Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila Chapter 01 Purports - The Spiritual Masters
Pages in category "Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila Chapter 01 Purports - The Spiritual Masters"
The following 378 pages are in this category, out of 378 total.
A
- A bona fide acarya is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead, and therefore to envy such an acarya is to envy the Personality of Godhead Himself. This will produce an effect subversive of transcendental realization
- A devotee already attracted by the name, form, qualities, etc., of the Supreme Lord may be directed to his specific manner of devotional service; he need not waste time in approaching the Lord through logic
- A devotee must have only one initiating spiritual master because in the scriptures acceptance of more than one is always forbidden. There is no limit, however, to the number of instructing spiritual masters one may accept
- A disciple should always respect the spiritual master as a manifestation of Sri Krsna, but at the same time one should always remember that a spiritual master is never authorized to imitate the transcendental pastimes of the Lord
- A living entity in the conditioned stage can uncover his aptitude for serving the Absolute Truth by the grace of Krsna and the spiritual master
- A living entity perpetually struggles hard to rid himself of the pangs of material existence, but the path of fruitive work leads him to either temporary happiness or temporary distress in material existence
- A materially happy person is in need of the eternal relief that mundane religiosity in terms of fruitive work can never award
- A person born a sudra is not barred from such spiritual initiation, provided he is approved by the spiritual master, who is duly authorized to award a disciple the right to be a brahmana if he finds him perfectly qualified
- A spiritual master always represents himself as the humblest servitor of the Personality of Godhead, but the disciple must look upon him as the manifested representation of Godhead
- According to the Bhagavata school, this path of religiosity is also a method of cheating its followers
- According to this original and genuine commentation on the Vedanta-sutra - the Srimad-Bhagavatam, there are numerous pretentious faiths that pass as religion but neglect the real essence of religion
- Actually the living entities are not illusory, for they are parts of the superior energy of the Supreme Lord and do not have to be covered by maya if they do not want to be so
- After the appearance of these two brothers (Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda), people’s hearts are becoming cleansed, and they are again becoming situated in the real position of Krsna consciousness
- Aham has a specific meaning; it is not a vague term that can be whimsically interpreted. Aham, when spoken by Krsna, refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and nothing else
- Aham means - I; therefore the speaker who is saying aham, - I, must have His own personality
- All mundane relationships are sure to be broken in the course of time, but once one establishes a relationship with the Personality of Godhead in a particular rasa, it is never to be broken, even after the annihilation of the material world
- All pretentious religiosity based on gross or subtle sense gratification is completely rejected in the process of bhagavata-dharma, or the transcendental religion that is the eternal function of the living being
- Although others give help in showing the way to beginners, the guru who first initiates one with the maha-mantra is to be known as the initiator
- Although the sky exists in space, it also enters within the body. Similarly, the Supreme Lord, who is the cause of the material energy, lives within the material world as well as beyond it
- Among the (personal) associates, some are attracted by the opulences of the Personality of Godhead, and others are attracted by nuptial love of Godhead
- Among the four Vaisnava acaryas, who are all accepted by the Gaudiya Vaisnavas Sri Visnu Svami appeared at Pandya, and Sri Nimbarka appeared at Mungera-patana, in the extreme south
- Among the four Vaisnava acaryas, who are all accepted by the Gaudiya Vaisnavas, Sri Ramanuja Acarya appeared in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh at Mahabhutapuri, Sri Madhva Acarya appeared at Pajakam (near Vimanagiri) in the district of Mangalore
- An empiric philosopher in search of spiritual knowledge may endeavor most laboriously for many, many births in mental speculation, but it is not possible for him to know that everything emanates from the Personality of Godhead Vasudeva
- Any material construction is nothing but an amalgamation or combination of material elements in varied proportions. These elements exist both within and beyond the body
- Any process of religiosity based on sense gratification, gross or subtle, must be considered a pretentious religion because it is unable to give perpetual protection to its followers
- Any so-called religious process that interferes with the unadulterated spiritual position of the living being must be considered a pretentious process of religiosity
- Anyone who, because of his background of pious activities in previous lives, is anxious to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam immediately realizes the presence of the Supreme Lord within his heart and fulfills the mission of his life
- As a result of this misunderstanding (between Durvasa Muni and Maharaja Ambarisa), Durvasa Muni tried to kill the king, when the Sudarsana cakra, the celebrated weapon of Godhead, appeared on the scene for the devoted king’s protection
- As darkness is situated far away from the sun, so the material world is also far away from the spiritual world
- As far as the mystic powers of the yogis are concerned, they are also material entanglements on the path of spiritual realization
- As one advances in devotional activities, the process becomes progressively clearer and more encouraging. Unless one gets this spiritual encouragement by following the instructions of the spiritual master, it is not possible to make advancement
- As one associates with devotees and tries to adopt the means instructed by the spiritual master in his own life, his misgivings and other obstacles are vanquished by his execution of devotional service
- As there are five provinces in Aryavarta, so Daksinatya, southern India, is also divided into five provinces, which are called Panca-dravida
B
- Because of his development of transcendental attachment for the Supreme Lord, a surrendered soul feels the presence of his beloved everywhere, and all his senses are engaged in the loving service of the Lord
- Because of the empiric philosopher's unclean state of mind he glides down again into material existence, even after having ascended to the highest stage of liberation. This falldown takes place due to his want of a locus standi in the service of the SL
- Before the creation and after its dissolution, only the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His associates exist; there is no existence of the material elements. This is confirmed in the Vedic literature
- Before the creation there was neither cause nor effect, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead existed with His full opulence and energy
- Before Their (Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda's) appearance, all these superfluous activities of the living entities were covering Krsna consciousness
- Bengal is sometimes called Gaudadesa, partly because it forms a portion of Maithila and partly because the capital of the Hindu king Raja Laksmana Sena was known as Gauda. This old capital later came to be known as Gaudapura and gradually Mayapur
- Besides the temples of Radha-Madana-mohana, Radha-Govindadeva and Radha-Gopinathaji, many other temples have been established in Vrndavana, such as the temple of Gokulananda of Lokanatha Gosvami, and the temple of Radha-ramana of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami
- Besides the temples of these 3 Deities (Radha-Madana-mohana, Radha-Govinda and Radha-Gopinatha), many other temples have been established in Vrndavana, such as the temple of Radha-Damodara of Jiva Gosvami, the temple of Syamasundara of Syamananda Gosvami
- Bhagavata-dharma, or the religious principle described in SB, of which the Bhagavad-gita is a preliminary study, is meant for liberated persons of the highest order, who attribute very little value to the sense gratification of pretentious religiosity
- Bilvamangala Thakura actually entered into the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krsna. He has recorded his transcendental experiences and appreciation in the book known as Krsna-karnamrta
- Bilvamangala Thakura intensely desired to enter into the eternal pastimes of the Lord, and he lived at Vrndavana for seven hundred years in the vicinity of Brahma-kunda, a still-existing bathing tank in Vrndavana
