Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura recommends that in Harinām Cintāmani, you should dominate that you can try various ways and be inventive. Another very realistic way to become focused is to remember Queen Kuntī's admonition that if you're puffed up, feeling that you have something, then you won't take shelter of The Holy Name. And the best way to concentrate, of course, is to have love. Then, you automatically have that sense of thinking of the person and saying his name. But if you also feel helpless, then ...
Jan 08, 2025•13 min
Anything sung in the praise of the Lord is śruti-mantra. There are songs of Ṭhākura Narottama dāsa, one of the ācāryas in the Gauḍīya sampradāya, composed in simple Bengali language. But Ṭhākura Viśvanātha Cakravartī, another very learned ācārya of the same sampradāya, has approved the songs by Ṭhākura Narottama dāsa to be as good as Vedic mantras. And this is so because of the subject matter. ( SB 1.10.20, purport) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His...
Jan 08, 2025•40 min
This is the relationship with the Lord and His devotees. The Lord is always trying to satisfy His devotees, and the devotees are always trying to satisfy the Lord. And there's a competition going on constantly in that way. And so, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu, took sannyās and left this place, some of the devotees decamped. They went elsewhere. They said, 'What's the use? It's dead. Everything's gone.' And now, we see them even dress Mahāprabhu up with all kinds of fancy clothes and bring him all ki...
Jan 07, 2025•25 min
Humans are very adaptive, and when they see somebody else doing something, then they tend to think, 'I can do this too.' And as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, all our states of consciousness have come because of our previous sangas. There was a curious case about how people used to think that they couldn't run a mile in under four minutes, and it persisted for centuries. There were theories that you could not do it, otherwise your heart would explode, and so forth. Then there was this doctor n...
Jan 07, 2025•20 min
So Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur had come to see the Siddha Mahātmā and received many important instructions from him. Around those instructions for worshiping Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the age of Kali Yuga, he passed them on to his followers and disciples. Therefore, this particular place is our home. Home is where the heart is. The mood of bhakti that we've received through our disciplic succession, and continue to receive today, comes from the great souls, and very specifically, Jagannāth Dās Bābājī M...
Jan 07, 2025•52 min
All the services are absolute, whether you sweep the floor, or whether you wash pots, or whether you worship the Deity, or go on book distribution - they're all devotional service and they're all absolute. There is a special quality to going out to meet conditioned souls, and therefore it's emphasized. And Prabhupāda, very practically, told us that at certain intervals, everybody should go out. That's a fact. It's there in writing. He told us many times, and many communities did it. For instance...
Jan 06, 2025•56 min
Just managing expectations is a life-changing experience, because we're the ones who develop our own expectations, and we can manage them. If you just think about managing your expectations, start with not expecting anything. I'm just going to be here, and if I get anything, then that will be fine. I give the example of book distribution. Don't go out and distribute any books; otherwise, you might be disappointed. Just go out to see what it's like to go into the bright sunlight, be there, and se...
Jan 06, 2025•12 min
And next thing you know, if you have a hero complex, where you think, "Yeah, let me fix everybody's problems, and I'm so great anyway, no wonder they want me." And next thing you know, you're at 110% and you rise to the level of your own incompetence, and then you may feel a little fried. because the feeling of being fried is that I want to please everybody. And then they start saying, "Well, how come you didn't show up, and you didn't finish it on time and so forth?" And how could you? You're a...
Jan 06, 2025•52 min
One of the sayings in Japan, when things are tough, they say 'gaman,' which means just keep going. And with the devotional service, there are different periods of our life where we are at a crossroads, and things seem difficult. What should I do? What's going to happen? There's only one solution. Ultimately, it's 'gaman' with your Japa. And I was thinking this morning, it's 'fix your Japa, fix your life.' There's lots of other things you can do, but it's the main thing to fix your life. If you g...
Jan 05, 2025•10 min
Just take a circular motion around and you'll notice that, at intervals, the four great Āchāryas for the four Sampradāyas are positioned in little shrines around the temple, and you can offer respects to each one. And you'll see behind each Āchārya who their originator is. For instance, we have our Brahmā Sampradāya represented back there. We have the Kumāra Sampradāya, and so forth. (excerpt from the short address) More From the visit: https://youtube.com/live/noFppC6Iuew?feature=share --------...
