Friday, April 30, 2021

Aside: Verses we come along that we might want to memorize next

 1) śrūyatāṁ śrūyatāṁ nityaṁ gīyatāṁ gīyatāṁ mudācintyatāṁ cintyatāṁ bhaktaś-caitanya-caritāmṛtam

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā (12.1)

o  devotees!  Just  listen  to  it  –  listen  to  it  for  all time!  Sing  it  and  chant  it  to  your  hearts’  delight! Forever  meditate  and  contemplate Śrī  Caitanya-caritāmṛtam,  the  nectarean  anthology  of  the  life and teachings of Śrī caitanya, the embodiment of the awakening of ecstatic consciousness through śrī kṛṣṇa-kīrtana  (from end of Knowledge and Feeling by Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj)


2) SB 7.1.31 , Madhya lila 22.152-3, From Srila Guru Maharaj Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaj's article on Rupa Goswami's summary of Bhakti which Madhukar Prabhu read

3) devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam
na kinkaro nayam rni ca rajan
sarvatmana yah saranam saranyam
gato mukundam parihrtya kartam
["Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers." Such obligations are automatically fulfilled by performance of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead." SB 11.5.41 suggested by Lavanga Manjari Didi from the Sraddha verse


4)

ŚB 4.20.25

स उत्तमश्लोक महन्मुखच्युतो
भवत्पदाम्भोजसुधा कणानिल: ।
स्मृतिं पुनर्विस्मृततत्त्ववर्त्मनां
कुयोगिनां नो वितरत्यलं वरै: ॥ २५ ॥
sa uttamaśloka mahan-mukha-cyuto
bhavat-padāmbhoja-sudhā kaṇānilaḥ
smṛtiṁ punar vismṛta-tattva-vartmanāṁ
kuyogināṁ no vitaraty alaṁ varaiḥ

Synonyms

saḥ — that; uttama-śloka — O Lord, who are praised by selected verses; mahat — of great devotees; mukha-cyutaḥ — delivered from the mouths; bhavat — Your; pada-ambhoja — from the lotus feet; sudhā — of nectar; kaṇa — particles; anilaḥ — soothing breeze; smṛtim — remembrance; punaḥ — again; vismṛta — forgotten; tattva — to the truth; vartmanām — of persons whose path; ku-yoginām — of persons not in the line of devotional service; naḥ — of us; vitarati — restores; alam — unnecessary; varaiḥ — other benedictions.

Translation

My dear Lord, You are glorified by the selected verses uttered by great personalities. Such glorification of Your lotus feet is just like saffron particles. When the transcendental vibration from the mouths of great devotees carries the aroma of the saffron dust of Your lotus feet, the forgetful living entity gradually remembers his eternal relationship with You. Devotees thus gradually come to the right conclusion about the value of life. My dear Lord, I therefore do not need any other benediction but the opportunity to hear from the mouth of Your pure devotee.

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CC Madhya 19.149
kṛṣṇa-bhakta — niṣkāma, ataeva ‘śānta’
bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī — sakali ‘aśānta’
“Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.
 

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SB 10.14.8
 tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk
tat

My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.

 
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_----
But when one is freed from such a concept of life, he is no longer subjected to designations, and he envisions everything as spiritual in connection with the Supreme Lord. This is explained by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.255):
anāsaktasya viṣayān
yathārham upayuñjataḥ
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate
The liberated person has no attachment for anything material or for sense gratification. He understands that everything is connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that everything should be engaged in the service of the Lord. Therefore he does not give up anything. There is no question of renouncing anything because the paramahaṁsa knows how to engage everything in the service of the Lord. Originally everything is spiritual; nothing is material. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 8.274) also it is explained that a mahā-bhāgavata, a highly advanced devotee, has no material vision:
sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe, nā dekhe tāra mūrti
sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti
Although he sees trees, mountains, and other living entities moving here and there, he sees all as the creation of the Supreme Lord and, with reference to the context, sees only the creator and not the created. In other words, he no longer distinguishes between the created and the creator. He sees only the Supreme Personality of Godhead in everything. He sees Kṛṣṇa in everything and everything in Kṛṣṇa. This is oneness.
Purport 4.22.28
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tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer
bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ
ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ
(Bhāg. 1.5.17)
Quoted in Purport to SB 4.22.38

