Topic: Siddhanta

The second installment of Prakrta-rasa Sata-dusani.

Many philosophical misconceptions have become deep-rooted and widespread within some of the branches of our very own parampara.

if we are only eager to hear about the rasa-lila for the sake of listening without discretion then we will fall into a state of severe illusion.

Raghunatha Dasa realized that when Mahaprabhu gave him the Govardhana-sila He was telling him that his eternal place of residence was at Govardhana and that his service should be performed at Radha-kunda.

The following is a transcript of a class given by Srila Narasingha Maharaja on Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Deva Gosvami Maharaja’s appearance day in Vrndavana at Sri Sri Radha-Damodara Temple on 12th October 2009.

What do heresy, the Inquisition, jihad and fatwa have in common with some Hare Krsnas?

If you have been attending extensive hari-katha in recent years then you may have heard or read the story of Radha’s parrot generally known as Sriya Suka.

In his illumination on the eighth verse of Sri Upadesamrta, Srila Sridhara Maharaja discusses faith in relation to what faith is and what it is not. This is the Vedic process of learning. When you learn about something you must also understand what it is not. Take gold for example – when you learn what are the qualities of gold, you must also learn what is not gold. Learning what is not gold is sometimes more important than learning what gold is, because you must also be able to identify imitation gold.

Faith is the basis of all things and as we advance spiritually then our faith also develops and grows. In Vedic philosophy faith is not an abstract or impersonal concept, it is not a state of mind but an energy that stimulates the heart and confirms the spiritual path for the devotee. Faith in its purest form is the halo of Srimati Radharani, by the light of which we may understand Krsna.

After wandering in this material world for many lifetimes, by the mercy of guru and Krsna, the seed of devotion is awakened within our heart. The process starts with a little faith (adau sraddha) and this faith leads us to seek answers (pariprasna) and the association of devotees (sadhu-sanga), those who are practitioners of the devotional process. The cultivation of this seed of the creeper of devotion is the substance of our devotional life.

The idea of Mayavada has always been present since the decline of the Vedic age. It is born from the minds of those jivas who have been envious and desired to usurp the position of God. These jivas, having lost touch with the highest ideal of serving God as an individual part and parcel, have fallen into this man-made plane of thought. Unlike this idea, the Vedic literatures are eternal and apauruseya (descended to this world untouched by the faulty thought process of the human mind). Those unfortunate people who deviate from the teachings of the Vedas invariably fall away from their eternal position as a servant of God into lower planes of consciousness.