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Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.23-24

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Srila Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj’s explanation of Srimad Bhagavatam sloka

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ,
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ,
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam.
iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau,
bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā
kriyeta bhagavaty addhā
tan manye ‘dhītam uttamam

“Hearing about Kṛṣṇa, chanting Kṛṣṇa’s glories, remembering Kṛṣṇa, serving Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, worshipping Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental form, offering prayers to Kṛṣṇa, becoming Kṛṣṇa’s servant, considering Kṛṣṇa as one’s best friend, and surrendering everything to Kṛṣṇa – these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service.” (S-B, 7.5.23-24)

“Hearing, speaking about, and remembering Kṛṣṇa, serving His lotus feet, worshipping His Deity form, praying, becoming His servant, cultivating His friendship, and surrendering to Him utterly are the nine processes of devotion. One who cultivates these nine processes of devotion, offering himself completely to Kṛṣṇa, can easily attain the ultimate goal of life.”

What are the forms of sādhana? What are the means to attain kṛṣṇa-bhakti? How can we revive our innate love for Kṛṣṇa? We are told to hear about Him, to talk about Him, to meditate upon Him, to praise Him, and so on. But in his commentary on this verse, Śrīdhara Swāmī has explained that we should not anticipate what benefit we shall derive from śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ, hearing or talking or thinking about Kṛṣṇa. Rather we should pray: “May whatever service I do go to my Lord. I am not the enjoying party – He is the sole proprietor.”

All these functions (śravaṇaṁ, kīrtanaṁ etc.) will be considered devotion only if one condition is fulfilled; otherwise, they may be karma, jñāna, yoga, or anything else. They may even be vikarma, polluted misdeeds. One condition must be there to ensure that all these different forms of devotional activity are actually bhakti: We are His property; we are not the owners of any wealth or property. We must think: “My Lord is the possessor and I am in His possession. Everything is His property.” (LSFTLS, p 14-5) + (see also śloka 13)

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Highest position of disappointment

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When we reach the highest position of disappointment, then sometimes, somehow or other, from the core of our heart we pray, “O Lord, I am helpless, save me! I am under the control of so many enemies in the form of friends. Such a hopeless position I hold, my Lord. From time immemorial I am serving all these masters, but they are not satisfied with my service.
Now I find myself in this helpless position, my Lord. You should only come on Your own accord, and assert Yourself. Then they will fly away in fear of You. Otherwise I have no hope.”

This sort of ardent prayer from the core of the heart towards the Savior, that is what is necessary for us.

Divine Words of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara deva Goswami

Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan

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Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan

Three separate excerpts from Sri Guru and His Grace by Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan’s contribution to the sampradaya is no less important than that of the other great stalwarts in the line. He may be a member of another line, the Madhva sampradaya in the physical sense, but his contribution, especially in attracting people to Gaudiya Vaishnavism with his commentary on the vedanta sutra, cannot be neglected by the students of posterity. So, his contribution has been utilized by our acharyas, considering the degree, the essence and the purity of his thought in our spiritual line.
——

Baladev Vidyabhusan was very akin to the Madhva sampradaya. But when he came in connection with Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur, he showed great interest in Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He has also commented on the Srimad-Bhagavatam and Jiva Goswami’s Sat-Sandarbha. And that enlightened thought is a valuable contribution to our sampradaya. We cannot dismiss him. He is our guru.
——

Baladev Vidyabhusan has explained in one of his commentaries how both Rupa and Sanatan Goswami have shown Govinda to the world. He says that if one has a jewel in his hand, he can show the jewel in various ways by holding it differently. Rupa and Sanatan have each dealt in various ways with the jewel by the name of Govinda, who is always served by the Supreme Goddess of Fortune. They have both shown that high substance, Govinda, to the world just as a jewel within their palms.

From unfulfilled life towards fulfilment

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Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj

Our life is unfulfilled and we want fulfilment, there is no doubt. But, what type of fulfilment should we hanker for and search after? We know we are in want, and at the same time we feel that we yearn to remove our want and obtain satisfaction. No doubt this is so for everyone. But how to make progress from unfulfilled life towards fulfilment? To do that we are to search for God. Search for Sri Krishna. We must search for Him.

DIVINE WORDS Of His Divine grace Srila Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhar Dev Goswami

Break up the seal!

