Blog Description


This blog is for sharing one of the six loving exchanges between vaishnavas - bhajana katha sravanam alapa - sharing and discussing bhajan topics with devotees.

It is also my humble attempt to follow the instruction my gurudeva would give at the end of every class: take these pastimes and instructions into your heart. Therefore in the hopes that it will make some impression in my heart, I am sharing lecture notes, quotes, book excerpts, and other words from the brahma-madhva-gaudiya sampradaya and vaisnava/is around the world.


Friday, July 15, 2011

Krsna runs weeping after the jiva souls



From Jaiva Dharma, chapter 16, Babaji speaking:

"The independent jiva is a beloved servant of Krsna, and thus Krsna is kind and compassionate towards him. Seeing the jiva's misfortune as he misuses his independence and becomes attached to maya, Krsna chases after him, weeping, and He appears in the material world to deliver him. Sri Krsna, the ocean of compassion, His heart melting with mercy for the jivas, manifests His inconceivable pastimes in the material world, considering that His appearance will enable the jiva to see those nectarean pastimes.

"However, the jiva does not understand the truth about Krsna's pastimes, even after being showered by so much mercy. Lord Krsna then descends in Sri Navadvipa in the form of guru. He personally describes the supreme process of chanting His name and glorifying His form, qualities and pastimes. He personally instructs and inspires the jivas to take to this path by practicing it Himself. How can you accuse Krsna of being at fault in any way, when He is so merciful? His mercy is unlimited, but our misfortune is lamentable."



Isn't this just amazing? So much mercy!!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Gurudeva will manifest all truths



om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer my humble pranama unto you and am praying from the core of my heart that, with the torchlight of divine k
nowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance.


This is an excerpt from a conversation between Srila Gurudeva and Tamal Krishna Maharaja, spoken in Mathura in 1991. It is part of a series of conversations, on purebhakti.com. The link to the one below is here: "On Raganuga-bhakti".

Here, Gurudeva speaks on how all truths are manifested from guru by the mercy of Krsna:


Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:


In Bhagavad-Gita (10.10) it is stated:

tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te


["Upon those who perform bhajana to Me with love, yearning for My eternal association, I give them the intelligence by which they can come to Me."]

If a soul surrenders to Krsna and possesses pure greed, if he has a pure heart and sufficient samskaras, the Lord reveals everything in his heart (dadami buddhi-yogam) as caitya-guru. Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita, “I give him the wisdom to achieve my bhakti.” He does not give this openly; He gives it in the heart. He benedicts His devotee with a sphurti (internal vision), inspiring him from within, and personally manifests in his heart all siddhantas. He also gives instructions externally, in the form of the diksa-guru or siksa-guru.

Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: You say he dictates within the heart?

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes. He dictates in the heart. Certainly.

People may see that this devotee has no guru and wonder, “How does he know these things?” Here is the answer. Krsna dictates everything, He manifests Himself, from within, whether or not anyone else sees.

I have sometimes experienced this myself. I feel something within myself – I have not read, nor have I seen or heard a certain fact; yet, sometimes very beautiful things come in my heart. Perhaps you have also had this experience? Certainly you will have had this experience, because one who serves his gurudeva will surely receive these realizations. Even if gurudeva is not present in our sight, still, he will manifest all these truths.



What strikes me in this one, is how Gurudeva explains and knows all of this, and yet he is so humble and says, he has experienced this, as if he is not an associate of Sri Krsna who already knows all this tattva. I love also how merciful Krsna and guru are, to give us jivas this knowledge. And, how sweet, and how *important* to remember, that this is a HEART exchange, it is a heart thing. We cannot get the nectar with our minds, bodies, intelligence - only the heart.

Jai!