Srila Gurudeva composed an article in Bengali, entitled "The Speciality of the Gift of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu." That article has now been translated into English and is now available for download...
I want to tell something in brief. A human being must have a goal of life. If you have no goal of life you are an animal – not only an animal but a foolish animal – a donkey. It is not I who am telling you this; our scriptures are telling it. Make an aim and object of your life. In ordinary life we choose an occupation. We consider, “Should I be a doctor, should I be an engineer, should I be this or that?” Then we proceed...
It is quite true; so we should not eat those things. What Vyasadeva has written is true. Vyasadeva knows everything past, present, and future. He was able to see what qualities are present in each entity...
[Question:] Some persons say that even though you are giving the service of Srimati Radhika, most of the devotees do not have that svarupa (the constitutional position of the soul). Most don’t have the constitutional form of a maidservant of Sri Radha. Such persons say that your followers mostly have other svarupas, and are getting other moods from you, even though you are externally preaching manjari-bhava...
We should know the aim and object of our life and our devotion. It is Krsna-prema, not Krsna or Srimati Radhika. The heart of Radhika is full of maha-bhava - up to madanakya-maha-bhava. She serves and controls Krsna. This prema is the object. This is the supreme object for all of our lives. Knowing this, what kind of devotional practice should we perform?
"My heart is palpitating, for I desire to write such a thing which in this life I have not written before, and which is not mentioned anywhere: that Krsna will fall at the feet of Radhika. We know it well, but Krsna is the Supreme Controller, the cause of all causes, and the original bhagavat-avatara. That He falls at the feet of His own potency who is the form of His dasi...
Ruci is a part of suddha-sattva, and when suddha-sattva comes, rati or bhava (the stage of spiritual emotion just prior to prema) manifests. The fraction of this rati is ruci. In that case ruci is also a kind of rati. When ruci becomes more mature, then it is called asakti (attachment)...
by Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
To the degree that we endeavour to develop ourselves spiritually, to become religious, to maintain a renounced life, and to deliberate on and discuss jñāna, we desire our own honour and distinction (pratiṣṭhā). This desire contaminates our hearts and pollutes our characters. Although we make a great effort to control lust, anger, greed, illusion and envy, and although we perform severe austerities to control the senses, concealed within our hearts the desire for pratiṣṭhā, in the form of a wild infant animal, continues to grow...
In the Gambhira, along with Raya Ramananda and Svarupa Damodara, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to hear all these sweet pastimes of Krsna. At that time His transcendental body was full with ecstatic symptoms. Sometimes the limbs of His body entered into His body and He became like a tortoise, and sometimes other symptoms manifested. If you will remember all these sweet pastimes, your life will be successful...
If anyone will call out these names, Jaya Rupa Santana, Bhatta Raghunatha….. they will mercifully come and give mercy to that Sadhaka so that all anarthas and little things will go away and Krishna prema will come...
In the beginning of one's devotional practices, by hearing about the Lord's pastimes, one my want to serve Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and he may also want to serve Sri Ramacandra. In that case he will think about Rama and His associates like Hanuman, Bharata, and Laksmana, and he will also meditate on Sri Krsna's pastimes with His sakhas, or with Nanda Baba and Yasoda, or with the gopis. In other words, in the beginning one is not situated in his permanent relationship, so one will sometimes be attracted to a particular relationship when he hears about it, and at other times one may become attracted to another service relationship when he hears about it.
It may be that they have two constitutional forms – one in Krsna’s pastimes and also one in Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. Srila Kavi Karnapura has explained this in his book, Sri Gaura-ganodessa-dipika, and Srila Rupa Gosvami has explained this in his Radha-Krsna-ganodessa-dipika. Srila Kavi Karnapura has written that in Gaura-lila (Mahaprabhu’s pastimes) Radhika is Sri Gadhadhara Pandita, Lalita-devi is Sri Svarupa Damodara, and Visakha-devi is Sri Raya Ramananda. He has told everything in this regard...
Depend on Sri Krsna. At least develop saranagati, practicing the six types of surrender – always consider that Sri Krsna is your protector. No other person can protect you. Depend on Krsna, not anyone else. Be like Gangamata Thakurani...
Devotees who are chanting Sri Krsna’s name and practicing pure devotion to Krsna have no karma. For them, suffering and problems that come to them means that Krsna wants them to be humble and tolerant. Such devotees should think, “Oh, I am very wretched.” This humility will come. So, Krsna personally gives them this suffering. It is not the fruit of their karma...
Rama-katha is endless. Sankarsana (Lord Anantadeva) himself continuously sings the glories of Sri Rama, but even with unlimited mouths he is unable to touch the end in any way. We can just relish, and pray that these infinite pastimes may appear in our heart. Tulasi dasa has written Rama-caritra-manasa, which is based on Sri Valmiki's Ramayana. All the pastimes written by Tulasi dasa come from the Ramayana and other Puranas, but the principles of bhakti that he gave there have been taken from Srimad-Bhagavatam. He presented important selected verses, especially from the eleventh canto, and translated them into Hindi poetry.
Janaka Maharaja had given the definition of bhakti to Lord Rama’s brother, Bharata. "Anyabhilasita-sunyam, jnana-karmady-anavrtam, anukulyana krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama. One who has no other desire than to please Krsna, and who is not influenced by the process of jnana-marga (cultivation of knowledge) karma, and so on, is situated in pure bhakti.” The king told him that nothing can control prema (pure love of God); it has its own law. One who has prema will always consider the desires of his object of love. He has no personal interest. He will always think, "How will my beloved be pleased?" Our real purpose is to please our worshipful deity, God and Guru; not to please ourselves."
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