Golokera Prema Dhana

A COLLECTION OF VAIṢṆAVA QUOTES

As an offering to the Vaiṣṇavas and the world

by KADAMBA KANANA SWAMI

Gaura Purnima 2017

Dedication

For the pleasure of

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
to whom I am eternally grateful

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Table of Contents
Dedication....................................................................................................... 2
Introduction.................................................................................................... 4
The Relationship with the Illusory Energy..................................................6
The Current Materialistic Age.....................................................................12
Vaiṣṇava Glories........................................................................................... 13
Empowerment.............................................................................................15
Kṛṣṇa............................................................................................................. 19
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam....................................................................................25
Mādhavendra Purī, in whom Love of God first fructified........................26
Śrīla Prabhupāda.........................................................................................29
Guru-Tattva................................................................................................... 32
The Holy Name............................................................................................. 35
Good Qualities............................................................................................. 41
The Lord’s Protection..................................................................................43
Learning........................................................................................................ 44
Mercy............................................................................................................. 50
Vṛndāvana.................................................................................................... 55
Lord Caitanya............................................................................................... 61
Deity Worship............................................................................................... 64
Behaviour of a Saintly Person....................................................................65
Extraordinary Personalities........................................................................69
Glossary........................................................................................................ 71
Index............................................................................................................. 82

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Introduction
We live in complex times, in a world overtaken by machines, in addition
to complications arising from natural causes. Contemporary man faces
crucial questions; some are specific to current day while others are
fundamental questions that have been relevant throughout history.
Today is Gaura Purnima, a significant day. Exactly 531 years ago Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is none other than Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, appeared in West Bengal, India. He
inaugurated the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, traditionally known as Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavism, which offers answers to the specific and perennial
questions of the world.
Although unknown to many, the influence of Śrī Caitanya in the world
is increasing in the form of followers, literature, places of worship and
in more subtle ways in society at large. An Irish newspaper made an
interesting observation, that the world first encountered the Hare
Kṛṣṇa movement as too outlandish to be taken seriously by the masses
and only a select minority embraced it. Currently, however, the
teachings and ideology have been subliminally absorbed by many.
Who is not doing yoga these days? Who has never heard of the
benefits of a vegetarian diet?
Scholars are now more aware of the history of the Vaiṣṇava movement,
and Encyclopedia Britannica points out that 70% of the Hindu diaspora
belong to the Vaiṣṇava tradition. We must say, however, that many
practise a diluted version of it.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught the essence of all religious principles:
there is one God, and true religion means to dedicate one's entire life
in loving service to Him. This is Vaiṣṇavism in its purest and
unadulterated form. It was Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
who brought this uncompromised knowledge to the West and it is by
his efforts that now there are Vaiṣṇavas all over the world.
Vaiṣṇavas are precious personalities. They have pleased Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu
and His devotees by their devotional service. They have purchased the

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mercy of the Lord and can pass it on to anyone they desire. What is
that mercy? It is the process of pure devotional service, which is
described in the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Śrī
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Nectar of Devotion and other related literature.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu lived His life based on the Bhagavad-gītā and
the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is the biography
depicting his life and teachings, and the Nectar of Devotion is a
summary study of the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, where Śrī Caitanya’s
teachings about pure devotional service are described in detail.
I have spent many years of my life in the company of these books and
now I would like to share them with you in the form of quotes.
Somehow this book has come into your hands. It doesn’t matter
whether you are familiar with its subject matter or not, you will surely
find inspiration here.
Your servant,
Kadamba Kanana Swami
Completed on Gaura Purnima, March 12, 2017

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The Relationship with the Illusory
Energy
The cow of my senses
The cow of my senses, who yearns to hear the narration of the Lord's
pastimes in Gokula, has become very unhappy by wandering in the
desert of my voice. I pray the merciful saintly devotees may lead that
cow to the oasis of my ears and there feed her the nectar of Lord
Kṛṣṇa's pastimes.
[Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Govinda-Līlāmṛta 1.9]

The horse of the mind

Beaten by hundreds of whips of material sufferings, the horse of my
mind is running wildly on the dangerous road of the senses. O Lord
Mādhava, please rein in that wild horse and tie it to the hitching post of
Your lotus feet with the ropes of strong devotional service.
[Padyāvalī, Text 67]

How māyā's influence covers the jīva

The following is a summary of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
Ṭhākura’s explanation of the process of annihilation. Vāsudeva, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the presiding Deity of
consciousness, which becomes manifest within the mahat-tattva. By
further transformations of the mahat-tattva the threefold false ego
appears as follows: (1) From vaikārika, false ego in the mode of
goodness, appears the eleventh sense, the mind, whose presiding
Deity is Aniruddha. (2) From taijasa, false ego in the mode of passion,
comes intelligence, whose presiding Deity is Pradyumna, and the five
working senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses with their various
presiding deities. (3) From false ego in the mode of ignorance arises

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the subtle form of sound, and from that sound, or śabda, all the
material elements gradually become manifest, beginning with ether
and the sense of hearing. The presiding Deity of these three divisions
of false ego is Saṅkarṣaṇa.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 11.3.16 purport]

The relationships in this world are temporary

In this world the relationship between the enjoyer and the enjoyed is
not clear. The relationship between the flower and the bee is not fixed.
The relationship of man and woman for momentary happiness when
they come together with mutual dependence is also temporary.
[Gopīs speaking to Uddhava, Gopāla-campū 11.9]

Material civilization is child’s play

Material civilization without the blessing of the Lord is child's play only.
As long as the parents allow the child to play, it is all right. As soon as
the parents withdraw, the child has to stop. Human civilization and all
activities thereof must be dovetailed with the supreme blessing of the
Lord, and without this blessing all advancement of human civilization is
like decoration on a dead body. It is said here that a dead civilization
and its activities are something like clarified butter on ashes, the
accumulation of money by a magic wand and the sowing of seeds in a
barren land.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.15.21
purport]

To cross one ocean and drown in another

saṁsārera pāra hañā bhaktira sāgare
ye ḍubibe se bhajuka nitāi-cāṅdere

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Those who wish to cross the ocean of material existence and drown in
the ocean of devotional service should worship Lord Nityānanda.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 4.073]

The senses and the mind

Lord Kapila said: “The senses are symbolic representations of the
demigods, and their natural inclination is to work under the direction
of the Vedic injunctions. As the senses are representatives of the
demigods, so the mind is the representative of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The mind's natural duty is to serve. When that
service spirit is engaged in devotional service to the Personality of
Godhead, without any motive, that is far better even than salvation.”
[Lord Kapila speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.32]

We are in between Prahlāda and Hiraṇyakaśipu

To test us the Lord is residing behind the material world: adyāpiha sei
līlā kare gaura-rāya, kona kona bhāgyavān dekhibāre pāya. Even today
Lord Gaurāṅga is performing His pastimes, but only a few fortunate
souls can see that. You are hearing the kīrtana through the books.
Therefore you should not think you are lacking in anything.
Once Hiraṇyakaśipu concluded that the Supreme Lord does not exist in
this world. He tried in many ways to convince Prahlāda of this, and he
presented many arguments against the Lord’s existence. But Śrī
Nṛsiṁhadeva appeared from a pillar and Hiraṇyakaśipu and the whole
world was benefited. The devotee sees the Lord everywhere, and the
non-devotee cannot feel His presence anywhere.
We are situated in the middle sometimes. We show our attraction for
devotional service; the next moment we engage in material enjoyment.
It is by the desire to serve the Lord that we can control the desire to
enjoy the world.

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[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, Letter, 1927-12-
22]

Do not let grief overpower you

Do not allow grief to overpower You, O great hero. Wise men face
every calamity with fortitude and do not yield to sorrow. Only the
foolish are overcome by lamentation, losing their intelligence and
strength and sinking like an overloaded boat. O Rāma, I am here to
help You. Cast away Your grief.
[Sugrīva to Lord Rāma, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Kishkindha-khaṇḍa]

The art of being balanced

In India the women, they go to draw water from the well and they keep
on the head. They are going, but the head is so balanced that the
water-pot will never fall down. There are many instances that if you
learn how to keep the balance, in spite of your movement the water-
pot on the head will not fall. Similarly, if you mould your life in such a
way that Kṛṣṇa should always be remembered, then, in spite of your
mind being very agitated, your mind will be fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. That is
required. Therefore in the devotional service we have got so many
engagements.
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Lecture on Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 6.2.12-14, 1971-01-17]

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Death is like sleeping
After death one forgets everything about the present bodily relations.
We have a little experience of this at night when we go to sleep. Death
is nothing but sleeping for a few months.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.1.15
purport]

The true perspective in the light of Kṛṣṇa

As long as the sunshine is there, our eyes are useful to a certain extent.
But in the absence of sunshine, the eyes are useless. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
being the primeval Lord, the Supreme Truth, is compared to the sun.
Without Him all our knowledge is either false or partial. The opposite
of the sun is the darkness, and similarly the opposite of Kṛṣṇa is māyā,
or illusion. The devotees of the Lord can see everything in true
perspective due to the light disseminated by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.11.9
purport]

Nature’s beauty is the smile of the Lord

Those who are artists, overtaken by the beautiful creation, should
better see the beautiful face of the Lord for complete satisfaction. The
face of the Lord is the embodiment of beauty. What they call beautiful
nature is but His smile, and what they call the sweet songs of the birds
are but specimens of the whispering voice of the Lord.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.11.26
purport]

The two misconceptions of life: I and mine

The two misconceptions of life, namely “I” and “mine,” are verily
manifested in two classes of men. In the lower state the conception of

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“mine” is very prominent, and in the higher state the misconception of
“I” is prominent.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.9.3
purport]

Spiritual psychology
To know Kṛṣṇa is to know one’s self, and to know one’s self is to know
one’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
Introduction]

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The Current Materialistic Age
What is Kali-yuga?
The age of iron industry.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.3.9
purport]

The effect of Kali-yuga described 500 years ago

(Renunciation enters)
Renunciation: (looking all around) The world is full of materialists. Alas!
Alas! There is no cleanliness. No truth, no control of mind and senses,
no self-restraint, no peacefulness, no tolerance, no friendship, no
mercy. Were my sincere, loving friends uprooted by the people of Kali-
yuga? Are they now living in hiding?
Could they have found a place Kali doesn’t know? No, because there is
no place like that.
The brāhmaṇas are interested only in their sixth duty, accepting
charity. A sacred thread is the only sign of their status. The kṣatriyas
are so in name only. The vaiśyas are like atheists. The śūdras think
themselves great scholars and are eager to become gurus and teach
the truth of religion. Alas! Alas! Kali has turned the castes into this!
The brahmacārīs are so only because they cannot marry. The
gṛhasthas are interested only in filling the bellies of their wives and
children. Those vānaprasthas are so only in the name ‘vānaprastha’
travelling on the path of the ears. The sannyāsīs are different from the
others only in clothing.
[Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka Act 2.1-4]

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Vaiṣṇava Glories
The devotees deceived me
bhasya racanara kale bhakta-gane more pala, gaurava sambhrame more
chale avakasa sada diya bhakti pathe calaiya, snehera dorika diya gale
While writing this commentary, the devotees took care of me and
deceived me with awe and respect. They bound me with ropes of
affection by always providing facilities for me and encouraging me in
my devotional service.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, Gauḍīya bhāṣya
on Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Closing Words]

Uttama-adhikārī
na yasya svaḥ para itivitteṣv ātmani vā bhidā sarva-bhūta-samaḥ śāntaḥ
sa vai bhāgavatottamaḥ
When a devotee gives up the selfish conception by which one thinks
‘This is my property, and that is his,’ and when he is no longer
concerned with the pleasures of his own material body or indifferent to
the discomforts of others, he becomes fully peaceful and satisfied. He
considers himself simply one among all the living beings who are
equally part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a
satisfied Vaiṣṇava is considered to be at the highest standard of
devotional service.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, Caitanya-
bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.248 purport]

