It is just nonsense if someone rattles off the Names of Krishna without knowing who Krishna really is. Only an avatara can bestow shakti upon a jiva to get immediate realization, i.e. to immediately understand the nature and the mutual relations between God, jiva and maya [sambandha-jnanam] and to repeat His Names without misunderstanding.
There is a simple self test; try to think like this: I, my mind, body, soul, house, husband, children are His property. I am like a trustee appointed by Him and obliged to see that His property is kept well and prospers. – We must stand with both legs in this world of bitter realities and try to make it fragrant with Krishna’s fragrance.
Once Śrīla Bhakti Vedanta Vaman Gosvāmī Mahārāja went for a preaching tour to North-24 Parganas. There was one Brahmachari in the party who wanted to make a close relationship with a household wife by addressing her as boudi (wife of elder brother), which is surely...
So Arjuna, you take advantage of this and boldly declare to the public that My devotee who gives himself wholly unto Me can never come to ruination. Even if he may be seen to be outwardly doing something wrong – he will be saved. His successful life is assured. By this declaration, you will get the benefit of becoming righteous and have the chance of attaining eternal spiritual peace. Whoever can understand this and has the courage to declare that My exclusive devotee is never subject to ruination – he, in turn, gets his chance to come to this path of exclusive devotion, and he will attain eternal peace.”
So we can easily realize from these teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu that by this kind of lila, Braja Rasa-tattva is surely not easily available to all, as is usually claimed by sahajiyas.
Man’s comprehension has access to the idea of different infinite Divine realms only in a successive manner, not simultaneously. In its totality it is inconceivable (acintya). According to the bhakti-shastrams and the lila-bibliography, above all the works of Sanatana, Rupa, Raghunatha and Jiva Gosvami of the Caitanya school, one should think of the infinite realm of eternal being-knowledge-joy (sat-cit-ananda) as a sphere, having no end in any of its dimensions, neither inwards, nor outwards, but with an infinite number of cross sections.
Those who are great personalities who like to save the whole Universe become a target of attack of common people. Tulsi das who was a Ram bhakta was always criticized by someone, but he never felt any reaction inside heart, he used to say that—“Well, I cannot see my own fault, so I can get the chance to rectify myself, if somebody can criticize me.”
A vaishnava on the highest level, a parama-bhakta, can bestow the gift of shaktisancara, can transfer bhakti-shakti, but as long as he is not more than a vaishnava on the middle level, a madhyama-vaishnava, he is not able to bestow shakti-sancara and consequently he cannot offer the maha-mantra, let alone its artha, its import. Otherwise he becomes an aparadhi.
Perhaps this is the reason our parama-gurudeva, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Śrīla Prabhupāda, used to say that bhakti is not preached by language, but by bhakti alone. Although language is essential in communicating matters of the heart, for one whose heart is devoid of bhakti, mere knowledge of language is insufficient to inspire bhakti in the hearts of others. It is only because of the pure bhakti present in the heart that one’s words are infused with divine power. Only then is it possible for bhakti to be transmitted to the hearts of one’s listeners, and only then will the listeners feel inspired to render devotional service.
Sri Guru, the Vaisnavas and Sri Bhagavan – these three are antaryami. In other words, they are the internal witnesses and know our heart. They see the Truth and speak the Truth. They extend their causeless compassion to the conditioned souls of this world in ways that are unnoticed by mortal intelligence and inconceivable to it. Truly nothing in this world can compare to their compassion. Only a soul who possesses sufficient spiritual merit can fathom something of their unsurpassed compassion.
Bhakti Siddhanta Vani –short texts
Gaudiya Gosthi Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvatī Gosvami Ṭhākura Prabhupāda told that—Those exalted, elevated devotees those who trying their best to follow Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu in toto, they become a target of attack of common people.” If we can make a...
Excerpt from the newly-published book A True Servant, A True Master, a collection of letters from Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, 28/3/1977 (Letter 41) If one does not have knowledge of tattva-siddhānta, advancement in bhajana is not...
We are living in the material world where all activities are performed by the material senses. In the spiritual world, there is no conflict of interest and no abomination. All transcendental sentiments are present in the spiritual world in their pure and original...