krsna

By HDG Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada

APPEARANCE OF THE DIVINE

The appearance of Godhead in this world implies the co-appearance of all His Divine paraphernalia. Godhead must not be conceived as in any way separable from His entourage. Godhead shorn of any of His paraphernalia is a delusion. In the same way the appearance of divine paraphernalia involves the appearance of the divinity. The two are distinct yet inseparable forms of the one Supreme.

Sri Caitanya is the Divine Personality Himself. His associates share His divine nature. Sri Krsna Caitanya is an extended subject. All the six divine forms have to be worshipped if is the intention to worship Sri Caitanya.

The guru is one of His constituents. It is necessary to receive initiation from him. It is also necessary to be instructed by Him. As teacher, the guru has two forms. He guides from within. He also appears as a guide and instructor existing outside his disciples. Initiation is received from one person only. Instructions may be had form many gurus. Sri Kaviraja Goswami himself was instructed by the famous six Goswamins.

GUIDE TO THE ABSOLUTE

The Guru is the embodiment of the manifestation of the divinity to the pure receptive spiritual essence of the disciple. The guru is the real and original recipient of the Truth. He communicates his knowledge to the disciple. The disciple is too small a particle to be able by himself to receive the whole truth. He is enabled tot receive Him through the power of the guru. The guru as it were, takes the disciple by the hand and guides his every step on the plane of the Absolute. It is perpetual tutelage on the part of the disciple. This fact may be expressed in another way. The cognitive faculty of the individual soul can have no ground to stand upon unless the Divinity Himself condescends to be the legs as well as the ground on which he is to stand to function at all. This function of the divinity is performed by the guru. As a matter of fact the Divinity actually reveals Him only to Himself. The individual soul is a separable constituent of the guru. It is only when he happens to be associated by his own free choice with the guru in a completely dependent manner that he can be on the plane of the guru's service of the Divinity. He may or may not choose to be associated. The guru may or may not chose to admit him to his association. When there is active willing assent to such association on the part of both then it is possible for the individual souls to attain to the service of the Divinity in the really conscious form.

ALONE FIT TO INSTRUCT

Every one who is cognizant of the true nature of Krsna is alone fit to instruct another in the knowledge of Krsna The Divine paraphernalia area the gurus of all individual souls. In this sense all the six divine categories are identical with the guru. It can be so by reason of the fact that on the plane of the Absolute there is no separative difference. On that perfectly wholesome plane there is distinction without difference. But there is also the distinctive function of the guru which must be considered as also simultaneously distinct from that of any of the other categories. One who neglects to seek the special favor of the guru and to enter into the relation of discipleship with the spiritual guide will miss entry to the spiritual plane.

Nityananda is the Primary Manifestive Constituent of the Divinity. Nityananda alone possesses the distinctive function of the guru. In Nityananda the function is embodied. Nityananda is the servant-God. He serves Sri Gaurasundara by the distinctive method of reverential servitude. He is identical with Sri Balarama of krsna-lila.

Sri Balarma is not the chum of Krsna, but His respected elder brother. It is intimate relationship characterized by becoming reserved on one side and of respectful deference on the other. Individual souls are under the directions of Nityananda. They receive their service of Sri Gaurasundara i.e. of Krsna, at His hands.

Nityananda is not a jiva. He is Divinity. He is the ultimate source of the jiva. The jiva is a potency of Nityananda. No jiva can be the medium of the service of the Absolute to another jiva. The Absolute alone may communicate. His service to the separable constituents of Himself. This is the real nature of the function of the guru.

NEVER TOUCHED BY MAYA

But all jivas are not liable to be eclipsed by the deluding potency. Those who are so liable are again distinct from the eternally free jivas. The eternally free jivas are inseparable associates of Nityananda. They are integrated part and parcels of Himself. They never fall into the clutches of maya. When Nityananda manifests His appearance on the mundane plane His inseparable constituents also appear in His company. They sometimes manifest their functions on this lower place in a visible form on the errands of Nityananda.

