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What Śrīman Mahāprabhu Gave Is the Highest Benefaction 
 
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

(Translated into English for the first time)
 

Question 1: How will we attain service to Śrī Bhagavān?
 
Answer: The day we realize that śrī gurudeva – who is sevā-vigraha, the embodiment of service – is non-different from Śrī Caitanyadeva, we will obtain service to Śrī Gaurasundara. On that day we will obtain the fortune of performing confidential service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda. Only when we realize that the mahānta-gurudeva, or foremost of Vaiṣṇavas performing the function of guru, is a direct personal associate of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva, will the transcendental pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda manifest in our pure and spotless hearts.
 
 
Question 2: How will we understand the subject matter of Vaiṣṇava philosophy?
 
Answer: A person may be a great scholar or a great thinker, but until he accepts the shelter of an ācārya, whose character is the very emb

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Śrī Nāma-sevā in Śrī Dhāma 
 
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
 

Within this world, only those who attend to Śrī Bhagavān’s holy name (nāma), His abode (dhāma) and His desires (kāma) are truly worthy of adoration. No being can extricate himself from misunderstanding, which arises from māyā, without serving śrī nāma. The result of serving śrī nāma is that one will be freed from all forms of prejudice and will become settled in serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desires (kāma). And the result of serving śrī dhāma is that one will be freed from the clutches of the tremendously dangerous conception that “I am the Lord; God has no eternal name, form, qualities, pastimes, majesty and so on.” Then, by serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s kāma (desires), one will save oneself from the serious danger of selfish, sensual gratification. Thus freed from transient lust (kāma), one will become firmly established in serving the transcendental Kāmadeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as well as the Kāma-gāyat

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“I Will Gratify My Malice by Stopping the Course of the World”

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
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If we disregard, or ignore, the devotees of God for elevating ourselves, we will be cast into the prison of three dimensions and spring towards [our materiality’s] inflation instead of contraction.

“I will be good. I will be cured of my mundane desires. I will have real well-being.” This kind of judgement is proper. But it is not at all laudable to entertain thoughts to the contrary: “I will gratify my malice by stopping the course of the whole world.”

It is by no means proper to establish one’s superiority in opposition to the worshipfulness of God’s devotees. The path of hearing the transcendental word has been rendered devious because the text ahaṁ brahmāsmi has been misinterpreted [to mean, literally, “I am the Supreme Spirit.”]

I have listened to the true interpretation of this text at the lotus feet of my divine master, who said, “It is our eternal duty to chant

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According to Srila Prabhupada: ′′ At the present moment, this world is being administered by the raksas. The raksasas are human eaters who abort their own children (p. 41 Raja-Vidhya), ′′ and ′′ Currently, especially on this planet earth, the influence of Lord Brahma has decreased considerably, and the representatives of Hiranyakasipu - the Raksas and demons - have taken over. Therefore, there is no protection of bramanic culture and cows, which are the basic prerequisites for all types of good fortune. This era is very dangerous because society is being administered by demons and Raksasas ".
(Srimad Bhagavatam 7.3.13 
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We have no stock except chanting. But why do we talk of philosophy? Because
the fools want to talk of philosophy. Otherwise, there is no need of talking
philosophy. Simply by chanting, everything is complete.
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From Srila Prabhupada's lecture on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.39-47
-- San Francisco, February 1, 1967
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Utilize Every Moment to Attain True Well-being 
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

Śrī Bhagavān has said: “A truly intelligent person should shun evil company but seek the association of holy saints who, with their instructions, gnaw away the knot of our mind’s worldly attachments” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 11.26.26). This means that for our true well-being we should always accept the guidance of the true guru and not be misled by pseudo gurus. The guru never accepts preya-panthā, the path to pleasure, for he is a follower of śreya-panthā, the path to true well-being. And he instructs his disciples and others to walk along this real path as his own true guru instructed him. 

If a disciple asks the guru for permission to drink alcohol, the guru is sure to disapprove and never grant it. When the guru does not indulge the disciple in his prayer for the cravings of his mind, he might dismiss the guru. Such disciples accept only those gurus who are read

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Don't Choose a Mere Flatterer As Your Guru 
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
 

The sincere activities of the spiritual guru always tend to give permanent relief to his disciples. The guru aims at extending their knowledge of the Absolute and removing the foreign obstacles of double layers of dirt that cover that knowledge. 

In selecting a real and true guru, one should never aim for a mere flatterer, who lulls and encourages the wrong aptitudes of a disciple. The disciple’s submissive attitude and unconditional surrender to the All-love will evoke Bhagavān’s mercy, and He will kindly fulfil our prayer. The cogent but loving potency of the All-love will then operate on us, to pacify the turmoil arising out of our baneful activities. 

