-Question: I don’t understand how in the spiritual world there can’t be a past and a future. How is that possible? Could you explain, please. -The spiritual world does not need lights, but Yogamaya creates the moon so that Krishna can perform human-like lillas -Srimati Radhika encourages the trees to welcome Her beloved Govinda -In the spiritual world, everything is constantly being refreshed -In Vraja, Krishna’s desire is reflected in the hearts of all the inhabitants of Vraja -The material world is the perverted reflection of the spiritual world -Question: What does the following statement of Srila Jiva Gosvami mean? Shraddha is the halo of Srimati Radhika, by the light of which others may understand Krishna -Srimati Radhika is bhakti-adhisthatri-devata. Shraddha is coming from Her. Without Srimati Radhika’s mercy no one can obtain shraddha
-Hariyali Teej is going on in Vraja now -Benediction obtained by Kalayavana from Shivaji -Benediction given by Indra to Muchukunda -Lila of Krishna making Muchukunda to burn Kalayavana into ashes -Only Mukunda gives liberation -Bhavapavargo bhramato yada bhavej sloka discussion -Life in the material world is called pavarga because in this world we are subject to five kinds of suffering, which are represented by the Sanskrit letters pa (very hard labor), pha (foam from the mouth with heavy labor), ba (disappointment), bha (fear), and ma (death) -Sadhu-sanga will solve all your problems -Sadhana-siddhi, mantra-siddhi, bhava-siddhi, svarupa-siddhi, vastu-siddhi, parikara -Gaudiya Vaishnavas are proud to take the name of Srila Rupa Gosvami and to be rupanuga-vaishnavas -Rupa and Sanatana in the service of a Muslim king -Rupa and Sanatana try to convince their brother Anupama to worship Radha-Krishna -Rupa-Sanatana meet Mahaprabhu and utter pranama-mantra to Him -Srimati Radhika under the guise of cooking for Rupa-Sanatana, listens to their hari-katha -Bhukti-mukti-sprha yavat – learn this sloka
-Question: What is the difference between shraddha and sharanagati? -They look alike, but when you look at them in detail, you can see their differences -Sharanagati is the permission to enter into bhakti; shraddha is the qualification to perform bhakti -The limbs of sharanagati -Shraddha comes from Srimati Radhika -Shraddha means unflinching faith -Sharanagati always manifests if there is shraddha, but shraddha does not always manifest if there is sharanagati
-Brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva sloka discussion -Doing spiritual practice and continuing to commit offenses is like treating a cough with medicine, but continuing to perform activities that make the cough worse (like eating ice cream and dairy products). -Daksha Prajapati and Shiva katha (shortly) -The story of Lord Indra becoming a pig and not willing to return back to his heavenly kingdom -Krsna bhuli’ sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha: Guru and Vaishnavas again and again remind us that we are the servants of Krishna -Sambandha-, abhidheya- and prayojana-tattva -Before doing sadhana, a sadhaka should determine his destination -Atma-nivedana: we need to surrender to the Guru to receive a shuddha-bhakti seed from him -Formal diksha lasts five minutes, but true diksha is a process that lasts until bhava-dasha is reached -You think of your parents on your birthday to get cake and presents -Govindadeva is a big cheater. He will steal your heart -Diksha-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana sloka discussion
-Mokshamrita: the jiva experiences seconds of happiness in jyotir-dhama, and then falls into an unconscious state -Mokshamrita is very inferior to premamrita -Comparison of mokshamrita to sleep (nidra-sukha) or the effects of a drug -Turiya-avastha (middle state) is the state of those who merge into Brahma: they are neither happy nor unhappy; it’s like a coma -Comparison: If someone gets into a whirlpool, only a very skilled lifeguard can save him from drowning. In the same way, only a pure devotee can bring someone out of brahma-jyoti -Guru will not come to brahma-jyoti to save someone. This is not his duty
-The purpose of the human tongue, limbs, and eyes -If we do not use this human body in proper service, next birth we could be born in a nonhuman body, or blind/dumb -The gopis say their eyes should be burned in fire if they cannot take darshana of Govinda -The gopis chastise Krsna for not playing the flute at proper times and say its bamboo should be burned to ashes -Mauna vow (vow of silence) is not possible in Kali-yuga: speaking krsna-katha is the true mauna vow -The nature of the mind is to think badly of others when alone or chanting holy names -The essence of Rupa Gosvami’s instructions: We should aspire to be constantly absorbed in Krsna’s sweet lila and names, and always stay in Vraja – if not physically, then by mind, and with a high-class vraja-rasika Vaisnava -Only hari-katha can protect you from maya -Sadhu-sanga means hari-katha, this is Guru’s duty -Who comes into this material world has to depart -The importance & rarity of associating with sadhu-sanga, Guru -Sabda-brahma: transcendental vibration; sabda-samanya: material vibration -Gopa-kumara told to Mathura Brahmana the glories of associating with sadhu -Conditioned souls take bath in Ganges like an “elephant