SRILA BHAKTIVEDANTA NARAYANA GOSVAMI MAHARAJA

27/08/2024

Śrī Janmāṣṭamī Vrata and Śrī Nandotsava in Chuṅchuṛā Maṭha

A few months later, in August (Śrāvaṇa), Śrī Janmāṣṭamī was celebrated with great festivities at Śrī Uddhāraṇa Gauḍīya Maṭha. All the bhaktas in the maṭha observed nirjala fasting (without water) the whole day until midnight. Reading of the entire Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam took place during the day. At midnight, the time of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, the mahābhiṣeka of the Deities was performed, bhoga was offered and arcana was offered according to tradition. Śrīla Ācārya Mahārāja, the president of Śrī Samiti, gave a lecture on the philosophy of Śrī Janmāṣṭamī to the assembled audience. The essence of his lecture is as follows.

“Śrī Gauḍīya vaiṣṇava literature distinguishes between Śrī Bhagavān’s janma (birth) and His āvirbhāva (appearance). The word āvirbhāva is filled with aiśvarya (opulence), but janma is filled with mādhurya (sweetness). We are related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa who is Vrajendra-nandana13, Nanda-tanuja14, Nandātmaja15 and Paśupāṅgaja16. Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura has addressed Śrī Kṛṣṇa, ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanaya: “Bhagavān Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is my worshipful object,” and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said in His Śikṣāṣṭaka, ’ayi nandatanuja’. Also by Śrī Vāsudeva we understand Kṛṣṇa as Nanda-tanuja (the son of Nanda). Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa appeared in Mathurā, but He did not take birth from Devakī's womb. He appeared in Kaṁsa’s prison before Devakī and Vasudeva fully dressed and decorated, and holding His conch, disc, club and lotus (śaṅkha, cakra, gadā and padma.) Therefore Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not addressed as Vasudeva-tanuja (the son of Vasudeva). The cutting of the umbilical cord and other ceremonies of childbirth were not performed in Mathurā, but they were in Gokula. There, Kṛṣṇa took birth from the womb of Yaśodā Maiyā, and we worship this birth-pastime of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
kṛṣṇera yateka khelā sarvottama naralīlā
naravapu tāhāra svarūpa
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 21.101)
“‘Lord Kṛṣṇa has many pastimes, of which His pastimes as a human being are the best. His form as a human being is the supreme transcendental form.’
“Only Śrī Rūpānuga Vaiṣṇavas are able to take to heart this distinctive aspect of janma and āvirbhāva which is saturated with mādhurya. We are praying to Nandanandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of the Śrī Rūpānuga Vaiṣṇavas.”


The audience was very impressed when they heard this profound discussion of bhakti by Sri Guru Maharaja.

Ācārya Kesarī Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī – His Life and Teachings
 

Part 3





























19/08/2024

"Balarama carries a plow and a club. With His plow He cultivates the field of devotion by removing anarthas. In this way He prepares the ground to sow the seed of prema-bhakti. Then, with his club He protects the growing plant by removing anarthas that have come after the sowing the seed. Balarama gives cit-bala, spiritual strength, to the unmukha, jiva, the liberated associates of Krsna, and for the vimukha-jiva, the conditioned soul, He comes as guru-tattva.

Bhakti, beginning from sraddha and going up to the highest limit of rudha and adhirudha madanakhya mahabhava, rests on the platform of sandini, which is personified by Balarama."

Srila Gurudeva Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja 2001

17/08/2024

Śrīpād Bhaktivedānta Tapasvī Mahārāj (BV Tapasvi Maharaja) glorifies Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī at the Bhakti Yoga Centre - London on Friday 16 August 2024

Bhakti Yoga Centre - London

17/08/2024

The Heart of Mahāprabhu is Rūpa Gosvāmī

Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja:
I told the meaning of one word of the śloka of Kavi Karṇapūra – nijānurūpe. The Hindi or Sanskrit meaning of ‘nijānurūpe’ is: Rūpa [Gosvāmī] is the rūpa of Mahāprabhu. They are the same rūpa [form or nature]. What Rūpa Gosvāmī has told, these are the words of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Like a vaṁśī (flute). The music coming from the vaṁśī is the song of the person playing the vaṁśī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is playing on the vaṁśī and Rūpa is like the vaṁśī. The words are coming from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu through Rūpa Gosvāmī. We are seeing that these are the words of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, but actually these are the words of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Devotee: He is the instrument.
Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Instrument meaning the vaṁśī; not all instruments.
Devotee: Specifically vaṁśī
Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Vaṁśī is so sweet. Sometimes more sweet. What Krsna cannot do, the vaṁśī can do.
If the gopīs are sleeping in their rooms, Kṛṣṇa cannot go to all the gopīs. This vaṁśī [flute song] will go through the windows, through [any obstacle] and directly enter [their rooms]. And even while they are sleeping, it will go through their ears and after taking their hearts, it will return to Kṛṣṇa. The vaṁśī is so powerful.
Similarly Rūpa Gosvāmī is so powerful.
What Rūpa Gosvāmī writes, what comes from his ballpoint, every word, every letter, comes from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is the pen of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The heart of Mahāprabhu is Rūpa Gosvāmī. What Mahāprabhu thinks here [in his heart], automatically like a computer, it appears in Rūpa Gosvāmī’s heart, everything.

- from a Darshan in Rup Sanatan Gaudiya Math
August 19, 1994

31/07/2024

Sripad BV Tapasvi Maharaja in London on Friday 16 August.

31/07/2024

Sripad BV Ashram Maharaj in Didcot (near Oxford) at Sriman Prem Vilas Prabhu's this Saturday!

22/02/2024

by Srila Gurudeva Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja
spoken on Nityananda Trayodasi (found in Sri Prabandhavali)

"Once there was a barber who was going here and there giving out invitations. In previous times barbers performed this task for families. If there was to be a marriage or a festival, he would go and distribute the invitations to everyone, and for doing this he would earn a little extra money. But he would not go anywhere without his instruments such as a razor, scissors, and a comb.
Starting on his way, this barber entered a jungle where he saw a lion resting on the path. The lion did not attack him, but instead was merely lifting up its paw and licking it. At first the barber was frightened, but then he thought, “It seems that there is something stuck in his foot, and that is why he is not attacking.” So the barber went a little nearer, and saw that a very large thorn was stuck in very deeply, and due to this the lion was suffering greatly. Therefore, with the help of his instruments, the barber manipulated the thorn a little and carefully removed it. Some blood had been coming from the wound, so he also applied some antiseptic, wrapped the lion’s paw in some medicinal leaves, and then left.
Three or four years went by. Then one day that same barber was mistakenly arrested for some very serious crime such as murder. His case was brought before the king, who said, “Several days ago in the jungle we captured a lion. Throw the criminal into the lion’s compartment. The lion will eat him; finished. For him there can be no other punishment. Throw him in!”
The barber was thrown into the lion’s cage, and at once the lion got up, roaring. But as he came near the barber, he began to purr and sat down. This was the same lion from which the barber had removed the thorn, and after so many years the lion recognised the barber and therefore didn’t attack him. The king said, “This fierce animal is not attacking him? What is this?” Then he thought, “Now I understand. Because I have made a mistake in arresting this man, the lion is not killing him. If the lion is not carry- ing out this punishment, then I also should not punish him.” The king released the barber, showed him respect, and asked for forgiveness.
Even in an animal there is so much gratitude, and Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami says that Nityananda Prabhu’s gratitude is just like this. For one minute that barber removed a thorn from the lion, and for so many years the lion remained grateful. That animal, which is so fierce that it kills innumerable other animals and people also, remained grateful for its entire life, and we see the same quality of gratitude in the life of Nityananda Prabhu."

See link in first comment!

30/11/2023

24/05/2022

…Nowadays Vaisnava-aparadh is not committed by mistake but knowingly. “That is their party, this is my party.” Bhakta’s have no party. In which party is Naradji? In which party is Sukadev Gosvami? This is our party and they are all in our party. Wherever a Bhakta is performing Harinam, wherever Harinam is done and whoever does Harinam and takes shelter of sad-guru, they are all in my party.

“May our lineage grow. They are from that branch and my Guruji is from this branch. Don’t let them come here! We do not want to hear their name!
“O but they are very elevated.”
“Elevated, so what?! We only stick to our own party and must increase our own party.”
This is bad. We have to see these things and consider.

…With enthusiasm you should all adopt these things; only then can we progress in bhakti. Otherwise, it will just be recreation. Very gravely take these things, and bhajan will develop, this is the duty of the siksa-guru, to give appropriate siksa to all. He has no party feelings towards anyone. In this way we should proceed in bhajan. This is our Bharatiya tradition.

“They are that guru’s disciple, I am this guru’s disciple,” until today this never happened before. It only started now. Previously one’s own disciple wasn’t given as much respect as someone else’s disciple. Like when you have your own son and someone else’s son comes, you will keep your own son to the side and will embrace the other persons son. This is love, no? This is how it should be. If such magnanimity is not present, then Vaisnava Dharma cannot remain. Within Vaisnava Dharma this is entering like a Cancer and TB. May Bhagavan protect us from this.

Srila Gurudev, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayan Gosvami Maharaj – 29 May 1995 in Delhi
https://youtu.be/D-c0swmluYE?list=UUc9ms4F-PWpkUDct7OcuqMQ [from 18:46 – 20:49 min]

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02/03/2022

23/02/2022

Spoken in Hindi in the presence of the president of India during the 3 year long 150th Advent Commemoration Inaugural Ceremony on 20 02 2022 in Sri Jagannath Puri Dham.

Spoken in Hindi in the presence of the president of India during the 3 year long 150th Advent Commemoration Inaugural Ceremony on 20 02 2022 in Sri Jagannath...