anadi

Hare Krsna Trisilex, -the extrinsic symptoms (tatashta lakshana) of pure bhakti. The descriptions can be found in Bhakti rasa-amrita sindhu bindhu from S.V. Cakravarti Thakur. The extrinsic symptoms of pure bhakti are taken from the definition of bhakti, as given by Srila Rupa Gosvami: anyabhilashita shunyam jnana karmady anavritam One prays naturally for all kinds of things related to the body and mind, because one has two major illness: one wants to be the controller of his environment and second, one wishes to enjoy his life in the highest degree. So the first injunction is to empty these desires: anyabhilashita shunyam The first word ANYABHILASH - ITA means desire for other objects than pure love for Krishna, IN NORMAL CONDITION. It means that in extraordinary conditions one can desire something else than pure love for Krishna. For example Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandavas was in danger of being undressed in public by Dushasan, and she began to pray He Govinda, he Govinda please save me, but Krsna did not come because she also put her faith in her husbands, but they also could not help, and she put her faith in HERSELF and kept her sari with the hands and the teeth, but had no chance against Dushasan, who had the power of 1000 elephants. The moment she understood, she will get naked she prayed in her heart Ha Govinda if you don t come my life is gone. Praying in that mood is not detrimental to bhakti. Otherwise if Srila Rupa Gosvami had written ANYABHILASH shunyam it would have meant that desire for other objects in any condition should be empty (shunyam).

CC 1. 17. 276-278 To taste the mellows of Srimati Radharnai s loving affairs in Her relationship with Krsna, and to understand the reservoir of pleasure in Krsna , Krsna Himself, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, accepted the mood of Radharani. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the mood of the gopis, who accepted Vrajendra-nandana, Sri Krsna as their lover. It is firmly ascertained that the ecstatic mood of the gopis is possible only before Krsna, and no one else. CC 1. 17. 280-281 If Lord Krsna gives up this original form and assumes another Visnu form, nearness to Him cannot invoke the ecstatic mood of the gopis. Once Lord Sri Krsna playfully manifested Himself as Narayana, with four victorious hands and a very beautiful form. When the gopis saw this exalted form , however, their exstatic feelings were crippled. A learned scholar therefore, cannot understand the gopis ecstatic feelings, which are firmly fixed upon the ORIGINAL FORM of Lord Krsna as the son of Nanda Maharaja. The wonderful feelings of the gopis in ecstatic parama-rasa with Krsna constitutes the GREATEST MYSTERY in spiritual life. Purport by S.B.Svami Prabhupada This is a quotation from the Lalita-madhava (6.54) by Srila RUPA GOSVAMI

Let us now talk about the symptoms of uttama bhakti as given by S.V. Cakravarti Thakur. There are two kinds of symptoms: 1. svarup lakshana - intrinsic symptoms 2. tatashta lakshana - extrinsic symptoms The intrinsic symptoms are given in the last two verses of the definition of bhakti anukulyena Krishna ANU SHILANAM bhaktir uttama The definition of bhakti begins with anu shilanam (the cultivation of activities); and the verbal root of the word shilana(m) has two meanings: 1. cesta rupa - the form of activity 2. bhava rupa - the sentiments accompanying the action 1.cesta rupa - the form of activity has two stages ----a)SADHANA RUPA - endeavours leading to the manifestation of bhava, which is the stage of manifestation of the first -------------------rays of love of Krishna in the heart of the practitioner ----------- SADHANA RUPA has two parts: -------------------pravriti mulaka - endeavours for positive actions like the 64 -------limbs of bhakti -------------------nivriti mulaka - avoidance of negative actions like offences ---- against devotional service (seva aparadha) ---- against the Holy Name (nama aparadha) ---- against the Holy Places (dhama aparadha) ---- against the devotees (vaishnava aparadha) ---------------- These aparadhas (offences) destroy ones endeavours in bhakti ---------------- and pushes one on the material platform. ----b)KARYA RUPA - activities that manifest as effects of attaining bhava like ----------satvika bhavas such as crying and standing the hairs on end ----------anu bhavas such as singing and dancing which arise from the pure mind 2.bhava rupa - the sentiments accompanying the action ----------------- which are the heart of bhakti, are of two types -----------a) STAYI - BHAVA- RUPA which is priti or love, which refers to the MANIFESTATION of the permanent sentiment of ------------------love of God in one of the primary relationships -------------------------shanta - neutrality -------------------------dasya - transcendental loving service -------------------------sakhya - transcendental loving friendship -------------------------vatsalya - transcendental loving parenthood (where the bhakta is the parent and the Lord surrenders --------to the love and care of His beloved devotee) -------------------------madhura - transcendental amorous love; the most intimate and sweet -----------b) SANCHARI -BHAVA- RUPA which is vishada or despondency has 2 forms: -----------------------prema ankura - the sprout of prema (pure love of God) called also bhava or rati -----------------------prema - the fully blossomed pure love of God developed through the stages of sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga, bhava, mahabhava. The sanchary-bhavas arise like waves in the ocean of stayi- bhava. These are intrinsic symptoms of UTTAMA BHAKTI .

For one that does the good, the evil cannot touch him. Be ideal, attain prema, the pure love of Krishna, and distribute that love to all. That is what we lack in the material world, anything else (like violence) is anyway too much. Be a vaishnava, have no fear! Everything is under control, you cannot get but what you deserve and There is no greater suffering in the world than the lack of association with pure devotees of the Lord, anything else (like violence) is anyway too much. Be ideal, attain prema, the pure love of Krishna, and distribute that love to all. Jiva cannot easily comprehend the spiritual attachment, cid anuraga, which is jiva svadharama (true function). Jiva is wholly unacquainted with the raga-anuga nature, the nature that impels one to follow the soul s spontaneous attraction to the Lord. Only infrequently, by the mercy of sadhus, the raga-anuga nature can be awakened in the hearts of jivas. There is no greater suffering in the world than the lack of association with pure devotees of the Lord, anything else (like violence) is anyway too much. Be ideal, attain prema, the pure love of Krishna, and distribute that love to all. trinad api sunicena, taror avi sahishnuna amanina manadena kirtania sada hari we are not called to punish, but to bless.

For one that does the good, the evil cannot touch him. Be ideal, attain prema, the pure love of Krishna, and distribute that love to all. That is what we lack in the material world, anything else (like violence) is anyway too much. Be a vaishnava, have no fear! Everything is under control, you cannot get but what you deserve and There is no greater suffering in the world than the lack of association with pure devotees of the Lord, anything else (like violence) is anyway too much. Be ideal, attain prema, the pure love of Krishna, and distribute that love to all. Jiva cannot easily comprehend the spiritual attachment, cid anuraga, which is jiva svadharama (true function). Jiva is wholly unacquainted with the raga-anuga nature, the nature that impels one to follow the soul s spontaneous attraction to the Lord. Only infrequently, by the mercy of sadhus, the raga-anuga nature can be awakened in the hearts of jivas. There is no greater suffering in the world than the lack of association with pure devotees of the Lord, anything else (like violence) is anyway too much. Be ideal, attain prema, the pure love of Krishna, and distribute that love to all. trinad api sunicena, taror avi sahishnuna amanina manadena kirtania sada hari we are not called to punish, but to bless.