bath”, for this regard, sadhu-sanga is the best purification -Two types of eyes which we take darshana of sadhu/guru: prema-caksu, kama-caksu. Eyes of divine love, and eyes of lust -Very extreme fortune will receive the bhakti-lata-bija. Krsna-seva-vasana, desire to serve -By chanting diksha-mantras daily, all anarthas and unwanted things will be removed from your heart, and the tendency to serve Guru and Krsna will manifest -Give up bad association, mundane katha, and criticism -Glories of Jhulana-yatra, swing festival -True meaning of rasa-lila-katha -Realization of Krsna’s sweet lila will come when you enter deeply into tattva-siddhanta, despite it being very difficult -What is the meaning of mellows/rasa? -4 ingredients manifesting in the platform of fixed mood, then rasa comes -49 types of ingredients, that is called relishable -Necessary tattva to read and study by Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami -Life history of Srila Rupa Gosvami & Sanatana dasa Gosvami, and how they left their worldly duties to take shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu -Types of guru-pranama-mantras
-The completion of diksha is at the stage of bhava, when one realizes their spiritual form -Diksha is like a seed of bhakti -Very fortunate living entities receive diksha from a bona fide Guru, and care for the creeper like a gardener -Sravanam & kirtanam nourishes the bhakti-lata up to Goloka Vrindavana -The sadhaka through practice will slowly be able to relish the vraja-parakiya-bhava, paramour mood -The more the sadhaka surrenders, the more the creeper will grow -Complete surrender is at the stage of bhava, when one attains a spiritual body -Analogy of the iron rod being submerged in fire; it takes time for the iron to become hot. This is like the sadhaka performing the limbs of bhakti -Meaning of divya-jnana: actual transcendental knowledge -The more you realize your svarupa, the more seva vritti will grow -Anusthanika, laukika-diksha (formal diksha, creates a purificatory samskara) & paramarthika (spiritual) diksha -Paramarthika-diksha takes place by listening, sravanam
-The completion of diksha is at the stage of bhava, when one realizes their spiritual form -Diksha is like a seed of bhakti -Very fortunate living entities receive diksha from a bona fide Guru, and care for the creeper like a gardener -Sravanam & kirtanam nourishes the bhakti-lata up to Goloka Vrindavana -The sadhaka through practice will slowly be able to relish the vraja-parakiya-bhava, paramour mood -The more the sadhaka surrenders, the more the creeper will grow -Complete surrender is at the stage of bhava, when one attains a spiritual body -Analogy of the iron rod being submerged in fire; it takes time for the iron to become hot. This is like the sadhaka performing the limbs of bhakti -Meaning of divya-jnana: actual transcendental knowledge -The more you realize your svarupa, the more seva vritti will grow -Anusthanika, laukika-diksha (formal diksha, creates a purificatory samskara) & paramarthika (spiritual) diksha -Paramarthika-diksha takes place by listening, sravanam
-The meaning of the words Sridhara and Rakshaka -Yatha yatha gaura-padaravinde sloka discussion -Aradhitam nava-vanam vraja-kananam sloka discussion -Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja had so much love and affection for me and blessed me to perform bhajana and sadhana -Deha-dehi-bhida nasti: Srimati Radhika’s complexion is non-different from Herself -Mahabhava-svarupini Srimati Radhika covers Krishna’s whole body from top to toe with Her body to protect Him from the symptoms of mahabhava, which only She can bear -Caitanya Mahaprabhu is prachhana-avatara (hidden incarnation) of Krishna -Only Mahaprabhu can give vraja-prema in Kali-yuga -Read ‘Golden Volcano of Divine Love’ of Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja as it has same mood as Srila Gurudeva’s and Srila Gour Govinda Gosvami’s books -Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja’s short bio -Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja’s brahmachari name is Ramananda Brahmachari -Srila Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Gosvami Maharaja took sannyasa from Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja -It’s difficult to comprehend the external activities of a Vaishnava -Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja wrote many stava-stutis to his Guru Srila BS Sarasvati Prabhupada -He wrote many granthas in English, Bengali and other languages
-Gopa-kumara arrives at Vaikuntha -Nama gives prema and mantra gives sambandha-jnana -Mantra is sampradana karaka & nama is sambodhana vibhakti -Why diksha-mantras are given after harinama and not before it -As we chant holy names, we clear our memory of unnecessary information -Holy names are sadhana (process) and sadhya (goal) -Lord Vishnu tells of His affection for Gopa-kumara -A true Vrajavasi is one who has the mood of Rupa-Sanatana -God is very happy when we offer Him something and immediately wants to repay us a hundredfold -Gopa-kumara arrives at Dvaraka -Krishna’s big family in Dvaraka -Krishna’s love and affection for Uddhava -3 types of Vrindavana: prakrita, aprakrita and drishyamana -Vrindavana-lila and shvetadvipa-lila always take place in parallel -Gopa-kumara is finally in Vraja