Jan 05, 2025•15 min
I remember first coming to the temple in San Francisco and not being able to look at the Deities. I looked at the flowers instead; that was as much specificity as I could handle. And if you tell somebody God plays a flute, it's like, how do you know and how would a god play a flute? It is almost abhorrent to people to know that there's a God who has specific personal qualities. One other observation I've had about gratitude is that if you have gratitude, it always traces back to a person, becaus...
Jan 04, 2025•22 min
Best remedy is to sit down very tightly and chant Hare Krishna very loudly and hear for the a long time until he feels himself one-minded and fixed on Krishna's Lotus Feet. (excerpt from Śrīla Prabhupāda's Letter to Mohanananda, Dated: Feb. 27, 1972, Location: Mayapur) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ -------------------------------------------------------...
Jan 04, 2025•14 min
Kṛṣṇa is always protecting us from Māyā. It's a matter of us taking advantage of it. Once, the devotee said, 'But Prabhupāda, Māyā is so strong.' Prabhupāda said, 'Māyā is not so strong. You're so weak. Just like when you keep yourself healthy through a good diet, exercise, and the right kind of attitude, then you don't fall sick.' Similarly, in devotional service, if we take full advantage of the process, which is what we're talking about, and we'll continue to talk about, then we avail ourselv...
Jan 04, 2025•1 hr 26 min
We know from watching sports, everyone loves a big comeback. Somebody's way down, one team's way down, and somehow or other, they pull it out in the last inning, in the last few minutes, or something like that. How do you, where do you get the strength to do that? Make a comeback? And all of us need to know the science of making a comeback, because one way or another, in this world, there are slips and falls. There are ways in which we're up one day and down the next, because of the power of the...
Jan 04, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Every other sound in the material world is an annoyance except for the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu's clarion call to the world, taking the harinām out into the street was a way of waking everybody up and saying no matter how pious you think you are, you're just in a pit in this mature world. Come out! The saṅkīrtana movement started here at ground zero, Śrīvāsa Aṅgana. There's so much spiritual power in this place because of the event that took place here, which is an eternal ...
Jan 04, 2025•24 min
So coming to the Yogapīṭha and recognizing, through understanding the philosophy of Bhagavad Gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, that a perfect relationship is available with the perfect person. It makes the heart jump to think that this could be possible. In fact, we've been disappointed so many times. Krishna says, "Vita Raghava, you have to give up this disappointment and recognize that you do have the possibility of having a relationship with me." So here at Yogapīṭha, you can make a sankalpa, "Kris...
Jan 03, 2025•25 min
Everyone can become a great devotee, being freed from the offenses simply by one's determination and effort. Determination has the word terminus in it, which means to finish something. Finish what you started. So finish the mantra. Listen to it from beginning to end. That's really the practical definition of it. Determination and effort mean you have to fight for it. To make an effort means you can't just give in to the obstacles and say it's not possible, but you have to fight. (excerpt from th...
Jan 02, 2025•9 min
Māyā responds to our ideas about the material world, and then starts giving us: "You want this, you want that. How about this? How about what if I put this and that together and both of them, and know a little more, like that?" She tries to come up with the perfect package for us. Māyā can sneak into our life. Māyā means "that which is not." And for those who are awake, somebody who's in māyā, they notice that they've been captured.But for those who are captured, it's very hard to even see what'...
Jan 02, 2025•26 min
How did the Jālangī look? How did it feel just to be in the atmosphere of the dhāma and with no other concern? These people coming by, they're going to the temple, and that's real life. And then that's the great benefit we take with us, always keep in our hearts. Śrīla Prabhupāda gave us this great benediction. And Kṛṣṇa is always there, available for us, just like with Vidura. He went here, there, and everywhere, and if you spent three months—I'm also not recommending this in case anybody asks—...
Jan 02, 2025•16 min
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had this vision that everyone in the world could align with Lord Caitanya. Mahāprabhu's mission.Prabhupāda writes, "If one takes Lord Chaitanya Mahāprabhu as the universal guru and Lord Jagannāth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then one's path in life is complete." So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura saw this opportunity, and he also saw that people around the world, everywhere they're attracted to music and song. The most famous people and leaders of ideological movements in the...