Also is important to know what is bhakti. Generally when bhaktas say bhakti they refer to uttama bhakti, which is the highest bhakti or pure bhakti, which is also described as svarupa bhakti. First the definition of bhakti, as given by Srila Rupa Gosvami: anyabhilashita shunyam jnana karmady anavritam anukulyena krishnanu shilanam bhaktir uttama The cultivation of ACTIVITIES -- WHICH are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Sri Krishna, or in other words the uninterrupted flow of LOVING SEERVICE to Sri Krsna, -----performed through all ENDEAVOURS (of the body, mind and speech) -----which are accompanied by various spiritual sentiments (bhavas) --WHICH are not covered by -----jnana (knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation) -----karma (reward-seeking activities) --WHICH are devoid of material desires, or any other desires except the aspiration to bring happiness to Sri Krishna is called uttama-bhakti (pure devotional service). The name Krishna indicates Vrajendrana nandana Sri Krisna, the adi purusha (the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, which lives in the spiritual Vraja) and all His avataras. There is a kind of bhakti which is called sanga-siddha bhakti; and there is also a kind of bhakti which is called aropa-siddha bhakti. I talked about them previously.

exerpt from a lecture of Srila BV Narayana Maharaja [srila Narayana Maharaja:] What is the second sloka in the pranama mantra of your Gurudeva? [Drstadyumna dasa:] namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani pracarine nirvesesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine [srila Narayana Maharaja:] What is that gaura-vani he preached? [Drstadyumna dasa:] There are four reasons for which Lord Caitanya came to this world. One was to establish the yuga-dharma of the chanting of the holy name, another was because Advaita Acarya had called Him to come, and… [srila Narayana Maharaja:] I want to hear what was that gaura-vani of your Gurudeva. [Drstadyumna dasa:] In simple words it was to chant Hare Krsna, and that meant to worship… [srila Narayana Maharaja:] Sri Advaita Acarya may have given this. So many acaryas have given this. Even Maha-Visnu can give the chanting of the holy name, but He cannot give that gaura-vani. [Drstadyumna dasa:] It was to give an understanding of the essence of the feelings and mood of Srimati Radharani and… [srila Narayana Maharaja:] What is that gaura-vani he gave? [Drstadyumna dasa:] Would it be the mood of the manjaris; service to the Divine Couple? [srila Narayana Maharaja:] Was this his vani? I want to hear about that vani. What is that gaura-vani he preached throughout the world? It has been explained in the words of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has also explained it. aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam ramya kascid upasana vraja-vadhu-varga-ya kalpita srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam prema pumartho mahan sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah This is the special gaura-vani. aradhyo bhagavan Krsna is our highest worshipable Deity, but there are so many manifestations of Krsna. Dvarakadhisa Krsna is the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Is He our worshipable Deity? He may be for so many others, and there is no harm in that. He is worshipable for them, and He should be. We do namaskara to Him, but we worship that very Vrajendranandana who took birth from the womb of Yasodamaiya. vrajesa-tanayas At the time of His birth, Vrajendranandana Krsna had no long hair, no decorations, and no ornaments. He appeared as a simple baby, weeping, "Kya, kya, kya!" All the Vrajabasis understood that He was born from the womb of Mother Yasoda. We worship that very Nandanandana. You should know that Nandanandana is always nava-kisora natavara. He is eternally an ever-fresh cowherd youth, and Mother Yasoda thinks, "He is my son." We worship this very Krsna who was bound by His mother in Vrndavana. She ran faster than Him, caught hold of Him, and bound Him. That is why He is called Damodara-Krsna. He killed Putana, who tried to take His life by poisoning Him, and He gave her a motherly position in Goloka. We worship that Krsna who was playing in the courtyard of Nanda Baba and Mother Yasoda, and who was controlled by them with affection and love. We worship that Krsna who was always surrounded by His friends like Dama, Sridama, Sudama, Vasudama, Stokakrsna, Lavanga, Arjuna, Subala, Madhumangala, and so on. They used to defeat that Krsna, and, being defeated, Krsna was very happy. That Krsna always played with the gopa-ramanis. Aradya bhagavan. Although He is Bhagavan, His bhagavata (Godhood) has been covered. All His opulences are covered by Yogamaya, and thus He has no idea that He is Brahma, Parabrahma, or Bhagavan. That very Krsna is our aradhya, our object of worship. Another manifestation of Krsna is the husband of Rukmini and the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. He should be the aradhya of the Mathuravasis and others. Let them worship Him in that way, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is saying, "Aradyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanaya tad dhama vrndavanam." That Krsna is always in Vrndavana. He never gives up Vrndavana. He never goes elsewhere. His manifestations may go to Kuruksetra, to Dvaraka, and to Mathura. They can go, but that Krsna never leaves Vrndavana. Ramya karcit upasanam vrajavadhu. The process of serving Krsna that was adopted by all the gopis to please Krsna, especially by Radha and Her group, is the highest. They can even place their feet on His head. They can chastise Him - to please Him. They can order Him to do so many things, and He will very happily carry out their orders. He does not feel so much happiness by hearing the prayers of Brahma, Sankara, and all others like them, but He wants the gopis to chastise Him and call Him 'thief.' Srimad bhagavatam pramanam amalam The way and the process by which the gopis pleased Krsna cannot be attained by anyone else, and to understand this, Srimad Bhagavatam is the highest evidence among all sastras. Only in Srimad Bhagavatam can you see all these truths. Caitanya Mahaprabhu offers pranama to the Upanisads and all other scriptures because they are all the breathing of Krsna, but He particularly glorifies Srimad Bhagavatam. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Krsna Himself told the gopis, "Na paraye 'ham niravadya-samyujam. I cannot repay you, My dear gopis. I cannot repay you in thousands of thousands of births. Be pleased, therefore, by your own bhakti to Me. Be merciful to Me." Srimad Bhagavatam is revealing all this. This truth has been told there, but you can only realize it by the commentaries of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, and Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. Prema pumartha mahan. Prema is the ultimate goal, and the prema in the heart of Radhika is supermost. Hanuman also has prema, Dhruva Maharaja also has prema, and Prahlada Maharaja also has some love and affection. The Pandavas and Uddhava also have some prema, and all the queens of Dvaraka have so much love and affection. The sakhas and sakhis of Vrndavana, and Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja all have prema, but no one has that prema of Srimati Radhika. Hers is the highest love and affection towards Krsna. Her love is in the heart of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He Himself is telling about it. This is gaura-vani. This vani(message or teaching) is the vani of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. No one ever preached this before Him. Only "You should do nama-sankirtana" was preached. So many acaryas in Kali-yuga have told us that we should perform kirtana, but no one gave that love and affection given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He preached love and affection, Vraja-prema, through nama-sankirtan. This is His vani. ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-mahadavagni-nirvapanam sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidyavadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri krsnanama-kirtanam This is gaura-vani. trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih No one ever explained this before. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became very happy when, by His order and inspiration, Sri Rupa Gosvami explained the glory of the name: tunde tandavini ratim vitanute tundavali-labdhaye karna-kroda-kadambini ghatayate karnarbudebhyah sprham cetah-prangana-sangini vijayate sarvendriyanam krtim no jane janita kiyadbhir amrtaih krsneti varna-dvaya "I do not know how much nectar the two syllables 'Krs-na' have produced. When the holy name of Krsna is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 1.99) Hearing this verse, Srila Haridasa Thakura began to jump, laugh, and chant, "Hari Bol! Hari Bol!" Give up all worldly sense gratification. Don't pray for a very good wife, good family, salvation, or anything else. Only pray for causeless bhakti, the bhakti that is in the heart of Srimati Radhika. That bhakti is established when hladini and samvit manifest in ones heart, on the platform of sandini. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is telling us who we are. ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram patitam mam visame bhavambudhau krpaya tava ...-pankaja- sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya We always want to be a particle of dust at the lotus feet of the son of Nanda Maharaja. No one had ever told all this before. Especially, no one had previously told: nayanam galad asru dharaya vadanam gadgada ruddhaya gira pulakair nicitam vapuh kada tava nama grahane bhavisyati Hairs standing on end, voice choked, and all kinds of asta-sattvika-bhavas were present in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When will a day come that I can chant like this: weeping, with my bodily hairs standing on end, and my heart melting? No one had ever seen all these symptoms before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited them. Valmiki had some symptoms, and Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja also had some, but not like this. This wonderful thing was taught by Mahaprabhu. Moreover He taught: yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitam sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda virahena me There are hardly any qualified persons to realize all the truths in this verse. If a rare person realizes this, he will give up his body - because the material body cannot tolerate the emotions of prema. Moreover: aslisya va ...-ratam pinastu mam adarsanän marma-hatam karotu va yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah "Lord Krsna, who is the lover of many devotees (women), may embrace this fully surrendered maidservant or may trample me with His feet. Or, He may render me brokenhearted by not being present before me for a long duration of time. Still, He is nothing less than the absolute lord of my heart." The transcendental emotions revealed in this verse cannot be found in this world. This is only found in Goloka Vrndavana-dhama. We should pray that a day will come that we can serve under the guidance of the gopis, especially being the maidservant of Srimati Radhika, under the guidance of Lalita, Visakha, and Rupa-manjari. This is gaura-vani. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja preached this, but in the beginning he had to cut so many jungles of mayavada, nirvesesa, and sahajiya philosophies. He saw that in order to make the land of the world fertile, it would take a long time. He therefore put all these truths in his transcendental literatures. He thought that if any of his disciples would be qualified to go deep into those truths, all this vani would be taught there. He wanted to preach it also, but it was rare to find a student who could go so deep. Most of his students could not follow him, and that is why so many fell down even from sannyasa. They made many offenses to him, and they are now burning in hell. You should know all this vani, and be very strong in preaching and in glorifying your Prabhupada. Gaura-vani-pracarine. Krsna has sent him for this. After our Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami came, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Syamananda prabhu came, and after that Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and then our Gurudeva and so many associates of Srila Prabhupada. One of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's hands was Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, who came to the western countries, and in a couple of years preached everywhere. We should try to know his glories. Gaura-vani has so much deep meaning, but the meaning is very hidden. Don't think there is no reason for the word 'gaura-vani.' Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is described in his pranama mantra to be gaura-vani murti. [Namaste gaura-vani sri murtaye dina-tarine.] Murti means embodiment. He is the embodiment of gaura-vani, and Srila Swami Maharaja, your Prabhupada, is in the same line. He is not different from Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. The term 'Prabhupadanuga' is a wrong idea. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura are both followers of Srila Rupa Gosvami, and therefore they are rupanuga. Following them, we are all rupanuga. We have now told in brief about the vani of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has also, in a brief form, collected gaura-vani in his Dasa-mula siksa. You should note it very carefully in your heart. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote down that vani in his Jaiva-dharma, his last and best book. It is an authentic literature, and is the essence of all the Vedas, Upanisads, Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta, and all the books of our Gosvamis. The essence of all sastra is there in Jaiva-dharma. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written: amanayaha praha tattavam harim iha paramam sarva saktima rasabdhima tata bhinansansa ca jivan prakritir kavalitan tada vimuktansa ca bhavada bhedabheda prakasam sakalampi harch sadhanam sudha bhaktim sadhayam tata pritim eva iti upadesayati janan gauracandra savayam saha "The authoritative knowledge of the Vedas, received through the bona fide disciplic succession, establishes the following fundamental truths: 1.Hari is the supreme absolute truth. 2.He is omnipotent. 3.He is the reservoir of all mellows. 4.The living entities are His separated parts and parcels. 5.The conditioned souls are covered by Maya. 6.The liberated souls are beyond the influence of Maya. 7.The entire cosmic manifestation is simultaneously one and different from Him. 8.Suddha-bhakti is the only means to achieve love of Godhead. 9.The goal is to attain love of Godhead. These teachings have been instructed by Gauracandra Himself." Gaura Premanande.

From a lecture of Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja Suppose a person unfortunately took initiation from an unqualified guru who was not on the stage of a mahabhagavat. That guru was not realized in the established truths. tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam ["Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters." (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21).] The word sabde means sastras, like the Vedas, Upanisads, and so on. It also means the holy name. Pare means Krsna. Suppose that guru had no realization of Krsna or His names or His glories, as told in sastra, and he was only on the level of kanistha-adhikari – and still he thought he was guru. He had many worldly desires, such as the the desire for name, fame, and wealth, and someone unfortunately took harinama and diksa from him. *[see Endnote 1] Do the verses that glorify the qualifications of guru apply to that guru or not? Should the disciple obey that guru with the attitude of surrender ordered by all the sastras? Should he follow that guru totally or not? Can a person acquire pure cow milk from a male donkey? Can a person get sweet mangos from a thorn tree? What is the disciple's duty towards that kind of guru? [syamarani dasi:] Srila Gurudeva has ordered me to reply this question: sastra speaks about the glories of guru and how one must surrender to guru. Should one surrender to a guru who is not pure and who does not have the qualities of a sad-guru? The three main qualifications of the bona fide guru are given in the verse beginning tasmad gurum prapadyeta. The guru must have three qualities. He must have heard sabda-brahma, the transcendental sound, the holy names and the words of sastra, from his bona fide guru, and he must have realized it. He will be realizing, directly experiencing, the truths written in the sastra, and he will be realizing the holy name. He will not be chanting nama-aparadha or nama-abhasa. He will be chanting suddha-nama, and that means he will be a suddha-bhakta. He will be learned in all the sastras. The three types of devotees are kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari, and uttama-adhikari. Even the madhyama-adhikari bhakta does not fully understand all the sastras. He knows something, but he does not know all the sastras thoroughly. Therefore, it is not he who is explained when that sad-guru is explained in this verse. One must be in full knowledge of the science of Krsna. In the eleventh canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that the devotee who is one hundred percent fixed in the knowledge of sastra and can convince others is an uttama adhikari, and he is qualified to be sad-guru. * [see Endnote] It is also stated in Caitanya-caritamrta: kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya ["Whether one is a brahmana, a sannyasi or a sudra—regardless of what he is—he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Krsna" (Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya-lila 8.128)] One who is bound cannot untie the ropes of someone else who is bound. He himself must be unbound. He must be fully liberated. He will not only know sastra, but he must be fully detached from material life. This is the third symptom of guru described in the verse. He will have no anxieties and no desire for material happiness. He is called a vimala Vaisnava. Guru means vimala, or suddha (pure) Vaisnava. Only by the mercy of a suddha Vaisnava is all perfection in bhakti possible, and therefore, in his own prayers to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura teaches us how to pray for that mercy. In his song "Vimala Vaisnava", he prays, "kandiya kandiya – Living in this Godruma forest I am simply weeping. O Bhagavan, O Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I am only living to get this mercy from you." What mercy does he want? hari hari kabe more ha'be hena dina, vimala vaisnave, rati upajibe, vasana haibe ksina ["O Hari! O Mahaprabhu! When will the fortunate day come when rati, deep love and attachment, will come in my heart for the lotus feet of the pure-hearted Vaisnavas? At that time I will honor and serve them, and thus all my material desires and anarthas, especially lust and anger, will go." (Vimala Vaisnava, first verse).] Please give me the mercy so that I will develop rati, strong love and attachment for vimala Vaisnava. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is praying to have love for that type of guru. Suppose one accepts a guru who is sincere but not self-realized, and then later on one meets a pure devotee and realizes that the guru from whom he took diksa is not pure and does not have all the qualities of sad guru. He will then go to his non self-realized guru and say, "I have found a pure devotee. Will you bless me that I can have his association?" If that guru replies, "Yes, go, and I will follow right behind you," then that disciple can honor him and at the same time go to that first class guru for complete shelter. On the other hand, if that guru says, "No, only follow me," then he should at once be rejected. In Bhakti-sandarbha (Anuccheda 238), Srila Jiva Gosvami has given the injunction that if one's guru is envious of an exalted Vaisnava one should immediately reject that guru and find a maha-bhagavat Vaisnava guru. If the guru is a vimala Vaisnava, then "vasana haibe ksina" – by having affection for that suddha-bhakta, that vimala Vaisnava, all my material desires and all my anarthas will disappear. There are four kinds of anarthas – misconceptions, offences, thirst for material enjoyment, and weakness of heart in the form of envy, desire for name and fame, and evil-mindedness. This disappearance of anarthas occurs only by the mercy of that vimala Vaisnava, and only by having love and affection for him – by guru-devatatma – seeing him as more dear than our very atmas. Then what will take place? antare-bahire, sama vyavahara amani manada ha'bo krsna-sankirtane, sri-krsna-smarane, satata majiya ra'bo ["With a heart free from duplicity, my outer behavior will correspond to my inner feelings and thoughts. Seeing myself as completely insignificant, I will give all respect to others, seeking no honor in return. Always dancing and singing the holy names, I will remain constantly absorbed in remembering Sri Krsna's beautiful pastimes." (Vimala Vaisnava verse 2)] When sastra orders one to be free of association of visayis, this does not only mean karmis or yogis. It also means devotees who are materialistic. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is instructing us to give up even that association and take shelter of the vimala Vaisnava. By that, we will be able to discriminate between different levels of devotees and respect them according to their capacity in bhakti. We will respect them without desiring any respect for ourselves. My bodily activities will then go on as a matter of habit and I will then be able to remember Krsna. While chanting Krsna's holy names, His pastimes will continuously come in my heart like a waterfall or a steady stream of honey poured from a jar. In this verse, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is teaching us how to pray, and what to pray for. He says, "I am only living for that. By having love and affection for such a guru, I will automatically know what to give up and what to accept. I will automatically accept the right things and I will automatically give up that which is bad for me. Then at the time of death, I will leave this body very happily remembering Krsna." Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura concludes this song by saying, "O Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I am living only so that you will give me this mercy – that I can have love for such a vimala Vaisnava." bhakativinoda, ei asa kori, bosiya godruma-bane prabhu-krpa lagi, vyakula antare, sada kande sangopane ["Residing alone in the forest of Godruma and continuously weeping, Bhaktivinoda anxiously prays, 'I am living only with the hope that Mahaprabhu will bestow his mercy on me.'" (Vimala Vaisnava, verse 5)] [srila Narayana Maharaja:] But we must consider that the presence of uttama-adhikari (mahabhagavata), madhyama-uttama-adhikari (those approaching the stage of bhava), and even madhyama-madhyama-adhikari (those at the stage of asakti) devotees are very rare in this world. It is very rare, therefore, to have a guru of this caliber. What should we do under these circumstances? We will have to take a guru. If a guru is not "sabde pare ca nisnatam", if he has not realized the established truths delineated in the Vedas, Upanisads and other sastras, but he has very strong faith in his pure guru and is sincerely following him, then, even if he is a madhyama-adhikari – or even kanistha-madhyama – do not reject that guru. If he is always serving his own mahabhagavat guru and is obedient both internally and externally to him, then do not reject him. We can give up our guru only with the consideration given by Srila Sanatana Gosvami in his Hari-bhakti-vilasa: avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam sravanam naiva kartavyam sarpocchistam yatha payah ["One should not hear anything about Krsna from a non-vaisnava. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about Krsna given by a non-vaisnava are also poisonous."] If a guru is not serving his own gurudeva, he has left the process given by him, and his guru is not satisfied by his behavior – only in that case can we reject him. However, if the guru is a madhyama-adhikari and sincere, if he is very obedient and following the footsteps of his guru, then he will gradually become uttama-adhikari. So we should not reject him. At the same time, if he is not perfect and thus cannot remove all our doubts about Krsna Consciousness, what should we do? We should offer pranama to him and ask his permission to have the association of a mahabhagavata devotee: A disciple may ask, "May I go to Srila Jiva Gosvami"? or "May I go to Srila Rupa Gosvami?" or, "May I go to a high class of Vaisnava?" If the guru says, "No, you cannot go," you should give him up. On the other hand, if he says, "Certainly you can go, and I will also come," then he is a real guru. In fact, a guru who sends his disciple to a superior guru for instruction may also be an uttama-mahabhagavata, as there are various stages of mahabhagavata, and that guru is certainly not to be rejected. For example, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura was a disciple of Srila Lokanatha dasa Gosvami, but he took permission from him to take shelter of Srila Jiva Gosvami; and Srila Syamananda prabhu also took permission from Srila Hrdaya-caitanya dasa Gosvami for that same shelter of Srila Jiva Gosvami. There are three levels of devotees who can act as sad-guru, and they are: 1) bhagavat-parsada-deha-prapt, 2) nirdhuta-kasaya, and 3) murcchita kasaya.* [see Endnote 3] This human life is so rare, so do not waste your time in this regard. labdhva sudurlabham idam bahu-sambhavante manusyam arthadam anityam apiha dhirah turnam yateta na pated anumrtyu yavan nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat ["After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a human being." (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.9.29)] Try to follow all these principles, and gradually you will develop your Krsna consciousness. Gaura Premanande [* Endnote 1 – "That religious undertaking which bestows divya-jnana or transcendental knowledge and destroys papa (sin), papa-bija (the seed of sin), and avidya (ignorance) to the root is called diksa by learned authorities in the absolute truth." (Hari-bhakti-vilasa, 2.9) Di means transcendental realization of ones relationship with Krsna, and ksa means destruction of the abovementioned obstacles. Therefore, unless one gets initiated from a mahabhavat devotee, he is not receiving diksa in the real sense.] [*Endnote 2 – "It should be understood that a madhyama-adhikari, a second-class devotee, is fully convinced of Krsna consciousness but cannot support his convictions with sastric reference. A neophyte may fall down by associating with non-devotees because he is not firmly convinced and strongly situated. The second-class devotee, even though he cannot support his position with sastric reference, can gradually become a first-class devotee by studying the sastras and associating with a first-class devotee. However, if the second-class devotee does not advance himself by associating with a first-class devotee, he makes no progress. There is no possibility that a first-class devotee will fall down, even though he may mix with non-devotees to preach. Conviction and faith gradually increase to make one an uttama-adhikari, a first-class devotee."(Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 22.71 purp.)] [*Endnote 3 – "Bhagavat-parsada-deha-prapta – After giving up the gross material body, those who have perfected themselves through the practice of bhakti obtain sac-cit-ananda spiritual forms which are just suitable for the service of the Lord as associates (parsadas). Such persons are the best of all uttama-bhagavatas. "Nirdhuta-kasaya – Those who, although still residing within the gross material body made of five elements, have no trace of material desire (vasana) nor any material impressions (samskaras) within their hearts are called nirdhuta-kasaya (who have thrown off all material impurities). They belong to the intermediate class of uttama-bhagavatas. "Murcchita-kasaya – Those siddha-mahapurusas pursuing the path of bhakti in whose hearts there remains a trace of desire (vasana) and impressions (samskaras) based on the material mode of goodness are known as murcchita-kasaya. Due to influence of their bhakti-yoga, these vasanas and samskaras remain in a dormant or unconscious state. As soon as there is a favorable opportunity, their worshipful object, Sri Bhagavan, somehow causes their desire to be consumed and attracts them to His lotus feet. Such elevated souls belong to the preliminary stage (kanistha) of uttama-bhagavatas. (Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu)] To those who wish to join this group send a blank email to: bvnmharikatha-@ Please send all billboard queries to bvnmbillboard@ If you are not a member of this group and would like to send a blank email to: bvnmbillboard-@

