Sakhya or Madhurya

Q & A with Swami B. V. Tripurari

"Despite the objective superiority of gopi-bhava, the venerable
Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami makes it clear the best rasa is the one
that is subjectively best for each devotee."

Q. While you believe that Srila Prabhupada is in sakhya-rasa, these
words from his commentary on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 11.31)
indicate to me that he must be in madhurya-rasa.

"There are different types of devotees--those in the santa-rasa
(neutrality), dasya-rasa (servitude), sakhya-rasa (friendship),
vatsalya-rasa (parental affection), and madhurya-rasa (conjugal love).
Although all the rasas are on the transcendental platform,
madhurya-rasa is the supreme transcendental mellow. Consequently, it is
concluded that the worship of devotees engaged in the Lord's service in
madhurya-rasa is the supreme spiritual activity. Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu and his followers mainly worship Lord Krishna in
madhurya-rasa. . . . It is he only who distributed love

Morning Walk
April 8, 1975, Māyāpur

Jayādvaita: ...names of Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master or the ācāryas have chanted them, but sometimes I'll hear that our devotees will be chanting Kṛṣṇa's name in different ways that I haven't heard, in kīrtana.
Prabhupāda: I do not follow what you say.
Jayādvaita: Just like sometimes we'll hear our men. They'll be chanting... Like yesterday I heard that someone was chanting, "Nitāi-Gaura, Nitāi-Gaura, Nitāi-Nitāi-Gaura." Like that, I'll hear different mantras. Someone is chanting: "Rādhe, Rādhe, Rādhe, Rādhe," like that, at kīrtana.
Prabhupāda: Well, that is not done by the ācāryas. But there is no harm chanting "Rādhe." But sometimes it is degraded to make something new, invention. Therefore better to stick to "Hare Kṛṣṇa" and to "Śrī-Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhupāda-Nityānanda." Otherwise... Just like the sahajiyās, they have invented: "Nitāi-Gaura Rādhe Śyāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Rāma." These things will come gradually. But they are not approved. They are ca

Morning Walk
—
(World War III)

—
April 4, 1975, Māyāpur
Rūpānuga: Intoxication.
Prabhupāda: ? Hm? These are old.
Rūpānuga: Technology.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rūpānuga: So many gadgets to...
Prabhupāda: Anthropomorphis... What is called? Anthropology.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: University of Avidyā.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (Chuckles) Right you are. Avidyāra bhore. Kota nidrā jāo māyā avidyāra bhore.
Pañcadraviḍa: Psychiatrists.
Prabhupāda: Yes. All Western adventure to keep people in darkness. And that is going on. Now it will be smashed by the next war. Next war will come very soon.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (Surprised) Oh!
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Next war...?
Prabhupāda: Your country, America, is very much eager to kill these Communists. And the Communists are also very eager. So very soon there will be war. And perhaps India will be the greatest sufferer.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Greatest...?
Devotees: Sufferer.
Srutakirti: Sufferer.
Prabhupāda: Because America is aiming to start the war from India.
Devotee: Oh!
Prabhupāda: Y

Sep 22, 2012 — CANADA (SUN) — By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, addressing Miss Maximiani at the Gaudiya Math, Calcutta, on June 29, 1935.

The Supreme Lord cannot be known through our intellectual efforts. Unless He gives us the power of knowing Him, we cannot know Him. It is His mercy. If He is not at all merciful to us, we won't be able, by our strenuous exertions, to approach Him. The thing is that we have to approach Him and He has to give us the facility of approaching Him. He is the Autocrat - He is the Despot - He has the fullest freedom. We cannot, by our flimsy little way of thinking and by any of our attempts, reach Him in any way.

So, craving is the only need in us by which we can surmount all there difficulties, the barriers and the impediments of these phenomena. The objective references of the reciprocated entities of our senses, will never disclose Him unless He is so lenient to show us that latitude as to be approachable by us. This is the only me

Sri Yudhishthira Maharaja asked of Lord Sri Krishna, "What is the name of that Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight (shukla paksha) of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September "Hrishikesha mase")? Who is the worshipable Deity for this Ekadasi, and what merit does one attain in observing it? Kindly reveal all of this to me my Lord."

