Is my bhakti going forward?

[anadi]

We have to try to double our chanting, remembering, reading, worshiping, and all other devotional practices and measure our progress daily by asking ourself, "At what stage was my bhakti yesterday, and what is the standard of my bhakti today.

 

In business, in the evening, before

closing shop, the owner of a shop will check his records to see if he has

a profit or a loss. If there is a gain, it is good; if there is a loss, it

is bad. Similarly, if our bhakti is not increasing, there must be a

loophole.

"Follow Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, and never slip from the line of bhakti."

gurau gosthe gostalayisu sujane bhusura-gane

sva-mantre sri-namni vraja-nava-yuva-dvandva-sarane

sada dambham hitva kuru ratim apurvam atitara-

maye svantar bhratas catubhir abhiyace dhrta-padah

 

"O my dear brother, my foolish mind! Taking hold of your feet,

I humbly pray to you with sweet words.

Please give up all pride and quickly develop

sublime and incessant rati

for Sri Gurudeva, Sri Vraja-dhama,

the residents of Vraja, the Vaisnavas,

the brahmanas, your diksa-mantras,

the holy names of the Supreme Lord,

and the shelter of Kisora-Kisori, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, the eternally youthful divine couple of Vraja."

(Sri Manah-siksa, verse one, by Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami)

 

Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is saying, "Oh my brother mind, give up all

false ego and worldly desires. I pray to you very humbly; follow me.

 

We should chant the maha-mantra daily, and we should also meditate in the

morning, midday and evening on the mantras that Gurudeva has given:

brahma-gayatri, guru-mantra, guru-gayatri, gaura-mantra, gopal-mantra,

krsna-mantra, and kama-gayatri. "Increasing more and more, continue without

fail." If we do not follow these principles and we are associating with

bad elements, our bhakti will disappear."

At last we should remember:

 

tan-nama-rupa-caritadi-sukirtananu-

smrtyoh kramena rasana-manasi niyojya

tisthan vraje tad-anuragi jananugami

kalam nayed akhilam ity upadesa-saram

 

"The essence of all advice is that one should utilize one's full time in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord's divine name, transcendental form,

qualities and eternal pastimes,

thereby gradually engaging one's tongue and mind.

In this way one should reside in

Vraja [Goloka Vrndavana dhama] and serve Krsna under the guidance of devotees.

One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord's beloved devotees,

who are deeply attached to His devotional service."

(Upadesamrta, verse 8)

 

This is the essence of all the teachings of Srila Rupa Gosvami.

By following this, our life will be successful. Always we should try to be in

Vrndavana, where the gopas and gopis performed their pastimes, where

Yamuna is flowing, where Giriraja Govardhana gloriously stands, and where

Krsna never leaves.

Try to go there under the guidance of any qualified rasika Vaisnava

who is in the line of Rupa Gosvami.

Don't go with an ordinary person.

Try to remember the holy names of Radha and Krsna that qualify Them

as the Istadevas of the mood for which you aspire, remember

the meaning of those names, and also remember your connection with Their

sweet pastimes.

sri krsna gopala hare mukunda

govinda he nanda kisora Krsna

ha sri yasoda tanaya prasida

sri ballavi jivana radhikesa

 

"Chant Hare Krsna, but with a link to the names' relationship with the

sweet pastimes of Krsna. Chant names like these: Sri Krsna, Gopala, Hari, Mukunda, and Govinda.

But you will not yet be fully satisfied. Then you

will chant, "Ha Sri Yasoda," and then something more, "Sri Ballavi Jivana,and finally Radhikesa."

This is the Supreme name.

If you are weeping with a melting heart while chanting, you will then see that Krsna

is in your heart. Don't expect that your seed will become a big mango tree

in one day." In this process we should chant, remember,

follow our Gurudeva and Vaisnavas,

and remain in the association of self-realized

devotees. This is the essence of all the teachings of Sri Rupa Gosvami.

[raga]

Spoken by Narayan Maharaja -- http://gaudiya.net/portal/articles/gdlectures/Vrajavasis_Never_Know.htm

 

Why no references?