The Bible reveals that God created man in His image and His likeness. This human body enables us to perform devotional service. We must have an inquisitive attitude and humor, just as scientists do. It is not possible to conquer death and become immortal; thus, we go through a cycle of birth and death. We are not the body; we are the soul, and it is the soul that makes this body function. Everything that exists has an intrinsic nature; in the case of the soul, its nature is to serve the Lord...
Atma-tattva
11 Dec 2024 evening – Bhagavad-tattva (English) | Bronx, USA | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
Today is Giya Jayanti and Mokshada Ekadashi.
Different chapters of Bhagavad-gita are about different types of yoga.
Atma-tattva from Bhagavad-gita.
Anu-chaitanya (jiva) and brihad-chaitanya (God).
Three aspects of the Lord.
Sloka: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam… (SB 1.2.11).
6 opulences of Bhagavan.
Everyone is enchanted with Krishna’s beauty, His glance, His garments, His flute.
Absorption and greed of the gopis.
Lila: the new bride took darshana of Krishna and went mad.
20 Dec 2023 evening – Serve Guru Without Duplicity (Hindi) – Delhi, India | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
– A house without hari-katha is a snake hole and a house with hari-katha is Goloka Vrindavana. – Types of brahmacharis. – Govinda resides in the hearts of His devotees. – Virochana on atma-tattva. – Who is happy in this world? – Hiranyagarbha Brahma and Vairaja Brahma. – Guru’s mercy will come to the one who serves his guru without duplicity and hypocrisy. Examples of the animals. – Vapu-seva and vani-seva. Preaching on the internet. – Never...
20 Dec 2023 evening – Serve Guru Without Duplicity (English translation) – Delhi, India | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
– A house without hari-katha is a snake hole and a house with hari-katha is Goloka Vrindavana. – Types of brahmacharis. – Govinda resides in the hearts of His devotees. – Virochana on atma-tattva. – Who is happy in this world? – Hiranyagarbha Brahma and Vairaja Brahma. – Guru’s mercy will come to the one who serves his guru without duplicity and hypocrisy. Examples of the animals. – Vapu-seva and vani-seva. Preaching on the internet. – Never...
20 Jun 2023 evening – Gopis and Krishna in Kurukshetra (English) – Sao Paulo, Brazil | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
PART 1 3 kinds of Krishna’s lilas and 3 kinds of dhamas. There is no love in this material world. How to pay off all debts (BG 18.66). The lilas of baby Krishna. Gopis blame Krishna in Kurukshetra. Gopis will give up everything, but not Krishna. Ishvara, prakriti, kala, jiva and karma. Krishna persuades the gopis to meditate on Him, and the gopis are very angry about it. The pink colour of Holi symbolises anuraga, deep attachment. Atma-tattva. What Vrindavana looks like in separation from...
13 Jun 2023 midday – Atma-tattva (English) – Bahia, Brazil | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
Punya, done over many lifetimes, gives you the opportunity to host a sadhu in your home.
You do not come to a sadhu on your own; you are inspired by Paramatma, who acts on your good fortune and the punya-karma you have accumulated over many lives.
SB 11.14.20.
9 limbs of bhakti.
On body and soul.
Inevitable ageing of the body.
The soul changes bodies like a man changes clothes.
Lila on how Indra got the body of a pig.
We are all servants of Krishna.
Instructions on Ekadashi.Caraíva, Bahia/Brazil
12 Jun 2023 evening – Atma-tattva (English) – Brazil | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
We are all eternal servants of Krsna. Verse: jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’ kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā-śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’. “All living entities are My integral parts, souls are eternal and transcendental” (Sri Krsna tells Arjuna, in Bhagavad Gita). The soul is invisible to material eyes. By Krsna’s mercy, through the practice of sadhana and bhajana, one can see the form of the soul. The body is the house, and the...
29 May 2023 morning darshana – The Internal and External Symptoms of Bhava (English) – Wald-Michelbach, Germany | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
Vedavati left the body with her mystical powers after Ravana touched her. Vedavati returned in rama-lila as Sita-devi (Chaya-Sita, described in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana). Whenever Bhagavan appears, He comes with His parikaras (associates). Vrinda-devi is always serving the Divine Couple to arrange Their meetings, especially at nishanta-lila (the end of the night). Song of the mangala arati: “mangala nishanta-lila mangala udaye”. Bilvamangala Thakura is the perfect sadhaka, that...