They are Vaisnavas whose subordination to Nityananda is natural and ingrained in their nature. It is not necessary for such souls to undergo the process of enlightenment for being restored to the spiritual plane. Unless this fact is born in the mind the conditioned soul may be tempted to undervalue the constant guidance of the guru on the hypocritical plea of following in the footsteps of the eternally free pure devotees. Those, therefore, who suppose that deliverance from the bondage of this world should be practicable without the constant guidance of the spiritual preceptor, confound the conditioned state with the free.

The guidance of the guru is no curtailment of one's spiritual freedom. Those who are eternally free also follow his guidance by the spontaneous undeviating impulse of their perfectly pure nature. Guidance of the guru is the only divine guidance. Only atheists who are by their choice opposed to the service of Godhead, can be consistent opponents of the obligation to serve the guru in the same unconditional way as one should be prepared to serve Godhead Himself. There is no difference between the two functions. If the claim of the one is denied it necessarily involves the denial of the claim of the other. Nityananda and His companions form one of the five groups of the associates of Sri Krsna Caitanya, whose distinctive function is that of the guru.

SRIMATE RADHIKA

But Nityananda does not directly instruct in the confidential service of Krsna. Srimate Radhika is the guru of the inner circle of the servants of Krsna. Srimati, however, accepts the offer of service of only those souls who are specially favored by Nityananda and are deemed by Him to be fit for Her service. There is, therefore a most intimate relationship between the function of Nityananda and that of Srimati which is at once supplementary and inclusive of the former.

The guru admits to the service of Krsna. The next divine category is the bhakta or devotee. In this case also as in that of the guru, service of the divinity, which is the distinctive function of the bhakta, is not confined to him only. The servants have been divided into two classes viz., (1) servants other than consorts and (2) consorts.

The guru has distinctive function as master. The servant has no distinctive function as master. This distinguishes the guru from the bhakta. The bhakta is also Godhead in the distinctive form of this servant to whom the guru manifests the divinity. The mercy of the bhakta enables the dissociable soul to receive the mercy of the guru. The guru and the bhakta are the inseparable divine counterparts of one another. The guru and the bhakta are thus two distinct entities forming the five categories. The avataras (descending divinities) are the third category. They have their distinctive functions in the maintenance and deliverance of jivas inclined to divine service. They have distinctive functions as master.

The difference between the avataras and the divinity as master consists in this that the avataras are derivatives from the divinity possessing the plenary divine nature. The relation between the two is analogous to that between the original self-existing source-light and other shining lamps that have been lighted from the source. There is no substantive or magnitudinal difference between the two. But there is distinctiveness in function.

The avataras have distinctive natures of their own. But the divinity is their common source possessing all their distinctive functions in a synthesis which distinguishes Him from the avataras without suffering any diminution of His divinity by the eternal parallel coexistence of the distinctive activities and personalities of the avataras as divinities.

Another divine category is the group of the divine manifestations. The manifestations are divine forms who are either identical with that of the divinity or of a distinctive nature. Krsna can appear simultaneously in the same form or in different forms to different persons and also simultaneously retain His own form. All these other forms are His own manifestations.

The fifth divine category is divine power. Divine power is the Predominated Moiety of the divinity who is Predominating, Whole. Sri Radhika is the predominated Counter-Whole of Sri Krsna. Sri Radhika has Her duplicates and constituents who are also of the nature of plenary powers of the divinity. She also directly serves Sri Krsna in an infinity of ways in Her countless distinctive plenary and secondary forms.

NECESSITY TO SERVE THROUGH AN ASSOCIATE OF MAHAPRABHU

The associates of Sri Krsna Caitanya are made up of the five divine categories. If any one of these categories be left out the Truth who is indivisibly one, refuses to present Himself to the arrogant aptitude of the pedant who does not fully submit to be enlightened by grace regarding the necessity of serving the divinity in and through the distinctions.

The pedant is disposed to be skeptical by reason of a lurking belief that it is the look-out of the divinity to make Himself known to Him. But the jiva is a dissociable particle of the divine essence with the onus of choosing for himself from among the alternatives of a serving, a neutral and disobedient career, his own relationship to the divinity. He cannot escape the privilege of exercising his responsibility except by conscious self-deception or by hypocrisy.

