Marici Mala -Bhaktivinoda Thakura

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Devotional Service in Practice - sadhana-bhakti

 

11.23.49 Avanti Brahmana Chanting

 

Persons who identify with this body, which is simply the

product of the material mind, are blinded in their intelligence,

thinking in terms of "I" and "mine". Because of their illusion of

"this is I, but that is someone else," they wander in endless

darkness.

 

11.22.37 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Lord Krsna said: The material mind of men is shaped by the

reactions of fruitive work. Along with the five senses, it

travels from one material body to another. The spirit soul,

although different from this mind, follows it.

 

11.23.60 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

My dear Uddhava, fixing your intelligence in Me, you should

thus completely control the mind. This is the essence of the

science of yoga.

 

11.22.58-59 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Even though neglected, insulted, ridiculed or envied by bad

men, or even though repeatedly agitated by being beaten, tied up

or deprived of one's occupation, spat upon or polluted with urine

by ignorant people, one who desires the highest goal in life

should in spite of all these difficulties use his intelligence to

keep himself safe on the spiritual platform. (58/59)

 

07.01.31 Narada Muni to Maharaja Yudhisthira

 

My dear King Yudhisthira, the gopis by their lusty desires,

Kamsa by his fear, Sisupala and other kings by envy, the Yadus by

their familial relationship with Krsna, you Pandavas by your

great affection for Krsna, and we, the general devotees, by our

devotional service, have obtained the mercy of Krsna.

 

11.27.07 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

One should carefully worship Me by selecting one of the

three methods by which I receive sacrifice: Vedic, tantric or

mixed.

 

11.03.47 Avirhotra to Maharaja Nimi

 

One who is desirous of very quickly cutting the knot of

false ego that binds the spirit soul should worship the Supreme

Lord, Kesava, by the regulations found in Vedic literatures such

as the tantras.

 

07.05.23-24 Prahlada Maharaja to Hiranyakasipu

 

Prahlada Maharaja said: Hearing and chanting about the

transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and

pastimes of Lord Visnu, offering the Lord respectful worship with

sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord,

becoming his servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and

surrendering everything unto Him [in other words, serving Him

with the body, mind and words] - these nine

 

11.20.17 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is

automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a

very rare achievement. This human body can be compared to a

perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as the

captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as

favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these

advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to

cross the ocean of material existence should be considered the

killer of his own soul.

 

11.03.21-22 Prabuddha to Maharaja Nimi

 

Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness

must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by

initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he

has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation

and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great

personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead,

leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood

to be bona fide spiritual masters. (21) Accepting the bona fide

spiritual master as one's life and soul and worshipable deity,

the disciple should learn from him the process of pure devotional

service. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, the soul of

all souls, is inclined to give Himself to His pure devotees.

Therefore, the disciple should learn from the spiritual master to

serve the Lord without duplicity and in such a faithful and

favorable way that the Supreme Lord, being satisfied, will offer

Himself to the faithful disciple. (22)ß

 

 

 

11.07.32-35 Avadhuta Brahmana to Maharaja Yadu

 

The brahmana said: My dear King, with my intelligence I have

taken shelter of many spiritual masters. Having gained

transcendental understanding from them, I now wander about the

earth in a liberated condition. Please listen as I describe them

to you. (32) O King, I have taken shelter of twenty-four gurus,

who are the following: the earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon,

sun, pigeon and python; the sea, moth, honeybee, elephant and

honey thief; the deer, the fish, the prostitute Pingala, the

kurara bird and the child; and the young girl, arrow maker,

serpent, spider and wasp. My dear King, by studying their

activities I have learned the science of the self. (33-35)

 

 

11.29.06 Uddhava to Sri Krsna

 

O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual

science could not fully express their indebtedness to You, even

if they were endowed with the prolonged lifetime of Brahma, for

You appear in two features - externally as the acarya and

internally as the Supersoul - to deliver the embodied living

being by directing him how to come to You.

 

12.04.40 Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit

 

For a person who is suffering in the fire of countless

miseries and who desires to cross the insurmountable ocean of

material existence, there is no suitable boat except that of

cultivating devotion to the transcendental taste for the

narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's pastimes.

