Author: Adi Sankaracarya
Language: Sanskrit
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu recited
LYRICS:
(1)
kadācit kālindī-taṭa-vipina-saṅgītaka-ravo
mudābhīrī-nārī-vadana-kamalāsvāda-madhupaḥ
ramā-śambhu-brahmāmara-pati-gaṇeśārcita-pado
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me
(2)
bhuje savye veṇuṁ śirasi śikhi-piccham kaṭi-taṭe
dukūlaṁ netrānte sahacara-kaṭākṣaṁ vidadhate
sadā śrīmad-vṛndāvana-vasati-līlā-paricayo
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me
Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Goswami Ṭhākur explains the secret behind the cleansing of the Guṇḍichā Temple.
The Secret Behind the Pastime of Cleansing of the Guṇḍichā Temple
An English translation of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta: Madhya-līlā, 12.135.
Through this Pastime, Jagad-guru Śrīman Mahāprabhu is teaching that if a fortunate soul desires to sit Kṛṣṇa on the altar of their heart, then they should first of all clean their heart of all contamination; making the heart spotlessly clean, peaceful, and resplendent with devotion is mandatory. If any thorny bushes, weeds, dust, or sand—anarthas—remain within the field of the heart, then the Lord, the ultimate recipient of all service, cannot be seated therein. Contamination and litter within the heart means anya-abhilāṣ (extraneous desires), karma (worldly action), jñān (speculative knowledge), yoga, and so on. Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu said,
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.1.11)
Wherever the soul’s eternal, natural propensity for devotion has been covered over by desires unrelated to devotion, speculative knowledge, worldly action, yoga, asceticism, or any mentality that is unfavorable to devotion, pure devotion is not present. And without pure devotion, which is by nature purely spiritual, Kṛṣṇa does not appear.
Ecstasy can exist by itself. Neither existence nor consciousness are complete in themselves. Consciousness alone hankers for ecstasy. And existence without consciousness is to exist with no purpose. Both existence and consciousness are subservient to ecstasy.
To come to the plane of ecstasy, we shall have to dive deep into reality. We must not be satisfied with the formal, superficial.
Our attitude should be one of humility, and if we think that we are being done wrong, still we should be patient, and under no circumstances should we work for our own position; that should be our aim.
Slow and steady wins the race. Our march towards the infinite is a long journey, not to be finished within a few hours, a few days, or a few years.
Sri Sarasvati Samlapa Conversation 8
Mahaprabhu taught us:
trnad api sunicena taror api sahiSriuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor but is always prepared to give all respect to others, can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.”
As long as we remain humbler than a blade of grass, we will be able to perform hari-kirtana. The moment we try to become “bigger” or “greater,” we will have to say goodbye to kirtana.
Maya means “that which is not.”
That which is, the positive, is God. The negation of the positive, God, is the negative, or maya. As soon as we connect the negative maya to the positive, personal God, considering ourselves God, we give birth to self-worship.
Jay Sri Guru Gauranga!
I am requesting devotees to give their offering to Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Thakur in his disappearance day 21 June 2020.
Gaura Haribol!
We invite you to join the Zoom meeting on Jun 21.
Love your environment. Sincerely try to love one another and you will find yourself in Vrindaban, Chintamani Dham, the land of Krishna, under His guidance.
Just try to find your sweet self within that domain. There you will live in sweetness where all movement is like dancing and speech is a song, the water is nectar and the trees are kalpataru – whatever you like they are giving to you. Your innermost self is entitled to live in that divine civilization.
— Ideal Reality
Divine Words of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhar Deva Goswami
A sweet structure begins from the point when service is added to consciousness. Service can construct a beautiful capital, a beautiful country.
It is there, and you have only to feel it, enter, and take up your appointed service.
You will think: “This is my home! This appointment feels very friendly to me. Now I have come home.”
Divine Words of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhar deva Goswami
Speaking hari-katha is real rest – it removes all fatigue. Any endeavor other than kirtana, performed even for a moment, is averse to God. Exalted personalities and their followers always engage in glorifying topics about Hari in all respects. They have no other duty.
Sri Caitanyadeva also instructed us, kirtaniyah sada harih: always chant the glories of Hari. The symptom of liberated persons is that they only chant the glories of Hari at all times with body, mind, and speech.
Sri Sarasvati Samlapa, Conversation 5
Srila Saraswati Prabhupada
The Lord is always there, even in the worst period of our lives. He is waiting, waiting to help us. We must only look up for His grace, with sincerity with all sincerity. He is everywhere, waiting:
“My boy, look at Me. Don’t make much of the external environment. I am here, very near to you. You have cast your focus aside, you have cast your consciousness outside. Make it internal and you will find Me here. Make it above. You are looking down to secure servants and comforts, but if you look up, for existence higher than you, you will find Me in that plane. Look up! Don’t look down, searching for servants.”
Divine Words of Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara deva Goswami Maharaj