopis would wander about the forests of Vrndavana calling for Him. How little they cared about God! Being young country girls, they did not even think of God. Their thoughts were always with Krsna, their friend. Once, when they found Him in the woods waiting for Radharani, He played a trick on them by spouting two extra arms and appearing in His form as Lord Narayana. When the gopis approached Him, they offered their obeisances out of formality and then quickly excused themselves to run off and continue looking for Krsna. They saw Narayana, God, in the woods, but they were so eager to find Krsna that they simply passed Him by. The gopis were not great theologians or philosophers, though we understand that in their previous lives they were great sages, and they manifested themselves as cowherd girls in Vrndavana in order to relish a love relationship with Krsna. As gopis their one obsession was Krsna. Nor did they think of Him philosophically as the embodiment of all spiritual qualities. To them He was just Krsna, the boy with the lotus eyes, the friend whose flute charmed them, Krsna, their most dearly beloved. Their only reward for loving Him was that love itself and the anguish of separation, but separation was even more relishable than meeting, if such could be, for in separation they thought of Him constantly. Every object that met their gaze reminded them of Him. Their minds pondered His form and recalled His words. Upon hearing a flute they would swoon, and the sight of a peacock would make them mad with ecstasy. For Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who longed for Krsna as Radha, every stream and rivulet was the River Yamuna, and every flower and bee had a story to tell about Krsna. The animals somehow knew of Him secretly, but they would not divulge His whereabouts or their own knowledge of Him. Who can imagine the ecstasy of the gopis when Krsna left Vrndavana? Some even threw themselves under the wheels of His chariot, imploring Him not to leave for the city life of Mathura. In the absence of Krsna, the gopis constantly wept, wondering when He would return and discussing His activities amongst themselves. Lord Visnu was always being worshiped by demigods like Siva, Brahma, Indra, Candra and others, but when Krsna walked through the forests of Vrndavana, only the cowherd boys walked with Him. He took pleasure in calling the cows and in playing His flute and sometimes in running and wrestling with the cowherd boys. When He walked the banks of the Yamuna, He was always garlanded with many forest flowers, and His body was smeared with the pulp of sandalwood and tulasi leaves. The aroma surrounding Him attracted the bees, and they would hum about Him when He played His flute so that it seemed they were performing together. When His flute sounded in the woods, all the animals would stand still and even cease chewing grass to listen carefully. Even the fish and birds appeared stunned by the sounds. Sometimes Krsna was accompanied by Balarama, His elder brother, who appeared almost as attractive as Krsna Himself. After a day in the fields with the cows, Krsna would return home like the moon arising in the evening. Sometimes it would appear that He was a little fatigued from His vigorous day, but He would swagger into His home with a large stride, and all men, women and cows would immediately forget their hardships. After Krsna had left Vrndavana for Mathura, the cowherd girls would remember how He embraced them and talked with them, smiling sweetly, after the rasa dance in the forests of Vrndavana. Sometimes His face would be smeared with the dust raised by the hooves of the cows, and this made Him all the more attractive to them. What did they care for Narayana and all His jeweled opulence? They only thought of Krsna and His moving eyes and remembered His words and their sweet times with Him. The gopis wept throughout the night before He left, and they watched His chariot as long as possible until it faded from sight. They remained standing still like painted pictures, watching the dust of His chariot in the distance. Then they returned to their homes and simply thought of Him day and night. Of all the gopis, Radharani was most grief-stricken. Once She took a bumblebee to be Krsna's messenger and began to talk to it. She accused the bumblebee of being like his master Krsna, in that the bee's habit was to sit on a flower, take a little honey from it and immediately fly away to taste another flower. 'Krsna gives us the chance to taste the touch of His lips, and then He leaves us altogether,' Radharani lamented. Thus the gopis pined like school girls while Krsna was away from them. Now He is gone from us, or somehow we have lost Him, and it's our great tragedy that we cannot even remember or long for Him. If we cannot shed tears for Him, then we should shed tears because we cannot weep. Now we are suffering because we're trying to find some way to forget Him completely. We run from object to object to avoid Him, but eventually everything parts from us, and we are left with either the thought of Him or the thought of our own death. Yes, if we are left without a thought of Him, He comes for us as death. He Himself says that for those who have forgotten Him, He comes as death to take everything away. But even then we have the freedom to turn from Him, for that freedom He never denies us."
(More...) Encouraged by Lord Caitanya to proceed further, Rāmānanda Rāya said that the fraternal relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa is on an even higher transcendental plane. Narottama Dasa Thakur, a great devotee and acarya of the Gauḍiya Vaisnava sect, has sung: "My Lord, I have simply wasted my life. Having obtained the human body, I have neglected to worship Your Lordship, and therefore willingly I have drunk poison." In other words, the human body is especially meant for cultivating knowledge of devotional service of the Lord, without which life becomes full of anxieties and miserable conditions. Therefore, one who has spoiled his life without such cultural activities is advised to leave home without knowledge of friends and relatives and, being thus freed from all obligations of family, society, country, etc., give up the body at some unknown destination so that others may not know where and how he has met his death. Dhira means one who is not disturbed, even when there is sufficient provocation. One cannot give up a comfortable family life due to his affectionate relation with wife and children. Self-realization is obstructed by such undue affection for family, and if anyone is at all able to forget such a relation, he is called the undisturbed, or dhira. This is, however, the path of renunciation based on a frustrated life, but stabilization of such renunciation is possible only by association with bona fide saints and self-realized souls by which one can be engaged in the loving devotional service of the Lord. Sincere surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is possible by awakening the transcendental sense of service, made possible by association of pure devotees of the Lord. Dhrtarastra was lucky enough to have a brother whose very association was a source of liberation for his frustrated life.
(More...) Gaurasundara here informed Sri Ramananda Raya, "My dear Ramananda Raya, you were actually seeing a separate person with a white-complexioned body. Actually I am not white. Being Sri Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, I am blackish, but when I come in touch with Srimati Radharani I become white complexioned eternally. Srimati Radharani does not touch the body of anyone but Krsna. I taste My own transcendental features by accepting the complexion of Srimati Radharani. Without Radharani, one cannot taste the transcendental pleasure of Krsna's conjugal love." In this regard, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments on the prakrta-sahajiya-sampradaya, which considers Krsna and Lord Caitanya to possess different bodies. They misinterpret the words gaura ahga nahe mora mentioned herein. From this verse we can understand that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is nondifferent from Krsna. Both are the same Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the form of Krsna, the Lord enjoys spiritual bliss and remains the shelter of all devotees, visaya-vigraha. Krsna in His Gaurahga feature tastes separation from Krsna in the ecstasy of Srimati Radharani. This ecstatic form is Sri Krsna Caitanya. Sri Krsna is always the transcendental reservoir of all pleasure, and He is technically called dhira-lalita. Radharani is the embodiment of spiritual energy, personified as ecstatic love for Krsna; therefore only Krsna can touch Srimati Radharani. The dhira-lalita aspect is not seen in any other form of the Lord, neither in Visnu nor in Narayana. Srimati Radharani is therefore known as Govinda-nandini and Govinda-mohini, for She is the only source of transcendental pleasure for Sri Krsna. Indeed, She is the only person who can enchant His mind.
(More...) The position is that the whole world is full of sudras. The sudra's business is to somehow or other catch up some nice service under some good master and get a nice wife and home. That is their success in life. This is the position of India especially. The whole of India is now under technological instruction which means to become sudras. Just like a carpenter can manufacture so much nice furniture by his technological education, but in our Vedic society, the carpenter is considered a sudra. Similarly a tannery expert was called a cobbler. So these things are now lost. Everyone is prepared to become a cobbler, a carpenter, a chemist, a physicist, an electrician and so many other things, but they do not know that after such education one has to depend on other's mercy. So-called highly qualified technologists cannot earn their livelihood without getting a suitable job. It is just like a dog, however stout and strong it may be, it cannot be happy without having gotten a wealthy master. Without being protected by a wealthy master it is nothing but a street dog and he is never happy. So all the students at the present moment are getting educated how to become first class sudras. How they can be interested in Krsna Consciousness, which is the business of high class brahmanas and Vaisnavas? Still it is our duty to preach, and our sincere endeavor for preaching work will be appreciated by the Lord. That much we want. Our mission is to see that Lord Caitanya is satisfied, never mind if we could not turn many of them to this cult. Here is a quotation from Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction, "Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa/amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa [Cc Madhya 7.128].'' Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 7:128. So our mission is, by the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we shall try to teach people about the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc., without being depressed whether people are accepting them or not. This is our credit. We shall be judged by the quality of our work and not by the material return.
(More...) Let me first offer my fallen head under the petal-soft soles of your lotus feet, where I hope it will eternally remain. Out of pure causeless mercy and kindness you have given this coarse, gross materialist a taste of real pleasure derived from the ocean of devotional service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani. For that extraordinary gift I shall always be grateful and I beg you for the benediction that I shall never leave the service of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace, the all-blissful Personality of servitor Godhead, and all glories to those most fortunate souls who are engaged by you in their real business of devotional service. I roll in the dust of their lotus feet! I just wanted to take the opportunity of expressing my heartfelt thanks for Your Divine Grace's kindness in allowing me to serve you these last sixteen months. I can honestly say that I have never been more satisfied at any time than when I had the opportunity to associate with you personally. Sri Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that a person who knows Him in truth is a very rare personality, and actually, as I have traveled all over India and the world with you I have seen these words substantiated. I am convinced beyond a doubt that only one person on this entire planet has really realized who the Supreme is and how to serve Him, and that person is you. There may be so many panditas, big big scholars, but Krsna says that the real pandita is the 'sama darsi,' that one who sees the equality of all living entities as part and parcels of the one Supreme Whole (mamaivamso jiva loke jiva bhuta sanatana [Bg 15.7]). If anyone can be called 'pandita' it is you because you have practically demonstrated this equalness to all by engaging all persons from all parts of the world in service to Krsna, something which no one else, despite big words and much expellation of air, has been able to do. Even amongst the Vaisnavas you are a rare jewel set in the purest gold. The brightness of your devotion to Krsna outshines all others, and while they stay at home with the Deity and their bhajan, you boldly set forth to preach the message of Lord Caitanya and your Guru Maharaja. In recognition of this the Supreme Lord has agreed to live amongst the mlecchas and accept their poor hearted offerings. Without your devotion He could never have agreed to do this. Once in 1971, after you had installed Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krsna in Sydney in a 'temple' that was actually a converted garage, you prayed to Krsna that "Now I am living you in the hands of these rascals, so You kindly look after Yourself and see they serve You nicely.'' The following year you told us that story and commented that now you could see that He has done this and you encouraged us to go on increasing our service to the Lord more and more. Just recently also, you told us how, when the Bombay land dispute was going on and the demons tried to throw us off the land, you prayed to Krsna, "Sir, You kindly sit down tight and do not move from this place and I shall manage everything.'' Krsna did that; when the demons came to demolish the temporary temple you had constructed, they were stopped by 'outside' intervention just as they were about to remove the roof of the Deity room. Now, in fulfillment of your promise you have erected a most wonderful temple structure, certainly the best in Bombay, if not in India. These are proofs of your pure, unalloyed devotion and your determination to serve Him under any circumstance, 'ahaituki apratihata.' Just now in the west, the demons are combining to try and stop this wonderful movement of yours, but that will never be. Because you desire the welfare of all living entities Krsna will spread this movement everywhere and the demons will be vanquished. Now I am feeling very mixed emotions as I take leave of your lotus feet and venture off to try and enter the fire of preaching. I want very much to try to please you in all respects and I will do my best to spread whatever I have learned from you without envy or interpretation, and I beg of you your blessings in this regard. I also feel very much attached to your personal service, massaging your feet and doing whatever menial service I can, and if at any time in the future Your Divine Grace sees fit to have me back, I will immediately come. I know that my only business is to try and please you and that is all that makes me happy. Anything else is simply artificial and simply gives me suffering. Somehow or another I have become the most fortunate person to be your servant, so let that good fortune continue, forever, and wherever you go, kindly take this foolish person with you and engage him in your service in whatever way you see fit. Jaya, all glories to you Srila Prabhupada, the full moon of devotion to Sri Krsna. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the ocean of transcendental knowledge and Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya is the cloud which is produced from that ocean. The following summary study of the Twentieth Chapter is given by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed His nights tasting the meaning of Siksastaka in the company of Svarūpa Damodara Gosvami and Ramananda Raya. Sometimes He recited verses from Jayadeva Gosvami's Gita-govinda, from Srimad-Bhagavatam, from Sri Ramananda Raya's Jagannatha-vallabha-nataka or from Sri Bilvamahgala Thakura's Krsna-karnamrta. In this way, He became absorbed in ecstatic emotions. For the twelve years Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu lived at Jagannatha Puri, He relished the taste of reciting such transcendental verses. The Lord was present in this mortal world for forty-eight years altogether. After hinting about the Lord's disappearance, the author of Caitanya-caritamrta gives a short description of the entire Antya-lila and then ends his book.
