Jagat

• धिक् is nearly always used alone or with the accusative. It is interjective in nature, when considering something despicable or condemnable in some way. “Damn X, fie on X, damn, what a disappointment!” It is also often used with variants of the verb कृ, e.g. when saying “he condemned him.” स तं धिक्करोति।` कृष्णो देवः कलियुगभवं लोकमालोक्य सर्वं पापासक्तं समजनि कृपासिन्धुचैतन्यमूर्तिः । तस्मिन् येषां न भवति सदा कृष्णबुद्धिर्नराणां धिक् तान् धिक् तान् धिगिति धिगिति व्याहरेत् किं मृदङ्गः ॥९॥ सर्वं कलि-युग-भवं लोकम् पापासक्तं आलोक्य, कृष्णः देवः कृपा-सिन्धु-चैतन्य-मूर्तिः समजनि । तस्मिन् महाप्रभौ येषां नराणां सदा कृष्ण-बुद्धिर्न भवति, तान् धिक् तान् धिक् धिग् इति धिग् इति मृदङ्गः व्याहरेत् किं ? Lord Krishna, having seen how all those born in the age of Kali are attached to sin, appeared in the form of Chaitanya, the ocean of mercy. As to those who do not always think of him as Krishna, do the drums not pound, “Fie on them, fie on them! Damn! Damn!” ? dhik tān dhik tān dhik ...

Another Side of Thakura Bhaktivinoda Pariśiṣṭa (An Additional Topic):  "What Changed the River’s Course?" By Gadadhar Pran Das  Email: gadadhar_das000@yahoo.co.in  After completing thirty chapters and assuming that our writing task was done, one reader put forward a good question: “Although the guru parampara of Thakur Bhaktivinoda that is described in your book appears to be genuine, why don’t more of his followers know about this?” Yes, we considered, he is right. Here is a matter that merits explanation. But before we attempt to uncover the Thakur's legacy, we should say a few words about what was going on in the beginning. Because from Gauranga Mahaprabhu’s time there was a traditional system in our Gaudiya Sampradaya that was much more in practice in Bhaktivinoda’s period than it is today: Vaishnavas were accustomed to take diksha from a Goswami parivara, a family line of Vaishnava Acharyas that descend from one of Gauranga’s eternal associates. Not only does Thakur ...

  am slowly feeling the changes that are taking place in me due to living in the Dham. The main thing is a slow indifference to all things non-Vrindavan. I am quite far from that goal, but the lesson of the past couple of years has been just how far I am. I think the lesson is humility. The best laid plans of mice and men, as it is said. I seem to have settled into a very nice place, sadhana wise, by virtue of being committed to an annual program, and moreover being committed to the Dham itself. The best thing for me this year is that I have a class of 15 or more students to study Sanskrit. I have put a lot of energy into developing the course and it is very gratifying to have a small group of students who are willing to take this journey with me. It is very strange that this is really the first time that I have ever had a class of students like this, who are coming to learn something from me that is my own creation, in a sense, and to share my life's experience with Sanskrit. ...

Jai Jai Sri Radhe.   It is a little late, but here is my invitation to all Jiva bhaktas to learn Sanskrit with me this academic year. At Jiva this year I will be offering two courses on Zoom, beginning Oct. 15th.   * Beginners Grammar Course (following the Jiva Tirtha Sanskrit manual): 3:30-4:30 IST   * Bṛhad Bhagavatāmṛta reading course: 430-5:30 IST   Check with jiva.org jiva.org to find out about registration and participation or contact me directly. I hope that some of you will take this valuable opportunity to learn Sanskrit.   The beginners' course is meant to give a good general introduction to the use of Sanskrit in our sampradāya, remembering that there are several genres within the Gauḍīya corpus. It fits a lot into a one-year period, but it is meant for people who are serious about going deeply into the scriptures.    Those who understand Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji's mindset and his goals for the Jiva Institute and the Jiva Ti...

Sanskrit is a language that was reserved for speaking about the gods and the Ultimate Truth. I have just come to complete editing of the GGM edition of Br̥had Bhāgavatāmr̥ta, where Krishna himself speaks words that are a lesson worthy of a devotee. Krishna is praising Narada because Narada's questions about who is dearest to Krishna has set off ripples of family discord in Dwaraka. Some are accusing Krishna of not loving the Vrajavasis, and others are defending him, but with sadness. The queens are generally aware that Krishna's mind is often elsewhere as he wanes away in feelings of separation from the gopis. As wives, they can only be sad, but Rukmini admits that when she realizes how they have captured his mind, even in the midst of Dwarka's opulence, married to so many beautiful princesses like herself, she considers herself only worthy to be their dasis. Satyabhama is jealous of them and goes into a bit of a huff.. Rohini, Devaki, Rukmini, Padmavati (Kamsa's mot...

By Gadadhar Pran Das Email: gadadhar_das000@yahoo.co.in   As the last chapter begins, we begin to wonder: Has this reading venture increased our readers’ desire for sādhana and bhajan? If it has, this is a good sign, as it shows that our writing is bearing the desired fruit. But next we should ask: What do sādhana and bhajana actually mean? This is because Vaishnavas have lots of different opinions about this. To answer in the context of Thakur Bhaktivinoda’s āmnāya-siddha guru-paramparā , however, it must be said that our sādhana and bhajana don’t really begin until we receive our sthāyi bhāva , or eternal relationship with Krishna. And our dīksā guru mercifully gives this at the stage called varaṇa-daśā , when we receive our siddha-mañjarī svarūpa . In the last chapter of his Harināma-cintāmaṇi , Thakur Bhaktivinoda clearly explains this process: “The guru will test the disciple to see if he or she is eligible for śṛṅgāra rasa sādhana . If they are, he will assign the ...

Śrī Rādhe! It has now been three weeks since I posted anything from Prīti Sandarbha , so I thought I would write something to my audience to explain myself. After all, it is for you that I post.  gopa-rāmā-jana-prāṇa-preyase'tiprabhūṣṇave |  tadīya-priya-dāsyāya māṁ madīyam ahaṁ dade ||  To the love of the cowherd women's lives, to the most powerful Lord, and to the service of those who are dear to him, I give myself and all that is mine.  I have been reflecting on what I am doing and how to do it more effectively. If it is worth doing at all, it should be done intelligently. So I would like, in the interest of organizing my thoughts, to review a little bit of what has been dancing through the dust of my disorganized brain.  My first priority right now is the Prīti Sandarbha editing work that I am doing on behalf of Satyanarayana Dasa Baba. That is my work and I am proud to be playing a role in the production of this work, however defective or inadequate it h...

A few days ago, a group of devotees connected to Jiva got the following letter: Radhe Radhe to all devotees. Yesterday I finally got around to printing out the translation by Jagatji that Vilasaji had sent (below). However, I noticed that the translation of a key verse does not agree with me at all, even though the translation appears literally correct. The translation asserts that the gopis are 'sullied by the sin of adultery'. The gopis are not adulterous at all; their behavior only *seems so*. I reproduce Babaji's translation below Jagatji's for comparison. Jagatji's translation: kvemāḥ striyo vana-carīr vyabhicāra-duṣṭāḥ kṛṣṇe kva caiṣa paramātmani rūḍha-bhāvaḥ nanv īśvaro ’nubhajato’viduṣo’pi sākṣāc chreyas tanoty agada-rāja ivopayuktaḥ Contrast these forest-dwelling women, who have been sullied by the sin of adultery, with this ascended stage of love for the Supreme Soul, Krishna. Surely God brings the most direct auspicious benefit to those who worship him c...

What can I say about the magnificence of Gadadhar Pran Das? It has been 40 years since he embarked on this journey of discovering rāgānugā bhakti and kāntā bhāva . His explorations have taken him into regions of Gaura bhakti tradition that very few have managed to find. Who has been able to understand the meaning of Rupa Goswami's verses and how to transform them into an active devotional life? Who has understood the meaning of madhura-rasa in the way that he has? Who has shown the kind of unbroken and constant commitment to the goal of prema-bhakti that he has? In this chapter of this work, in which he connects Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur to the origins of the guru-paramparā and finds a connection to Gora nagara bhāva is a great achievement of svārasikī bhajana . In this chapter and the previous, he has justified sharing some of the intimate details of his bhajan so that ordinary practitioners on the vidhi-mārga , who think they have learned everything there is to know...