Also is important to know what is bhakti. Generally when bhaktas say bhakti they refer to uttama bhakti, which is the highest bhakti or pure bhakti, which is also described as svarupa bhakti. This needs more explanation. There is a kind of bhakti which is called sanga-siddha bhakti. This is not true bhakti because is constituted of endeavours which are associated with bhakti, and themselves are not part of bhakti, but they are favourable to bhakti, like cultivating compassion, friendliness, offering respect, cleanliness, austerity, tolerance, silence, study of the Vedas, simplicity, celibacy, non-violence, and so on. When these endeavours are cultivated as associates of bhakti, then they are called sanga siddha bhakti, otherwise not. There is also a kind of bhakti which is called aropa-siddha bhakti, which is not true bhakti, because is constituted of endeavours which are not purely constituted of bhakti, but they are designated as bhakti, due to their being offered to the Lord. For example one offers flowers and other paraphernalia to the Lord, because one wants also to attain something material. Is almost the same as someone sings in a wonderful voice Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, which is the most offering, but one thinks look at me, look at me look at me. In both cases the motivation is material. The action of offering can de designated (aropa) as bhakti, because it is not pure, but personally motivated. If it would be pure, it would be bhakti.

Dear theist Please accept my dandavat pranama and my appreciation. Krsneti yasya giri tam manasadriyeta Diksasti cet pranatibis ca bajantam isam So when the term vedic is attributed to a noun, it must be understood that the noun is connected with knowledge about the Absolute Truth. Let us take the noun culture. When we say vedic culture, how is the noun culture related to the the Absolute Truth? Not by time, not by place (planet ) nor by style of dress, diferent eatting styles, different looking religious rituals; In other other words by no material circumstances. The vedic culture is the one that is God centred, posses the spiritual knowledge about jiva, bhagavan, maya and their relation and promote that knowledge and practice. On the strength of their faith in the shastra the spiritually awake develop a taste for the practice of hari nama. By the influence of association with the saintly people one repeatedly practices the chanting of the holy name and in due course of time one attains Krsna's mercy. Karma, jnana and bhakti form but one yoga system. This is the vedic siddhanta says Bhaktivinoda Thakura in Jaiva Dharma. The conditioned jivas get inside the yoga system in accordance with the realizations attained in previous lives. These spiritual realizations modelled their consciousness and as the consciousness is the place of attachment they are automatically attracted to a particular part of the yoga system.

Dear Shvu Please accept my dandavat pranama Krsneti yasya giri tam manasadriyeta Diksasti cet pranatibis ca bajantam isam Yo said: Vedic is an english term meaning related to or of Veda and has been much bandied around to cover anything that is archaic and Indian -- inaccurately in most cases. Of course from your point of view, which seems to be the point of the western world, you are wright. Maybe we can take another point of view. Let us say vedic is a Sanskrit term, because it is derived from veda which is a Sanskrit notion that, as we all know, means Knowledge, True Knowledge; that is spiritual knowledge, which is knowledge about the Absolute Truth. So when the term vedic is attributed to a noun, it must be understood that the noun is connected with knowledge about the Absolute Truth. So vedic cannot be an english term. Of course it might be that ignorant people use the term vedic quite inappropriate.

A famous bhakta named Shrila Vishvanatha Cakravarti wrote: One cannot practice bhakti without guru. Bhakti is a vriti (function ) of the svarupa shakti (the spiritual energy of the Lord). Bhakti cannot manifest in the body, mind and senses of baddha (conditioned) jiva (soul) which are unconscious. Through the mercy of sad guru (the spiritual realized guru, who has seen the Highest Personality of Godhead face to face, by the power of his loving devotion obtained by the mercy of his own guru) bhakti-vriti (the function of loving devotion) obtains tad-atma with the material body and senses and acts through them. Here is a material example for understanding tad-atma. By long contact of iron with fire, the fire obtains "tad-atma"with the iron and so the fire acts through the iron. Bhakti is a vriti (function ) of the svarupa shakti (the spiritual energy of the Lord). Bhakti cannot manifest in the body, mind and senses of baddha (conditioned) jiva (soul) which are unconscious. So one needs a guru. But the kind of guru that one gets is according to his previous eternal pious deeds (which are not under the jurisdiction of karma). These spiritual pious deeds are called sukriti. Sometimes by the mercy of the sad-guru even the most unqualified people are accepted as disciples.

Leyh, very nice, I like you. Any material designations cannot be applied to the spiritual vastus. Is the hindu term a material or a spiritual designation? If hindu would be a spiritual designation, than it would have been found in the vedic literature in conection with the spiritual objects, which is not the case. Or, the hindu term would have been used by the realized souls in describing the spiritual reality which applies also to the Highest Personality of Godhead Krsna. I liked it so much when you said Krsna is not a hindu God, Krsna is God. As Srila BV Svami Prabhupada used to say Krsna is the Highest Personality of Godhead. Yet we still try to describe the spiritual reality through material designation and we use our material logic.

Almost the same artikel has been posted before under the wrong topic. Sri Krsna Caitanya is Krsna, Krsna Himself, who has "stolen" the moods of Srimati Radhika. In Prema Vivarta is described as Sri Jagadananda threatened Mahaprabhu that will tell everybody that He is a thief. because Mahaprabhu would tease Jagadananda and tell him that he is like a queen in Dwaraka. Jagadananda said: I am a maidservant of Srimati Radhika and I will tell everybody that you've stolen the golden complexion and the mood of my Mistress. My Gurudeva says that truly Krsna didn't steal anything but Srimati Radhika inspired Krsna to take Her moods, that He cannot taste. Krsna says I don't know the strength of Radha's love with which She always overwhelms me. CC Adi-lila 4.123 The love of Radhika is My teacher, and I am Her dancing pupil. Her prema makes Me dance various novel dances CC Adi-lila 4.124 Thinking in this way, Lord Krsna was curios to taste that love. His eager desire for that love increasingly blazed in His heart CC Adi 4.136 Lord Krsna's own beauty attracts Lord Krsna Himself. But because He cannot fully enjoy it, His mind remains full of sorrow CC Adi 4.158 Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaha says And so He was sent by His Guru (Srimati Radhika) to the school of Her Sakhis LALITA (SVARUPA DAMODARA) and Vishaka (Ramananda Raya) and Srimati Radhika came Herself as Gadhadara Pandita to look if Krsna is a good pupil. This conclusion of the rasa is extremely deep, Only SVARUPA DAMODARA knows much about it. CC Adi 4.160 Lalita Sakhi (Svarupa Damodara) guided Sri Krisna (Sri Caitanya) in the moods Of Srimati Radhika Sri Sri Radha Krsna came and showed some of their pastimes in prakrita Vrindavan. But who could understand , who could understand the glories of the parakiya rasa, the glories of the love of the gopis? So They came again to give the raga marga, that was never been given before, the raga-anuga bhakti, the path of folowing the moods of the inhabitans of Vraja, the path of spontaneity. O Arjuna, there are no greater receptacles of deep love for Me, than the gopis, who cleanse and decorate their bodies because they consider them Mine. CC Adi 4.184 Spoken By Sri Krsna in Adi Purana. Of course we have to practice according to Sri Rupa Gosvami sa bhakti sadhana bhaktir bhava bhakti prema bhakti iti trividha sadhana bhakti punar vaidhi raganuga - bhedena dvividha.

