01 Oct 2025 midday – Upadeshamrita, Verses 1-7 (English) | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

– Upadeshamrita gives direct orders on how to follow the rules and regulations of the shastras.
– Verse: śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañcarātra-vidhiṃ…(Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.101).
– You should chant the same number of rounds of maha-mantra every day.
– Verse: saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau…(Shad-gosvami-ashtaka 6).
– You can speak about Hari as much as you like, but please limit your other conversations.
– Sita-devi and Draupadi did not control their speech, which had negative consequences.
– The mind is like a king, controlling the senses. Therefore, it is very important to control the mind.
– Verse: vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ…(Upadeshamrita 1).
– Verse: atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ… (Upadeshamrita 2).
– Atyahara (overeating and collecting too much): prajalpa (mundane talk), niyamagraha (practising scriptural rules and regulations for the sake of following them rather than for spiritual advancement, or rejecting scriptural rules and working independently or whimsically), jana-sanga (associating with worldly people), laulyam (material greed).
– Verse: utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt…(Upadeshamrita 3).
– Gurudeva used to say: ‘Don’t be a dying horse.’ ‘You should always be enthusiastic about bhakti.’
– Song: Bhajane Utsaha Bhaktite Vishvasa.
– Song: Ke Jabi Ke Jabi Bhai.
– It was Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who brought you to Krishna consciousness, not you yourself. Always glorify Sacinandana Gaurahari and His causeless mercy.
– Verses: bhakta-pada-dhūli āra bhakta-pada-jala…(CC Antya 16.60-63).
– The story of a king who did not honour the water used to bathe the feet of a sadhu.
– Verse: mahā-prasāde govinde…(Skanda Purana).
– The Gopis do not herd the cows with Krishna, but their minds are always with Him: calasi yad vrajāc cārayan paśūn…(SB 10.31.11).
– Even if you travel far to attend a program, if you do not listen to hari-katha, you will gain some sukriti. However, if you listen to hari-katha, you will receive its benefits and prema-bhakti will enter your heart.
– Some people go to Vrindavana just to see their boyfriend or girlfriend. Pagals!
– The story of Pareshananda Brahmachari, to whom a ghost requested the foot-washing water of Srila BV Vamana Gosvami Maharaja.
– How to behave with kanishtha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari: kṛṣṇeti yasya giri taṁ manasādriyeta… (Upadehsamrita 5).
– Verse: dṛṣṭaiḥ svabhāva-janitair vapuṣaś ca doṣair…(Upadeshamrita 6).
– Ashtavakra’s curses of a damsel and Aghasura (in brief).
– Just as the Ganges is always pure, even when its waters are foamy, so a sadhu is always pure, even when he speaks with harsh words. He says them only to chastise someone for their own good.
– Verse: syāt kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sitāpy avidyā…(Upadeshamrita 7).
– If you don’t like chanting, you should keep doing it even though you don’t enjoy it. Song: Tomare Bhuliya.