Writings

Kartika in the Vraja-dhama is a very special time for its residents, drawing out their deep devotion and excitement in anticipation of the daily offerings of lamps and the special darshans of its Deities.

Divine vision, anointed with the salve of love, is essential to perceive the true nature of the dhāma. A pure heart, free from material contamination, is indispensable for the revelation of śrī-dhāma’s true form.

Just as Rādhārāṇī is dear to Kṛṣṇa, so too is the place of Rādhārāṇī's bath, Rādhā-kuṇḍa, most dear to Kṛṣṇa. Among all the gopīs, She is the Supreme. She is the Lord's most beloved.

Devotion requires the ability to discern what is material and what is spiritual. Not everything that looks or feels spiritual is genuinely so. Sincerity and humility help us identify the real path, avoiding distractions like shadow Kṛṣṇa, shadow nāma, shadow līla, and shadow prema, which mislead the insincere.

This article explores Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's scholarly work, Tattva Viveka. Through meticulous analysis, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura critiques various Western and Indian philosophies, contrasting them with the theistic teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. His insights reveal the limitations of materialistic and atheistic doctrines, emphasizing the supreme importance of devotion and the concept of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva.

Some devotees think that the strict discipline of the orthodox Vaishnava tradition is not meant for this modern permissive society — surely times have changed and we need to embrace a more liberal attitude. But it is just this desire for liberality, permissiveness which has run amok with the rampant expansion of Kali-yuga.

Where is Vṛndāvana? Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, viṣaya chāḍiya kabe śuddha ha’be mana, kabe hama herabo śrī vṛndāvana (When will my mind be purified losing the taste for material enjoyment? When will I roam freely in the land of Vṛndāvana?) What is Vṛndāvana proper? It is a stage of consciousness. In reality, Vṛndāvana, Goloka, are all stages of consciousness.

To surrender to Kṛṣṇa directly, to surrender to the Holy Name, that is very difficult, almost impossible and not very pleasing to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has no necessity of that. However, there is a necessity to serve a Vaiṣṇava, to serve the representatives, Kṛṣṇa’s intimate devotees. That is an indispensable part of surrender.

From an address given on 7th November 1966 at Sri Caitanya Sarasvata Matha, Navadvipa, India, on the occasion of the author’s appearance day, in the presence of revered Vaisnavas, including Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja accompanied by disciples from USA, Srila Bhakti Kamala Madhusudhana Maharaja and Sri Bhakti-varidhi Saurindranath Sarkara.

Morality stands upon only this conception — this is mine, this is yours. But all this is false. The deepest plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is moving and with it so many particles and so many jivas are dancing. And that dance is the absolute dance. Sarva dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. So everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa and for His satisfaction anything and everything can be done. That is nirguṇa.

Vaishnavas might be householders or renunciants, but in vaiṣhṇava-seva, it is not merely the devotee’s ashrama that commands respect. Rather, gradation among Vaiṣhṇavas is gauged according to their advancement in bhakti.

For the holy name to take effect, in the Garuḍa Purāṇa, ten offences to the holy name are listed that must be avoided. One should simply avoid them. It is not difficult. One or two take a little more practice than the others. The last one is the biggest hangup. The first one is the worst of all, but it is very easy to avoid that. So these are the ten offences to be avoided while chanting of the holy name.