(More...) Lord Caitanya next asked Rāmānanda Rāya, "What is the most valuable thing in the world?" Rāmānanda Rāya replied that he who has love for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa possesses the most valuable jewel and the greate There are different classes of human beings, all seeking different enjoyments from different objects. There are persons who are seeking after the favor of the goddess of fortune, and for them the Vedic literatures give information that the Lord is always served with all reverence by thousands and thousands of goddesses of fortune at the cintamani-dhama,* the transcendental abode of the Lord where the trees are all desire-trees and the buildings are made of touchstone. The Lord Govinda is engaged there in herding the surabhi cows as His natural occupation. These goddesses of fortune can be seen automatically if we are attracted by the bodily features of the Lord. The impersonalists cannot observe such goddesses of fortune because of their dry speculative habit. And those who are artists, overtaken by the beautiful creation, should better see to the beautiful face of the Lord for complete satisfaction. The face of the Lord is the embodiment of beauty. What they call beautiful nature is but His smile, and what they call the sweet songs of the birds are but specimens of the whispering voice of the Lord. There are administrative demigods in charge of departmental service of cosmic management, and there are tiny administrative gods in the state service. They are always afraid of other competitors, but if they take shelter of the arms of the Lord, the Lord can protect them always from the attacks of enemies. A faithful servant of the Lord engaged in the service of administration is the ideal executive head and can well protect the interest of the people in general. Other so-called administrators are symbols of anachronisms leading to the acute distress of the people who are governed by them. The administrators can remain safely under the protection of the arms of the Lord. The essence of everything is the Supreme Lord: He is called the saram. And those who sing and talk about Him are called the sarahgas, or the pure devotees. The pure devotees are always hankering after the lotus feet of the Lord. The lotus has a kind of honey which is transcendentally relished by the devotees. They are like the bees who are always after the honey. Srila Rūpa Gosvami, the great devotee acarya of the Gauḍiya-Vaisnava-sampradaya, has sung a song about this lotus honey, comparing himself to the bee: "O my Lord Krsna, I beg to offer my prayers unto You. My mind is like the bee, and it is after some honey. Kindly, therefore, give my bee-mind a place at Your lotus feet, which are the resources for all transcendental honey. I know that even big demigods like Brahma do not see the rays of the nails of Your lotus feet, even though they are engaged in deep meditation for years together. Still, O infallible one, my ambition is such, for You are very merciful to your surrendered devotees. O Madhava, I know also that I have no genuine devotion for the service of Your lotus feet, but because Your Lordship is inconceivably powerful, You can do what is impossible to be done. Your lotus feet can deride even the nectar of the heavenly kingdom, and therefore I am very much attracted by them. O supreme eternal, please, therefore, let my mind be fixed at Your lotus feet so that eternally I may be able to relish the taste of Your transcendental service."
(More...) According to the cult of devotion, generally known as the Vaisnava cult, there is no bar for anyone to advance in the matter of God realization. A Vaisnava is powerful enough to turn into a Vaisnava even the Kirata, etc., as above mentioned. In the Bhagavad-gita also it is said by the Lord (Bg. 9.32) that there is no bar to becoming a devotee of the Lord (even for those who are low-born, or women, sūdras or vaisyas), and by becoming a devotee everyone is eligible to return home, back to Godhead. The only qualification is that one take shelter of a pure devotee of the Lord who has thorough knowledge in the transcendental science of Krsna (Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam). Anyone from any part of the world who becomes well conversant in the science of Krsna becomes a pure devotee and a spiritual master for the general mass of people and may reclaim them by purification of heart. A person, though he be even the most sinful man, can at once be purified by systematic contact with a pure Vaisnava. A Vaisnava, therefore, can accept a bona fide disciple from any part of the world without any consideration of caste and creed and promote him by regulative principles to the status of a pure Vaisnava who is transcendental to brahminical culture. The system of caste, or varnasrama-dharma, is no longer regular even amongst the so-called followers of the system. Nor is it now possible to reestablish the institutional function in the present context of social, political and economic revolution. Without any reference to the particular custom of a country, one can be accepted to the Vaisnava cult spiritually, and there is no hindrance in the transcendental process. So by the order of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the cult of Srimad-Bhagavatam or the Bhagavad-gita can be preached all over the world, reclaiming all persons willing to accept the transcendental cult. Such cultural propaganda by the devotees will certainly be accepted by all persons who are reasonable and inquisitive, without any particular bias for the custom of the country. The Vaisnava never accepts another Vaisnava on the basis of birthright, just as he never thinks of the Deity of the Lord in a temple as idol worship. And to remove all doubts in this connection, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami has invoked the blessings of the Lord, who is all-powerful (prabhavisnave namah). As the all-powerful Lord accepts the humble service of His devotee in devotional activities of the arcana, His form as the worshipable Deity in the temple, similarly the body of a pure Vaisnava changes transcendentally at once by giving himself up to the service of the Lord and training by a qualified Vaisnava. The injunction of Vaisnava regulation in this connection runs as follows: (arcye visnau siladhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhiḥ sri-visnor namni sabda-samanya-buddhiḥ, etc) "One should not consider the Deity of the Lord as worshiped in the temple to be an idol, nor should one consider the authorized spiritual master as an ordinary man. Nor should one consider a pure Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste, etc."
(More...) But because it was done for Krsna, even Lord Caitanya says, ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita [Caitanya-manjusa]: "What can be the best type of worship than what was comprehended by the gopis?" So in the ordinary way, if a young man, young woman, goes to another person for dancing or some other purpose, that is most sinful. But this is to be understood.
(More...) So, who is the highest? The one who meditates upon me constantly within his heart That is a yogi. So, yes not just sitting at a place with one's eyes closed. That is also a technique and some day in future one may be able to think of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord but the perfection of yoga is to constantly meditate upon the lotus feet of Krsna. That is why Prahlada Maharaja says, manye tad-arpita-mano-vacane 'hitartha [SB 7.9.9], even though a person may be born in the family of dog eaters but at all times if he is able to meditate upon Krsna's lotus feet, manye tad-arpita-manah tad-arpita-manah, tad-arpita means when one has devoted his mind completely to the Supreme Lord, then he will naturally meditate upon Him. The mind has to think. The mind cannot stay without thinking even for a second. Therefore, we should engage our minds upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], this is yoga. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji: The Lord says just this-always think of me. One should think of the form of the Lord, the qualities of the Lord, His pastimes and one should meditate upon His holy name, this it the path to devotion.