MARGINAL POTENCY

The dissociable individual soul is distinct from the divine categories. He is a particle of the marginal potency of the divinity. Sri Nityananda who is identical with Balarama is the ultimate source of the jiva. The conditioned souls is a particle of the marginal potency, who has been sent into this world by the wil of the Purusa, viz., Visnu reposing in the Causal Ocean, who is a plenary part of Nityananda exercising the divine function of crrator of all mundane existence including the conditioned state without Himself belonging to the mundane plane.

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Please do not be upset if someone criticizes you personally. But your guru-varga, sastra, and mahajanas are completely faultless, supremely liberated, and eternal associates of the Lord.

The Standard of Living in Gaudiya Math

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His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada

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Please preach the kirtana of the Supreme Lord, even if in doing so you have to incur debt; then in order to pay off that debt, you will have to be even more engaged in seva. When your creditors put pressure on you, you will be forced to beg more alms. Again, as the pious householders will not give you alms unless your character and conduct are pure, you will be forced to preserve a pure lifestyle with great determination and care. I will not leave one penny for you, so that in future you won't indulge in laziness and you won't be able to give up your devotional lives full of hari-kirtana and hari-seva.

The math is the center of hari-kirtana, and hari-kirtana is life and consciousness. To ensure that there is no place for laziness, bad conduct, trivial thought, gossip, or vulgar desire in the math, you have to go from door to door, where your hari-kirtana will be tested by the public. When the public will think that they are the givers of alms and you are the receiver of alms—in other words, that their status is higher than yours—they will critizice you in many ways, thinking you are objects of their mercy. Perhaps some of them will also be ready to kick you out. Then, on one hand, you will be able to become trnad api sunicha (humbler than a blade of grass) and manada (respectful to others), and on the other hand, you will take great care to make your lives and characters pure and exemplary. Furthermore, what will be beneficial for you is this: as you will correct the mistakes of the common people by citing the message of sadhu, sastra, and guru-varga, you will not make those same mistakes.

Please do not be upset if someone criticizes you personally. But your guru-varga, sastra, and mahajanas are completely faultless, supremely liberated, and eternal associates of the Lord.

If, due to ignorance, someone criticizes them, then you should correct that person's mistakes by telling them the real truth. This will be very beneficial for both you and the ignorant people.

If you become lazy about begging for alms from door to door to collect ingredients for hari-kirtana, and if you indulge in laziness and bad habits, preferring reclusive bhajan so you can escape others' criticism, then your character will not be purified. You will not have the life of devotional practice. I will never give you any opportunity to live in a reclusive place so that you can become undisciplined in your heart, thinking no one will come to see or hear you there. You are my dearmost friends. I will never allow you to give up the path of pleasing the senses of the Lord so you can please the senses of the people of the world, as well as your own, because you received some temporary position or you could not tolerate some temporary criticism.

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When all are doing wrong, be the first to do right, or just keep silent.

Would that be the most KRSNA Conscious thing to do?

What examples of doing right amidst wrong-ful doing people are there?

When all are loudly speaking lies silence is deafening...

Prabhupada: My spiritual master appointed me that “You do this.” Similarly I shall appoint somebody else, this is the way.

Are all the actions and desires of spiritual master directed by Paramatma?

<!-- the main section of the post goes here -->Answers by HH Romapada Swami

Question: Prelude to Question: I have an inquiry that I believe will help me to better understand the position of the acharyas in bona fide parampara and the role of the spiritual master in general:

I’m personally interested to understand more on this topic because I believe it will strengthen my faith in our particular disciplic succession and it’s uncompromised connection with the impeccable will of the Supreme Lord. As well I believe it will help me to understand the unparalleled role of the individual acharyas and the spiritual master in bringing others in line with Krishna’s desires through the parampara system. If possible, please also add any and all commentary that you desire to give for my benefit.