The preceptor will never let us fall into the extensive snare of māyā, as he has no ulterior motive to dissuade us from having sure access to transcendental treasures. He will show us – for our inspection or exa

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Online Edition

Year-14, Issue 5 • 29 June 2021

Rays of The Harmonist

Dedicated to nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja

Inspired by and under the guidance of nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

 

What is the Most Severe Nāma-aparādha? 
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
 

Question 1
How can one attain perfection within a single lifetime?

Answer: If one gives up one’s free will and fully surrenders to śrī gurudeva, and then performs bhajana without duplicity under his guidance, one will attain perfection within a single lifetime.


Question 2
By what means can one know Śrī Bhagavān?

Answer: One will have to hear with faith the kathā of Bhagavān coming from the lotus lips of śrī gurudeva. There is no way to know Śrī Bhagavān other than by whole-heartedly surrendering unto the lotus feet of śrī gurudeva. Onl

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'CRACKING NUTS WITH A SALAGRAM'
From 'Upakhyane Upadesa' by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur

A landlord once appointed a professional priest for regular offerings to his family Salagrama. The landlord used to arrange for the daily offering of some chestnuts for the satisfaction of Sri Narayana.

The priest accordingly used to take the chestnuts inside the Deity room and close the door as if he were going to offer them to the Deity. In fact the priest would use the Salagram as an ordinary stone, convenient for cracking the chestnuts. After cracking them with the Salagrama and keeping them on the sandalwood stone, he ate many of them even before offering.

In course of time, his mischief came to light and the landlord then threw him out by the neck.

PURPORT

Those who desire for some sense gratification with self-interest or for liberation without devotional service, or for women, wealth and prestige, usually take recourse to such hab

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Rays of The Harmonist

Dedicated to nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja

Inspired by and under the guidance of nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

 

The 26 Transcendental Qualities of Vaiṣṇavas
As Observed in my Śrī Gurupādapadma:
Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja

 
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedanta Vamāna Gosvami Mahārāja
 

 

An excerpt from the article “The 26th Year of Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā”

 

When Śrī Gurupādpadma was residing at the establishment of his guru Śrīla Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura – (guru-graha), several heretics also lived there. As guru-bhogīs they enjoyed the facilities provided by their guru [Śrīla Prabhupāda], and as guru-tyāgīs they did not pay heed to the life and precepts of their śrī guru. They even obstructed and hindered Śrī Gurupādpadma’s viśrambha-guru-sevā*. Still, he was akṛta-droha [

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Prabhupāda states:
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a Vaiṣṇava from the beginning; therefore, there was no need for him to undergo all the processes of the varṇāśrama institution. Ultimately the aim of varṇāśrama-dharma is to turn a crude man into a pure devotee of the Lord, or a Vaiṣṇava. Anyone, therefore, who becomes a Vaiṣṇava accepted by the first-class Vaiṣṇava, or uttama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava, is already considered a brāhmaṇa, regardless of his birth or past deeds. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted this principle and recognized Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura as the ācārya of the holy name, although Ṭhākura Haridāsa appeared in a Mohammedan family.
(SB 1.2.2 Purport)
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"There is no need by any of my disciples to read any books besides my books—in fact, such reading may be detrimental to their advancement in Krishna Consciousness. All reading of outside books, except in certain authorized cases such as for example to read some philosopher like Plato to make an essay comparing his philosophy with Krishna's philosophy—but otherwise all such outside reading should be stopped immediately. It is simply another botheration. If my students cannot even read my own books thoroughly, why they should read others? I have given you TLC, what need is there to read Caitanya Caritamrta translated by someone else. You are right to stop such reading."
(Srila Prabhupada's letter to: Sri Govinda—Jaipur 72-01-20)

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Srila Prabhupada - "If there is no chance of directly serving the spiritual master,
then the devotee does serve him by remembering his instructions only.
There is no difference between the spiritual master's instructions and the spiritual master himself."
 

We should always remember that a person who is reluctant to accept a spiritual master for initiation is sure to become baffled in his endeavour to go back to Godhead. Such person who is not properly initiated may present himself as a great devotee but in fact he is sure to encounter many many stumbling blocks on his way of progressive march towards spiritual realisation and the net result is that he has to continue the term of his material existence without any relief. Such helpless person is compared with a ship without a rudder as such a careless ship cannot reach her destination. It is imperative therefore to accept a spiritual master if at all anyone desires to gain the favour of the Lord. Service of the spiritual master is esse