If the devotee wants to take you to Kṛṣṇaloka, then you

will go
Hiraṇyakaśipu thought himself to be very intelligent and wanted to
cheat Kṛṣṇa and His servant, but he was cheated actually. Therefore he

13
said that tad-bhṛtya-ṛṣi-vākyam ṛtaṁ vidhātum. Ṛṣi-vākya. Even the
devotee or the servant of Kṛṣṇa says something, even it is wrong,
Kṛṣṇa upholds this. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ pranaśyati
(Bhagavad-gītā 9.31). So even it is wrongly done, still, Kṛṣṇa fulfils
because He thinks that, "My servant has promised; it must be fulfilled."
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja, in the previous verse he has said, tava
bhṛtya-pārśva. So to serve the servant of Kṛṣṇa is better than to serve
directly Kṛṣṇa, because if the servant of Kṛṣṇa promises something, if
the servant of Kṛṣṇa says, "I'll take you to Kṛṣṇaloka," you must go
there. Even Kṛṣṇa cannot do that. He can; I mean to say that He does
not say very easily. But if a servant... yasya prasādād bhagavat-
prasādaḥ. Therefore our philosophy is to please the servant of God,
tad-bhṛtya, bhṛtyasya bhṛtya.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Lecture on Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 7.9.29, 1976-03-07]

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Empowerment
The dust of My devotee’s feet
With the dust of My devotees' lotus feet I desire to purify the material
worlds, which are situated within Me. Thus, I always follow the
footsteps of My pure devotees, who are free from all personal desire,
rapt in thought of My pastimes, peaceful, without any feelings of
enmity, and of equal disposition everywhere.
[Kṛṣṇa speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.14.16]

Running with one’s eyes closed

yān āsthāya naro rājan
na pramādyeta karhicit
dhāvan nimīlya vā netre
na skhalen na pated iha
O King, one who accepts this process of devotional service to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead will never blunder on his path in this
world. Even while running with eyes closed, he will never trip or fall.
[Kavi speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.2.35]

Satyabhāmā tied Kṛṣṇa

Thereafter Satyabhāmā-devī, who is desirous of Kṛṣṇa, placed a
garland on Kṛṣṇa’s neck and tied Him to a pārijāta tree. After taking
Kṛṣṇa’s permission, she then sold Him to Nārada.
[Hari-vaṁśa, Viṣṇu Parva, Chapter 76]

Vāsudeva Datta
datta ama' yatha vece, tathaya vikai, satya satya ihate anyatha kichu nai

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Vāsudeva may sell me wherever he likes. This is a fact. No one should
disbelieve this statement.
vasudeva dattera vatasa yara gaya, lagiyache tanre krsna raksibe sadaya
One who is touched by air that has touched the body of Vāsudeva
Datta will always be protected by Kṛṣṇa.
[Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu speaking, Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa
5.28 &29]

The empowerment of Rāmānanda Rāya

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is known as Gaurāṅga, is the ocean of
all conclusive knowledge in devotional service. He empowered Śrī
Rāmānanda Rāya, who may be likened to a cloud of devotional service.
This cloud was filled with the water of all the conclusive purports of
devotional service and was empowered by the ocean to spread this
water over the sea of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself. Thus the
ocean of Caitanya Mahāprabhu became filled with the jewels of the
knowledge of pure devotional service.
[Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 8.1]

The empowerment of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught Rūpa Gosvāmī all the conclusions He
had heard from Rāmānanda Rāya and duly empowered him so that he
could understand them.
[Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā
19.116]
By entering the heart of Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
empowered him to ascertain properly the conclusions of all truths. He
made him an experienced devotee whose decisions correctly agreed
with the verdicts of the disciplic succession. Thus Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī was
personally empowered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

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[Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā
19.117]

Being a devotee is higher than being equal to Kṛṣṇa

The position of being a devotee is higher than that of equality with
Lord Kṛṣṇa for the devotees are dearer to Lord Kṛṣṇa than His own self.
[Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 6.100]

The over-intelligent become empowered by māyā

When having witnessed so many people committing sins during
parikramas, Jīva Gosvāmī questioned Lord Nityānanda how it was
possible for the holy dhāma to be not different from the spiritual
world. Lord Nityānanda replied, “One who has developed too much
faith in the power of his own intelligence is empowered by māyā to
reject the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
[Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya]

Burning of Arjuna’s chariot

The Pāṇḍavas returned to their camp. It was the rule that they should
enter the camp of their enemies. They proceeded towards the camp of
Duryodhana. As soon as they arrived, Kṛṣṇa asked them all to stand
still. He told Arjuna: “Arjuna, take up your Gāṇḍīva and your quivers.
Get down from the chariot.” Kṛṣṇa was still sitting in the chariot, and
Arjuna did as he was asked to do. The moment Kṛṣṇa got down,
Hanumān, who was on the banner, suddenly jumped into the skies and
disappeared. They all turned their eyes on Arjuna’s chariot. It began to
burn like a pile of wood and in moments turned into a heap of ashes,
including the white horses.
Arjuna turned with tear-filled eyes to Kṛṣṇa and said: “My Lord, what is
happening? My chariot, my golden chariot given by Agni when he

17
burned the Khāṇḍava forest, is burnt in front of my eyes for no reason
at all.”
Kṛṣṇa said: “Arjuna, its purpose has been served. It’s not necessary
anymore. This chariot has taken all the many astras of Droṇa and
Radheya. It has withstood the brahmāstra sent by those two men and
the astras of Aśvatthāmā. It should have burned long ago. I have
abandoned it now and allowed it to become reduced to ashes.
Everything in this world is created for a purpose. The moment the
purpose is served, it is not needed anymore. It is even so with men.
Each man has been sent into this world with a purpose. Once that is
served the earth has no more need for him.
[Mahābhārata, Chapter 1 (edited from Subramaniam version)]

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Kṛṣṇa
Definition of Acyuta
Brahma addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa as Acyuta because the Lord is never
forgetful of a little service rendered by His devotee. He is so kind and
affectionate towards His devotees that a little service by them is
accepted by Him as a great deal.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, KṚṢṆA, The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Chapter 14]

Sudarśana
This wheel which is accepted by the Personality of Godhead (Viṣṇu or
Kṛṣṇa) as His personal weapon is the most powerful weapon, greater
than the brahmāstras or similar other disastrous weapons. In some of
the Vedic literatures it is said that Agnideva, the fire-god, presented
this weapon to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but factually this weapon is eternally
carried by the Lord. Agnideva presented this weapon to Kṛṣṇa in the
same way that Rukmiṇī was given by Mahārāja Rukma to the Lord. The
Lord accepts such presentations from His devotees, even though such
presentations are eternally His property.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.9.7
purport]

Take Kṛṣṇa as your son

Here we have a very loving son or child, but the father and mother, or
those who are affectionate towards him, always hope, “May my son not
die.” But Kṛṣṇa actually never will die. Therefore those who accept
Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, as their son will never be bereft of their
son. In many instances devotees have accepted the Deity as a son. In
Bengal there are many such instances, and even after the death of the

19
devotee, the Deity performs the śrāddha ceremony for the father. The
relationship is never destroyed.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.38
purport]

The ancestry of Śrī Kṛṣṇa part 1

The following account is found in the Bhāgavatam. Shortly before the
appearance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, King Śūrasena ruled and resided in Mathurā.
Under him, Mathurā became the capital of the Yadus. Vasudeva, father
of Kṛṣṇa, belonged to the family of King Śūrasena. Vasudeva married
Devakī, daughter of Devaka, of the clan of the Yadus. Kaṁsa was then
on the throne of the Yadus. Kaṁsa was the son of Ugrasena. The
father of Devakī was the uterine brother of Ugrasena. At the time of
Devakī’s marriage, Ugrasena was still living but was incarcerated by the
order of Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa was the son of Padmāvatī, Queen of Ugrasena,
by the king of the Saubhas. Kaṁsa was not the legitimate heir to the
throne. The real heir to the throne of the Yadus was the son of Devakī.
The king of the Gopas, Nanda, was the cousin of Vasudeva born of
marriage of a step-brother of the father of Vasudeva with a vaiśya girl.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, The Harmonist]

The ancestry of Śrī Kṛṣṇa part 2

King Devamīḍha of the Yadu clan (Yādavas) had two wives, one of a
kṣatriya family, the other of a vaiśya family. Through the kṣatriya wife
he bore a son named Śūra and through the vaiśya wife he bore a son
named Parjanya. Śūra had a son named Vasudeva, a kṣatriya, and
Parjanya had a son named Nanda, a cowherd or vaiśya. Thus Vasudeva
and Nanda were brothers or cousins, with the same grandfather (a
Yādava) and different grandmothers.
[Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Sārārtha-darśini, commentary on
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.5.20]

20
Yaśodā gave birth to Kṛṣṇa in Gokula
The Hari-vaṁśa says that in the eighth month of pregnancy, before full
term, Devakī and Yaśodā gave birth at the same time to their children.
But the Bhāgavatam states that Yaśodā gave birth after Devakī. How to
correlate these contradictory statements? Exactly when Devakī gave
birth to Kṛṣṇa in Mathurā, Yaśodā also gave birth to Kṛṣṇa in Gokula.
After that, as described in the verse, Yaśodā gave birth to Yogamāyā.
Thus two children appeared from Yaśodā at different times. This is
confirmed in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.4.9, which describe Yogamāyā as
anujā, the younger sister of Kṛṣṇa. But when Kṛṣṇa appeared from
Yaśodā it is not stated that He had four hands. Therefore it is
understood that Kṛṣṇa appeared from Yaśodā with two hands, because
she worshipped Kṛṣṇa without understanding His Godhead. But
Vasudeva and Devakī worshipped their son as Viṣṇu.
[Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura commentary on Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 10.3-47]

When Kṛṣṇa opened His mouth

When Kṛṣṇa opened His mouth wide by the order of mother Yaśodā,
she saw within His mouth all moving and non-moving entities, outer
space, and all directions, along with mountains, islands, oceans, the
surface of the earth, the blowing wind, fire, the moon and the stars.
She saw the planetary systems, water, light, air, sky, and creation by
transformation of ahaṅkāra. She also saw the senses, the mind, sense
perception, and the three qualities, goodness, passion and ignorance.
She saw the time allotted for the living entities. She saw natural instinct
and the reactions of karma, and she saw desires and different varieties
of bodies, moving and non-moving. Seeing all these aspects of the
cosmic manifestation, along with herself and Vṛndāvana-dhāma, she
became doubtful and fearful of her son’s nature.
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.37-39]

21
Yaśodā began to argue within herself
When mother Yaśodā saw this wonderful manifestation within the
mouth of her child, she began to argue within herself about whether it
was a dream. Then she considered, “I am not dreaming, because my
eyes are open. I am actually seeing what is happening. I am not
sleeping, nor am I dreaming. Then maybe this is an illusion created by
devamāyā. But that is also not possible. What business would the
demigods have showing such things to me? I am an insignificant
woman with no connection with the demigods. Why should they take
the trouble to put me into devamāyā? That also is not possible.” Then
mother Yaśodā considered whether the vision might be due to
bewilderment: “I am fit in health; I am not diseased. Why should there
be any bewilderment? It is not possible that my brain is deranged,
since I am ordinarily quite fit to think. Then this vision must be due to
some mystic power of my son, as predicted by Garga Muni.” Thus she
finally concluded that the vision was due to her son’s activities, and
nothing else.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.40
purport]

Yaśodā’s renunciation
ahaṁ mamāsau patir eṣa me suto
vrajeśvarasyākhila-vittapā satī
gopyaś ca gopāḥ saha-godhanāś ca me
yan-māyayetthaṁ kumatiḥ sa me gatiḥ
It is by the influence of the Supreme Lord’s māyā that I am wrongly
thinking that Nanda Mahārāja is my husband, that Kṛṣṇa is my son,
and that because I am the queen of Nanda Mahārāja, all the wealth of
cows and calves are my possessions and all the cowherd men and their
wives are my subjects. Actually, I also am eternally subordinate to the
Supreme Lord. He is my ultimate shelter.
[Mother Yaśodā speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.42]

22
Following in the footsteps of mother Yaśodā, everyone should follow
this mentality of renunciation.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.42
purport]

Yaśodā forgets the incident

As one forgets everything after a dream, mother Yaśodā immediately
forgot the entire incident. As her natural feeling of affection increased,
she decided to herself, “Now let this incident be forgotten. I do not
mind. Here is my son. Let me kiss Him.”
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.44
purport]

Kṛṣṇa – friend of all, but bound by His devotees

All the scriptures proclaim that Lord Kṛṣṇa is everyone’s dearest friend,
therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa never hates or dislikes anyone; He is equally
disposed to all living entities. Yet He is even willing to break this
injunction for His pure and dedicated devotees. The proof of this
statement is that Lord Kṛṣṇa eliminated Duryodhana’s entire family.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa, Chapter 2]

Rāja-ghāṭa
It was here that Lord Kṛṣṇa disguised himself as a boatman, and when
the gopīs came there to cross the Yamunā river, Kṛṣṇa insisted that
first He would have to wash one of the gopīs' feet, otherwise His boat
could not take them across the river. When the gopīs asked whose feet
He would wash, Kṛṣṇa consulted the boat and informed them that it
was Rādhārāṇī's feet that were to be washed. Upon hearing this, at
first Rādhārāṇī refused, but when She was told by Kṛṣṇa that the boat
also refused to take them across the river, She relented and agreed to
let Kṛṣṇa wash Her feet.