(More...) Prabhupada & Ananda Prabhu: gauḍa-manḍala-bhūmi yeva jane cintamani, tara haya braja-bhūme vasa [ Song 38- Savarana-Gaura-mahima(The Glories of Lord Gaurahga ) gaurahgera duti pada ja'ra dhana sampada se jane bhakati-rasa-sara gaurahgera madhura-lila jara karne pravesila hrdaya nirmala bhela ta'ra je gaurahgera nama laya ta'ra haya premodaya tare muni jai balihari gaurahga-gunete jhure nitya-lila tare sphure se jana bhakati-adhikari gaurahgera sahgi-gane nitya-siddha kari mane se jaya brajendra-suta-pasa sri-gauḍa-manḍala-bhūmi jeba jane cintamani tara haya braja-bhūme vasa gaura-prema-rasarnave se tarahge jeba ḍube se radha-madhava-antarahga grhe va vanete thake ha gaurahga bale ḍake narottama mage ta'ra sahga PURPORT by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada This is a song by Narottama dasa Thakura in praise of the glories of Lord Caitanya. Gaurahga refers to Lord Caitanya, who has a fair complexion. One who has a fair complexion is called gaura, and since Lord Caitanya was very fair, just like molten gold, He was also named Gaurasundara. Narottama dasa Thakura says, gaurahgera duti pada, jara dhana-sampada, se jane bhakati-rasa-sara. Anyone who has accepted the two lotus feet of Lord Caitanya can understand the true essence of devotional service. Devotional service is very difficult. It cannot be understood by any ordinary man. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, out of many thousands of persons who are trying to achieve the perfection of human life, only some actually become perfect and realise the self. And out of many thousands of such self-realised persons, only one can understand Krsna. Without understanding Krsna, how can one engage himself in the service of Krsna? Therefore, the devotional service of Krsna is not an ordinary thing. But fortunately, if one follows in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya (gaurahgera duti pada) by following the path shown by Lord Caitanya-the process of simply chanting Hare Krsna-he can very easily understand what devotional service is. Therefore, Narottama dasa Thakura prays that one take shelter of Lord Caitanya and follow in His footsteps, for then one can understand the essence of devotional service. Lord Caitanya's pastimes are very pleasing, because the basic principles of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement are chanting, dancing, and eating krsna-prasada. He made His headquarters in Jagannatha Puri and would dance, chant, and then immediately call for prasada to be distributed to the devotees. They were so pleased that every day hundreds of men would come to chant and dance with Lord Caitanya. The temple proprietor, the King of Orissa, Maharaja Prataparudra, had an open order to the workers in the temple to supply as much prasada to Lord Caitanya's devotees as they wanted. Therefore, His pastimes are very pleasing-chant, dance, and take prasada. If one is captivated by the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, simply by chanting and dancing and eating prasada, the dirty things in his heart will all become cleansed. The heart of anyone who takes to this movement of chanting, dancing, and eating krsna-prasada will surely be cleansed of all dirty material contamination. Narottama dasa Thakura says, very rightly, gaurahgera madhura-lila, ja'ra karne pravesila, hrdaya nirmala bhela ta'ra: if one wants to cleanse his heart, he must take to the movement of Lord Caitanya-Krsna consciousness. Lord Caitanya is so nice that one who simply takes the holy name of Gaurasundara, Sri Krsna Caitanya, will immediately develop love of God. Generally, devotees first chant sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda, for the preliminary process of cleansing the heart is to invoke the mercy of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda and Their associates. Lila means "pastimes." Without associates there cannot be pastimes, so Caitanya Mahaparabhu is always accompanied by associates-Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa, and many other devotees. Tara means "his," haya means "it is effected," and premadaya refers to development of love of God. Simply by chanting sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda one immediately develops love of God. To such a person Narottama dasa Thakura says, "Bravo!" to encourage him in chanting Lord Caitanya's name and dancing. Just as we clap and say, "Bravo!" similarly he says, jai balihari "Very nice, Excellent!" Then he says, gaurahga-gunete jhure, nitya-lila ta're sphure: if one appreciates the merciful pastimes of Lord Caitanya and feels ecstasy and sometimes cries, this process will immediately help him to understand the pastimes of Radha-Krsna, which are called nitya-lila. The loving affairs between Radha-Krsna are not a temporary things. Here in this material world we can see loving affairs between boys and girls, but that is temporary. That is simply for a few months, a few years, or maybe a little more. But then all that so-called love will go to hell. They are not permanent affairs. But if one really wants permanent love affairs, he must enter into the pastimes of Radha-Krsna. Simply by appreciating Lord Caitanya's movement one can immediately enter into or understand Radha-Krsna's eternal pastimes. One who can understand the transcendental, eternal pastimes of Radha-Krsna reaches the highest perfectional stage of devotional service. The next line is, gaurahgera sahgi-gane. Sahgi-gane means "associates." Lord Caitanya is always associated: He is not alone. We never see a picture of Lord Caitanya alone. At least there must be Lord Nityananda or Gadadhara Panḍita. Actually, wherever Lord Caitanya was present, many thousands of devotees would assemble. Such devotees, especially those who were His nearest intimate associates, were nitya-siddha. In the devotional line there are three kinds of perfect devotees. One is called sadhana-siddha. This refers to a person who has very rigidly performed the regulative prescriptions and thereby reached the perfectional stage. Reaching the perfectional stage by executing the regulative principles is called sadhana-siddha. There is another kind of devotee who is called krpa-siddha. He may not have executed the regulative principles very rigidly, but by his service mood he is specifically blessed by the spiritual master or Krsna. He is immediately promoted to the perfectional stage. This is called krpa-siddha. Nitya-siddha is one who was never contaminated by the material nature. The sadhana-siddhas and the krpa-siddhas were supposed to have once been in the contamination of material nature, but nitya-siddhas never came into contact with the material nature. All the associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu are nitya-siddhas, or eternally perfect. Nityananda Prabhu is Balarama, the immediate expansion of Krsna; Advaita Prabhu is Maha-Visnu (He is also visnu-tattva); Gadadhara Prabhu is an expansion of Radharani; and Srivasa is an incarnation of Narada. They are nitya-siddha, or eternally perfect. They were never imperfect. They were never in contact with material contaminati
(More...)Prabhupada: But you do your business. You don't follow them. That's all. You remain perfect. There are many imperfects, admitting, but you try to remain perfect so that they may see you, your behavior, and they may follow you. If everyone is sincere in his activity, then where is the question? The Society means if I am defective, I am seeing that you are doing nicely, so I will be ashamed. That is also teaching. Actually that should be the practice. If I cannot finish my sixteen rounds due to some business, then next day I must finish it. If you say that "Next day also, I am busy," then you should forego your eating and sleeping and finish it. That is the way. You are so busy, but you do not forget your eating and sleeping. That is cheating. If you are so busy that you forget your eating and sleeping, then I can consider that you are very busy. But you do not forget this portion. "Whenever there is opportunity, I sleep and eat. And I have no time for chanting"-this is cheating. How long you can go on by cheating? You must finish it. Hare Krsna. Somebody, after initiation he promises, "Yes, I shall follow these rules and regulations. I shall chant sixteen rounds," before the fire, before the Deity, before the guru, and if he does not follow, then he is a cheater. What to speak of his becoming a Vaisnava, he is a cheater. He breaks all his promises. Therefore after seeing, observing a person is doing everything, then say second initiation, or then he should not be recommended for second initiation unless the president and the other authorities see that he is doing nicely, he is following. Otherwise he should not be recommended. If he is recommended, that is also another cheating. If you know that this person is not following the rules and regulation, then why should you recommend him? Then it is another cheating. Vidhi-bhakti must be followed; otherwise it becomes sahajiya. [break] [end]
(More...) Next-regarding your point: program for a spiritual world civilization-it is very nice suggestion. And practically our Krishna Consciousness movement is built on this idea, that we want to make a world civilization on the basis of spiritual understanding. So I am giving you some points which you may expand or do it for understanding of the people in general. But the point should be as follows: 1st point, that any civilization devoid of God consciousness or Krishna Consciousness, is no civilization at all. It is simply a polished type of animal society. This is the first point. So at the present moment, the modern civilization on the basis of so-called scientific knowledge and economic development is trying to avoid God consciousness, or Krishna Consciousness-that is the defect of the modern civilization. Therefore, in spite of all advancement it is zero. So zero has no value. And millions of zeros put together does not make any value. But one is put on the left side of the zero, it increases the value. Then one zero becomes 10, two zero becomes 100, three zero becomes 1000, so it is very nice. This point should be clearly discussed, that without God consciousness, Krishna Consciousness, any attempt of human civilization so-called philosophical or political or economical or labor, they are all zeros. The human society should be divided as a social order, as the intellectual men, the administrator class, and the mercantile class, and the laborer class. And so far spiritual order, they should be divided as the renounced order of life, retired order of life, householder, and student life. Third point, all these 8 divisions are meant for understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this Krishna Consciousness movement is meant for teaching this necessities of human civilization. Fourth point, so far the administrator class of men, or mercantile class of men, and laborer class of men, there are many institutions but to train a first class intellectual man, there is no institution all over the world. And there is no institution for spiritual training also. So this Krishna Consciousness movement is trying to help the human society on these two points, which they are lacking. So we have therefore taken a large tract of land to begin with, in W. Virginia, the place is called New Vrindaban. So we want to train students for becoming the first class intellectual person, and instruct the whole human society about the aim of life, and Krishna Consciousness or God consciousness. So we are inviting the desiring or intending students to join in our institution and we invite the public and government to cooperate with our movement. The fifth point is that in whatever division one may be situated, this very aim of life should be to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is the duty of everyone, it doesn't matter in what status of life he is situated, but if he wants to have a successful life, then he must learn to see how by his activities the Supreme Lord is satisfied. That should be the aim. Then it does not matter what is the position and occupation of the man, but he is in the right order of civilization because his very aim is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Next point, And in order to learn this art, how he is able to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has to take instruction or education in the art of Krishna Consciousness, by reading Bhagavad-gita as it is, by reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, which are calculated the science of God, and following the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, such practice should be performed 24 hours. It is not that one may meditate for 15 minutes, and he becomes spiritually advanced, it is not possible. So the Krishna Consciousness movement is training people how to be absorbed in the thought of Krishna, 24 hours. Take for example, the Bhagavad-gita: the instruction of Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita are just suitable for a perfect human civilization. So one should learn this teachings of Bhagavad-gita as it is. Next point, in order to understand this teachings of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, there should be centers where people can assemble daily, morning and evening, and try to understand this Krishna Consciousness or God consciousness movement. So we are trying to open branches all over the world in every city, in every town, in every village, and people should take advantage of it. There is no question of monetary transaction to enter into these centers and institutions, but because we have to maintain such institutions, public should voluntarily contribute and that is very gladly accepted. Next point, when people are accustomed to associate with these different centers, of Krishna Consciousness movement, they will one day come out of the material concept of life. Just like one becomes awakened from sleep. While sleeping, one sees so many nonsense dreams, but as soon as one is awakened, he becomes conscious that oh, I was seeing so many nonsense dreams, actually it has no existence. Similarly, when a person becomes Krishna Conscious, he can understand the falsity representation of this material civilization. Next point, and when he is awakened, he becomes completely detached from the so-called affection for designations, namely, society, friendship and love. Next point, by such understanding, one is not so much materially active. One is satisfied with income which can simply maintain his body and soul together and he is no more interested to increase the bank balance unnecessarily for sense gratification. The defect of the modern civilization that everyone is earning money undoubtedly in large volumes, but he does not know how to spend. He is spending simply for sense gratification and the last word of sense gratification is sex, therefore all money is being spent up for intoxication and sexual life, nudey dance, nudey theater, in so many ways. That means they are spoiling their human source of energy. Next point, one should be so trained up that within the heart he will be freed from all material attraction, but so long the body is there, to keep the body and soul together, he has to work like ordinary man. Next point, the society, friendship and love of material existence may be accepted without any attraction, and whatever the so-called society, friendship and love wants to take service from us, one should simply say, yes, it is very nice, but actually he should give more importance for spiritual advancement of life. Next point, one should know it certain that material resources, either in this planet or in other planets, either in the sky or within the earth, namely in the mines, all the properties that is being utilized at the present moment as economic development, one should understand definitely that all the ingredients supplied or all the ingredients stocked, for example, the petroleum now stocked within the earth, and people are utilizing it for so many power machinery-one should know that this petroleum belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not man-made. Nor the scientists can manufacture. Similarly everything, all commodities, all things, all properties, they are made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This understanding must be there. Next point, one can enjoy such properties but with this understanding, that they belong to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like one is situated in the public park in a very nice garden, public park, but one should always remember that the public park does not belong to him, personally. But it is the property of the government or the state. Next point, therefore, the properties made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be utilized by all living entities. Every living entities, not only the human beings, but also the animals, they have got right to live on the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Next point, nobody can encroach upon the right of other living entities. Everyone is supplied by the Lord, the foo (More...) Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter dated June 9, 1972, from Melbourne, and I don't think you have yet got my last letter to you at Sydney. I am very pleased to hear that you are utilizing your good experience for introducing the Ratha Yatra Festival in Australia, I shall be very pleased to see the photos how it is going. I fully approve of your program for traveling, now you combine the sannyasi requirement for traveling extensively, and at the same time as GBC man you shall be my personal secretary for maintaining the highest level of Krishna Consciousness amongst the devotees in your zone. I am very much concerned that the devotees should be given all good instruction and knowledge of Krishna Consciousness, that is the duty of the GBC man. (?) better to utilize time and train the devotees, especially the responsible officers, and they can go out for preaching to non-devotees and making new devotees. But if they do not have any knowledge, how can they go out and preach? So you GBC men are my selected few for insuring that what I am doing will be carried on very nicely for the pleasure of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So now you must all my senior disciples and leaders become very, very much aware of your grave responsibility to the human society for delivering them from the clutches of catastrophe, and be always cool-headed and utilize every moment in the best manner possible. I am successful only because I am following strictly the orders of my Guru Maharaja, and I do not deviate. Therefore people respect what I am saying and they listen because I do not say one thing and do another. So now you are doing my work and you shall be like me and be yourselves the worthy representatives of our disciplic succession. I am very much stressing at this point that all of my students shall be very much conversant with the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness, and that they should read our books very diligently at least one or two hours daily and try to understand the subject matter from varieties of angles. We are holding our morning class here in Los Angeles in the temple and I am speaking from 7 to 8 am, and the process is that we are going through some chapters of Srimad-Bhagavatam by taking one sloka each day, and reading the Sanskrit aloud, each word is pronounced by me and repeated by the students and then altogether we chant the sloka several times until we have learned it. And then we discuss the subject matter very minutely and inspect it from all angles of approach and savor the new understandings. So you introduce this system in all of the centers in your zone, and you will discover that everyone becomes very much enlivened by these daily classes. Read one sloka and discuss and then go on to the next sloka on the next day, and so on, and even you discuss one verse each day it will take you 50 years to finish Srimad-Bhagavatam in this way. So we have got ample stock for acquiring knowledge. And if the students get knowledge more and more, they will automatically become convinced and very easily perform their duties for tapasya or renunciation of the material bondage, and that will be their successful advancement in Krishna Consciousness. So I want that advancement amongst all of my students, so your are responsible that the standard will be maintained. If Tusta Krsna is so much anxious to acquire a press for New Zealand, there is no harm. I have written to him to use his better judgement in the matter. If you wish to take the small 12-inch Radha Krsna Deities in the parade, that is all right. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher,
(More...)A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Sometimes one such illusioned living being foolishly approaches some so-called great personality, who has become expert in the fields of karma, jnana, or yoga, to get some kind of relief. However, because such men have no knowledge of the eternal spiritual identity beyond this temporary body, and are bereft of a relationship with God, their instructions do not give him ultimate satisfaction. We have practical experience of this in the modern world. At present, the major portion of the human energy has been expended on vicious works with the aim of achieving a higher grade of sense gratification. This we have done. We have also invented innumerable philosophies and so-called "paths" by which we are trying to enhance our human experience. Yet, people are wondering why there is so much unhappiness and disunity and they have created many different "isms" in an attempt to deal with the situation. Unfortunately all such "isms" have helped only to intensify and not to diminish the problems of life. The leaders of the world, being blind to the knowledge of the self, can only give symptomatic treatment and cannot understand the root cause of the dissatisfaction which plagues all of us. That was described by Ramananda Raya to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya asked Ramananda Raya: "Of all kinds of distress, what is the most painful?" Ramananda Raya replied, "Apart from separation from the devotees of Krsna I know of no other unbearable unhappiness." In the light of this statement, we can understand that the present dissatisfaction experienced on all levels of our present social structure is not due to the government, crime, politics, economics, men, women, etc. Neither will it be mitigated by artificial methods for the so-called improvement of our living conditions. The real fact is that as long as any civilization or society is bereft of the association of the most confidential servitor of the Supreme Lord, Sri Gurudeva, there can never be even a moment of true happiness for anyone. We therefore long for the day when the bona fide acarya, Srila Prabhupada, will be recognized and sought after by the present world leaders for the absolute guidance required in order to progress. According to science's law of thermodynamics, a complex system, if left to itself, tends towards chaos and disintegration. Similarly any world organization which neglects the absolute direction of Lord Sri Krsna, the Vedas and the bona fide spiritual master will ultimately destroy itself. Modern day philosophers, politicians, social workers and all other theoreticians must give up their limited empiric endeavors which will never turn back the rising tide of degradation, either individually or collectively, and surrender, at once, to the lotus feet of the Guru. The spiritual master brings with him the won ingredient which, when added, will make the human endeavor meaningful and ultimately successful. That ingredient is devotional service to the Supreme Lord Krsna. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam this is explained: "The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self." In another place it is declared, "Anyone whose work is not meant to elevate him to religious life, anyone whose religious ritualistic performances do not raise him to renunciation and anyone situated in renunciation that does not lead him to devotional service to the Supreme Lord must be considered dead although he is breathing." We therefore offer millions of obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada, whose glorious appearance in this dead world is giving all living beings new hope for life. All glories, all glories to Srila Prabhupada, the Supreme Personality of servitor Godhead, who is as worshipable as Lord Krsna Himself! In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 1.45) it is declared, "According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures, the spiritual master is nondifferent from Krsna. Lord Krsna in the form of the spiritual master delivers His devotees." Millions of obeisances again and again to Srila Prabhupada, who is an ocean of compassion upon the fallen souls of the Western world. He is always situated in spiritual happiness, yet he also experiences unhappiness. He is unhappy to see the sufferings of others. Therefore, he is benedicting the entire world with his causeless mercy and delivering all living beings.
(More...) Rāmānanda Rāya remarked that this was the first time that he had been asked to go further than the gopīs in an attempt to understand Kṛṣṇa. In Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's final pastimes, both Ramananda Raya and Svarūpa Damodara always engaged in reciting suitable verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam to pacify the Lord's ecstatic feelings of separation from Krsna. It is said that when Lord Caitanya went to southern India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya advised Him to meet Ramananda Raya, for he declared that there was no devotee as advanced in understanding the conjugal love of Krsna and the gopis. While touring South India, Lord Caitanya met Ramananda Raya by the bank of the Godavari, and in their long discourses the Lord took the position of a student, and Ramananda Raya instructed Him. Caitanya Mahaprabhu concluded these discourses by saying, "My dear Ramananda Raya, both you and I are madmen, and therefore we met intimately on an equal level." Lord Caitanya advised Ramananda Raya to resign from his government post and come back to Jagannatha Puri to live with Him. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see Maharaja Prataparudra because he was a king, Ramananda Raya, by a Vaisnava scheme, arranged a meeting between the Lord and the King. This is described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Twelve, verses 41-57. Sri Ramananda Raya was present during the water sports of the Lord after the Ratha-yatra festival.
(More...) Ramananda Roy in all humility replied, "I do not know anything, but whatever You are causing me to say I am saying. I know You are Krishna Himself, but still You are relishing hearing about Krishna from me. Therefore, You will excuse me for my faulty expression. I am just trying to express whatever You are causing me to express."
(More...) Lord Chaitanya said, "I am a Mayavadi Sannyasi. I have no knowledge of the transcendental features of devotional service. By the grace of Sarbabhouma Bhattacharya My mind is now clear and I am trying to understand the nature of devotional service to Lord Krishna. He recommended that I see you for understanding Krishna, and he said that Ramananda Roy is the only person who knows something about love of Krishna. I have come to you recommended by Sarbabhouma Bhattacharya, so you should not hesitate to relate to Me all the confidential affairs of Radha and Krishna."
(More...) "So far, you have certainly explained the gradual development of transcendental, eternal relationships with the Personality of Godhead very well. But above this conception of vatsalya-prema there is a supreme transcendental rasa, which is the topmost transcendental service." Upon hearing this suggestion of Lord Caitanya, Ramananda declared that a transcendental conjugal relationship with Godhead is the highest form of loving service rendered to the Personality of Godhead.
(More...) Ramananda Raya said that there is no comparison to Srimati Radharani's love within the universe. Srimati Radharani did not like to be equal with all the other gopis. Thus in a mood of erotic anger, She left the arena of the rasa-lila. It was the desire of Sri Krsna that Srimati Radharani fulfill His necessity for rasa-lila, but when She went away, Sri Krsna became disturbed and in a mood of moroseness He left the rasa-lila arena to search for Srimati Radharani. Ramananda Raya quoted two other slokas from the Gita-govinda (3.1, 2):
(More...) Rāmānanda Rāya understood the purpose of Lord Caitanya, and, stating that it is better to give up the results of fruitive activities, he quoted a verse from Bhagavad-gītā: The renounced order of life is never meant for begging nor living at the cost of others as a parasite. According to the dictionary, a parasite is a sycophant who lives at the cost of society without making any contribution to that society. The renounced order is meant for contributing something substantial to the society and not depending on the earnings of the householders. On the contrary, acceptance of alms from the householders by the bona fide mendicant is an opportunity afforded by the saint for tangible benefit of the donor. In the sanatana-dharma institution, almsgiving to the mendicant is part of a householder's duty, and it is advised in the scriptures that the householders should treat the mendicants as their family children and should provide them with food, clothing, etc., without being asked. Pseudo-mendicants, therefore, should not take advantage of the charitable disposition of the faithful householders. The first duty of a person in the renounced order of life is to contribute some literary work for the benefit of the human being in order to give him realized direction toward self-realization. Amongst the other duties in the renounced order of life of Srila Sanatana, Srila Rūpa and the other Gosvamis of Vrndavana, the foremost duty discharged by them was to hold learned discourses amongst themselves at Sevakunja Vrndavana (the spot where Sri Radha-Damodara Temple was established by Srila Jiva Gosvami and where the actual samadhi tombs of Srila Rūpa Gosvami and Srila Jiva Gosvami are laid). For the benefit of all in human society, they left behind them immense literatures of transcendental importance. Similarly, all the acaryas who voluntarily accepted the renounced order of life aimed at benefiting the human society and not at living a comfortable or irresponsible life at the cost of others. However, those who cannot give any contribution should not go to the householders for food, for such mendicants asking bread from the householders are an insult to the highest order. Sukadeva Gosvami gave this warning especially for those mendicants who adopt this line of profession to solve their economic problems. Such mendicants are in abundance in the age of Kali. When a man becomes a mendicant willfully or by circumstances, he must be of firm faith and conviction that the Supreme Lord is the maintainer of all living beings everywhere in the universe. Why, then, would He neglect the maintenance of a surrendered soul who is cent percent engaged in the service of the Lord? A common master looks to the necessities of his servant, so how much more would the all-powerful, all-opulent Supreme Lord look after the necessities of life for a fully surrendered soul. The general rule is that a mendicant devotee will accept a simple small loincloth without asking anyone to give it in charity. He simply salvages it from the rejected torn cloth thrown in the street. When he is hungry he may go to a magnanimous tree which drops fruits, and when he is thirsty he may drink water from the flowing river. He does not require to live in a comfortable house, but should find out a cave in the hills and may not be afraid of jungle animals, keeping faith in God, who lives in everyone's heart. The Lord may dictate to tigers and other jungle animals not to disturb His devotee. Haridasa Thakur, a great devotee of Lord Sri Caitanya, used to live in such a cave, and by chance a great venomous snake also was a copartner of the cave. Some admirer of Thakur Haridasa, who had to visit the Thakur every day, feared the snake and gave a suggestion to the Thakur to leave that place. Because his devotees were afraid of the snake and they were regularly visiting the cave, Thakur Haridasa agreed to the proposal on their account. But as soon as this was settled, the snake actually crawled out of its hole in the cave and left the cave for good before everyone present. By the dictation of the Lord, who lives also within the heart of the snake, the snake gave preference to Haridasa and decided to leave the place and not disturb him. So this is a tangible example of how the Lord gives protection to a bona fide devotee like Thakur Haridasa. According to the regulations of the sanatana-dharma institution, one is trained from the beginning to depend fully on the protection of the Lord in all circumstances. The path of renunciation is recommended for acceptance by one who is fully accomplished and fully purified in one's existence. This stage is described also in the Bhagavad-gita as daivi sampad (Bg. 16.5). A human being is required to accumulate daivi sampad, or spiritual assets; otherwise, the next alternative, asuri sampad, or material assets, will overcome him disproportionately, and thus one will be forced into the entanglement of different miseries of the material world. A sannyasi should always live alone without company, and he must be fearless. He should never be afraid of living alone, although he is never alone. The Lord is residing in everyone's heart, and unless one is purified by the prescribed process, one will feel that he is alone. But a man in the renounced order of life must be purified by the process; thus he will feel the presence of the Lord everywhere and will have nothing to fear (such as being without any company). Everyone can become a fearless and honest person if his very existence is purified by discharging the prescribed duty for each and every order of life. One can become fixed in one's prescribed duty by faithful aural reception of Vedic instructions and assimilation of the essence of Vedic knowledge by devotional service of the Lord.
