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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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Science of Devotion Proper

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Real progress towards the Infinite gives the idea that, “I am nothing, I am in great danger.” Progress towards the Infinite is like that. Thinking, “I have it, I am above,”—this is a foolish feeling, a foolish statement. The very nature of advancement is that, “I am low, I am undone, I am the most helpless.” The closer we are, the further away we will feel, whereas the further away we actually are from divinity, we may complacently feel we are close. As much as we come into the relativity of the Infinite, we cannot but conceive ourselves to be the lowest of the low.

That is the criteria.

The very sign of real progress will show I am nothing, I am the most needy, the most wretched and the most helpless. The negative aspect must be improved to attract the positive. If one point of the negative will say, “I am positive” then immediately it will be rejected, you are under the false control of måyå.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami

Learning the Gift of Giving Yourself

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Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar MaharajDivine Words of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami

Learning the Gift of Giving Yourself

We must be very, very careful when we follow the highest object of our eternal life. Our Guru Mahārāja gave a special warning – “sevonmukhe”. We were not allowed to read much – even these ordinary subjects dealing with sādhana, devotional practices – what to speak of the higher literatures. But we were encouraged by “śravanaṁ-kīrtanam,” hearing from the real source and acting accordingly. In this way, by serving, learn to give yourself properly. There are different methods of service: śravanam, hearing; kīrtanam, chanting; smaranam, remembering; and vandanam, praying, etc. Then, Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī has mentioned sixty-four kinds of devotional practices and it is further mentioned – a thousand kinds of devotional practices
[see Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu].

The Key to the Hidden Treasure
Work Under the Guidance of a Vaishnava

But practices are not very important. The very life of the practice is all-important and that is self-dedication, self-giving. So, be very particular to learn dedication and self-giving. This means practically to work under the guidance of a Vaiṣṇava devotee – getting ready to work under a proper agent. This will help you a great deal to learn, to practice what is dedication to that Sweet Lord. Guidance must come from those above you. It is very rare, but it is most valuable to us. Whatever directions are coming from above, we must selflessly embrace that as all in all. This is the clue; this is the key to the Hidden Treasures in your heart. I will not work with my whims or serve men on my level. But we shall very eagerly obey what directions will come from the above plane. This is service proper and it will be a real help for progressing on the path of dedication and self-giving.

Do not desire any position or prestige for yourself

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Divine Words of The Guardian of Devotion

“Do not desire any position or prestige for yourself, and always be ready to give it to others,” means, “Try to feel your insignificant character.” If you can do so you will be able to draw the attention of the higher. If you feel yourself to be poor as anything, to be the poorest of the poor, then you will be able to draw the attention of the Supreme towards you.

“I am needy. I am the most needy.” First, feel yourself to be this, then put forward a petition. “I am the most need of Your grace, my Lord.” It is a simple thing. “I am the most needy, the most desolate. Please help me.” It is a simple attitude. Surrender is real and practical. Otherwise, it is only limited hypocrisy. He is omniscient. He sees everything, even the subtlest things. He can see what is within us. He can see within us what we cannot see. It is not very easy to acquire the qualification necessary to approach the Absolute.”

– Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāja

Slow and Steady

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Slow and Steady

Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj discusses the tṛṇād api principles in depth.

amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

We should take resort to kīrtan always, but Mahāprabhu recommends that our attitude should be such: tṛṇād api sunīcha, taror api sahiṣṇu, amānī mānada. It is generally upwards, all towards high. Our attitude will be humble, and if we think that we are being done wrong still also we shall take to patience. Amānī, under no circumstances shall we work for our own position and prestige. That should not be our aim.

Amāninā mānadena, and we shall try to respect everybody. It is all mostly connected towards the upper world, towards the Vaiṣṇava world. Tṛṇād api sunīcha, taror api sahiṣṇu, amānī mānada. Our conduct will be always like that, and then only can we thrive well in our campaign.

Slow and steady wins the race: it is a long journey, not a journey to finish within a few hours, or few days, or few years. It is a continued appointment. It is to go on a long way, so we are to adjust accordingly. It is not that we shall run quickly and then we shall stop and sleep, it is not a matter of that type. But it is a long way: we shall have to walk on, and so our attitude will be such, then we will be successful.

 
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Divine Words

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Divine Words of Srila B.R.Sridhar Dev Goswami

aho ananta-dasanam, mahattvam drstam adya me
krtagaso ‘pi yad rajan, mangalani samihase
(S.Bhag. 9:5:14)

“O King, today I have experienced the greatness of the devotees of God, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because in spite of my offense against you, you have prayed for my protection.”

Durvasa was astounded to find the depth of generosity in the servitors of Ananta, Narayana. That great rsi began to speak aloud, to announce on all sides the magnanimity, the nobility of the servitors of Narayana: “How great they are! I did so much wrong towards him, and he saved my life from the reaction, the danger that came as reaction! I insulted him, and he is honouring me so much.”

Consciousness means endowed with free will

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“Consciousness means endowed with free will, for without free will no consciousness can be conceived.

An atomic pinpoint of consciousness has very meager free will, and by misuse of their free will some jivas have taken their chance in the material world. They refused to submit to the supreme authority; they wanted to dominate. So, with this germinal idea of domination, the jiva enters into the world of exploitation.

 

In the Bhagavad-gita (7.27) it is stated:

iccha-dvesa samutthena
dvandva-mohena bharata
sarva-bhutani sammoham
sarge yanti parantapa

“Two principles in a crude form awaken in the jiva: hatred and desire. Then, gradually the soul comes down to mingle with the mundane world.”

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Kirsna consciousness is the cause of Krishna consciousness!

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Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami MaharajDivine Words of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami

Krsna 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’1; 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.

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Suspicion and hesitation are the worst enemies

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Divine Words of His Divine Grace Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev Goswami

Suspicion and the hesitation are the worst enemies. We may be near to the truth, but because of our previous karma, our suspicious nature deceive us..
According to the result of our karma we shall be placed in a particular environment, and we must start our spiritual life from wherever we are placed; we must begin our work of conquering all those samskaras that comprise the mental encasement we are living in.

(Samskars is defined as: the faculty of memory, mental impression on the mind of acts done in a former state of existence.)