23
After washing Her feet Kṛṣṇa first sprinkled the water on His own head,
then on the Yamunā, and then on His boat. After this, the gopīs
entered the boat and started to cross the Yamunā. In the middle of the
river Kṛṣṇa suddenly stopped rowing and complained that He was
feeling very weak due to hunger. Kṛṣṇa then suggested to the gopīs,
that they should feed him their milk sweets. At first they refused, but
when they saw there was no other alternative, they fed all the milk
sweets to Kṛṣṇa. Being completely bloated, Kṛṣṇa lay down in the boat,
unable to move. When the gopīs went to check what was wrong with
the boatman, they found Kṛṣṇa's flute hidden in His cloth; they started
laughing and clapped their hands.
[Vṛndāvana Rājaśekhara]

Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive
So we are worshipping Kṛṣṇa. His simple business is, as we have
described, Rādhā-Mādhava, He is lover of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa
means lover. This very word Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." You can
attract by your love, not by anything else. Therefore His name is Kṛṣṇa.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Lecture on Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 1.2.10, 1973-11-16]

Kṛṣṇa’s radiant smile

The sweetest part of Kṛṣṇa’s moon-like face is His energetic smile,
which is the silver moonshine of His countenance and spreads its
nectar throughout the world. Without the radiance of Kṛṣṇa’s smile,
sugar would be bitter, honey would be sour and nectar devoid of taste.
[Veṇu-gītā (Śivarāma Swami) Page 39]

24
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
The Lord appeared as the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
The Lord comes to save the devotees and destroy the demons.
(Bhagavad-gītā 4.8) Just as He appears for these purposes as Matsya
among the fish, as Varāha among the animals, as Haṁsa among the
birds, as svayam bhagavān Kṛṣṇa among humans, and as Upendra
among the devatās, so the Lord has now appeared as the crown jewel
of the scriptures, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, among the Vedas, for restoring
dharma and delivering the devotees.
[Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Sārārtha-darśini, Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 1.1.1]

25
Mādhavendra Purī, in whom Love of
God first fructified
Farewell to karma-kāṇḍīya obligations
sandhyā-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bhoḥ snāna tubhyaṁ namo
bho devāḥ pitaraś ca tarpaṇa-vidhau nāhaṁ kṣamaḥ kṣamyatām
yatra kvāpi niṣadya yādava-kulottamasya kaṁsa-dviṣaḥ
smāraṁ smāram aghaṁ harāmi tad alaṁ manye kim anyena me
O my evening prayer, all good unto you. O my morning bath, I bid you
goodbye. O demigods and forefathers, please excuse me. I am unable
to perform any more offerings for your pleasure. Now I have decided
to free myself from all reactions to sins simply by remembering
anywhere and everywhere the great descendant of Yadu and the great
enemy of Kaṁsa [Lord Kṛṣṇa]. I think that this is sufficient for me. So
what is the use of further endeavours?
mugdhaṁ māṁ nigadantu nīti-nipuṇā bhrāntaṁ muhur vaidikāḥ
mandaṁ bāndhava-sañcayā jaḍa-dhiyaṁ muktādarāḥ sodarāḥ
unmattaṁ dhanino viveka-caturāḥ kāmam mahā-dāmbhikam
moktuṁ na kṣāmate manāg api mano govinda-pāda-spṛhām
Let the sharp moralist accuse me of being illusioned; I do not mind.
Experts in Vedic activities may slander me as being misled, friends and
relatives may call me frustrated, my brothers may call me a fool, the
wealthy mammonites may point me out as mad, and the learned
philosophers may assert that I am much too proud; still my mind does
not budge an inch from the determination to serve the lotus feet of
Govinda, though I be unable to do it.
[Mādhavendra Purī speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.4.3-4 purport]

26
Mādhavendra Purī’s feelings of separation
ayi dīna-dayārdra nātha he
mathurā-nātha kadāvalokyase
hṛdayaṁ tvad-aloka-kātaraṁ
dayita bhrāmyati kiṁ karomy aham
O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathurā! When shall I
see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has
become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?
[Mādhavendra Purī speaking, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 8.34]

Mādhavendra Purī was the incarnation of a kalpa-vṛkṣa

tree
Lakṣmīpati's disciple was Mādhavendra Purī, a great preacher of
devotional service. Mādhavendra Purī was the incarnation of a kalpa-
vṛkṣa tree in the abode of Vraja. This tree bears as its fruits the
mellows of servitude to Lord Kṛṣṇa, friendship with Lord Kṛṣṇa,
parental love for Lord Kṛṣṇa, and conjugal love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.
[Kavi-karṇapūra, Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā 22]

The mango tree in Vṛndāvana

This mango tree in Vṛndāvana is now overwhelmed by remembering
You. It dances, moving its branches in the breeze. It sings in the form
of these humming bees. It sheds tears in the form of these many drops
of honey. Its hairs stand erect in ecstasy in the form of these new
sprouts. O Mukunda, as dear to me as my own life, why is this tree so
filled with love for You? Why am I so hard-hearted that even Your name
will not enter my heart?
[Īśvara Purī speaking, Padyāvalī 62]

27
Teachings unacceptable to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas
devah bhakteṣu mukhyaḥ
vinincasyaiva sāyujyaṁ
lakṣmyā jīva-kotitvam
ity evaṁ mata-visesah
daksinadi-deseti tena
gauḍe ’pi madhaven
dradayas tad upasisyah
katicid babhūvur ity arthaḥ
Śrī Vidyabhushana Prabhu has found the following four teachings in
the philosophy of Madhvācārya to be unacceptable to the Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavas.
1. Only a brāhmaṇa devotee is eligible for liberation
2. The demigods are the foremost devotees
3. Lord Brahma attains sāyujya-mukti (merging into Brahman)
4. Lakṣmīdevī is included among the jīvas
Nevertheless Śrī Mādhavendra Purī and a number of others in Bengal
became followers of Madhvācārya's premā-bhakti line.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, Śrī Caitanya's
Teachings Page 311]

28
Śrīla Prabhupāda
Rādhā-Dāmodara Temple
So Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī and all the Six Gosvāmīs, they
developed this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement by sitting together in
Vṛndāvana. And not only in Vṛndāvana, in that very particular place,
Rādhā-Dāmodara temple, where we have got a little space. That you
have seen, Rūpa Gosvāmī's tomb, that space. All the Six Gosvāmīs, they
used to sit down and discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa
Gosvāmī was reading, and all the other Gosvāmīs, Rūpa, Sanātana,
they were hearing, and Jīva Gosvāmī was writing comment. That is the
comment of Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha. So that place in Vṛndāvana, Rādhā
Dāmodara Temple, is very sacred place. So they were practising this
Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Lecture on Nectar of Devotion,
1973-01-08]

Early days in Vṛndāvana

For hours he wrote, page after page in an exercise book, until
gradually the chirping of awakening birds signalled the end of the dark
night's stillness. Soon the sun would rise.
Keeping to his regular schedule, he put aside his writing and began
chanting japa, staying in his room, uttering the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in a
soft, deep voice. Even before the first traces of light in the sky, before
the river was visible, a few bābājīs reciting prayers made their way
through the streets, heading for the Yamunā. By 4:00 AM, gongs and
temple bells throughout the city heralded the maṅgala-ārati of the
Deity. Abhay continued chanting alone for another hour. Then he
prepared to bathe, lowering the bucket on its long rope and hauling
water up to the rooftop.
[Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswāmī, Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta Volume 1]

29
Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma
How will I make them understand this message of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified and most fallen.
Therefore I am seeking your benediction, so that I can convince them,
for I am powerless to do so on my own.
Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about
You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as
You like.
O spiritual master of all the worlds, I can simply repeat your message,
so if you like you can make my power of speaking suitable for their
understanding.
Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure
that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts, they
will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all
unhappy conditions of life.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma,
1965-09-17]

Still boys at 56 and 78

Prabhupāda: Therefore, the conclusion should be that body may
change or may not remain, but I, the soul, am eternal. When the body
becomes useless then you change for another one. Now I am old man,
you are also getting old. What is your age now?
Harry: I’m fifty-six.
Prabhupāda: I’m seventy-eight. I may be of your father’s age.
Harry: We are both still boys, aren’t we?
Prabhupāda (laughs at the man’s wit): Yes. Spiritually we are young.
Just like your shirt and garment, it may be torn, but you are not torn.
As soon as we understand we are not the body, then spiritual
education begins.

