Similarly, it is said in the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [2.1.9]:
O saintly King, I was certainly situated perfectly in transcendence, yet I was still attracted by the delineation of the pastimes of the Lord, who is described by enlightened verses.

62 – atha sa-jātīyāśaya-snigdha-śrī-bhagavad -bhakta-saṅgo, yathā prathame (1.18.13) —
tulayāma lavenāpi na svargaṁ nāpunar-bhavam |
bhagavat-saṅgi-saṅgasya martyānāṁ kimutāśiṣaḥ ||1.2.228||

Association with like-minded, affectionate devotees, from the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [1.18.13]:
The value of a moment’s association with the devotee of the Lord cannot even be compared to the attainment of heavenly planets or liberation from matter, and what to speak of worldly benedictions in the form of material prosperity, which are for those who are meant for death.

hari-bhakti-sudhodaye ca —
yasya yat-saṅgatiḥ puṁso maṇivat syāt sa tad-guṇaḥ |
sva-kūlarddhyai tato dhīmān sva-yūthyān eva saṁśrayet ||1.2.229 ||

It is also said in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya:
A man will attain the qualities of the person with whom he associates, just as a crystal takes up the color of the object next to it. Therefore, the wise man will take shelter of those who have qualities similar to his own for the prosperity of his family.

Questions:

* Are you saying about association with devotees in this material world, like you and Prabhupada?
* What is said of the devotee who has no association at all, who, regardless of the previously mentioned circumstance, is able to maintain both his sangfroid and sadhana.
* I heard that some metals are used in Ayurvedic medicine. Isn’t this detrimental to one’s health?
* Isn’t Gayatri mantra for some Godess (Devi) or Sun God or something like that?
* So can we see my Sthai-bhava by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa constantly for 6 months or more?
* What do you think about acupuncture?
* You were talking about the path to the sun and the path to the moon, etc. This knowledge is found in the Vedānta-sūtra, correct?
* Did you keep chanting after Kṛṣṇa-darśan?

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Questions: * Sometimes in kīrtan, devotees are able to go to a mood that is very sweet, but because they don’t recognize it, they change that mood. Is this some block? * When we talk about sādhana-siddha, or even nitya-siddha, that they know the pastimes because they are part of them. Does that mean that they are part of all the pastimes? * Hare Krsna, please accept my humble obeisances, I have a little bit inferior question: are musicians usually in śūdra category?

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Observing festivals according to ones wealth, illustrated from the Padma Purāṇa:
O King, he who performs a festival for the temple of the Lord experiences for eternity a festival in the planet of the Lord.

58 – atha ūrjādaro, yathā pādme —
yathā dāmodaro bhakta-vatsalo vidito janaiḥ |
tasyāyaṁ tādṛśo māsaḥ svalpam apy uru-kārakaḥ ||1.2.221 ||

Observing Ūrja-vrata, from the Padma Purāṇa:
Just as men know that Dāmodara is affectionate to His devotee, the Dāmodara month is also affectionate to the devotee. Even a little service performed during that month yields great results.

tatrāpi mathurāyāṁ viśeṣo, yathā tatraiva —
bhuktiṁ muktiṁ harir dadyād arcitonyatra sevinām |
bhaktiṁ tu na dadāty eva yato vaśyakarī hareḥ ||1.2.222 ||
sā tv añjasā harer bhaktir labhyate kārttike naraiḥ |
mathurāyāṁ sakṛd api śrī-dāmodara-sevanāt ||1.2.223 ||

Respecting the Dāmodara-vrata in Mathurā is glorified in the Padma Purāṇa:
The Lord, being worshiped elsewhere, awards material enjoyment and liberation to those worshipers. He does not give bhakti, because bhakti controls the Lord. However, men can achieve bhakti very easily by serving Dāmodara during Kārtika month in Mathurā just once.

59 — atha śrī-janma-dina-yātrā, yathā bhaviṣyottare —
yasmin dine prasūteyaṁ devakī tvāṁ janārdana |
tad-dinaṁ brūhi vaikuṇṭha kurmas te tatra cotsavam |
tena samyak-prapannānāṁ prasādaṁ kuru keśavaḥ ||1.2.224 ||

Observing the appearance day of the Lord, from Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa:
O Janārdana, tell us the day that Devakī gave birth to You. O Vaikuṇṭha, we will perform a festival on that day. O Keśava, may You be pleased with that festival performed by those who are completely surrendered to You.

60 — atha śrī-mūrter-anghri-sevane prītiḥ, yathā ādi-purāṇe —
mama nāma-sadāgrāhī mama sevā-priyaḥ sadā |
bhaktis tasmai pradātavyā na tu muktiḥ kadācana ||1.2.225||

Attachment to serving the lotus feet of the Deity, from Ādi Purāṇa:
I give bhakti, and never liberation, to the person who is always engaged in chanting My Holy Name and serving Me as the goal in his life.

Questions:

“You were talking about long and short syllables in Sanskrit. Another feature is the pitch accent, found in Vedic Sanskrit. Why is this pitch accent no longer pronounced in Classical Sanskrit and why is there a difference between Vedic Sanskrit and Classical Sanskrit in general? Lastly, do you believe that Sanskrit is the Proto-Indo-European language?”