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Srila Prabhupada explains the rasa dance of Lord Balarama

compiled by Yasoda nandana dasa

Lord Balarāma Visits Vṛndāvana

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Lord Balarāma became very anxious to see His father and mother, Mahārāja Nanda and Yaśodā. Therefore, He started for Vṛndāvana on a chariot with great enthusiasm. The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana had been anxious to see Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for a very long time. When Lord Balarāma returned to Vṛndāvana, all the cowherd boys and the gopīs had grown up; but still, on His arrival, they all embraced Him, and Balarāma embraced them in reciprocation. After this He came before Mahārāja Nanda and Yaśodā and offered His respectful obeisances unto them. In response, mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja offered their blessings unto Him. They addressed Him as Jagadīśvara, or the Lord of the universe who maintains everyone. The reason for this was that both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma maintain all living entities, and yet Nanda and Yaśodā were put into such difficulties on account of Their

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BG Chapters 1 - 6

The dust on the mirror refers to a cleansing process of the mirror of the mind by so many spiritual methods. The best process is to chant the holy names of the Lord.
BG 3.38, Purport: 

There are three degrees of covering of the living entity by which his pure consciousness is obscured. This covering is but lust under different manifestations like smoke in the fire, dust on the mirror, and the womb about the embryo. When lust is compared to smoke, it is understood that the fire of the living spark can be a little perceived. In other words, when the living entity exhibits his Kṛṣṇa consciousness slightly, he may be likened to the fire covered by smoke. Although fire is necessary where there is smoke, there is no overt manifestation of fire in the early stage. This stage is like the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The dust on the mirror refers to a cleansing process of the mirror of the mind by so many spiritual methods. The best process is to chant the holy names of

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Rays of The Harmonist

Dedicated to nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja

Inspired by and under the guidance of nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

 
Guru-tattva – Rādhā-tattva 
by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

Appearing in English for the first time


śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅga jayataḥ

 

Camp: 41 Theatre Road,

Kalikātā
1st of Āśvina, 1341

18th of September, 1934


Sneha-vigraheṣu (“personified object of my affection”),
 
I received your letter dated the 13th. You have invoked a conceptional whirlpool of apparent contradiction in regards to guru-tattva.
 
The destructible world is manifest from Bhagavān’s external potency (bahiraṅga-śakti), wherein the three modes are active. And the eternal realm is manifest from His internal potency (cit-śakti). There, the three śaktishlādinī, sandhinī and samvit 1 – are ac

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We Are Absolute Infinitesimals – Part One

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
 

A conversation with Mrs. Nora Morell from Germany
 

Part One

We should have firm faith in the Divinity. We are absolute infinitesimals, and we require association with the Absolute. If we express diffidence in doing so, we are likely to be entangled with the ephemeral matters of this world. Our friends stay with us for a few days only. At any moment, when death calls them, they will have to leave us. All that we do should tend towards association with the Divinity. We should not undertake any work for our temporary purposes. 

We are His dependents, and as we are infinitesimals, we require to have our final place in Him. We should carry out all of our activities for His purpose only. We should not think that we have anything else to do. Rather than behaving like ordinary people, we should take up the method of exclusively tending to Him,  serving Him with everythi

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Divine Amour – Part Two

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
 
 

Part Two

It is not necessary for Divinity to end the worldly sojourn of the conditioned soul to deliver him. That would be opposed to the purpose of divine descent. Just as Godhead becomes visible to the conditioned soul without being transformed into any object of this world, the conditioned soul is lifted to the plane of transcendence while continuing to appear mundane to the external vision of mundane spectators.

 

One, who has been given real vision of Divinity need no longer misunderstand the transcendental nature of service to Him. He is also in a position to render such service with his spiritual senses, but his activities continue to appear mundane to ignorant observers. Their mistake, however, can be rectified if they observe, with true humility, the activities of a real devotee. It cannot be corrected by any other method. The Supreme Lord chooses to manifest His appearanc

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"A horse is dead; what you will get by beating with whips? It is already dead. So there are big, big demons. Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was required to be killed by the nails of the Lord. He appeared as a ferocious lion. But here, the teeny demons, there is no need of nails or any sword. They are to be awakened simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa."
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.47
Type: Srimad-Bhagavatam
Date: April 2, 1976
Location: Vṛndāvana
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2Param Vijaya and Shankar Barmon
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Dhananjaya Pandita tirobhava tithi (disappearance day)
Sri Gadadhara dasa Goswami tIrobhava tithi
Sri Srinivasa acarya tirobhava tithi

Srila Prabhupada glorifies these exalted acaryas
compiled by Yasoda nandana dasa
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Sri Srinivasa acarya
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Books : Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 7: Lord Caitanya in Five Features : Adi 7.22 : PURPORT :
People generally cannot understand the actual meaning of chanting and dancing. Describing the Gosvāmīs, Śrī Śrīnivāsa Ācārya stated, kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau: not only did Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates demonstrate this chanting and dancing, but the six Gosvāmīs also followed in the next generation. The present Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement follows the same principle, and therefore simply by chanting and dancing we have received good responses all over the world. It is to be understood, however, that this chanting and dancing do not belong to this material world. They are actually transcendental activit
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