Bhakti (Devotion) brings all the desired best qualities naturally (सहज ही) automatically #Blog0001

Bhakti (Devotion) brings all the desired best qualities naturally (सहज ही) & automatically

भगवान से प्रीती ही भक्ति है
और
"भक्ति स्वतन्त्र सकल गुण खानी, बिन सत्संग ना पावे प्राणी"

Bhakti (Devotion) brings all the desired best qualities naturally (सहज ही) & automatically
&
bad qualities vanish - no need to make any efforts or निश्चय (whatever we achieve with our efforts - decays or we get fed up/tired in trying to maintain or keep up with our निश्चय

but whatever comes to us naturally as His प्रसाद (like all good qualities by भक्ति) is sustained without effort.

Bhakti comes ONLY through satsang:

Definition of what constitutes Satsang as per Srimad Bhagvat:
sravanam (listening), kirtanam (chanting His glories), visnoh smaranam (remembering), pada-sevanam (serving His feet), archanam (worship of the Deity), vandanam (offering prayer), dasyam(eternal servant of Krshna), sakhyam (eternal friend of Lord), atma-nivedanam (SURRENDER YOURSELF (,i.e., ALL YOUR THOUGHTS, WORDS & DEEDS TO THE LORD – THIS IS THE GIST OF GITA AS SAID BY LORD HIMSELF

As you must have noticed, sravanam (listening) is the first & main step & last step is SURRENDER (which is called the pinnacle of Bhakti)

in simpler words:
भगवान की लीला कथा का श्रवण कथन करना, किसी संत की वाणी का चिंतन करना, भगवान के नाम का जप करना, भगवान के रूप का चिंतन करना,पूजा करना, भगवान के धाम में वास करना, , गीता ,भागवत ,रामायण का अध्ययन करना, ये सब सत्संग है

,i.e.,
Listen to Lord’s / His kathas / His bhajans, to listen to His devotees’ devoted love & sayings for Him (,i.e., the systematic hearing of the transcendental activities, qualities and names of Lord Sri Krishna), take Lord’s name repeatedly / devotedly, to contemplate on Lord’s Face / Form, worship & offer prayers, to stay at Lord’s place (Vrindavan), read Gita, Srimad Bhagvat, Ramcharitmanas

Gist is that the necessary & sufficient condition is that if we are devoted lovingly to Lord sincerely (which develops once we start following the above broad guide), you override all the anxieties, worries & विकल्प (multiple options) of the world & easily achieve the goal of life, which is to find our lost relationship of love with Lord & thereby go back to Godhead (,i.e., beyond worldly birth death cycle)

BUT IF WE DO NOT DO HIS LOVING DEVOTION (,i.e., do not surrender to Him, NOT EVEN GOD CAN SAVE US from worldly birth death cycle & degradation to any of the 84 lakh species of lives) & whatever determinations we make with pen & paper, whatever & howsoever many pious & philanthropic deeds we do, are all of NO VALUE at all in achieving the goal of life which is to get out of worldly birth death cycle,old age & disease for ever.

Bhagvatam PATH OF LIBERATION 22nd May

Srimad Bhagvatam

TRANSLATION
MAHARAJA YUDHISHTHIRA SAID: MY DEAR LORD, I WISH TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT THE PRINCIPLES OF RELIGION BY WHICH ONE CAN ATTAIN THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF LIFE—DEVOTIONAL SERVICE. I WISH TO HEAR ABOUT THE GENERAL OCCUPATIONAL DUTIES OF HUMAN SOCIETY AND THE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL ADVANCEMENT KNOWN AS VARNASRAMA-DHARMA.

PURPORT
SANATANA-DHARMA MEANS DEVOTIONAL SERVICE. THE WORD SANATANA REFERS TO THAT WHICH IS ETERNAL, WHICH DOES NOT CHANGE BUT CONTINUES IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. We have several times explained what the eternal occupational duty of the living being is. Indeed, it has been explained by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Jivera 'svarüpa' haya—krshnera 'nitya-dasa': THE REAL OCCUPATIONAL DUTY OF THE LIVING ENTITY IS TO SERVE THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.

EVEN IF ONE PREFERS TO DEVIATE FROM THIS PRINCIPLE HE REMAINS A SERVANT BECAUSE THAT IS HIS ETERNAL POSITION; BUT ONE SERVES MAYA, THE ILLUSORY, MATERIAL ENERGY. THE KRSHNA CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENT, THEREFORE, IS AN ATTEMPT TO GUIDE HUMAN SOCIETY TO SERVING THE PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD INSTEAD OF SERVING THE MATERIAL WORLD WITH NO REAL PROFIT. OUR ACTUAL EXPERIENCE IS THAT EVERY MAN, ANIMAL, BIRD AND BEAST—INDEED, EVERY LIVING ENTITY—IS ENGAGED IN RENDERING SERVICE. EVEN THOUGH ONE'S BODY OR ONE'S SUPERFICIAL RELIGION MAY CHANGE, EVERY LIVING ENTITY IS ALWAYS ENGAGED IN THE SERVICE OF SOMEONE. THEREFORE, THE MENTALITY OF SERVICE IS CALLED THE ETERNAL OCCUPATIONAL DUTY.