In Bhagavad-gita, Krishna reveals in texts 18.61 and 18.62 that He as the all-knowing Lord is directing everyone from within and that one should thus completely surrender to His manifestation as Paramatma. Yet, we also know that in disciplic succession the good disciple is always trying his best to please the bona fide spiritual master, whom I have heard is the external manifestation of Paramatma. For someone with so little realization as I, the mystery of how the desires of the spiritual master and the direction of Paramatma will always be in tandem is theoretical at best, and this truth seems to be beyond the logical connection that the spiritual master is always guided by Paramatma and directs his disciples accordingly.

Is it that Paramatma is guiding His servant, the bona fide spiritual master’s every action from within, and therefore the good disciple that is always striving to serve his master by following his instructions will also be as much as possible in line with Paramatma’s (Krishna’s) desires? However accurate, this idea seems at times to contradict guru-disciple interactions wherein the guru seems to make subjective decisions based on his testing and understanding of the disciple’s sincerity (as opposed to a wholly objective decision wherein Krishna says clearly from within, “yes” or “no” and the guru acts only on that prompt). Such interactions are described by Srila Prabhupada in the purport to BG 4.34. Therefore I’m wondering: is there more that can be understood on this topic to see how those lovingly serving the representatives of disciplic succession are properly connected to the will of Krishna?

Answer: The Spiritual master is indeed described in all revealed scriptures as the external manifestation of the Supersoul. Although Krishna is seated as the Supersoul and Guide (caitya-guru) in the heart of all living entities, He nonetheless remains neutral towards those who are turning away from Him. He witnesses, permits and directs such living entities according to their own desires; He does not actively direct them in how to approach and serve Him. (BG 13.23, 9.9) Nor is the forgetful living entity ready to receive such guidance from the Supersoul directly until they are completely purified.

The spiritual master is sent by Krishna as the external manifestation of His mercy in reviving our forgotten relationship and service attitude towards the Lord. The spiritual master guides the disciple and accepts the services of the disciple on behalf of the Supreme Lord; his guidance is therefore identical to that of the Supersoul, and in a sense more direct and valuable.

Being a surrendered servitor, the mind and senses of a pure devotee are conducted by Krishna. But the implication is not that he is being conducted as if like a programmed robot. Just as Krishna is a Person, the spiritual master is an individual person, a sentient being. While being fully surrendered and dependent on Krishna and having no interest other than to please Him, as well as being in constant touch with the Lord, He nonetheless uses the full range of his faculties in rendering his service — his feeling, willing, thinking, his intelligence, discretion and judgment as well as personal likes and dislikes are all engaged purely in loving reciprocations with Krishna. He knows Krishna’s innermost desire – viz. that Krishna wants all the conditioned souls rotting in this material world to come back to Him. Thus he voluntarily makes all effort to serve as a transparent representative of Krishna in this most confidential service of bringing the conditioned souls to the Lord’s eternal service. Because he has made his interests and desires one with those of Krishna, therefore serving his interests is identical to serving Krishna’s interest.

Krishna gives the power of attorney, so to speak, to His pure devotee. This is described in Madhurya Kadambini: bhakti is independent and Krishna is equal to all – so what is it that causes bhakti to sprout in the heart of some particular individuals? The answer is that Krishna has freely given the power to His devotee, particularly the madhyama-adhikari devotee, to bestow the seed of bhakti to the conditioned souls ‘as he or she likes’. Indeed Lord Caitanya declared in glorification of the compassionate nature of Vasudeva Datta, “I am the property of Vasudeva Datta, he can sell Me in the marketplace for any price he desires” (Cc. Adi 10.41 purport)

Similarly Lord Narayana informs Durvasa Muni, when Durvasa took shelter of Him after offending Ambarisha Maharaja, that although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has no independence in fact; He is “bhakta-paradhina”, that is, completely under the control of and dependent on the will of His devotee. (SB 9.4.63) The Supreme Lord is, of course, fully independent. But out of His own sweet will and His affection for His pure devotee, the Lord gives Himself to His pure devotee. Thus Krishna’s mercy follows behind the mercy of His loving devotee. Therefore, Bhaktivinod Thakur also prays to the Vaishnava devotee, “O Vaishnava Thakura, Krishna is yours; you have the power to give Him to me.”