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna addressed His devoted Yudhishthira as follows, "This Ekadasi, Oh Yudhishthira, is called Vamana Ekadasi, and it bestows upon those who observe it both great merit and ultimate liberation from material bondage. Therefore, because it removes all one's sinful reactions, it is also called Jayanti Ekadasi. Just hearing of its glories frees one from all his past misdeeds.

So auspicious is this fast that observing it bestows the same merit as that earned by performing a horse sacrifice. There is no better Ekadasi than this, because it awards liberation so easily. Thus if one truly desires freedom from t

Radha-Stuti

radha raseshvari ramya

rama cha paramatmanah

rasodbhava krishna-kanta

krishna-vaksha-sthala-sthita

"Beautiful Shrimate Radharani is the queen and the origin of the rasa dance. She is the giver of pleasure to Krishna, who is the Supersoul in the hearts of all. She is the lover of Krishna and is always situated upon the chest of the Lord."

krishna-pranadhidevi cha

maha-vishnoh prasur api

sarvadya vishnu-maya cha

satya nitya sanatani

"She is the presiding Deity of Krishna's very life, and She is the first of all persons, the energy of Lord Vishnu, the embodiment of truthfulness--eternal and ever-youthful."

brahma-svarupa parama

nirlipta nirguna para

vrinda vrindavane tvam cha

viraja-tata-vasini

"Her form is spiritual, therefore She is transcendental and beyond mundane qualities. She is divine energy and is unattached. O Radha, in Vrindavana You are the leader of the gopis, and You reside on the banks of the Viraja River."

goloka-vasini gopi

gopisha gopa-matrika

sananda paramananda

nanda-

Text One

jaya rādhe, jaya kṛṣṇa, jaya vṛndāvan
śrī govinda, gopīnātha, madana-mohan

All glories to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and the divine forest of Vṛndāvana! All glories to the three presiding Deities of Vṛndāvana—Śrī Govinda, Gopīnātha, and Madana-mohana!

Text Two

śyama-kunḍa, rādhā-kuṇḍa, giri-govardhan
kālindi jamunā jayav, jaya mahāvan

All glories to Śyāma-kuṇḍa and Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Govardhana Hill, and the Yamunā River (Kālindī)! All glories to the great forest known as Mahāvana, where Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma displayed Their childhood pastimes!

Text Three

keśī-ghāṭa, baṁśi-baṭa, dwādaśa-kānan
jāhā saba līlā koilo śrī-nanda-nandan

Glories to Keśī-ghāṭa, where Kṛṣṇa killed the Keśī demon! All glories to the Vaṁśī-vaṭa tree, to which Kṛṣṇa attracted all the gopīs by playing His flute! Glories to all twelve forests of Vraja! At these places the son of Nanda, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, performed His pastimes.

Text Four

śrī-nanda-jaśodā jaya, jaya gopa-gaṇ
śrīdāmādi jaya, jaya dhenu-vatsa-gaṇ

All glories to Kṛṣṇa’s father and m

Śrī Rādhāṣṭamī, The Day of Her Advent

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

The following discourse was delivered by Jagad-guru Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda in the Sārasvata assembly hall of Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha, on Śrī Rādhāṣṭamī evening, September 19, 1931

* * *

There is one person whose name is never mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And yet Bhāgavatam’s steadfast readers constantly nurture the ardent hope of becoming that person’s devout, one-pointed servant. May that person, who means everything to Śrī Bhagavān, kindly destroy our false ego in all its various forms and bestow upon us the shelter of Her lotus feet.

Today is the day of Her advent.

That personification of grand benevolence, having collected all varieties of graces from Śrī Bhagavān to bestow as gifts upon all beings, is eternally the foremost of the benevolent. May She descend within our hearts and make Her appearance there, and may Her advent be the concern of our worship.

