– Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, 10 June 1996
Someone may donate one rupee and say, “Brother, take my picture!” While garlanding someone, a person may say, “O brother, take my photograph when I garland him.” Krishna is not like mundane donors. He bestows mercy on everyone while remaining concealed from everyone’s eyes.
Real selflessness is not shown in the conception of renunciation, which is only mere withdrawal from the negative side. But there is a positive side of divinity: self-giving. And self-giving to the extreme will go to Krishna, the autocrat. He will absorb everything; He is the only enjoyer…
On 3 November 1963, an article was published in the Bengali daily newspaper Yuganantara regarding bhoga worth thousands of rupees being thrown away in Puri. “Today, 1 November, a person who was not engaged in deity service touched the bhoga by sight before it was offered to Sri Jagannathaji in the evening. This resulted in an uprising among the cooks, and the police had to intervene. In accordance with temple procedure…”
Thus the preliminary stage of culturing devotional service without any touch of speculative knowledge was accepted by Lord Caitanya who then asked Ramananda Raya to proceed further in developing the service sentiment to higher and higher stages of love of Godhead until the highest stage was reached. To this Ramananda answered that the progress in this line will end in the loving service of Godhead. Every living entity has within his heart a dormant and eternal love of Godhead…
Guru is he who can take all the moods of the disciple, change them, and offer them unto the lotus feet of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. He’ll take away all worldly attachments and transform them into attachment for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. A bona fide guru does not think, “I’m the enjoyer.” He thinks, “Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are the enjoyers.” A guru can change the disciples’ material moods into the moods of service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and he himself has no enjoying mood.
You want both sides. Heads are yours, tails are yours. You want to control everything. You are afraid we will become liberated and free of your control. Therefore, you attack us. So many kinds of cheating are there. You have taken the dress of sadhus, and profess to teach others, but you are not realized yourself; your criticism of others in the name of teaching and protecting the dharma is only cheating. This is only cheating, born of envy. People say, “Do this, don’t do that. What you are doing is wrong. Follow this vrata, don’t follow that vrata…”
Vyāsadeva, in the form of Vṛndāvan Das Thakur, first prays to Nityānanda Prabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu is the root of Vyāsa, the root of all gurus. He is the mūla guru. Now many people discuss how there is currently no uttama mahā bhagavat and how kaniṣṭha adhikārīs and madhyama adhikārīs are giving dīkṣā. They are wondering, “Is this helpful or not? Do their mantras have any potency or not?” One thing that is important to understand is that madhyama and kaniṣṭhāś are not giving something of their own concoction…