(More...) The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 18.61), is the all-pervading omnipresent Supersoul. Therefore one who is a yogi can only worship Him because He is the substance and not illusion. Every living creature is engaging in the service of something else. A living being's constitutional position is to render service, but in the atmosphere of maya, or illusion, or the conditional state of existence, the conditioned soul seeks the service of illusion. A conditioned soul works in the service of his temporary body, bodily relatives like the wife and children, and the necessary paraphernalia for maintaining the body and bodily relations, namely the house, land, wealth, society, country, etc., but he does not know that all such renderings of service are totally illusory. As we have discussed many times before, this material world is itself an illusion, like the mirage in the desert. In the desert there is an illusion of water, and the foolish animals become entrapped by such illusion and run after water in the desert, although there is no water at all. But because there is no water in the desert, one does not conclude that there is no water at all. The intelligent person knows well that there is certainly water, water in the seas and oceans, but such vast reservoirs of water are far, far away from the desert. One should therefore search for water in the vicinity of seas and oceans and not in the desert. Every one of us is searching after real happiness in life, namely eternal life, eternal or unlimited knowledge and unending blissful life. But foolish people who have no knowledge of the substance search after the reality of life in the illusion. This material body does not endure eternally, and everything in relation with this temporary body, namely the wife, children, society, country, etc., also changes along with the change of body. This is called samsara or repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. We would like to find a solution for all these problems of life, but we do not know the way. Herein it is suggested that anyone who wants to make an end of these miseries of life, namely repetition of birth, death, disease, and old age, must take to this process of worshiping the Supreme Lord and not others, as it is also ultimately suggested in the Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 18.65). If we at all want to end the cause of our conditioned life, we must take to the worship of Lord Sri Krsna, who is present in everyone's heart by His natural affection for all living beings, who are actually the parts and parcels of the Lord (Bg. 18.65). The baby in the lap of his mother is naturally attached to the mother, and the mother is attached to the child. But when the child grows up and becomes overwhelmed by circumstances, he gradually becomes detached from the mother, but the mother always expects some sort of service from the grown-up child, and she is equally affectionate for her child, even though the child is forgetful. Similarly, because we are all part and parcel of the Lord, the Lord is always affectionate to us, and He always tries to get us back home and back to Godhead. But we, the conditioned souls, do not care for Him and run instead after the illusory bodily connections. We must therefore extricate ourselves from all illusory connections of the world and seek reunion with the Lord, trying to render service unto Him because He is the ultimate truth. Actually we are hankering after Him as the child seeks the mother. And to search out the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we need not go anywhere else, because the Lord is within our hearts. This does not, however, suggest that we should not go to the places of worship, namely the temples, churches and mosques. Such holy places of worship are also occupied by the Lord because the Lord is omnipresent. For the common man these holy places are centers of learning about the science of God. When the temples are devoid of activities, the people in general become disinterested in such places, and consequently the mass of people gradually become godless, and a godless civilization is the result. Such a hellish civilization increases artificially the conditions of life, and existence becomes intolerable for everyone. The foolish leaders of a godless civilization try to devise various plans to bring about peace and prosperity in the godless world under a patent trademark of materialism, and because such attempts are illusory only, the people elect incompetent, blind leaders one after another who are incapable of offering solutions. If we want at all to end this anomaly of a godless civilization, we must follow the principles of revealed scriptures like the Srimad-Bhagavatam and follow the instruction of a person like Sri Sukadeva Gosvami who has no attraction for material gain.
(More...) The transcendental bliss enjoyed by devotees of the Lord is completely different from the material happiness enjoyed by less intelligent persons. The less intelligent persons in the material world are engaged by the four principles of benediction called dharma, artha, kama and moksa. Generally they prefer to take to religious life to achieve some material benediction, the purpose of which is to satisfy the senses. When, by that process, they become confused or frustrated in fulfilling the maximum amount of sense enjoyment, they try to become one with the Supreme, which is, according to their conception, mukti, or liberation. There are five kinds of liberation, the least important of which is called sayujya, to become one with the Supreme. Devotees don't care for such liberation because they are actually intelligent. Nor are they inclined to accept any of the other four kinds of liberation, namely to live on the same planet as the Lord, to live with Him side by side as an associate, to have the same opulence, and to attain the same bodily features. They are concerned only with glorifying the Supreme Lord and His auspicious activities. Pure devotional service is sravanam kirtanam. Pure devotees, who take transcendental pleasure in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, do not care for any kind of liberation; even if they are offered the five liberations, they refuse to accept them, as stated in the Bhagavatam in the Third Canto. Materialistic persons aspire for the sense enjoyment of heavenly pleasure in the heavenly kingdom, but devotees reject such material pleasure at once. The devotee does not even care for the post of Indra. A devotee knows that any pleasurable material position is subject to be annihilated at a certain point. Even if one reaches the post of Indra, Candra, or any other demigod, he must be dissolved at a certain stage. A devotee is never interested in such temporary pleasure. From Vedic scriptures it is understood that sometimes even Brahma and Indra fall down, but a devotee in the transcendental abode of the Lord never falls. This transcendental stage of life, in which one feels transcendental pleasure in hearing the Lord's pastimes, is also recommended by Lord Caitanya. When Lord Caitanya was talking with Ramananda Raya, there were varieties of suggestions offered by Ramananda regarding spiritual realization, but Lord Caitanya rejected all but one-that one should hear the glories of the Lord in association with pure devotees. That is acceptable for everyone, especially in this age. One should engage himself in hearing from pure devotees about the activities of the Lord. That is considered the supreme benediction for mankind.
(More...) "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." (Bg. 18.66) The Supreme Personality of Godhead can accept the reactions of anyone's sinful deeds and neutralize them because He is pavitra, pure, like the sun, which is never contaminated by any worldly infection. Tejiyasam na dosaya vahneḥ sarva-bhujo yatha (Bhag. 10.33.29). One who is very powerful is not affected by any sinful activity. But here we see that mother Ganges fears being burdened with the sins of the people in general who would bathe in her waters. This indicates that no one but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is able to neutralize the reactions of sinful deeds, whether one's own or those of others. Sometimes the spiritual master, after accepting a disciple, must take charge of that disciple's past sinful activities and, being overloaded, must sometimes suffer-if not fully, then partially-for the sinful acts of the disciple. Every disciple, therefore, must be very careful not to commit sinful activities after initiation. The poor spiritual master is kind and merciful enough to accept a disciple and partially suffer for that disciple's sinful activities, but Krsna, being merciful to His servant, neutralizes the reactions of sinful deeds for the servant who engages in preaching His glories. Even mother Ganges feared the sinful reactions of the people in general and was anxious about how she would counteract the burden of these sins.
(More...) "One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me." Surrender unto the supreme form is the result of bhakti. This bhakti, or understanding of one's own position, is the complete liberation. As long as one is under an impersonal understanding of the Absolute Truth, he is not in pure knowledge, but must still struggle for pure knowledge. Kleso 'dhikataras tesam avyaktasakta-cetasam (Bg. 12.5). Although one may be spiritually advanced, if one is attached to the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth one must still work very hard, as indicated by the words kleso 'dhikataraḥ, which mean "greater suffering." A devotee, however, easily attains his original position as a spiritual form and understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His original form.
(More...) First of all, Srila Ramananda Raya enunciated the system of the varnasrama institution. He recited various verses about karmarpana, stating that everything should be dedicated to the Lord. He then spoke of detached action, knowledge mixed with devotional service, and finally the spontaneous loving service of the Lord. After hearing Srila Ramananda Raya recite some verses, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the principle of pure devotional service devoid of all the kinds of speculation. After this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Ramananda Raya to explain the higher platform of devotional service. Then Srila Ramananda Raya explained unalloyed devotional service, love of Godhead, serving the Lord with pure servitude as well as in fraternity and parental love. Finally he spoke of serving the Lord in conjugal love. He then spoke of how conjugal love can be developed in various ways. This conjugal love attains its highest perfection in Srimati Radharani's love for Krsna. He next described the position of Srimati Radharani and the transcendental mellows of love of God. Srila Ramananda Raya then recited one verse of his own concerning the platform of ecstatic vision, technically called prema-vilasa-vivarta. Srila Ramananda Raya also explained that all stages of conjugal love can be attained through the mercy of the residents of Vrndavana, especially by the mercy of the gopis. All these subject matters were thus vividly described. Gradually Ramananda Raya could understand the position of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited His real form, Ramananda Raya fell unconscious. After some days, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Ramananda Raya to retire from government service and come to Jagannatha Puri. These descriptions of the meetings between Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are taken from the notebook of Svarūpa Damodara Gosvami.
(More...) Unless one has attained the highest standard of life, one cannot return home, back to Godhead. One may be a sūdra, vaisya or woman, but if he is situated in the service of the Lord in Krsna consciousness, he should not be considered stri, sūdra, vaisya or one lower than a sūdra. A person engaged in the Lord's service-though from a lowborn family-should never be considered to belong to a lowborn family. The Padma Purana forbids: viksate jati-samanyat/ sa yati narakam dhruvam. A person goes to hell quickly when he considers a devotee of the Lord in terms of birth. Although Sri Ramananda Raya supposedly took birth in a sūdra family, he is not to be considered a sūdra, for he was a great advanced devotee. Indeed, he was on the transcendental platform. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore embraced him. Out of spiritual humility, Sri Ramananda Raya presented himself as a sūdra (raja-sevi visayi sūdradhama). Even though one may engage in government service or in any other pound-shilling-pence business-in short, in materialistic life-he need only take to Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness is a very simple process. One need only chant the holy names of the Lord and strictly follow the principles forbidding sinful activity. In this way one can no longer be considered an untouchable, a visayi or a sūdra. One who is advanced in spiritual life should not associate with nondevotees-namely men in government service and men engaged in materialistic activity for sense gratification or in the service of others. Such men are considered visayi, materialistic. It is said:
(More...) After rejection of this fifth proposal, Ramananda Roy said that devotional service without any attempt at cultivation of knowledge or mental speculation is the highest stage of perfection. In this connection he gave evidence from Srimad Bhagwatam, Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, in which Lord Brahma says to the Supreme Personality of Godhead: "My dear Lord, one should give up monistic speculation and the cultivation of knowledge altogether. He should begin his spiritual life in devotional service by receiving the information of the activities of the Lord from a realized devotee of the Lord. If one prosecutes his spiritual cultivation by following these-two principles and keeping himself rightly in the honest path of living, then, although Your Lordship is never conquerable You become conquered by him by such a process."