His

Sri Lalita devi

Of the eight sakhis, Lalita-devi is the foremost. She is a very dear friend
of Radha-Krsna and she is 27 years old, older than  Srimati Radharani.

(Radha-Krsna-ganoddesa-dipika)

Lalitadevi is well-known for her contradictory and hot tempered nature. Her
complexion is the color of gorocana (bright yellow pigment prepared from the
urine of a cow) and her garments are the color of peacock feathers.

Her mother is Saradi-devi and her father is Visoka. Her husband is Bhairava
who is a close friend of Govardhana-gopa (husband of Candravali).

Rupa manjari (Rupa Goswami) is the assistant and follower of Lalita-sakhi;
thus all who consider themselves as Rupanuga bhaktas (followers of Rupa
Goswami) are ultimately the servants of lalita-devi and thus through the
media of the parampara should always be longing to engage in the service of
her lotus feet. When that day comes that we are able to please her, she will
engage us in the intimate loving service of Sri Sri radha-Krsna a

Jagamohan pari munda.. yau!

Let my head fall at the feet of Jagannatha in the kirtana hall known as Jagamohana.

Mushikavaahana modaka hastha,
Chaamara karna vilambitha sutra,
Vaamana rupa maheshwara putra,
Vighna vinaayaka paada namasthe

• O Lord Vinayaka! The remover of all obstacles, the son of Lord Shiva, with a form which is very short, with mouse as Thy vehicle, with sweet pudding in hand, with wide ears and long hanging trunk, I prostrate at Thy lotus-like Feet!

ganananh tva ganapatim havamahe kavim kavinam - upamashravastamam |
jyeshhtharajam brahmanan.h brahmanaspata A nah shrivnvannutibhih sida sadanam || (Rig Veda 2.23.1)

• We invoke You, O Ganapati of the ganas (Lord Shiva attendants), Who are Brahmana-spati of the brahmas (prayers), the wisest among the wise, Who abound in treasure beyond all measure, the most brilliant one. Do listen to our prayers, come with Your blessings and assurances of protection into our home, and be seated. (Rig Veda 2.23.1)

ni shhu sida ganapate ganeshhu tvamahurvipratamam kavinam |
na rite tvat.h kriyate kinchanare mahamarkam maghavan.h chitramarcha || (Rig Veda 10.112

Sisyatva (Discipleship)

Sisyatva (Discipleship)

Class delivered by His Divine Grace Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
(Bhubaneswar – March 18, 1993)

One who can inculcate pure loving devotion unto you, he is a real guru.

He who has given me prema-bhakti at the lotus feet of Krishna, he is my supreme friend, he is my eternal father and mother. He is a real guru. If you tread this path of prema-bhakti then there is no fear of death, no fear of Yamaraj. No fear. So he has saved me from the clutches of Maya, clutches of Yamaraja. Those who cannot given me prema-bhakti at the lotus feet of Krishna, their guruship is partial guruship he who has made me realize this eternity eternal servitude ship is my eternal guru, real guru — he has establish my relationship with that Supreme Eternal.

“So one who is completely cent percent surrendered unto the lotus feet of such a guru, who is fortunate enough and has gotten such a guru he will get the mercy. He

Antya 10.1 - Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is always pleased to accept anything given with faith and love by His devotees and is always ready to bestow mercy upon them.

Antya 10.2 - All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!

Antya 10.3 - The next year, all the devotees were very pleased to go to Jagannātha Purī [Nīlācala] to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Antya 10.4 - Advaita Ācārya Gosāñi led the party from Bengal. He was followed by Ācāryaratna, Ācāryanidhi, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and other glorious devotees.

Antya 10.5 - Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had ordered Lord Nityānanda to stay in Bengal, but nevertheless, because of ecstatic love, Lord Nityānanda also went to see Him.

Antya 10.6 - Indeed, it is a symptom of real affection that one breaks the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not caring for the regulative principles, to

The Flute of Krishna, glorified!

Gauraharibol!

I like red, and the Maha mantra!