Tag: Caitanya Mahaprabhu

I have read an article by a scholar (Mr. Jan Brzezinski, aka. Jagadananda Dasa/ Jagat) in which he suggests that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has counterfeited three books; Caitanya-upanisad, Prema-vivarta and Navadvipa-satakam. My question is: How much attention or credit should a practicing devotee give to the opinions of scholars.

After Gaura Hari, who descended to purify this age of Kali, made Himself invisible to the eyes of the world, the preaching of His religion of love carried on more or less uninterruptedly up until the time of Baladeva Vidyabhushan. In the time that followed, though there were still many advanced devotees present on the planet, a period of darkness descended on Mahaprabhu’s school of devotion. Many heterodox sects came into existence that vocally claimed to be following Mahaprabhu, but in fact were simply using His name to promote their own false doctrines.

A book called Advaita Prakasa was recently translated from Bengali into English. I was very inspired by it and it seemed to be bona-fide, but I recently heard that it is an unauthorized literature. Can you explain?

In the eleventh Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, we find the instructive story of the brahmana of Avantipura who had previously been a miserly businessman. He was so cantankerous and prone to anger that his wife, children, relatives and servants all despised him. In due course, the avariciousness of the brahmana bore its fateful fruit.

One has to first engage in hearing the Names of the Lord so that the mind and intelligence are purified. After this one can begin hearing about Krsna's form through which one's qualifications to visualize it becomes possible.

It has been stated by some persons who claim to follow the pure line of devotion presented by Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura, that Sri Nityananda Prabhu was a sannyasi who later gave up His sannyasa and married the two daughters of Surya Vipra. Is this a fact?

Once we counted Raghunatha Dasa Goswami’s gurus, and we found that he had nine gurus. So then the question is, “Which one of his gurus is most important?”

Several months ago we wrote an article called, "Hearing from A Rasika Acarya" wherein we put great emphasis on the qualifications of the person who hears Hari-katha of a confidential nature. Our emphasis was on anartha-nivrtti, overcoming mundane impediments in the heart: first deserve, then desire.

Sri Gaura Jayanti, the holy appearance of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu was celebrated at Govindaji Gardens, Sri Narasingha Caitanya Matha on Friday 8th March. The program began quietly in the morning with a class on the advent of Mahaprabhu given by Srila Narasingha Maharaja.

We are very far from the Infinite, yet the simple process of chanting His Holy Name, which is non-different from the Lord Himself, allows us to touch His essence, to experience a closeness with Him and His wonderful pastimes.

Devotional life or Bhakti-yoga is a science which follows very exact guidelines — which are both very easy to follow and at the same time difficult for many, because their feet may be firmly rooted in material desires and sinful activities. Yet the Holy Name chanted purely will pull them out of the muck and propel them into an eternal life of sat, cit and ananda — an eternal life full of knowledge and great pleasure.