(More...) Show noteSo this Krsna consciousness movement is that it is giving immediate lift to everyone to come to the transcendental platform, brahma-bhūyaya kalpate. But general state is varnasrama-dharma. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He was discussing with Ramananda Raya, He first of all said, "What is the aim of life?" Caitanya Mahaprabhu asking. So Ramananda Raya replied that "First of all to begin this varnasrama dharma." So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, eho bahya, age kaha ara [Cc Madhya 8.59]: "Yes, this is all right. But this is external. If you know something better, please tell Me." So in this way, step by step, Caitanya Mahaprabhu... This varna, asrama, dharma, karma-tyaga, karma-sannyasa and karma-misra-bhakti, jnana-misra-bhakti-everything was described by Ramananda Raya, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu not rejected; He said, "It is all right, but if you know something better..." Then at last, when Ramananda said... [aside:] Stop it. When Ramananda said that, quoting one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, sthane sthitaḥ sruti-gatam tanu-vah-manobhiḥ [SB 10.14.3], that it doesn't matter what you are; you remain in your post. Sthane sthitaḥ sruti-gatam. Through the oral reception if you hear about Krsna, then you become perfect. That is the statement.
(More...) My Dear Ishandas, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 28, 1969, and I have noted the contents. I am pleased to note that you are working very enthusiastically in Krishna Consciousness. Your idea of a small handbook for new devotees is nice, and you may do it conveniently. Be sure to include such important items as the ten offenses to avoid in chanting and the qualifications of a devotee. When this book is completed I shall inspect it and return it to you for printing and add any suggestions I may have. I am also pleased to learn that you are taking charge of overhauling the physical set-up of the Montreal temple. Our first business however is always Sankirtan, and as Hansadutta has informed me that you were having some troubles with the police because they were not allowing collecting, I have given a suggestion of how to overcome this difficulty. So you may consult with him on this point and do the needful. I have not yet received the constitution notes back from Janardan so if you see him please remind him to send them as soon as possible. It is very encouraging to note that there are four new-comers living in the temple, and this is a proof that you are doing nicely there. Actually if we simply keep ourselves Krishna Conscious, chanting our prescribed rounds and following the regulative principles, then automatically the sincere souls who we come in contact with will automatically be attracted. This is because we are not bluffing anyone, and if some one is seriously after perfecting himself in spiritual life, then surely he will agree with all of our principles and he will wish to join us. Other so-called yoga societies in this country are actually offering only nonsense or forms of sense gratification, but such material activities will not sufficiently attract one who is serious about real spiritual life. Real spiritual life means acting in our constitutional position of the eternal servants of the Lord, so we must offer this sublime science of Bhagavad Gita to the population at large, and those who are actually serious will take advantage. Try to reach as many of such sincere souls as possible through your Sankirtan Party. This will be the greatest service you can render to Krishna and to your fellow men. Krishna has given you good ability and intelligence, so now you must continue to utilize them fully in Krishna's service. (More...) In the Twelfth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead is asked by His disciple Arjuna, "Which form of worship is more perfect, devotional service unto Your Personal Form, or deliberation on Your impersonal unmanifested effulgence?" The Lord clearly declares, "He whose mind is fixed on My Personal Form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be most perfect." He further states, "For those whose minds are attached to the non-manifested, impersonal Feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that unmanifested discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied." Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta elaborates on this point as follows: "It is very difficult for the embodied individual to simply theoretically understand that he is not the body. Therefore the Bhakti-yogi accepts the Deity of Krishna as worshipable because there is some bodily conception fixed in the mind of everyone, which can be applied. Of course, worship of the Supreme Lord in His Form within the temple is not idol worship. The Form of the Lord even in the material qualities, such as when made of stone, wood, or oil paint, is not actually material. That is the Absolute Nature of the Supreme Lord.
(More...) The spiritual master is eternally perfect, and his self is Lord Sri Krsna's very self in the sense that the self of the spiritual master is in perfect harmony with the Supreme Self. It may here be recalled that Krsna is the Self in the hearts of all: "I am the Self, O conqueror of sleep, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings." (Bg. 10.20) Although Sri Krsna is the Self seated in the hearts of all living entities throughout the entire creation, He exists independent of them. "In My transcendental form I pervade all this creation. All things are resting in Me, but I am not in them. Again, everything that is created does not rest on Me. Behold My mystic opulence: Although I am the maintainer of all living entities, and although I am everywhere, still My Self is the very source of creation." (Bg. 9.4-5) This is the sublime philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva: the Lord is simultaneously, inconceivably one with all living entities and yet different from them. Srila Prabhupada, in a letter to a disciple, explained this philosophy very clearly: "Just as fire and heat cannot be separate and in one sense both can be called fire, still heat is not fire. Another example, electricity and the powerhouse; although practically one and the same, still the powerhouse is not electricity. On the whole, the power and the powerful, although sometimes indistinguishable, still are different. That is the philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva propounded by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As such, the spiritual master is the Mercy Representative of Krsna. As Mercy Representative, he is worshiped by the disciples as Krsna, but at the same time he is not identical with Krsna. Sometimes it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna is the Master Krsna, whereas the spiritual master is the Servant Krsna. As it is said by Svarūpa Damodara Gosvami, Radha and Krsna are one, still, in order to serve, Krsna's pleasure potency, Radharani, appears separately. Therefore the conclusion is that the spiritual master as Servant Krsna is always respected as good as Krsna, but he is never identified with Krsna, which is Mayavadi philosophy." (Srila Prabhupada, letter, 8/29/70) Although Lord Sri Krsna is the Self seated in the hearts of all, all creatures are not accepted as spiritual masters because they are not always in harmony with the Supreme Self. There are degrees of perfection involved. The bona fide spiritual master is known as nitya-siddha, and the conditioned living entities are known as nitya-baddha. "Persons who have achieved eternal, blissful life exactly on the level of Sri Krsna, and who are able to attract Lord Krsna by their transcendental loving service, are called eternally perfect. The technical name is nitya-siddha. There are two classes of living entities-namely, nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. The distinction is that the nitya-siddhas are eternally Krsna conscious without any forgetfulness, whereas the nitya-baddhas, or eternally conditioned souls, are forgetful of their relationship with Krsna. The position of the nitya-siddhas is explained in the Padma Purana in connection with the narration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Satyabhama Devi. The Lord tells Satyabhama: 'My dear Satyabhama Devi, I have descended to this earthly planet by the request of Lord Brahma and other demigods. Those who are born into this family of Yadu are all My eternal associates. My dear wife, you should not consider that My associates are ever separated from Me; they are My personal expansions, and almost as powerful as I am. Because of their transcendental qualities, they are very, very dear to Me, as I am very, very dear to them.' " (NOD 211-212) The spiritual master is certainly a nitya-siddha, but one who claims the spiritual master to be Lord Krsna Himself is committing a great offense. "As is stated in the Bhagavad-gita by the Lord Himself, His birth, deeds and activities are all transcendental. Similarly, the birth, deeds and activities of the associates of the Lord are also transcendental. And, as it is an offense to consider oneself to be Krsna, so it is offensive to consider oneself to be Yasoda, Nanda, or any other associate of the Lord. We should always remember that they are transcendental; they are never conditioned souls. It is described that Krsna, the enemy of Kamsa, has sixty-four transcendental qualities, and all of the ever-liberated souls who accompany the Lord have the first fifty-five of the qualities, without any doubt. Such devotees are related to the Supreme Personality in any of five transcendental mellows-namely, neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parenthood and conjugal love. These relationships with the Lord are eternal, and therefore nitya-siddha devotees do not have to strive to attain the perfectional stage by executing regulative devotional principles. They are eternally qualified to serve Krsna." (NOD, 213)
(More...) We are not so naive as to suggest that God needs our food, but we are suggesting that we need God to bless the energy of our hands and thus to sustain us by means of daily bread. He does this by accepting and eating the food which we prepare and offer to Him, and then giving it back to us in the form of prasadam. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says: "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it. O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me." (Bg. 9.26-27) Of course, He doesn't need food; He is supreme, absolute. He is full of all opulences, namely, wealth, fame, beauty, strength, knowledge and renunciation. He is never in need or want of anything. Still, He asks His devotee to offer Him these simple fruits of the earth. The key word is devotion. Twice it is used: "If in full devotion a pure devotee offers a little leaf, a little flower, a little fruit with a little water, because he offers it with great devotion, the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts them and eats them." So it is not as if the Lord were in need of something; He is fully satisfied in Himself. Indeed, He is everything. So whatever we are offering Him, be it a grain or a fruit, is already His; it is not, and never was, "ours." But out of His causeless mercy, He is so kind to His devotees that any small offering given in devotion He accepts and eats. The Lord is not hungry for our food but for our hearts; He is not wanting for our substance but for our consciousness, our love, our union.
(More...) Avatara-literally means "one who descends." A partially or fully empowered incarnation of the Lord who descends from the spiritual sky to the material universe with a particular mission described in scriptures; When Krsna descends from the world of spirit into the world of matter, His appearance here is called avatara. The Sanskrit term avatara (one who descends) is often rendered into English as incarnation. It is wrong, however, to think that Krsna incarnates in a body made of physical elements. The Seventh and Eighth Chapters of Bhagavad-gita distinguish at length between the material nature (apara-prakrti), visible as the temporary substances of earth, water, fire, air and ethereal space, and God's own spiritual nature (para-prakrti), which is invisible (avyakta), eternal (sanatana) and infallible (aksara). When the Lord descends, by His mercy the invisible becomes visible. As He Himself states in Bg. 4.6, I descend by My own nature, appearing in My form of spiritual energy (prakrtim svam adhisthaya sambhavamy atma-mayaya). In Bg. 4.9 He declares, janma karma ca me divyam, My appearance and activities are divine. God has many avataras. But of all of them, that form described in Bg. 11.50 as the most beautiful (saumya-vapu) is His own original form (svakam rūpam). This is the eternal form of Sri Krsna, the all-charming lotus-eyed youth whose body is the shape of spiritual ecstasy. SB 1.3.28 confirms that Krsna is the original form of Visnu: ete camsa-kalaḥ pumsaḥ krsnas tu bhagavan svayam indrari-vyakulam lokam mrḍayanti yuge yuge, which means, All of the incarnations of Visnu listed in the scriptures are expansions of the Lord. Lord Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead. All avataras appear in the world whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists. The Srimad-Bhagavatam also provides us with the authorized list of scheduled incarnations of Godhead, of whom the Dasavatara (ten avataras) are particularly celebrated. The ten are 1) Matsya (the Lord's form of a gigantic golden fish), 2) Kūrma (the turtle), 3) Varaha (the boar), 4) Sri Nrsimha (the half-man, half-lion form), 5) Parasurama (the hermit who wields an ax), 6) Vamana (the small brahmana boy), 7) Sri Ramacandra (the Lord of Ayodhya), 8) Sri Baladeva (Lord Krsna's brother), 9) Buddha (the sage who cheated the atheists), and 10) Kalki (who will depopulate the world of all degraded, sinful men at the end of the present Age of Kali). There are two broad categories of avataras. Some, like Sri Krsna, Sri Rama and Sri Nrsimha, are Visnu-tattva, i.e. direct forms of God Himself, the source of all power. Others are individual souls (jiva-tattva) who are empowered by the Lord in one or more of the following seven ways: with knowledge, devotion, creative ability, personal service to God, rulership over the material world, power to support planets, or power to destroy rogues and miscreants. This second category of avatara is called saktyavesa. Included herein are Buddha, Christ and Muhammed. The Mayavadis think that form necessarily means limitation. God is omnipresent, unlimited and therefore formless, they argue. When He reveals His avatara form within this world, that form, being limited in presence to a particular place and time, cannot be the real God. It is only an indication of God. But the fact is that it is not God's form that is limited. It is only the Mayavadis' conception of form that is limited, because that conception is grossly physical. God's form is of the nature of supreme consciousness. Being spiritual, it is called sūksma, most subtle. There is no contradiction between the omnipresence of something subtle and its having form. The most subtle material phenomena we can perceive is sound. Sound may be formless (as noise) or it may have form (as music). Because sound is subtle, its having form does not affect its ability to pervade a huge building. Similarly, God's having form does not affect His ability to pervade the entire universe. Since God's form is finer than the finest material subtlety, it is completely inappropriate for Mayavadis to compare His form to gross hunks of matter. Because they believe God's form is grossly physical, Mayavadis often argue that any and all embodied creatures may be termed avataras. Any number of living gods are being proclaimed within India and other parts of the world today. Some of these gods are mystics, some are charismatics, some are politicians, and some are sexual athletes. But none of them are authorized by the Vedic scriptures. They represent only the mistaken Mayavadi idea that the one formless unlimited Truth appears in endless gross, physical human incarnations, and that you and me and I and he are therefore all together God. And since each god has a different idea of what dharma is, the final truth, according to Mayavada philosophy, is that the paths of all gods lead to the same goal. This idea is as unenlightened as it is impractical. When ordinary people proclaim themselves to be God, and that whatever they are doing is Vedic dharma, that is called dharmasya glaniḥ, a disturbance to eternal religious principles. Therefore Krsna came again, 500 years ago, as the Golden Avatara, Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He established the yuga-dharma, the correct form of sanatana-dharma for our time (sahkirtana). Lord Caitanya's appearance was predicted in SB 11.5.32: In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by congregational chanting of the holy names of God. See Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krsna.
