Jagat

The roof at Parananda Sukhada Kunj. There is some painting work to be don. I am thinking to have some shlokas painted on the walls, either from VMA or RRSN or maybe Dhruvadas . yad rādhā-pada-kiṅkarī-kṛta-hṛdā samyag bhaved gocaraṁ dhyeyaṁ naiva kadāpi yad dhṛdi vinā tasyāḥ kṛpā-sparśataḥ | yat premāmṛta-sindhu-sāra-rasadaṁ pāpaika-bhājām api tad vṛndāvana-duṣpraveśa-mahimāścaryaṁ hṛdi sphūrjatu || May the wondrous glories of Vrindavan, the understanding of which is so difficult to reach, which are only completely accessible to the heart that has become absorbed in service to Radha's lotus feet, which can never be meditated upon without the touch of Radha's mercy, and which bestows the flavors of the essence of the ocean of nectar of Prema, be manifest even to those who are devoted to a sinful life, like me. (RRSN 266) Madness is best reserved for the silence of the night when one's alone, without reservations, and out of sight. I probably have n...

As I come to the end of my three months exile from the Dham, I have decided to publish this following article, which has been sitting as a draft for most of that time. It has taken me all this time as I have struggled with my current situation in spiritual life to assess where I stand on the fundamental question of relations with other followers of Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Clearly, I have to objectively assess my own decision to apparently renounce my initiation from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, who gave me my inspiration to engage on the path of devotional service and which has sustained me throughout my life. Living in Vrindavan and also having the perspective of being an outsider to Vrindavan (a "wannabe Brijbasi" if you wish) I have arrived at what I believe is the proper position to take, as I have attempted to describe it in my most recent post of Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta ( VMA 2.50 ) This article was meant to be the last remaining part of my introduction to the pe...

The four sampradayas. P.C. " My Krishna Our Krishna ." The principle of Guru-tattva is a cornerstone of the Hindu, and certainly of the Vaishnava, tradition. Rupa Goswami's enumeration of the 64 limbs of bhakti begins with taking shelter of a guru, followed by learning about Krishna from him and then taking initiation: guru-padāśrayas tasmāt kṛṣṇa-dīkṣādi-śikṣaṇam viśrambhena guroḥ sevā sādhu-vartmānuvartanam "First take shelter of a spiritual master, then take initiation in the Krishna mantra and instruction about Krishna from him. Then serve the spiritual master with confidence and trust and follow the path established by previous saints." (BRS 1.2.74) It is not our purpose here to argue for the necessity of taking a guru, which I assume every one of my readers will accept. Bhaktivinoda Thakur himself writes on the subject often, and never deviates from the injunctions of the Upaniṣads, Gīt ā   or Bh ā gavatam in this matter. In Daśa-mūla, o r th...

The origins of the śikṣā-sampradāya idea ISKCON's disciplic line, which we have here called a śikṣā-sampradāya , (30) is traced through Bhaktivedanta Swami to Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, then to Gaura Kishor Das Babaji and then to Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Bhaktivinoda (which is the title given to Kedarnath Datta, d. 1914) was the natural father of Bhaktisiddhanta, whose original name was Bimala Prasad Datt. In the disciplic line which was proned by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, Bhaktivinoda Thakur's spiritual master was Jagannath Das Babaji. It is known from Bhaktivinoda's own writings,(31) however, that he was initiated by Bipin Bihari Goswami, a descendant of Ramacandra, the adopted son of Jahnava and founder of a dynasty of initiating gurus based in Baghna Para, a village about 20 kilometers southwest of Nabadwip.(32) One of Bhaktivinoda's eight sons, Lalita Prasad, took initiation from him and preserved the disciplic line which Bipin Bihari Goswami passed on to Bhaktivi...