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SB 2.3.24
tad aśma-sāraṁ hṛdayaṁ batedaṁ
yad gṛhyamāṇair hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ
na vikriyetātha yadā vikāro
netre jalaṁ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ

Certainly that heart is steel-framed which, in spite of one's chanting the holy name of the Lord with concentration, does not change when ecstasy takes place, tears fill the eyes and the hairs stand on end.

Quoted in HoK.4
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etāvān eva loke 'smin
puṁsaḥ svārthaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ
ekānta-bhaktir govinde
yat sarvatra tad-īkṣaṇam
etāvān
 — 
this much
eva
 — 
certainly
loke asmin
 — 
in this material world
puṁsaḥ
 — 
of the living entity
sva-arthaḥ
 — 
the real self-interest
paraḥ
 — 
transcendental
smṛtaḥ
 — 
regarded
ekānta-bhaktiḥ
 — 
unalloyed devotional service
govinde
 — 
to Govinda
yat
 — 
which
sarvatra
 — 
everywhere
tat-īkṣaṇam
 — 
seeing the relationship with Govinda, Kṛṣṇa
.
In this material world, to render service to the lotus feet of Govinda, the cause of all causes, and to see Him everywhere, is the only goal of life. This much alone is the ultimate goal of human life, as explained by all the revealed scriptures.
SB 7.7.55 
(A favorite verse of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaj, via Srila Bhaktivedanta Ashram Maharaj on Nrsimhadev Caturdasi 2021)

CC.M.21.101 from HoK

Padma Purana verse aboutnot mistaking sacred things as ordinary from HoK. Arcye visnau siladhir. 

Verses from HoK that wasn't translated.

 "If a meat-eater becomes a devotee 
of the Supreme Lord Hari, he is far superior to a Brahmin, but if a Brahmin has no devotion, he is 
worse than a meat-eater "k


_---

From purport.to SB 4.30.19
As stated by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja:

kṛṣṇa-bhajane yāhā haya anukūla
viṣaya baliyā tyāge tāhā haya bhūla
“If one is so expert that he can engage everything or dovetail everything in the service of the Lord, to give up the material world would be a great blunder.” One should learn how to dovetail everything in the service of the Lord, for everything is connected to Kṛṣṇa. That is the real purpose of life and secret of success.

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https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/4/31/14/



Verse 7: brahmāṇḍa bhramite

 CC Madhya 19.151 (Rupa Siksa)  


brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja


Synonyms

brahmāṇḍa bhramite — wandering in this universe; kona — some; bhāgyavān — most fortunate; jīva — living being; guru — of the spiritual master; kṛṣṇa — of Kṛṣṇa; prasāde — by the mercy; pāya — gets; bhakti-latā — of the creeper of devotional service; bīja — the seed.
Translation

“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.

Vedabase including Srila ACBVSwami Srila Prabhupad's purport

Madhukar Prabhu's video...power went out, so the repetition part is at the start of the next video.

🌸Srila Bhaktivedanta Madhav Maharaj, Srimati Syamarani Didi, and Sundar Gopal Prabhu explaining the verse in Toulouse, 2002, with supervision by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj; lecture he gave the next day on the subject (and specifically requested to be published).

🌸Taking Care of the Bhakti-Lata by Srila Gour Govinda Swami. See page 13 - 16. 

Talk by Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj see last few paragraphs. 

Two lectures in Los Angeles (May 26 1972, and June 1972) Srila ACBhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad gives on this verse. (interestingly he always starts with ei rūpe and he always says guru-krsna krpaya)

Chapter 3 of Art of Sadhana by Srila Guru Maharaj Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaj. 

Translation of a Hindi lecture on Rupa-Siksha by Srila Gurudev Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj.


