Sahajiya | The Hare Krishna Movement

We Should Not Become Sahajiyas

31 Mar 2017 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Quotes by Srila Prabhupada, Sahajiya, Spiritual Life Tags: anartha nivrtti, devotional symptoms, imitation of God, love of Krsna, prakrta-sahajiyas, pure devotees, rasa-lila, Sahajiya, sarupa, transcendental ecstasy

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We Should Not Become Sahajiyās

Prabhupada Connection

This is a nice compalation of quotes by Srila Prabhupada on the class of devotee known as ‘ahajiya’.

“A class of so-called devotees known as prākṛta-sahajiyās sometimes display devotional symptoms to exhibit their good fortune. They are pretending, however, because these devotional features are only external. The prākṛta-sahajiyās exhibit these symptoms to advertise their so-called advancement in love of Kṛṣṇa, but instead of praising the prākṛta-sahajiyās for their symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, pure devotees do not like to associate with them. It is not advisable to equate the prākṛta-sahajiyās with pure devotees. When one is actually advanced in ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa, he does not try to advertise himself. Instead, he endeavors more and more to render service to the Lord.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya 20.28, Purport)

Sahajiyā

27 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Sahajiya, Vaisnava Vocabulary Tags: 72-07-14, Bhavananda, by the grace of Krsna, cheater, Dr Patel, impersonalism, Lord Caitanya, sahajiyas, sahijiya, Srila Prabhupada

Sahajiyā is a word I have been researching lately, trying to come up with a clear understanding of its meaning, and to better understand why Srila Prabhupada has warned us to ‘avoid the association of Sahajiyā’s and Māyāvādīs, and not to become Sahajiyā’. So the following post is the beginning of our research.

Dr. Patel: What is sahajiyā?

Prabhupāda: Sahajiyā… Sahaj means easy. Easy-going. They will smoke cigarette at the same time they will play rasa-līlā. This is sahajiyā. This is sahajiyā. They will do all nonsense; still, they will become God, imitation of God. (Morning Walk Excerpts; May 1, 1974, Bombay)

…One thing, on the invitation card you have written All Glories to Our Guru Maharaja. This is impersonalism. As soon as we offer obeisances to guru, the name should be there. We are strictly personalists. The sahajiya’s, they write Glories to Guru. Why you are learning this impersonalism, who has taught you? Daily I am offering obeisances to my Guru by vibrating his real name, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, otherwise it is impersonal. (Letter to: Bhavananda London 14 July, 1972)

Prabhupāda: These sahajiyās will come out of so many devotees. What can be done? From my Guru Mahārāja’s disciples, so many sahajiyās came. These are called sahajiyās. Very easily they capture thing. So my Guru Mahārāja used to say, “When my disciples will be sahajiyā, it will be more dangerous.”

Belief in the Words of Our Spiritual Master

30 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Caaitanya-caritamrta, Chanting Hare Krishna, Sahajiya, Spiritual Life, Spiritual Master, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Adi-lila 7.95-96, association of devotees, chanting Hare Krishna, guru, holy name of the lord, instructions of the spiritual master prabhupada vani, Lord Krsna, Spiritual Life, spiritual master, Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, vani

“I firmly believe in these words of My spiritual master, and therefore I always chant the holy name of the Lord, alone and in the association of devotees. That holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa sometimes causes Me to chant and dance, and therefore I chant and dance. Please do not think that I intentionally do it. I do it automatically. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 7.95-96)

A person who cannot keep his faith in the words of his spiritual master but acts independently never receives the authority to chant the holy name of the Lord. (from purport)

This is one of my favorite verses from the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, and the purport here is one of the most important lessons in spiritual life. Namely, success in spiritual life is faith in the words of the spiritual master and following his instructions. Thereby receiving his blessings. If one receives the blessings of his spiritual master he can chant the holy name of the lord constantly.

Full text and purport More

Remembering Krishna

25 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhismadeva, Gopis, Honey, Sahajiya, Salvation Tags: Bhismadeva, death, duration of life, gopis, impersonalist, leaving ones body, liberation, lover and the beloved, moment of death, next stage of life, sayujya, The Passing of Bhismadeva in the presence of lord Krsna

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This morning as I was reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam, my mind was drawn to the following verse:

The devotees of the Lord are accustomed to licking up the honey available from the lotus feet of the Lord. What is the use of topics which simply waste one’s valuable life? (SB 1.16.6)

Our duration of life is not very long, and there is no certainty of when we shall be ordered to leave everything for the next stage. Thus it is our duty to see that not a moment of our life is wasted in topics which are not related with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Any topic, however pleasant, is not worth hearing if it is devoid of its relation to Kṛṣṇa. (from purport)

Which lead me to remember another very beautiful verse from an earlier chapter entitled “The Passing Away of Bhīṣmadeva in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa”

Mixing with the Babajis and Sahajiyas is to be Avoided

15 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Babajis and Sahajiyas, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Sahajiya Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, asatsanga tyagi, babajis, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, mixing with babajis in Vrindaban, Nitai, sahajiyas, siddha-deha

Mixing with the Babajis and Sahajiyas is to be Avoided

Letter to: Nitai
From A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
7 June, 1976

My dear Nitai das,

Please accept my blessings. I have received information that some of our devotees are mixing with the babajis in Vrindaban. This has produced so many problems amongst our men and women who visit Vrindaban. Here in Los Angeles, we have found that there is a group of about 40 devotees who privately meet to discuss the intimate pastimes artificially thinking that they can enter into the understanding of the gopis prematurely. This will create havoc in our society, and the result will be that if this is allowed to go on, our preaching work will be greatly hampered. This premature desire to understand the lila of Krishna is due to mundane sex-life desire as we have seen amongst many of the babajis and sahajiyas in Vrindaban. Our Jagannatha das came back from Vrindaban asking me that he had heard some babaji speaking about siddha-deha and he also was listening to these babajis. So I want this immediately stopped. If it continues, this mixing with the babajis, then it will mean spoiling. In many cases, these babajis keep 2 or 3 women. Asatsanga tyagi. Their association is to be avoided and prohibited amongst all of our devotees who visit Vrindaban.

I hope that this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/pks