Topic: Siddhanta

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.

In this article we shall learn more about the ontology of the virāṭ-rūpa as a non-eternal material form superimposed on the spiritual form of the Lord, the subjective nature of the vision of virāṭ, and the special type of divine eyes (divya cakṣu) required to view it, the nature of worship of the virāṭ-rūpa, who worships it, and how it is different than the worship of the śrī-mūrti that represents the eternal forms of the Supreme Lord.

Through Mahāprabhu one can understand everything — what we are, who we are, where we come from, and what is the purpose of our existence? All fulfillment of the soul can be achieved at the Lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is the bold proclamation of His devotees.

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.

The good preceptor although he appears to belong to this world is not really of this world. No one who belongs to this world can deliver us from worldliness. The good preceptor is a denizen of the spiritual world who has been enabled by the will of God to appear in this world in order to enable us to realise the spiritual existence.

Progress means to leave the former position, and go forward. But only the one who is hopeful of a bright future, should leave the former position and advance. Those of doubtful mentality, suspicious mentality, it is better for them to stick to the former position, which is their already consolidated foundation, and to take a stand there.