Madhukar Prabhu quoted his Srila Gurudev Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj's commentary on Bhagavad Gita 9.3. ( p. 462 of 4th edition)




 

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Verse 6 Tad Vijnartham sa gurum (Guru tattva firewood verse)

 Guru Tattva: Mundaka Upanisad (The Firewood Verse)

Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet 

samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham 

 In order to obtain knowledge of that bhagavad-vastu (the absolute truth
concerning Sri Bhagavān ), one should approach sad-guru, carrying fire
wood for sacrifice. The qualification of sad-guru is that he is well versed
in the Vedas, absorbed in the Absolute Truth (brahma-jñānā) and devoted
to the service of Bhagavān.
(Mundaka Upanisad–1.2.12 /JD–p.477)

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One must only accept a guru who has fully realized both śāstra and Kṛṣṇa 

tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchetsamit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham 

Muṇḍaka Upanisad (1.2.12)

 tat-vijñāna-artham – to learn the transcendental subject matter of that [Personality of Godhead]; saḥ – one; gurum – a spiritual master; eva – certainly; abhigacchet – should approach; samit-pāniḥ – carrying the firewood [of sublime faith]; śrotriyam expert in understanding the Vedic conclusions; brahma-niṣṭham – has fully connected with the Supreme Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

 One should approach a guru with the purpose of acquiring transcendental knowledge as well as the process for realizing that knowledge. Śrī guru’s qualifications are that

he has complete knowledge of the import of the Vedic śāstras and he is himself fixed in devotion to Parabrahma, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One should offer him the firewood of sublime faith for the performance of yajña [i.e. the yajña of service to Śrī Hari; of assisting śrī guru in the saṅkīrtana yajña of turning the conditioned souls into lovers of God]

Slokamrtam Bindu 

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Video with Verse and Audio Clip of Srila ACBVSwami Srila Prabhupad reciting this verse during a lecture in Hyderbad. 

 A lecture delivered by Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad on 12th February, 1936 on the appearance day ofŚrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda in Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha, Bombay (Rays of the Harmonist Mauni Amavasya 2011 issue,  p. 34)

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj answers a question about the firewood.

From the Path of Devotion by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj: 


 
 
Srila Bhakti Vijnan Bharati Maharaj reminisces how Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj brought all his stuff to the Math in a truck in the spirit of this verse. 


Tuesday, April 27, 2021

verse 5: tad viddhi

GURU Tattva: Bhagavad Gita 4.34, Sri Krishna to Arjun: 

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

Synonyms
tat — that knowledge of different sacrifices; viddhi — try to understand; praṇipātena — by approaching a spiritual master; paripraśnena — by submissive inquiries; sevayā — by the rendering of service; upadekṣyanti — they will initiate; te — you; jñānam — into knowledge; jñāninaḥ — the self-realized; tattva — of the truth; darśinaḥ — seers.

Translation
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.

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Vedabase with Srila ACBVSwami Prabhupad's commentary. 

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj's commentary is a must read. Page 343 of the PDF, page 273 of the book.

First chapter of Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj's Sri Guru and His Grace. 

Very rich beautiful lecture on Guru Tattva expounding this and the other verses delivered by Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamam Maharaj at his 2002 Vyasa Puja

An excerpt of Srila Gurudev Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj's book Harikatha and Vaishnav Aparadh

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Verse 4 or 5.Guru Tattva: tasmād guruṁ

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21
Yogendra Sri Prabuddha to Maharaj Nimi


tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

tasmāt — therefore; gurum — a spiritual master; prapadyeta — one should take shelter of; jijñāsuḥ — being inquisitive; śreyaḥ uttamam — about the highest good; śābde — in the Vedas; pare — in the Supreme; ca — and; niṣṇātam — perfectly knowledgeable; brahmaṇi — (in these two aspects) of the Absolute Truth; upaśama-āśrayam — fixed in detachment from material affairs.

Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.

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1 ) Purport by Hrdayananda Maharaj et al quotes a lot of different commentaries. 

