Sri Guru Awakens the Soul

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 knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

"The guru comes to awaken what is already in each soul. The soul’s relation with Kṛṣṇa, its name, qualities and all its specialities are already present within. The soul is perfect in itself; its perfection is not brought from outside.

"Unfortunately māyā covers the soul, but when Śrī Guru takes away or removes that māyā, then everything is automatically manifested by the causeless mercy of Śrī Guru. What is already there will come out."

- Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja

Notes from Sri Navadwip Dham parikrama (pilgrimage) 2013

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 knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

Notes from NAVADWIP DHAM parikrama 2013

These are notes from various harikatha in the evening and at places of parikrama (pilgrimage holy places). The speakers are various followers of Srila Gurudeva - Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja.


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Sripad Ashram Maharaja:

Ekadasi = upavasa, to come closer
It was created so that we can come closer to Krsna. Krsna appears as vigraha (deity) but His name is most merciful.

The Name fulfills our desire to serve Gaura Hari. If we chant a fixed number of rounds, and do bhajans describing the glories of this dham, it will inspire us to pray.

Today we went to Krodhamaya Parama Tal. The pastimes of Sri Gaura, Radha and Krsna are always going on here. But us conditioned souls can't see it, due to maya (illusion). Pray to Krodhamaya to get the moods to enter into these pastimes. We have no shelter except vaisnavas and dham. She can help us see these pastimes.

Maya does not like to cloud us and hides behind Krsna.

We can cleanse the heart by chanting.

Sadhu sanga helps us to chant - specifically while doing vaisnava seva. It scrubs the heart. Krsna is not so attracted to milk and bananas, fancy deity worship, big renunciation, grhastha philanthropy but pleased by GURU SEVA. In math or in the house - house, Krsna's family, Krsna's things, all Krsna's. Then powerful chanting and the heart is scrubbed. Nityananda as guru scrubs. But we must also do effort. Chant a fixed number of rounds. If you fall behind, catch up the next day or do ASAP. Gurudeva is our example in this.

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Sripad Srauti Maharaja:

If we do not think, "Who am I doing this for?" Then it is not bhakti.

We must tripe our endeavors. Krsna is not easy to get darsana of. We can't just chant and not endeavor.

We must look in our heart and see how many desires are there. Cut out desires that aren't Krsna. One who wants to be wealthy will calculate and try every day, dream about it, etc. His mind will be saturated with the desire to make money. One who wants knowledge will focus there. Etcetera. So our desire should be focused - how to come closer to the Lord. If not focused, so difficult. If desire for Krsna's darsana is one desire of many, then it will take many lifetimes for us to get his darsana.

Our love for Krsna goes to Radhika. As neophyte there is no need to focus on inclination.

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Sripad Premananda Prabhu:

Gurudeva has said, "Without bhakta seva, nothing happens."

Gaura is giving all. It does not seem like it, but He is. He gives bhakta seva. He teaches us how to be greedy for this.

Question by a devotee: How can all I do be for Krsna's pleasure?

Answer:

Krsna is saying, 'By love, leaves, water - anything you have, give Me and I will be pleased.' Offer tulasi and Ganga water, and He will always be happy.

Go to programs, dham, honor mahaprasad, vaisnavas seva, etc., this pleases Him. Gurudeva and Swami Maharaja are the example, pleasing Krsna and Mahaprabhu by preaching all around the world.

Offer all seriously, with LOVE. Not fake. Have faith in guru and vaisnavas, deity, dham, carnamrta, etc. We think all rubbish? Then, even going parikrama, useless. Foolish. If mood, heart, prayer good, and you feel you are fallen - then God accepts this and is pleased.

God is pleased even by small things, like water. For example, Draupadi with the mystical pot. {story of Durvasa Muni visiting the Pandavas after their meal and Draupadi and the Pandavas had nothing to feed him and his followers} Draupadi cried to Krsna. Krsna was at lunch in Dwarka, and very hungry, but He left and came running. "Draupadi, I am so hungry! Please give me a lot." Draupadi - "Prabhu, this is no joke. You know everything already." She gave Krsna a bit of rice with tulasi and water. Krsna accepted it. The pot was fixed.

Do not worry. No problems. Anything you give with love, God accepts. Gurudeva is doing all. Try to offer all you get to him first. A sevak's duty is to offer all to guru and vaisnavas.

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More soon! =)

Sri Adwaita Acarya

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 knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

Sri Adwaita Acarya

Today is the birthday of Advaita Acarya. He is very powerful, as can be especially understood by the fact that He brought Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to this world. Otherwise, there was no certainty when Caitanya Mahaprabhu would come. Krsna, in the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, wanted to come; but if He would have come by His own sweet will, perhaps He would have done so at the end of Kali-yuga. Advaita Acarya called Him with Tulasi leaves, which are also very powerful. Along with offering Tulasi and Ganges water, Advaita Acarya called to Krsna: “Come at once; otherwise I will manifest My four arms and destroy the entire world.” He then heard an aerial voice: “Please don’t worry. Everything will be managed.” Sripad Madhava Maharaja: Krsna had some fear that Advaita would destroy the world, so He came.
 Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Very soon after that, Krsna appeared in the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu to manifest His pastimes. It is for this reason that Advaita Acarya is called Gaura-ana Thakura, which means: “He who brought Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” He is also called Nada, which means: “He who can shake the throne of Krsna.” Advaita Acarya called, “Please come, Please come,” and Krsna came. Advaita Acarya Prabhu ki jaya! Jaya ho!