- By accepting the six Gosvamis as his instructing spiritual masters, the author specifically makes it clear that one should not be recognized as a Gaudiya Vaisnava if he is not obedient to them
- By associating with devotees of Lord Krsna, one develops a sense of Krsna consciousness and thus becomes inclined toward the loving service of the Lord. This is the process of approaching the Supreme Lord by gradual appreciation in devotional service
- By contact with material nature the living entities exhibit varied symptoms of the disease of material consciousness. To cure this material disease is the supreme object of human life
- By pious fruitive work one is placed in a position where he can temporarily feel material happiness, whereas vicious activities lead him to a distressful position of material want and scarcity
- By their association, sinful persons are freed from sinful reactions, and therefore wherever a pure devotee goes is a sacred place of pilgrimage. The importance of holy places is due to the presence there of such pure devotees
- By this test (seeing if he is always engaged in unalloyed devotional service) he is known to be a direct manifestation of the Lord and a genuine representative of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Such a spiritual master is known as acaryadeva
D
- Discovering the mystery of the Lord eliminates the impersonal feature realized by common spiritualists who are merely trying to enter the spiritual region from the mundane platform
- During the creation the Lord also exists as He is in the Vaikunthas, and He also exists as the Supersoul within the material universes. This is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita - BS 5.38
- During the rasa dance He (Krsna) expanded Himself in identical prakasa forms to dance beside each and every gopi simultaneously
E
- Even if one is put into the most perfect situation of material happiness, he cannot in that way become free from the pangs of birth, death, old age and disease
- Even though one may be unable to travel on the field of Vrndavana due to forgetfulness of his relationship with the SP of Godhead, he can get an adequate opportunity to stay in Vrndavana and derive all spiritual benefits by the mercy of Sanatana Gosvami
- Every living entity is essentially a servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the spiritual master is also His servant
- Every living entity is eternally a servant of Sri Krsna Caitanya; therefore the spiritual master cannot be other than a servant of Lord Caitanya
- Exchanges of thoughts in regard to Krsna give pleasure to the Lord, who therefore favors such devotees with all enlightenment
F
- False spiritual masters pose themselves as identical with Sri Krsna in every respect to exploit the sentiments of their disciples, but such impersonalists can only mislead their disciples
- Following in the footsteps of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and Srila Jiva Gosvami, later acaryas like Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura have confirmed the same truths - the bona fide spiritual master is simultaneously one with and different from God
- For a neophyte devotee there are two kinds of persons whose association is undesirable: (1) gross materialists who constantly engage in sense gratification
- For a neophyte devotee there are two kinds of persons whose association is undesirable: (2) unbelievers who do not serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead but serve their senses and their mental whims in terms of their speculative habits
- From the Brahman energy the creation appears, just as a cloud appears in sunshine. From the cloud comes rain, from the rain comes vegetation, and from the vegetation come fruits and flowers, which are the basis of subsistence for many other forms of life
- From this (CC Adi 1.56) and the preceding three verses of the Caitanya-caritamrta, which have been selected from Srimad-Bhagavatam, the missionary activities of Lord Caitanya can be understood
- From within He (Krsna) teaches as Paramatma, our constant companion, and from without He teaches from the Bhagavad-gita as the instructing spiritual master
G
- Gaudiya indicates the part of India between the southern side of the Himalayan Mountains and the northern part of the Vindhya Hills, which is called Aryavarta, or the Land of the Aryans
- Gaudiya Vaisnavas perceive the ultimate objective in Vedic hymns composed of eighteen transcendental letters that adore Krsna as Madana-mohana, Govinda and Gopijana-vallabha
- Gaudiya Vaisnavas worship Srila Gurudeva (the spiritual master) in the light of his being the servitor of the Personality of Godhead
- Generally a spiritual master who constantly instructs a disciple in spiritual science becomes his initiating spiritual master later on
- Goloka eva nivasati: although He is perfectly and eternally present in Goloka Vrndavana in Vaikuntha, He is nevertheless all-pervading (akhilatma-bhutah). The all-pervading feature of the Lord is called the Supersoul
- Govinda is the reservoir of all pleasures. When by the grace of Krsna and the devotees one reaches perfection in devotional service, he can appreciate Krsna as Gopijana-vallabha, the pleasure Deity of the damsels of Vraja
- Gurun is plural in number because anyone who gives spiritual instructions based on the revealed scriptures is accepted as a spiritual master
H
- He (Bilvamangala Thakura) entrusted the service of his Deity to Hari Brahmacari, a disciple of Vallabha Bhatta
- He (one German scholar who became a devotee) came to India not to learn the methods of the yogis’ mystic powers but to learn the path of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord, as mentioned in the great scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam
- He (the acarya) is the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead. It is worthwhile to take shelter of such a steady devotee, who is called asraya-vigraha, or the manifestation or form of the Lord of whom one must take shelter
- He explicitly mentions Bhagavan (in the beginning of Krsna-karnamrta), who has peacock feathers on His crown, because the Lord of Vrndavana, Krsna the cowherd boy, used to come to Bilvamangala to talk with him and supply him with milk
- Hearing, chanting, remembering, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, worshiping, praying, assisting, fraternizing with the Lord, and sacrificing everything for Him are different parts of the same devotional service, which is full of transcendental mystery
- Here (in CC Adi 1.56) the words anvaya-vyatirekabhyam suggest that one must learn the process of devotional service in its two aspects: one must directly execute the process of devotional service & indirectly avoid the impediments to progress
- His (Krsna's) uncommon activities like lifting Govardhana Hill, marrying more than sixteen thousand queens at Dvaraka these and innumerable other uncommon acts and attributes are all mysteries
- His (the empiric philosopher's) attachment to the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord makes him unfit to rise to that transcendental stage of vasudeva understanding
- His (the surrendered soul's) eyes are engaged in seeing the beautiful couple Sri Radha and Krsna sitting on a decorated throne beneath a desire tree in the transcendental land of Vrndavana
- His nose (of the surrendered soul) is engaged in smelling the spiritual aroma of the lotus feet of the Lord (Krsna). Similarly, his ears are engaged in hearing messages from Vaikuntha, and his hands embrace the lotus feet of the Lord and His associates
- His qualities, as the responsive PG to pure devotees and as impersonal Brahman to dry speculators - these & innumerable other uncommon acts & attributes are all mysteries, one aspect of which is presented in the scientific knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita
I
- If one becomes a sincere devotee and seriously engages in devotional service, Lord Krsna sends an instructing spiritual master to show him favor and invoke his dormant propensity for serving the Supreme
- If one desires unalloyed devotional service, one must associate with devotees of Sri Krsna, for by such association only can a conditioned soul achieve a taste for transcendental love
- If one develops love for Krsna by Krsna conscious activities, one can know the Supreme Absolute Truth, but he who tries to understand God simply by logical arguments will not succeed, nor will he get a taste for unalloyed devotion
- If one foolishly discriminates between them (the Supreme Lord, the initiating spiritual master and the instructing spiritual master), he commits an offense in the discharge of devotional service
- If one poses himself as an acarya but does not have an attitude of servitorship to the Lord, he must be considered an offender, and this offensive attitude disqualifies him from being an acarya
- If one thinks of a king, he automatically thinks of his secretaries, ministers, military commanders, palaces and so on. Since a king has such opulences, one can simply try to imagine the opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- If one thinks that he is above consulting anyone else, including a spiritual master, he is at once an offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Such an offender can never go back to Godhead