Because of the intimate loving relation between the Lord and His pure devotee, those who try to serve and please the pure devotee spiritual master are automatically most pleasing to Krishna. *It is Krishna’s system* – that by following His devotee, one can easily approach and access His loving service, and not directly. One who tries to serve the spiritual master is therefore immediately fulfilling this direction and desire of the Lord.

The pure devotee in turn is not whimsical or biased in extending Krishna’s descending mercy. He transparently carries Krishna’s spirit of equanimity and compassion towards all living entities and does not make material evaluation or distinction, and yet he carefully examines and appropriately extends the Lord’s mercy in proportion to the receptivity of each person.

A crude example can be given of the proprietor of some organization who entrusts great responsibilities and freedom upon his beloved son or a trusted representative. The representative can then employ and train others, and by executing the will of the representative one can be confident of fully pleasing the proprietor. In fact, Srila Prabhupada describes the role of the spiritual master quite in these terms – as the one who is canvassing and recruiting conditioned souls into Krishna’s service.

As with any other mundane analogy to a transcendental phenomenon, this just gives a rough idea, the dealings between Krishna and His transparent representative being transcendental. Unlike the mundane counterpart in the analogy, a surrendered devotee’s every thought and action is actually guided by Krishna, moment by moment.

You may find much insight in studying the following excerpt from an interview with Srila Prabhupada (quoted at the end) right on this topic. At one point in the discussion, Prabhupada straightforwardly asserts that the spiritual master is in direct communion with Krishna and that Krishna dictates his every decision. Note how one of the incredulous disciple tries to philosophically explain this, saying that it means that Krishna is the source of all intelligence and therefore the spiritual master’s intelligence is coming from Krishna. But Prabhupada corrects him: “No, Krishna will tell directly. A devotee always consults Krishna and Krishna tells him, ‘Do like this.’ Not figuratively”! As the conversation continues it is clarified, of course, that this is the case only with the elevated pure devotee – not everyone can claim such direct communion with the Lord, and they should therefore consult the spiritual master for understanding Krishna’s will.

The key issue in your inquiry seems to lie in how to understand the subjective evaluations, decisions and interactions that the spiritual master seems to make in response to circumstances, inputs from others or the disposition of the disciple. Although subjective, such actions are still on the absolute plane, and not a product of the influence of modes of nature or other external factors as is the case in the dealings and decisions of an ordinary person ruled by personal attachments and aversions.

When information is given to the spiritual master, Krishna guides from within as to what is to be accepted, what is not, etc.

Those who evaluate the actions or instructions of the spiritual master in a mundane or relative way, or think of him as being influenced by others or by circumstances, or think of him as making material calculations, is in effect committing a serious offense. This is the third of the ten offenses against the Holy Name, viz. guror-avajna (considering the spiritual master or his instruction to be ordinary, and minimizing them). Such a mentality is seriously detrimental to the disciple’s spiritual life.

One may not have full realization of this spiritual principle, and it is not uncommon that one often begins with only a theoretical appreciation at best. But the faithful disciple accepts it based on spiritual authority. By accepting with firm conviction and acting with that understanding, factual realization is gained incrementally.

Indeed these transcendental principles cannot be understood by any amount of logical intellectual exercises. But by patient hearing and rendering of devotional service, one gains increasing appreciation for the depth of loving reciprocation between the Lord and His compassionate representative. This appreciation of the intimate relationship of the spiritual master with Krishna is the basis of understanding this principle, as confirmed in the Gurvastaka prayers:

“The spiritual master is accepted and honored as good as the Personality of Godhead, *because he is very dear to the Lord.*”

Therefore by pleasing the spiritual master, the transparent representative of Krishna, the disciple is fully pleasing Krishna.

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Following is an excerpt from an Interview with Newsday Newspaper –

July 14, 1976, New York:

Interviewer: A question: you are now the leader and the spiritual master. Who will take your place?

Prabhupada: That Krishna will dictate who will take my place.

Interviewer: Krishna will tell you that?

.

Interviewer: How do you choose, you are responsible for the organization. Are you the one who chooses who runs each center, who is responsible in each temple. you choose the leaders, or Krishna does and tells you, how does that work?

