Sound Bhakti

At San Francisco airport we would go and sit down with people, and mostly we were looking for hippies—people with longer hair—because we thought nobody else would take it. We would sit down next to them like we were just sitting there randomly. And then we would turn to them and go, 'Hey, you want to see something far out?' They would go, 'What do you have?' We would say, 'No, no, this is really f...

Question: What are some practical things to do to our environment to optimize for absorption in the holy name? First of all, make your bed in the morning. Make sure it's completely neat and clean, and then get everything out of your way; that's a distraction to you. Get rid of stuff you don't need. Don't pile up a bunch of junk in your room. If you collected teddy bears when you were a kid, start...

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 3.31.1), it is mentioned: karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye striyāḥ praviṣṭa udaraṁ puṁso retaḥ-kaṇāśrayaḥ The living entity, who is helplessly controlled by the three modes of material nature, gets placed by daiva (higher control) into various material forms. For instance, right now we’re in a body—check and see if you’re still in it. You are there? Everyone...

(1) gāy gorā madhur sware hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare (2) gṛhe thāko, vane thāko, sadā 'hari' bole' ḍāko, sukhe duḥkhe bhulo nā'ko, vadane hari-nām koro re (3) māyā-jāle baddha ho 'ye, ācho miche kāja lo 'ye, ekhona cetana pe'ye, 'rādhā-mādhav' nām bolo re (4) jīvana hoilo śeṣa, nā bhajile hṛṣīkeśa bhaktivinodopadeśa, ekbār...

We also find later on, after Caitanya Mahāprabhu, there was a deficit, and the teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu were not readily available. Even the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta—which was the ultimate of all teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the synthesis of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—was not readily available. So much so that Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, the great ācārya, was looking for the Caitanya-carit...

Everyone makes mistakes and material life is fraught with missteps. We always wish we had an undue button. Well, we do. And the mantra is, if you don't like what you've created for yourself—and we're not dead stones, we have volition—therefore, first step in recovery from any bad habit is to admit one's own part in it, and admitting that somehow or other, as Lord Caitanya said, "I have fallen into...

Seeing the assembly of devotees eagerly waiting to purchase the Name, Lord Nityānanda first examines each of them to test their qualification; then, He sells them the Name by bargaining for His price accordingly. Sometimes when we go out—just as we were recently, as recently as yesterday, to people in the dhāma where we just were, (first Māyāpur, then Jagannātha Purī, then Vṛndāvana) we offer peop...

We have to be thoughtful of what people can handle. And in talking to Kaustubha Prabhu about it—it was in Wisdom of the Sages—you know, he got inspired about reading Bhāgavatam to people. Yet he reads ahead and sees what can they handle, which parts will they be able to assimilate. There is a certain time at which you do notice that people have enough grounding in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Part of it i...

In addition to our chanting 16 rounds daily, we must all read at least one chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. Read one chapter one day then go on to the next chapter the next day and in this way, after 18 days, we will have completed one reading. After four or five such complete reading we will know Bhagavad-gītā as it is and our questions and doubts will be answered. (Excerpt from a letter by Srila Pr...

Even while engaged in various activities, devotees whose minds are completely absorbed at Your lotus feet, and who constantly hear, chant, contemplate and cause others to remember Your transcendental names and forms, are always on the transcendental platform, and thus they can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (SB 10.2.37) https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/2/37/ -------------------...

We find in Vṛndāvana that those who are cowherd boys play with Kṛṣṇa, and they sometimes jump on His back. That’s not in the arcana-paddhati. I was thinking about what that means because, according to one’s relationship, there’s a way in which we can be more casual with people. For instance, I’ve noticed with my relationships that there are gradations of intimacy in friendship—just talking about f...

It’s a question of alignment because, by nature, we’re liberated. It’s not that we ever actually mix with the material nature. In the Vedic language, Prabhupāda says, "asango hy ayaṁ puruṣaḥ"—that the jīva actually never has any saṅga with the material world. As elaborated upon by Kapiladeva in the Third Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, he ascribes the experience of the soul to be dreamlike. He giv...

Talk by HG Vishnugada Dasa: (0:00:0 -0:22:0) Talk by HG Vaisesika Dasa: (0:22:0- end) I was thinking about consistency in relationship to ants, and I noticed that in any discipline that I’m practicing, consistency is the key. For instance, I notice in writing that it’s better if I have a daily approach. In fact, I got this advice from His Grace Bhūrijana Prabhu, who’s an author. When I was writing...