- Impersonalists can only mislead their disciples, for their ultimate aim is to become one with the Lord. This is against the principles of the devotional cult
- Impersonalists who depend upon the strength of their poor fund of knowledge and morbid speculative habits cannot penetrate to the mysterious region of transcendence where the Supreme Truth is a transcendental person
- In a list of temples and monasteries kept in Sankaracarya's monastery in Dvaraka, Bilvamangala is mentioned as the founder of the Dvarakadhisa temple there
- In a sense, there is nothing but Sri Krsna, and yet nothing is Sri Krsna save and except His primeval personality. This knowledge constitutes a complete transcendental science, and Visnu wanted to give Brahmaji full knowledge about that science
- In all the ancient literatures of devotional service the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu
- In his (Bilvamangala Thakura's) adoration of Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, he states that Jayasri, the goddess of fortune, Srimati Radharani, takes shelter in the shade of His lotus feet to enjoy the transcendental rasa of nuptial love
- In his Bhakti-sandarbha (213), it is clearly explained that a pure devotee’s observation of the spiritual master and Siva as being one with the Personality of God exists in terms of their being very dear to Him, not identical with Him in all respects
- In his prayers to the spiritual master, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura confirms that all the revealed scriptures accept the spiritual master to be identical with the Personality of Godhead because he is a very dear & confidential servant of the Lord
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam, a distinction between real religion and pretentious religion has been clearly made
- In the beginning of our spiritual life we must worship Madana-mohana so that He may attract us and nullify our attachment for material sense gratification. This relationship with Madana-mohana is necessary for neophyte devotees
- In the beginning of that book (Krsna Karnamrta) he (Bilvamangala Thakura) has offered his obeisances to his different gurus, and it is to be noted that he has adored them all equally
- In the Bhagavad-gita (BG 10.8) the Lord says, aham sarvasya prabhavah - I am the fountainhead of all emanations - The material cosmos, being temporary, is sometimes manifest and sometimes unmanifest, but its energy emanates from the Supreme Absolute Lord
- In the Bhagavad-gita (BG 15.6) it is said, yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama - The abode from which no one returns to this material world is the supreme abode of the Lord
- In the Bhagavad-gita (BG 9.10) it is said, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: the material nature is working and producing moving and nonmoving beings only by the supervision of Krsna
- In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly defined that the most elevated and powerful mystic yogi is one who can constantly think of the Supreme Lord within his heart and engage in the loving service of the Lord
- In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, aham krtsnasya jagatah prabhavah: the cosmic manifestation is a display of the energy of the Supreme Lord
- In the Brahma-samhita it is said, tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam: the Brahman effulgence expands unlimitedly
- In the first of these verses (CC Adi 1.53) the transcendental nature of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is explained. The second verse (CC Adi 1.54) further explains that the Lord is detached from the workings of the material energy, maya
- In the material world the perverted rasas bring frustration. If these rasas are reestablished with Lord Krsna, the result is eternal, blissful life
- In the material world, sunshine, moonshine or different kinds of artificial light are required to dispel darkness, especially at night, for by nature the material world is dark
- In the more recent songs of Srila Narottama dasa Thakura the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu
- In the more recent songs Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and other unalloyed Vaisnavas, the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu
- In the next verse (CC Adi 1.56) it is said that a conditioned soul must ultimately approach a bona fide spiritual master and try to understand perfectly the material and spiritual worlds and his own existential position
- In the previous verse (CC Adi 1.53) the Absolute Truth and its nature have been explained. One must also understand the relative truth to actually know the Absolute
- In the spiritual world there are five kinds of relationships with the Supreme Lord - santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. The perverted reflections of these rasas are found in the material world
- In the Vayu Purana an acarya is defined as one who knows the import of all Vedic literatures, abides by their rules and regulations, and teaches his disciples to act in the same way
- In time, material scientists may also know how we can communicate with the Vaikuntha world
- Influenced by an envious temperament and dissatisfied because of an attitude of sense gratification, mundaners criticize a real acarya. In fact, however, a bona fide acarya is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead
- Intelligent persons seeking transcendental realization should very scrupulously avoid their (gross materialists and unbelievers') company
- Isa-bhaktan (CC Adi 1.34) refers to the devotees of the Lord like Sri Srivasa and all other such followers, who are the energy of the Lord and are qualitatively nondifferent from Him
- Isavatarakan (of CC Adi 1.34) refers to acaryas like Advaita Prabhu, who is an avatara of the Lord
- It is best for such persons (the less intelligent) not to aspire for success in fruitive activities or mental speculation but instead simply to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The perfection of life is simply to surrender to the Supreme
- It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that although the creation is periodically dissolved, there is another abode, which is never dissolved
- It is imperative that a serious person accept a bona fide spiritual master in terms of the sastric injunctions. Sri Jiva Gosvami advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions
- It is imperative that one accept a spiritual master if he at all desires to gain the favor of the Lord. The service of the spiritual master is essential
- It is indicated (in CC Adi 1.59) that to learn the transcendental science, it is imperative that one avoid the company of undesirable persons and always seek the company of saints and sages who are able to impart lessons of transcendental knowledge
- It is not possible for a conditioned soul to directly meet Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- It is predicted that as the sun and moon gradually move west, the movement They (Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda) began five hundred years ago will come to the Western civilizations by Their mercy
- It is the constitutional position of the living entity to be situated in this pure consciousness - free from doubt and prepared to act according to Krsna's instructions
K
- Krsna entering the rasa dance with the damsels of Vraja, expanding Himself in as many forms as there were damsels in the dance - these and innumerable other uncommon acts and attributes are all mysteries
- Krsna Himself is called Madana-mohana, Govinda, Gopijana-vallabha and countless other names as He plays in His different pastimes with His devotees. The three Deities - Madana-mohana, Govinda and Gopijana-vallabha - have very specific qualities
- Krsna is actually situated in the heart of every living entity, but only a devotee can realize this fact
- Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has composed this Sanskrit verse (CC Adi 1.1 & 1.34) for the beginning of his book (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta), and now he will explain it in detail. He offers his respectful obeisances to the six principles of the Absolute Truth
L
- Land, home, furniture and other inert material objects are related in santa, or the neutral and silent sense, whereas servants work in the dasya relationship
- Later this capital (of the Sena dynasty, which was known as Gaudadesa or Gauda) was transferred to the ninth or central island on the western side of the Ganges at Navadvipa, which is now known as Mayapur and was then called Gaudapura
- Lord Brahma inquired about the potency of the Supreme Lord, and the Personality of Godhead answered his inquiry in the following six consecutive statements (CC Adi 1.51-56) - from SB 2.9.31-36
