Amrta Vani
Q&A by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Thakura Prabhupada
Q : What does true humility means?
A : In other words, true humility means to develop a taste for chanting and to become a true servant of the holy name. Service to Guru and the Vaisnavas is the gateway through which we develop such taste.
Sri Srimad Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj
Composed by Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj
guror guro me paramo gurus tvam
varenya! gauranga-ganagraganye
prasida bhrtye dayitasrite te
namo namo gaura-kisora tubhyam [1]
O Divine Master of my Divine Master, my most venerable preceptor, you are supremely worshippable in the group of the foremost associates of Sri Gauranga. May you be gracious upon this servitor surrendered unto your loving servitor (Dayita Dasa). O Gaura Kisora, again and again do I make my obeisance unto you.
sarasvati-nama-jagat-prasiddham
prabhum jagatyam patitaika-bandhum
tvam eva deva! prakati-cakara
namo namo gaura-kisora tubhyam [2]
O worshipful one, you alone revealed my Lord and Master, who is renowned throughout the universe as Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati, and who is the only friend of the fallen souls of the world. O Gaura Kisora, again and again do I make my obeisance unto you.
अहो भाग्यमहो भाग्यं नन्दगोपव्रजौकसाम् ।
यन्मित्रं परमानन्दं पूर्णं ब्रह्म सनातनम् ॥ ३२ ॥
aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyaṁ
nanda-gopa-vrajaukasām
yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ
pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam
Synonyms
aho — what great; bhāgyam — fortune; aho — what great; bhāgyam — fortune; nanda — of Mahārāja Nanda; gopa — of the other cowherd men; vraja-okasām — of the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi; yat — of whom; mitram — the friend; parama-ānandam — the supreme bliss; pūrṇam — complete; brahma — the Absolute Truth; sanātanam — eternal.
Translation
How greatly fortunate are Nanda Mahārāja, the cowherd men and all the other inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi! There is no limit to their good fortune, because the Absolute Truth, the source of transcendental bliss, the eternal Supreme Brahman, has become their friend.
tintidi-talastha-yamunormi-bhavanaplutam
nirjanaika-radhikatma-bhava-vaibhavavritam
syama-radhikapta-gaura-tattva-bhittikakaram
prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram
(Srila B.R.Sridhar Dev Goswami)
At the place known as Imilitala, on the bank of the Yamuna river, Sri Gaurasundara sat beneath the ancient tamarind tree growing there since the previous age. He sat beneath the tree’s branches and, seeing the dancing waves of the river, the memory of jala-keli was aroused withing him. He became immersed in thoughts of those confidential sporting pastimes of Lord Krishna in the water with the Gopis. Undisturbed, in that secluded place, his whole being was pervaded with thoughts of Radhika, her beauty and her sweetness.
This place Imilitala is the place of origin of Gaura-tattva, for it was here that Syamasundar Krishna became totally radiant in the halo and the heartfelt mood of Sri Radha. Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanyadev eternally dwells in this place, his thoughts captured by the inconceivable sweetness of Sri Radha’s feelings of devotion. I fall at the feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden volcano of divine love.
Krishna consciousness is the cause of Krishna consciousness! And we have to get help from the sadhus who have got Krishna) consciousness within them. Just as, from one candle another candle may be lit. A candle cannot produce light from within, but it is to be lit from another candle – it is something like that. We are to awaken our buried Krishna consciousness, which is covered by ‘anyabhilasa-karmma-jnana’; so, that light, that association, will come to help the sleeping Krishna consciousness within us, and our consciousness will arise from it’s sleep and show itself, as it is. So, the method is that: to take sadhu-sanga – krsna-bhakti janma-mula, haya sadhu-sanga – association with the sadhu, devotee of Krishna, is the root-cause of Krishna consciousness.
At the same time, it is told that Krishna consciousness is ahaituki, causeless. How are we to harmonise these truths? – Krishna-bhakti, faith in Krishna, or devotion to Krishna, we can get from the sadhu; at the same time it is told that it is ’causeless’.
In this connection, Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur has explained the meaning of ahaituki in this verse from Srimad Bhagavatam:
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yatho bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
(SB 1:2:6)
[“The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which man can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be causeless and uninterrupted, to completely satisfy the self.”]
Audio Record
Harikhatha of Srila Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
Topics:
– Glory of Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj;
30-10-2021
India, Vrindavan, SREE CAITANYA SRIDHAR SEVA ASHRAM.
English / Russian
Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu’s Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu
Sraddha (1) Faith in the scriptures’ meaning, developed by hearing the scriptures from the sadhus.
Sadhu-sanga (2) Taking shelter at the feet of Sri Guru to learn the practice of bhajan.
Bhajana-kriya (3) Practising hearing, chanting, and other forms of service according to Sri Guru and the sadhus’ instructions.
Anartha-nivrtti (4) Removing sins, misconceptions, sorrows, and so forth, which are opposed to the ultimate goal of life.
Nistha (5) Constant, undeviating service.
Ruchi (6) Insightful desire for the Lord and His service.
Asakti (7) Natural attraction to the Lord and His service.
Bhava (8) That which melts the heart with divine attraction to the Lord and His service; the rays from the sun of prema.
Prema (9) Intense bhava that completely melts the heart and fills one with intense affectionate attachment.
The Sixty-Four Practices of Devotion
(Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur’s Amrta-pravaha-bhasya on Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta)
(1) Taking shelter at Sri Guru’s feet.
(2) Accepting initiation
(3) Serving Sri Guru
Amrta Vani
Q&A by Gaudiya Gosthipati Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Thakura Prabhupada
Q: Of what type of guru should we take shelter?
A: If I am fortunate enough, I will take shelter of a spiritual master who always worships Hari. I should surrender to a spiritual master who is cent percent engaged in the Lord’s service. Otherwise, unable to follow his ideal example, I will not be able to engage myself cent percent in the Lord’s service. A person devoid of proper etiquette, a platform speaker, or a professional priest cannot become guru. If we receive such a spiritual master, unfortunately, we cannot learn to worship Hari. A spiritual master must be free from material desire, self-controlled, well conversant with scripture, and self-realized. Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21) states:
tasmad gurum prapadyeta, jijndsuh sreya uttamam
sabde pare ca nisnatam, brahmany upasamasrayam
“Therefore, any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.”
vinā bhavet kiṁ hari-dāsa-varya-
padāśrayaṁ bhaktir ataḥ śrayāmi |
yam eva saprema nijeśayoḥ śrī-
govardhano me diśatām abhīṣṭam ||
(Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda’s Govardhanāṣṭakam: 8)
“Does bhakti ever manifest without the shelter of the feet the best of Hari’s servants [i.e., Govardhana], who is endowed with prema for his own masters [i.e., Rādhā and Mādhava]?
[Never.] Therefore, I take shelter in him. May Govardhana fulfill my desire [for prema-sevā to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava].”
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaching us:
bhakta ashirvada prabhu shire kari’ laya
bhakta-ashirvade se krishnete bhakti haya
The Lord accepted the devotees’ blessings on His head, for devotional service to Lord Krishna is attained only by the blessings of devotees.
COMMENTARY
Although the Lord is the only sovereign master of the fourteen worlds, He nevertheless accepted on His head the blessings of His devotees. The devotees’
blessings are so powerful that by their influence even a living entity who is averse to Krishna becomes attached to His lotus feet.
CB Adi-khanda 12.47
