Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 9 pāñca-bhautikatātītaṁ sva-dehaṁ kalayan raveḥ nirbhidya maṇḍalaṁ gacchann ūrdhvaṁ lokān vyalokayam TRANSLATION I then saw my body change into a form transcendental to the five material elements. And as I traveled upward, breaking through the sphere of the sun, I saw all the planetary systems.

Damn the Expedient![1] It bothers me when people, knowingly or unknowingly, neglect or minimize what is right in favor of what they see as convenient or practical. It is called expediency. Perhaps that bothers all of us. I know it especially irks me. I pray to be free from this tendency. People who manage seem particularly susceptible to minimizing or neglecting what is proper and focusing on what is seemingly practical.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 234 śrī-bhagavān uvāca nija-priya-tamāṁ yāhi māthurīṁ tāṁ vraja-kṣitim tat-tan-mat-parama-krīḍā- sthaly-āvali-vibhūṣitām TRANSLATION The blessed Lord said: Go to Mathurā, to your dearest pasturing grounds, to the land adorned with many places of My varied supreme pastimes.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 231 śrī-gopa-kumāra uvāca teṣām etair vacobhir me bhaktir vṛddhiṁ gatā prabhau vicāraś caiṣa hṛdaye ’jani māthura-bhūsura TRANSLATION Śrī Gopa-kumāra said: O Mathurā brāhmaṇa, these words of the scriptures greatly strengthened my devotion for the Supreme Lord, and this thought was born in my heart:

  Some Sannyāsī![1] I was sitting on a wooden bed in my small room in Vrindavan. The floor was packed with visiting Iranian Vaiṣṇavas. Consistent with their refined culture, they piled their gifts next to me on my bed. There were dozens of fresh pomegranates as big as my head (well, almost), boxes of the best pistachios in the world, sweet lemons, dates, figs, and orange blossom cookies.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Texts 223-224 bhavāṁs tu yadi mokṣasya tucchatvānubhavena hi viśuddha-bhagavad-bhakti- niṣṭhā-sampattim icchati tadā nijaṁ mahā-mantraṁ tam eva bhajatāṁ param atrāpīdaṁ mahā-gūḍhaṁ śṛṇotu hṛdayaṅ-gamam TRANSLATION If you have indeed realized the pettiness of liberation and want to attain the treasure of firm faith in pure devotional service to the Lord, then simply worship your transcendental mantra. And please hear this great secret, which is pleasing to the heart:

I attended some very good lectures at the Govardhan Retreat Center this week. Many good points were made but one stood out. “Old age takes away everything until we are left with nothing but Him.”[1] How true! The nature of this world, especially old age, seems to rob us of everything superficial and temporary until our only recourse is to take shelter of Him, who is our only solace.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 218 sadaika-rūpo ’pi sa viṣṇur ātmanas tathā sva-bhakter janayaty anu-kṣaṇam vicitra-mādhurya-śataṁ navaṁ navaṁ tayā sva-śaktyetara-durvitarkyayā TRANSLATION Although Lord Viṣṇu is always one and unchanging, at every moment He brings forth hundreds of newer and newer varieties of transcendental charm, both in Himself and in His devotional service. He does this by His personal energy, inconceivable to everyone else.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 217 sadaika-rūpaṁ bahu-rūpam adbhutaṁ vimukti-saukhyāt pratiyogi tat sukham harer mahā-bhakti-vilāsa-mādhurī- bharātmakaṁ tarkyam atad-vidāṁ na hi TRANSLATION That extraordinary happiness is always one, yet it assumes many features. It stands in contrast to the happiness of impersonal liberation. Devotional happiness is made of the intense sweetness of sporting pastimes in the highest devotional service to the Lord. Persons unfamiliar with this pleasure cannot even imagine what it is like.

Sādhus of Vṛndāvana [1] A question recently came to my mind. I have lived here in Vṛndāvana for almost forty-four years. Why? Of course, the main reason I am here is that my sevā, or service, is here. I help pilgrims, especially from abroad, to enter, understand, and experience Vṛndāvana. I am also here because there are sādhus…

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 215 paraṁ samādhau sukham ekam asphuṭaṁ vṛtter abhāvān manaso na cātatam vṛttau sphurad vastu tad eva bhāsate ’dhikaṁ yathaiva sphaṭikācale mahaḥ TRANSLATION The happiness felt in impersonal samādhi is plain, isolated, vague, and limited because in that samādhi the functions of the mind have ceased. But when the object of meditation appears in the active mind, that object is more vividly manifest, like sunlight reflected on a crystal mountain.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 209 avāntara-phalaṁ bhakter eva mokṣādi yady api tathāpi nātmārāmatvaṁ grāhyaṁ prema-virodhi yat TRANSLATION Even though liberation and its effects are natural by-products of devotional service, devotees do not regard satisfaction in the self as worth taking, for it obstructs pure love of God.

Paul[1] is a reasonably successful professional film maker who is based in Govardhan in the winter with his wife Kristina, who owns and manages several high-end boutiques in Toronto. Although Kristina by nature very much likes exquisite and fine things, the inner spiritual beauty of this outwardly rather unrefined Indian town captured her heart. She strongly wanted to stay. Anyway, they wound up as my neighbors, and we became friends.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 207 muktāś cāsya tayā śaktyā sac-cid-ānanda-dehitām prāpitās te bhajante taṁ tādṛśaiḥ karaṇair harim TRANSLATION The Lord’s personal energy grants those liberated souls spiritual bodies of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. And with the spiritual senses thus acquired, those souls worship Lord Hari.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 193 tat sukhaṁ vardhate ’bhīkṣṇam anantaṁ paramaṁ mahat na tu brahma-sukhaṁ muktau vardhate sīmavad yataḥ TRANSLATION That happiness increases endlessly. It is limitless and supremely great. In contrast, the happiness of Brahman found in liberation never increases, because it is limited.

I found the 16th chapter of the Antya-līlā of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta very intriguing. The last eight chapters (14-20) describe Śrī Caitanya’s intense feelings of separation from the Lord at the end of His life. He is repeatedly described there as lapitaṁ — one who talks like a crazy man. We are told that His transcendental madness is so mysterious and deep that:

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 193 tat sukhaṁ vardhate ’bhīkṣṇam anantaṁ paramaṁ mahat na tu brahma-sukhaṁ muktau vardhate sīmavad yataḥ TRANSLATION That happiness increases endlessly. It is limitless and supremely great. In contrast, the happiness of Brahman found in liberation never increases, because it is limited.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 169 śrī-bhakti-śāstrāṇy ūcuḥ labdha-brahmādhikāredaṁ mahā-gopyaṁ nidher api bhavat-sad-guṇa-sandohair ākhyāmo mukharī-kṛtāḥ TRANSLATION The devotional scriptures said: O dear one who have achieved the post of Brahmā, this topic is more secret than a rare treasure. But we shall explain it to you because your abundant good qualities inspire us to speak freely.

A Sannyāsi Walks onto a Train and Meets a Girl[1] I can’t remember the exact train or time, but I do remember the girl. It was about two months ago on a crowded train from Washington, D.C. to New York. I got on early to get a window seat and, I hoped, sit by myself, and began to work. A few minutes before the train was about to leave, I saw a girl in her early twenties struggling to drag her suitcase down the aisle.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 166 tato mahā-purāṇānāṁ mahopaniṣadāṁ tathā mādhya-sthyād āgamānāṁ tu jayo jāto mama priyaḥ TRANSLATION Then the major Purāṇas and Upaniṣads became arbitrators, and so victory went to the Āgamas. That pleased me very much.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 146 ittham ahnāṁ katipaye prayāte prātar ekadā kautukād brahmaṇā spṛṣṭaḥ pheṇa-puñjo ’suro ’bhavat TRANSLATION After I had spent some days in this way, early one morning, out of curiosity, Brahmā touched a mass of foam, and it turned into a demon.

On Criticism II[1] What constitutes constructive criticism, and when do we overstep its line? Before defining that line, it is first necessary to explain what criticism is, why it is so difficult to avoid, and why these are such critical questions to answer for one on the spiritual path. Criticism, or being overly critical, occurs when the envy in our heart is expressed.

In today’s sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations in celebration of Govardhana-pūjā and the disappearance day of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

In today’s sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations in celebration of Govardhana-pūjā.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 136 bhagavantaṁ muhuḥ paśyan praṇamann avadaṁ manaḥ nijepsitāntam adyāgā niścalaṁ tvaṁ mudaṁ bhaja TRANSLATION Gazing at the Supreme Lord and repeatedly bowing down before Him, I told my mind: “Today you have attained the ultimate fulfillment of all your desires! Be steady and joyful.