- 2001 lecture, Perth, Australia 

Syamarani didi --- Taste, Prabhupada, Sound --- Grass Valley, 06/11/12

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 knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

June 11, 2012
Grass Valley
Syamarani didi

"Srila Prabhupada said 'This chanting comes from the depths of the soul.' Also - 'When godbrothers argue, it should be considered as clouds passing the sky.' Unnoticed; insignificant.

A water bottle gurgles when being filled and is silent after; thus the Mayavadis argue we should be. But, Srila Prabhupada said, 'Are we an inanimate water bottle? No. When we become spiritual, the real talking begins.'

If someone is a thief, he's nervous and hiding. Always anxious. Similarly, we are always anxious, because we are thieves - of Krsna's property. We think we are anxious because of something else, but really this is why.

Gurudeva said, 'To get taste, associate with someone who has taste.'

I have conviction that Srila Gurudeva and Srila Prabhupada walked right out of these paintings - windows to the spiritual world. Jadurani is the great great great grandmother of Krsna, of the Jadu dynasty. Jadu Krsna is opulent Krsna.

If we hear about Krsna's pastimes before having established that He is GOD, then we'll think the pastimes are imaginary or that they're just magnifestations of impersonal God.

The books are not the books. They are Krsna. They are the people who wrote/spoke the books. 

On falling from the brahmajyoti - Prabhupada said, "How can you fall from a place that is already fallen?"

We get frustrated in our relationships today because 1) we're not this body, made of pus, stool, blood, etc. hard to be attracted to 2) We are meant to have a relationship with Krsna.

I met Prabhupada and Gurudeva by his books, etc. Gurudeva said all of his books are supplementary and complementary to Srila Prabhupada's books. After he leaves, he said people will appreciate his books.

The material world is the shadow energy of Radha. Sound establishes our relationship with this world. Transcendental sound dissolves it."

Syamarani didi --- Siksastakam, reality --- Santa Cruz, 06/07/12

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 knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

 

June 7, 2012

Santa Cruz

Syamarani didi

 

"Hope against hope, even though there's no hope.

Take responsibility for what you're going through. 'O Krsna, you are my only friend.'

Krsna is in every atom. So is Radha. So is Gurudeva! He is in atoms, in pastimes, in all gayatri mantras and in his instructions, and he is present in others - comes through others.

He teaches us how to pray in the book Gauravani.

Thinking we're a general servant of Krsna is not enough to get us out of misery. Go for a specific identity as servant; manjaris of Radhika with specific services.

Syamasundara sikhanda sekhara is a prayer to the manjaris.

We are amnesiacs in an insane asylum. This is the medicine to get out. 

Sometimes Radhika forgets that She's met Krsna before. Sometimes when She gives Him a sidelong glance, He faints. This is how much She controls Him. We are actually Her maid servants. She thinks of Her manjaris as like Herself. This is our intimate relationship with Her. All these other things - "Oh, I have a headache, I'm cold," etc., - are insanity.

As we hear and picture Krsna, this is with material vision, but this is part of the process. We have high moods in us, they're just sleeping. When we sleep we dream crazy things. Our material stuff is all a dream.

The affection of this world is all a dream. I once said, what about godbrothers? Gurudeva said, can two jivas marry each other? [implied no.] Then I asked, what about two godbrothers? Gurudeva said, do you know [name]? Do you know [name]? [No. They are not this body.] This is the only way to go. This is reality.

What is the rasa of my constitutional form? That is the question. There is no other concern. Don't think you're the sweater.

Go through the spiritual motions - this is our CPR, our artificial breathing until we can actually breathe. When we practice, the mercy descends. 

We can keep our priorities straight and keep long term happiness over short term happiness by reading of the reality, chanting, hearing, honoring prasadam, praying, etc. PRACTICE."

O Nitai! Nitai! Nitai! His mercy...

emana nirghrna more keba krpa kare
eka nityananda vinu jagat bhitare

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Ädi-lila 5.205–207)

“I am more sinful than Jagai and Madhai and even
lower than worms in stool. Anyone who hears my
name loses the results of his pious activities. Anyone
who utters my name becomes sinful. Who in this
world but Nityananda could show His mercy to such
an abominable person as me?”

as found in: The Rays of the Harmonist, no. 18, Kartik 2008

Syamarani didi --- Siksastakam, chanting --- Santa Cruz, June 6, 2012

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 knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

Syamarani didi
June 6, 2012
Santa Cruz

"Have a mood of appeal, grief-stricken appeal, when saying these prayers. We can make advancement like this every day. Gurudeva said, if we're not advancing, it is because of offenses. But that's not the end. We can pray even more because of it. And only Gurudeva can give us the mood of grief-stricken appeal. So even more reason to pray!

"ayi nanda tanuja...these phrases reveal how we can solve all problems. We must see leaving Krsna as the cause of all miseries. We think we are in control due to wicked hopes and misplaced anxieties. Instead we should only have anxiety for - 'I am not seeing Radha and Krsna.' Karma is the desire to enjoy the fruits of our actions. It is like trying to grab onto one straw while drowning.

"Force the mind to think positive affirmations - 'Please forgive my faults, because I am without shelter,' not, 'Gurudeva can't save me,' that's down the drain.

"Each phrase and word we say opens up a new world. We pray to be the manjaris, who can see Radha and Krsna in early morning, etc. Can untangle their hair, etc. Sakhis cannot do this.

"The tongue is the most dangerous of all the senses. Unless we control it, we can't chant. Why do we chant? To obtain the service of the lotus feet of Sri Radha. This is why we serve Krsna, pray to him, etc. Everything leads back to serving Sri Radha.

"By keeping the goal in mind, we can obtain it.

"Trying to control the mind is like trying to stop a tornado. But by constancy, practice and detachment, we can."