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3 ) Sri Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur 's commentary translated by Srila Bhanu Swami from Sarartha Darsini

"Now bhakti, the means of crossing saṃsāra, which was previously explained, is described. Please listen. One should surrender to a guru who is skilful (niṣnātam) in understanding the meaning of the Vedas (śabde) and other scriptures. If he does not have this quality, the faith of the disciple will become weak, since he will not be able to destroy the doubts of the disappointed disciple. He should be capable as well in realizing the Lord (pare). Otherwise, his mercy will not bear results. The position of being fixed in realization of the Lord is described: he is not under control of anger and greed (upaśamāśrayam)."
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Srila ACBVSwami Srila Prabhupad to Bob Cohen. "Generally, the guru's symptom is that he's a perfect devotee. That's all. And he's serving Kṛṣṇa by preaching His message."
 
". Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. Ācārya, guru, he is completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. He has taken the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, being completely freed from all material affection. Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam.

Everything . . . everyone has got some material desire to fulfill, but a guru or ācārya has no such business. That is the symptom of ācārya. He has no more any material business. Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. He has finished all business of material satisfaction. That is the symptom of ācārya. And śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. And he has taken full bath in the ocean of transcendental . . . (indistinct) . . . Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta  , one should surrender to such spiritual master. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam, when he is actually serious about inquiring the transcendental subject matter. Otherwise there is no need of accepting guru or ācārya. He has no business. If one is not interested in the transcendental subject matter . . . just like so many people come, they have no interest. Unnecessarily they talk and waste time. As soon as I asked that man that, "If I say something, whether you will accept?" He said: "If I like it, then I shall accept." Then why come to waste my time to inquire from me?"

Srila ACBVSwami Srila Prabhupad  to Dr. Patel:

Prabhupāda: Keeping a guru, and "Guru, come here. Come here, guru." (laughter) Not like that. That is useless. And this is the qualification of chela: jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam, one who is interested with the Absolute Truth. That requires . . . he requires a guru. And guru means, śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam (SB 11.3.21). This is the qualification. Śābde, he's, in the Vedic knowledge, he's perfect. Śābde pare ca. Niṣṇātam: he has immersed himself in that ocean. And the result is brahmaṇy upaśama . . . he has no more material interests, simply Brahman, that's all. How simple it is, the qualification of chelā and qualification of guru. As soon as Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his guru, He immediately gave him a slap: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11): "You are talking like very learned man. You are fool number one."

Dr. Patel: So you told me the same thing. Very good. I must be proud that I am going to be like Arjuna. That is what you mean to say.

Prabhupāda: No, no. This is the guru's . . . guru's business is, when he talks much, he says: "All right, it is all right," but when he accepts guru—slaps. 

Srila ACBVPrabhupad lecturing in LA:

Prabhupāda: . . .being completely aware of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth, not a bogus. If you want to receive knowledge, then you must approach a guru who is brahma-niṣṭham. That is the qualification of guru. Brahman, brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. These words are there. He is living in Brahman, Absolute Truth. He has no other business. That is guru.

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
(BG 4.34)

Tattva-darśinaḥ, "who has seen the truth," not imagination. He cannot be guru. Who has actually seen, tattva-darśinaḥ. These are the injunction in the śāstras, and Parīkṣit Mahārāja is strictly following the same principles and asking Parīkṣit. . ., Śukadeva Gosvāmī, bhavanto jānate yathā: "As you have learned from your predecessor." So that is perfect knowledge. The knowledge is coming from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is all-perfect, and Arjuna is hearing directly from Him, and the statement of Arjuna is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. He understands that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; that is, he acquired knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. 

