30 May 2023 morning – Obstacles to Bhajana (English) – Manheim, Germany | Srila BV Vana Maharaja

  • Two types of ruchi: vastu-vaisista-apekshana and vastu-vaisista-anapekshana.
  • Taste of Shukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit Maharaja for hari-katha.
  • Five obstacles to doing bhajana: laya (sleep); vikshepa (distraction); apratipatti (inability to concentrate on ishtadeva); kashaya (tendency to bad habits, bad impressions from past lives); rasasvada (taste for material enjoyment).
  • Gopinath Mama Nivedana Shuno bhajana.
  • Yaḥ kaumāra hara sa eva hi vara – worldly poetry recited by Mahaprabhu and other shlokas recited by Him.
  • Conditions for bhakti: desha (place), kala (time), patra (audience).
    -If your brain does not work to memorise slokas, just chant the holy names in a solitary place.
  • Chanting the holy names in front of Tulasi is very powerful.
  • 8 types of tulasi-seva.
  • Memories of the early days in Devananda Gaudiya Matha.
  • Harmonium was not allowed in Devananda Gaudiya Matha. Only mridangas and karatalas were allowed.
  • The mridanga is the body of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (the lila of Nrisimhadeva Bhagavan who attacked Chand Kazi for breaking the mridanga).