30
Harry: Right. I shall read these books.
(Meeting with policeman)
[Druvanatha das, Master at whose feet all masters sit, Page 37-38]

31
Guru-Tattva
Ādi-guru Nityānanda – decorated with the nine
processes of devotional service
Yatra kichu tomara sri angera alankara satya satya satya bhakti- yoga-
avatara
All the ornaments decorating Your transcendental body are
incarnations of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is the Truth.
You take pleasure decorating yourself with the nine processes of
devotional service in the form of ornaments bedecked with gold,
pearls, diamonds.
[Description of Lord Nityānanda, Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa
7.39-40]

Exchange of sinful reactions

The faults of a counsellor fall on his king, and the sins of a wife fall on
her husband. In the same way a spiritual master attains the sins of his
disciple. That is certain.
[Sanātana Gosvāmī, Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 1.77]

The supreme guru

Don’t approach the cheater guru, bluffer guru, and be cheated. Stop
this business. This has spoiled the whole spiritual atmosphere of the
world. Take guru, the Supreme guru, Kṛṣṇa.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Lecture on Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 1.10.3-4, 1975-03-13]

32
Guru all-knowing?
On a morning walk in Māyāpur a devotee asked Śrīla Prabhupāda,
“Does the spiritual master know everything?”
“The spiritual master knows everything that Kṛṣṇa wants him to know,”
Śrīla Prabhupāda said. “Only Kṛṣṇa can know everything!”
[Śrutakīrti dāsa, Śrīla Prabhupāda Uvaca 52]

Bhakti Kalpataru
(A Vaiṣṇava considers himself without personal qualification and still
he acts as a spiritual master)
sri guru carana krpa samarthya labhiya
ehena apurvva vrksa dilama aniya
taniya anite vrksa e karkasa mana
nasila ihara sobha suna sadhujana
tomra sakale haa e vrksera mali
sraddha vari diya puncih kara rupasali
phalibe kalyana-phala-yugala sevana
karibe sakala mili ’taha asvadana
By the grace of Śrī Guru’s lotus feet,
I gained the ability
To bring this beautiful tree, so sweet
Of wish fulfilling capacity
O devotees, please hear me
By dragging to this world that tree
My harsh mind has taken away
Some beauty and grace that she did display
But you, O devotees, are the attendants of her garden
Who supply her sustenance and loving cultivation
By the sweet waters of your devotional heart
To once again her full beauty impart

33
Being pleased by such tender care
Benedictine fruits she will graciously bear
The Divine Couple’s service in pure devotion
Together we’ll taste in holy association
[Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Kalyāṇa-kalpataru]
(Translation from Sermons of Devotion Volume 2 – BR Śrīdhara Svāmī)

34
The Holy Name
Rādhārāṇī and the Holy Name
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī (with hairs standing on end): What is this word Kṛṣṇa
I have heard? Now a resident of my ears, this word makes me mad
with bliss.
Kundalatā: Friend, that is the nature of that extraordinary name. Even
though again and again it is tasted, it always tastes as if it has never
been tasted before.
Lalitā: It's not only its nature, but also the love of the hearer that makes
this word Kṛṣṇa newer and newer at every moment.
[Lalitā-mādhava, Act 2, 71-73]

The impact of the Holy Name

In that abode of Navadvīpa, Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya, sovereign of the
guru brāhmaṇas, shone in transcendence, hairs erect, thrilled by
Kṛṣṇa's names and soaked by tears flooding from his eyes as he reeled
under the impact of Śrī Nāma.
[Murāri Gupta, Śrī Caitanya-carita-mahākāvya 1.21]

Japa became a wave of song, dance and music

Another advanced brāhmaṇa Gopīnātha Ācārya took the path of
hearing Śrī Nāma japa. Then fully intoxicated with Kṛṣṇa prema,
Gopīnātha would again and again cry out His names. He thus created a
wave of song, dance and music, on which he would dance like the
ocean flooding its shores.
[Murāri Gupta, Śrī Caitanya-carita-mahākāvya 1.19]

35
When birds start chanting
If even a bird chants Lord Caitanya’s name, that soul will go to Lord
Caitanya’s abode.
(The Lord does not consider qualification.)
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 20.136]

Kṛṣṇa’s appearance in the seat of the heart

pragāyataḥsva-vīryāṇi tīrtha-pādaḥpriya-śravāḥ
āhūtaivameśīghraṁ darśanaṁyāticetasi
The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose glories and activities are pleasing
to hear, at once appears on the seat of my heart, as if called for, as
soon as I begin to chant about His holy activities.
[Nārada Muni speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.6.33]

Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

yena janma-sahasrāṇi vāsudevo niṣevitaḥ
tan-mukhe hari-nāmāni sadā tiṣṭhanti bhārata
The names of the Lord remain constantly in the mouth of that person
who serves Vasudeva for a thousand births.
[Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.232 (from Padma Purāṇa)]
We are not pious, sinful, learned or ignorant; we are the carriers of the
dust of the feet of the Supreme Lord Śrī Hari and we are initiated by
the mantra, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, 64 Principles of
Community]

36
By chanting one comes close to Kṛṣṇa
ādi-purāṇe ca — gītvā ca mama nāmāni vicaren mama sannidhau
iti bravīmi te satyaṃ krīto’haṃ tasya cārjuna
In the Adi Purāṇa it is said: By singing My names, a person will attain a
position close to Me. I make this promise. That person, O Arjuna,
purchases Me.
[Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.231 (from Adi Purāṇa)]

When will the concept that the Deity is made of stone

disappear?
Yara mantre sakale murtite vaise prana, sei prabhu sri krsna
caitanyacandra nama
Life is invoked in the Deity forms of the Supreme Lord by chanting His
holy names. That Lord has now appeared as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. The
system of invoking life in the Deity form of the Supreme Lord by
chanting the mahā-mantra given by Śrī Gaura is practised in the Śrī
Gauḍīya sampradāya. Without chanting the Lord's holy names, the
concept that the arcā-vigraha is made of stone does not disappear.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, Gauḍīya bhāṣya
on Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 2.305]

The meaning of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya

You make all the worlds say Kṛṣṇa, and You give them caitanya (pure
consciousness), revealing kīrtana. Therefore, Your name is Kṛṣṇa
Caitanya. All people will be blessed by this name.
[Sadananda Swami/Eidlitz, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya]

37
The business of the tongue
Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: simply by your service attitude, to serve Kṛṣṇa,
beginning with the tongue. It is very wonderful. But utilizing your
tongue, you can achieve Kṛṣṇa very easily, by the tongue. By the
tongue if you simply chant, without any offense, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra,
and by the tongue if you simply taste Kṛṣṇa prasādam, and by the
tongue if you speak about Kṛṣṇa, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa,
you understand Kṛṣṇa. The three business of the tongue: tasting the
prasādam, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and preaching about Kṛṣṇa. By
these three things you understand Kṛṣṇa, and as you understand
Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti, you are transferred to
the spiritual kingdom.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Lecture on Nectar of Devotion,
1972-10-19]

Abandon the world to hear and chant about Mukunda

martyas tayānusavam edhitayā mukunda
śrīmat-kathā-śravaṇa-kīrtana-cintayaiti
tad dhāma dustara-kṛtānta-javāpavargaṁ
grāmād vanaṁ kṣiti-bhujo 'pi yayur yad-arthāḥ
By regularly hearing, chanting and meditating on the beautiful topics
of Lord Mukunda with ever-increasing sincerity, a mortal being will
attain the divine kingdom of the Lord, where the inviolable power of
death holds no sway. For this purpose, many persons, including great
kings, abandoned their mundane homes and took to the forest.
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.90.50]

Dhāma and Nāma can’t be separated

Śrī Vaikuṇṭha-nāma alone has come down to this earth and it is in Śrī
Dhāma that Śrī Nāma has been deposited. The presence of Nāma-sevā

38
does not give the real end, viz. Kṛṣṇa-kama-sevā, to one who
disconnects oneself from Śrī Dhāma.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, The pathway of
the highest blessedness]

Śraddhā-bindu (a drop of faith)

ekākī āmāra, nāhi pāya bala,
hari-nāma-sańkīrtane
tumi kṛpā kori', śraddhā-bindu diyā,
deho' kṛṣṇa-nāma-dhane
Alone I find, I have no strength to chant the holy name of Lord Hari. I
beg you, therefore, please be merciful and with a particle of faith, give
me the great treasure of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.
[Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śaraṇāgati, Ohe Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura]

Nārada's chanting was like the roar of Nṛsiṁha

When Nārada Muni was chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, he chanted
so loudly that it was apprehended that Lord Nṛsiṁha had appeared.
Thus all the demons began to flee in different directions.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Nectar of Devotion Chapter 27]

Nārada’s chanting makes the universe ecstatic

The purport of this song is that Nārada Muni, the great soul, plays a
stringed instrument called a vīṇā, vibrating the sound rādhikā-ramaṇa,
which is another name for Kṛṣṇa. As soon as he strokes the strings, all
the devotees begin responding, making a very beautiful vibration.
Accompanied by the stringed instrument, the singing seems like a
shower of nectar, and all the devotees dance in ecstasy to the fullest
extent of their satisfaction. While dancing, they appear madly
intoxicated with ecstasy, as if drinking the beverage called mādhurī-
pūra. Some of them cry, some of them dance, and some of them,

39
although unable to dance publicly, dance within their hearts. Lord Śiva
embraces Nārada Muni and begins talking in an ecstatic voice, and
seeing Lord Śiva dancing with Nārada, Lord Brahmā also joins, saying,
“All of you kindly chant Hari bol! Hari bol!”
The King of heaven, Indra, also gradually joins with great satisfaction
and begins dancing and chanting “Hari bol! Hari bol!” In this way, by
the influence of the transcendental vibration of the holy name of God,
the whole universe becomes ecstatic.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, “When the universe becomes ecstatic, my
desire is satisfied. I therefore pray unto the lotus feet of Rūpa Gosvāmī
that this chanting of harer nāma may go on nicely like this.”
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.5.22
purport]

40
Good Qualities
Sincerity
An openly fallen and sinful person is better, because he only takes
himself down; whereas an externally religious person, who is a
hypocrite, brings both himself and others down.
[Nāradīya Purāṇa]

How to develop friendship, purity and naturalness

Non-envy married equanimity and they had two sons named purity
and naturalness, and you, her daughter friendship, who has brought
me great pleasure.
[Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka Act 3-10]

A man is like a crystal

A man will attain the qualities of the person with whom he associates,
just as a crystal takes up the colour of the object next to it. Therefore,
the wise man will take shelter of those who have qualities like his own
for the prosperity of his family.
[Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.229 (from Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya)]

All Kṛṣṇa’s good qualities develop in a devotee

sarva mahā-guṇa-gaṇa vaiṣṇava-śarīre
kṛṣṇa-bhakte kṛṣṇera guṇa sakali sañcāre
A Vaiṣṇava is one who developed all good transcendental qualities. All
the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa gradually develop in Kṛṣṇa’s devotee.
[Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu speaking, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā
22.75]

41
How Kṛṣṇa’s beauty increases
Although the son of Devakī, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is
the reservoir of all kinds of beauty, when He is among the gopīs He
nonetheless becomes more beautiful, for He resembles a marakata
jewel surrounded by gold and other jewels.
[Rāmānanda Rāya speaking, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 8.95]

42
The Lord’s Protection
The Lord sustains in all circumstances
The minds of those gopīs are always absorbed in Me, and their very
lives are ever devoted to Me. For My sake they have abandoned
everything related to their bodies, renouncing ordinary happiness in
this life, as well as religious duties necessary for such happiness in the
next life. I alone am their dearmost beloved and, indeed, their very
Self. I personally sustain such devotees, who for My sake give up all
worldly duties.
[Kṛṣṇa speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.46.4]

Spiritual wealth can’t be taken away

na karhicin mat-parāḥ śānta-rūpe naṅkṣyanti no me 'nimiṣo leḍhi hetiḥ
yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam
The Lord continued: My dear mother, devotees who receive such
transcendental opulences are never bereft of them; neither weapons
nor the change of time can destroy such opulences. Because the
devotees accept Me as their friend, their relative, their son, preceptor,
benefactor and Supreme Deity, they cannot be deprived of their
possessions at any time.
[Lord Kapila speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.38]

Śrīdhara Svāmī’s prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva

Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, who is always
enlightening Prahlāda Mahārāja within his heart and who always kills
the nescience that attacks the devotees. His mercy is distributed like
moonshine, and His face is like that of a lion. Let me offer my
obeisances unto Him again and again.
[Śrīdhara Svāmī, Commentary on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.1.1]

43
Learning
We are not poets, logicians, philosophers…
We are not poets. We are not logicians. We are not philosophers who
have crossed to the farther shore of Vedānta. We are not eloquent
debaters. We are the servants of a rascal cowherd boy.
[Śrī Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya speaking, Padyāvalī 72]

Sarasvatī’s appearance
Muni Yājñavalkya once thought of Sarasvatī and she appeared before
him wearing ornaments of vowels and consonants and sounding Om.
[Ṛg-veda, Santi Parva, Chapter 318, Verse 34]

Sarasvatī’s decorations
My Lord Govinda, the goddess of learning is decorated with fourteen
kinds of educational ornaments, her intelligence is all-pervading within
the four departments of the Vedas, her attention is always on the
lawbooks given by great sages like Manu, and she is appareled in six
kinds of expert knowledge—namely Vedic evidence, grammar,
astrology, rhetoric, vocabulary and logic. Her constant friends are the
supplements of the Vedas, the Purāṇas, and she is decorated with the
final conclusion of all education. And now she has acquired an
opportunity to sit with You as a class friend in school, and she is now
engaged in Your service.
[The Siddhas and Cāraṇas speaking, Nectar of Devotion Chapter 21.11]

The fourteen Vedic departments of learning

aṅgāni vedāś catvāro
mīmāṁsā nyāya-vistaraḥ

44
dharma-śāstraṁ purāṇaṁ ca
vidyā hy etāś caturdaśa
The four Vedas, their six supplements, the Purāṇas, the Dharma-
śāstras, the Mīmāṁsā interpretation of the Vedas, and the elaborate
science of Nyāya logic — these are the fourteen departments of
learning.
[Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.6.27]

Dry logic should be abandoned

Logic is properly employed to resolve apparent contradictions in the
text of the Vedas. Dry logic without reference to scriptural revelation
should be abandoned.
[Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, Govinda Bhāṣya commentary on
Vedānta-sūtra 1.1]

Apply logic to the mercy of the Lord

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-dayā karaha vicāra
vicāra karite citte pābe camatkāra
If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to
the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to
be strikingly wonderful.
[Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 8.15]

Different metaphors of logic

ajā-gala-stana-nyāya – logic of nipples on the neck of a goat

You have seen on the goats in the neck, just like nipples. So if one is
expecting milk from that nipple, he is also fool. It is not nipple, but it
looks like nipple. These are illusions. Āja-gala-stana-nyāya is applied for
these rascals, those who are thinking that from matter life is coming.