(More...) The facts which I have disclosed to you cannot be understood by materialistic people. When they hear of this, they will simply laugh at Me. You can understand this yourself and keep it to yourself. The Lord, being thus unapproachable by any material assets, out of unbounded and causeless mercy descends on the earth as He is in order to show His special mercy upon His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges of the demoniac persons. Queen Kunti specifically adores the incarnation or descent of Lord Krsna above all other incarnations because in this particular incarnation He is more approachable. In the Rama incarnation He remained a king's son from His very childhood, but in the incarnation of Krsna, although He was son of a king, He at once left the shelter of His real father and mother (King Vasudeva and Queen Devaki) just after His appearance and went to the lap of Yasodamayi to play the part of an ordinary cowherd boy in the blessed Vrajabhūmi, which is very sanctified because of His childhood pastimes. Therefore Lord Krsna is more merciful than Lord Rama. He was undoubtedly very kind to Kunti's brother Vasudeva and the family. Had He not become the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, Queen Kunti could not claim Him to be her nephew and thus address Krsna in parental affection. But Nanda and Yasoda are more fortunate because they could relish the Lord's childhood pastimes, which are more attractive than all other pastimes. There is no parallel to His childhood pastimes as exhibited at Vrajabhūmi, which are the proto types of His eternal affairs in the original Krsnaloka described as the cintamani-dhama in the Brahma-samhita. Lord Sri Krsna descended Himself at Vrajabhūmi with all His transcendental entourage and paraphernalia. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore confirmed that no one is as fortunate as the residents of Vrajabhūmi, and specifically the cowherd girls who dedicated their everything for the satisfaction of the Lord. His pastimes with Nanda and Yasoda and His pastimes with the cowherd men and especially with the cowherd boys and the cows have caused Him to be known as Govinda. Lord Krsna as Govinda is more inclined to the brahmanas and the cows, indicating thereby that human prosperity depends more on these two items, namely brahminical culture and cow protection. Lord Krsna is never satisfied where these are lacking.
(More...) Srimad-Bhagavatam is recognized Vedic wisdom, and the system of receiving Vedic knowledge is called avaroha-pantha, or the process of receiving transcendental knowledge through bona fide disciplic succession.For advancement of material knowledge there is the need for personal capacity and researching aptitude, but in the case of spiritual knowledge, all progress depends more or less on the mercy of the spiritual master. The spiritual master must be satisfied with the disciple; only then is knowledge automatically manifest before the student of spiritual science. It should not, however, be misunderstood to be something like magical feats whereby the spiritual master acts like a magician and injects spiritual knowledge into his disciple, as if surcharging him with an electrical current. The bona fide spiritual master reasonably explains everything to the disciple on the authorities of Vedic wisdom. The disciple can receive such teachings not exactly intellectually, but by submissive inquiries and a service attitude. The idea is that both the spiritual master and the disciple must be bona fide. In this case, the spiritual master, Sukadeva Gosvami, is ready to recite exactly what he has learned from his great father Srila Vyasadeva, and the disciple, Maharaja Pariksit, is a great devotee of Lord Krsna. A devotee of Lord Krsna is he who believes sincerely that by becoming a devotee of the Lord one becomes fully equipped with everything spiritual. This teaching is imparted by the Lord Himself in the pages of the Bhagavad-gita, in which it is clearly described that the Lord (Sri Krsna) is everything, and to surrender unto Him solely and wholly makes one the most perfectly pious man. This unflinching faith in Lord Krsna prepares one to become a student of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and one who hears Srimad-Bhagavatam from a devotee like Sukadeva Gosvami is sure to attain salvation at the end, as Maharaja Pariksit did. The professional reciter of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the pseudo-devotees whose faith is based on one week's hearing are different from the duo of Sukadeva Gosvami and Maharaja Pariksit. Srila Vyasadeva explained Srimad-Bhagavatam unto Sukadeva Gosvami from the very beginning of the "janmadyasya" verse, and so Sukadeva Gosvami also explained it to the King. Lord Krsna is described as the Mahapurusa in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (Canto 11) in His devotional feature as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Lord Krsna Himself in His devotional attitude, descended on earth to bestow special favors upon the fallen souls of this age of Kali. There are two verses particularly suitable to offer as prayers to this Mahapurusa feature of Lord Krsna.
(More...) The words used in this connection in the Srimad-Bhagavatam [10.29.1] are bhagavan api. This means that although Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has no desire that needs to be fulfilled because He is always full with six opulences. Yet He wanted to enjoy the company of the gopis. Bhagavan api signifies that this is not like the ordinary dancing of young boys and young girls. The specific word used in the Srimad-Bhagavatam is yogamayam upasritaḥ, which means that this dancing with the gopis is on the platform of yogamaya, not mahamaya. The dancing of young boys and girls within this material world is in the kingdom of mahamaya, or the external energy. The rasa dance of Krsna with the gopis is on the platform of yogamaya. The difference between the platform of yogamaya and mahamaya is compared in the Caitanya-caritamrta to the difference between gold and iron. From the viewpoint of metallurgy, gold and iron are both metals, but the quality is completely different. Similarly, although the rasa dance and Lord Krsna's association with the gopis appear like the ordinary mixing of young boys and girls, the quality is completely different. The difference is appreciated by great Vaisnavas because they can understand the difference between love of Krsna and lust.
(More...) In all the Vedas the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities are stated to be of the same quality-caitanya, or spiritual. This is also confirmed in the Padma Purana, wherein it is said that there are two kinds of spiritual entities; one is called the jiva, and the other is called the Supreme Lord. Beginning from Lord Brahma down to the ant, all living entities are jivas, whereas the Lord is the Supreme four-handed Visnu or Janaradana. The word atma can be applied only to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but because the living entities are His parts and parcels, sometimes the word atma is applied to them also. The living entities are therefore called jivatma, and the Supreme Lord is called Paramatma. Both the Paramatma and jivatma are within this material world, and therefore this material has a purpose other than sense gratification. The conception of a life of sense gratification is illusion, but the conception of service by the jivatma to the Paramatma, even in this material world, is not at all illusory. A Krsna conscious person is fully aware of this fact, and thus he does not take this material world to be false, but acts in the reality of transcendental service. The devotee therefore sees everything in this material world as an opportunity to serve the Lord. He does not reject anything as material, but dovetails everything in the service of the Lord. Thus a devotee is always in the transcendental position, and everything that he uses becomes spiritually purified by being used in the service of the Lord.
(More...) Lord Chaitanya replied, "It is the nature of highly elevated devotees to see Krishna in everything. Whenever they see anything, they do not see the form of that particular thing, but they see Krishna." This is confirmed in Srimad Bhagwatam, Eleventh Canto, 2nd Chapter: that a person who is highly elevated in devotional service sees the Supersoul, Krishna, Who is the Soul of all individual souls. A similar passage is found in the Tenth Canto, 35th Chapter, in which it is stated that all the creepers, plants and trees, full with flowers and fruits, were bent over on account of the ecstasy of love for Krishna, because Krishna was the Soul of their soul; and those trees and plants, after Krishna manifested before them, were growing thorny.
(More...) Lord Chaitanya then continued to speak, addressing Ramananda: "You have the highest conception of the Pastimes of Radha and Krishna, and you are therefore seeing Radha Krishna everywhere."
(More...) Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 21, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very pleased to learn that you have been nicely assisting Rupanuga, and now the Buffalo center is gradually becoming very successful. It is very encouraging. It is a fact that wherever we go, if we simply let the people hear our chanting and if we repeat what we have heard from the bona fide Spiritual Master, then surely many, many sincere souls will become attracted to our movement. This is because Krishna Consciousness is lying dormant in every living entity, just like fire is dormant within a match. If we simply strike the match, then the fire within will come in blazing light. Our method of striking the match is Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. This vibration is sufficient to awaken the sleeping spirit soul to the fact that Krishna is there, and if we try to remember Him always and spread His message of Bhagavad-gita, then our life becomes perfect and we are perfectly executing our position as part and parcel of the Lord. So if you let all the residents of Buffalo hear the sound of Hare Krishna and read our literatures, then there will be the greatest all-around benefit. This past weekend in San Francisco there was a gigantic Rathayatra Ceremony just on the order of the one held at Jagannatha Puri, and at least 10,000 people were chanting and dancing along with us in full transcendental ecstasy. The boys and girls of America are generally good souls, that is why they have taken birth in such a nice country, and now they should make perfect all of their opulences by engaging everything in Krishna Consciousness. This will be the finishing touch for all the nice qualities found in the American people. In New York I understand that they have sold 3,000 copies of BTG in just two weeks, and I understand that in Buffalo you are also selling BTG very nicely. So please continue in this way and your success in life is assured. As Krishna sees that you are working very seriously to bring His other children back to the Spiritual Kingdom, then He will become very pleased and will bestow all blessings upon you. Krishna is never ungrateful for our efforts to serve Him, rest assured. Regarding your question about Bhava Shakti developing into Prema, this is covered in our book, Nectar of Devotion, and there is no necessity for you to trouble yourself over such advanced topics at the present time.
(More...) The cheerfulness of Lord Caitanya in relishing the above statements by Ramananda Raya is the proof that they are the highest standard of transcendental expression. Therefore, readers should be careful not to bring these topics down to a level of mundane affairs.Ramananda Raya continued to explain that by a critical study of the above two slokas we can know that the rasa-lila is performed in the company of innumerable cowherd girls, but, in spite of this, the Personality of Godhead prefers to remain specifically with Srimati Radharani. Knowing this, a devotee's heart becomes swollen with transcendental joy, which may be compared to a mine of nectar.