Srila Prabhupad lecturing in Bombay:

So that light is given by guru. Ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā (Gautamīya-tantra). That light is given not by bringing one torchlight, but jñānāñjana-śalākayā, the light of knowledge. The light of . . . jñānāñjana-śalākayā. Cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ. Guru's business is to give you light by knowledge. Then you understand. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). How the jñāna, knowledge, light is given? Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. This is the guru's system, guru's symptom, what is guru. Śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. He has completely assimilated the Vedic essence of life. That is called guru. And what is śabda? Śāstra, or Vedas. Śruti-śāstra. Śruti means Veda, knowledge. Veda means knowledge. Or knowledge is received through ear, by hearing. That is real knowledge. Not by experimental knowledge. You cannot understand which is beyond your sense perception by experiment.

Srila Prabhupad lecturing in Hyderbad

And why you should surrender? Jijñāsu: if you are actually inquisitive, inquirer. What about? Śreya uttamam. Śreya means the ultimate benefit of life, and preya means immediate benefit of life. There are two things: śreya and preya. The human life is meant for sreya, and animal life is meant for preya, immediate benefit. That is called preya. And śreya means ultimate benefit of life. That one who is inquisitive to understand about the ultimate goal of life, for him there is need of guru, not a fashion. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsur śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Then what is that guru? That is also explained: śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. Śābde means Vedic literature. Vedic . . . He has drowned himself, he has bathed himself in the ocean of Vedas. Śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. Just like if you take bathing in a river, deep down you'll become refreshed. Similarly, one has to take śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. And what is the symptom? How I shall know that he has taken bathing fully in the ocean of Veda? Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam: he has finished all desires for material happiness or distress. He is brāhmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. He has taken shelter of Brahman—the same thing, Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). One who has taken fully shelter under the lotus feet of Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa, you have to take shelter of such a guru. Otherwise you'll not be able to get out of these clutches of māyā. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21), every śāstra you go.

So therefore here it is said that if you are actually anxious to become free from this material condition of life, then you must accept the service of mahat-sevā. Mahat means one who has fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. He's mahat. Vāsudeva sarvam iti. One who has taken this conclusion, vāsudeva sarvam iti, sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). These are the formulas. So mahātmā means the fully surrendered soul unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. He is the first-class mahātmā. Sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. Not ordinary mahātmā, but su-durlabhaḥ. And what are the signs? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim, bhajanty ananya-manaso. He has no other business except worshiping Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Mām ekam. In this way, if we find the opportunity, then there is possibility of mukti. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ. And if we associate with the yoṣit saṅgi, those who are desirous of enjoying this material world under different pleas, you. . . if you associate with them, then you glide down to the darkest region of hellish condition of life.

 Srila Prabhupad in Surat

Guru means you have to find out some personality who is well-versed in the Vedic knowledge. Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. These are the symptoms of guru: that he is well versed, well cognizant in the conclusion of the Vedas. Not only that he is well versed, but he has actually in his life taken to that path, upaśamāśrayam, without being deviated by any other ways. Upaśama, upaśama. He has finished all material hankerings. He has taken simply to the spiritual life and simply surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And at the same time, he knows all the Vedic conclusions. This is the description of a guru.

Lecture or Essay by Srila Gurudev Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj.

 

 

 

 






Friday, April 23, 2021

Verse 3: Saranagati ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ

Saranagati: CC Madhya 22.100; Hari-bhakti-vilāsa–11.47

ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ
prātikūlyasya varjanam
rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso
goptṛtve varaṇaṁ tathā
ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye
ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ

Synonyms

ānukūlyasya — of anything that assists devotional service to the Lord; saṅkalpaḥ — acceptance; prātikūlyasya — of anything that hinders devotional service; varjanam — complete rejection; rakṣiṣyati — He will protect; iti — thus; viśvāsaḥ — strong conviction; goptṛtve — in being the guardian, like the father or husband, master or maintainer; varaṇam — acceptance; tathā — as well as; ātma-nikṣepa — full self-surrender; kārpaṇye — and humility; ṣaṭ-vidhā — sixfold; śaraṇa-āgatiḥ — process of surrender.

Translation

“ ‘The six divisions of surrender are the acceptance of those things favorable to devotional service, the rejection of unfavorable things, the conviction that Kṛṣṇa will give protection, the acceptance of the Lord as one’s guardian or master, full self-surrender, and humility.