Prabhupada: No, I have been chosen by my spiritual master.

Interviewer: Yes. And you in turn choose others?

Prabhupada: Oh yes. That is our succession.

Interviewer: On what basis?

Prabhupada: Basis, on the order of Krishna. Originally the order is from Krishna.

Interviewer: How does that come?

Prabhupada: Comes by disciplic succession. Just like Krishna said this knowledge to Arjuna and Arjuna said to others and it is open. Everyone can take it, there is no secrecy. We have to accept only, that’s all.

Interviewer: I missed that, I’m sorry.

Prabhupada: The order is already there, it is open, open secret. There is no secrecy. Anyone can take it.

Interviewer: All right. But in terms of specific, say, choosing, specific things, specific details.

Prabhupada: Yes, in all details, how to become Krishna conscious, there is all details in this book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

Hari-Sauri: So he’s asking what’s a man’s qualification to be chosen.

Ramesvara: In other words Prabhupada will decide who should be leader if he’s qualified and there’s a process for making him qualified and there’s a process for testing to see if he is qualified. So in that way it all comes from Krishna.

.

Interviewer: On what basis, though, can you tell me some of the things that…

Prabhupada: Basis, just to see whether he’s qualified, that’s all. Just like ordinarily one manager is appointed by the superior authority on the merit, on his qualification. That’s all.

Interviewer: Okay, is it a mediated choice or is it a direct communication from Krishna, that’s my question.

Prabhupada: No.

Ramesvara: He’s asking whether we claim that God speaks to us directly.

Prabhupada: Yes, God speaks to you when you are qualified. You cannot expect God as order supplier. When he sees that you are qualified, he will speak to you.

Bali-mardana: The spiritual master is the representative of God to the disciple because he is in direct contact with God.

Prabhupada: My spiritual master appointed me that “You do this.” Similarly I shall appoint somebody else, this is the way.

Ramesvara: It’s difficult for people to understand that God can speak to a man. They question, “How can God speak to some man?”

Prabhupada: That is, anything, that, the radio message is coming, a foolish man cannot understand how it is coming. He’ll think “How it is that, speaking?” So any foolish man will be astonished how things are happening. That is foolishness. But God says, find out this verse…

Hari-sauri: Four three? Sa evayam maya te ‘dya [bg. 4.3]?

Prabhupada: Huh? No no. Buddhi-yogam dadami tam yena mam upayanti te.

Ramesvara: Tesam satata-yuktanam [bg. 10.10].

Prabhupada: Ah, tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [bg. 10.10].

Hari-sauri: Dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te.

Prabhupada: Ah, yes.

Hari-sauri: “To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give them the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

Prabhupada: God is situated in everyone’s heart. As soon as He sees that “Here is a qualified person,” then He gives him instruction.

Interviewer: But in the same way that Krishna says He’ll provide for your needs you still must work to achieve whatever Krishna is giving you.

Prabhupada: Yes. You work for Krishna. You have to work to get your necessities.

Interviewer: In the same way I’m curious with respect to the way Krishna communicates with you, whether it’s in a similar kind of way that He gives you your necessities.

Bali-mardana: In other words, when you decide that someone is to be in charge of a particular temple does Krishna tell you that this person should be in charge.

Interviewer: Or do you by judging him say this person is qualified.

Prabhupada: Yes, because a devotee always consults Krishna and He gives order.

Interviewer: It’s a more direct communication.

Prabhupada: Yes. And He gives order.

Ramesvara: Because intelligence, our philosophy is that intelligence comes from Krishna. So if I have some…

Interviewer: And your philosophy is that your daily necessities come from Krishna as well.

Ramesvara: Yes, try to understand. Suppose my intelligence sees that this person is qualified, that means Krishna has told me.

Prabhupada: No, not necessarily, Krishna will tell directly. A devotee always consults Krishna and Krishna tells him, “Do like this.” Not figuratively.

Interviewer: Does that apply then to other kinds of decisions and other kinds of activities as well?

Prabhupada: Everything. Because a devotee does not do anything without consulting Krishna.

Bali-mardana: But that applies to a very greatly elevated soul, that is not an ordinary person.