- Lord Caitanya appeared there (in Mayapur), and Lord Nityananda came there and joined Him from the district of Birbhum. They appeared on the horizon of Gaudadesa to spread the science of Krsna consciousness
- Lord Caitanya is the Absolute Truth, Krsna Himself. This is substantiated by evidence from the authentic spiritual scriptures. Sometimes people accept a man as God on the basis of their whimsical sentiments & without reference to the revealed scriptures
- Lord Nityananda, who is Balarama Himself, the first direct manifestation or expansion of Krsna, is the original spiritual master. He helps Lord Krsna in His pastimes, and He is a servant of the Lord
- Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained this mode of devotional service (to Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji) in three stages, & therefore these worshipable Deities were installed in Vrndavana by different Gosvamis
- Lord Visnu advised him (Durvasa Muni), that if he wanted forgiveness he had to get it from Maharaja Ambarisa, not from Him. In this context Lord Visnu spoke this verse - CC Adi 1.62, SB 9.4.68
M
- Madana-mohana is He who charms Cupid, the god of love, Govinda is He who pleases the senses and the cows, and Gopijana-vallabha is the transcendental lover of the gopis
- Maharaja Yudhisthira told Vidura that pure devotees like him are personified holy places because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always with them in their hearts
- Maya means energy; therefore the relative truth is explained to be the energy of the Absolute Truth. Since it is difficult to understand the distinction between the absolute and relative truths, an analogy can be given for clarification - in CC Adi 1.54
- Modern science can communicate using material discoveries such as radio, television and computers, but the science invoked by the austerities of Sri Brahma, the original father of mankind, was still more subtle
- Mystic powers can make a yogi materially powerful and thus give temporary relief from the miseries of birth, death, old age & disease, as other material sciences can also do, but mystic powers can never be a permanent source of relief from these miseries
N
- Neither cause nor effect existed in the beginning; they emanated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as did the energy of time. This is stated in the Vedanta-sutra - janmady asya yatah
- Neither darkness nor reflection has an independent existence. Darkness comes when the sunshine is blocked. For example, if one stands facing the sun, his back will be in darkness
- Next he (Bilvamangala Thakura, in the beginning of Krsna-karnamrta) offers his respects to his initiating spiritual master, Somagiri, and then to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Krsna), who was also his instructing spiritual master
- None of the above-mentioned three religious paths (karm-kanda, jnana-kanda & demigod worship) can deliver a person from the threefold miseries of material existence, namely, miseries caused by the body and mind, by other living entities & by the demigods
O
- One aspect of Krsna's uncommon acts and attributes is presented in the scientific knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita, which is read and adored all over the world by all classes of scholars, with as many interpretations as there are empiric philosophers
- One German scholar who became a devotee of Godhead in India said that material science had already made laudable progress in duplicating the mystic powers of the yogis
- One has to penetrate the impersonal effulgence to see the face of the Supreme Lord (ISO 15). If one desires to reach the source of the sunshine, he has to travel through the sunshine to reach the sun and then meet the predominating deity there
- One must associate with devotees of Sri Krsna and thus revive his eternal relationship with Godhead in a specific manifestation and in terms of the specific transcendental mellow (rasa) that one has eternally inherent in him
- One must learn both the means to approach the desired destination and the hindrances to such progress
- One should always remember that a person who is reluctant to accept a spiritual master and be initiated is sure to be baffled in his endeavor to go back to Godhead
- One should simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for actual advancement in spiritual understanding
- One should try to purchase a ticket to go back home, back to Godhead. The price of such a ticket is one's intense desire for it, which is not easily awakened, even if one continuously performs pious activities for thousands of lives
- One should understand, through the transparent medium of the spiritual master, that the living entities' relationships with the Lord are directly and indirectly existing everywhere, even in this material world
- One should understand, through the transparent medium of the spiritual master, that the Supreme Lord exists everywhere in His transcendental spiritual nature
- One who cannot be brought nearer to a spiritual master cannot have a sacred thread, and thus he is indicated to be a sudra
- One who is less intelligent is captivated by the wonderful activities of maya, but he does not understand that behind these activities is the direction of the Supreme Lord
- One who is not properly initiated may present himself as a great devotee with the result that he must continue his term of material existence without relief
- One who is not properly initiated may present himself as a great devotee, but in fact he is sure to encounter many stumbling blocks on his path of progress toward spiritual realization
- One's development of a taste for executing these instructions (of the spiritual master) is the test of one's devotional service. Initially, one must develop confidence by hearing the science of devotion from a qualified spiritual master
- Only out of His immense compassion does the Personality of Godhead reveal Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore in the dealings of an acarya there are no activities but those of transcendental loving service to the Lord
- Our only shelter is the Supreme Lord, and one who teaches how to approach Krsna is the functioning form of the Personality of Godhead. There is no difference between the shelter-giving Supreme Lord and the initiating and instructing spiritual masters
- Our spiritual master, Om Visnupada Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, accepted initiation in the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya
P
- Pangoh refers to one who cannot move independently by his own strength, and manda-mateh is one who is less intelligent because he is too absorbed in materialistic activities
- Perfect servitors of the Lord are considered His personal associates, whereas devotees endeavoring to attain perfection are called neophytes
- Pure devotees, always merged in knowledge of Krsna and absorbed in Krsna consciousness, exchange thoughts and realizations as great scientists exchange their views and discuss the results of their research in scientific academies
R
- Real religion lies dormant when artificial religion dominates from the mental plane. A living being can awaken this dormant religion by hearing with a pure heart
- Refraining from sensual enjoyment, one should voluntarily accept all sorts of difficulties for spiritual realization. This is called tapasya. An enjoyer of the senses can never realize God, godliness or the science of theistic knowledge
- Religion can be considered in the following three divisions: (1) the path of fruitive work, (2) the path of knowledge and mystic powers, and (3) the path of worship and devotional service
- Religiosity in the shape of fruitive work is directly a method of gross sense gratification, whereas the process of culturing spiritual knowledge with a view to becoming one with the Absolute is a method of subtle sense gratification
S
- Santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya rasa in the material world are distorted reflections of the original, pure sentiments, which should be understood and perfected in relationship with the SPG under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master
- Sat means - effect, asat means - cause, and param refers to the ultimate truth, which is transcendental to cause and effect. The cause of the creation is called the mahat-tattva, or total material energy, and its effect is the creation itself
- She (Cintamani) gave him (Bilvamangala Thakura) the inspiration to begin on the path of devotional service, and because she convinced him to give up material existence to try for perfection by loving Krsna, he has first offered his respects to her
- Since darkness stands in the absence of the sun, it is therefore relative to the sun. The spiritual world is compared to the real sunshine, and the material world is compared to the dark regions where the sun is not visible
- Since impersonalists cannot understand the source of the Brahman energy, they mistakenly choose to think this impersonal Brahman the ultimate or absolute goal