What does it mean Lord Caitanya is Radha and Krsna combined? We have the purport from CC Adi-lila 13.43 TEXT 43 krsnera viyoge yata prema-cestita asvadiya purna kaila apana vanchita TRANSLATION In separation from Krsna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu relished all these ecstatic activities, and thus He fulfilled His own desires. PURPORT In the beginning of Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that Lord Caitanya appeared in order to taste the feelings Radharani felt upon seeing Krsna. Krsna Himself could not understand the ecstatic feelings of Radharani toward Him, and therefore He desired to accept the role of Radharani and thereby taste these feelings. Lord Caitanya is Krsna with the feelings of Radharani; in other words, He is a combination of Radha and Krsna. It is therefore said, sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya. By worshiping Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu alone, one can relish the loving affairs of Radha and Krsna together. One should therefore try to understand Radha-Krsna not directly but through Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and through His devotees.

Vrajanatha: How do you define 'vivarta-vada"? Babaji: In the Vedas there is description of transformation (vivarta), but that description is not at all like what has become known as the 'vivarta-vada'. Sri Sankaracarya has used the words 'vivarta' and 'vivarta-vada' to mean 'maya-vada' (the philosophy of impersonalism). The true meaning of the word 'vivarta' is given in these words: Attvato nyatha buddhir vivarttam ity udahritah Sadananda's Vedanta Sara 49 "The word 'vivarta' means 'misunderstanding the true nature of a certain thing'." The individual is a tiny particle of spirit. But when he is imprisoned in the gross and subtle material body, he becomes bewildered and thinks, "I am this gross and subtle material body." Thus he misunderstands his true identity. "Misunderstanding" is the only definition of 'vivarta' given in the Vedas. Someone may think, "I am Raghunatha Bhattacarya, the son of Sanatana Bhattacarya", and someone else may think, "I am Sadhu Candala, the son of Vise Candala". In this way the intelligence becomes bewildered. Both of those persons are individual souls, tiny particles of spirit. Still, they are bewildered and they think they are identical with the material body. To MISTAKE A ROPE FOR A SNAKE or the glistening on a seashell's surface for silver are other examples of misunderstandings (vivartas). By all these examples the Vedas teach that one should throw far away the idea that he is identical with the material body. The mayavadis (impersonalists), however, reject this proper use of the word 'vivarta' and teach a funny theory they called 'vivarta-vada'. They say that the idea "I am the Supreme" is the true idea, and the misconception, or vivarta, is the idea "I am an individual spirit soul". By accepting this kind of ''vivarta-vada" one will not understand what is the actual truth. The true vivarta-vada does not at all contradict the sakti-parinama-vada. On the other hand, the mayavadis (impersonalists') vivarta-vada is only an object of laughter. The mayavadis' vivarta-vada is of three kinds: 1. the soul is really Brahman but he becomes bewildered into thinking that he is an individual soul, 2. the idea that the individual souls are reflections of Brahman, and 3. the idea that Brahman takes a nap and dreams that He has become the many individual souls. None of these are the true vivarta-vada. The evidence of the Vedas refutes them all. Vrajanatha: What is this mayavada philosophy? My intelligence does not understand it. Babaji: Try to understand it soberly and carefully. The maya-sakti is a perverted reflection of the svarupa-sakti (internal potency). The maya-sakti CANNOT ENTER THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. The maya-sakti is the controller of the material world. Because he is bewildered by ignorance, the soul enters the material world. Spiritual things are real and do have an independent, separate existence. However, the mayavada theory does not accept the reality of spiritual things. 1.The mayavada theory declares that the individual soul is actually Brahman, and it is only by the influence of maya that he thinks he is different from Brahman. 2.The mayavada theory declares that as long as he is under maya's influence, the soul thinks he is an individual soul, but when he becomes free of maya's influence, the soul learns that he is actually Brahman. 3.The mayavada theory declares that when maya's influence ceases, the individual spirit soul also ceases to exist. In this way liberation is thought to mean nirvana, or the souls merging into the existence of Brahman. In this way the mayavada theory does not accept the existence of a pure individual spirit soul, free from maya's clutches. 4. The mayavada theory also declares that when he incarnates in the material world, Brahman must take shelter of maya and accept a body made of matter. Brahman thus does not have a spiritual form and must accept a form made of matter. Thus Brahman accepts the different material forms of His incarnations, descends to the material world, performs very great deeds, leaves His material form behind, and returns to His own abode. The mayavadis' offer one kindness to the Supreme Lord. They say that individual souls and the incarnations of Brahman have one difference. 5. They say that the individual souls are dependent on their past karma, are pushed into the gross material body against their will, and carried along by the strong current of their past karma, are forced to suffer old-age, death and re-birth. 6. On the other hand, the Supreme Lord accepts a material body, material identity, material name, material qualities, and other material things voluntarily, by His own will, and by His own will at a certain time He abandons those material things and becomes again manifest as pure spiritual consciousness. Although He performs activities, the Lord is not forced to accept the karmic results of those actions. SBT Jaiva-dharma Ch.18

But first, who is a jivan mukta? not according "the standard ISKCON blather I've often encountered" as Shvu Prabhu quoted Mr.Rajan Parrikar Vrajanatha: You have explained that the souls swallowed up by Maya are of five kinds. In those five kinds of souls imprisoned by Maya, you included the sadhana-bhaktas (devotees in the stage of devotional service in practice) and bhava-bhaktas (devotees in the stage of spiritual love). Which devotees are released from Maya's prison? Babaji: From the moment he begins to live as a devotee of the Lord, the soul may be said to be released from Maya's prison. However, the final stage of release from Maya's prison is only attained when one attains the final stage of mature devotion to the Lord. Before that one is situated in the preliminary stage of release from Maya's prison. When the gross (sthula-sarira) and subtle (linga-sarira) material bodies are both finally broken, the soul attains the final stage of release from Maya's prison. By practicing sadhana-bhakti (the practical activities of devotional service) one gradually attains bhava-bhakti (spiritual love of God). When bhava-bhakti becomes strong and firm, the soul is able, at the time of leaving the gross body, to leave the subtle body also and be situated in his original spiritual form. Because material life lingers during the stage of sadhana-bhakti, and because it is not yet completely removed even in the beginning stages of bhava-bhakti, the sadhana-bhaktas and bhava-bhaktas are included among the five kinds of souls swallowed by Maya. The materialists and the impersonalists are certainly to be counted among the souls swallowed by Maya. Among the liberated souls, they who have attained liberation by engaging in devotional service to Lord Hari have alone attained the true perfection of liberation. A soul who commits offenses and is therefore imprisoned by Maya forgets "I am a servant of Lord Krsna". That forgetfulness is the root from which his offenses grow. Without the mercy of Krsna, that soul is not excused from his offense. In the same way, without the mercy of Lord Krsna, that soul will not be released from Maya's prison. The impersonalist sampradaya's faith is that by cultivating impersonal speculation they will attain liberation. That faith is groundless. Without first attaining Lord Krsna's mercy, no one is released from Maya's prison. In Srimad Bhagavatam (10.2.32-33) the demigods speak these two verses to explain this truth: "O lotus eye one, those who think they are liberated in this life but do not render devotional service to You must be of impure intelligence. Although they accept severe austerities and penances to rise to the spiritual position, to impersonal Brahman realisation, the fall down again because they neglect to worship Your lotus feet.* "O Madhava, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord of the goddess of fortune, if devotees completely in love with You sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like non devotees, for You still protect them. Thus they fearlessly traverse the heads of their opponents and continue to progress in devotional service."* Vrajanatha: What are the different kinds of souls free of Maya's prison? Babaji: The souls free from Maya's prison are of two kinds: 1. nitya-mukta (the souls who were never placed in Maya's prison), and 2. baddha-mukta (the souls who were at one time imprisoned, but now are free). The nitya-mukta souls may be divided into two groups: 1. aisvarya-gata (souls who appreciate the Lord's feature of opulence), and 2. madhurya gata (souls who appreciate the Lord's feature of sweetness). The aisvarya-gata nitya-mukta souls are personal associates of Lord Narayana, the master of Vaikuntha. They are particles of spiritual effulgence emanated from Lord Mula-Sankarsana, who resides in Vaikuntha. The madhurya-gata nitya-mukta souls are personal associates of Lord Krsna, the master of Goloka Vrndavana. They are particles of spiritual effulgence manifested from Lord Baladeva, who resides in Goloka Vrndavana. The baddha-mukta souls (who were once imprisoned but now are free) are of three kinds: 1. aisvarya-gata (souls who appreciate the Lord's feature of opulence), 2. madhurya( –audarya) -gata (souls who appreciate the Lord's feature of sweetness), 3. brahmajyotir-gata (souls situated within the Lord's spiritual effulgence). Souls who during their period of practicing sadhana-bhakti are attracted to the Lord's opulence become eternal associates of Lord Narayana, the master of Vaikuntha. They attain salokya-mukti (the liberation of residing on the same planet as the Lord). Souls who during their period of practicing sadhana-bhakti are attracted to the Lord's sweetness, after liberation enjoy the sweetness of direct service to Lord Krsna in the eternal spiritual abode of Vrndavana and other like abodes. Souls who during their period of sadhana are attracted to become one with the Lord, after liberation attain brahma-sayujya-mukti (the liberation of merging with the Lord). In this way these souls are completely destroyed. Who is a jivan mukta? According Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Jaiva-dharma Ch.17

Excerpt from Srila Bahktivinoda Thakura's Jaiva-dharma Ch.17 the Jiva s liberation from Maya "Vrajanatha: What is the final destination of the soul who is a devotee of Lord Gaura-kisora (Lord Caitanya)? Babaji: Krsna and Gaura-kisora are not different. They are both shelters of the feature of sweetness (madhura-rasa). They do have one difference. Madhura-rasa has two features: 1. madhurya (sweetness), and 2. audarya (mercy). When sweetness is prominent, Lord Krsna is manifested. When mercy is prominent, Lord Gauranga is manifested. The spiritual world of Vrndavana is divided into two abodes: 1. the abode of Lord Krsna, and 2. the abode of Lord Gaura. The eternally perfect and eternally liberated souls who are attracted first to sweetness and then to mercy reside in Lord Krsna's abode. The eternally perfect and eternally liberated souls who are attracted first to mercy and then to sweetness reside in Lord Gaura's abode. Some souls manifest two forms and reside in both abodes simultaneously. Other souls manifest only one form and are present in one of the abodes and not in the other. Souls who during the time of sadhana worship only Lord Gaura, at the time of attaining perfection go to Lord Gaura's abode and serve Him there. Souls who during the time of sadhana worship only Lord Krsna, at the time of attaining perfection go to Lord Krsna's abode and serve Him there. Souls who during the time of sadhana worship both Lord Krsna and Lord Gaura, at the time of attaining perfection manifest two forms, go to both Lord Krsna's abode and Lord Gaura's abode, and in their two forms serve the two Lord's simultaneously in both places. This truth: that Lord Gaura and Lord Krsna are simultaneously one and different from each other, is a very confidential secret."

Sri bhagavan uvaca Na rodhayati mam yogo na sankhyam dharma eva ca Na svadhyayas tapas tyago nesta purttam na daksina Vratani yahnas cchandamsi tirthani niyama yamah Yathavarundhe SAT SANGAH sarva sangapaho hi mam Srimad Bhagavatam (11.12.1-2) Sri Bhagavan said, I am not controlled by those who Perform yoga, Study sankhya philosophy Perform religious duties and pious activities Study the Vedas Perform penances and austerities, practice renunciation and accept sannyasa Perform sacrifice and welfare activities, give donations in charity Practice fasting and other vows, perform yajna Chant confidential mantras Go on pilgrimage and Follow all the rules and regulations for spiritual life. However one who accepts SAT SANGA which destroys all material attachments Can control Me.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura sagt in Jaiva Dharma Generally, the human race can be divided into five groups: 1) immoral atheists 2) moral atheists 3) moral theists, who have moral and faith in Ishvara 4) those who are engaged in sadhana-bhakti 5) those who are engaged in bhava bhakti Those who are knowingly or unknowingly atheists, can be moral. When one such a moral person develops a little faith in Ishvara he is a moral theist. A moral theist can develop interest in sadhana-bhakti and become a sadhana-bhakta. A sadhana-bhakta becomes a bhava-bhakta when he has developed some UNALLOYED LOVE for Ishvara. Here are different types of consciousness 1) mukulita cetana -slightly blossoming (the atheists) 2) vikasita cetana -developed (moral theists and sadhana-bhaktas) 3) purna-vikasita-cetana -fully developed (bhava bhaktas) The spiritually unconsciuos (anudita-viveka) are obliged to remain confined to a particular portion of the stark and rudimentary tenets of the scriptures. The spiritually awake (udita-viveka) receive the underlying essence as an intimate friend. Although there is a difference in activities, there is no difference in aim. The aim is the unadulterated love of God. The methods prescribed are different for people of different eligibility. Speaking about religions SBT says: In the yavana religions there is no knowledge (clear conception) of: - Bhagavan - spiritual world - jiva - shuddha bhakti - nitya dharma (prema) (So how can someone that ignore all this knowledge understand whatever sort of realization he attain.) The PURITY of any religion can be measured by the degree of nitya-dharma contained in it People in general are not fit to receive instructions regarding nitya dharma, which is the eternal function of the soul. They can receive instructions regarding naimitika dharma, which is - asampurna -incomplete - heya -to be rejected - misra - not pure - acirasthayi -impermanent The activities related to naimitika dharma, performed over many lifetimes conduct one to obtain the association of the saints - sadhu sanga This association purifies the mind and develops a taste for hari nama which constitutes pure spiritual practice.

