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Upadeshamrita of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhant Saraswati Gosvami Thakur Prabhupada
Question 1—Is kīrtana the best limb of devotional service? Answer—Among all the limbs of devotional service (bhakti), kṛṣṇasaṅkīrtana is the most prominent and essential limb. One receives the qualification to advance in the life of paramārtha (devotional service)...
Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā
By stealing Hari-kathā ,true Hari-kathā can never be spoken —Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvami Ṭhākura Prabhupāda (Hari-kathā at Bāguḍā) One cannot steal from the house of bhāva (divine sentiment) and expect to speak the transcendental narrations of the...
Scriptural quotes to prove that it is sahajiyaism to approach Rādhā Kṛṣṇa and Harinama directly without constantly remembering Gaur–Nitai first
Is shajiyaism harmful for normal devotees? (1) Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in Prema Pradipa Tenth Ray: ei rupa sabhaa ami taha vyakti karile anadhikarir pakse visesa amangala haite pare / ucchisthita satya-samuha ucchapadasta na haile labhya hay na / yemata...
Raga-katha is high, but in our small mouth it doesn’t look nice
In the following letters, appearing in the book Prabhupader Patravali, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Ṭhākura Prabhupāda clearly defines the qualification of raganuga bhakti.
Bhāi Sahajiyā (Part Two)
The second part of Bhāi Sahajiyā was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī Vol. 20, issue 1. In this section, Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura continues to point out the defects of various sahajiyā groups. While some of his points are generic criticisms, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura is primarily aiming his criticism at one of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s wayward disciples, Śrī Sītānātha Bhakti-Tīrtha of the Prapannāśrama in Sāuḍī, Bengal.
Bhāi Sahajiyā (Part One)
This is the first part of a famous two-part article ‘Bhāi Sahajiyā’ written by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda which was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 19, Issue 11 in 1917. The article addresses the general sahajiyā community and their various kinds of deviancy, but Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes it in the form of a letter to an individual whom he calls ‘bhāi sahajiyā’ (‘brother sahajiyā’). Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s exposé of the peddlers of so-called ‘rasa’ is filled with scathing sarcasm and acts as a warning against cheap spiritual pursuits.
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura at the Bhajana Kuṭīra of Śrīla Jagannātha Dāsa Bābāji
Should one constantly chant or just do service? This eternal question on the lips of every sādhaka is answered by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda in this instructive pastime concerning some errant disciples of Jagannātha Dāsa Bābāji and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. This article is extracted from the hari-kathā of Sarasvatī Ṭhākura originally spoken at Śrī Caitanya Maṭha on the evening of December 21st, 1927.
Scientific Understanding of Ekādaśi
Fasting is called upavāsa. Upa means samipe [‘near’], to always remain [vāsa] by the side of Kṛṣṇa and supply whatever He wants. In doing so, servitors forget to take food and other things for themselves. They want to be more busily engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, because at this time of need, they will fetch more remuneration, more affinity for Kṛṣṇa, more grace. So, upavāsa [‘fasting’] means samipe vāsa [‘staying near’]. And, secondarily, by fasting, we can make our body dry so that our enjoying spirit will be lessened. These are the two general explanations of Ekādaśi.
Vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir…
This article ‘Vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir’ was originally written by an unknown author under the editorship of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda and first published in the 8th volume of Dainika Nadīyā Prakāśa on 29th October 1933 under the title, ‘Rasa Yātrā.’ The article explains the dangers of hearing higher topics for the conditioned jīvas and how Śukadeva Gosvāmī has himself warned about this.
Saṁbhoga and Vipralambha
Within this manifest līlā of vipralambha, He veiled the dark-hued (śyāma-varṇa) form of His union-imbued (saṁbhoga-mayī) Krishna-mūrti with the golden radiance (campakābha) of Rādhikā. Thus, to the initial perception of the saṁbhoga-oriented observer, this “sannyāsī”-like Krishna appears as the embodiment of renounced enjoyment—a paradigm of relinquished union.