- Since the energy of the Lord is not different from Him, in fact everything that exists is Krsna in His impersonal feature. Sunshine, sunlight and heat are not different from the sun, and yet simultaneously they are distinct energies of the sun
- So-called pious activities and other ritualistic performances, pious or impious, as well as the desire to escape from material existence, are all considered to be coverings of these spiritual sparks
- Sri Arjuna, wanting to satisfy his senses by becoming a so-called nonviolent and pious man, at first decided not to fight
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the chain of disciplic succession from Madhva Acarya, but the Vaisnavas in His line do not accept the Tattva-vadis, who also claim to belong to the Madhva-sampradaya
- Sri Govindaji acts exactly like the siksa-guru (instructing spiritual master) by teaching Arjuna the Bhagavad-gita. He is the original preceptor, for He gives us instructions and an opportunity to serve Him
- Sri Krsna and His various personal expansions are nondifferent in potential power. These expansions are associated with further, secondary expansions, or servitor expansions, who are called devotees
- Sri Madhva Acarya is also known as Sri Gauda-purnananda, and therefore the name Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya is quite suitable for the disciplic succession of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas
- Srila Gopinatha is the ultimate attraction in spiritual realization
- Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his thesis Bhakti-sandarbha (202), has stated that uncontaminated devotional service is the objective of pure Vaisnavas and that one has to execute such service in the association of other devotees
- Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami states that the instructing spiritual master is a bona fide representative of Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna Himself teaches us as the instructing spiritual master from within and without
- Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami confirms that this is the real position of a bona fide spiritual master - being simultaneously one with and different from Krsna
- Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami says that one should always think of the spiritual master in terms of his intimate relationship with Mukunda - Sri Krsna
- Srila Sanatana Gosvami is the ideal spiritual master, for he delivers one the shelter of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana
- Srimad-Bhagavatam has eighteen thousand verses, which are summarized in the four verses beginning with aham evasam evagre - CC Adi 1.53 - and concluding with yat syat sarvatra sarvada - CC Adi 1.56
- Strong attachment for the transcendental service of the Lord develops as he continues listening to the messages of Godhead, and if he steadfastly proceeds in this way, he is certainly elevated to spontaneous love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Such a helpless person (who is not properly initiated) is compared to a ship without a rudder, for such a ship can never reach its destination
T
- Tac-chaktih (of CC Adi 1.34) refers to the spiritual energies (saktis) of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Gadadhara, Damodara and Jagadananda belong to this category of internal energy
- Tat-prakasan (of CC Adi 1.34) indicates the direct manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nityananda Prabhu, and the initiating spiritual master
- That which is relative, temporary and far away from the Absolute Truth is called maya, or ignorance. This illusion is exhibited in two ways, as explained in the Bhagavad-gita
- The Absolute Truth can be compared to the sun, which is appreciated in terms of two relative truths: reflection and darkness. Darkness is the absence of sunshine, and a reflection is a projection of sunlight into darkness
- The Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person, Bhagavan, as Srimad-Bhagavatam explains
- The acarya in the true sense of the term, who is authorized to deliver Krsna, enriches the disciple with full spiritual knowledge and thus awakens him to the activities of devotional service
- The actions of the living entities in the spiritual kingdom are not illusory; they are the actual, eternal activities of liberated souls
- The author (Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami) of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta offers his respectful obeisances unto the three Deities of Vrndavana named Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji
- The author of Caitanya-caritamrta (Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami) proves all his statements by citing the sastras. Thus he establishes that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The Bhagavatam describes the highest religious form - reinstatement of the living entity in his original position of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord
- The bona fide spiritual master always engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The bona fide spiritual master’s concern is how the devotees who have surrendered to him as a representative of the Lord may make progress in devotional service
- The Brahman effulgence is impersonal, but the cause of that energy is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From Him, in His abode, the Vaikunthas, this brahma-jyotir emanates. He is never impersonal
- The celebrated ancient capital of the Sena dynasty, which was known as Gaudadesa or Gauda, was situated in what is now the modern district of Maldah
- The ceremony performed to initiate a disciple into the study of spiritual science is called upaniti, or the function that brings one nearer to the spiritual master
- The complete treatise Krsna-karnamrta is dedicated to the transcendental pastimes of Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani. It is a book to be read and understood by the most elevated devotees of Sri Krsna
- The conception of comfortable life in heaven is insignificant in comparison to the happiness enjoyed in the impersonal Brahman
- The cosmic manifestation and the living entities are energies of the Lord, and they are considered to be simultaneously one with and different from Him
- The desire to merge into the impersonal Brahman is the subtlest type of atheism. As soon as such atheism, disguised in the dress of liberation, is encouraged, one becomes completely unable to traverse the path of devotional service to the SP of Godhead
- The development of submissiveness is the cause of proportionate spiritual realization, by which one can ultimately meet the Supreme Lord in person, as a man meets another man face to face
- The devotee is considered to be one of these (three principal) energies (of the Supreme Lord), never the energetic. The energetic is always the Supreme Lord. The energies are related to Him for the purpose of eternal service
- The devotees of Orissa are called Udiyas, the devotees of Bengal are called Gaudiyas, and the devotees of southern India are known as Dravida devotees
- The diverse principles are the eternal paraphernalia through which the Absolute Truth can be approached
- The duty of the spiritual master is to initiate a disciple with the sacred thread ceremony, and after this samskara, or purificatory process, the spiritual master actually begins to teach the disciple about the Vedas
- The effulgent bodily luster of the Supreme Lord is the cause of the creation of infinite universes
- The English maxim that God helps those who help themselves is also applicable in the transcendental realm
- The entire material manifestation develops and exists because the Supreme Personality of Godhead enters it as Paramatma, or the Supersoul
- The eternal relationship of the living entities with the Supreme Lord is explained in that verse - CC Adi 1.54
- The expansions of the Lord (Krsna) who manifest such bodily differences (such as Sri Balarama's bodily color and Sri Narayana's four hands) are known as vilasa-vigrahas
- The expert spiritual master knows well how to engage his disciple's energy in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and thus he engages a devotee in a specific devotional service according to his special tendency
- The external potency of Godhead, called maya, can never associate with the Lord, just as darkness cannot remain in the presence of light; yet darkness, being but an illusory and temporary covering of light, has no existence independent of light
- The first and foremost concern of fruitive workers, elevationists, empiric philosophers and salvationists is to raise their material position. But devotees of Godhead have no such selfish desires. They serve the Supreme Lord only for His satisfaction
- The first spiritual master mentioned (in Krsna-karnamrta) is Cintamani, who was one of his instructing spiritual masters because she first showed him the spiritual path. Cintamani was a prostitute with whom Bilvamangala was intimate earlier in his life
- The five kinds of ignorance are (1) accepting the body to be the self, (2) making material sense gratification one's standard of enjoyment - The teachings of Lord Caitanya eradicate these five kinds of ignorance