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Madhukar Prabhu's first video on the verse:

 

 Madhukar Prabhu's second video on this verse..

 Madhukar Prabhu's third video about this verse, also about Saranagati discussed in Chapter 6 of Jaiva Dharma.

Some resources

1) Saranagati Song 1. . . whole book is commentary on this. .see, for example Laghu Bhasya Chandrika Commentary by Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj 

Madhukar Prabhu selected 6 songs from Saranagati to sing: Songs about limbs 1, 2, and 3 ; Songs about limbs 4, 5, & 6. 

2) Upadesamrta 1,2,3 Commentaries, especially by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur; and the 12 essays by him on verses 2 and 3. 

3) All of Prapanna Jivanamrta . . .maybe crest is 1.35 with some commentary by Srila BS Govinda Maharaj

4) Bhajan Rahasya Chapter 3 "Tṛtīya-yāma-sādhana Pūrvāhna-kālīya-bhajana – niṣṭhā-bhajana (the six daṇḍas until two praharas: approximately 8.30 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.)" : Text 2 is this verse, and there's the commentary on pages 124 - 126. 

5) Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj speaking in Birmingham 2003,   Puri 2004

6) Srila Gurudev Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj: speaking at the end of Kartik in Vraja Mandal in 1987.

7) A video of the verse, one word appearing at a time:


(not really general interest, but apparently the Ramanuja sampradaya has a famous book called Prapanna Parijata on this verse and saranagati from the 1200s. )


Verse 2: śraddhā’-śabde

 

CC Madhya 22.62 (Part of Sanatan Shiksha)

‘śraddhā’-śabde — viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

Synonyms

śraddhā-śabde — by the word śraddhā; viśvāsa — faith; kahe — is said; sudṛḍha — firm; niścaya — certain; kṛṣṇe — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; bhakti — devotional service; kaile — by executing; sarva-karma — all activities; kṛta — completed; haya — are.

Translation

“Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.

 Spoken by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Srila Sanatan Goswami, as reported in Chaitanya Charitamrta, "The Process of Devotional Service." 

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Madhukar Prabhu's Video Launching this verse and reading from Madhurya Kadambini p. 142-151:



 Madhukar Prabhu's Second Video reading some Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj's articles on faith. 




Faith in the Devotees http://www.bvmlu.org/SBRSM/fitd.html 

Faith Is Our Real Wealth http://www.bvmlu.org/SBRSM/fiorw.html 

Real Faith and Blind Faith http://www.bvmlu.org/SBRSM/rfabf.html 

 Faith in the Absolute http://www.bvmlu.org/SBRSM/fita.html 

Faith and Harmony http://www.bvmlu.org/SBRSM/fah.html

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 Some other resources

A) Here are 81 instances of Srila ACBVSwami Prabhupad bringing up sraddha-sabde.  

        -Observations: he usually quotes it alongside this verse from the next chapter, "Life's Ultimate Goal" CC Madhya Lila 23.14-15

      

ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-
saṅgo ‘tha bhajana-kriyā
tato ‘nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt
tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas
tataḥ premābhyudañcati
sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ
prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ


SYNONYMS

ādau—in the beginning; śraddhā—firm faith, or disinterest in material affairs and interest in spiritual advancement; tataḥ—thereafter; sādhu-saṅgaḥ—association with pure devotees; atha—then; bhajana-kriyā—performance of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa (surrendering to the spiritual master and being encouraged by the association of devotees, so that initiation takes place); tataḥ—thereafter; anartha-nivṛttiḥ—the diminishing of all unwanted habits; syāt—there should be; tataḥ—then; niṣṭhā—firm faith; ruciḥ—taste; tataḥ—thereafter; atha—then; āsaktiḥ—attachment; tataḥ—then; bhāvaḥ—emotion or affection; tataḥ—thereafter; prema—love of God; abhyudañcati—arises; sādhakānām—of the devotees practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness; ayam—this; premṇaḥ—of love of Godhead; prādurbhāve—in the appearance; bhavet—is; kramaḥ—the chronological order.


