Great devotees and acaryas

Expressions researched:
"great devotees and acaryas" |"great devotee and acarya" |"devotee acarya"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

Śrī Mādhavendra Purī, a great devotee and ācārya in the line of the devotees

BG 2.52, Purport: There are many good examples in the lives of the great devotees of the Lord of those who became indifferent to the rituals of the Vedas simply by devotional service to the Lord. When a person factually understands Krsna and his relationship with Krsna, he naturally becomes completely indifferent to the rituals of fruitive activities, even though an experienced brahmana. Sri Madhavendra Puri, a great devotee and acarya in the line of the devotees, says:

sandhya-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bhoh snana tubhyam namo

bho devah pitaras ca tarpana-vidhau naham ksamah ksamyatam

yatra kvapi nisadya yadava-kulottamsasya kamsa-dvisah

smaram smaram agham harami tad alam manye kim anyena me

"O my prayers three times a day, all glory to you. O bathing, I offer my obeisances unto you. O demigods! O forefathers! Please excuse me for my inability to offer you my respects. Now wherever I sit, I can remember the great descendant of the Yadu dynasty [Krsna], the enemy of Kamsa, and thereby I can free myself from all sinful bondage. I think this is sufficient for me."

SB Canto 1

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, the great devotee ācārya of the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya

SB 1.11.26, Purport: The pure devotees are always hankering after the lotus feet of the Lord. The lotus has a kind of honey which is transcendentally relished by the devotees. They are like the bees who are always after the honey. Srila Rupa Gosvami, the great devotee acarya of the Gaudiya-Vaisnava-sampradaya, has sung a song about this lotus honey, comparing himself to the bee

Narottama dasa Thakura, a great devotee and acarya of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sect

SB 1.13.26, Purport: Narottama dasa Thakura, a great devotee and acarya of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sect, has sung: "My Lord, I have simply wasted my life. Having obtained the human body, I have neglected to worship Your Lordship, and therefore I have willingly drunk poison."

SB Canto 3

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee and ācārya in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya

SB 3.28.4, Purport: Svadhyayah means "reading the authorized Vedic scriptures." Even if one is not Krsna conscious and is practicing the yoga system, he must read standard Vedic literatures in order to understand. Performance of yoga alone is not sufficient. Narottama dasa Thakura, a great devotee and acarya in the Gaudiya Vaisnava-sampradaya, says that all spiritual activities should be understood from three sources, namely saintly persons, standard scriptures and the spiritual master. These three guides are very important for progress in spiritual life.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

There is a very nice song sung by Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee and ācārya in the disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 17: There is a very nice song sung by Sri Narottama dasa Thakura, a great devotee and acarya in the disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya. Narottama dasa sings: "When will there be transcendental vibrations all over my body simply by my hearing the name of Gauranga? When will tears incessantly flow from my eyes simply by my uttering the names of the Lord? When will Lord Nityananda have mercy upon me, and when will all my desires for material enjoyment become insignificant? When shall I be purified by giving up all contaminations of material enjoyment? And when shall I be able to see the transcendental abode, Vrndavana? When shall I be eager to accept the six Gosvamis as my prime guidance? And when will I be able to understand the conjugal love of Krsna?"

Nectar of Devotion

Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and ācāryas

Nectar of Devotion, Introduction: Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and acaryas (holy teachers), who are compared to sharks in the great ocean of nectar and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation. Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the Supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean.

If one gives aural reception to the sound vibrated by great devotees and ācāryas, that alone will give him relief from all material contamination.

Nectar of Devotion 10: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also recommended this process of hearing as a means of self-realization in the present age of Kali. In this age it is very difficult to follow thoroughly the regulative principles and studies of the Vedas which were formerly recommended. However, if one gives aural reception to the sound vibrated by great devotees and ācāryas, that alone will give him relief from all material contamination. Therefore it is the recommendation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu that one should simply hear from authorities who are actually devotees of the Lord. Hearing from professional men will not help. If we hear from those who are actually self-realized, then the nectarean rivers, like those which are flowing on the moon planet, will flow into our ears.

General Lectures

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a great devotee. Not only devotee-ācārya in the line of Caitanya Mahāprabhu disciplic succession, ācārya.

Lecture -- Bombay, September 25, 1973: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, the father of saṅkīrtana movement within two hundred years. He was ācārya and a householder, gṛhastha. He was very responsible officer, magistrate, householder. But he was a great devotee. Not only devotee-ācārya in the line of Caitanya Mahāprabhu disciplic succession, ācārya. So he sung, ye dine gṛhete bhajana dekhi, gṛhete goloka bhāya: "The day whenever we find there is bhajana," means worshiping the Supreme Lord, "at that time immediately the house becomes Vaikuṇṭha." Actually, that is so. Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana is not material things. Just like Kṛṣṇa is not material. Kṛṣṇa... As Kṛṣṇa can stay in His abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, and still He can stay everywhere... Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. That is Kṛṣṇa.

Purports to Songs

This song was sung by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee-ācārya in the disciplic succession of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya

Purport to Gauranga Bolite Habe -- Los Angeles, December 29, 1968: Prabhupada: This song was sung by Narottama dasa Thakura, a great devotee-acarya in the disciplic succession of Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya. Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya means the disciplic succession who are coming down from Lord Caitanya. So this Narottama dasa Thakura has written many songs, and it is recognized as a authority by all the Vaisnavas.

This is a song by Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee and ācārya of the Gauḍīya-sampradāya

Purport to Parama Koruna -- Los Angeles, January 4, 1969: Prabhupada: Parama koruna, pahu dui jana, nitai gauracandra. This is a song by Locana dasa Thakura, a great devotee and acarya of the Gaudiya-sampradaya. He is declaring that pahu dui jana. Pahu means lords. Dui jana means two. Who are the two lords? Nitai Gauracandra. One is Lord Nitai, Nityananda; another is Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.