- The five kinds of ignorance are (3) being anxious due to material identification, (4) lamenting and (5) thinking that there is anything beyond the Absolute Truth. The teachings of Lord Caitanya eradicate these five kinds of ignorance
- The former devotees (those attracted by God's opulences) are placed in the realm of Vaikuntha to render reverential devotional service, whereas the latter devotees (those attracted by nuptial love) are placed in Vrndavana for the direct service of Krsna
- The four Vaisnava acaryas who are the great authorities of the four Vaisnava disciplic successions, as well as Sripada Sankaracarya of the Mayavada school, appeared in the Panca-dravida provinces
- The Gaudiya Vaisnavas who follow strictly in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu worship the Divinity by chanting transcendental sounds meant to develop a reciprocation of mellows (rasas) of mutual affection
- The Gaudiya Vaisnavas who follow strictly in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu worship the Divinity by chanting transcendental sounds meant to develop a sense of one's transcendental relationship with the Supreme Lord
- The Gaudiya Vaisnavas who follow strictly in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu worship the Divinity by chanting transcendental sounds meant to ultimately develop the achievement of the desired success in loving service
- The gross material elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) combine with the subtle material elements (mind, intelligence and false ego) to construct the bodies of this material world, and yet they are beyond these bodies as well
- The highest standard of bodily comfort is achieved by a fruitive worker who by pious activities reaches the plane of heaven, or the kingdom of the creative gods with their delegated powers
- The history of Bilvamangala Thakura is given in a book called Sri-vallabha-digvijaya. He appeared in the eighth century of the Saka Era in the province of Dravida and was the chief disciple of Visnu Svami
- The inferior illusion is inert matter, and the superior illusion is the living entity. The living entities are called illusory in this context (of CC Adi 1.54) only because they are implicated in the illusory structures & activities of the material world
- The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are equal and identical manifestations of Krsna, although they have different dealings
- The initiating spiritual master is a personal manifestation of Srila Madana-mohana vigraha, whereas the instructing spiritual master is a personal representative of Srila Govindadeva vigraha. Both of these Deities are worshiped at Vrndavana
- The innumerable forms of the Lord, such as Syamasundara, Narayana, Rama and Gaurasundara; the colors of these forms (white, red, yellow, cloudlike syama and others) - these and innumerable other uncommon acts and attributes are all mysteries
- The instructions in the science of devotion are differentiated in terms of the objective and subjective ways of understanding
- The living entities are spiritual sparks, and their constitutional position is to render devotional service to the Supreme Lord in full Krsna consciousness
- The living entities must get free from the superfluous coverings and fully engage in Krsna consciousness. The purpose of the appearance of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda is to dispel the darkness of the soul
- The living entities, although parts and parcels of Lord Krsna, are prone to be controlled by the external energy; therefore, although they are spiritual, in the material world they are encased in bodies of material energy
- The Lord declares that by enlightenment in theistic knowledge He awards attachment for Him to those who constantly engage in His transcendental loving service
- The Lord indicates herein (CC Adi 1.53) that before the material creation He existed in fullness with all transcendental opulences, including all strength, all wealth, all beauty, all knowledge, all fame and all renunciation
- The Lord is manifested to a pure devotee from within and without. This is one of the mysteries of the devotional relationship in which a devotee and the Lord are bound by a tie of spontaneous love
- The Lord said to Brahma that since He was pleased with him, by His grace the mystery (of transcendental knowledge about Him) was being revealed
- The Lord says - I am everything - because everything is His energy and is therefore nondifferent from Him
- The Lord was specifically instructing how a brahmacari should behave under the care of a spiritual master. A spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered by his disciples. He is like a parent
- The Lord's mercy descends to a devotee like Brahma and, through Brahma, to Narada, from Narada to Vyasa, from Vyasadeva to Sukadeva and so on in the bona fide chain of disciplic succession
- The Lord, being full and free from problems, can wholeheartedly care for His devotees. His concern is how to elevate and protect all those who have taken shelter at His feet. The same responsibility is also entrusted to the spiritual master
- The Manu-samhita (2.140) explains the duties of an acarya, describing that a bona fide spiritual master accepts charge of disciples, teaches them the Vedic knowledge with all its intricacies, and gives them their second birth
- The material elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego) display the inferior energy of the Lord, and the living entities are His superior energy
- The Mayavadi philosophers interpret this word aham as referring to the impersonal Brahman
- The Mayavadis are very proud of their grammatical knowledge, but any person who has actual knowledge of grammar can understand that aham means "I" and that "I" refers to a personality
- The mystery of this knowledge (In a sense, there is nothing but Sri Krsna, and yet nothing is Sri Krsna save & except His primeval personality) culminates in personal attachment to the Lord, with a resulting effect of detachment from anything - non-Krsna
- The next verse (CC Adi 1.55) instructs that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable energies, is simultaneously one with and different from the living entities and the material energy. This knowledge is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva
- The path of fruitive work (karma-kanda), even when decorated by religious ceremonies meant to elevate one’s material condition, is a cheating process because it can never enable one to gain relief from material existence and achieve the highest goal
- The path of religion prescribed by Srimad-Bhagavatam is different from all forms of imperfect religiosity
- The path of worship of the innumerable devas, or administrative demigods, is still more hazardous and uncertain than the above-mentioned (in CC Adi 1.91) processes of karma-kanda and jnana-kanda
- The paths of the culture of knowledge (jnana-marga) and of mystic powers (yoga-marga) are equally hazardous, for one does not know where one will go by following these uncertain methods
- The Personality of Godhead in His all-pervading feature of Paramatma enters every entity, from the biggest to the most minute. His existence can be realized by one who has the single qualification of submissiveness and thereby becomes a surrendered soul
- The Personality of Godhead is described as vastu (in CC Adi 1.91), or the Substance, and the living entities are described as vastavas, or the innumerable samples of the Substance in relative existence
- The Personality of Godhead, speaking to Brahma, uses aham while describing His own transcendental form
- The poetical comparison (in CC Adi 1.94) of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda to the sun and moon is very significant
- The potent words of such realized souls (saints and sages) penetrate the heart, thereby eradicating all misgivings accumulated through years of undesirable association
- The prakasa forms are manifested by Lord Krsna for His pastimes, and their features are exactly like His. When Lord Krsna married sixteen thousand queens in Dvaraka, He did so in sixteen thousand prakasa expansions
- The preceptor appears before the external senses of the fortunate conditioned soul, and at the same time the devotee is guided from within by the caittya-guru, Krsna, who is seated as the spiritual master within the heart of the living entity
- The process of religion described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, however, is able to give its followers permanent relief from the threefold miseries
- The process that treats this (material) disease is called bhagavata-dharma, or sanatana-dharma - real religion. This is described in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam
- The real form of religion is spontaneous loving service to Godhead. This relationship of the living being with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in service is eternal