45
Exactly the same. They are thinking that "Here are nipples, there will
milk come. Let us milk here."
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Morning walk, 1973-05-05]
The material nature, as the material cause, is known as pradhāna, and
as the efficient cause is known as māyā. But since it is inert matter, it is
not the remote cause of matter.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda]

bakāṇḍa-nyāya – baka – duck; aṇḍa – testicles of bull

The bull is going, and the testicle is hanging, and the duck is after it. He
is thinking, "Here is a fish." You find him always going. "When it will
drop?" Bakāṇḍa. This is nature's study. The baka, the duck, they are
after fish. So the testicle is hanging, he's thinking, "It's a big fish. It will
drop now." So it will never drop, but he is going after it.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Morning walk, 1973-05-05]

kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya – The frog in the well

“The frog in the well” logic illustrates that a frog residing in the
atmosphere and boundary of a well cannot imagine the length and
breadth of the gigantic ocean. Such a frog, when informed of the
gigantic length and breadth of the ocean, first of all does not believe
that there is such an ocean, and if someone assures him that factually
there is such a thing, the frog then begins to measure it by imagination
by means of pumping its belly as far as possible, with the result that
the tiny abdomen of the frog bursts and the poor frog dies without any
experience of the actual ocean. Similarly, the material scientists also
want to challenge the inconceivable potency of the Lord by measuring
Him with their frog-like brains and their scientific achievements.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.5.10
purport]

46
nagna-mātṛkā-nyāya – The mother was naked when she was a
child; therefore she should remain naked still
This means that we look at an advanced spiritual personality as they
were previously, without considering that they have evolved in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness. In this way we minimize them.

śākhā-candra-nyāya – It is easier to focus on the moon through

the branches of a tree
Although the moon appears to be located in the branches of a tree, it
is actually far away. Similarly, none of the avatāras, or incarnations of
Lord Kṛṣṇa are within this material world, but they are visible by the
causeless mercy of the Lord.

Yudhiṣṭhira answers Dharma's questions

When the five Pāṇḍavas were living in the forest, four of them had
fallen unconscious after drinking the water from the enchanted lake.
The water was guarded by a spirit in the form of a heron who had
asked the brothers to answer his questions before drinking.
Yudhiṣṭhira came in search of his brothers and although wracked by
intense thirst, resisted the temptation to drink and began to answer
the bird’s questions.
Q: “What is heavier than Earth?”
A: “A mother’s love”, replied Yudhiṣṭhira.
Q: “By what does one become wise?”
A: “By serving one’s elders.”
Q: “What are the tidings of this world?”
A: “The world is like a cooking pot with the sun as its fire, days and
nights as its fuel and months and seasons as its wooden spoon. All of
us are being cooked by time.”
Q: “What is the most wonderful thing?”
A: “The most wonderful thing is that although everyday innumerable

47
humans and their animals go to the abode of death, still a man thinks
he is immortal.”
Q: “What makes the soul rise out of matter?”
A: “It is knowledge of the Supreme Lord which makes the soul rise.”
Pleased by these answers, the spirit then revealed himself to be
Yamarāja, none other than the father of Yudhiṣṭhira.
[Mahābhārata]

The three debts of a brāhmaṇa

A brāhmaṇa is born with three debts. By celibacy (brahmacarya) and
studying the Vedas (ādhyayana) he pays his debt to the sages. By
sacrifice and by producing children he is freed from his debts to the
demigods and forefathers (pitṝṇāṁ).
[Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Sārārtha-darśini, Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 10.84.39]

The nature of the young and old man

The phrase saisave vrddha-rita is explained as follows: The nature of a
boy is to be attached to playing, and the nature of an old man is to
merge in the flow of thought born from experience.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.114]

The perfection of spiritual knowledge

 Absorbing the intelligence in Me constitutes mental equilibrium
 Complete discipline of the senses is self-control
 Tolerance means patiently enduring unhappiness
 Steadfastness occurs when one conquers the tongue and genitals
 The greatest charity is to give up all aggression toward others
 Renunciation of lust is understood to be real austerity

48
 Real heroism is to conquer one’s natural tendency to enjoy material
life
 Reality is seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead everywhere
 Truthfulness means to speak the truth in a pleasing way, as
declared by great sages
 Cleanliness is detachment in fruitive activities
 Renunciation is the sannyāsa order of life
 The true desirable wealth for human beings is religiousness
 The Supreme Personality of Godhead is sacrifice
 Religious remuneration is devotion to the ācārya with the purpose
of acquiring spiritual instruction
 The greatest strength is the prāṇāyāma system of breath control
[Kṛṣṇa speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.19.36-39]

49
Mercy
One must receive the Lord’s mercy to understand Him
athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
na cānya eko ‘pi ciraṁ vicinvan
My Lord, if one is favoured by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your
lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But
those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of
Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study
the Vedas for many years.
[Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, Chapter 15]

Persons averse to the Lord can’t see Him

cakṣur vinā yathā dīpaṁ yathā darpaṇam eva ca
samīpasthaṁ na paśyanti tathā viṣṇuṁ bahirmukhāḥ
As a blind person cannot see anything even with the help of a lamp or
a mirror, persons who are averse to Lord Viṣṇu cannot see Him even if
He stands before them.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 5.042]

The unbreakable hope for the Lord’s mercy

Oh my Lord, I do not have any love for You, nor am I qualified for
discharging devotional service by chanting and hearing. Nor do I
possess the mystic power of a Vaiṣṇava, knowledge or pious activities.
Nor do I belong to a very high-caste family. On the whole, I do not
possess anything. Still, O beloved of the gopīs, because you bestow
Your mercy on the most fallen, I have an unbreakable hope that is
constantly in my heart. That hope is always giving me pain.

50
[Sanātana Gosvāmī speaking, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.3.35]

The Lord’s mercy manifests as His appearance in our

thoughts
Man: Beloved, listen, the Lord grants His mercy to this world in three
ways.
Woman: What three ways?
Man: First, by directly appearing before His devotee. Second, by
personally entering His devotee's heart. Third, by appearing in His
devotee's thoughts.
[Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka Act 9.13-15]

Lord Nityānanda preached door to door

kṛṣṇa mātā, kṛṣṇa pitā, kṛṣṇa prāṇa dhana
caraṇe dhariyā bali,—‘kṛṣṇe deha, mana
Kṛṣṇa is your mother, Kṛṣṇa is your father, Kṛṣṇa is your life and
wealth. I fall at your feet and beg you to engage your minds in thinking
of Kṛṣṇa.
[Lord Nityānanda speaking, Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.343]

One who does good is never overcome by evil

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
pārtha naiveha nāmutra
vināśas tasya vidyate
na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid
durgatiṁ tāta gacchati
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “Son of Pṛthā, a
transcendentalist engaged in auspicious activities does not meet with
destruction either in this world or in the spiritual world; one who does
good, My friend, is never overcome by evil.”

51
[Kṛṣṇa speaking, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 6.40]

The various types of Śāka

ei ye `acyutā' nāme śāka
ihāra bhojane haya kṛṣṇe anurāga
The Lord said, “This śāka is known as acyutā. By eating this, one
develops attachment for Kṛṣṇa.”
Acyutā is a type of śāka. As the Lord ate, He glorified the various
qualities of the various śākas and their relationships to Kṛṣṇa.
`paṭala' `vāstuka' `kāla' śākera bhojane
janma janma viharaye vaiṣṇavera sane
By eating paṭala, vāstuka, and kāla śākas, one enjoys the Vaiṣṇavas'
association birth after birth.
`sāliñcā' `heleñcā' śāka bhakṣaṇa karile
ārogya thākaye tāre kṛṣṇa-bhakti mile
By eating sāliñcā and heleñcāśāka, one remains free from disease and
attains the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.296-298]

Devotional Service is stronger than Kṛṣṇa

Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, but pure devotional service attracts even Him.
This means that pure devotional service is even transcendentally
stronger than Kṛṣṇa Himself, because it is Kṛṣṇa's internal potency.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Nectar of Devotion Chapter 1]

Yamunā is greater than Gaṅgā

The renowned Yamunā in My domain of Mathurā is hundreds of times
greater than the Ganges. About this there can be no dispute, O
goddess.

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[Kṛṣṇa speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.90.47 purport (from Varāha
Purāṇa)]

Even Gaṅgā and Tulasī become purified

Sayena dhanya tomāre paraśi
Gaṅgā and Tulasī are known to purify everything. But even they are
purified by your touch.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.256]

Sādhu-saṅga
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the great preacher of the principles of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, has stressed the importance of association with
sādhus, pure devotees of the Lord. He said that even by a moment’s
association with a pure devotee, one can achieve all perfection. We are
not ashamed to admit that this fact was experienced in our practical
life. Were we not favoured by His Divine Grace Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, by our first meeting for a few minutes
only, it would have been impossible for us to accept this mighty task of
describing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in English. Without seeing him at that
opportune moment, we could have become a very great business
magnate, but never would we have been able to walk the path of
liberation and be engaged in the factual service of the Lord under
instructions of His Divine Grace. And here is another practical example
by the action of Vidura’s association with Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Mahārāja
Dhṛtarāṣṭra was tightly bound in a network of material affinities
related to politics, economy and family attachment, and he did
everything in his power to achieve so-called success in his planned
projects, but he was frustrated from the beginning to the end so far as
his material activities were concerned. And yet, despite his life of
failure, he achieved the greatest of all success in self-realization by the
forceful instructions of a pure devotee of the Lord, who is the typical
emblem of a sādhu. The scriptures enjoin, therefore, that one should

53
associate with sādhus only, rejecting all other kinds of association, and
by doing so one will have ample opportunity to hear the sādhus, who
can cut to pieces the bonds of illusory affection in the material world.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.29
purport]

54
Vṛndāvana
The pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are covered by darkness
The dust from cows and calves on the road creates a kind of darkness
indicating that Kṛṣṇa is returning home from the pasture. Also, the
darkness of evening provokes the gopīs to meet Kṛṣṇa. Thus the
pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs are covered by a kind of
transcendental darkness and are therefore impossible for ordinary
scholars of the Vedas to see.
[Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Lalitā-mādhava Act 1.1.53]

The atmosphere of Vṛndāvana awakens love of God

I think Cupid's regal tiger appeared disguised as this pigeon, and on
the pretext of warbling he is fiercely roaring. His roars chase away the
deer of the gopīs peacefulness, piety, and shyness, as well as the
jackals of their pride.
[Govinda-Līlāmṛta 1.18]

Flutes made of palm leaves

All glories to Kṛṣṇa's vayasyas, who are just like Kṛṣṇa in their age,
qualities, pastimes, dress and beauty. They are accustomed to playing
on their flutes made of palm leaves, and they all have buffalo-horn
bugles ornamented like Kṛṣṇa's with jewels such as indranīla and with
gold and coral.
[Nectar of Devotion Chapter 41]

Rādhārāṇī, the most beautiful

Actually the Lord’s beauty is superexcellent, surpassing even the
beauty of Lakṣmī in Vaikuṇṭha. The devotees of the Lord in the

55
Vaikuṇṭha planets want to see the Lord as the most beautiful, but the
devotees in Gokula or Kṛṣṇaloka want to see Rādhārāṇī as more
beautiful than Kṛṣṇa.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.15.42
purport]

Rādhārāṇī’s mercy
In Vṛndāvana all the pure devotees pray for the mercy of Śrīmatī
Rādhārāṇī, the pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is a
tenderhearted feminine counterpart of the supreme whole,
resembling the perfectional stage of the worldly feminine nature.
Therefore, the mercy of Rādhārāṇī is available very readily to the
sincere devotees, and once She recommends such a devotee to Lord
Kṛṣṇa, the Lord at once accepts the devotee's admittance into His
association.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.3.23
purport]

Did Kṛṣṇa return to Vṛndāvana?