Prabhupada: That is, therefore the minor devotees, they consult the spiritual master. That is our process. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah.

Ramesvara: I see, I was trying to explain the minor devotees.

Interviewer: No, I was talking about…

Ramesvara: You’re talking about the topmost level.

Interviewer: Yes. That will do it for me, I thank you, kindly.

I know KRSNA here

because I am KRSNA das

KRSNA is my Lord and Master

telling me from within His manifest presence

in His Holy Name and as the divine preceptor the spiritual master

KRSNA is known by His Srimad Bhagavatam,

His Story Book Incarnation of Himself and His Pure Devotees

There is no other way....

Let's all be honest here folks.

You're either in maya or you're into KRSNA's internal potency bhakti-devi wherein your every moment is directed by Supersoul and given to great bliss, full knowledge, and eternality.

Is it so clear a demarcation for the discerning transcendentalist, ie. KRSNA or Maya?

http://www.dandavats.com/?p=5303#more-5303 :pray: :pray:

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Eulogy of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

It is not empiric wisdom that is the object of quest of the devotee. Those who read the scriptures for gathering empiric wisdom will be pursuing the wild goose chase...

The mutual admiration society of dupes does not escape, by the mere weight of their number, the misfortunes due to the deliberate pursuit of the wrong course in accordance with the suggestions of our lower selves...

Thakura Bhaktivinoda is acknowledged by all his sincere followers as possessing the powers of the pure devotee of Godhead. His words have to be received from the lips of a pure devotee. If his words are listened from the lips of a non-devotee they will certainly deceive. If his works are studied in the light of one's own worldly experience their meaning will refuse to disclose itself to such readers. His works belong to the class of the eternal revealed literature of the world and must be approached for their right understanding through their exposition by the pure devotee.

If no help from the pure devotee is sought, the works of Thakura Bhaktivinoda will be grossly misunderstood by their readers. The attentive reader of those works will find that he is always directed to throw himself upon the mercy of the pure devotee if he is not to remain unwarrantably self-satisfied by the deluding results of his wrong method of study.

The writings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda are valuable because they demolish all empiric objections against accepting the only method of approaching the Absolute in the right way. They cannot and were never intended to give access to the Absolute without help from the pure devotee of Krishna. They direct the sincere enquirer of the truth, as all the revealed scriptures do, to the pure devotee of Krishna to learn about Him by submitting to listen with an open mind to the transcendental sound appearing on his lips.

Before we open any of the books penned by Thakura Bhaktivinoda, we should do well to reflect a little on the attitude which serves as the indispensable prerequisite to approach its study. It is by neglecting to remember this fundamental principle that the empiric pedants find themselves so hopelessly puzzled in their vain endeavor to reconcile the statements of the different texts of the scriptures. The same difficulty is already in process of overtaking many of the so-called followers of Thakura Bhaktivinoda and for the same reason...

Those who want to understand the contents of the volumes penned by the piecemeal acquisitive method applicable to deluding knowledge available to the mind on the mundane plane, are bound to be self-deceived. Those who are sincere seekers of the truth are alone eligible to find Him, in and through the proper method of His quest.

In order to be put on the track of the Absolute, listening to the words of the pure devotee is absolutely necessary. The spoken word of the Absolute is the Absolute. It is only the Absolute Who can give Himself away to the constituents of His power. The Absolute appears to the listening ear of the conditioned soul in the form of the name on the lips of the sadhu. This is the key to the whole position.

The words of Thakura Bhaktivinode direct the empiric pedant to discard his wrong method and inclination on the threshold of the real quest of the Absolute. If the pedant still chooses to carry his errors into the realm of the Absolute Truth he only marches by the deceptive by-path into the regions of darker ignorance by his arrogant study of the scriptures.

The method offered by Thakura Bhaktivinoda is identical with the object of the quest. The method is not really grasped except by the grace of the pure devotee. The arguments, indeed, are these. But they can only corroborate, but can never be a substitute for, the word from the living source of the Truth who is no other than the pure devotee of Krishna, the concrete Personal Absolute.

