The vice-chancellor of Benares University, a very famous man of his time, named Madan Mohan Molaviya came to the Gaudiya Matha to ask Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (Spiritual Master of Srila Prabhupada) some very intricate questions.
Sri Narada Muni plays on his instrument to glorify the transcendental activities of the Lord and to give relief to all miserable living entities of the universe.
After all these verses were given by Gurudev, he said that each verse in Bhagavatam has the potency to purify our sinful existence the moment we hear and chant and study the verse.
As Gurudev always puts 'devotional service is simple - we should not unnecessarily complete it.' Over the last few days he has shown us how straight forward the message of Bhagavatam is.
When asked why this translation and verse had no purport, Gurudev replied because the translation had no room for ambiguity! Envy, subtle or gross will cause us to lose our advancement in bhakti immediately.
Thanks for your posting regarding Bali Maharaj. That was a personal instruction to me. I have highlighted your point regards charity and shall read it again and again.
My dear King, Bali Maharaj donated all his possessions to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vamanadeva, but should certainly not conclude that he achieved his great worldly opulence in bila-svaga as a result of his charitable disposition.
There is no need to worship any deity but the Lord. The Lord is all-powerful, and if He is satisfied by ourobedience unto His lotus feet, He is competent to bestow upon us all kinds of blessings for the successful execution of both our material and spiritual lives.
So everyone should try to go there. God Himself comes to call you, He sends His son to call you, and the literatures are there, the scriptures are there. We should take advantage of this.
The other day I went to my friend's house hoping it would be a nice preaching opportunity to talk to her parents. I didn't even walk in the door when her mother asked me, "What is your mother tongue?"
But, due to a bad system of education, men have no desire for self-realization. Even if they come to know about it, they unfortunately become victims of misguided teachers.
I was thinking of the transcription project (transcribing the lectures of Maharaj) that many devotees were interested in taking part, to prepare a nice book as an offering to Maharaj.
There is a wonderful Sloka in Queen KuntiDevi's prayers that Guru Maharaj often quotes. It has a very simple lyric, glorifies the Supreme Personality of Godhead very nicely and is very easy to remember Sri Krsna.
By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.
Srimad Bhagavatam is known as Maha Purana - Purana means historical accounts. It does not mean mythology. Unfortunately because of our limited mind we cannot comprehend some things, which we then regard it as mythology.
I was listening to a lecture of Maharaj today morning and came across an astounding statement - "As soon as two people meet each other. They talk about a third person. And when one of those two meet the third person, they
talk about the other one!"
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self
"Just as lamp in the hand of a blind man cannot help him see, so scriptural instruction yields no fruit for he who does not act on it with determination."
The process chanting and hearing is simple and easy. A materialist men whereas is always handicapped in this area. He is not interested in glorifying the Lord nor is he interested in hearing about Him.
Sastra is like a lamp, yet one who studies it without putting it to practical use, is compared to blind man, because although the lamp sheds light, the blind man cannot take advantage.
It is therefore concluded that highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.
Here is a beautiful verse from Srimad Bhagavatham 3.5.3 which glorifies the compassion of the philanthropic souls who travel all over the world with the mission of bringing souls back to Godhead.