Jan 02, 2025•29 min
An analogy related to bhakti being the microscope through which we can look into the topic of God that has struck me in the past is on a personal level. If you meet somebody that you don't know and they try to observe who you are from the outside, for instance, they might drive around your house and maybe use a telescope to try to look in the window. But how much can they find out? They might even approach you in a very logical way and interview you and ask you questions, and you may give reserv...
Jan 01, 2025•54 min
At every moment, personal desires interfere without our realizing it. By taking shelter of the holy name, all these obstacles are removed, and we can obtain the fulfillment of our true desire, which is to dwell in the realm of pure love of Kṛṣṇa. In this world, no one is the special object of my affection, nor do I have the slightest hostility towards anyone. Whatever arrangements we make in this world are temporary. There is no need to waste time thinking about gain or loss here. The only thing...
Jan 01, 2025•32 min
When we chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra in japa, this is a very personal matter because we all are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We have our unique relationship with Him, and this is a time for self-tuning, just as you tune a radio, if you've ever done that. I don't know if there are radios anymore. It used to be in the old days, kids. There were machines called radios, and they had a dial on them, and there were frequencies along the dial that you could tune into and listen to a specific program. ...
Jan 01, 2025•15 min
kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra nāma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistāra In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered. (CC Adi 17.22) https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/adi/17/22/ ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.co...
Dec 31, 2024•37 min
What's the overarching purpose of your life? What are the things that are most important to you in this lifespan that you have right now? It's kind of like when you do a strategic plan: you start with a vision and mission. Why am I doing this in the first place? And what does it look like when I'm successful? Those are vision and mission ideas. The priority list is fun. Don't make it arduous or difficult, and there may be overlapping ideas here or there, but don't worry about it. It's not so pre...
Dec 31, 2024•16 min
Prabhupāda had the devotees that were in early ISKCON in the '70s come to Māyāpur, and Vṛndāvana and sometimes, Jagannātha Purī on the way between the two. And he invited the devotees from all over the world. He said all of you should come here and meet with me here in Māyāpur. And he said we should discuss unity in diversity. We'd have kīrtanas. And Prabhupāda said that should be the time of discussion here in Māyāpur. It was a time when, in a fledgling movement, devotees from all over the worl...
Dec 31, 2024•52 min
And so in that period of anartha-nivṛtti, you want to get to the next stage after anartha-nivṛtti. Then you have nishta, where, as is described in these verses. We've all been quoting 'naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī (SB 1.2.18).' Naiṣṭhikī means nishtha. You know that word 'stha,' it's the same as the word stand. That's where it comes from. The word stand. You know you stand in one place or like you have an understanding, because ...
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 1 min
There's a difference between how you might feel before going on yātrā and after you were on the yātrā. Generally, devotees report that before the yātrā, they may be slightly distracted. Their sadhana might be restrained or slow, but after the yātrā, they feel, "Oh, I want to keep on track." So just stay on yātrā all the time. And that's the beauty of bhakti; you can do that. You can do it in Seattle. You can do it in Portland. You can do it in Mumbai, where Manasi Ganga is. You can do it in New ...
Dec 30, 2024•37 min
It's a symbol of how we can also appreciate how we're getting service. It comes down to us as a blessing if we can take that and embrace it, and lucky for us, if it can be in that same moment where we don't have the moment to think of anything else. Lifetime goes by like that, and one looks down and says, 'Oh, I'm old,' or 'something's old,' or 'somebody is.' But as Mahārāja was expressing today, whatever it is, next life, life after that will still go on asking, 'Where's that service?' And it a...
Dec 30, 2024•16 min
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had written the mantra: 'pūjala rāga-patha gaurava-bhaṅge.' It's in your songbook, near the end. I have it marked, actually, there are flags there. And in this mantra, he says that we will work hard on this plane. This plane means 'iha' in this world, to utilize all kinds of technologies and wealth, to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam points out that the highest of devotees are those who have compassion for others. In the Bhag...
Dec 30, 2024•32 min