 

11.06.47-48 Uddhava to Sri Krsna

 

Naked sages who seriously endeavor in spiritual practice,

who have raised their semem upward, who are peaceful and sinless

members of the renounced order, attain the spiritual abode called

Brahman. (47) O greatest of mystics, although we are conditioned

souls wandering on the path of fruitive work, we will certainly

cross beyond the darkness of this material world simply by

hearing about Your Lordship in the association of Your devotees.

(48)

 

05.03.12 Nabhi's Priests Pray to Sri Visnu

 

Dear Lord, we may not be able to remember Your name, form

and qualities due to stumbling, hunger, falling down, yawning or

being in a miserable diseased condition at the time of death when

there is a high fever. We therefore pray unto You, O Lord, for

You are very affectionate to Your devotees. Please help us

remember You and utter Your holy names, attributes and

activities, which can dispel all the reactions of our sinful

lives.

 

08.03.20 Gajendra to Sri Visnu

 

Unalloyed devotees, who have no desire other than to serve

the Lord, worship Him in full surrender and always hear and chant

about His activities, which are most wonderful and auspicious.

Thus they merge always in an ocean of transcendental bliss. Such

devotees never ask the Lord for any benediction.

 

06.03.32 Yamaraja to the Yamadutas

 

One who constantly hears and chants the holy name of the

Lord and hears and chants about His activities can very easily

attain the platform of pure devotional service, which can cleanse

the dirt from one's heart. One cannot achieve such purification

merely by observing vows and performing Vedic ritualistic

ceremonies.

 

06.03.24 Yamaraja to the Yamadutas

 

Therefore it should be understood that one is easily

relieved from all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name of

the Lord and chanting of His qualities and activities. This is

the only process recommended for relief from all sinful

reactions. Even if one chants the holy name of the Lord with

improper pronunciation, he will achieve relief from material

bondage if he chants without offenses. Ajamila, for example, was

extremely sinful, but while dying he merely chanted the holy

name, and although calling his son, he achieved complete

liberation because he remembered the name of Narayana.

 

My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults,

there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by

chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one can become free from

material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.

(51) Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on

Visnu, in Treta-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in

Dvapara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in

Kali-yuga simply by chanting th Hare Krsna maha-mantra. (52)

 

11.14.28 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Therefore, one should reject all material processes of

elevation, which are like the mental creations of a dream, and

should completely absorb one's mind in Me. By constantly thinking

of Me, one becomes purified.

 

11.14.25-27 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Just as gold, when smelted in fire, gives up its impurities

and returns to its pure brilliant state, similarly, the spirit

soul, absorbed in the fire of bhakti-yoga, is purified of all

contamination caused by previous fruitive activities and returns

to its original position of serving Me in the spiritual world.

(25) When a diseased eye is treated with medical ointment it

gradually recovers its power to see. Similarly, as a conscious

living entity cleanses himself of material contamination by

hearing and chanting the pious narrations of my glories, he

regains his ability to see Me, the Absolute Truth, in My subtle

spiritual form. (26) The mind of one meditating upon the objects

of sense gratification is certainly entangled in such objects,

but if one constantly remembers Me, then the mind is absorbed in

Me. (27)

 

11.14.29 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Being conscious of the eternal self, one should give up

association with women and those associated with women. Sitting

fearlessly in a solitary place, one should concentrate the mind

on Me with great attention.

 

09.19.17 Yayati to his Wife Devayani

 

One should not allow oneself to sit on the same seat even

with one's own mother, sister or daughter, for the senses are so

strong that even though one is very advanced in knowledge, he may

be attracted by sex.

 

09.19.14 Yayati to his wife Devayani

 

As supplying butter to a fire does not diminish the fire but

instead increases it more and more,the endeavor to stop lusty

desires by continual enjoyment can never be successful. [in fact,

one must voluntarily cease from material desires.]

 

11.14.30 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Of all kinds of suffering and bondage arising from various

attachments, none is greater than the suffering and bondage

arising from attachment to women and intimate contact with

 

01.09.23 Suta Gosvami to Saunaka Rsi

 

The Personality of Godhead, who appears in the mind of the

devotee by attentive devotion and meditation and by chanting of

the holy name, releases the devotee from the bondage of fruitive

activities at the time of his quitting the material body.