- The real nature of maya, the illusory existence of the material manifestation, is clearly explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Absolute Truth is substance, and the relative truth depends upon its relationship with the Absolute for its existence
- The real religion of a living being is his natural inborn quality, whereas pretentious religion is a form of nescience that artificially covers a living entity's pure consciousness under certain unfavorable conditions
- The real Vedic philosophy is acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which establishes everything to be simultaneously one with and different from the Personality of Godhead
- The reciprocation between friends is called sakhya, the affection of a parent for a child is known as vatsalya, and the affairs of conjugal love constitute madhurya
- The relationship of a disciple with his spiritual master is as good as his relationship with the Supreme Lord
- The relationship of these substantive portions with the Supreme Substance can never be annihilated, for it is an eternal quality inherent in the living being
- The relative truth, which is called maya, or material nature, is explained here (in CC Adi 1.54). Maya has no independent existence
- The revealed scriptures prohibit one's pretending to be God, but a bona fide spiritual master is a most faithful and confidential servant of the Lord and therefore deserves as much respect as Krsna
- The sacred thread on the body of a brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya is a symbol of initiation by the spiritual master; it is worth nothing if worn merely to boast of high parentage
- The saints who give instructions for progressive advancement in Krsna consciousness are called instructing spiritual masters
- The secret is that one must submissively listen to those who know perfectly the science of God, and one must begin the mode of service regulated by the preceptor
- The service of the spiritual master is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions
- The six principles (of the Absolute Truth) are differently manifested but all equally worshipable. Krsnadasa Kaviraja begins by offering his obeisances unto them to teach us the method of worshiping Lord Caitanya
- The source of birth of the cosmic manifestation, or mahat-tattva, is the Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed throughout Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita
- The spiritual master is a direct manifestation of the Lord. With this conviction, a disciple can advance in Krsna consciousness. The spiritual master is nondifferent from Krsna because he is a manifestation of Krsna
- The spiritual master is also called acarya, or a transcendental professor of spiritual science
- The spiritual master knows how to regulate the habits of a neophyte disciple, and therefore a serious student must learn the science in all its aspects from him
- The spiritual master’s eternal occupation is to expand the service of the Lord by training disciples in a service attitude. A spiritual master never poses as the Supreme Lord Himself; he is considered a representative of the Lord
- The spiritual world is brightly illuminated, but the material world is wrapped in darkness
- The success obtained by such methods (of demigod worship) is certainly transient, and it is suitable only for a less intelligent person. That is the verdict of the Bhagavad-gita. No sane man should be satisfied by such temporary benefits
- The Supreme Lord expands His personal forms in two primary categories - prakasa forms and vilasa forms
- The Supreme Lord has arranged for sunshine and moonshine. But in His abode, as described in the Bhagavad-gita (BG 15.6), there is no necessity for lighting by sunshine, moonshine or electricity because everything is self-effulgent
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always mindful of the devotees who fully engage in cultivating knowledge of Him, having taken shelter at His lotus feet
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one without a second, and therefore He is all-powerful. He has inconceivable energies, of which three are principal
- The Supreme Truth is a transcendental person, free from all tinges of the material elements
- The Supreme Truth, the all-spiritual and all-powerful person, is one without a second and has fully transcendental senses. He is the fountainhead of all emanations
- The transcendental personal forms of the Lord are a mystery, and the symptoms of these forms, which are absolutely different from anything made of mundane elements, are also mysterious
- The truth of these mysteries (of Krsna's uncommon acts and attributes) was revealed to Brahma by the descending process, without the help of the ascending one
- The Vedic literature directs us not to be captivated by the dark regions (tamah) but to try to reach the shining regions of the Absolute - yogi-dhama
- The word - creation - refers to the material creation because in the spiritual world everything exists eternally and there is no creation or dissolution
- The word projjhita (from CC Adi 1.91) is significant. Pra- means - complete, and ujjhita indicates rejection
- The word yat (of CC Adi 1.53) refers to Brahman, the impersonal effulgence of the Lord
- The words (of CC Adi 1.53) pascad aham indicate that the Lord exists after the dissolution of the cosmic manifestation. When the material world is dissolved, the Lord still exists personally in the Vaikunthas
- Their (the initiating and instructing spiritual masters') function is to guide the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead. Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami accepted Nityananda Prabhu and the six Gosvamis in the category of guru
- Then (after the living entity in the conditioned stage uncovers his aptitude for serving the Absolute Truth) the Lord reveals Himself within his heart, and he can know that Krsna is seated in the heart of every pure devotee
- There are different grades and standards of prosperity. The standard of comfort and happiness conceived by a common man engaged in material labor is the lowest grade of happiness, for it is in relationship with the body
- There are innumerable Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual sky, and on each of them Visnu resides with His associates and His paraphernalia
- There are many instances in the revealed scriptures of the Personality of Godhead's acting as the spiritual master from within. The Personality of Godhead was the spiritual master who instructed Brahma, the original living being in the cosmic creation
- There are many unalloyed devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all of whom are considered associates surrounding the Lord. Krsna should be worshiped with His devotees
- There are nine alternative transcendental means of attaining the stage (of personal attachment to Krsna, with a resulting effect of detachment from anything "non-Krsna"): (1) hearing, (2) chanting, (3) remembering, (4) serving the lotus feet of the Lord
- There are nine alternative transcendental means of attaining the stage (of personal attachment to Krsna, with a resulting effect of detachment from anything "non-Krsna"): (5) worshiping, (6) praying, (7) assisting
- There are nine alternative transcendental means of attaining the stage (of personal attachment to Krsna, with a resulting effect of detachment from anything "non-Krsna"): (8) fraternizing with the Lord, and (9) sacrificing everything for Him
- There are seven principal temples over four hundred years old that are the most important of the five thousand temples now existing in Vrndavana
- There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions
- There is no difference between the bodily forms of Sri Krsna and Balarama except that Their bodily colors are different. Similarly, Sri Narayana in Vaikuntha has four hands, whereas Krsna has only two
- There is no difference between the spiritual master's instructions and the spiritual master himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of direction should be the pride of the disciple
- These instructions (CC Adi 1.51-56), which are reproduced from Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 2.9.31-36), were imparted by the Personality of Godhead, acting as the supreme spiritual master
- These three Deities (Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji) are the life and soul of the Bengali Vaisnavas, or Gaudiya Vaisnavas, who have a natural aptitude for residing in Vrndavana
- These three Deities (Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji) are worshiped in three different stages of one's development. The followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu scrupulously follow these principles of approach
- They (Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji) are very dear to the Gaudiya Vaisnavas there, who visit the temples at least once a day
- This (CC Adi 1.46) is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 11.17.27) spoken by Lord Krsna when He was questioned by Uddhava regarding the four social and spiritual orders of society