["I do not know how much nectar the two syllables `Krs-na' have produced. When the holy name of Krsna is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert." (Antya-lila 1.99)] Only Rupa Gosvami can say this; we cannot. By the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Rupa Gosvami can glorify nama. What is the meaning of ceto darpanam marjanam? There are two cittas - one is cit and one is citta. Citta means maha-tattva, the covering of the soul, which is anucit-infinitesimal. But here, citta means heart. Ceto darpanam marjanam. In a mirror, if the mirror is clear, you can see your face and your whole body. ... if you want to wash this mirror of the heart, then chant the name. What kind of name? This is the question. The way that we are chanting now will not suffice at any time. You should know this. A very small child did not want to go to school, but his father and mother forcibly took him in the car and drove him there. Even though he was weeping, they put that baby on the teacher’s lap by force, and left him there. Throughout the day he was weeping, but his teacher was very merciful and very sweet to him. His teacher gave him a brightly colored book, and on the first page he saw so many pictures. He said, "A-apple, B-ball. ." The boy became very happy. Then the teacher asked him, "Can you read?Yes, A-apple." In this way he began, and his teacher praised him, "Oh, you are now a good student. You have read everything completely." The teacher also brought him an apple and said, "You can have this." Thus the boy became very happy, and the next day he was asking his mother, "When will I go to school?" After some days the child had to learn some difficult things, and when he could not learn, his teacher twisted his ear. He then became ! puzzled. The guru also acts like this. Somehow, even though you are fully unqualified, you should enter the school of diksa. If you do enter, you will see that our goal is very far away, but by those beginners’ practices we can never achieve our goal. In the beginning the guru never tells the full reality. When does he tell him? He does so when the disciple is more advanced and he can tolerate the chastising of gurudeva and the chastising of the Vaisnavas. Then the disciple can realize something, and then the guru can tell him something. What will he tell him? He will reject his disciple’s bad habits, saying, "This is not good. You should be like this." So, you should chant the name even if you have no taste at all. If you have no taste in hearing, if you are sleepy, you should still go to class, and simply by being there a taste will come very soon. Ceto darpanam marjanam. The citta is washed by chanting of the name, but not by chanting as we are now doing. That name should be somewhat pure. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has explained all these things. Why? Our tongue is mortal, and the pure name is transcendental. Transcendental name has nothing to do with these material things. It cannot come on the material tongue or in the material mind. Pure name cannot be touched by these material things. It is a very wonderful thing. Then how can we touch it? If that high-class, pure name will come, then your ceto darpanam marjanam is going on. Your mirror will become clear and then you will see, but you should know something more. In the mirror, the form does not really come. The reflection that you see is opposite - your right eye will be seen on the left side, the left will be on the right side, and this nose will be backwards also. You see your heart here on the left side and in the mirror it is opposite. Even seeing your form in the mirror, you cannot have full realization. You will get some idea, but you will still have to realize more. If that transcendental name comes only one time, even it is abhasa, you will be fortunate. Spoken by Om visnupapda SB Narayana Gosvami

My dandavat pranama please advise me on the proper conception of harinama. please give some sources. dandavat pranama

Dandavat Pranama Kailasa Prabhu Let s see a verse from CC Madhya 24.313 Aham vedmi shuko vetti Vyaso vetti na vetti va Bhaktya bhagavatam grahyam Na buddhya na ca tikaya Lord Siva said: I may know; Sukadeva Gosvami (the son of Vyasadeva) may know, And Vyasadeva may, or may not know the Srimad Bhagavatam. On the whole, Srimad Bhagavatam can be learned only through bhakti Not by material intelligence Speculative methods or Imaginary commentaries. This verse has been spoken by Sankara. Who is He? Vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh. He is the supreme Vaisnava (bhakta) Vyasadeva has written Srimad Bhagavatam and he has seen it in trance But Sankara says it is not certain whether he knows it or not. Actually he knows half. How? He is in the category of Krsna, saktiman-tattva. Meaning? He is the object of prema. Sankara is bhakta, and is in the category of sakti-tattva which is ashraya tattva. Meaning? He is the container of prema. That means Sankara is in the Line of Srimati Radhika (the embodiment of ashraya tattva) Sukadeva is the parrot of Srimati Radhika (in Krsna lila) so also in Her line. Anyone who is in the line of Srimati Radhika can know Srimad Bhagavatam. But Krsna Himself cannot know it. That is why He comes to this world to learn in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When He was initiated by Vishakha (as Ramananda Raya) He came to know. After that in Gambira, in the mood of Radhika, He was tasting Srimad Bhagavatam. What is Srimad Bhagavatam? Nothing, but the internal, intrinsic mood of Radhika. It is the glorification of Radhika, not the glorification of Krsna. Vande nanda vraja strinam Pada renum abhiksanashah SB 10.47.63 I repeatedly offer my respects to the dust from the feet of the women Of Nanda Maharaja s cowheard village. The commentary of the verse is from the book Secret Truths of the Bhagavatam from Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. So what is gaura vani? I can remember, Rupa Gosvami said in Sri Vidagda Madhava that He came to give manjari bhava, the service of Srimati Radhika as Her confidential maidservant? And Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada? Namaste sarasvate deve gaura vani pracarine Yes He would have preached extensively gaura vani, That is why he translated Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, everyghing is there. But as he said this is post graduate. And his students? Maybe one should first learn by heart Sri Upadeshamrita, Sri Manah Shiksha, Sri Shikshaashtakam, and hear Srimad Bhagavatam from the bhagavat in the line of Sukadeva Gosvami, in the line of Srimati Radhika. And some realization will come. Dandavat pranama

When I, a low and rascal person, with no transcendental realization, give somebody tulasi beads and we chant together the maha mantra, is that giving harinama? ***************************************************** Returning to the subject matter of examining the qualification for the ceremony of giving Harinama, would you like to present any scriptural references on such a ceremony? ***************************************************** Ok, some evidence would be The different types of kanishta adhikari generally utter nama-aparadha, or at most nama-abhasa; they do not utter transcendental (pure) nama when they say maha mantra. So they generally give nama-aparadha, or at most nama-abhasa, They cannot give harinama, which is transcendental The madyama- adhikari utter nama-abhasa, they do not utter transcendental pure nama. A madyama-uttama adhikari maybe sometimes utters a pure transcendental name. So a madyama- adhikari might give harinama, but this is not sure Only an uttama adhikari, a pure devotte of the Lord, utters the trancendental nama. So if one wants to be sure one have to take harinama from the transcendental source. Maybe, The ceremony of giving harinama shoould not be a formality This is magic. This is real magic The more you hear from the transcendental source the more the magic of maya lose its power. My humble dandavat pranama, wonderful Madhavaananda Prabu

Dandavat pranama dear Madhavananda Prabhu You said At any rate, Haridas did not give diksa to the prostitute. There is no restriction over WHO CAN GIVE harinam to others. OBJECTION I don t know, is it really so? When I, a low and rascal person, with no transcendental realization, give somebody tulasi beads and we chant together the maha mantra, is that giving harinama? "The mind of the harlot was changed by chanting the Holy Name all night IN THE COMPANY of Thakur Haridas. She now fell prostrate at the Feet of Thakur Haridas and confessed" The Holy Name has to be heard with reverence from the lips of a PURE DEVOTEE. The Holy Name has TO BE RECEIVED as a Sacrament from a pure devotee by complete submission at his feet. Can you give some scriptural examples that There is no restriction over WHO CAN GIVE harinam to others? Dandavat pranama It is curious, but S.B.Madhava Maharaja translated the word anusthani as formality, in that context.