Nanda Mahārāja returned to Vṛndāvana without Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
He was accompanied only by the cowherd boys and men. It was
certainly a very pathetic scene for the gopīs, Mother Yaśodā, Śrīmatī
Rādhārāṇī and all the other residents of Vṛndāvana. Many devotees
have tried to make adjustments to Kṛṣṇa being away from Vṛndāvana
because, according to expert opinion, Kṛṣṇa, the original Supreme
Personality of Godhead, never goes even a step out of Vṛndāvana. He
always remains there. The explanation of expert devotees is that Kṛṣṇa
was actually not absent from Vṛndāvana; He came back with Nanda
Mahārāja as promised.
When Kṛṣṇa was starting for Mathurā on the chariot driven by Akrūra
and the gopīs were blocking the way, Kṛṣṇa assured them that He was
coming back just after finishing His business in Mathurā. He told them

56
not to be overwhelmed and in this way pacified them. But when He
failed to come back with Nanda Mahārāja, it appeared that He either
cheated them or could not keep His promise. Expert devotees,
however, have decided that Kṛṣṇa was neither a cheater nor a breaker
of promises. Kṛṣṇa, in His original identity, returned with Nanda
Mahārāja and stayed with the gopīs and Mother Yaśodā in His bhāva
expansion. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma remained in Mathurā not in Their
original forms but in Their expansions as Vasudeva and Saṅkarṣaṇa.
The real Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were in Vṛndāvana in Their bhāva
manifestation, whereas in Mathurā They appeared in the prabhava and
vaibhava expansions. This is the expert opinion of advanced devotees
of Kṛṣṇa. Externally, however, They were absent from Vṛndāvana.
Therefore, when Nanda Mahārāja was preparing to return to
Vṛndāvana, there was some discussion between him and the boys
concerning how they could live in separation. The conclusion to
separate was reached by mutual agreement.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, KṚṢṆA, The Supreme
Personality of Godhead Chapter 46]

Kṛṣṇa’s heart is bound by bhakti

You know that My heart is bound by bhakti, even if it takes the form of
enmity. Pūtanā is the evidence of this in the world. Disguising herself
like a devoted mother, she acted like a mother. How would My mind
not be attracted to Vraja permeated with the premā of My mother?
[Gopāla-campū, 10.15.8]

The Vrajavāsīs are the originals

I think that My father and others born in Gokula, who are the abodes
of Prema, are the original forms and the people of Mathurā are their
reflections. My experience is the proof of this. When I experience the
people of Vraja I do not think of the people of Mathurā, but when I
experience the people of Mathurā I remember the residents of Vraja.

57
[Gopāla-campū, 10.15.12]

Uddhava became duly empowered

Touching Uddhava’s folded hands, visibly giving him mercy and giving
him joy, Kṛṣṇa took him to Balarāma and explained that Uddhava
would go to Vraja. Taking Uddhava and Balarāma to Rohiṇī, he
obtained her consent. Showing mercy by making him beautiful with
ornaments and cloth, He sent Uddhava to Vraja.
[Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla-campū 10.17]

Was it the chariot or the mind?

Did a chariot take him to Vraja or was it the desire on his mind? In the
contest, desire defeated the chariot.
[Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla-campū 10.20.22]

Every tree gave darśana

Uddhava left Kṛṣṇa and went to Vraja. It is said that every tree on the
way gave Uddhava direct vision of Kṛṣṇa.
[Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla-campū 10.20.23]

When Nanda Mahārāja saw Uddhava

Then Uddhava approached the home of Nanda, which was filled with
misery due to separation from Kṛṣṇa. Uddhava looked just like Nanda's
son Kṛṣṇa and gave pleasure to anyone who saw him. Thus, though
Nanda was stunned due to separation from Kṛṣṇa, when he saw
Uddhava he became aware of external events and eagerly went out to
embrace his exalted visitor.
[Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Sārārtha-darśini, Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam 10.46.14]

58
She will become a river
When Nanda described Kṛṣṇa's qualities to Uddhava, Yaśodā became
emotional. She perspired, milk flowed from her breasts and tears
flowed from her eyes. Uddhava on seeing her thought, "She will
become a river.”
[Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla-campū 10.32.51]

Movable dhāmas
The above-mentioned dhāmas are movable, by the omnipotent will of
Lord Kṛṣṇa. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa appears on the face of the earth, he can
also make His dhāmas appear, without changing their original
structure.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā
5.19 purport]

The potency of Vṛndāvana

Actually, if someone goes to Vṛndāvana, he will immediately feel
separation from Kṛṣṇa, who performed such nice activities when He
was present there.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Nectar of Devotion Chapter 18]

Mathurā is a state of consciousness

mathyate tu jagat sarvaṁ
brahma-jñānena yena vā
tat-sāra-bhūtaṁ yad yasyāṁ
mathurā sā nigadyate
When a self-realized soul acts in his transcendental position, his
situation is called Mathurā. In other words, when one acts in the
process of bhakti-yoga, he may live anywhere, but actually he lives in
Mathurā, Vṛndāvana. Devotion to Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is

59
the essence of all knowledge, and wherever such knowledge is
manifested it is called Mathurā.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.1.
Additional notes]

60
Lord Caitanya
Dancing peacocks
(Again from behind the scenes a tumult of Jaya! Jaya!' and 'ululu'.)
Gaṅgādāsa: Ah, Lord Viśvambhara has begun to dance. With
thunderous shouts He is turning the devotees into dancing peacocks,
while His flowing tears fill the world with an unending monsoon, and
with his bright effulgence filling the directions with lightning, the
Viśvambhara rain cloud who delights the world, is now dancing.
[Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka Act 4.59]

The Lord removes the unhappiness of the earth

Formerly the Supreme Lord removed the great burden of many
invincible demons from the earth. I think that now, with his forceful
steps, the Lord is removing the earth's unhappiness by personally
dancing upon her with His devotees.
[Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka Act 4.36]

Praying to Balarāma
As a great jewel is kept in a favourite place, so the jewel of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s
glories is kept in the jewellery case of Lord Ananta’s mouth. A person
that offers prayers to Lord Balarāma will find the glories of Lord
Caitanya appear in his mouth.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Adi-khaṇḍa 1.13-14]

Akbar to Lord Caitanya

Hail thee O Caitanya – the victor of my heart,
Mark the rhythm of his mystic dance in lofty ecstasy- quite alone.
Merrily sounds the tabor and the cymbals’ note keeps time

61
The joyous band following him sing and dance merrily-merrily;
He steps a pace or two onwards in his dancing gait,
And knows no rest – intoxicated with his own overflowing joy.
Oh my heart’s Lord, how can I express the love I have for thee?
Saha Akbar craves a drop from the sea of thy piety and love.
[Emperor Akbar, song translated from Hindi By Rai Bahadur Dinesh
Chandra Sen, University of Calcutta, 1922]

Rules and spontaneous love

Love of God: Listen! One path is the rules of the scripture. Another
path is spontaneous love. The first follows rules, the second does not.
Friendship: The path without rules takes a long time.
Love of God: Not always! During a flood a boat can quickly go without
following any established path. At another time even the most
established path is difficult on the winding river.
[Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka Act 3.48-51]

The difference between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Mahāprabhu

When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself was personally present, He demanded
that everyone surrender unto Him and promised that He would then
give one all protection, but when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to
this earth with His associates, He simply distributed transcendental
love of God without discrimination.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā
7.21 purport]

Lord Caitanya’s mercy

Continually beaming from His lotus face is causeless mercy that makes
no distinction between so-called friend and enemies.
[Śrī Godruma Candra Bhajan]

62
Lord Caitanya is Yajña-Puruṣa
By performing saṅkīrtana-yajña and by satisfying the yajña-puruṣa,
Lord Caitanya, one can derive all the results derived by great sacrifices
in the past.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.19.7
purport]

63
Deity Worship
Decorate the Deity
Decorate the Deity as nicely as possible with nice flowers and dress.
You will forget all other false beauty.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Letter To Kīrtanānanda, 1968-
10-22]

64
Behaviour of a Saintly Person
Interactions between superiors, equals and inferiors
Generally when we find someone more qualified than ourselves, we
become envious of him; when we find someone less qualified, we
deride him; and when we find someone equal we become very proud
of our activities. These are the causes of all material tribulations. The
great sage Nārada therefore advised that a devotee should act
perfectly. Instead of being envious of a more qualified man, one
should be jolly to receive him. Instead of being oppressive to a less
qualified man, one should be compassionate toward him just to raise
him to the proper standard. And when one meets an equal, instead of
being proud of one’s own activities before him, one should treat him as
a friend. One should also have compassion for the people in general,
who are suffering due to forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. These important
functions will make one happy within this material world.
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.8.34
purport]

Vaiṣṇava-sevā
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche
kebā: “Who has been elevated without rendering service to a pure
Vaiṣṇava?”
[Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 8.17 purport]

How the Lord dealt in debate

When the Lord defeated His opponents, He did not break their honour.
Therefore everyone loved the Lord. Everyone was pleased with Him.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Adi-khaṇḍa 13.115]

65
Advice for all human beings
Bhīṣmadeva advised for all human beings nine qualifications:
(1) Not to become angry
(2) Not to lie
(3) To equally distribute wealth
(4) To forgive
(5) To beget children only by one’s legitimate wife
(6) To be pure in mind and hygienic in body
(7) Not to be inimical toward anyone
(8) To be simple
(9) To support servants or subordinates
[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.9.26
purport]

Mādhāi could not forgive himself

It took Mādhāi longer to forgive himself, than for Lord Nityānanda to
forgive him. When he remembered how he attacked Lord Nityānanda,
Mādhāi wept again and again. Lord Nityānanda had forgiven all his
offences. Still Mādhāi was not happy at heart.
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.13-14]
Lord Nityānanda forgave him again. “When hit by his small son, does
the father become unhappy? I think you hitting me is like that.”
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.65]
Lord Nityānanda embraced Mādhāi who became free from all
suffering. Yet one more issue was raised by Mādhāi. “I do not know all
the living beings I have violently attacked. If I knew them I would beg
forgiveness from them.”
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.73]
Lord Nityānanda said: “Listen. I will tell you what to do. Build a bathing
ghat by the Gaṅgā. When the people find it easy to bathe in the Gaṅgā,

66
they will bless you. Service to the Gaṅgā breaks offences to pieces.
What better blessings can you attain?”
[Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.76-78]

