Weekly Sanga

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 168 vicitra-līlā-rasa-sāgarasya prabhor vicitrāt sphuritāt prasādāt vicitra-saṅkīrtana-mādhurī sā na tu sva-yatnād iti sādhu sidhyet TRANSLATION The wonderfully varied sweetness of saṅkīrtana emerges only by the mercy shown in various wonderful ways by the Lord, the wonderful ocean of the varied rasas of pastimes. This sweetness one can never truly achieve by one's own endeavor.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 167 nāmnāṁ tu saṅkīrtanam ārti-bhārān meghaṁ vinā prāvṛṣi cātakānām rātrau viyogāt sva-pate rathāṅgī- vargasya cākrośana-vat pratīhi TRANSLATION Like the distressed crying of the cātaka birds on a cloudless day of the rainy season, or the lamenting of a flock of cakravākī birds when parted from their husbands at night, the saṅkīrtana of the Lord's names arises when one is burdened by too much pain.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 162 ekasminn indriye prādur- bhūtaṁ nāmāmṛtaṁ rasaiḥ āplāvayati sarvāṇīn- driyāṇi madhurair nijaiḥ TRANSLATION When the nectar of the Lord's name appears in just one sense, all the senses are flooded with their own sweet tastes.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 157 ekākitvena tu dhyānaṁ vivikte khalu sidhyati saṅkīrtanaṁ vivikte 'pi bahūnāṁ saṅgato 'pi ca TRANSLATION Meditation one can successfully perform only in seclusion, but saṅkīrtana either in seclusion or in the company of many others.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 150 evaṁ prabhor dhyāna-ratair mataś ced buddhyedṛśaṁ tatra vivecanīyam dhyānaṁ parisphūrti-viśeṣa-niṣṭhā sambandha-mātraṁ manasā smṛtir hi TRANSLATION If those attached to meditation on the Lord still insist that remembering is of greater importance, with their intelligence they should make the following distinction: In meditation the Lord reveals Himself fully with His particular qualities, but in remembrance the mind merely comes in contact with the Lord.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 146 premṇo 'ntar-aṅgaṁ kila sādhanottamaṁ manyeta kaiścit smaraṇaṁ na kīrtanam ekendriye vāci vicetane sukhaṁ bhaktiḥ sphuraty āśu hi kīrtanātmikā TRANSLATION Some think that remembering, rather than chanting, is the essential means of devotional practice, the means that most effectively leads to prema, for bhakti in the form of chanting appears quickly and easily, and in only one sense, that of speech, which is not itself alive and conscious.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 143 tvarā ced vidyate śrīmad- vaikuṇṭhālokane tava sarvābhīṣṭa-prada-śreṣṭhāṁ tāṁ śrī-vraja-bhuvaṁ vraja TRANSLATION If you are in a hurry to see the divine world of Vaikuṇṭha, then go to Śrī Vraja-bhūmi, the place that can best award the fulfillment of all your ambitions.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 133 nijendriya-manaḥ-kāya- ceṣṭā-rūpāṁ na viddhi tām nitya-satya-ghanānanda- rūpā sā hi guṇātigā TRANSLATION You should not consider devotional service merely an activity of the body, senses, and mind. It is in fact the eternal absolute reality, manifesting itself as the most intense ecstasy, beyond the material modes.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 128 teṣāṁ kasmiṁścid ekasmiñ śraddhayānuṣṭhite sati svayam āvirbhavet premā śrīmat-kṛṣṇa-padābjayoḥ TRANSLATION When one engages with faith in even one of these forms of bhakti, pure love for the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa automatically arises.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 127 tathāpi tad-rasa-jñaiḥ sā bhaktir nava-vidhāñjasā sampādyate vicitraitad- rasa-mādhurya-labdhaye TRANSLATION Yet devotees who understand the rasas of devotional service may practice all nine forms of bhakti to easily obtain the sweetness of its diverse tastes.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 120 śrī-gopa-kumāra uvāca nija-stutyā tayā tasmin hriyā tūṣṇīṁ sthite prabhau bhagavat-pārṣadās te mām āśliṣyocuḥ suhṛd-varāḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Gopa-kumāra said: Abashed at hearing himself praised, Lord Śiva remained silent. Then the associates of Lord Viṣṇu, who were Lord Śiva's dearmost friends, embraced me and spoke.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 120 śrī-gopa-kumāra uvāca nija-stutyā tayā tasmin hriyā tūṣṇīṁ sthite prabhau bhagavat-pārṣadās te mām āśliṣyocuḥ suhṛd-varāḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Gopa-kumāra said: Abashed at hearing himself praised, Lord Śiva remained silent. Then the associates of Lord Viṣṇu, who were Lord Śiva's dearmost friends, embraced me and spoke.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 113 atrāpi bhagavantaṁ yad dṛṣṭavān asi tādṛśam sad-guroḥ kṛpayā kṛṣṇa- didṛkṣā-bhara-kāritam TRANSLATION Yet even here you have seen the Supreme Lord in this form because your divine guru gave you his mercy. That mercy created in you the strong desire to see Kṛṣṇa, which impelled Kṛṣṇa to reveal Himself.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 107 athāpi govardhana-gopa-putras tam arhasi tvaṁ mathureśa-bhaktaḥ tad-eka-bhakti-priya-vipra-śiṣyas tadīya-tan-mantra-paro 'nuraktaḥ TRANSLATION But you deserve to go to Vaikuṇṭha, O son of a Govardhana cowherd, for you are a devotee of the Lord of Mathurā, a disciple of a brāhmaṇa attached only to the Lord's devotional service, a soul dedicated to the Lord's mantra given you by your guru, and one who is faithful in your service to the Lord.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 98 yady asya mat-pituḥ samyak karuṇā syān tadā tvayā śroṣyate mahimā tasya gatvā cānubhaviṣyate TRANSLATION If you receive the full mercy of my father, you will hear the glories of Vaikuṇṭha and go there to see them for yourself.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his studies and travels.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his studies and travels.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 100 vicāra-jātataḥ svasya sambhāvya tad-ayogyatām prarudañ śoka-vegena mohaṁ prāpyāpataṁ kṣaṇāt TRANSLATION From the many thoughts flashing through my mind I concluded I was unfit to go. I cried profusely, and the force of my sorrow made me faint and suddenly fall to the ground.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 93 vasanti ca tapo-loke prabhuṁ nārāyaṇaṁ vinā anāthānām iva kṣemaṁ vahantas tan-nivāsinām TRANSLATION They live on Tapoloka, where they give reassurance and security to the residents, who at times feel helpless in the absence of their Lord Nārāyaṇa.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 80 tad-darśana-svabhāvottha- praharṣākṛṣṭa-mānasaḥ nājñāsiṣaṁ kim apy antar bahiś cānyan nija-priyam TRANSLATION So attracted was my mind by the spontaneous joy of seeing them that I was aware of nothing but them, internally or externally, not even things most dear to me.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 70 abodhayaṁ mano 'nena maheśenaiva sā khalu līlā-viśeṣa-vaicitrī kṛtā mūrti-viśeṣataḥ TRANSLATION I told my mind that it is Lord Śiva himself who performs these wonderfully varied pastimes in the special form of Lord Gopāla.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 70 abodhayaṁ mano 'nena maheśenaiva sā khalu līlā-viśeṣa-vaicitrī kṛtā mūrti-viśeṣataḥ TRANSLATION I told my mind that it is Lord Śiva himself who performs these wonderfully varied pastimes in the special form of Lord Gopāla.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 62 śrīman-madana-gopālān nija-prāṇeṣṭa-daivatāt abhinnaḥ śrī-maheśo 'yam uta tad-bhāva-vardhanaḥ TRANSLATION This Lord Śiva, I realized, is nondifferent from Madana-gopāla, the Deity I worship, the Lord more dear to me than life itself. Lord Śiva serves the cause of love for my Lord by promoting it everywhere.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 61 jñātvā bhagavatā tena dṛṣṭyādiṣṭasya nandinaḥ upadeśena śuddhena svayaṁ me 'sphurad añjasā TRANSLATION Lord Śiva, reading my thoughts, ordered Nandīśvara with a knowing glance, and through Nandīśvara's pure guidance the facts easily revealed themselves to me.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 52 paramaṁ vismayaṁ prāpto harṣaṁ caitad acintayam ko nv ayaṁ pārivārāḍhyo bhāti mukti-padopari TRANSLATION Feeling the greatest surprise and delight, I thought, “Who is this, accompanied by such an entourage, and appearing from above the abode of liberation?”

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 48 vraja-bhūmāv ihāgatya sādhaye 'haṁ sva-vāñchitam vimṛśann evam aśrauṣaṁ gīta-vādyādbhuta-dhvanim TRANSLATION I was thinking that if I returned to this Vraja-bhūmi I would fulfill my desires. And then I heard some wonderful singing and music.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 42 ittham ānanda-sandoham anuvindan nimagna-dhīḥ ātmārāma ivābhūvaṁ pūrṇa-kāma ivātha vā TRANSLATION The huge treasure of ecstasy I thus obtained inundated my mind. I became like a self-contented sage or like a man whose ambitions have all been fulfilled.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 48 vraja-bhūmāv ihāgatya sādhaye 'haṁ sva-vāñchitam vimṛśann evam aśrauṣaṁ gīta-vādyādbhuta-dhvanim TRANSLATION I was thinking that if I returned to this Vraja-bhūmi I would fulfill my desires. And then I heard some wonderful singing and music.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his studies and travels.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his Govardhan retreat.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations and kirtans from his Govardhan retreat.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his studies and travels.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations and kirtans from his Puri Yatra.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 44 pada-svābhāvikānanda- taraṅga-kṣobha-vihvale citte tad-anya-sva-prāpya- jñānam antardadhāv iva TRANSLATION Tossed by the waves of ecstasy intrinsic to that abode, my mind was overwhelmed, as if the awareness of my goal had vanished.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his studies and travels.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 41 bhinnābhinnair mahā-siddhaiḥ sūkṣmaiḥ sūryam ivāṁśubhiḥ vṛtaṁ bhaktair ivālokya kadāpi prīyate manaḥ TRANSLATION Sometimes my mind felt special pleasure in beholding Him surrounded by the great perfected beings who were His devotees, at once different and nondifferent from Him. They surrounded Him in subtle spiritual forms, like beams of light around the sun.

In today's sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his studies and travels.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 37 yady api sva-prakāśo 'sāv atītendriya-vṛttikaḥ tat-kāruṇya-prabhāveṇa paraṁ sākṣāt samīkṣyate TRANSLATION That self-manifest Lord is beyond the scope of the senses, but one can see Him directly by the power of His mercy. There is no other way.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 22 sva-kāryāt pūrva-pūrvasmāt kāraṇaṁ cottarottaram pūjya-pūjaka-bhoga-śrī- mahattvenādhikādhikam TRANSLATION Each covering was the subtle cause of the one before it, and had a greater object of worship, a greater worshiper, and greater sense gratification, opulence, and importance.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 3 Text 11 pūrvaṁ ye bahu-kālena samprāptāḥ kramaśo 'dhunā sarve nimeṣataḥ krāntā yugapan manaseva te TRANSLATION The planets I had earlier attained one by one, over a long period of time, I now crossed in the blink of an eye, as if by the power of my mind alone.

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.

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:

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.