“Now for my more personal questions. Both the Bhagavad Gita and the Secret of the Golden Flower prescribe the method of staring at the tip of ones nose during meditation. Does this mean that one has to cross ones eyes, that one has to have ones eyelids half-closed, or that both are necessary? I tried crossing my eyes for an extensive amount of time and felt a sensation on my forehead.”

“Lastly, I cannot chant audibly because of physical limitations. Should I chant in the mind while performing deep diaphragmatic breathing as an alternative? Please clear my doubts so I can focus more on Krishna.”

“Hare Krsna Babaji ! what is bhakti? what is pure love for Krsna?”

“Is M.S.Subhalakshmi’s style of chanting the actual style of chanting Sanskrit..I am chanting in a similar way and Prabhupada is chanting a slightly different way…and of course you are chanting a different way…Do this phonetic differences really a problem..is it necessary.”

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Serving Mathurā and other holy places, illustrated in the Varāha Purāṇa:
The fool who gives up Mathurā and develops attraction for some other place wanders in the material world birth after birth, bewildered by My Māyā.

brahmāṇḍe ca —
trailokya-varti-tīrthānāṁ sevanād durlabhā hi yā |
parānanda-mayī siddhir mathurā-sparṣa-mātrataḥ ||1.2.212 ||

This is also illustrated in the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa:
The bliss at the stage of prema, which is rarely obtained even by serving all the holy places in the three worlds, is available just by touching Mathurā.

śrutā smṛtā kīrtitā ca vāñchitā prekṣitā gatā |
spṛṣṭā śritā sevitā ca mathurābhīṣṭadā nṛṇām |
iti khyātaṁ purāṇeṣu na vistāra-bhiyocyate ||1.2.213 ||

Hearing about, remembering, glorifying, desiring, seeing, visiting, touching, taking shelter and serving Mathurā fulfills all the desires of human beings. This has been described in all the Purāṇas. I have not elaborated this here for fear of increasing the volume of this book.

56 – atha vaiṣṇavānāṁ sevanaṁ, yathā pādme (6.253.176) —
ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param |
tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarcanam ||1.2.214 ||

Service to Vaiṣṇavas, from Padma Purāṇa:
Of all types of worship, worship of Viṣṇu is supreme. O Devī, worship of His devotees, however, is even superior to that.

tṛtīye (3.7.19) ca—
yat-sevayā bhagavataḥ kūṭa-sthasya madhu-dviṣaḥ |
rati-rāso bhavet tīvraḥ pādayor vyasanārdanaḥ ||1.2.215||

In the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [3.7.19], it is said:
By serving the feet of the spiritual master, one is enabled to develop transcendental ecstasy in the service of the Personality of Godhead, who is the unchangeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose service vanquishes one’s material distresses.

skānde ca —
śaṅkha-cakrāṅkita-tanuḥ śirasā mañjarī-dharaḥ |
gopī-candana-liptāṅgo dṛṣtaś cet tad-aghaṁ kutaḥ ||1.2.216||

Also, the Skanda Purāṇa says:
Where is sin for the person who has seen a Vaiṣṇava whose body is marked with conch and disc, who has tulasī mañjarīs on his head and whose limbs are smeared with gopī-candana?

prathame (1.19.33) ca—
yeṣāṁ saṁsmaraṇāt puṁsāṁ sadyaḥ śuddhyanti vai gṛhāḥ |
kiṁ punar darśana-sparśa-pāda-śaucāsanādibhi ḥ ||1.2.217||

The First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [1.19.33] says:
Simply by our remembering you, our houses become instantly sanctified. And what to speak of seeing you, touching you, washing your holy feet and offering you a seat in our home?

ādī-purāṇe —
ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ |
mad-bhaktānāṁ ca ye bhaktās te me bhaktatamā matāḥ ||1.2.218||

Ādi-purāṇa says:
Those who claim to be My devotees are not My devotees; Those who are the devotees of My devotees, I consider them to be the best of My devotees.

yāvanti bhagavad-bhakter aṅgāni kathitānīha |
prāyas tāvanti tad-bhakta-bhakter api budhā viduḥ ||1.2.219 ||

All the aṅgas of bhakti in relation to the Lord are also aṅgas of bhakti in relation to the devotees of the Lord. This is the conclusion of the wise.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

We begin with a discussion of the śloka:

parābhavaṁ phenila-vaktratāṁ ca
bandhaṁ ca bhītiṁ ca mṛtiṁ ca kṛtvā |
pavarga-dātāpi śikhaṇḍa-maule tvaṁ
śātravāṇām apavargadosi ||2.1.205||

O topmost jewel! Though You give the pavargas of defeat (pa), foaming mouth (pha), bondage (ba), fear (bha) and death (ma) to Your enemies, You give them the opposite, apavarga or liberation as well. [Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.205]

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This Esoteric Teaching is the explanation of the Vedānta-sūtras, the King of Knowledge and confidential conclusions of the Vedas. These recondite sūtras are explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the natural commentary on Vedānta-sūtra written by the same author. Even higher are the rasa-śāstras, the books written by the Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvan on the order of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We are studying Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, and it is really an ocean of nectar.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.

Please join us for Evening Darshan live webcast daily at 6:30 PM India time, on our main site.

The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here.