 

10.82.48 Gopis to Krsna

 

The gopis spoke thus: Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a

lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who

have fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet

are worshiped and meditated upon by great mystic yogis and highly

learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be

awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons

engaged in household affairs.

 

02.08.06 Maharaja Pariksit to Sukadeva Gosvami

 

A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been

cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes

the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, for they fully satisfy him, as a

traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey.

 

11.23.57 Avanti Brahmana Chanting

 

I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by

being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Krsna.

This was approved by the previous acaryas, who were fixed in firm

devotion to the Lord, Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead.

 

11.05.42 Karabhajana Muni to Maharaja Nimi

 

One who has thus given up all other engagements and has

taken full shelter at the lotus feet of Hari, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, is very dear to the Lord. Indeed, if such

a surrendered soul accidentally commits some sinful activity, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated within everyone's

heart, immediately takes away the reaction to such sin.

 

11.02.43 Kavi to Maharaja Nimi

 

My dear King, the devotee who worships the lotus feet of the

infallible Personality of Godhead with constant endeavor thus

achieves unflinching devotion, detachment and experienced

knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. In this way the

successful devotee of the Lord achieves supreme spiritual peace.

 

11.02.33 Kavi to Maharaja Nimi

 

Sri Kavi said: I consider that one whose intelligence is

constantly disturbed by his falsely identifying himself with the

temporary material world can achieve real freedom from fear only

by worshiping the lotus feet of the infallible Supreme Lord. In

such devotional service, all fear ceases entirely.

 

11.03.48 Avirhotra to Maharaja Nimi

 

11.03.51 Avirhotra to Maharaja Nimi

 

The devotee should gather whatever ingredients for

worshiping the Deity are available, make ready the offerings, the

ground, his mind and the Deity, sprinkle his sitting place with

water for purification and prepare the bathing water and other

paraphernalia. The devotee should then place the Deity in His

proper place, both physically and within his own mind,

concentrate his attention, and mark the Deity's heart and other

parts of the body with tilaka. Then he should offer worship with

the appropriate mantra.

 

11.03.53 Avirhotra to Maharaja Nimi

 

One should worship the Deity along with each of the limbs of

His transcendental body, His weapons such as the Sudarsana cakra,

His other bodily features and His personal associates. One should

worship each of these transcendental aspects of the Lord by its

own mantra and with offerings of water to wash the feet, scented

water to wash the mouth, water for bathing, fine clothing and

ornaments, fragrant oils, valuable necklaces, unbroken

barleycorns, flower garlands, incense and lamps. Having thus

completed the worship in all its aspects in accordance with the

prescribed regulations, one should then honor the Deity of Lord

Hari with prayers and offer obeisances to Him by bowing down.

 

10.81.19 Sudama Brahmana Thought

 

Devotional service to His lotus feet is the root cause of

all the perfections a person can find in heaven, in liberation,

in the subterranean regions and on earth.

 

10.84.37 The Sages at Kuruksetra to Vasudeva

 

This is the most auspicious path for a religious householder

of the twice-born orders - to selflessly worship the Personality

of Godhead with wealth honestly obtained.

 

11.11.34-36 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

My dear Uddhava, one can give up false pride and prestige by

engaging in the following devotional activities. One may purify

oneself by seeing, touching, worshiping, serving and offering

prayers of glorification and obeisances to My form as the Deity

and to My pure devotees. One should also glorify My

transcendental qualities and activities, hear with love and faith

the narrations of My glories and constantly meditate on Me. One

should offer to Me whatever one acquires, and accepting oneself

as My eternal servant, one should give oneself completely to Me.

One should always discuss My birth and activities and enjoy life

by participating in festivals, such as Janmastami, which glorify

My pastimes. In My temple, one should also participate in

festivals and ceremonies by singing, dancing, playing musical

instruments and discussing Me with other Vaisnavas. (34-36)

 

In worshiping the temple Deity, my dear Uddhava, bathing and

decoration are the most pleasing offerings. For the Deity traced

on sacred ground, the process of tattva-vinyasa is most dear.

