Centennial Editions IV

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝The renunciation by which the body becomes completely useless and which awakens impediments to hari-bhajana is not favourable for bhakti. You must accept bhagavat-prasāda appropriately. It is indeed proper to accept all the objects of the senses that are essential for one’s well-being, in a manner that is favourable for one’s kṛṣṇa-bhajana.❞ ...

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝O Lord, whether You kill me or have me live, whether You torment me, make me drink the poison of infamy or the nectar of recognition, or whether You keep me happy or distressed, I am Yours and will always remain Yours. The cātaka bird only looks towards the sky, longing for just one drop of water from svāti-nakṣatra. Whether thunder falls from above or whether there is fresh, cooling sweet water to drink, he does not mind. The life of sādhakas is surrendered to the Lord like this.❞ ..

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝The nature of bhagavad-bhakti is that it overcomes grief, delusion and fear, it bestows sac-cid-ānanda and it captivates Bhagavān. You are proceeding on the path of that very same bhakti, so where is the chance of your experiencing grief, delusion and fear? You should maintain the internal conception that you are a simple, bhāvuka and vidagdha (extremely clever) kiṅkarī (maidservant) of Śrī Kiśorījī.❞ ..

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝In happiness and distress, in dissent and calamity, in every situation, we have to call out, weeping, to Śrī Gurudeva, Śrī Gauracandra and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa at every moment. If we are calling out to them sincerely, they will surely bestow their mercy.  However, we face obstacles in our calling out.❞ ..

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝Within your mind, you should always reside in Vraja or Śrī Dhāma Navadvīpa. In other words, you should always think about those places. Try to enter into the message of the Gosvāmīs. By performing harināma and hearing hari-kathā with prīti (affection), all perfection is attained. This is the opinion of the scriptures.❞ ..

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is a liberated mahāpuruṣa. After the six Gosvamīs, he is the seventh Gosvāmī. His Jaiva-dharma, his other books, all his books that are there, his commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that is no longer available, his commentary on Vedānta and his commentaries on all Gosvāmīs’ literatures, beginning from Vilāpa-kusmañjali to Manaḥ-śikṣā and so on, Mahaprabhu’s Śikṣāṣṭaka, Upadeśāmṛta – he has written a commentary on all of them after deeply entering [realizing the essence of] those books. If anyone opposes one such as Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, should we go to such a person? Never! Don’t go! Not to speak of gopī-prema, even if he gives everything [related to that], then also, don’t go. Understand this: what he is giving is not gopī-prema. Do not be khaḍa-jaṭhiyā. ❞ ..

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝Unnecessary gossip about others (paracarcā) and acts of hypocrisy and deceit (kuṭīnāṭī) are symptoms of degradation. These disturbances are bound to occur if there is no taste for harināma and hari-kathā. Those who are desirous of progressing in hari-bhajana must keep distance from the association of anyone who indulges in paracarcā. If they don’t, the dirtiness of their hearts can also affect the hearts of those associating with them.❞ ..

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝At the time of Ratha-yātrā, you went to Śrī Dhāma Navadvīpa, taking your mother with you, and there you attained the opportunity to hear hari-kathā from prominent Vaiṣṇavas such as pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja. It is indeed very rare to receive such opportunity. On top of that, to have the opportunity to hear Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛtam from the lips of pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja is also not a matter of less fortune. Despite this, your hankering for śravaṇa has not been satiated. This is astonishing. It seems that a little fruit resulting from the boon Śrī Nārada Gosvāmī prayed for towards the end of the second volume of Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛtam can be observed in you. He had implored Bhagavān, “May no one ever become satiated by hearing Your kathā.”❞ ...

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝What then is the responsibility of one who is the bestower of that viraha or who has caused that viraha? That supremely clever (vidagdha-śiromaṇi) Śrī Kṛṣṇa is well aware of that responsibility. At times His cleverness is not comprehended even by those who are rasika. You should therefore wait for the proper time to comprehend it and for His mercy to manifest. There may be some delay in His bestowing mercy, but there will be no denial of it. How is it possible for Śrī Kṛṣṇa to ignore that person who has surrendered his everything at His lotus feet?... ❞

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja

❝If we can develop greed for kṛṣṇa-kathā and śuddha-bhakti by regularly hearing all these potent pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and hearing about His conduct, it will be the most fortunate thing for the jīva. It is with this yearning that I am staying in Vraja – remaining here with the hope of attaining the mercy of Śrī Śrī Hari, guru and Vaiṣṇavas.❞ ..