- This (CC Adi 1.75) is a quotation from the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (1.21), compiled by Srila Rupa Gosvami
- This (CC Adi 1.93) is an annotation by Sridhara Svami, the great commentator on Srimad-Bhagavatam
- This - CC Adi 1.73-74 - is another quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam - 10.33.3-4
- This - CC Adi 1.77 - is another quotation from the Laghu-bhagavatamrta - 1.15
- This awakening of divine consciousness enthralls a devotee, who thus relishes his eternal transcendental mellow. Such an awakening is awarded only to those convinced by devotional service about the transcendental nature of the Personality of Godhead
- This brahmananda, the spiritual bliss derived from impersonal Brahman, is like the water in the hoofprint of a calf compared to the ocean of love of Godhead
- This portion of India (Gaudiya or Aryavarta, the Land of the Aryans) is divided into five parts or provinces (Panca-gaudadesa): (1) Sarasvata (Kashmir and Punjab), (2) Kanyakubja - Uttar Pradesh, including the modern city of Lucknow
- This portion of India (Gaudiya or Aryavarta, the Land of the Aryans) is divided into five parts or provinces (Panca-gaudadesa): (3) Madhya-gauda (Madhya Pradesh), (4) Maithila (Bihar & part of Bengal) and (5) Utkala - part of Bengal & the whole of Orissa
- This system of worshiping many gods, such as Durga, Siva, Ganesa, Surya and the impersonal Visnu form, is accepted by persons who have been blinded by an intense desire for sense gratification
- This verse (CC Adi 1.48) from Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 11.29.6) was spoken by Sri Uddhava after he heard from Sri Krsna all necessary instructions about yoga
- This verse (CC Adi 1.49) of the Bhagavad-gita (BG 10.10) clearly states how Govindadeva instructs His bona fide devotee
- This verse (CC Adi 1.57) is from the Krsna-karnamrta, which was written by a great Vaisnava sannyasi named Bilvamangala Thakura, who is also known as Lilasuka
- This verse (CC Adi 1.59), which appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 11.26.26), was spoken by Lord Krsna to Uddhava in the text known as the Uddhava-gita. The discussion relates to the story of Pururava and the heavenly courtesan Urvasi
- This verse (CC Adi 1.60) appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 3.25.25), where Kapiladeva replies to the questions of His mother, Devahuti, about the process of devotional service
- This verse (CC Adi 1.62) appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 9.4.68) in connection with a misunderstanding between Durvasa Muni and Maharaja Ambarisa
- This verse (CC Adi 1.63) was spoken by Maharaja Yudhisthira to Vidura in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 1.13.10). Maharaja Yudhisthira was receiving his saintly uncle Vidura, who had been visiting sacred places of pilgrimage
- This verse (CC Adi 1.91) appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 1.1.2). The words maha-muni-krte indicate that Srimad-Bhagavatam was compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva, who is sometimes known as Narayana Maha-muni because he is an incarnation of Narayana
- This verse - CC Adi 1.71 - is from Srimad-Bhagavatam - SB 10.69.2
- This verse - CC Adi 1.72 - is also quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam - SB 10.33.3
- Those who are serious about the knowledge of the transcendental world, which is far beyond the material cosmic creation, must approach a bona fide spiritual master to learn the science both directly and indirectly
- To achieve this (spontaneous) love (for the Lord) should be the goal of life for every living being
- To distinguish themselves clearly from the Tattva-vadi branch of Madhva's descendants, the Vaisnavas of Bengal prefer to call themselves Gaudiya Vaisnavas
- To offer prayers to the Lord, one should first offer prayers to His devotees and associates
- Transcendental knowledge of Sri Krsna is deeper than the impersonal knowledge of Brahman, for it includes knowledge of not only His form and personality but also everything else related to Him. There is nothing in existence not related to Sri Krsna
- Transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord is free from the infections of desires for sense gratification, fruitive work, and the culture of knowledge with the aim of merging into the Absolute to become one with the Supreme Lord
V
- Vasudevo va idam agra asin na brahma na ca sankarah. The meaning of this mantra is that before creation there was no existence of Brahma or Siva, for only Visnu existed. Visnu exists in His abode, the Vaikunthas
- Vyasadeva is not an ordinary man but is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He compiled the beautiful Bhagavatam to narrate some of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees
W
- We cannot discover the mysteries of the Lord by our endeavors; they are only revealed, by His grace, to the proper devotees. These mysteries are disclosed to the various grades of devotees in proportion to the gradual development of their service attitude
- Whatever one sees or otherwise experiences one should know to be simply an exhibition of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s energy. Everything is a manifestation of Krsna
- When an individual living entity surrenders to the Supreme Lord, Krsna, he can then develop natural transcendental love for Him. This surrendering process should be the primary concern of a human being
- When Arjuna was fully situated in the principles of bhagavata-dharma, he said - I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your (Krsna's) instructions - BG 18.73
- When Arjuna was fully situated in the principles of bhagavata-dharma, he said - My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy - BG 18.73
- When Brahma was first created, he could not apply his creative energy to arrange the cosmic situation. At first there was only sound, vibrating the word tapa, which indicates the acceptance of hardships for spiritual realization
- When Brahma, initiated by Sri Krsna by the sound vibration tapa, engaged himself in acts of austerity, by the pleasure of Visnu he was able to visualize the transcendental world, Sri Vaikuntha, through transcendental realization
- When by learning from the self-realized spiritual master one actually engages himself in the service of Visnu, functional devotional service begins. The procedures of this devotional service are known as abhidheya, or actions one is dutybound to perform
- When he (Arjuna) was fully situated in the principles of bhagavata-dharma, culminating in complete surrender unto the will of the Supreme Lord, he changed his decision and agreed to fight for the satisfaction of the Lord
- When one develops pure love for the Lord, he derives an ocean of transcendental happiness from the association of the Personality of Godhead. To qualify oneself to reach this stage of life is the highest perfection
- When one wishes to render service to the Lord with strong attachment, one worships Govinda on the platform of transcendental service
- When properly executed in terms of the rites mentioned in the sastras, which are now very difficult to perform in this age of want and scarcity, such (demigod) worship can certainly fulfill one’s desires for sense gratification
- When the Lord manifests His (Krsna's) vilasa expansions they are all somewhat different in their bodily features. Lord Balarama is the first vilasa expansion of Lord Krsna, and the four-handed Narayana forms in Vaikuntha expand from Balarama
- When the Lord says aham it is to be understood that He exists with full potency, including all opulences
- When the material manifestation appears very wonderful, this is due to a perverted reflection of the supreme sunshine, the Absolute Truth, as confirmed in the Vedanta-sutra. Whatever one can see here has its substance in the Absolute
- When the Sudarsana cakra attacked Durvasa Muni, he fled in fear of the weapon and sought shelter from all the great demigods in heaven. Not one of them was able to protect him, and therefore Durvasa Muni prayed to Lord Visnu for forgiveness
- When Urvasi left Pururava, he was deeply affected by the separation and had to learn to overcome his grief
- Without His (the Supreme Lord's) presence within the material world, the cosmic body could not develop, just as without the presence of the spirit within the physical body, the body could not develop
- Without submission and service in the forms of hearing, chanting and the others mentioned above (in CC Adi 1.52), impersonalists cannot penetrate to the mysterious region of transcendence where the Supreme Truth is a transcendental person
- Without the attentive service of his parents, a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly, without the care of the spiritual master one cannot rise to the plane of transcendental service
- Worship of Madana-mohana is on the platform of reestablishing our forgotten relationship with the Personality of Godhead. In the material world we are presently in utter ignorance of our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord