For the first day of Purusottam vrat, Somavati-amavasya, and the disappearance of Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Gosvami Maharaj

Caturmasya (2023) 2.A - Gift of our Divine Ancestors

For the Progressive Vaisnavism 'Out of the Box' Zoom conference.  22 July 2023

World-Affirming & World-Denying Approaches to Bhakti

Continuing to discuss the theme of 'World-Affirming and World-Denying Approaches to Bhakti'... Returning to the spirit of our tradition preoccupied with Otherworldly Concerns - the mystical feminine essence that all our masculine tangible outward efforts are meant to support.  Finally, a brief dip into Sri Rupa's Kunjavihari Astakam....

Caturmasya (2023) 3.A - Otherworldly Concern

A discussion on Vaisnavism as "Spiritual-World Affirming and Worldliness Denying''.  The need for local leaders to go very deep in their internal quest for realization and empowerment to serve in these spiritually extremely difficult times.  24 July 2023

Caturmasya (2023) 3.B - Building Spiritual Will by Facing the Calamity

Caturmasya (2023) 5.A - Purusottama Mahima

Topics of Prema-purusottama Sri Gaurahari's ecstasy

Caturmasya (2023) 6.A - CC.Antya.18: Rescuing the Lord from the Sea

Two voice messages, responding to questions my friends asked me about personal practice.

The first is about chanting in our own way, in our own mood and language, following personal inspiration and not just the blueprint prescribed for everyone in gerenal.

The second is about how to improve our maha-mantra japa.

Together, the two angles create a field of possibility within which daily personal practice of bhakti-yoga can find some fresh opportunity to grow in quality and substance.

Advice for Friends On Personal Practice

Class at Radha-Govinda Mandir, Alachua FL, for the first day of Sri Jhulan-yatra Mahotsav and preparing for the festival of Srila Rupa Gosvami's disappearance the next day.  

This devotional path is itself a swing festival, a dance between polarities from beginning to end and eternally.  Like a river winding back and forth on its way to the Sea, may our own journey of meeting & separation bring us finally to the darshan of the Divine Couple's tender lotus feet hanging down from Their flower swing, in the rainy forest of Varshana.

The Rainy Season Swing Festival 2023

2 questions about observing sacred days and festivals, as we approach Krsna-janmastami 2023.  

Thoughts on culturing a continuity in our development of consciousness; following a thread.

This discussion follows a listening of the previous year's Janmastami class: 

https://soundcloud.com/tamalkrsna/sri-krsna-janmastami-2022?si=5a6089a08baf4d5c82a0ea0165bf502f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Caturmasya (2023) 9.B - How to Observe Sacred Days

As a thought experiment, lets say that just like there are five general categories of devotional character in the spiritual dimension (santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhurya) that siddha-svarupas manifest, similarly a devotional character in one of 5 moods will be prominent in a person's sadhaka-svarupa here in this present world.  

Knowing your devotional personality type removes the ambiguity around identity that sustains impersonalism.  So the more you define yourself honestly the more you A) heal from impersonalism, and B) individuate your true identity.  

When praying we would be wise to shape our prayer as personally as possible, making our aspiration truly relevant and coherent with our real self and real needs.

For a class on Kartika-purnima, Rasa-lila and more on sankalpa:  https://soundcloud.com/tamalkrsna/caturmasya-13a-kartika-vrata-rasa-purnima-sb-10291?in=tamalkrsna/sets/caturmasya/s-duwQdQgtW6F&si=49e8e696d69f4ff49182f24aaff5dcc6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Caturmasya (2023) 15.A - Personalizing our Kartik Prayer

A glancing summary of Sri Krsna's lila of lifting Govardhan

Caturmasya (2023) 18.A - Sri Giri Govardhan dharana

My Gurudev, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Gosvami Maharaj, said the greatest expression of love and affection in the world is the giving and receiving of hari-katha (narrations of the glory of God).  But he would also tell us that  recording it or listening to recordings will cheat us of the real thing.  We cant make a personal relationship with that living, transcendental sound vibration through a mechanical device.  To imbibe the sacred wisdom and devotional sentiments which a sadhu pours out from the inner dimension of his pure heart by speaking katha, it is necessary to sit at his lotus feet.  

Moreover, we will have to sit there having offered our ears and mind and heart and life to that saintly person.  There must be a bridge of affection between us.  Then we can 'overlap' with him and his inner things will transfer to us when we listen like that, with so much faith and trust.  That is the essence of association.  "O Gurudeva, i am actually mad, insane, bewildered and powerless to sort myself out.  I lay my scrambled mind and self before you.  May your words, your pure conceptions and moods mold me and make me like you.  And O Hari-katha Prabhu, i know You are Sri Hari Himself, descending in the form of sound just to deliver me.  Please, i am opening the sanctum of my heart with these open ears and begging You to please come sit on the altar here; conquer me and control me in every way, Prabhu.  I am Yours."  

This is the secret science of proper and progressive hearing.  Bow down, give honor, and try to somehow serve  the Hari-katha Himself, the speaker of the katha, the listeners of katha, the place of katha, and the organizers who made it possible for katha and us to be together.  Without 'meeting' that sadhu and katha by deep honor and affection and submission we will only catch the material sound and the shadow of the meaning.  

How can you make a reciprocal exchange of love and honor with a computerized sound file?  The recorded sadhu cannot bathe you with his compassionate glance, and the recorded sound wave isn't comprised of the same trans-auditory nectar which flows from his lips.  Spiritual realization and mood come by personal association.  From recordings we can only get some knowledge.  

Since i am not a saint, hearing from me directly or recorded is about the same.   No question of spiritual realization or moods, this is nuts and bolts stuff - knowledge.  And knowledge has its positive utility too - so long as it is backed by eagerness to know, love and please God.  If not, then even so-called spiritual knowledge will just make us proud and derail us from the path to real happiness.  I present this information here online in hope that even one honest aspirant for true love will be somehow a little bit supported.  Out of the hundreds of millions of people atrophying in cyber-passivity, maybe some wandering pilgrim who still has a shred of will to advance themself by the necessary honest interior labor will come here and be served by these recordings.  

With so much verbiage, finally i am kind of just always saying the same things:   Repair integrity.  Allow for dark grace. Pray for real.  Make affectionate association with transcendental persons your top priority. One Love.  Sri Radhe.

For my many mistakes and faults and pride, please forgive me.  If anything i say helps, that is to the credit of my holy masters only.  To make a donation, chant
 'Hare Krishna'. 

~Sri Gadadhar-Amavasya~
28 April 2014

Caturmasya (2023) 9.B - How to Observe Sacred Days

Tamal Krsna Das

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