by Śrīla Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja
Whatever we know about birth and death in this world does not apply to Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. In fact, instead of saying ‘birth’ and ‘death’, the Vaiṣṇavas use the terms āvirbhāva and tirobhāva, ‘appearance’ and ‘disappearance’, prakaṭa and aprakaṭa, ‘manifested’ and ‘un-manifested’, and so forth...
In this world, it is essential to maintain our life. Without this, we can't do our bhajana. But don't be worried about this. Your maintenance will come automatically, according to our previous activities. If something comes, that is okay, and if something that you have collected is lost, still you should not worry. Suppose you have deposited many thousands of dollars in a bank, but somehow your business failed and your money was lost. Don't worry about that. You cannot achieve krsna-prema, or anything else, by money. You cannot eat your bank money. You can only eat two capatis or two slices of bread – nothing more. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura quotes in his Bhajana Rahasya...
by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Once, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had a dream in which he was wandering in the sky chanting the holy name. He came upon the court of Yamarāja, where Yamarāja himself was sitting with Brahmā, Nārada, and others discussing a point from a verse in Bhagavad-gītā ...
The conception in this world of being female or male is false. Why? The jiva has emanated from the tatastha region, the marginal line between the spiritual and material energies. He came out from the glance of Karanadakasayi Visnu. Even at that time, even though the jiva was not doing any seva, according to his constitutional nature he was Krsna-dasa...
This is the specialty of Gaudiya Vaisnavas, which is not there in any other sampradayas. The feeling of bosom relationship of this world [laukika sat-bandhu]. Like, Krsna is my beloved. Krsna is my friend. Krsna is my son. This worldly mood will exist. However it is not worldly. It is transcendental. Krsna is also transcendental. The devotee is also transcendental. But towards Krsna, one will possess a mood like an intimate relationship of this world. Otherwise vraja-prema cannot become realised.
One second for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was like hundreds of thousands of millenniums in separation from Krsna. In His meeting, millions of millenniums seemed to be like a moment. This mood is also seen in the life of Srimati Radhika...
Someone may think that he has no taste or interest in chanting or meditating. He may be considering, “Money is not coming by chanting.” But money cannot give happiness or transcendental feelings. The holy name, on the other hand, will give everything. It will stop the endless pain of birth and death forever, and you will be happy forever, engaged in the service of Sri Krsna in Vrndavana...
After the completion of Lord Sri Krsna's pastimes in Vrndavana and Dvaraka in Dvarapa-Yuga, He was thinking very deeply. He considered, "I went to the material world and tasted the moods and relationships of dasya (servitude), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parental affection) and madhurya-rasa (conjugal love). Although I did so, however, I was not completely satisfied...
In Sriman-Mahaprabhor-asta-kaliya-lila-smarana-mangala-stotram and Sri Krsna-bhavanamrta, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has connected the sweet pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with Krsna's asta-kaliya-lila. First Mahaprabhu is meditated upon, and then Krsna....
What is the meaning of Vraja? Vraj is the root word of vrajati which means "to go", "to move" or "to wander". The residents of this place were always moving. At first they were staying in the area of the Vrndavana forest, but because of disturbances by demons they left Vrndavana forest and came here to Gokula, Mahavana...
Today, we went to two islands – Jahnudvipa and Modrumadvipa. In Jahnudvipa, under my guidance you heard about the relationship between the Yamuna and the Ganga Rivers, just as I had spoken about it in previous years. In Modrumadvipa you heard about the separation pastimes of Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Lord Ramacandra...
I want to make a proposal to you all. Then, if you sanction or approve this proposal, it can be enacted. My age is now gradually becoming older. I can no longer travel everywhere, especially to far away countries like Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Africa. My doctors tell me to lessen my travels. Therefore, I want that some of the more qualified devotees should be given sannyasa...
One should be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, and should give respect to all others. So why is it that Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura has said, “If anyone will criticize or minimize Sri Nityananda Prabhu, I will take a stick and beat him on the head.” Is this the mood of trnad api sunicena?
In Navadvipa-dhama, Mahaprabhu is similarly of three types. He came in the mood of Radhika. Always thinking that He is Radhika He forgot that He is Krsna. He then went to Puri and manifested His Radha's separation moods there. Sometimes He would be locked inside the Gambhira, chanting harinama. Hearing the sound of Krsna's flute, He would then somehow go through the seven locked iron gates. He would run to the ocean as if He were a fish. He would float in the waves for the entire night, and sometimes the ocean would carry Him far away. His body would become 7 arms long...
Just after Krsna took birth from Mother Yasoda's womb, she gave birth to His sister, Yogamaya. This is Praudhamaya, a manifestation of Krsna's antaranga-svarupa-sakti. The root or complete internal svarupa-sakti, transcendental energy, is Radharani. Srimati Radharani becomes samvit, sandini, and hladini in order to fulfill different functions and activities...
In Navadvipa Sri Gauranga performed sakhya-bhava pastimes with his friends in his naravat, human-like lila. It is said that after taking sannyasa in Navadvipa, He left and performed higher pastimes in Puri. After that, on the bank of Godavari, He met Ramananda Raya and learned how to taste Krishna in a still more...
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