(More...) While sitting and chanting, the Lord saw that the governor of the province, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, had reached the banks of the river accompanied by his associates, which included many brāhmaṇas. On His return to Puri, all the anxious devotees of the Lord got back their life, and the Lord remained there with continued pastimes of His transcendental realizations. The most important incidence during that time was His granting audience to King Prataparudra. King Prataparudra was a great devotee of the Lord, and he considered himself to be one of the servants of the Lord entrusted with sweeping the temple. This submissive attitude of the King was very much appreciated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The King requested both Bhattacarya and Raya to arrange his meeting with the Lord. When, however, the Lord was petitioned by His two stalwart devotees, He flatly refused to grant the request, even though it was put forward by personal associates like Ramananda Raya and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. The Lord maintained that it is dangerous for a sannyasi to be in intimate touch with worldly money conscious men and with women. The Lord was an ideal sannyasi. No woman could approach the Lord even to offer respects. Women's seats were accommodated far away from the Lord. As an ideal teacher and acarya, He was very strict in the routine work of a sannyasi. Apart from being a divine incarnation, the Lord was an ideal character as a human being. His behavior with other persons was also above suspicion. In His dealing as acarya, He was harder than the thunderbolt and softer than the rose. One of His associates, Junior Haridasa, committed a great mistake by lustfully glancing at a young woman, and the Lord as Supersoul could detect this just in the mind of Junior Haridasa. He was at once banished from His association and was never accepted again, even though He was implored to excuse Haridasa for the mistake. Junior Haridasa afterwards committed suicide due to being disassociated from the company of the Lord, and the news of suicide was duly related to the Lord. Even at that time the Lord was not forgetful of the offense, and He said that Haridasa had rightly met with the proper punishment.
(More...) When Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya tried his best to arrange a meeting between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and King Prataparudra, the Lord flatly denied his request. At this time Sri Ramananda Raya returned from his governmental post, and he praised King Prataparudra highly in Lord Caitanya's presence. Because of this, the Lord became a little soft. The King also made promises to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, who hinted how the King might meet the Lord. During Anavasara, while Lord Jagannatha was resting for fifteen days, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being unable to see Lord Jagannatha, went to Alalanatha. Later, when the devotees from Bengal came to see Him, He returned to Jagannatha Puri. While Advaita Acarya and the other devotees were coming to Jagannatha Puri, Svarūpa Damodara and Govinda, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's two personal assistants, went to receive all the devotees with garlands. From the roof of his palace, King Prataparudra could see all the devotees arriving. Gopinatha Acarya stood on the roof with the King, and, following Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya's instructions, identified each and every devotee. The King discussed the devotees with Gopinatha Acarya, and he mentioned that the devotees were accepting prasada without observing the regulative principles governing pilgrimages. They accepted prasada without having shaved, and they neglected to fast in a holy place. Nonetheless, the King arranged residential quarters for all the devotees and saw to their prasada. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu talked very happily with Vasudeva Datta and other devotees. Haridasa Thakura also came, and due to his humble and submissive attitude, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him a nice solitary place near the temple. After this, the Lord began performing sahkirtana, dividing all the devotees into four divisions. After sahkirtana, all the devotees left for their residential quarters.
(More...) When one takes ksetra-sannyasa, he leaves his household life and goes to a place of pilgrimage devoted to Lord Visnu. Such places include Purusottama (Jagannatha Puri), Navadvipa-dhama and Mathura-dhama. The ksetra-sannyasi lives in these places alone or with his family. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura considers ksetra-sannyasa to be the preferable vanaprastha situation in this age of Kali. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya lived in this way, and he has been called a ksetra-sannyasi-that is, a sannyasi living in Jagannatha Puri.
(More...) After visiting the temple of Jiayar Nrishingha, the Lord proceeded farther south into India, and ultimately He reached the bank of the Gudabudee. On the bank of the Gudabudee the Lord remembered the Yamuna of Vrindaban, and the nice trees on the bank were considered by Him the forest of Vrindaban; so He was in ecstasy there. After taking His bath on the bank of the Gudabudee, the Lord was sitting a little off from the bank and was chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Sitting in that way, the Lord saw that the governor of the province, Sri Ramananda Roy, had reached the bank of the river accompanied by his associates, many Brahmins, and a band party. The Lord had asked about Ramananda Roy, the governor of this province, from Sarbabhouma Bhattacharya, and the Lord was requested by Sarbabhouma Bhattacharya to see the great devotee Ramananda Roy at Kabur.
(More...) India has always been known as a holy land long before the advent of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who originated the Hare Krsna movement 500 years ago. Lord Ramacandra, who was the incarnation of the Supreme Lord in the role of the perfect king, actually walked on this land millions of years ago when it extended as the kingdom of the whole world. His activities are recounted in the Ramayana, which is accepted by all transcendental authorities as authentic scripture. The most pious and learned devotees of the Lord have resided in India and taught there. The appearance of the incarnation of Lord Buddha was foretold in the First Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Chapter Three, verse 24, written 2,000 years before Buddha's birth: "In the beginning of the Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, for the purpose of deluding persons envious of the faithful theist." India is therefore the land where the religion of Buddhism sprang forth. For his special mission, Lord Buddha rejected the Vedas, and therefore the authority of the scriptures had to be reaffirmed. This was done by the great spiritual master Sahkaracarya, who drove Buddhism from the land of India by his brilliant explanations based on the Vedic literature. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam Lord Krsna is Himself the source of all the incarnations. The self-same Lord Krsna appeared in His original form, also on Indian soil, 5,000 years ago when He exhibited full-fledged activities as the Personality of Godhead in the provinces of Vrndavana and Mathura. As it is said, God is great. The true vision of His pastimes and His greatness was then displayed to all living entities on this planet, and it is all recorded in the book Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It is even stated in a recent book called the Aquarian Gospel that Lord Jesus Christ declared by the New Testament of the Holy Bible to be the son of God, also spent some time in India and worshiped in Jagannatha Puri. India is naturally pious, and throughout the villages of India the people still remain God conscious. But this present age is an impious age. It can be checked only by dependence on the Lord and His devotees and by following the benediction of this age. The leaders of India have in recent history rejected the transcendental culture of the Vedas, which points out that everything is actually spiritual. This material world is simply temporary and is inherently miserable, due to birth, death, disease and old age. The human form of life is therefore meant for realizing God, even by working at one's occupation; the whole society has to aim at realization of God through its activities. Instead of following this path, called varnasrama-dharma, the Indians, influenced by the attraction of foreign city life, have rejected their original culture and tried to be happy by following the materialistic ways of the great countries of the West such as the United States. The danger in their rejecting this Krsna consciousness while in the human form of life is expressed in the Bhagavad-gita. One may slip down to the lower forms of life in the future births. We are all spiritual by nature, but we have become covered, like a mirror becomes covered by dust. Especially for this age, Lord Caitanya, the incarnation of Krsna who is appearing as a devotee in order to teach, has given a very simple method. Everyone should chant the holy name of God, and everyone can do it in any position of life. He has especially stated that anyone born in India has the responsibility to take up this chanting and spread it, and He has quoted scripture to state that there is no alternative for spiritual realization in this age than chanting the holy name of God. It is therefore concluded that spiritual life is urgently needed, and this method should be taken. It is very easy and is being taught by Krsna Himself, yet it has been rejected in India. By the line of disciplic succession, the Brahma-sampradaya has passed down this information; despite the corruption of the present age, it remains pure and intact. Since the incarnation of Lord Caitanya, the spiritual masters in this line are Rūpa Gosvami, Raghunatha, Jiva, Krsnadasa, Narottama, Visvanatha, Jagannatha, Bhaktivinode, Gaura Kisora, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and now His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although the teachings are intact, unfortunately the philosophers of the impersonal school have misinterpreted the Vedic philosophy to deny the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They have given all attention to the impersonal aspect and thus have wreaked havoc. This is not a theoretical disagreement on theology, but it concerns all humanity. If there is no understanding that God is the Supreme Person, then people in general are led to believe that there is no God, or they are told that if there is any spiritual existence at all, then this implies that every man is God, and that he can do as he likes, without worshiping the supreme authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the impersonal philosophy of the Absolute Truth there is no ultimate love. There is no reason to stay on the spiritual platform; therefore intoxication and sex life enter and take over, and both the impersonalist teachers and their students glide to the hellish path. There are real spiritual individualities and spiritual activities according to the Bhagavad-gita, but if one does not take to them then one must take to material individuality, which is temporary and leads to lower births. Seeking to become one with the Supreme in nirvana is not a substitute for the permanent positive happiness which the spirit soul is seeking. One has to engage in spiritual life in service of the Supreme Lord under the direction of a spiritual master, or else he must return to the material platform. Thus it is stated that in order to wipe out impersonalism and to present an easy to perform process of devotional service to the people in this age, Lord Caitanya appeared. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna states, "Just surrender to Me," but Lord Caitanya was even more merciful. His movement is simply joyful. His program is listening to Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, chanting Hare Krsna and feasting on prasadam (spiritual food). The Krsna consciousness movement is not a Hindu or national culture, but it is the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the father of all living entities. The attainment of the eternal, peaceful, happy state of loving service taught by Lord Caitanya can bring the solution to all the problems of life that has not been attained by technology, politics or modern science. Srila Prabhupada, on the order of his spiritual master, and due to the solid teachings of the order of his spiritual master, came to the United States in 1966 to teach this message. Due to Srila Prabhupada's all-attractive transcendental nature as spiritual master and due to the solid teachings of scriptures and the cleansing experience of chanting the mahamantra, and eating prasadam, spiritual foodstuffs, this message quickly gained support. Temples began opening here in the United States in 1966, and now, in 1970, with 50 temples open, when Srila Prabhupada returned to India his reception was overwhelmingly favorable.
(More...) Soon, Maharaja Prataparudra came to Jagannatha Puri from Kataka, along with his band of secretaries, ministers, and military officers. Also with him was one of his governors, Ramananda Raya. Ramananda had met Lord Caitanya on the Lord's tour of South India, and they had become close friends. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had asked Ramananda Raya to resign his post and join Him at Jagannatha Puri so that they could talk together every day about the activities of Lord Krsna and share their understanding. When Ramananda Raya arrived in Jagannatha Puri, he hurried with great anticipation to see Lord Caitanya. After they greeted each other, he said to the Lord, "I informed Maharaja Prataparudra of Your order. I said, 'Your majesty, I cannot continue my political activities. I desire only to stay at the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Kindly give me permission.' Upon hearing Your name, he immediately rose from his throne and embraced me. My dear Lord, as soon as the king heard Your holy name, he was overwhelmed by great ecstatic love. He granted me a full salary as a pension, and requested me to engage in Your service without anxiety. Then he humbly said, 'Because I am most fallen and abominable, I am unfit to receive an interview with the Lord. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, and service to Him makes life successful. He is very merciful, and I hope that he will allow me an interview in one of my future lives.' My Lord," said Ramananda Raya, "I don't think I have even a fraction of Maharaja Prataparudra's ecstatic love for You."
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