Voices in the community: Liguria, Italy

JayasriRadio
A heart-touching interview with Mohini Devi Dasi of Liguria, Italy.

16 mins mp3 audio file
Italian with English translation by Krishna Kanta Devi Dasi.

  • The daily challenges of practising life and motivation to continue
  • “As a mother I feel there is nothing better you can give your children other than Krishna consciousness. As a parent you must give something to your children and I am happy I can give this to my daughter.”
  • The importance of association and the natural transaction of faith
  • The meaning of the mission
  • Continuing to follow Srila Gurudev in separation
  • First meeting with Srila Gurudev: love at first sight
  • “He will never leave us.”

Chapter One: Life-Nectar of the Surrendered Souls

Srila Govinda Maharaj reading chapter one of Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamrtam, from the Bengali edition.
Download mp3 audio (originally published on scsmath.com)

Chapter One
ऊपक्रमामृतम्

Upakramamrtam
Prelude to Approaching Nectar

अथ मङ्गलाचरणम्—
श्रीगुरुगौरगान्धर्व्वागोविन्दाङ्घ्रीन्गणैः सह।
वन्दे प्रसादतो येषां सर्व्वारम्भाः शुभङ्कराः ॥१॥
atha maṅgalācharaṇam—
śrī-guru-gaura-gāndharvā-govindāṅghrīn gaṇaiḥ saha
vande prasādato yeṣāṁ sarvārambhāḥ śubhaṅkarāḥ [1]
Auspicious invocation—
I make my obeisance unto the lotus feet of my Divine Master, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Sri Gandharva-Giridhari (Sri Sri Radha and Krishna), and Their associates. By Their grace, all endeavours are successful.
गौरवाग्विग्रहं वन्दे गौराङ्गं गौरवैभवम्।
गौरसङ्कीर्तनोन्मत्तं गौरकारुण्यसुन्दरम्॥२॥
gaura-vāg-vigrahaṁ vande gaurāṅgaṁ gaura-vaibhavam
gaura-saṅkīrtanonmattaṁ gaura-kāruṇya-sundaram 
[2]
I make my obeisance unto the Deity, Gaura-Saraswati—the personified message of the Golden Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—whose bodily lustre is of a beautiful golden hue, like that of the selfsame Lord Gaurasundar; who is the personal expansion of that Supreme Lord Gaurahari; who is always intoxicated by preaching the message of that golden Lord; and whose divine beauty blooms in the revelation of Lord Gauranga’s mercy potency.
(This is the fundamental meaning of the verse. Within the scope of the Sanskrit language, various expanded purports may be drawn from the original.)
गुरुरूपहरिं गौरं राधारुचिरुचावृतम्।
नित्यं नौमि नवद्वीपे नामकीर्त्तननर्त्तनैः॥३॥
guru-rūpa-hariṁ gauraṁ rādhā-ruchi-ruchāvṛtam
nityaṁ naumi navadvīpe nāma-kīrtana-nartanaiḥ
[3]
Perpetually do I sing the glories of Lord Gauranga, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Hari, embraced by the heart and halo of Sri Radhika, and who has descended as the Divine Master. In this holy abode of Sri Nabadwip Dham, He is absorbed in the Pastimes of profusely chanting the Holy Names, dancing in ecstasy.
(As with verse two, expanded purports may be drawn from this verse.)
श्रीमत्प्रभुपदाम्भोजमधुपेभ्यो नमो नमः।
तृप्यन्तु कृपया तेऽत्र प्रपन्नजीवनामृते ॥४॥
śrīmat-prabhu-padāmbhoja-madhupebhyo namo namaḥ
tṛpyantu kṛpayā te ’tra prapanna-jīvanāmṛte
[4]
Again and again I make my obeisance unto the eternal personal servitors of my Divine Master, who drink the nectar of his lotus feet. I pray they may be graciously pleased in tasting this Life-Nectar of the Surrendered Souls.
आत्मविज्ञप्तिः—
अत्यर्व्वचीनरूपोऽपि प्राचीनानां सुसम्मतान्।
श्लोकान्कतिपयानत्र चाहरामि सतां मुदे ॥५॥
ātma-vijñaptiḥ—
aty-arvāchīna-rūpo ’pi prāchīnānāṁ susammatān
ślokān katipayān atra chāharāmi satāṁ mude
[5]
A humble petition—
Despite my disqualifications, for the satisfaction of the pure devotees I have compiled in this book an anthology of stanzas that are well established by our predecessors.
तद्वाग्विसर्गो जनताघविप्लवो
यस्मिन्प्रतिश्लोकमबद्धवत्यपि।
नामान्यनन्तस्य यशोऽङ्कितानि यच्
छृण्वन्ति गायन्ति गृणन्ति साधवः ॥६॥
भाः १।५।११
tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo
yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api
nāmāny anantasya yaśo ’ṅkitāni yach
chhṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ
[6]
(SB: 1.5.11)
“Even if every stanza is imperfectly composed, that is, unlucidly expressed, the sins of the people are totally vanquished by those expressions or books in which the glorious Holy Names of the Infinite Supreme Lord are described—since the pure devotees hear those Holy Names (from a qualified preacher), they solitarily sing those Holy Names (even in the absence of others), and they chant the unending glories of those Holy Names (in the presence of a deserving listener).”
अभिव्यक्ता मत्तः प्रकृतिलघुरूपादपि बुधा
विधात्री सिद्धार्थान्हरिगुणमयी वः कृतिरियम्।
पुलिन्देनाप्यग्निः किमु समिधमुन्मथ्य जनितो
हिरण्यश्रेणीनामपहरति नान्तःकलुषताम् ॥७॥श्रीरूपपादानां
abhivyaktā mattaḥ prakṛti-laghu-rūpād api budhā
vidhātrī siddhārthān hari-guṇamayī vaḥ kṛtir iyam
pulindenāpy agniḥ kim u samidham unmathya janito
hiraṇya-śreṇīnām apaharati nāntaḥ kaluṣatām
[7] 
(Sri-Rupapadanam)
“O learned personalities, this treatise, composed of the divine qualities of Lord Hari, will fulfil your cherished wishes despite the fact that it is presented by me, a very insignificant person. Does not the fire ignited from pieces of wood rubbed together by a low-born barbarian dissipate the impurities in gold?”
यथोक्ता रूपपादेन नीचेनोत्पादितेऽनले।
हेम्नः शुद्धिस्तथैवात्र विरहार्त्तिहृतिः सताम् ॥८॥
yathoktā rūpa-pādena nīchenotpādite ’nale
hemnaḥ śuddhis tathaivātra virahārti-hṛtiḥ satām
[8]
As Srila Rupa Goswamipad has (in his humility) expressed that gold can be purified with fire lit by a barbarian, similarly, the pure devotees’ grief born of their separation from the Lord may also be dispelled by this book (which will light the lamp of their divine love for the Lord).
अन्तः कवियशस्कामं साधुतावरणं बहिः।
शुध्यन्तु साधवः सर्व्वे दुश्चिकित्स्यमिमं जनम् ॥९॥
antaḥ kavi-yaśas-kāmaṁ sādhutāvaraṇaṁ bahiḥ
śudhyantu sādhavaḥ sarve duśchikitsyam imaṁ janam
[9]
O saintly devotees, please purify this wrongdoer who on the pretext of saintliness desires in his heart the prestige of a poet, and who is thus afflicted with the practically incurable disease of insincerity.
कृष्णगाथाप्रिया भक्ता भक्तगाथाप्रियो हरिः।
कथञ्चिदुभयोरत्र प्रसङ्गस्तत्प्रसीदताम् ॥१०॥
kṛṣṇa-gāthā-priyā bhaktā bhakta-gāthā-priyo hariḥ
kathañchid ubhayor atra prasaṅgas tat prasīdatām
[10]
Tidings of Lord Krishna are naturally very dear to the devotees, and tidings of the Lord’s devotees are also dear to Him. Since narratives of both the Supreme Lord and His devotees can be found within this book, I have hope, O pure devotees, that you may be propitiated hereby.
स्वभावकृपया सन्तो मदुद्देश्यमलिनताम्।
संशोध्याङ्गीकुरुध्वं भो ह्यहैतुककृपाब्धयः ॥११॥
svabhāva-kṛpayā santo mad uddeśya-malinatām
saṁśodhyāṅgīkurudhvaṁ bho hy ahaituka-kṛpābdhayaḥ
[11]
O pure devotees, by your natural divine grace, kindly purify me of all ill motives (offences) and accept this treatise. Certainly you will do so, because you are the ocean of causeless mercy.
अथ ग्रन्थपरिचयः—
ग्रन्थेऽस्मिन्परमे नाम प्रपन्नजीवनामृते।
दशाध्याये प्रपन्नानां जीवनप्राणदायकम् ॥१२॥
वर्द्धकं पोषकं नित्यं हृदिन्द्रियरसायनम्।
अतिमर्त्त्यरसोल्लासपरस्परसुखावहम् ॥१३॥
विरहमिलनार्थाप्तं कृष्णकार्ष्णकथामृतम्।
प्रपत्तिविषयं वाक्यं चोद्धृतं शास्त्रसम्मतम् ॥१४॥
atha grantha-parichayaḥ—
granthe ’smin parame nāma prapanna-jīvanāmṛte
daśādhyāye prapannānāṁ jīvana-prāṇa-dāyakam [12]
vardhakaṁ poṣakaṁ nityaṁ hṛdindriya-rasāyanam
atimartya-rasollāsa-paraspara-sukhāvaham [13]
viraha-milanārthāptaṁ kṛṣṇa-kārṣṇa-kathāmṛtam
prapatti-viṣayaṁ vākyaṁ choddhṛtaṁ śāstra-sammatam [14]
Introduction to the book—
The substance expressed within the ten chapters of this holy book called Prapanna-jivanamrtam gives life to the surrendered souls, effecting their eternal growth and nourishment. It is the panacea of the heart and spiritual senses, bestowing those dedicated devotees’ mutual happiness by the ever-increasingly newer and newer play of supramundane joy (aprakrta-rasa). Lord Krishna and His associates are portrayed in their natural Pastimes of separation and union, and the line of unconditional surrender as established by scriptures and saints has been elucidated.
अत्र चानन्यचित्तानां कृष्णपादरजोजुषाम्।
कृष्णपादप्रपन्नानां कृष्णार्थेऽखिलकर्म्मणाम् ॥१५॥
कृष्णप्रेमैकलुब्धानां कृष्णोच्छिष्टैकजीविनाम्।
कृष्णसुखैकवाञ्छानां कृष्णकिङ्करसेविनाम् ॥१६॥
कृष्णविच्छेददग्धानां कृष्णसङ्गोल्लसद्धृदाम्।
कृष्णस्वजनबन्धूनां कृष्णैकदयितात्मनाम् ॥१७॥
भक्तानां हृदयोद्घाटिमर्म्मगाथामृतेन च।
भक्तार्तिहरभक्ताशाभीष्टपूर्त्तिकरं तथा ॥१८॥
सर्व्वसंशयच्छेदिहृद्ग्रन्थिभिज्ज्ञानभासितम्।
अपूर्वरससम्भारचमत्कारितचित्तकम् ॥१९॥
विरहव्याधिसन्तप्तभक्तचित्तमहौषधम्।
युक्तायुक्तं परित्यज्य भक्तार्थाखिलचेष्टितम् ॥२०॥
आत्मप्रदानपर्य्यन्तप्रतिज्ञान्तः प्रतिश्रुतम्।
भक्तप्रेमैकवश्यस्वस्वरूपोल्लासघोषितम् ॥२१॥
पूर्णाश्वासकरं साक्षाद्गोविन्दवचनामृतम् ।
समाहृतं पिबन्तु भोः साधवः शुद्धदर्शनाः ॥२२॥
atra chānanya-chittānāṁ kṛṣṇa-pāda-rajojuṣām
kṛṣṇa-pāda-prapannānāṁ kṛṣṇārthe ’khila-karmaṇām [15]
kṛṣṇa-premaika-lubdhānāṁ kṛṣṇochchhiṣṭaika-jīvinām
kṛṣṇa-sukhaika-vāñchhānāṁ kṛṣṇa-kiṅkara-sevinām [16]
kṛṣṇa-vichchheda-dagdhānāṁ kṛṣṇa-saṅgollasaddhṛdām
kṛṣṇa-svajana-bandhūnāṁ kṛṣṇaika-dayitātmanām [17]
bhaktānāṁ hṛdayodghāṭi-marma-gāthāmṛtena cha
bhaktārti-hara-bhaktāśā-bhīṣṭa-pūrtikaraṁ tathā [18]
sarva-saṁśaya-chchhedi-hṛd-granthi-bhij-jñāna-bhāsitam
apūrva-rasa-sambhāra-chamatkārita-chittakam [19]
viraha-vyādhi-santapta-bhakta-chitta-mahauṣadham
yuktāyuktaṁ parityajya bhaktārthākhila-cheṣṭitam [20]
ātma-pradāna-paryanta-pratijñāntaḥ-pratiśrutam
bhakta-premaika-vaśya-sva-svarūpollāsa-ghoṣitam [21]
pūrṇāśvāsakaraṁ sākṣād govinda-vachanāmṛtam
samāhṛtaṁ pibantu bhoḥ sādhavaḥ śuddha-darśanāḥ [22]
Carefully compiled in this book is the nectar of the deep, heart-revealing transcendental messages of those devotees whose hearts are unalloyed; who are servitors of the dust of the lotus feet of Krishna; who perform their every act for Krishna; who are filled with insatiable desire exclusively in love of Krishna and sustain their lives on Krishna’s remnants alone; who desire only Krishna’s pleasure and serve the servants of Krishna; whose hearts burn in separation of Krishna and overflow with ecstasy in the association of Krishna; whose relative and friend is Krishna; and whose one and only beloved is Krishna.
Along with these expressions of the devotees are carefully collected the words of supreme nectar—springing directly from the lotus mouth of Lord Govinda—which vanquish the heartbreak of the devotees; which fulfil the devotee’s hopes and earnest aspirations; which destroy all doubt and sever the knot of ignorance; which are dazzling with transcendental wisdom and astonish the heart by miraculous waves of divine rapture; which are the great panacea for the devotee’s heart afflicted with the piercing pangs of separation; which are incited wholly for the devotee irrespective of his qualification or disqualification, so much so, that the Lord is bound by His pledge to give Himself to His devotee; and which openly proclaim with great ecstasy that His very nature is to be subjugated solely by the affection of His devotee, reassuring His devotees in all circumstances.
O pure and spotless devotees, may you drink deeply the quintessence of these divine elixirs.
अध्यायपरिचयः—
अत्रैव प्रथमाध्याये उपक्रमामृताभिधे।
मङ्गलाचरणञ्चात्मविज्ञप्तिर्वस्तुनिर्णयः।
ग्रन्थपरिचयोऽध्यायविषयश्च निवेशितः ॥२३॥

adhyāya-parichayaḥ—

atraiva prathamādhyāye upakramāmṛtābhidhe
mangalācharaṇañ chātma-vijñaptir vastu-nirṇayaḥ
grantha-parichayo ’dhyāya-viṣayaś cha niveśitaḥ [23]
Chapter summary—
An auspicious invocation, a humble petition, an introduction to the book and its chapters, and the theme of the philosophy of the book have, to the best of my ability, all been entered within this first chapter named ‘Upakramamrtam’ or ‘Prelude to Approaching Nectar’.
द्वितीयाध्यायके नाम श्रीशास्त्रवचनामृते।
प्रपत्तिविषया नानाशास्त्रोक्तिः सन्निवेशिता ॥२४॥
dvitīyādhyāyake nāma śrī-śāstra-vachanāmṛte
prapatti-viṣayā nānā-śāstroktiḥ sanniveśitā [24]
In the second chapter, entitled ‘Sri Sastra-vachanamrtam’, ‘The Nectar of Scriptural Word’, various scriptural quotations regarding surrender to the Supreme Lord have been compiled.
तृतीयतोऽष्टमं यावच्छ्रीभक्तवचनामृते।
प्रपत्तिः षड्विधा प्रोक्ता भागवतगणोदिता ॥२५॥
tṛtīyato ’ṣṭamaṁ yāvach chhrī-bhakta-vachanāmṛte
prapattiḥ ṣaḍ-vidhā proktā bhāgavata-gaṇoditā [25]
Chapters three to eight inclusive are entitled ‘Sri Bhakta-vachanamrtam’, ‘Words of Nectar from the Devotees’. Beautifully expressed by the lotus lips of the pure devotees of the Lord, many stanzas describing the six limbs of exclusive surrender are quoted therein.
आनुकूल्यस्य सङ्कल्पः प्रातिकूल्यविवर्ज्जनम्।
रक्षिष्यतीति विश्वासो गोप्तृत्वे वरणं तथा ॥२६॥
आत्मनिक्षेप कार्पण्ये षड्विधा शरणागतिः।
एवं पर्य्यायतश्चास्मिन्नेकैकाध्यायसङ्ग्रहः ॥२७॥
ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlya-vivarjanam
rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso goptṛtve varaṇaṁ tathā [26]
ātma-nikṣepa kārpaṇye ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ
evaṁ paryāyataś chāsminn ekaikādhyāya-saṅgrahaḥ [27]
These six chapters have been compiled, each consecutively dealing with the six limbs of surrender, which are as follows:
1. To accept everything favourable for devotion to Krishna
2. To reject everything unfavourable for devotion to Krishna
3. To be confident that Krishna will grant His protection
4. To embrace Krishna’s guardianship
5. To offer oneself unto Him
6. To consider oneself lowly and bereft.
अध्याये नवमे नाम भगवद्वचनामृते।
श्लोकामृतं समाहृतं साक्षाद्भगवतोदितम् ॥२८॥
adhyāye navame nāma bhagavad-vachanāmṛte
ślokāmṛtaṁ samāhṛtaṁ sākṣād-bhagavatoditam
[28]
In the ninth chapter entitled ‘Sri Bhagavad-vachanamrtam’, ‘Words of Nectar from the Supreme Lord’, nectarean stanzas emanating directly from the lotus mouth of the Supreme Lord have been compiled.
दशमे चरमाध्याये चावशेषामृताभिधे।
गुरुकृष्णस्मृतौ ग्रन्थस्योपसंहरणं कृतम् ॥२९॥
daśame charamādhyāye chāvaśeṣāmṛtābhidhe
guru-kṛṣṇa-smṛtau granthasyopasaṁharaṇaṁ krṭam 
[29]
Absorbed in thought of the Divine Master and Lord Sri Krishna, the tenth and final chapter entitled ‘Sri Avasesamrtam’, ‘The Divine Remnants of Nectar’, was composed as the epilogue of the book.
उद्धृतश्लोकपूर्व्वे तु तदर्थसुप्रकाशकम्।
वाक्यञ्च यत्नतस्तत्र यथाज्ञानं निवेशितम् ॥३०॥
uddhṛta-śloka-pūrve tu tad artha-suprakāśakam
vākyañ cha yatnatas tatra yathā-jñānaṁ niveśitam
[30]
Prior to each stanza quoted, an aphorism illuminating its inner purport has been carefully entered according to my best insight.
भगवद्गौरचन्द्रानां वदनेन्दुसुधात्मिका।
भक्तोक्तैर्वेशिता श्लोका भक्तभावोदिता यतः ॥३१॥
bhagavad-gaurachandrānāṁ vadanendu-sudhātmikā
bhaktoktair veśitā ślokā bhakta-bhāvoditā yataḥ
[31]
Being revealed by the Lord Himself adopting the heart of a devotee, the stanzas of pure nectar emanating from the moon of Sri Gaurachandra have been entered along with the stanzas of the devotees.
प्रपत्त्या सह चानन्यभक्तेर्नैकट्यहेतुतः।
अनन्यभक्तिसम्बन्धं बहुवाक्यमिहोद्धृतम् ॥३२॥
prapattyā saha chānanya-bhakter naikaṭya-hetutaḥ
ananya-bhakti-sambandhaṁ bahu-vākyam ihoddhṛtam
[32]
Many expressions of exclusive devotion (ananya-bhakti) have been recorded herein, since exclusive devotion is most intimately related to surrender.
भगवद्भक्तशास्त्रानां सम्बन्धोऽस्ति परस्परम्।
तत्तत्प्राधान्यतो नाम्नां प्रभेदकरणं स्मृतम् ॥३३॥
bhagavad-bhakta-śāstrānāṁ sambandho ’sti parasparam
tat tat prādhānyato nāmnāṁ prabheda-karaṇaṁ smṛtam 
[33]
Actually, ‘Words of Nectar from the Supreme Lord‘, ‘Words of Nectar from the Devotees’, and ‘The Nectar of Scriptural Word’ are all seen to be interrelated. Still, they have been portrayed separately due to their individual importance.
प्रत्यध्यायविशेषस्तु तत्र तत्रैव वक्ष्यते।
महाजनविचारस्य किञ्चिदलोछ्यतेऽधुना ॥३४॥
praty-adhyāya-viśeṣas tu tatra tatraiva vakṣyate
mahājana-vichārasya kiñchid ālochyate ’dhunā 
[34]
The unique characteristic of each chapter will be accordingly expressed therein. Now (in this respect), we may have some general deliberation, in the line of the great devotees of the Lord.
वस्तुनिर्णयः—
भगवद्भक्तितः सर्व्वमित्युत्सृज्य विधेरपि।
कैङ्कर्य्यं कृष्णपादैकाश्रयत्वं शरणागतिः॥३५॥
vastu-nirṇayaḥ—
bhagavad-bhaktitaḥ sarvam ity utsṛjya vidher api
kaiṅkaryaṁ kṛṣṇa-pādaikāśrayatvaṁ śaraṇāgatiḥ 
[35]
Theme of the work—
Being governed by the faith that all success is achieved by serving the Supreme Lord, to abandon servitude to even scriptural injunctions and take exclusive refuge in the lotus feet of Sri Krishna in every time, place, and circumstance, is known as saranagati—unconditional surrender.
सर्व्वान्तर्यामितां दृष्ट्वा हरेः सम्बन्धतोऽखिले।
अपृथग्भावतद्दृष्टिः प्रपत्तिर्ज्ञानभक्तितः ॥३६॥
sarvāntaryāmitāṁ dṛṣṭvā hareḥ sambandhato ’khile
apṛthag-bhāva-tad-dṛṣṭiḥ prapattir jñāna-bhaktitaḥ [36]
Some consider saranagati to be that God consciousness which is realisation of the one non-differentiated nature in all beings and objects, by seeing the Supreme Lord as the indwelling Supersoul of everything. However, such a conception falls within the category of calculative devotion (jnana-bhakti). It is not in the line of unadulterated pure devotion (suddha-bhakti).
नित्यत्वञ्चैव शास्त्रेषु प्रपत्तेर्ज्ञायते बुधैः।
अप्रपन्नस्य नृजन्मवैफल्योक्तेस्तु नित्यता ॥३७॥
nityatvañ chaiva śāstreṣu prapatter jñāyate budhaiḥ
aprapannasya nṛ-janma-vaiphalyoktes tu nityatā [37]
By scriptural reference, the learned know of the eternality of surrender to the Lord, since the futility of human life without that surrender is elucidated therein. In this way, the eternal constitution of surrender is established.
नान्यदिच्छन्ति तत्पादरजःप्रपन्नवैष्णवाः।
किञ्छिदपीति तत्तस्याः साध्यत्वमुच्यते बुधैः ॥३८॥
nānyad ichchhanti tat pāda-rajaḥ-prapanna-vaiṣṇavāḥ
kiñchid apīti tat tasyāḥ sādhyatvam uchyate budhaiḥ [38]
Because the devotees who have surrendered unto the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord never aspire for anything else whatsoever, the learned affirm that surrender is the attainable goal of all endeavours.
भवदुःखविनाशश्च परनिस्तारयोग्यता।
परं पदं प्रपत्त्यैव कृष्णसम्प्राप्तिरेव च ॥३९॥
bhava-duḥkha-vināśaś cha para-nistāra-yogyatā
paraṁ padaṁ prapattyaiva kṛṣṇa-samprāptir eva cha [39]
Only by surrender to the Lord can one gain freedom from the miseries of birth, death, disease, and infirmity; fitness to deliver others from those miseries; the holy abode of Lord Visnu; and the devotional service of Lord Krishna.
श्रवणकीर्त्तनादीनां भक्त्यङ्गानां हि याजने।
अक्षमस्यापि सर्व्वाप्तिः प्रपत्त्यैव हराविति ॥४०॥
śravaṇa-kīrtanādīnāṁ bhakty-aṅgānāṁ hi yājane
akṣamasyāpi sarvāptiḥ prapattyaiva harāv iti [40]
Everything is accomplished by surrendering unto the lotus feet of Sri Hari, even for one who is unable to execute the integral practises of devotional service based on hearing and chanting.
सख्यरसाश्रितप्राया सेति केचिद्वदन्ति तु।
माधुर्य्यादौ प्रपन्नानां प्रवेशो नास्ति चेति न ॥४१॥
sakhya-rasāśrita-prāyā seti kechid vadanti tu
mādhuryādau prapannānāṁ praveśo nāsti cheti na [41]
Some claim that surrender is generally in the relationship of friendship (sakhya-rasa). But it is complete fallacy to think that surrendered souls have no entrance into divine relationships headed by consorthood (madhura-rasa).
सकृत्प्रवृत्तिमात्रेण प्रपत्तिः सिध्यतीति यत्।
लोभोत्पादनहेतोस्तदालोचनप्रयोजनम् ॥४२॥
sakṛt pravṛtti-mātreṇa prapattiḥ sidhyatīti yat
lobhotpādana-hetos tad ālochana-prayojanam [42]
Since surrender is achieved by turning to the refuge of the Lord just once, we should earnestly discuss the subject to enable the longing for surrender to be born in us.
अपि तदानुकूल्यादिसङ्कल्पाद्यङ्गलक्षणात्।
तदनुशीलनीयत्वमुच्यते हि महाजनैः ॥४३॥
api tad ānukūlyādi-saṅkalpādy-aṅga-lakṣaṇāt
tad anuśīlanīyatvam uchyate hi mahājanaiḥ [43]
Furthermore, since the constituent parts of surrender—based on acceptance of the favourable and rejection of the unfavourable—have been referred to by authorities and cited in the scriptures, the great devotees of the Lord teach us the necessity of studying and culturing the art of surrender.
भवार्त्तिपीड्यमानो वा भक्तिमात्राभिलाष्यपि।
वैमुख्यबाध्यमानोऽन्यगतिस्तच्छरणं व्रजेत् ॥४४॥
bhavārti-pīḍyamāno vā bhakti-mātrābhilāṣy api
vaimukhya-bādhyamāno ’nya-gatis tach chharaṇaṁ vrajet
[44]
One who is severely afflicted by fear of living in the material world, or, one who, despite having an aspiration for the Lord’s service is nonetheless bound with adversity—such persons, finding no alternative, surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
आश्रयान्तरराहित्ये वान्याश्रयविसर्ज्जने।
अनन्यगतिभेदस्तु द्विविधः परिकीर्तितः ॥४५॥
āśrayāntara-rāhitye vānyāśraya-visarjane
ananya-gati-bhedas tu dvi-vidhaḥ parikīrtitaḥ [45]
The state of finding no other alternative occurs in two ways: in the event of having no other shelter, or in the event of abandoning one’s existing shelter.
मनोवाक्कायभेदाच्च त्रिविधा शरणागतिः।
तासां सर्व्वाङ्गसम्पन्ना शीघ्रं पूर्णफलप्रदा।
न्यूनाधिक्येन चैतासां तारतम्यं फलेऽपि च ॥४६॥
mano-vāk-kāya-bhedāch cha tri-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ
tāsāṁ sarvāṅga-sampannā śīghraṁ pūrṇa-phala-pradā
nyūnādhikyena chaitāsāṁ tāratamyaṁ phale ’pi cha [46]
One surrenders by thought, word, and deed. Complete surrender in all these aspects promptly affords full success. Otherwise, the fruit attained will be proportionate to the degree of one’s surrender.
अपूर्व्वाफलत्वं—
विनाश्य सर्व्वदुःखानि निजमाधुर्य्यवर्षणम्।
करोति भगवान्भक्ते शरणागतपालकः ॥४७॥

apūrva-phalatvaṁ—

vināśya sarva-duḥkāni nija-mādhurya-varṣaṇam
karoti bhagavān bhakte śaraṇāgata-pālakaḥ [47]
The unprecedented, gracious reward of surrender—
Being most affectionate toward His surrendered souls, the Supreme Lord totally dispels their unhappiness, graciously filling their hearts with His sweet absolute presence.
अप्यसिद्धं तदीयत्वं विना च शरणागतिम्।
इत्यपूर्व्वफलत्वं हि तस्याः शंसन्ति पण्डिताः ॥४८॥
apy asiddhaṁ tadīyatvaṁ vinā cha śaraṇāgatim
ity apūrva-phalatvaṁ hi tasyāh śaṁsanti paṇḍitāḥ [48]
Without unconditional surrender (saranagati), one cannot conceive of oneself as ‘belonging to Him’. And this is why the learned sing (par excellence) the glories of surrender’s ability to yield her unprecedented, gracious fruit.
अथवा बहुभिरेतैरुक्तिभिः किं प्रयोजनम्।
सर्व्वसिद्धिर्भवेदेव गोविन्दचरणाश्रयात् ॥४९॥
athavā bahubhir etair uktibhiḥ kiṁ prayojanam
sarva-siddhir bhaved eva govinda-charaṇāśrayāt [49]
Otherwise, what would have been the need for so abundantly singing her praises? Only by unconditional surrender unto the lotus feet of Govinda is all perfection attained—nothing remains to be attained.
श्रीसनातनजीवादिमहाजनसमाहृतम्।
अपि चेन्नीचसंस्पृष्टं पीयूषं पीयतां बुधाः ॥५०॥
śrī-sanātana-jīvādi-mahājana-samāhṛtam
api chen nīcha-saṁspṛṣṭaṁ pīyūṣaṁ pīyatāṁ budhāḥ [50]
Even though touched by one as lowly as me, please, O learned devotees, drink this nectar gathered by the great souls headed by Srila Sanatan and Sri Jiva.

इति श्रीप्रपन्नजीवनामृते

उपक्रमामृतं

नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः ।

iti śrī-prapanna-jīvanāmṛte
upakramāmṛtaṁ
nāma prathamo ’dhyāyaḥ

Thus ends the first chapter,

Prelude to Approaching Nectar

in

Life-Nectar of the Surrendered Souls

Positive and Progressive Immortality

Free service

If I need one glass of water and I say to you, Give me one glass of water, you can give it to me no doubt, but that is second class service. You have freedom and you can understand through your realisation, “Now you need a little water.” If you will serve with your full freedom then that will be very good for the Lord.


Download mp3 audio file.  21 mins, with Italian translation by Krishna Kanta Devi Dasi.
This audio file starts at the beginning of Srila Gurudev’s talk, which is presented in the article Real Friendship.
When Kṛṣṇa mercifully gives His divine rays of mercy upon us, we will understand what is what. Kṛṣṇa is making harmony for everyone, and everyone’s heart, and everything. To make that harmony He is sometimes destroying a little, sometimes making a little, and sometimes making a little adjustment.
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharamsya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmi aham
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 4.7)
When the religious world becomes very disturbed, I Myself manifest there as an incarnation and make harmony as soon as possible, so that it is again running in the line of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
But Kṛṣṇa has given us freedom, and He will not take back that freedom. That is His great mercy. If I need one glass of water and I say to you, Give me one glass of water, you can give it to me no doubt, but that is second class service. You have freedom and you can understand through your realisation, “Now you need a little water.” If you will serve with your full freedom then that will be very good for the Lord.
Everyone has very good qualities: Kṛṣṇa has given everyone fifty qualities, and more qualities can also come by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. If you merge into the rāga-mārga, then more than Kṛṣṇa’s quality will come to you. But that is so far. What is existing in vidhi-mārga is not a little bit. Everything is possible by our freedom if we use it wisely and properly.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is like that. Here is love, here is affection, attachment, and hankering for service is the inspiration, and always activated with the devotee. It is not necessary to unnecessarily advise others there. Everyone is doing their own duty. Where some deficiency is seen, it is also created by Yogamāyā for the divine Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. For the happiness of Kṛṣṇa some deficiency is created by Yogamāyā sometimes, somewhere. But the free will of the devotees is always supplying service for the satisfaction of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That type of world is Goloka Vṛndāvan. Even time is waiting for service. Here time is always passing, and whether you do or don’t do time will pass. But there everything is existing within the mood of service, and so time is also not passing without the inspiration from Yogamāyā. It is written in Brahma-saṁhitā,
sa yatra kṣīrābdhiḥ sravati surabhībhyaś cha sumahān
nimeṣārdhākhyo vā vrajati na hi yatrāpi samayaḥ
(Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.56)
Half a moment is not passing without service, and without giving inspiration to all for service.
That is the target of our Rūpānuga sampradāya. And that wave, by the grace of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, by the grace of Mādhavendra Purī, by the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and our Guru-paramparā, has come down as the wave of the spiritual service world. It is necessary to connect with that wave in any way. Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu said,
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā-matiḥ
krīyatāṁ yadi kuto ‘pi labhyate
tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalaṁ
janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate
(Padyavali: 14)
[“Purchase ecstatic devotion to Krishna wherever it is available! The only price is hankering. It is not attainable by acting piously (practising vidhi-bhakti) for ten million lifetimes.”]
You can connect with that wave if you have extreme hankering and greed for that.
Spoken by Srila Gurudev in Italy, September 2000.
This is a continuation of Real Friendship

The real prescription

They want to know how many hands Mahavishnu has, they want to know how many legs Nrsimhadev has, they want to know how Nrsimhadev is eating. They are reading so many big, big things somewhere, and someone is hearing, “Prabhupad said this, Prabhupad said that”; someone is telling, “This scripture said this, this scripture said that”—but nothing will come for my spiritual benefit!

The following response came in a very particular way: after patiently responding to repeated technical questions regarding the tatastha-sakti and the nature of the jiva’s fall to the material world, His Divine Grace suddenly segued into a discussion about the difficulty some devotees face with drugs and habits of intoxication, and how they can best overcome this. When a listener then asked Srila Gurudev for further advice on this point, Srila Gurudev responded with a strong reprimand on the knowledge-seeking attempt in devotional life—clearly speaking not to the immediate question at hand (which had really already been answered), but rather to the previous persons who had persisted in pressing His Divine Grace for details on the nature of the jiva’s fall.

Download mp3 audio
 Question: We are living in this Western society and more or less we are all like victims, prone to fall prey of the material environment. What is the remedy? We need some forceful advice, some stronger medicine, to help us become free of this.
Srila Gurudev: It is difficult to give forceful advice. I can give that stronger medicine. I know that medicine, but I cannot give that. That is not only your question, it is my question to myself. I need to do good for my friends. Who is taking initiation from me is my disciple and I have responsibility for my disciples. I must try to give relief my disciples first. That is my duty.
The remedy is a very simple remedy, given by Srimad Bhagavat, and I can say it to whoever is under control of me. If he or she will follow me blindly then they will get the remedy. It is very simple. Krishna gave that method to the devotees, and Mahaprabhu Himself happily accepted that remedy. But if I shall say it [publicly] in the meeting no one will learn happily. No one will learn my teachings. My disciples will learn, because I am with them from the beginning; but I also have some general responsibility for others, and their prescription must be another prescription. But actually, the real prescription is what was given by Srimad Bhagavat, what was given by Mahaprabhu. That is the real prescription, but who will learn it, who will hear it, and who will follow it?
They want to know how many hands Mahavishnu has, they want to know how many legs Nrsimhadev has, they want to know how Nrsimhadev is eating. They are reading so many big, big things somewhere, and someone is hearing, “Prabhupad said this, Prabhupad said that”; someone is telling, “This scripture said this, this scripture said that”—but nothing will come for my spiritual benefit! We are publishing so many big, big books, showing our knowledge, “I am doing this, I am doing that”, but I am not taking any instruction from my instructor or any instruction from my friend.
I am living in the ‘higher plane’, that is the egoist temple. But it is first necessary to blast that egoist plane.
jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti 
This sloka is the remedy. Mahaprabhu gave this, and Mahaprabhu accepted this.
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaranaṁ vraja
Even this verse Mahaprabhu did not happily accept. If you read Ramananda Ray and Mahaprabhu’s conversation you will see.
It is not necessary to know everything. It is not necessary to make any confusion with any hazy matter. No benefit will come to us through that. Benefit will come if we are surrendered to the Lord, and not only surrendered,
jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām

Mahaprabhu said, “Yes, this is some remedy.” We may have so much knowledge about Bhagavad-gita, about Bhagavat, about Veda, Vedanta, Upanisad, but what is the use of that?
Once a friend of my friend, a magistrate in Puri, was abusing our sampradaya, saying, “If someone has not read Govinda-bhasyam how can he be considered a sannyasi of the sampradaya?” I was very disturbed. In my house he was abusing the Vaishnava sannyasis and I could not tolerate it. I came out from my room and told him, “Oh ‘Mr eligible person’, I read Govinda-bhasyam and how many hands do you see on me? How much hands have you seen on me? You read Govinda-bhasyam, and how many hands have you got? How many hands does your guru, who taught you Govinda-bhasyam, have? Has everyone got chatur-bhuj [a four-handed form]? How much progress have you made after reading Govinda-bhasya? You are a lawyer, you are dealing with material law, and illegally or legally you are doing that. How many hands have you got, that you can abuse the Vaishnavas?”
The fact is this: we may know everything of the scriptures but if we do not know how to swim we will drown in the river. That is the fact in front of us. I am initiating some persons: I want to give them the process through which they can gain liberation from this material world and join in the transcendental world. I am giving them the seeds of what I have heard and what I have received, along with my wellwishes, my blessings, and everything, and they will be promoted with that.
It is necessary to follow a real practising life, and that will come through tṛṇād api sunīchena [being more humble than a blade of grass], taror iva sahiṣṇunā [being tolerant like a tree], amāninā [not expecting respect], mānadena [giving respect]. How much are we following that? We need to preach this to them first. Leave your egoistic tendency.
jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti 
Mahaprabhu said it. Srimad Bhagavat said it.
If we want a real practising life it is not necessary to read so many things. It is not necessary to know so many matters. Only how to swim, that is necessary to know! I want to cross the river. But we want to know, “Why is the sun coming out on the east side, and why is it setting on the west side, and why is the air flowing all over the world, why is this star giving that result, and why is that star giving that.” We are trying to collect so much knowledge but we are not trying to collect how to swim.
It is my advice to my friends who are depending upon me, “Be serious for your practising life.” It is not necessary to read so many things. I told you, those three books are sufficient: Srimad Bhagavad-gita, Brahma samhita, and Chaitanya-charitamrta. If someone is a preacher, then under guidance of his Guru, if necessary, he will try to preach something. But always with these three qualities of humility, tolerance, and giving honour to others. Otherwise, the result will not come to us.
Srila Gurudev speaking in Italy, August 1999, during the Fourteenth World Tour.
Reference
jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir
ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām
(Srimad Bhagavatam: 10.14.3)
“In whatever position they may be, those who give up the endeavour for knowledge, surrender to the sadhus, and dedicate their lives bodily, verbally, and mentally to their talks of the Lord, can conquer the Lord, who is otherwise unconquerable.”
Spoken by Srila Gurudev in Italy, August 1999, during His Divine Grace’s fourteenth world tour.

Krishna Kanta Didi: the fire of self-sacrifice

“Sometimes we are very enthusiastic but we don’t have a clear idea of what service is: we come to Krishna consciousness with our own conceptions and we try to apply our own ideas of what is ‘good’ and what is ‘spiritual’. When we engage in very deep service, we take all these misconceptions with us, and if we don’t leave them they will take us away, and we will go behind them. If those misconceptions don’t get burned in the fire of sacrifice and we don’t get to the proper conception of service, then we may decide that this is not what we expected and just want to leave. I’ve seen this happen sometimes.

“If you live in your house and chant your mantra you can live very peacefully, but when you do some active service like preaching then so many obstacles will come, from the environment and from within yourself, because the purification of the heart is starting in a serious way.”

—Krishna Kanta Devi Dasi


mp3 audio
The Absolute Truth must be sought out through a real process; otherwise we shall go the wrong way and then say, “Oh, there is nothing here; it is not real.” So, only if we follow this real process of understanding the truth will we experience the real nature of divinity.
(Sri Guru and His Grace, chapter one)
Our practice, our advancement, needs all these difficulties. Otherwise we may not know what is progress and we will become hypocrites, and give the same adulterated thing to others. So, to purify ourselves it is necessary that so many disturbances come.
(Sri Guru and His Grace, chapter five)
So, what is service proper? Hegel’s philosophy is “die to live”: dissolve your ego as it is at present. Dissolve it mercilessly—die. Die means to dissolve, mercilessly. Throw yourself into the fire and you will come out with a bright self. Learn to die as you are: that mental concocted body, that concocted energy. Take the Name of the Lord and die. Bhakati-vinoda aja apane bhulila. Forget yourself as you are at present, and you will find your proper self there that does not die. Death is ordained for our existence, so give to the death that part of you that is ordained to die, and the eternal part of you will remain.
(Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion Vol IV chapter five)

Open wide your heart

What are the waves of the infinite, what sort of wave will come to touch you from the infinite, the centre of infinite, of love, beauty? Wait and see. Be clear, open, unbiased.

For the satisfaction of Srila Gurudev and the Vaisnavas, we are happy to inaugurate this new series of excerpts from the talks of the Guardian of Devotion, our beloved grand-guru, His Divine Grace Sri Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Deva-Goswami.

Download mp3 audio.
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na chāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

na cha mat-sthāni bhūtāni paśya me yogam aiśvaram
(Srimad Bhagavad-gita 9.4–5)
“I am everywhere, everything is in Me; I am nowhere, nothing is in Me. I am not a madman. Try to have an estimation of Myself, Arjuna, what am I.” Has such a bold statement ever come in the world of philosophy? (Chuckling) “I am everywhere, I am nowhere, everything in Me, nothing in Me. Try to ascertain, what am I. This sort of straight, simple, and most perplexing, and impossible possible together. I am there.”
So,
jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām

Give up your attempt of measuring Him, but through faith try to approach. You are finite, so how much faith may you have about infinite? Very little. So don’t think that you will be deceived, that your faith will deceive you. You are a teeny person; what is the length and breadth of your faith? In the infinite anything is possible. So don’t be afraid of your blind faith when you come in the search of Krishna, infinite. Only faith can take you there, and no knowledge. It is clearly stated in Bhagavatam. Never approach with the instrument of knowledge. That will deceive you. But through faith Adhoksaja can come down. And if you doubt He may not care to come down to you.
Open, spread wide your heart to receive Him, and prepare yourself for what sort of wonderful lila He may come to show you. Be so much broad. And wait. What are the waves of the infinite, what sort of wave will come to touch you from the infinite, the centre of infinite, of love, beauty? Wait and see. Be clear, open, unbiased. Don’t go to measure with your teeny examples from this finite world of nasty nature.
tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalam
Only your hankering can help you to have a touch of that magnanimous divine thing. If you go to challenge He will not care to come. What is the loss to Him? You are deceived. Go forward with your heart within.
jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ
Brahma says “jānanta eva jānantu, those that say they know something, let them enjoy self-deception thereby, but manaso vapuṣo vācho vaibhavaṁ tava go-charaḥ, I could not enter into the very negligent slight point of your acquaintance. This is my finding.” Brahma says like that. “Those puffed up fools, they may talk about anything, they can know this, they can know that, everything can be known, let those fools dance with their foolish tendency. But I am sure that no instrument can have any slight touch of Him.” He is always new, always new, of new characteristic. He is infinite. Finite and infinite are of opposite character.
When we went to preach in Karachi the Arya Samaj thought, “We have got a prey, Vaisnavas are idolaters.” The president came to attack, and he told me, “If the finite can know the infinite then He is not infinite.” It came to my mind immediately, “If infinite cannot make Himself known to finite then He is not infinite.” Just opposite. He made a handshake, “Namaste.”
That is only our solace, that the infinite can make Himself known to the finite. And finite cannot know infinite. So we always foster that characteristic of the infinite, His grace. That should be our fare, our attitude. We have come not to deal with a limited thing. My aspiration is not so base, and mean. I have come in the relativity of the infinite so my behaviour must be according to that.
tṛṇād api su-nīchena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā māna-dena

The negative tendency should be increased to attract the positive. “I can’t stay without Your least connection.” With that we have to invite him. “I am din and poor and mean, I am so and so, the meanest fellow, there is no one meaner than myself.” That is the way.
Our Prabhupad used to give an example: in a fair it is seen that a bamboo post is there and it is smeared with oil and ripe plaintain fruit, so it is very slippery; and there is a man on the side who says that if one can climb up he will be given such a reward. And everyone, wherever he catches the pole, he comes down. He cannot go up. The aroha pantha [ascending path] is like that. We cannot go up. It is slippery. We can come down, but we cannot go up.
So we are brave enough to deal with such a thing, we have such audacity. But still the position is there, that it is possible by His grace, the line of His grace; He wants to distribute Himself in a particular line: srauta pantha, guru paramparya. Our necessity is exclusively there with the srauta paramparya, guru paramparya. The knowledge, and the bhajan, everything comes down from infinite to finite and never aroha pantha, from finite to infinite. That should always be the backbone of our movement. So whatever we shall go to do we shall look up to Gurudev, “If you do, it may be done. I have nothing, I am nowhere Sir, I am nowhere.”
Once I found in the history of Ramanuja that he had a sitting with a mayavadi pandit for fourteen days and could not defeat him; he came frustrated to Varadaraja [Deity of Lord Vishnu worshipped in South India], “What am I, I can’t defeat in discussion. For so many days I am trying to argue, but I am nothing, nowhere. I should not go on with my head erect as an acharya of the sampradaya.” He prayed at Varadaraja’s temple. And the next day, no sooner had he begun a slight talk, than that gentleman expressed his defeat. He clearly showed, “Yes, I have understood what you have said. I am wrong, and what you say is right.” Easily that man was defeated.
So, devotees are always expectant upward, “By Guru’s will: I have got nothing. Nothing. He may do through me. If I go to assert myself I shall not only be defeated, but I shall also be lost. But when I shall go to show even a proud attitude in the name of my Guru, and sincerely, then it will be bhajan. It will help me and others also.” The tendency will be to take power from above; the attempt of the acharyas will always be to bring things from above, from their guru. “By your grace.” Always dependent. He can never say, “I am in possession of the potency, power.” No.
jagāi mādhāi haite muñi se pāpiṣṭha
purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha

[“I am more sinful than Jagāi and Mādhāi and even lower than the worms in the stool.”]
mora nāma śune yei tāra puṇya kṣaya
mora nāma laya yei tāra pāpa haya
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta: 1.5.205-6)

[“Anyone who hears my name loses the results of his pious activities. Anyone who utters my name becomes sinful.”]
The conception of the ego of the negativity is so intense. “I am such. But Nityananda Prabhu is great, He is patita-pavan, and so I have got.”
ye yathā patita haya tava dayā tathodaya
tathā āmi supātra dayā
“I can claim because I am the most fallen. I think I realise that I am the most fallen. I have got the greatest claim for your grace, mercy.” That should be the attitude of a real devotee. As mean as one conceives, has a conception of himself, so great he is in the eye of the devotees. Dainya. Hankering, laulyam, hankering, arti, that is their wealth, the wealth of the devotees, it is there. “I am proud of the power of my Gurudev and never of myself.” That should be the attitude of the devotee.
Spoken by Srila Param Guru Maharaj, 28 February 1981, Sri Nabadwip Dham.

Avatara Sara

Śrī Gaura Avatār is the best of all Avatārs. Why don’t you serve Him? O mind, you resided beside water, but did not quench your thirst.


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Srila Gurudev singing Avatara sara on Gaura Purnima day, 28 February 1991.
avatāra sāra gorā avatāra
kena nā bhajili tā̐re
kari’ nīre vāsa gela nā piyāsa
āpana karama phere [1]
Śrī Gaura Avatār is the best of all Avatārs. Why don’t you serve Him? O mind, you resided beside water, but did not quench your thirst. You returned to your selfishness.
kaṇṭakera taru sadāi sevili (mana)
amṛta pā’bāra āśe
prema-kalpataru śrī gaurāṅga āmāra
tāhāre bhavili viṣe [2]
O mind, desiring to drink nectar, you constantly chewed thorned wood (and mistook the blood in your mouth for nectar). My Lord Gaurāṅga is a wish-fulfilling tree of divine love, but you considered Him to be poison.
saurabhera āśe palāśa śuṅkili (mana)
nāsāte paśila kīṭa
‘ikṣu-daṇḍa’ bhāvi’ kāṭha chuṣili (mana)
kemane pāibi miṭha [3]
O mind, seeking a fragrance, you smelled the odourless palāśa flower, and insects entered your nose. O mind, considering it sugarcane, you sucked dry wood. How will you taste sweetness in this way?
‘hāra’ baliyā galāya parili (mana)
śamana kiṅkara sāpa
‘śītala’ baliyā āguna pohāli (mana)
pāili vajara-tāpa [4]
O mind, considering it a necklace, you wore death’s attendant serpent around your neck. O mind, considering it to be cooling, you embraced fire and received a scorching burn.
saṁsāra bhajili śrī-gaurāṅga bhulili
nā śunili sādhura kathā
iha-parakāla dukāla khoyāli (mana)
khāili āpana māthā [5]
You served your family (mundane ends), forgot Śrī Gaurāṅga, and never listened to the sādhus’ words. O mind, you wasted both this life and your next life. You depraved yourself.
(Śrīla Lochan Dās Ṭhākur)

Remembering Srila Gurudev: Braja Mohini Devi Dasi

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In this interview Braja Mohini Devi Dasi of USA discusses Srila Gurudev’s love and affection and all-accommodating nature, and of a life consecrated to the service of His Divine Grace.
We apologise for the poor audio quality of this recording.
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Photo: Braja Mohini DD (left) leading Srila Gurudev’s arati song at a preaching/fundraising event for the Soquel Seva Ashram.