In the place we were today, Toṭā Gopīnātha—affectionately known as Toṭā Gopīnātha, because toṭā means "garden," Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to meet with Gadādhara Paṇḍita there daily to hear Bhāgavatam as revealed in the Caitanya-bhāgavata. Caitanya Mahāprabhu himself had some difficulty in reading the Bhāgavatam. Does anybody remember what it was? Too many tears. He destroyed his own copy from the t...

Before Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura departed for the spiritual world, he stayed in this place where he was engaged in bhajana. Nearby here is the area where Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chased after the sand dune, considering it to be Govardhana Hill—a very sacred place here in Jagannātha Purī. Two weeks before he left, his disciple, A.C. Bhaktivedanta, had written him a letter as a househol...

Some people are so-called humans. According to the śāstra, dvipada-paśu, they are called 'two-legged animals.' Doesn’t matter if you take to the path given by the ācāryas, and especially because Nityānanda Prabhu noticed that a lot of people were being cut off from the mercy. The mercy had been dammed up. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings about this in his song 'Nitāi Gaura Mani'—such a beautiful song. P...

Infamously, in Los Angeles, after the Caitanya-caritāmṛta came out, there were some devotees who were overly intelligent, and they thought, “We are going to beat the system by forming a group that would be so exclusive in hearing that we’ll only hear pastimes from a particular section of the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta—and those would have to be mādhurya‑līlā, nothing else. Don’t even bring the Bhagav...

nārada muni, bājāy vīṇā 'rādhikā-ramaṇa'-nāme nāma amani, udita haya, bhakata-gītā-sāme When the great soul Nārada Muni plays his vina, the holy name, Radhika-raman, descends and immediately appears amidst the kirtan of the Lord’s devotees. (Translation verse 1) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthes...

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is able to uproot even the reactions of the greatest sins. Therefore the chanting of the saṅkīrtana movement is the most auspicious activity in the entire universe. Please try to understand this so that others will take it seriously SB 6.3.31 To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanth...

Everything comes from the Supersoul from within. And then, if we know—out of gratitude—we catch it and write it down. It’s like, 'Thank You. Thank You, Kṛṣṇa, for giving me that idea.' One unique idea from the Supersoul can change your whole life, and it also gives you fodder for preaching as well; nothing is so powerful as a unique idea that came from the Supersoul to present. If you find it from...

Song Name: Bhaja Re Bhaja Re Amar Author: Bhaktivinoda Thakura Book Name: Gitavali Language: Bengali (1) bhaja re bhaja re āmār mana ati manda (bhajan vinā gati nāi re) (bhaja) braja-bane rādhā-kṛṣṇa-caraṇāravinda (jñāna-karma parihari’ re) (bhaja) (braja-bane rādhā-kṛṣṇa) (2) (bhaja) gaura-gadādharādwaita guru-nityānanda (gaura-kṛṣṇae abheda jene’ re) (guru kṛṣṇa-preṣṭha jene’ re)...

Begging for the Holy Name is what we're built for. If you've ever wondered—if you've ever looked at yourself in the mirror and noticed your ears, your eyes, the shape of your head, your arms, your legs—did you ever do that? And think, "Well, what is this design?" It's especially designed for prayer. The human body is built for prayer. And this is the most beneficial mudrā (folded hands). We only f...

(1) 'rādhā-kṛṣṇa' bol bol bolo re sobāi (ei) śikṣā diyā, sab nadīyā phirche nece' gaura-nitāi (miche) māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', khāccho hābuḍubu, bhāi (2) (jīv) kṛṣṇa-dās, e biśwās, korle to' ār duḥkho nāi (kṛṣṇa) bolbe jabe, pulak ha'be jhorbe āńkhi, boli tāi (3) ('rādhā) kṛṣṇa' bolo, sańge calo, ei-mātra bhikhā cāi (jāy) sakal' bipod bhaktivinod bole, jakhon o-nām gāi TRANSLATION...

You have to follow the scriptures —pramāṇais tat-sad-ācārais (BS 5.59), and you have to behave properly, tad-abhyāsais. You have to have abhyāsa; you have to practice again and again. And about that, I’m going to read you a couple of quotes. Do you want to hear a couple of quotes about practice? Success is built before it is seen. Growth requires commitment. Leaders grow strongest in quiet consist...

(Verse 12) vedān uddharate jaganti vahate bhū-golam udbibhrate daityaḿ dārayate baliḿ chalayate kṣatra-kṣayaḿ kurvate paulastyaḿ jayate halaḿ kalayate kāruṇyam ātanvate mlecchān mūrchayate daśakṛti-kṛte kṛṣṇāya tubhyaḿ namaḥ O Lord Krsna, I offer my obeisances unto You, who appear in the forms of these ten incarnations. In the form of Matsya You rescue the Vedas, and as Karma You be...