Source: The Harmonist, Dec. 1931, vol. XXIX No. 6

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Yes, show all that is best in Gujarat.

Show us the land of Bharata and how you are a Bharatiya heart and soul!

Some pics would be nice for all to see how you've finally come 'home' to where your soul is...

Lord Shiva is Great,

hence he is known through out the 3 worlds as Mahadeva.

Lord Shiva is in his own category as a personality in truth: Shiva-tattva.

I mean, what about a reciprocal loving exchange of devotional humours, bhakti-rasa?

Can I converse with KRSNA and have a wonderous dialogue based on love and trust as He is indeed my best friend and well-wisher?

Can I with all sincerity and seriousness call out to KRSNA in earnest, "I am yours, my Lord, please make me your beloved servant, engage in your devotional service- pure bhakti; release me, if you so desire, from the abominable slavery to Maya's illusion, spells and tricks?

Can I walk all alone with the Lord of my heart, Sri Krsna and have Him guide me step by step as if by dictation of Supersoul who is situated in the core of my heart?

Can I forever kick away the unsavory association of un-godly people who take you for a ride down into the deep dark pit of sense gratification?

"My Lord, I am here, I want to be your man and not maya's man, so please hear my petition to you on this day, at this place. Make me or break me, but somehow or other give me your aspiring servant another chance to redeem himself in Your Lotus eyes. Cast your loving glance of mercy whereby I can again gain the succour of grace needed to associate with your pure devotee, whom you've so kindly sent to me for my deliverance!":pray:

great stuff, let's see it happen. How can i help make it happen? Money, men and organizational intelligence required?

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=j>"Veni, vidi, vici."

means

"I came (to KRSNA),

I saw (KRSNA by divine revelation and transcendental realization by the mercy of the VEDA),

I conquered.(KRSNA by pure loving devotional service mood or suddha bhakti like the gopis in Vrindavan; KRSNA can only become conquered by love or prema)"

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guru is here and now

and at the same time

is beyond the limits of time and space.

the material mind and senses cannot figuire it out

how the transcendent God KRSNA can appear directly as guru to deliver you

from your wicked attachment to mind and false ego.

If One Hears From The Mouth Of A Pure Devotee <HR style="COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->

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"One may stay in his position of life -- it does not matter what it is -- but if one hears from the mouth of a pure devotee, he gradually comes to the understanding of his relationship with the Lord and thus engages in His loving service, and his life becomes completely perfect.":pray:

:pray: :pray:

 

 

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.20.25, Purport)

KRSNA Knows All His Cows By Name :pray:

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Today there was a very nice demonstration of tape-record Samkirtan by me.

It is all Grace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Haridas Thakur said that the transcendental sound of Hari Nama would even purify the heart of birds and beasts. Today this statement of Thakur Haridas is corroborated. These American can not understand even a word’s meaning of the Sankirtan and yet they were so much attracted? It is all Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s power; there is no credit for me. :pray: :pray:

--Srila Prabhupada 1966 New York City

Be patient and persistent in your practice, and always do your best to avoid the offenses that undermine our progress. Patient. Persistent. Consider how much you chant, how assiduous you are about avoiding offenses, and for how long you have been chanting.What other desires do you nurture in your heart. he honestly introspective, and seek the best association you can get--not someone who will flatter you, but someone committed to actually helping you in your progress. Don't make any demands on the holy name; rather, submit yourself to him as his servant. If it's service to the Name you want, he'll give it. If it's some "bliss," you May want to reconsider your approach.[/quote] :pray: :pray:

The taste of the pure holy name divine, suddha nama, Sri Nama Prabhu???

Otherwise I'll really never be able to fully and unconditionally give up my attraction to the so-called beauty, attraction and taste of this material world of Maya!

Please help me cross over the line of no-return...

figure that one out and then the rest is detail....

guru is pure absolute spirit:)

as he can make KRSNA:pray:

the supreme pure spirit

manifest in your heart as Supersoul:namaskar:

When You Want To Know KRSNA,

Guru Appears In Your Heart

When You Want To Out-Smart KRSNA

Urug Appears In Your Heart:eek: