As you sow, so shall you reap

                                                     Sree Sree Guru Gauranga Jayatah


There was a king whose prime minister was a great devotee. He always used to provide solace for others and pacify persons who came to him for help with their worldly troubles. He used to say, “You should not be disturbed or disheartened. You do not know what you did in your past life. You do not know what you will do in the future. So by seeing this present loss you should not be disturbed. There should have been a greater loss but by the Grace of Sri Krishna it has been reduced. It is all for the best! It is all for the best! Don’t be disheartened”.

The necessity to accept a bona fide Guru

                                                       Sree Sree Guru Gauranga Jayatah

tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nishtham
To obtain the knowledge about the Supreme Lord (knowledge that includes spontaneous loving service), a sincere aspirant desirous of eternal welfare should approach a bona fide Guru, expert in the conclusions of all the Vedas and steady in pure doctrines of devotion to Krishna, with offerings (gifts or honoraria) and surrender unto him with mind, body and speech.Acharyavan purushoveda – Only to a person who had taken initiation from an acharya and performs devotional service to him will realize the Supreme Lord.guru krishna-rupa han sastrera pramane
guru-rupe krishna kripa karena bhakta-gane
siksa-guruke ta’ jani krishnera svarupa
antaryami, bhakta-srestha,——ei dui rupa
(Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adilila, 1.45, 47)According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures, the spiritual master is nondifferent from Krishna. Lord Krishna in the form of the spiritual master delivers His devotees. One should know the instructing spiritual master to be the Personality of Krishna. Lord Krishna manifests Himself as the Supersoul and as the greatest devotee of the Lord.guravo bahavah santi sishya vittapaharakah
durlabhah sadgururdevi sishya santapa harakah
Oh Devi! There are many gurus who steal the wealth of the disciples but a bona fide guru who steals the miseries of the disciples is very rare.kali-kale nama-rupe krishna-avatara
nama haite haya sarva-jagat-nistara
nama vinu kali-kale nahi ara dharma
sarva-mantra-sara nama, ei sastra-marma
In this Age of Kali, the holy name is the incarnation of Lord Krishna. In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.

Disappointments and Bhajan

                                                  Sree Sree Guru Gauranga Jayatah


We should not be disappointed by the happenings of the world and give up our Bhajana. This world is the place of turmoil and disturbances caused by the illusory energy of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Only a completely surrendered soul can surmount the ocean of births and deaths – threefold afflictions. We are to practice six-fold Saranagati which is the basis of devotional life. Without Saranagati, there cannot be Bhakti.

We should not be perturbed by mundane worldly loss and gain. We should be very careful about the eternal benefit of the eternal self which will go with us.

Whatever is done by the Will of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Who is All-Good, is for the eternal benefit of all. Jivas reap the fruits of their own Karma. Nobody is to be blamed for this. We should not be perturbed under any circumstance and give up Bhajana in our short duration of stay in this transitory world. A completely surrendered soul is always protected and maintained by Sri Krishna. There is no cause of anxiety to him. He remains calm under all circumstances. We are controlled by Absolute-Will. We cannot do anything against His Will. Whether we shall lead an ascetic life or household life depends upon His Will. If He wishes anything, nobody can obstruct it.

We cannot see adjustment and cannot find solution by our own capacity. Total unconditional submission is the only way of solving problems. Jivas commit offence at the Lotus Feet of Sri Krishna, when they, being eternal servants of Sri Krishna, become averse to Sri Krishna. As long as Jivas will not remove this offence, there will be no practical solution. Maya will surely envelop them and there will be desire for enjoyment which will hurl them down to hell – intense suffering.

The root cause of the disease is to be eradicated, otherwise undesirable symptoms will crop up.
Hence, the root cause of all troubles, repugnance to Sri Krishna, is to be removed. We are averse to Sri Krishna from time immemorial. This averseness cannot be removed all of a sudden. It may require thousands of births or one birth. Even Ambarish Maharaja, the great devotee, could conquer all material desires gradually. Nothing can be achieved all of a sudden.
‘Sadhya’ – ultimate blissful spiritual existence – cannot be attained without ‘Sadhana’. Association of bona fide real Sadhus is essential for spiritual enhancement.

Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha
October 15, 2011. Sri Govardhan.

Saranagati

                                                  Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

The moment we shall submit to Sri Krishna unconditionally, our all ills and sufferings will go. A surrendered soul has got no separate desire of his own. He is happy in whatever circumstances he is put to by the will of His beloved Supreme Master.

Sharangati is of sixfold. We are to Practice it :

1. We are to accept all that is congenial for pure devotion.

2. Give up all that is not congenial.

3. Should have firm faith that Sri Krishna will protect us under all circumstances --- from outside foes and inside foes (Passions).

4. He is the only Sustainer and Maintainer of our real and apparent selves.

5. We all belong to Him i.e., we are of Him (Atmanivendan).

6. We should give up all material egos --- should think we are spiritual spark -- minutest part of the marginal potency (tatastha Shakti) of supreme Lord Sri Krishna, i.e. we should be humble than the blade of grass.

A completely surrendered soul has no cause of being worried under any circumstances, under any pressure in this most transitory world. Supreme Lord Sri Krishna protects and sustains always a bonafide surrendered soul. According to our Karma we get congenial and uncongenial environments. Nobody is to be blamed for this.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Always remember Sri Nrsimhadeva

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

We should always remember Nrsimhadeva. Nrsimhadeva kills Hiranyakasipu. Who is Hiranyakasipu? "Hiranya" means wealth and "kasipu" means bed--sexual desire. So "Hiranyakasipu" means "those who have desire for wealth and sex and also for name and fame". Such persons cannot get Krsna. So, Hiranyakasipu is within us. Externally, we may see a demon, but that demon is also residing within ourselves. That demon should be killed! Then you can go to Krsna. There is also one-pointed, causeless, eternal devotion residing within our real selves. That is called "Prahlada". Nrsimha Bhagavan will remove all ulterior motives from our hearts. He will kill Hiranyakasipu and enhance Prahlada. So we should remember Lord Nrsimhadeva.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Praying out of helplessness

                                                  Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

"Srila Bhativinode Thakur has said in his writing `Hari he, prapance pariya, agati hayiya, na dekhi upaya ara…'- `O Supreme Lord Sree Hari ! Being helpless due to fall in the pit of tremendous worldly suffering, I am at a loss to find out a way to get out of it. I take shelter at Your Lotus Feet because you are the only resort of a miserable and helpless person like me. I have got no qualities by which you can grace me. I have got no good deeds, no knowledge, no quality of performing devotional forms and worshipping you. I am devoid of all qualities but only hope for me is that you are All-Merciful, graceful. I am a destitute. I can only pray your causeless mercy. I am immersed in the ocean of births, deaths and threefold afflictions being drifted by the forces of evil words, evil mind, anger, relishing delicious food and also forces of desires to fill the stomach with good dishes and for sex-enjoyments. I am tremendously tormented by these evil desires. I am trying my utmost to control these evil propensities but I am undone, I have lost all hopes. You are the Lord of the helpless, I am calling You. I can only depend on You, there is nobody else to rescue me.' These words of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur are applicable to me and also to other sincere souls who want to be rescued"

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

 

In the tenth chapter of the Madhya-khanda, Vrindavan Das Thakur writes that while Hari Das was being cruelly beaten, Mahaprabhu descended with his discus, intending to destroy the demons, but was unable to do so on account of Hari Das’s prayers. So he shielded Hari Das’s body with his own. Then he revealed to Hari Das the cane marks on his back. The main reason for the Lord’s appearance is his devotee. When such an outrage was being perpetrated on his devotee Hari Das, he immediately appeared to protect him. When Hari Das heard the Lord recount this story, he immediately fainted. The Lord then showed him his divine form. He glorified Hari Das himself: “Anyone who even sees Hari Das becomes free from all bondage. Even great gods like Brahma and Shiva desire Hari Das’s company. Even the Ganges desires his touch.”

Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaja :“Srila Namacharya Hari Das Thakur”Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math - (Sreecgmath - 19.Sep.2002)