Be first class to get first class

Q: What if a woman wants a child but not a man?
Jayādvaita Swami: It’s not that you don’t want a man, but you want a
first class man. And to get a first class man you have to be a first class
woman.
Q: If I can’t find a first class man, should I then settle for a second class
man? Or better to have no man at all?
Jayādvaita Swami: Even if you have a first class man, that doesn’t make
you Kṛṣṇa conscious or if you are with a second class man, you can still
become Kṛṣṇa conscious somehow.
[Jayādvaita Swami in Sweden]

Forgiveness, a brahminical quality

kṣamayā rocate lakṣmīr
brāhmī saurī yathā prabhā
kṣamiṇām āśu bhagavāṁs
tuṣyate harir īśvaraḥ
The duty of a brāhmaṇa is to culture the quality of forgiveness, which
is illuminating like the sun. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari,
is pleased with those who are forgiving.
[Jamadagni to Paraśurāma, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.15.40]

Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure is supreme morality

If one sins for My sake his sins become pious deeds. If one refuses to
worship Me, then by my power his pious deeds become sin.
[Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 1.110 (from Padma Purāṇa)]

67
Pious activities are like actors on a stage
Without pure devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu, expert meditation,
samādhi, faith, scripture study, good works, japa, and austerity are like
an actor’s expert playing on a stage. They are only different ways to fill
an empty belly.
[Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka Act 2.17]

68
Extraordinary Personalities
Who is Viṣvaksena?
viśvaksenere tabe kari’ nivedana
ananta-brahmāṇḍa-nātha karena bhojana
After offering foodstuffs to Viṣvaksena, the Lord of innumerable
universes began to eat.
Viṣvaksena is a four-armed associate of Lord Viṣṇu who holds the
Lord’s garlands.
In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 8.84-87 it is stated: “Thereafter a sober person
should offer one hundredth portion of the Lord’s prasāda to
Viṣvaksena.” And in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.27.29 it is stated: “With
offerings such as prokṣaṇa one should worship Durgā, Vināyaka,
Vyāsa, Viṣvaksena, the spiritual masters and the various demigods. All
these personalities should be in their proper places facing the Deity of
the Lord. Once again he should offer the Deity water for washing His
mouth, and he should give the remnants of the Lord’s food to
Viṣvaksena.”
In his Bhāvārtha-dīpikā commentary on the quoted half of the latter
verse, Śrīdhara Svāmipāda has stated: “One should meditate that the
Lord has finished eating and then offer Him water for washing His
hands and mouth. Thereafter one should offer the remnants of the
Lord’s foodstuffs to Viṣvaksena, and after taking his permission one
may then eat.” This is the scriptural injunction.
[Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, Caitanya-
bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.190 purport]

Bhṛgu’s duration of life

This Śiśumāra is the pivot for the turning of the complete universe, and
it is called the navel of Viṣṇu [Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu]. The yogī alone

69
goes beyond this circle of Śiśumāra and attains the planet [Maharloka]
where purified saints like Bhṛgu enjoy a duration of life of
4,300,000,000 solar years. This planet is worshipable even for saints
who are transcendentally situated.
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaking, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.2.25]

70
Glossary
Ācārya — One who teaches by personal example
Acyutā — Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, “who never falls”
Adi Purāṇa — An ancient Purāṇa dealing primarily with the story of
Kṛṣṇa
Ahaṅkāra — “False ego,” the first and most subtle of the separated
elements of material creation. By its influence, conditioned souls
assume temporary material identities
Antarīkṣa — One of the nine Yogendras, the sons of Ṛṣabhadeva
Anujā — Younger sister
Arcā-vigraha — Deity
Arjuna — The third of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. It was to Arjuna that
Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā just before the battle of Kurukṣetra
Avatāra — A “descent” of the Supreme Lord to the material world in
one of His many forms
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa — An ācārya in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
sampradāya
Balarāma (Baladeva, Balabhadra) — Kṛṣṇa’s elder brother, and His first
plenary expansion, son of Vasudeva and Rohiṇī
Bhagavad-gītā — The essential teachings on progressive spiritual life
and pure devotion to the Supreme Lord spoken by the Supreme Lord
Himself, Kṛṣṇa, to His friend Arjuna at the battle of Kurukṣetra
Bhakti — Devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Bhakti in practice is
the prime means of spiritual success, and perfected bhakti, pure love
of God, is the ultimate goal of life
Bhakti Kalpataru — Desire tree of devotional service

71
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu — Literally: “The Ocean of the Pure Nectar of
Devotional Service”; a treatise on the science of devotional service
(bhakti), written by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda — The spiritual master
of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda; an ācārya
in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura — An ācārya in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
sampradāya; the father of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
Prabhupāda
Bhāva — Ecstasy in love of God
Bhāvārtha-dīpikā — Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary on Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam
Bhīṣma (-deva) — The son of Śāntanu and the sacred Gaṅgā. He was
one of the twelve mahājanas, the great authorities on Vedic knowledge
Bhṛgu — One of the mind-born sons of Brahma. He founded a
prominent family of Vedic sages
Brahma — The first created living being in the material creation. He
was born from the lotus growing from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī
Viṣṇu
Brāhmaṇa — A member of the most intelligent class among the four
occupational divisions in the varṇāśrama social system
Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta — A book written by Sanātana Gosvāmī which
deals with the discharge of devotional service
Caitanya Mahāprabhu — The form in which the Personality of Godhead
Kṛṣṇa made His advent in 1486 at Māyāpur, West Bengal, and acted in
the guise of His own devotee. He taught the pure worship of Rādhā
and Kṛṣṇa, primarily by saṅkīrtana, the congregational chanting of
Their names
Caitanya-bhāgavata — Biography of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu written
by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura

72
Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka — A drama written by Kavi-karṇapūra
Caitanya-carita-mahākāvya — A biographical work on the life of Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu written by Murāri Gupta soon after His
disappearance
Caitanya-caritāmṛta — The biography and philosophy of Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu, written by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī
Candraśekhara Ācārya — An associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Dhāma — A domain where the Supreme Lord personally resides and
enjoys eternal pastimes with His loving devotees; abode
Dharma — “Religious principles,” or, more properly, individual duty. In
another sense, dharma is the inseparable nature of a thing that
distinguishes it, like the heat of fire or the sweetness of sugar
Dharma-śāstras — The scriptures, supplementary to the Vedas, that
teach the proper behaviour for civilized human society
Durgā — Lord Siva’s eternal consort, of many names and forms, who
joins him in his incarnations
Duryodhana — The eldest son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and chief rival of the
Pāṇḍavas
Gaṅgā — The great sacred river flowing from the peaks of the
Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal and delivering from sin everyone who
comes in contact with her
Gaṅgādāsa — An associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the eighth
branch of the tree of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Garga Muni — A sage who served as family priest of the Yadus. He
performed the name-giving ceremony for the infant Kṛṣṇa
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya — The school of pure devotion to Rādhā
and Kṛṣṇa founded by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Gaura Purnima — The appearance day of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Ghāṭa — Steps built for bathing in a river or lake

73
Gokula — The first home of the infants Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vraja,
located in the Mahāvana forest
Golokera Prema Dhana — The treasure of divine love of Goloka
Vṛndāvana
Gopāla-campū — A book written by Jīva Gosvāmī narrating the
pastimes as found in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in greater details
Govinda — Kṛṣṇa, the proprietor of the cows, the earth, and the senses
of His devotees; “one who gives pleasure to the cows and the senses”
Govinda Bhāṣya — Commentary on Vedānta philosophy presented by
Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Govinda-Līlāmṛta — The Eternal Nectarean Pastimes of Śrī Govinda by
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī
Guru — “Heavy” [with knowledge]; a spiritual master
Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya — A transcendental literature extracted from the
Purāṇas
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa — A book compiled by Sanātana Gosvāmī
Hari-vaṁśa — Hari-vaṁśa especially describes the pastimes of the
Supreme Lord that took place after the battle at Kurukṣetra, including
His pastimes of disappearance; Hari-vaṁśa is considered a supplement
of Mahābhārata
Hiraṇyakaśipu — One of the first great demons in the universe, who
was killed by Lord Nṛsiṁha for persecuting his devotee son Prahlāda
Indra — The king of the demigods, ruler of Svargaloka
Indranīla — Sapphire
Īśvara Purī — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s spiritual master
Jīva — The eternal individual soul
Jīva Gosvāmī — One of the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, principal
followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu who rediscovered the forgotten
places of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vraja, re-established the worship of the

74
principal Vraja Deities, and made literary contributions to establish the
science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the modern age
Kali-yuga — The fourth of four repeating ages that form the basic
cycles of universal time. In each Kali-yuga the world degrades into
quarrel and dishonesty. The present Kali-yuga began 5,000 years ago
and will continue for another 427,000 years. Kali is also the name of
the ruler of the age
Kavi-karṇapūra — The son of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s dear associate,
Śivānanda Sena; poet and author of great literary works
Kīrtana — The primary devotional practice of chanting the Supreme
Lord’s glories
Kṛṣṇa — “Dark blue”; the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the
origin of all expansions; the all-attractive person
Kṛṣṇa Caitanya — The name received by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu from
His sannyāsa guru, Keśava Bhāratī
Kṛṣṇa-kama-sevā — Service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa's desires
Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha — The second of the six famous “Ṣaṭ-sandarbhas” by
Jīva Gosvāmī
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī — The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
Kṣatriya — One of the four occupational classes in the varṇāśrama
social system, in charge of political and military affairs
Kundalatā — Kṛṣṇa’s sister-in-law
Lakṣmī — The eternal consort of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu
Lalitā — One of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s intimate friends, who are Her
principal expansions, the original potencies behind all spiritual and
material creations
Lalitā-mādhava — A spiritual drama that describes the Lord’s pastimes
in Dvārakā and Mathurā
Mādhāi — Great sinner delivered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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Mādhavendra Purī — The spiritual master of Īśvara Purī
Mahābhārata — The epic history of “greater India” composed by Kṛṣṇa-
dvaipāyana Vyāsa. One chapter is the Bhagavad-gītā
Mahāprabhu — Supreme master of all masters; refers to Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu
Mahat-tattva — The first transformation of primordial nature. It
contains all the other elements in their subtle, unmanifest forms
Maṅgala-ārati — The first Deity worship of the day, performed an hour
and a half before sunrise
Marakata — Emerald
Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma — A poem written by His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda upon arrival at Boston Harbour
during September 1965
Mathurā — The eternal abode in which Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself as the
Lord of the Yādavas
Māyā — Illusion; the energy of the Supreme Lord that deludes living
entities into forgetfulness of their spiritual nature and of God
Mukunda — Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, the “giver of liberation”
Muni — A thoughtful sage
Murāri Gupta — An associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Nanda — The king of the cowherds of Vraja, who, together with his
wife Yaśodā, raised Kṛṣṇa from His infancy until He left Vraja for
Mathurā
Nārada Muni — a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa who travels throughout
the spiritual and material worlds singing the Lord’s glories and
preaching the path of devotional service
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura — a spiritual master in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
sampradāya and writer of many standard Vaiṣṇava hymns

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Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya — A book written by Bhaktivinoda
Ṭhākura describing the glories of Navadvīpa-dhāma
Nityānanda — The incarnation of Lord Balarāma who is a principal
associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Nṛsiṁha (-deva) — The pastime incarnation of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu
as half-man-half-lion
Nyāya — The ancient system of epistemology and logic
Padma Purāṇa — One of the eighteen major Purāṇas
Padyāvalī — An anthology of verses compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
Pāṇḍavas — The five sons of Pāṇḍu
Parikrama — A walking pilgrimage
Prabhava — The Lord primarily expands Himself in two categories,
namely prabhava and vaibhava. The prabhava forms are fully potent
like Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the vaibhava forms are partially potent
Pradhāna — Material nature in its primordial undifferentiated state
Prahlāda — One of the greatest devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, who, as the
five-year-old son of the mighty demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, openly dared to
worship the Personality of Godhead and preach His glories
Prokṣaṇa — Sprinkling of water for purification
Pṛthā — One of King Pāṇḍu’s two wives
Purāṇas — The histories of the universe, supplements to the Vedas
Rādhārāṇī — Kṛṣṇa’s original pleasure potency, from whom all His
internal energies expand. She is His eternal consort in Vṛndāvana and
the most dedicated and beloved of His devotees
Radheya — Karṇa
Rāma — An incarnation of the Supreme Lord as a perfect righteous
king, born as the son of Daśaratha and Kauśalyā. Rāma is also a name

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of Lord Kṛṣṇa, meaning “the source of all pleasure,” and a name of
Lord Balarāma and Lord Paraśurāma
Rāmānanda Rāya — One of the most intimate associates of Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu
Rāmāyaṇa — The epic history of Lord Rāma
Ṛg-veda— One of the four Vedas, the original revealed scriptures
Rohiṇī — The wife of Vasudeva who was the mother of Kṛṣṇa’s principal
expansion, Balarāma
Rūpa Gosvāmī — One of the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, principal
followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was also an eminent
playwright and poet. Most Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas consider themselves
followers of Rūpa Gosvāmī
Śabda — Sound
Sādhu — A saintly person
Sādhu-saṅga — The association of saintly persons
Śāka — Spinach
Sanātana Gosvāmī — One of the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana
Saṅkarṣaṇa — Another name of Lord Balarāma
Saṅkīrtana-yajña — Congregational chanting of the names and glories
of Kṛṣṇa, which is the prime means for spiritual success in the current
Age of Kali
Sannyāsa — The renounced order of life
Sārārtha-darśini — A book written by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura, containing the commentaries on the complete Tenth Canto of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
Sarasvatī — The goddess of learning

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Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya — A prominent scholar of logic and Vedanta
who became one of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s closest eternal
associates
Satyabhāmā — One of Kṛṣṇa’s eight principal queens
Sāyujya-mukti — Of the five types of liberation, the one in which one
merges into the existence of God and forgets one’s individual
personality
Six Gosvāmīs — Six great disciples of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu who
wrote many books on devotional service and who established the
major temples in Vṛndāvana
Śrāddha — Faith
Śrīdhara Svāmī — The author of the oldest existing commentary on
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
Śrīla Prabhupāda — His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, the Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa
Consciousness
Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta — the biography of His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, written by Satsvarūpa dāsa
Goswāmī
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam — Also known as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, it teaches
unalloyed devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead
Sudarśana — The disc weapon of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, which the Lord uses
to dispatch those who dare to attack Him or His devotees
Taijasa — Egotism in passion
Tattva — Truth
Tulasī — Devotee dear to Kṛṣṇa who appears in the form of a sacred
plant

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Uddhava — One of Kṛṣṇa’s closest friends, His most confidential adviser
in Mathurā and Dvārakā
Uttama-adhikārī — A topmost devotee
Vaibhava — The Lord primarily expands Himself in two categories,
namely prabhava and vaibhava. The prabhava forms are fully potent
like Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the vaibhava forms are partially potent
Vaikārika — Egotism in goodness
Vaikuṇṭha — Literally: the place free from anxiety. The kingdom of God,
full of all opulences and not limited by time and space
Vaiṣṇava — A devotee of the Supreme Lord
Vasudeva — Kṛṣṇa’s father in Mathurā and Dvārakā
Vasudeva Datta — A confidential devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Vayasyas — Kṛṣṇa’s friends in Vṛndāvana
Vedānta-sūtra — A concise systematic explanation of the Vedic
Upanishads
Viṣṇu — The Personality of Godhead
Viṣṇu Purāṇa — One of the eighteen main Purāṇas
Viśvambhara — One who maintains the entire universe, a name of Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura — A prominent Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācārya
in the line of Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura
Vraja — The eternal place of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with the cowherds,
manifest on earth in the district of Mathurā
Vrajavāsī — A resident of Vṛndāvana
Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura — The author of the Caitanya-bhāgavata
Yajña-Puruṣa — The supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices

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Yamunā — The holiest of rivers, flowing through Vṛndāvana and thus
touched by the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s feet
Yogamāyā — The aspect of Kṛṣṇa’s personal energy who enhances His
loving pastimes with His devotees by putting the devotees in benign
illusion, making them forget that He is God
Yudhiṣṭhira — The eldest of the five sons of Pāṇḍu

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Index
Abandon the world to hear and chant about Mukunda.........................38
Ādi-guru Nityānanda – decorated with the nine processes of devotional
service........................................................................................................... 32
Advice for all human beings.......................................................................66
Akbar to Lord Caitanya...............................................................................61
All Kṛṣṇa’s good qualities develop in a devotee.......................................41
The ancestry of Śrī Kṛṣṇa part 1.................................................................20
The ancestry of Śrī Kṛṣṇa part 2.................................................................20
Apply logic to the mercy of the Lord.........................................................45
The art of being balanced.............................................................................9
The atmosphere of Vṛndāvana awakens love of God..............................55
Be first class to get first class.....................................................................67
Being a devotee is higher than being equal to Kṛṣṇa.............................17
Bhakti Kalpataru.......................................................................................... 33
Bhṛgu’s duration of life...............................................................................69
Burning of Arjuna’s chariot.........................................................................17
The business of the tongue........................................................................38
By chanting one comes close to Kṛṣṇa.....................................................37
The cow of my senses...................................................................................6
Dancing peacocks........................................................................................61
Death is like sleeping..................................................................................10
Decorate the Deity.......................................................................................64
Definition of Acyuta.....................................................................................19
The devotees deceived me.........................................................................13
Devotional Service is stronger than Kṛṣṇa................................................52
Dhāma and Nāma can’t be separated.......................................................38
Did Kṛṣṇa return to Vṛndāvana?................................................................56
The difference between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Mahāprabhu...........................62
Different metaphors of logic......................................................................45
Do not let grief overpower you....................................................................9
Dry logic should be abandoned.................................................................45
The dust of My devotee’s feet....................................................................15
Early days in Vṛndāvana..............................................................................29

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The effect of Kali-yuga described 500 years ago.....................................12
The empowerment of Rāmānanda Rāya..................................................16
The empowerment of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī...............................................16
Even Gaṅgā and Tulasī become purified..................................................53
Every tree gave darśana.............................................................................58
Exchange of sinful reactions......................................................................32
Farewell to karma-kāṇḍīya obligations.....................................................26
Flutes made of palm leaves........................................................................55
Forgiveness, a brahminical quality............................................................67
The fourteen Vedic departments of learning...........................................44
Guru all-knowing?........................................................................................33
The horse of the mind...................................................................................6
How Kṛṣṇa’s beauty increases....................................................................42
How māyā's influence covers the jīva..........................................................6
How the Lord dealt in debate.....................................................................65
How to develop friendship, purity and naturalness................................41
If the devotee wants to take you to Kṛṣṇaloka, then you will go...........13
The impact of the Holy Name.....................................................................35
Interactions between superiors, equals and inferiors............................65
Japa became a wave of song, dance and music.......................................35
Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ..................................................................................36
Kṛṣṇa – friend of all, but bound by His devotees.....................................23
Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive...................................................................................24
Kṛṣṇa’s appearance in the seat of the heart.............................................36
Kṛṣṇa’s heart is bound by bhakti................................................................57
Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure is supreme morality.......................................................67
Kṛṣṇa’s radiant smile...................................................................................24
The Lord appeared as the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam......................................25
Lord Caitanya is Yajña-Puruṣa....................................................................63
Lord Caitanya’s mercy.................................................................................62
Lord Nityānanda preached door to door..................................................51
The Lord removes the unhappiness of the earth....................................61
The Lord sustains in all circumstances......................................................43
The Lord’s mercy manifests as His appearance in our thoughts...........51
Mādhāi could not forgive himself..............................................................66

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Mādhavendra Purī was the incarnation of a kalpa-vṛkṣa tree................27
Mādhavendra Purī’s feelings of separation..............................................27
A man is like a crystal..................................................................................41
The mango tree in Vṛndāvana....................................................................27
Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma.......................................................................30
Material civilization is child’s play................................................................7
Mathurā is a state of consciousness.........................................................59
The meaning of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.................................................................37
Movable dhāmas.........................................................................................59
Nārada's chanting was like the roar of Nṛsiṁha......................................39
Nārada’s chanting makes the universe ecstatic.......................................39
The nature of the young and old man......................................................48
Nature’s beauty is the smile of the Lord...................................................10
One must receive the Lord’s mercy to understand Him.........................50
One who does good is never overcome by evil........................................51
The over-intelligent become empowered by māyā.................................17
The pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are covered by darkness.....................................55
The perfection of spiritual knowledge......................................................48
Persons averse to the Lord can’t see Him.................................................50
Pious activities are like actors on a stage.................................................68
The potency of Vṛndāvana..........................................................................59
Praying to Balarāma....................................................................................61
Rādhā-Dāmodara Temple...........................................................................29
Rādhārāṇī and the Holy Name...................................................................35
Rādhārāṇī, the most beautiful...................................................................55
Rādhārāṇī’s mercy.......................................................................................56
Rāja-ghāṭa..................................................................................................... 23
The relationships in this world are temporary...........................................7
Rules and spontaneous love......................................................................62
Running with one’s eyes closed.................................................................15
Sādhu-saṅga................................................................................................. 53
Sarasvatī’s appearance................................................................................44
Sarasvatī’s decorations................................................................................44
Satyabhāmā tied Kṛṣṇa...............................................................................15
The senses and the mind..............................................................................8

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She will become a river...............................................................................59
Sincerity........................................................................................................ 41
Spiritual psychology....................................................................................11
Spiritual wealth can’t be taken away.........................................................43
Śraddhā-bindu (a drop of faith).................................................................39
Śrīdhara Svāmī’s prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.......................................43
Still boys at 56 and 78.................................................................................30
Sudarśana..................................................................................................... 19
The supreme guru.......................................................................................32
Take Kṛṣṇa as your son...............................................................................19
Teachings unacceptable to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas........................................28
The three debts of a brāhmaṇa.................................................................48
To cross one ocean and drown in another.................................................7
The true perspective in the light of Kṛṣṇa................................................10
The two misconceptions of life: I and mine..............................................10
Uddhava became duly empowered...........................................................58
The unbreakable hope for the Lord’s mercy............................................50
Uttama-adhikārī........................................................................................... 13
Vaiṣṇava-sevā............................................................................................... 65
The various types of Śāka...........................................................................52
Vāsudeva Datta............................................................................................ 15
Who is Viṣvaksena?......................................................................................69
The Vrajavāsīs are the originals.................................................................57
Was it the chariot or the mind?..................................................................58
We are in between Prahlāda and Hiraṇyakaśipu.......................................8
We are not poets, logicians, philosophers….............................................44
What is Kali-yuga?........................................................................................12
When birds start chanting..........................................................................36
When Kṛṣṇa opened His mouth.................................................................21
When Nanda Mahārāja saw Uddhava.......................................................58
When will the concept that the Deity is made of stone disappear?.......37
Yamunā is greater than Gaṅgā..................................................................52
Yaśodā began to argue within herself......................................................22
Yaśodā forgets the incident........................................................................23
Yaśodā gave birth to Kṛṣṇa in Gokula.......................................................21

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Yaśodā’s renunciation.................................................................................22
Yudhiṣṭhira answers Dharma's questions................................................47

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For many years, Kadamba Kanana Swami has been inspiring devotees
from around the world with his deep understanding and practical
application of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava teachings. The KKS Blog features
many of Maharaja’s quotes and spiritual travel experience. Visit these
websites for your daily spiritual dose of nectar:
www.kksblog.com
www.kkswami.com

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