Oblations of sesame and barley soaked in ghee are the preferred

offering to the sacrificial fire, whereas worship consisting of

upasthana and arghya is preferred for the sun. One should worship

Me in the form of water by offering water itself. Actually,

whatever is offered to Me in faith by My devotee - even if only a

little water - is most dear to Me. (16-17)

 

11.27.18 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Even very opulent presentations do not satisfy Me if they

are offered by nondevotees. But I am pleased by any insignificant

offering made by My loving devotees, and I am certainly most

pleased when nice presentations of fragrant oil, incense, flowers

and palatable foods are offered with love.

 

11.27.33 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

The worshiper should faithfully present Me with water for

washing My feet and mouth, fragrant oils, flowers and unbroken

grains, along with incense, lamps and other offerings.

 

11.27.45-46 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

The devotee should offer homage to the Lord with all kinds

of hymns and prayers, both from the puranas and from other

ancient scriptures, and also from ordinary traditions. Praying "O

Lord, please be merciful to me!" he should fall down flat like a

rod to offer his obeisances. (45) Placing his head at the feet of

the Deity, he should then stand with folded hands before the Lord

and pray, "O my Lord, please protect me, who am surrendered unto

You. I am most fearful of this ocean of material existence,

standing as I am in the mouth of death." (46)

 

11.06.46 Uddhava to Sri Krsna

 

Simply by decorating ourselves with the garlands, fragrant

oils, clothes and ornaments that You have already enjoyed, and by

eating the remnants of Your meals, we, Your servants, will indeed

conquer Your illusory energy.

 

11.11.05 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Thus, My dear Uddhava, in the same material body we find

opposing characteristics, such as great happiness and misery.

That is because both the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is

eternally liberated, as well as the conditioned soul are within

the body. I shall now speak to you about their different

characteristics.

 

11.11.39 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

One should consider oneself to be My humble servant, without

duplicity, and thus should help to clean the temple, which is My

home. First one should sweep and dust thoroughly, and then one

should further cleanse with water and cow dung. Having dried the

temple, one should sprinkle scented water

 

11.11.40-41 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

A devotee should never advertise his devotional activities;

therefore his service will not be the cause of false pride. One

should never use lamps that are offered to Me for other purposes

simply because there is need of illumination, and similarly, one

should never offer to Me anything that has been offered to or

used by others. (40) Whatever is most desired by one within this

material world, and whatever is most dear to oneself - one should

offer that very thing to Me. Such an offering qualifies one for

eternal life. (41)

 

11.11.47 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

One who has executed sacrificial performances and pious

works for My satisfaction, and who thus worships Me with fixed

attention, obtains unflinching devotional service unto Me. By the

excellent quality of his service such a worshiper obtains

realized knowledge of Me.

 

11.19.21-24 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Great respect for My devotional service, offering obeisances

with the entire body, performing first-class worship of My

devotees, consciousness of Me in all living entities, offering of

ordinary, bodily activities in My devotional service, use of

words to describe My qualities, offering the mind to Me,

rejection of all material desires, giving up wealth for My

devotional service, renouncing material sense gratification and

happiness, and performing all desirable activities such as

charity, sacrifice, chanting, vows and austerities with the

purpose of achieving Me - these constitute actual religious

principles, by which those human beings who have actually

surrendered themselves to Me automatically develop love for Me.

What other purpose or goal could remain for My devotee? (21-24)

 

 

11.29.03-5 Uddhava to Sri Krsna

 

Therefore, O lotus-eyed Lord of the universe, swanlike men

happily take shelter of Your lotus feet, the source of all

transcendental ecstasy. But those who take pride in their

accomplishments in yoga and karma fail to take shelter of You and

are defeated by Your illusory energy. (3) My dear infallible

Lord, it is not very astonishing that You intimately approach

Your servants who have taken exclusive shelter of You. After all,

during Your appearance as Lord Ramacandra, while great demigods

like Brahma were vying to place the effulgent tips of their

helmets upon the cushion where Your lotus feet rested, You

displayed special affection for monkeys such as Hanuman because

they had taken exclusive shelter of You. (4) Who, then, could

dare reject You, the very Soul, the most dear object of worship,

and the Supreme Lord of all - You who give all possible

perfections to the devotees who take shelter of You? Who could be

so ungrateful, knowing the

 

11.29.34 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

A person who gives up all fruitive activities and offers

himself entirely unto Me, eagerly desiring to render service unto

Me, achieves liberation from birth and death and is promoted to

the status of sharing My own opulences.

