Do you know Prahlada Maharaja? He remained very tolerant, even though his father tried to kill him. At least your father is not saying that he will kill you. It is better to wait and tolerate their behavior, but don’t be derailed. Be very strong like Prahlada Maharaja – more so than Prahlada. Of course you cannot be more tolerant than he was; yet try.
Devotee: Gurudeva, I want to ask if it's okay to chant the Panca-tattva mantra ["Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasadi Gaura-bhakta-vrnda"] on my japa beads?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Why?
Devotee: Because if we chant to Panca-tattva, they forgive all our aparadhas in chanting. There is no aparadha...
I have previously explained about the duties of disciples. I explained that guru-nishta is the backbone of bhakti. Without guru-nishta, no one can have any kind of devotion. One may have taken initiation, but if there is no nishta, he is inferior to a person who has not taken initiation and has not had a fire sacrifice, but is actually following guru. I have seen and realized this...
Still, if he is not like Rupa Manjari and Rati Manjari, and if he is not serving them, he may be a guru in part, but not in full. The highest quality of the guru is service to Radhika, as I have just explained. In this way, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura is writing, vande guroh sri caranaravindam...
Today we are going to observe guru-puja, or Vyasa-puja. First of all we should know what is guru-puja and what is Vyasa puja. Both are the same. Sri Krsna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa divided the one Veda into four. Then to reconcile, because it was difficult to extract the essence of the four Vedas, he wrote Brahma-Sutra (Vedanta-sutra).
The program began with traditional and ancient songs sung by the Nandagaon and Varsana panditas. After that the various representatives of each village performed the puspa abhiseka ("bathing" with a shower of flowers) of Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja. All the heads of the various communities representatives threw flowers on Srila Maharaja's divine body and honored him by placing garlands on him. Svami Shamaji, the head of the World Religions Parliament, gave Srila Maharaja an upper cloth, a special cloth for the Yuga Acarya. A certificate was then presented to Srila Maharaja by Deepak Raja Bhatta, who is the head of Vrajacarya Pith.
It is the custom in our Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya that any acarya who is widely spreading Krsna consciousness in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Rupa Gosvami under the guidance of Sri Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasadeva will worship Srila Vyasadeva and the guru-parampara on his birthday. This worship is called Guru-puja and also Vyasa-puja.
Srila Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja was illiterate; he could not even write his own name. When he would speak, however, he would do so with all Vedic references. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada was the greatest scholar of his time, and he accepted Srila Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja as his Guru...
Whatever I have instructed you, I have received from the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. They are very near to us, and by their mercy they can give us strength in tattva-siddhanta and good character...
So, this is our paramapara. Then they will sprinkle their mercy [with this blessing-] “Oh! [May you have] Raganuga bhakti, in the guidance of Rupa Gosvami." You should serve Radha-Krsna conjugal but bending towards Radhika. This is very, very secret. I have brought you all for this. Svamiji [AC Bhaktivedānta Swami] wanted to give but there was no time to give. He wanted. So, in their [disciplic] line, I am telling so many things about Raganuga. No one else is speaking. All are silent. But I am not silent. Oh! I should go to hell, no harm, but they should all have Raganuga bhakti. [applause] But you will have to surrender.
So, whatever you gave to me, it is not to me. I am giving it to my Gurudeva’s lotus feet. So abhimana (pride) should not come, false ego, that I am now Guru. I want to save [myself] from all this false ego. I want to be guru sevaka. What I have, I have only by guru seva.
It does not matter whether the karma or jnana is 'favorable' or 'unfavorable.' We must give it all up. We must give up the desire for taking birth in the heavenly planets and for moksa (impersonal liberation), and for all things other than the service of Krsna.
We have heard that by remembering pure devotees on their appearance and disappearance day, they give us special blessings for advancement in Krsna consciousness. We therefore give all our energy to glorify them on that day.
We want everyday to be his actual appearance day...
I have seen and organized the Vyasa-puja celebration of my Gurudeva. I have also seen the Vyasa-puja of Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami Maharaja and Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Maharaja. They would worship their Gurudeva, the entire guru-paramapara, and then Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, Gaura-Nityananda Prabhu, Gaura-Gadhadhara and so on...
I have seen how my Gurudeva and his god-brothers used to observe their Vyasa-puja. They used to worship their guru and entire guru-parampara, because the knowledge of Krsna and bhakti, or pure devotion, to Krsna does not come only from guru. Where did guru receive this from? He received it from his gurudeva, His gurudeva received from his gurudeva, and so on. In the end, we see that Krsna is jagat-guru: "Krsnam vande jagat-gurum."
If we do not commit any offences, we will see that, very quickly, our Krsna consciousness will increase. Krsna consciousness coming from our guru-parampara. Try to follow all these principles. Chant and remember, and very quickly Krsna will be merciful. I pray to my gurudeva, my whole guru-parampara, to Sri Krsna, Srimati Radhika, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Baladeva Prabhu that they be merciful to all of you. As Sri Rupa Gosvami has said...
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