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His Divine Grace
Srila Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj’s explanation

bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś,
chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ
kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi,
dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare

“Thus, the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master.” (S-B, 1.2.21)

 

 

bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś,
chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ
kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi,
mayi dṛṣṭe ‘khilātmani

“The knot in the heart is pierced, all misgivings are cut to pieces and the chain of fruitive actions is terminated when I am seen as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (S-B, 11.20.30)

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Key to all my works

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Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya.

My heart follows their conversation closely. This is my favorite phenomenon: the development of the theistic concept of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the Bhagavata school, in a conversation between Ramananda Raya and Mahaprabhu. This development is fully represented in their discussion. Mahaprabhu asks questions, and Ramananda answers: in this way, step by step, we rise to the top. I follow their conversation with close attention, and this is the key to all my work.
The conversation begins with the measurement of varnasrama. We should closely watch how this phenomenon gradually, step by step, develops, strictly and sincerely follow it, and then we will be able to gain an idea of ​​everything: what is Gaudiya Vaishnavism, what is Bhagavatam, what is Krishna consciousness. All this is contained in this conversation, and any real student of this divine conversation can gain a true understanding, access to the secret core of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology. Of course, rupa-siksha and sanatana-siksha are important, but the whole system is in embryo, its essence, its quintessence, is exhaustively presented in this discourse [Ramananda-samvade].

Hare Krishna! This phenomenon always lives in my heart.

Divine Words of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami

 

One day will come

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One day will come when our egoistic feeling will dissolve and from within, our real self, a member of the infinite world, will spring up and awaken, and we will find ourselves in the sweet waves of that environment. There, everything is sweet. The breeze is sweet, the water is sweet, the trees are sweet, whatever we come in contact with is sweet, sweet, sweet.

–Srila Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhar Dev Goswami

Sri Ramananda Ray

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SRI RAY RAMANANDA

By His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami

Ramananda Raya was a married man, but he was recognized by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as a master of his senses to the extreme degree. Once a brahmana priest named Pradyumna Misra came to Mahaprabhu and told Him, “I would like to hear about Krishna from Your lips.” Mahaprabhu said, “I do not know anything about Krishna, but Ramananda Raya knows. Go to him and hear about Krishna. Take My name, and perhaps he will talk with you.”

Pradyumna Misra was hesitant, but he went and observed Ramananda Raya for some time and then returned and reported to Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu asked him, “Have you heard about Krishna from Ramananda?” “No.” “Why?” “I saw him engaged in something objectionable. I watched for some time, and then returned here.” “What did you see?” Pradyumna Misra answered, “I saw Ramananda Raya training some young dancing girls!”

Girls who are generally devoted to the service of the Jagannath Deity from a young age are known as deva-dasis. They do not marry, and sometimes their character is not very good. Pradyumna Misra saw Ramananda Raya training deva-dasis in a very objectionable way. He was showing them how to go before the Jagannath Deity and dance and sing. He showed them how their posture should be, how they should gesture, and how their looks should be enticing. And for such training he would sometimes even touch their private parts. So Pradyumna Misra told Mahaprabhu, “Seeing Ramananda doing all these things, I had no regard for him, so for some time I saw him busily engaged in that matter, and then I went away.”

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We must practice to give ourselves

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Divine words of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami

‘ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ’
—-Srila Rupa Goswami

There are many sayings in the scriptures to encourage our realisation of the Holy Name in different ways, but Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī has given us a central thought. He quotes from the Padma Purāṇa: ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. Our senses, physical or mental, are ineligible to come in touch with the transcendental. The Name is nonmaterial (aprakṛta), without mundane limitation (vaikuṇṭha). It belongs to another plane. So, nothing about Kṛṣṇa, His Name, Form, Qualities, or Pastimes can be touched by our physical or mental senses. But when we have a serving attitude, He comes down to us of His own accord. Only then can our tongue really pronounce the Name of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, only the physical sound of the letters of the Name can be produced. Our tongue, our hands, physical sound, all these mundane things cannot come in touch with Kṛṣṇa. Some intervening medium is necessary to connect this body with the supramundane. And that connection is our earnest desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, to satisfy Him. A bulb won’t light if there is no electricity. Only when the electrical current is there will the bulb be illumined. So, the name may appear on the tongue and in the ear, in the mind, or in writing, but we must have a connection from Vaikuṇṭha to this mundane world. And that connection is devotional service, a functional serving attitude. That alone can connect the physical realm with Vaikuṇṭha and Vṛndāvana.

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