 

11.29.09-10 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

Always remembering Me, one should perform all his duties for

Me without becoming impetuous. With mind and intelligence offered

to Me, one should fix his mind in attraction to My devotional

service. (9) One should take shelter of holy places where My

saintly devotees reside, and one should be guided by the

exemplary activities of My devotees, who appear among the

demigods, demons and human beings. (10)

 

11.29.12 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

With a pure heart one should see Me, the Supreme Soul within

all beings and also within oneself, to be both unblemished by

anything material and also present every- where, both externally

and internally, just like the omnipresent sky.

 

11.29.15 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

For him who constantly meditates upon My presence within all

persons, the bad tendencies of rivalry, envy and abusiveness,

along with the false ego, are very quickly destroyed.

 

11.29.20 Sri Krsna to Uddhava

 

My dear Uddhava, because I have personally established it,

this process of devotional service unto Me is transcendental and

free from any material motivation. Certainly a devotee never

suffers even the slightest loss by adopting this process.

 

09.04.18-20 Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit

 

Maharaja Ambarisa always engaged his mind in meditating upon

the lotus feet of Krsna, his words in describing the glories of

the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord's temple, and his ears

in hearing the words spoken by Krsna or about Krsna. (18) He

engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Krsna, Krsna's temples

and Krsna's places like Mathura and Vrndavana, he engaged his

sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord's devotees, he

engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasi

offered to the Lord and he engaged his tongue in tasting the

Lord's prasada. (19) He engaged his legs in walking to the holy

places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before

the Lord, and all his desires in serving the Lord, twenty-four

hours a day. Indeed, Maharaja Ambarisa never desired anything for

his

 

07.01.26-27 Narada Muni to Maharaja Yudhisthira

 

Therefore, by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by

affection or by lusty desire - by all of these or anyone of them

- if a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind

upon the Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of

His blissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship.

(26) Narada Muni continued: By devotional service one cannot

achieve such intense absorption in thought of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead as one through enmity toward Him. That is

my opinion. (27)

 

07.01.29 Narada Muni to Maharaja Yudhisthira

 

A grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee thinks of

the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because

of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow

or other think of Krsna, who is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, they will

become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their

worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of

Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.

 

07.01.30-32 Narada Muni to Maharaja Yudhisthira

 

Many, many persons have attained liberation simply by

thinking of Krsna with great attention and giving up sinful

activities. This great attention may be due to lusty desires,

inimical feelings, fear, affection or devotional service. I shall

now explain how one receives Krsna's mercy simply by

concentrating one's mind upon Him. (30) My dear King Yudhisthira,

the gopis by their lusty desires, Kamsa by his fear, Sisupala and

other kings by envy, the Yadus by their familial relationship

with Krsna, and we, the general devotees, by our devotional

service, have obtained the mercy of Krsna. (31) Somehow or other,

one must consider the form of Krsna very seriously. Then, by one

of the five different processes mentioned above, one can return

home, back to Godhead. Atheists like King Vena, however, being

unable to think of Krsna's form in any of these five ways, cannot

attain salvation. Therefore, one must somehow think of Krsna,

whether in a friendly way or inimically. (32)

 

10.87.23 The Personified Vedas to Maha-Visnu

 

Simply by constantly thinking of Him, the enemies of the

Lord attained the same Supreme Truth whom sages fixed in yoga

worship by controlling their breath, mind and senses. Similarly,

we srutis, who generally see You as all-pervading, will achieve

the same nectar from Your lotus feet that Your consorts are able

to relish because of their loving attraction to Your mighty,

serpentine arms, for You look upon us and Your consorts in the

same way.

 

10.33.36 Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja