Scream of the butterfly - Acid Bath (Cover)

Reading of Chapter 4 of the Ribhu-gita with rāga Bhairavi background

Ribhu-gita Readings Ch. 4

Ribhu-gita Reading 4.1: There is no non-Self

The Revolution - Aindra Das & Bhakti Tirtha Swami

Choices - Sri Prahlad

Yashoda Jhulawe

Narayan Hari Om

Govind Bolo Hari Gopal Bolo

Govind Damodar Madhaveti

Initiation is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to this path. As soon as we have faith in a guru and the willingness to serve and to follow, then our relationship with our Guru has been established. But the particular ceremony, the particular offering of initiation is a deep, sincere, lifelong commitment to follow. ‘yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado’ to please our Guru, and please all the previous acharya and Krishna, though the sincerity of our efforts, 
So these vows that are taken, sometimes Prabhupad would call them rules and regulations. And especially Srila Prabhupada explains from Krishna’s words in Bhagavad Gita ‘raga-dvesa-vimuktais tu’ these are the regulative principles of freedom. They're not meant to bind us, they're meant to the parade us because we're already bound. Sometimes people think that these rules and regulations are too restrictive. But the reality is we are already restricted, our hands, our legs, our heads, our feets, our hearts, our brains, every part of us is shackled, like prisoners of Maya’s dictations. And whatever principles there are in Bhakti, are there to liberate us from those shackles, liberate us from that bondage, so that we could actually be free to live by the real spirit of the soul, to be free, to love Krishna, to be an instrument of Krishna’s love and to be happy, to be free from the fear of death and all the uncertainties of life. So, we're taking vows for this purpose.

Initiation Is The Beginning Of A Lifelong Commitment

Chaitanya mahaprabhu said, “Krishna is non different than his name, nämnäm akäri bahudhä nija-sarva-çaktis, all of his powers are within his name. But then my lord said, if a devotee is chanting the holy names but offends Vaishnavas, Krishna is so displeased, that Krishna through his name may destroy you out of mercy. Krishna’s name is Krishna, he is a person. It is not something mechanical, we ,must chant in a way that pleases the holy name. The seventh offence to the holy name is to commit sinful activities on th trength of chanting. If we think let me chant and then I can do any thing sinful and then I will rectify it by chanting again, if that is our mentality you are offending god in his name and the first of all offences is to blaspheme devotees of the lord. Why are these offences? It is not just something mechanical. It must be understood in a very personalized way. These are offences because they displease Krishna substantially.

The Crucial Principles of Bhakti

This is the mission of the lord in this age of Kali yuga. So, the first thing that is required is, we must be personally very enthusiastic to come together to chant this Hari naam and must live a very pure exemplary life for others to see, we must be willing to be instruments to assist according to our capacity in whatever way to give the mercy of the lord to the suffering people of this world; by somehow inducing them, convincing them, attracting them to chant Hari naam. Srila Prabhupada said, the whole purpose of all of his books, the whole purpose of all of our preaching, the whole purpose of all our activities is simply to induce people to take shelter of the chanting of the holy name of Krishna, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Govind Bolo Hari Gopal Bolo

Nityananda Charan Das

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