The Nectar of Devotion

Bona Fide Spiritual Master

18 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Guru & Disciple, Lectures Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bona fide guru, bona fide spiritual master, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, guru, guru-krsna-krpaya, Gurudas photo, India, lecture on Nectar of Devotion, spiritual master, The Nectar of Devotion, Vrindavan

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…So to find out a bona fide guru is not difficult, provided one is bona fide to search out a guru. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. By the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa… Because by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa one gets a bona fide guru, and by the mercy of bona fide guru, one gets Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. When I am actually serious to have connection with Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is sitting in everyone’s heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. So Kṛṣṇa can understand. We cannot hide anything from Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible.

Bona Fide Spiritual Master

Lecture from The Nectar of Devotion
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Vṛndāvana, October 31, 1972

Pradyumna: (reading) Page xxi. “In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Lord Caitanya states that it is a fortunate person who comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. One who is serious about spiritual life is given by Kṛṣṇa the intelligence to come in contact with a bona fide spiritual master.”

Prabhupāda: Yes. Here it is stated, “It is…, it is a fortunate person.” Not the unfortunate. “It is the fortunate person who comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master.” This question, we were just discussing before coming to the class, how to select a bona fide spiritual master. So that is not very difficult. Just like in our ordinary business life, we accept somebody as representative of the firm who is actually come, canvassing for the benefit of the firm. He’s representative. Suppose he’s representing some book seller, publisher, so he should canvass for selling the books published by his firm, not for anything else. Suppose he has taken the advantage of becoming representative of a business firm, but he’s doing his own business. He’s not bona fide. He’s not bona fide. So real guru is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa… Aham eva āsam agre. Kṛṣṇa existed before the creation. Then He made His representative, Brahma. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. He instructed the original guru, Brahma. Because there was no other living creature, except Brahma, in the beginning of creation, and He instructed Brahma. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. There are other versions in the Vedas, that He instructed Brahma. So therefore, the original guru is Kṛṣṇa. The same guru, Kṛṣṇa, is instructing Arjuna also. Kṛṣṇa became guru of Arjuna. Arjuna accepted Him guru: śiṣyas te ’ham. Arjuna said, “Now I am not talking with You as friend, but I accept You as my guru.” Therefore, by sastric conclusion, Kṛṣṇa is the original guru. Who can deny it? Kṛṣṇa is jagat-guru. He’s guru of everyone, because everyone (is) accepting this authority of Kṛṣṇa. Anyone is accepting the authority of Bhagavad-gītā, he’s accepting, imperceptibly, Kṛṣṇa as guru. Therefore, bona fide spiritual master means who is representing Kṛṣṇa. Who can deny it?

So to find out a bona fide spiritual master is not a very difficult job, because if one is representing guru, Kṛṣṇa, then he must speak of Kṛṣṇa, canvass for Kṛṣṇa. What do you think, Visanji?

Indian man: Jaya, Mahārāja.

The Worship of Srimati Tulasi Devi

08 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Nectar of Devotion, Srimati Tulasi Devi Tags: Aspects of Transcendental Service, Srila Prabhupada, Srimati Tulasi Devi, The Nectar of Devotion, Tulasi, Vrnda devi

The Worship of Srimati Tulasi Devi

Tulasi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the tulasi tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuntha world.

The Nectar of Devotion 1970 Edition
Chapter 11 Aspects of Transcendental Service
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

In the Skanda Purāṇa there is a statement eulogizing the tulasī tree as follows: “Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the tulasī tree, which can immediately vanquish volumes of sinful activities. Simply by seeing or touching this tree one can become relieved from all distresses and diseases. Simply by offering obeisances to and pouring water on the tulasī tree, one can become freed from the fear of being sent to the court of Yamarāj [the King of death, who punishes the sinful]. If someone sows a tulasī tree somewhere, certainly he becomes devoted to Lord Kṛṣṇa. And when the tulasī leaves are offered in devotion at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, there is the full development of love of Godhead.”

In India every Hindu, even those not belonging to the Vaiṣṇava group, take special care of the tulasī tree. Even in great cities where it is very difficult to keep a tulasī tree, people are to be found very carefully keeping this plant. They water it and offer obeisances to it, because worship of the tulasī tree is very important in devotional service.

In the Skanda Purāṇa there is another statement about tulasī, as follows: “Tulasī is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the tulasī tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuṇṭha world.”

30 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Books by Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement Tags: 1970 Edition, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu, Krsna, Lord Caitanya, Sanskrit, Srila Rupa Goswami, The Hare Krishna Movement, The Nectar of Devotion

Original 1970 Edition
The Nectar of Devotion
by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

This book is especially intended for those who are engaged in The Hare Krishna Movement. The text is flooded with nectarean stories, philosophy and poetic verses about Krsna and His pure devotees-all taken from the Vedic literatures, It is a summary study of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, which was written in Sanskrit by Srila Rupa Goswami, the chief of the six direct disciples of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya, who apeared in India 500 years ago, is revealed by Vedic scriptures to be an incarnation of God in the role of His own devotee. He and His followers are thus most authorized to teach us how to become perfect in spiritual life.

The subject matter is love of God. the Basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. At the present moment, human society teaches one to love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing point is God or Krsna. The Nectar of Devotion teaches us how to stimulate our original love for krsna and how to be situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life. The presentation of this authoritative information about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna and our relationship with Him is simply the mercy of His pure devotee, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the acarya for the present age, who is coming in disciplic succession from Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

“The funds for printing this book have been kindly donated in loving memory of Her Grace Gangamayee Devi Dase and Her Grace Krsna Krpa Devi Dasi by their friends and families. We continue to be inspired and are grateful to those fortunate souls who, with loving devotion, present and distribute the literary works of Srila Prabhupada” -Annada Devi Dasi, December 5, 2009 Vrindavan

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