If one seeks wealth and performs charity on this tithi [with this motivation], one will never experience any deficiency of wealth in his whole life. His wealth will become inexhaustible; but it does not mean he will attain Vaikuṇṭha. With respect to the example above, the term ‘akṣaya’ implies that such an individual will never experience any deficit of wealth in this life.
Although a praṇayi-bhakta may be present before us, and though we may personally witness his conduct, we will be unable to recognize him until we become completely sincere and surrender ourselves to his will. Without sincerity and surrender, we will not realize that his activities are those of a mahā-bhāgavata, and not of an ordinary devotee.
(By Sri Srimad Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaja) While a bona fide guru protects the sentiments of his bona fide disciple and even glorifies him at times, he also chastises him according to the dictates of necessity. The disciple who yearns only to receive...
By Srila Bhakti Vijnana Baharti Gosvami Maharaja Śrīla Mahārāja used to mention, “Prior to performing every significant activity, Guru Mahārāja would first call upon different devotees in private to seek their opinions and only later reveal his personal verdict on the...
Mercy is the result of service Many people come to me and request, “Mahārāja-jī, please bestow your mercy and extend your blessings to us, so that we may attain śuddha-bhakti (pure devotional service) and ultimately attain prema for Śrī Bhagavān.” But truly speaking,...
(Excerpt from the book Visuddha Caitanya Vani, by Sri Srimad Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaja ) The beggar’s fortune There was once a beggar who was unable to eat properly, even after a full day of collecting alms. One day while walking alone through the...
By Srimad Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaja The topmost manifestation of bhakti – the ultimate fruit of sādhana-bhakti - is prema-bhakti. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described the symptoms of the various stages of bhakti in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.17): kleśa-ghnī...
Prerequisites for the Sincere Observance of Bhāgavata-dharma by Sri Srimad Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaja In the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,Śrīla Vedavyāsa has stated: dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁvedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu...
By Srila Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaj Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say, “Never in my life have I once accepted anything from anyone belonging to this material world. As a servant of śrī guru, Vaiṣṇavas and Bhagavān, I have openly distributed what belonged to me...
By Srila Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaj Ordinarily, the term jīva-hiṁsā is understood by people to mean ‘a physical or emotional act of violence against living entities, including oneself.’ If a person commits suicide, it is said that person has committed...
(By Srila Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaja, Caitanya Vani Vol 1) Ordinarily, the term jīva-hiṁsā is understood by people to mean ‘a physical or emotional act of violence against living entities, including oneself.’ If a person commits suicide, it is said that...
The words of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, the very embodiment of Śrī Gaurāṅga-deva’s mercy potency (śrī-gaura-karuṇā-śakti-vigraha), were the very life and soul of my most worshipful gurupāda-padma, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Throughout his life, he deeply imbibed the principles of Śrīla Prabhupāda and perfectly followed his conduct, without the slightest deviation. This book is a collection of my personal experiences with Guru Mahārāja, as well as my personal views on the lessons to be learned from those experiences.
“It is quite evident from Guru Mahārāja’s many letters
that a person who is unable or unwilling to conduct his life
according to the rules of the maṭha must not be granted residence there. And regarding the authorities of the maṭha, it should be known that meting out chastisement befits others only when the admonisher knows how to be affectionate.”
As śrī caitanya-vāṇī enters my ears, it cleanses my heart, where it then seats itself. By completely dispelling all the accumulated
filth in my heart, it has provided me with the
opportunity to escape the blazing forest fire of material existence