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To Whom Shall I Convey My Joy?

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Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur expresses his joy and sorrow at completing his commentary on Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta.

Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur completed his commentary on Śrī Chaitanya-charitamṛta less than one year after Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur departed, and to conclude the commentary, he wrote a poem expressing the attachment to Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur he felt in separation. Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj specially requested that this poem be recited on the disappearance day of Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur. While describing the events that took place on that day, he counted: “Prabhupād had his Anubhāṣya on Chaitanya-charitamṛta, and at the conclusion, he composed a poem in a very sweet and very lamenting temperament. I asked to read that poem of his and it was read.”

chāri-śata unatriṁśe    jyaiṣṭhe dina ekatriṁśe
chaitanyābde, māsa—trivikrama
śrī-vraja-patane thāki’    ‘gaurahari’ bali’ ḍāki’
dayita-dāsiyā narādhama [1]
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Pure Chit Vilas

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Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar MaharajŚrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj explains the basis of his angle of vision.

My nature is non-interfering, from the beginning. So much so that I am called an ease-lover. I am not aggressive in a preaching mood, but only to know. The knowing aspect, the listening aspect, the aspect of inquisitiveness, predominates within me: to find new light from the scripture, from the words heard from my Guru Mahārāj. Every day, I can see, I can feel, new colour. Everything is infinite. Every word, every letter, is of infinite characteristic. I am internally busy with that in my last days.

Prabhu has written in his letter, “Your Prapanna-jīvanāmṛta and your tapes will enliven, will supply deeper roots, to the international society of devotees. If people come across this book and these tapes, their faith will be more consolidated in that society.” That is his conception, and I also conceive like that. After the departure of a general, there may come a general depression, but these things will help them, will give them similar food.
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The Advice of Krishna to Uddhava

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My dear Uddhava, one can give up false pride and prestige by engaging in the following devotional activities.

One may purify oneself by seeing, touching, worshiping, serving, and offering prayers of glorification and obeisances to My form as the Deity and to My pure devotees.
One should also glorify My transcendental qualities and activities, hear with love and faith the narrations of My glories and constantly meditate on Me.
One should offer to Me whatever one acquires, and accepting oneself as My eternal servant, one should give oneself completely to Me.
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Human body is most difficult to achieve

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durlabho mānuṣo deho
dehināḿ kṣaṇa-bhańguraḥ
tatrāpi durlabhaḿ manye
vaikuṇṭha-priya-darśanam

For the conditioned souls, the human body is most difficult to achieve, and it can be lost at any moment. But I think that even those who have achieved human life rarely gain the association of pure devotees, who are dear to the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha.

SB 11.2.29

Hari Bhakti Kalpa Latika 25

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Hari Bhakti Kalpa Latika
TEXT 25

nindantu priya bāndhavā guru-janā-gañjantu muncañtu vādurvādaṁ parighoṣayantv api janā vaṁśe kalaṅko ‘stu vātādṛk prema navānurāga-madhunā mattāyamānaṁ tu mecittaṁ naiva nivarttate kṣaṇam api śrī-kṛṣṇa-pādāmbujāt

O dear friend! Let my friends criticize me! Let my elders chastise or reject me! Let people accuse me! Let my family become infamous! Still, my mind will not be distracted from the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa even for a moment, for it is intoxicated by the pride of being attached to Kṛṣṇa.

Who is a materialist?

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Amrita Vani
Q&A by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Thakura Prabhupada

Q : Who is a materialist?

A : A materialist is one who accumulates material objects for his own pleasure and who engages them as ingredients of his sense gratification. One who accumulates material objects for the Lord’s service is not a materialist but a devotee. It is not possible to differentiate between a material enjoyer and a devotee on the basis of their respective activities, but it is possible to differentiate by studying the motivation of each. One who eats for personal sense gratification is a materialist; one who eats to maintain the body for Krsna’s service is a devotee. A devotee is neither a material enjoyer nor a dry renunciant but a servant of the Lord. A devotee engages wealth, material objects, and everything in this world in the Lord’s service.

Q. What is karma?

A. Work done for one’s own happiness and the happiness of others is called karma. There is nothing about trying to please Krsna in the performance of karma. The goal of karma is to search after one’s own happiness and the happiness of others, whereas searching for Krsna’s pleasure is called devotional service.
This material world is the field of karma for ordinary people, but for the devotees the material world is a place in which to cultivate devotional service. Whatever is performed in this world with the prideful thought, “I am the doer,” is called karma, whereas whatever is done for the Lord’s pleasure, induced by the Lord, with the idea, “I am Krsna’s servant,” is called devotional service.

Q. How long should we engage in karma?

A. The Bhagavatam (11.20.9) states:tavat karmani kurvita, na nirvidyeta yavatamat-katha-sravanadau va, sraddha yavan na jayateOne should continue to perform the Vedic ritualistic activities until one actually becomes detached from material sense gratification and develops faith for hearing and chanting about Me.
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Hari Bhakti Kalpa Latika – 14-15

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TEXT 14

tanū rūpe netraṁ tava yaśasi nāmni śruti yugaṁsunir malye ghrāṇaṁ tvag api mahadāliṅghanavidhautvadīye nirmālye vasati rasanā cen mama sadātadā kṛṣṇāsmābhirjitaṣiha nitāntaṁ viṣayibhiḥ

O Śrī Kṛṣṇa! If we engage our eyes in seeing Your beautiful Deity form, our ears in hearing Your holy names and glories, our noses in smelling the flowers that have been offered to You, our bodies in embracing devotees, and our tongues in relishing food that has been offered to You, then You are always conquered by us even though we are engaged in pleasing our senses.

TEXT 15

bhavad dāsye kāmaḥ krudhapi tava nindākṛtijanetvaducchiṣṭe lobho yadi bhavati moho bhavati catvadīyatve mānas tava caraṇa pāthojam adhunāmadaś ced asmābhir niyata ṣaḍ-mitrair api jitam

O Lord! If we engage our lust in serving You, our anger against those who blaspheme You, our greed in honoring Your remnants, our illusion in trying to achieve Your Lordships, our ego in being Your devotees, and our pride in drinking the honey of Your lotus feet, then, we may easily defeat these six enemies of lust, anger, greed, illusion, false ego, and pride, which are always surrounding us.

Everyone is rushing into the jaws of death

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Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Everyone is rushing into the jaws of death. This the sum total of the news of this world; it is the only news. Every second everyone is entering the jaws of death. This is the real problem–nothing else. The whole problem, if summarized, will come to this, that every second, every atom here is entering into the jaws of death. This is the great and only danger in the world. So, all other talks are irrelevant to the real problems of life; try to help them from entering into the jaws of death. This is the only problem in the whole world.

Go forth and tell everyone about Krsna. Whatever you do, make them talk about Krsna, Krsna, Krsna. Save yourself, and prepare yourself for the highest goal. Whenever you meet anyone, wherever you meet anyone, only talk of Krsna. All other talks are irrelevant and redundant.
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Hari Bhakti Kalpa Latika 11

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TEXT 11

gṛhāsakto yuktaḥ svajana bharaṇe ‘mukta viṣayaḥprasaktaḥ ṣaḍvarge na
kṛtasukṛtaḥ sevita-khalaḥtathāpi tvad dāsyaṁ satata sad upāsyākhilaguroyad īhe
nirlajjastava tad anukampaiva śaraṇam

O worshipable Lord of the devotees, O spiritual master of the entire universe, O Śrī Hari, I am attached to family life. I am always engaged in maintaining my family members. I am attached to material enjoyments. I am decorated with six principles such as lust, anger etc. I am devoid of piety. And I am engaged in the service of sinful people. Still, O my Lord, knowing that Your causeless mercy is my only hope, I shamelessly pray for devotional service.

How can we become determined

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How can we become determined?

Hari-katha should be heard from Hari’s devotees.

By constantly hearing the powerful topics about Hari from the lotus mouths of those who always serve the Lord, we will be able to understand the Lord’s energies and glories. By faithfully and attentively hearing hari-katha from a living source or a powerful saintly person, we will become determined. Gradually, as we attain faith, attachment, and love of God, we will achieve perfection.

Then Maya’s prowess cannot defeat us.

Amrita Vani
Q&A by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Thakura Prabhupada