"Of all kinds of distress, what is the most painful?"

[krsna 3]

OF ALL DISTRESSES, WHAT IS THE MOST PAINFUL?

 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked, "Of all kinds of distress, what is the most painful?"

Sri Ramananda Raya replied, "Apart from separation from the devotee of Krsna, I know of no unbearable unhappiness."

 

...I can understand your feeling the absence of devotees. The best thing will be that you practice chanting, both husband and wife together, and Krishna may send some friends, who may also take part in the chanting. We have to create the atmosphere of Krishna Consciousness, and thus create devotees also. I therefore advise you to begin classes as usual, morning and evening, sitting together, husband and wife, in the front of Krishna's picture, and chant Hare Krishna and read Srimad-Bhagavatam. When I was in Los Angeles, I asked your husband to speak, and I was very glad that he speaks very nicely. So he can speak, also, in the class, and if there is none else there, he can speak to you. So don't feel lonely. Try to understand Krishna Consciousness mutually, and this will give you transcendental pleasure...

 

...So I think by the Grace of Krishna you are feeling well now. Please try to work hard for Krishna, and your life will be glorious. By Krishna's Grace and by His desire, you are destined to go to Germany to take up the work of BTG in German. The three boys now working there are very sincere workers. You are also very sincere boy and I am sure when you go there you will find a very nice atmosphere of ISKCON workers. I am so glad to learn that you were feeling considerable separation of ISKCON devotees. I am sorry that you could not fill up the gap of such separation in India, and I know why you couldn't...

 

There is also a statement given in the Brihad-bhagavatamrita: "King Yudhisthira said: 'Out of all kinds of desirable things experienced in the life of a living entity, association with the devotees of the Lord is the greatest. When we are separated from a devotee even for a moment, we cannot enjoy happiness.' "

 

Transcendental devotional service cannot be complete and cannot be relishable without the association of devotees. We have therefore established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. One can be fully satisfied simply by devotional service, and that is the result of association with a devotee. Without being blessed by a pure devotee, no one can be fully satisfied, nor can anyone understand the transcendental position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A person who is overly affected materially may take advantage of this movement and become intimately associated with it. In this way the confused and frustrated inhabitants of this material world may find the highest happiness in association with devotees. (CC Madhya 8.248, SB 4.9.11, 4.24.57, 4.30.34, Letters 3/29/68, 3/30/69)

 

My dear Lord, Your lotus feet are the cause of all auspicious things and the destroyer of all the contamination of sin. I therefore beg Your Lordship to bless me by the association of Your devotees, who are completely purified by worshiping Your lotus feet and who are so merciful upon the conditioned souls. I think that Your real benediction will be to allow me to associate with such devotees. (Lord Shiva SB 4.24.58)

 

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

[Guest guest]

hare krishna!!!

[krsna 3]

Chant and be happy!

[Guest guest]

In the Bhagavatham, Kuntidevi says..

 

Krishna, give me all kinds of distresses. Only then will I remember you always...

 

Read the Bhagavatham daily...

[krsna 3]

WHICH SONG IS TO BE CONSIDERED THE ACTUAL RELIGION OF THE LIVING ENTITIY?

 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu next asked Ramananda Raya, "Among many songs, which song is to be considered the actual religion of the living entity?"

Ramananda Raya replied, "That song describing the loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna is superior to all other songs."

 

As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, "Lord Krsna descends apparently as a human being, and He exhibits His transcendental pastimes in Vrndavana so that the conditioned soul may be attracted to hearing His transcendental activities." Nondevotees are strictly prohibited from participating in songs celebrating the loving affairs of Radha and Krsna. Unless one is a devotee, it is very dangerous to hear the songs about the pastimes of Radha and Krsna that were written by Jayadeva Goswami, Chandidasa and other exalted devotees. Lord Shiva drank an ocean of poison, but one should not imitate this. One must first become a pure devotee of Lord Krsna. Only then can one enjoy hearing the songs of Jayadeva and relish transcendental bliss. If one simply imitates the activities of Lord Shiva and drinks poison, one will certainly meet with death.

 

When a pure Vaisnava speaks on Srimad-Bhagavatam and another pure Vaisnava hears Srimad-Bhagavatam from such a realized soul, both of them live in the transcendental world, where the contamination of the modes of material nature cannot touch them. Freed from the contamination of the modes of nature, the speaker and hearer are fixed in a transcendental mentality, knowing that their position on the transcendental platform is to serve the Supreme Lord.

 

Talks between Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya were meant for advanced devotees only. Those who are on the mundane platform and who study these talks in order to put forward some thesis for a Ph.D. will not be able to understand them. Instead, these conversations will have a poisonous effect. (CC Madhya-lila 8.250, Antya-lila 5.46)

 

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Goswamis, namely Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatana Goswami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who are very much enriched in understanding of Lord Caitanya and who are thus expert in narrating His transcendental qualities. They can purify all conditioned souls from the reactions of their sinful activities by pouring upon them transcendental songs about Govinda. As such, they are very expert in increasing the limits of the ocean of transcendental bliss, and they are the saviors of the living entities from the devouring mouth of liberation. (Srinivasa Acharya's Prayers to the Six Goswamis)

 

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare