Разница в отношении к трудностям Вайшнава и не-Вайшнава

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Pertinent Advice

This short article, “Vaiṣṇavera Vyavahāra Duḥkha” [ The Worldly Difficulties of a Vaiṣṇava ] was published in the 10th Volume, 2nd Issue of Sajjana Toṣaṇī in 1898. Herein, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains the difference between the difficulties encountered by a Vaiṣṇava and those of a non-Vaiṣṇava. Towards the end of the article he speaks about the Bubonic Plague which broke out at the end of 1897 and was still a huge threat in Kolkata at the time of writing.

Here is the article:

There are many human beings in the world and they are divided into two groups, Vaiṣṇavas and non-Vaiṣṇavas. Those who are bereft of bhakti, be they a scholar, a rich man, a strong man, a brāhmaṇa, a king or his subject – they are all non-Vaiṣṇavas. One who has bhakti, whether he is a householder or a sannyāsī, whether he is rich or poor, whether he is a scholar or a fool, whether he is weak or strong, he is a Vaiṣṇava.

The various physical and mental activities of the Vaiṣṇvavas, just like the non-Vaiṣṇavas while journeying in the physical body, can be difficult. All such difficulties encountered by Vaiṣṇavas are not real difficulties, but are temporary, just like the difficulties of those travelling to Vaikuṇṭha – thus those difficulties are eventually severed. In this regard, Śrī Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura has written:

yata dekha vaiṣṇavera vyavahāra-duḥkha
niścaya jāniha sei parānanda-sukha
viṣaya-madāndha saba kichui nā jāne
vidyā-made, dhana-made vaiṣṇava nā cine

“Know for certain that whatever so-called worldly distress is seen in a Vaiṣṇava is actually the greatest happiness. People intoxicated with pride due to sense enjoyment know nothing. They cannot recognize a Vaiṣṇava due to pride born of knowledge and wealth.”

[ Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khāṇḍa 9.240-241 ]

The meaning is that this mortal life of non-Vaiṣṇavas is everything. The pain they suffer is easily exacerbated. Despite their best efforts to alleviate this suffering, their pain cannot be eradicated. In this way, their lives are spent in torment. On the other hand, we should understand that the worldly life of exalted devotees is a temporary journey. Thus, the temporary worldly distress in their lives is spent with complete disregard since they are under the influence of pure spiritual happiness. Therefore, O brothers, in this world, only the gems of hari-bhakti have been collected carefully. Be counted amongst the Vaiṣṇavas and do not consider yourself as a non-Vaiṣṇava.

Fearing this plague is the mentality of a non-Vaiṣṇava. Look brothers! What can this plague do to you? What real harm can the plague do by ending this useless life? If you desire some benefit, learn a lesson from the plague. If you are caught by the plague, then your life is over. Imagine where your wealth and happiness will go! Therefore, without wasting your time uselessly, constantly and sincerely chant hari-nāma with devotion. Then billions of plagues cannot do anything to you.

 

 

Сокрушение

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“В детстве я был совсем глупцом: кто в этом возрасте знает, что такое паломничество к святому месту? В юности, в жажде удовольствий, я трепетал пред теми, кто наслаждались как цари. И вот уж тело дряхло, и органы чувств разрушены, а петля их деятельности все остается затянута на шее в виде привязанностей к вещам этого мира. Увы, как же я далеко от Вриндавана!”

[ Шрила Прабодхананда Сарасвати, Вивека-стакам, стих 6 ]

 

 

 

A Lament

“In childhood I was already a fool; after all, at that age who knows what pilgrimage to a holy place is? In my youth, filled with desire for sense gratification, I stood in awe of those enjoying like kings. Now this body is taken over by decrepitude and although my sense organs are destroyed, the noose of their activities remains tight around my neck in the form of affection for the things of this world. Alas, how far I am from Vrindavan!

[ Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati, Viveka-stakam, verse 6 ]

Whose hearts are fixed at Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet

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«Поскольку дивный Господь никогда не являлся моим глазам и я никогда не пробовала нектара служения Его лотосным стопам, я просто молюсь, чтобы добраться на ликующий праздник  общения тех великих душ, что украшают сейчас собою этот мир, чьи сердца сосредоточены на лотосных стопах Господа Чайтаньи».

[ Шрила Прабходананда Сарасвати, Шри Чайтанья-чандрамрита, текст 50 ]

 

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“Because the wonderful Lord never came before my eyes, and because I never tasted the nectar of service to His lotus feet, I simply pray to attain the jubilant festival of the association of those great souls now decorating this world whose hearts are fixed at Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet.”

[ Srila Prabhodananda Sarasvati, Sri Caitanya-candramrita, text 50 ]

…Твоя милость к глупцам

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“O Goddess! In great distress I prostrate myself before You, falling on the ground, praying piteously unto You with faltering voice. O Gandharvike! After You bestowed Your mercy on this fool, count him (her) amongst Your own people!”

[ Sri Rupa Goswami In Stavamala ]

ha devi kaku-bhara-gadgadayadya vaca
yace nipatya bhuvi dandavad udbhatartih |
asya prasadam abudhasya janasya kritva
gandharvike nija-gane gananam vidhehi ||2||

Суть всего…

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The essence of all …

“O Radhe, O Govinda-Vallabha, beloved of Govinda! I pray that Govinda understands me to be a maidservant who belongs solely to You.”

govinda-vallabhe rādhe
prārthaye tvām ahaṁ sadā
tvadīyām iti jānātu
govindo māṁ tvayā saha

[ Attributed to Hari-bhakti-vilasa ]

 

Шриман Шрутакирти Дас о Шриле Прабхупаде

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Srutakirti das:
“I felt very fortunate because I got to see Prabhupada when he wasn’t with his disciples, when he wasn’t busy training them in management in so many different ways or chastising them for the mistakes they had made and being involved in seeing that the books were being produced and all of these different services he was doing for his spiritual master. Then at various times in the day when the doors closed, Prabhupada was just there by himself; and they were the times that I liked the most because he was a devotee of Krishna, and Prabhupada loved Krishna. You would find him in his room reading; and sometimes from the servant quarters, all of a sudden you would hear the harmonium.

It wasn’t Krishna Kanti coming in and recording bhajans, Prabhupada was just doing bhajan. Whenever I heard that, I would run into the room and I would offer obeisances; and as soon as I would sit up, Prabhupada would give me the nod, “Get the kartals,” and I would play kartals and Prabhupada would play the harmonium and he would just chant. It’s one reason I stayed with Prabhupada as long as I did, because I found being with Prabhupada was very peaceful for most of the time. And it was amazing because, as we know, Prabhupada was doing everything, he was running everything, the entire society, the BBT, taking care of so much mail every day, doing the classes, the morning walk, instructing devotees.

But somehow or other it seemed like there were hours where Prabhupada was just alone, and he was a devotee of Krishna and he was very sweet. He was doing everything he was asking us to do, just develop our love of Krishna by chanting and hearing and so many times reading his books. He would walk around and chant in his room; and he would just chant on his beads, walk around, and sometimes he would jiggle his bead bag, you could hear the beads in his bead bag. But there was just this peacefulness that was amazing because of everything that he was doing. But as soon as the door closed, that was all gone. It was just Krishna there with him, and Prabhupada was always happy. Even someone like me could pick up on some of that and just feel so peaceful to be with Prabhupada. It’s like you didn’t want to be anywhere else at those times.”

It was so hard leaving Vrindavan/Уезжать из Вриндавана очень тяжело

Было тяжело уезжать из Вриндавана! Но я снова быстро нашел нектар, делясь Вриндаваном с другими!

“О лебедь, плавно плывущий по озерам любви Враджа-васи, мне бы, скитаясь по миру, в упоении петь славу нектара Твоих сладких имен, что рождаясь из океана Гокулы, возвещают великолепие бесконечных нарядов и игр. Мне бы, бродяге-безумцу, раздавать всем по миру то счастье”.

[Брихат Бхагаватамрита 1.7.143]

 

 

 

It was so hard leaving Vrindavan! But I quickly once again discovered the sweet nectar of sharing Vrindavan with…

Posted by Indradyumna Swami on Saturday, April 13, 2019

May he kindly correct me / “Пусть он милостиво меня поправит”

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I very much appreciated this post today by Giriraj Swami!

“Today is the appearance day of Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. He was very kind, but also very strict. He said of himself, ‘I am not only a proofreader of the press; I am a proofreader of men—-I see their faults and try to correct them. I am also a proofreader of religion. I have appeared in the zodiac sign of the crab, so whenever I see anything undevotional, I act like a crab. If I see any so-called devotion, not actually in the true unalloyed spirit, I shall pierce it!’

May he kindly correct me as he sees fit.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami”

 

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This Is The Proof / Доказательство

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Тут Шрила Прабхупада сменил тему.

– Почему мы думаем, что Кришна – Бог? – спросил он нас.

– Потому что Кришна это говорит в Бхагават-Гите, – сказал кто-то из преданных.

– Любой может так сказать, – возразил Прабхупада.

Я решился:

– Вы сказали нам это, а вы представитель Кришны, духовный учитель…

– А кто-то скажет, что я всего лишь старик.

Не зная, что еще сказать, мы молчали.

Спустя несколько мгновений Прабхупада проговорил:

– Вы знаете, что Кришна – Бог, потому что чувствуете Его присутствие, когда воспеваете,
и также когда служите. Вы чувствуете экстаз – вот доказательство.

 

[ Гуру Дас «По его примеру». Глава «Индия»]

 

 

 

 

Srila Prabhupada then changed the subject. “How do we know Krishna is God?” he asked us.

“Because Krishna says so in the Bhagavad-gita,” a devotee said.

“Anyone can say that,” Prabhupada countered.

I piped up, “You told us so, and you’re a representative of Krishna, a spiritual master . . .”

“Someone will say I am just an old man.”

Not knowing what else to say, we were silent.

After a few moments, Prabhupada said, “You know Krishna is God because you feel His presence when you chant, as well as when you serve. You feel the ecstasy—this is the proof.”

[ “By His Example” by Guru das. Chapter, ‘India’ ]

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You have got a short duration of life / Жизнь коротка

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“Instead of contemplating what will happen to this world, you have got a short duration of life, say fifty, sixty years. You chant Hare Krsna and go back to home, back to Godhead. Don’t consider what will happen to this world. Nature will take care of it. You don’t puzzle your brain with these thoughts. You utilize whatever time you have got in your possession and go back to home, back to Godhead. You cannot check it. Best thing is that you mold your life and go back to home, back to Godhead. Because people will go on with their rascal civilization, natural consequences will be there. You better take advantage of whatever time you have got and become fully Krsna conscious and go back to home.”

[Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, February 21, 1975, Caracas]

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