Dharma, Dhyana and Puja

In his Brhad-bhagavatamrta, Sanatana Goswami has written:


jayati jayati namananda rupam Murmurer
viramita-nija-dharma-dhyana-pujadi-yatnam
katham api sakrd attam mukti-dam praninam yat
paramam amrtam ekam jivanam bhussanam me

All glories, all glories to the most blissful holy name of Murari, which causes the devotee to give up all religious duties, meditation and worship. If somehow or other the holy name is chanted even once by a living entity, that person attains liberation. The holy name is the supreme nectar and it is my very life and my only treasure.

Jayati namananda rupam murarer — may the ecstasy in the service of the holy name always be victorious.

Viramitanija- dharma-dhyana-pujadi-yatnam — if somehow we come in contact with that divine sound then all other activities become paralyzed.

If one can get a little taste for that sort of divine bliss, then his charm for all religious activities vanishes. They have no necessity.

First dharma, our sense of duty is paralyzed.

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Who can offer liberation to everyone

This sloka Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saying in front of Sri Jagannath at Ratha Yatra Time

Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita - Adi Lila Krishnadas Kabiraj bengali 1915

Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita – Adi Lila Krishnadas Kabiraj bengali 1915

jayati jayati devo devakī-nandano ‘sau
jayati jayati krishno vrishni-vamśa-pradīpah
jayati jayati megha-śyāmalah komalāńgo
jayati jayati prithvī-bhāra-nāśo mukundah

SYNONYMS

jayati — all glories; jayati — all glories; devah — to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; devakī-nandanah — the son of Devakī; asau — He; jayati jayati — all glories; krishnah — to Lord Krishna; vrishni-vamśa-pradīpah — the light of the dynasty of Vrishni; jayati jayati — all glories; megha-śyāmalah — to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who looks like a blackish cloud; komala-ańgah — with a body as soft as a lotus flower; jayati jayati — all glories; prithvī-bhāra-nāśah — to the deliverer of the whole world from its burden; mukundah — the deliverer of liberation to everyone.

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The Glories of the Holy Name

The Glories of the Holy Name
(from Padyavali)

kalyananam nidhanam kali-mala-mathanam pavanam pavananam
patheyam yan mumukshoh sapadi para-pada-praptaye procyamanam
vishrama-sthanam ekam kavi-vara-vacasam jivanam saj-jananam
bijam dharma-drumasya prabhavatu bhavatam bhutaye krishna-nama

May Krishna’s holy name, which is a reservoir of all transcendental happiness, the destruction of Kali-yuga’s sins, the most purifying of all purifying things, the saintly person’s food as he traverses the path to the spiritual world, the pleasure-garden where the voices of the greatest saints, philosophers, and poets play, the life of the righteous, and the seed of the tree of religion, bring transcendental auspiciousness to you all.

—author unknown

Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s Devotional Service

Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita - Adi Lila Krishnadas Kabiraj bengali 1915

Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita – Adi Lila Krishnadas Kabiraj bengali 1915

Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s Devotional Service
Chaitanya Caritamrita

In his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gives the following summary of the fourth chapter. Passing along the path of Chatrabhoga and coming to Vṛddhamantreśvara, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu reached the border of Orissa. On His way, He enjoyed transcendental bliss by chanting and begging alms in different villages. In this way, He reached the celebrated village of Remuṇā, where there is a Deity of Gopīnātha. There He narrated the story of Mādhavendra Purī, as He had heard it from His spiritual master, Īśvara Purī. The narration is as follows.

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Tears offerings

Srila Gadadhar Pandit Pranati

nīlāmbhodhi-taṭe sadā sva-virahā-kṣepanvitaṁ bāndhavaṁ
śrīmad-bhāgavatī kathā madirayā sañjīvayan bhāti yaḥ
śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ sadā sva-nayanāśru-pāyanaiḥ pūjayan
gosvāmi-prabaro gadādhara-vibhūr-bhūyāt mad-ekā-gatiḥ

“On the shore of the broad blue ocean, Gadādhara Paṇḍita used to read Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who was suffering from the great internal pain of separation from Himself (Kṛṣṇa). Gadādhara Paṇḍita supplied the wine of Kṛṣṇa-līlā to intoxicate his afflicted friend and give Him relief. As he read, tears would fall from his eyes like flower offerings onto the pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. May the pleasure of that brilliant personality, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, the best of the Goswāmīs, be my only object in writing this book.”

Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami

About Srila Gadadhara Pandita Goswami

Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami

The advent day of Gadadhara Pandita is on amavasya, on the new moon, the night of the dark moon. Mahaprabhu came in the full moon, purnima, and He drew the entirety of internal wealth from Gadadhara Pandita. Mahaprabhu made him quite empty. He sent Gadadhara Pandita on a black night in the hot summer season. In Mahaprabhu’s case, He descended on the night of the full moon during a very good season. Krsna descended in the middle of the lunar period. Radharani also appeared in the middle. When They combined as One, They appeared under the full moon. But Gadadhara Pandita appeared under the blackest night.

Gadadhara Pandita appeared and disappeared during the summer season, under the new moon. Mahaprabhu took the fullest advantage from Gadadhara, and sent him to the most negative position. Gadadhara Pandita gave himself voluntarily to Him. His very heart was drawn by Mahaprabhu, bhava-kanti. And he, just like a shadow, gave the entirety of his wealth to Mahaprabhu. Gadadhara Pandita was a shadow, running after Him as if his heart had been stolen. This Person stole all his wealth, and he was fully dependent on Him. Like a shadow, he is moving after Him.

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Harinam is the highest service

Vrindavan Prabhuji (Russia): I was a full time bhramachari that time and traveling with Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj ji) for all preaching tours. Once I approached GuruMaharaj and asked Him for some service because I wanted some special service.
To which Guru Maharaj replied: “Have I not given you service already?”
I was puzzled and asked: “What Service?”
He said: “Harinaam is the highest service. So why are you not doing Harinaam.”

I told that: “I am already chanting my rounds.”

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Confirmation from our hearts

We receive confirmation from our heart’s approval, our inner approval. We must trace it to there because that took me to my Guru. Guru is all in all, but who took me to my Guru? It was my inner sentiment, my inner guide. It did not like anything else in the environment but instead selected that advice.

Many others do not care to come here, and many may ridicule this life, but what made ‘me’ come here? I cannot deprecate that internal approval, consciousness and sincerity. Therefore, that is an important factor and ultimately we have to depend on that internal consciousness the most. When collecting advice from the Scriptures and when seeking or relying on advice from a sadhu, the only thing that takes me there is my internal approval, my inner friend. If it were not for that I would not have come. Indeed, so many others do not come. So who has taken ‘me’ to this plane?

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Draupadi’s Prayer

Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj illustrates how Śrī Kṛṣṇa of Vṛndāvan is the fundamental shelter of all.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra is the representation of mind, and Vidura that of the conscience. Dhṛtarāṣṭra represents the mind only: the mind’s inclination more so towards enjoyment: wife, children, and so on.
Bhīṣma represents a sense of duty, which may be vitiated.
Vidura holds the highest position.

The sense of duty may be misdirected, as we see in the case of the endeavor to disrobe Draupadī.

Bhīṣma did not oppose this. He is a sober man and a devotee, but his conscience was cowed down by his sense of duty. Of course, he explained this:

“Yudhiṣṭhir understands more about the conception of duty than I do, and when he did not give any opposition, then I could not.”

That was Bhīṣma’s explanation.

“What is the real direction of the Veda in this condition? The purport of Veda is known more so by Yudhiṣṭhir than myself. So, when he tolerated, I could not say anything.”

But Vidura did not care for this. He simply thought, in general, about the goodness of the dynasty in the future and boldly approached Dhṛtarāṣṭra:

“Under your care, taking advantage of your guardianship, what are these brutes doing? They are bringing danger to your dynasty by such actions. Are you dishonoring the Pāṇḍavas or are you dishonoring your own self? Draupadī is part of your family, so should you not help her in such a distressed state?”

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Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.11 – 10

tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api
namany anantasya yaso “nkitani yat
srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah
[ SB 1.5.11]

On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.

And then against this:

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