Topic: Vaisnava-tattva

Initiation is a noble prospect that you are put in connection with. But so much will have to come from our side, the disciple, in order to progress.

Śrīla Prabhupāda has written that, “Satisfaction of the self realized spiritual master is the secret of success in spiritual life.” In essence, this refers to service that is known to be what the spiritual master desires, wherever and whenever it is performed.

Swami Sadananda was the first western adherent to Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy in the 20th century. He traveled to India and became an initiated disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati.

Our story begins in 1888, with the appearance of Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaja in a renowned brahmana Goswami family of the Nityananda-vamsa lineage

The following is a lecture given by Srila Sridhara Maharaja on Srila Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day on 24th February 1981

Shortly after taking sannyasa in 1959, His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada took residence at the most important temple in Vrndavana, the Sri Sri Radha-Damodara Mandira at Seva Kunja. Sri Nirmal Candra Gosvami, the present Sevaite-acarya of Radha-Damodara Mandira, who was a young man at the time, remembers when Srila Prabhupada first came to reside at Sri Sri Radha-Damodara Mandira.

Srila Puri Maharaja's appearance in this world was in 1898. Then his disappearance was 102 years later at the end of Karttika while he was residing at Jagannatha Puri. Jagannatha Puri is known as 'Vipralambha-dhama,' the place where the Lord and His devotees feel intense separation.

Just a week prior to the departure of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura from this mortal world (Thursday, January 1, 1937, at 5:30 am) he gave many essential instructions to his disciples. These instructions were later compiled in Bengali verse by one of Sarasvati Thakura’s most affectionate associate servants, Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Goswami Maharaja.

This ontology on the topic of "Vaishnava" was first compiled in the book Gaudiya Kanthahara, under the chapter Vaishnava-tattva, by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada.

If we try to understand everything in relationship with Krsna, then we understand vastava, reality. That is reality. If we study something minus Krsna, that is not real knowledge. Actually, Krsna is the original cause of all causes. Sarva-karana-karanam. So unless we come to the point of Krsna, any understanding, any knowledge is imperfect.