Just as it can be harder to show full compassion and patience, or love, when one is in physical pain, similarly, the soul in pain is less able to show surrendered heart and devotion, especially in earlier phases of sadhana and in human forms. That is why, when Krsna-conscious ecstasy is granted, the self is liberated, and makes permanent advancement as the inner knots of pain and karma relax. Healing takes place, one can be onesself, just like bodily pains reduce when one massages out the hurt or takes the right medicines. The spirit or true self is made of sat cit ananda, blissful sentient living knowledge, and can reattain the natural status. Chant Hare Krsna, Holy Christos, or as your teacher prescribes
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Therefore, we have to practice remembering the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day, by chanting His names and molding our life's activities in such a way that we can remember Him always.
How is this possible? The acaryas give the following example. If a married woman is attached to another man, or if a man has an attachment for a woman other than his wife, then the attachment is to be considered very strong. One with such an attachment is always thinking of the loved one. The wife who is thinking of her lover is always thinking of meeting him, even while she is carrying out her household chores. In fact, she carries out her household work even more carefully so her husband will not suspect her attachment. Similarly, we should always remember the supreme lover, Sri Krsna, and at the same time perform our material duties very nicely. A strong sense of love is required here. If we have a strong sense of love for the Supreme Lord, then we can discharge our duty and at the same time remember Him. But we have to develop that sense of love. Arjuna, for instance, was always thinking of Krsna; he was the constant companion of Krsna, and at the same time he was a warrior. Krsna did not advise him to give up fighting and go to the forest to meditate. When Lord Krsna delineates the yoga system to Arjuna, Arjuna says that the practice of this system is not possible for him. Srila Prabhupada’s introduction to Bhagavad Gita As It Is,1972 Macmillan original unrevised edition
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja's
Centennial Vyāsa-pūjā in 2021
Please visit gurudevamemories.com for the updated list of devotees' sweet remembrances of Śrīla Gurudeva. And if you have a significant memory yourself that will help others, please share it.
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Part 1 of a class on Manaḥ-śikṣā, Verse 1
given on 23 November 1993
Śrī Rūpa-Sanātana Gauḍīya Maṭha, Vṛndāvana
Appearing in English for the first time.
14 DECEMBER, 2020
Service performed to śrī guru is of two kinds: as a duty and not as a duty, due to it being performed with heartfelt anurāga (affection). In this verse, anurāga is being referred to, not duty. That indeed is known as viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā.
Now, properly understand how such service is performed. A sādhaka, who is niṣkapaṭa (free from duplicity), left his home and eventually met his gurujī. He received dīkṣā from him and gradually started receiving śikṣā also. He thus began to progress in bhajana, practising śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.23). Try to understand this thoroughly. He gave prominence to sādhana, or practising the nine limbs of bhakti. He used to offer praṇāma to gurujī in the morning, touch his feet, recite stava-stuti as per the custom, and at his utmost, offer flowers to his feet. This is ordinary service to guru.
Another type of service to śrī guru is as follows: “I’ll perform śravaṇa, kīrtana and other limbs of bhakti as a secondary preference, not as my primary preference. If, after performing service to gurujī, there is any time left, I'll sit in an assembly and hear hari-kathā, chant harināma, practise smaraṇaṁ and so forth. If there is no time left after serving him, I’ll do those activities later. Let me first serve gurujī.” This is the special kind of service to śrī guru.
“Yasya deve parā bhaktiḥ yathā deve tathā gurau – the bhakti one has for Śrī Kṛṣṇa is equal to one’s bhakti for śrī gurudeva.” This is the principle. In the preliminary stages, however, one should possess more bhakti for one’s guru than for Bhagavān. But the guru should be of that kind [a pure guru] and so should the disciple. Then that [equal devotion to Kṛṣṇa] happens naturally.
How did our Śrī Govinda serve Mahāprabhu? Viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā. This is how he served, and this is how service to guru should be done. This viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā is a special type of service to guru. At our current stage, it is not advised that we serve Kṛṣṇa only, as we haven’t yet developed that much of a relationship (sambandha) with Him. Śravaṇa, kīrtana and other limbs of bhakti are performed in relation to one’s worshipable object. Understand gurujī to be sarva-devamayo guruḥ (the embodiment of all the devas – Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.17.27). If one has niṣṭhā like this for guru, then bhakti will automatically manifest.
There are lākhas of examples of this. Kṛṣṇa and Sudama underwent so much hardship, observing which their guru blessed them, “May you perfectly master all [your lessons].” Even if they studied for thousands of years, they couldn’t have attained that much. Therefore, if one’s guru is an uttama-bhāgavata, all-capable, he can control Bhagavān due to his matured relationship with Him. Just by his desire, he can transmit bhakti from his heart into the heart of his disciple.
If one tries to perform service to such a guru independently and whimsically, it is not sevā. Understand the nature of the service you are performing to gurujī. Our Śrī Govinda, who is Mahāprabhu’s sevaka, performed sevā to his gurudeva – Mahāprabhu – so ardently, that he thinks, “Why does Svarūpa Dāmodara come and make Mahāprabhu cry all night?” Do you understand? Govinda was not a fool. He wrote a kārikā (doctrine in verse form), which is known as Govindajī’s kaḍacā (notebook). He was not foolish like we are. He could compose verses in Sanskrit. He penned-down Mahāprabhu’s pastimes in his kārikā, which Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī referred to, to write Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Therefore, what cannot be accomplished by guru-sevā alone? If one’s guru is of that kind [a pure guru], then, solely by performing service to him in this way, sarvaṁ siddhyati (all perfection is attained) by his mercy and all anarthas are removed. By guru-sevā only, it will be done. And those anarthas will never return. Guru gives sādhu-saṅga, speaks hari-kathā, and engages one in service to Bhagavān. By continually hearing hari-kathā [from him], all anarthas such as lust, anger, greed and the intoxication born of pride disappear completely. This is the significance of this special way of serving.
Translated by the Rays of The Harmonist team
"Whenever and wherever there is a decrease in real religion and an increase in irreligion, at those times I descend, again and again" - Lord Sri Krsna. So, this means that all bonafide religions come from Sri Krsna. Theists such as pagans, christians, hindus, vaisnavas, should cooperate. We are all on the same team, truth be told. This video is for the curious; it shows the sophisticated astronomy etc that comes to us from earlier Vedic ages, partially transferred to us today. Time and love are a long, long road. Hare Krsna.