TRANSLATION

“‘In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sādhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.’

as well as alongside sarva dharma.


B) From a lecture by Sri Srimad Bhakti Kumud Santa Mahara at Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vaman Maharaj's Abhirbhav festival:


"

What is more? He is to be served the guru with faith in him. Yes, he willhave to bear in mind that if I serve him (guru) I shall have welfare. Not only that, he has to give up maintaining material dealings. He has toposses a spiritual faith. What is spoken of by “vishvasa“?

shraddha-shabde vishvasa kahe sudridha nishcaya,
krishne-bhakti kaile sarva karma krita haya

Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.62)

[Shraddha is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Krishna one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service].

“The word “sraddha” means “strong faith”. If Krishna is shown bhakti all works will be done”.

It is described as “vishvasa“. “Sraddha” means vishvasa point. How is this vishvasa. I shall give you one instance: Krishna is returning after tending the cows. Sridham, Sudhama, Vasudhama and other companions began to drink water of Kaliyadaha. He came running to them, slept each and asked, “What are you doing? This water is poisoned. If a bird flighs over the water it will die. And you are drinking it, you will surely die”. What did the companions answer? “Kanai, Your companions do not love You with this sort of insignificant faith. We know that the water we are drinking is not poisoned it is nectar. We can not drink poison”, Krishna sees from behind that they are drinking the poisoned nectar. “Our death can not happen”. This is faith. Therefore, if the order of a guru is carried out after placing faith in his lotus feet and then he is worshipped and served, my welfare will come forth. The sisya who will go forward with this faith will be rewarded with self welfare. What is this? The honest way we shall follow will be shown by him. He will show the way. This is guru-tattva. It has to be understood properly."

Verse 1, Launched Ram Navami 2021/Gaurabda 535: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

The Definition of Bhakti

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

anya-abhilāṣitā – prone to selfish, ulterior desires; śūnyaṁ – devoid; jñāna – knowledge; karma – fruitive work; ādi – and so on; anāvṛtam – not eclipsed; ānukūlyena – through genuine kindness to Him; kṛṣṇa – Krsna; anu – perpetual; śīlanam – ardent endeavour; bhaktir uttama – the utmost culmination of bhakti (devotional service to Krsna).

Perpetual, ardent endeavour meant exclusively for Śrī Kṛṣṇa
and performed out of loving affection for Him,
when neither prone to any selfish, ulterior desires
nor eclipsed by impersonal knowledge, fruitive work and so on,
is known as uttamā-bhakti.

( BRS 1.1.11, CC ML 19.167 )
 
https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/19/167/
 

1. Madhukar Prabhu's Launch Video on Youtube: 


 

 

Here's the whole playlist.  

Truly astounding Article by Sri Srimad Bhakti Pragjana Keshava Maharaj which Madhukar Prabhu reads in video 1. Illustrations for it:

 

 


Srila ACBVSwami Prabhupad sings this verse "Anyābhilāsitā-sunyam...(BRS 1.1.11)" at 2:33 in this video of recitation of BRS: (courtesy of Rudra Gupta Prabhu)


 

 Gaudiya Kirtan Mailing List/ Newsletter issue.  

 Ram Navami official start video:


 

 

Lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj on this verse. (via Revati Didi) ( Jul 01, 1997 Holland)


 

 

 

a lecture by Srila ACBVSwami Prabhupad  quoting and discussing i, with some audio.

 Note by Narasimha Prabhu:

"I remember Sripad Bhakti Swarup Shridhar Maharaj explaining "ita" is giving a caveat that in times of emergency and trouble, we can call out "selfishly" to be saved. Like a car accident etc. He joked "If Srila Rupa Gosvami had left off this ita, then, NO HOPE for any of us!" haha"



Quizlet and other Resources

 Madhukar Prabhu made a Quizlet set for the first 17 verses (and may add more). They're really useful! You can open up in your browser ...