THIS ETERNAL OCCUPATIONAL DUTY CAN BE ORGANIZED THROUGH THE INSTITUTION OF VARNASRAMA, IN WHICH THERE ARE FOUR VARNAS (BRAHMANA, KSHATRIYA, VAISYA AND SÜDRA) AND FOUR ASRAMAS (BRAHMACHARYA, GRHASTHA, VANAPRASTHA AND SANNYASA). Thus, Yudhishthira Maharaja inquired from Narada Muni about the principles of sanatana-dharma for the benefit of human society.

TRANSLATION
O best of the brahmanas, you are directly the son of Prajapati [Lord Brahma]. Because of your austerities, mystic yoga and trance, you are considered the best of all of Lord Brahma's sons.

TRANSLATION
No one is superior to you in peaceful life and mercy, and no one knows better than you how to execute devotional service or how to become the best of the brahmanas. Therefore, you know all the principles of confidential religious life, and no one knows them better than you.

PURPORT
YUDHISHTHIRA MAHARAJA KNEW THAT NARADA MUNI IS THE SUPREME SPIRITUAL MASTER OF HUMAN SOCIETY WHO CAN TEACH THE PATH OF SPIRITUAL LIBERATION LEADING TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.

Actually, it is for this purpose that Narada Muni compiled his Bhakti-sütra and gave directions in the Narada-pancharatra. To learn about religious principles and the perfection of life, one must take instruction from the disciplic succession of Narada Muni. Our Krshna consciousness movement is directly in the line of the Brahma-sampradaya. Narada Muni received instructions from Lord Brahma and in turn transmitted the instructions to Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva instructed his son Sukadeva Gosvami, who spoke Srimad-Bhagavatam.

The Krshna consciousness movement is based on Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Because Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami and Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krshna, there is no difference between them. If we strictly follow the principle of disciplic succession, we are certainly on the right path of spiritual liberation, or eternal engagement in devotional service.

Bhagvatam PATH OF LIBERATION 22nd May

Srimad Bhagvatam

TRANSLATION
MAHARAJA YUDHISHTHIRA SAID: MY DEAR LORD, I WISH TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT THE PRINCIPLES OF RELIGION BY WHICH ONE CAN ATTAIN THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF LIFE—DEVOTIONAL SERVICE. I WISH TO HEAR ABOUT THE GENERAL OCCUPATIONAL DUTIES OF HUMAN SOCIETY AND THE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL ADVANCEMENT KNOWN AS VARNASRAMA-DHARMA.

PURPORT
SANATANA-DHARMA MEANS DEVOTIONAL SERVICE. THE WORD SANATANA REFERS TO THAT WHICH IS ETERNAL, WHICH DOES NOT CHANGE BUT CONTINUES IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. We have several times explained what the eternal occupational duty of the living being is. Indeed, it has been explained by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Jivera 'svarüpa' haya—krshnera 'nitya-dasa': THE REAL OCCUPATIONAL DUTY OF THE LIVING ENTITY IS TO SERVE THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.

EVEN IF ONE PREFERS TO DEVIATE FROM THIS PRINCIPLE HE REMAINS A SERVANT BECAUSE THAT IS HIS ETERNAL POSITION; BUT ONE SERVES MAYA, THE ILLUSORY, MATERIAL ENERGY. THE KRSHNA CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENT, THEREFORE, IS AN ATTEMPT TO GUIDE HUMAN SOCIETY TO SERVING THE PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD INSTEAD OF SERVING THE MATERIAL WORLD WITH NO REAL PROFIT. OUR ACTUAL EXPERIENCE IS THAT EVERY MAN, ANIMAL, BIRD AND BEAST—INDEED, EVERY LIVING ENTITY—IS ENGAGED IN RENDERING SERVICE. EVEN THOUGH ONE'S BODY OR ONE'S SUPERFICIAL RELIGION MAY CHANGE, EVERY LIVING ENTITY IS ALWAYS ENGAGED IN THE SERVICE OF SOMEONE. THEREFORE, THE MENTALITY OF SERVICE IS CALLED THE ETERNAL OCCUPATIONAL DUTY.

THIS ETERNAL OCCUPATIONAL DUTY CAN BE ORGANIZED THROUGH THE INSTITUTION OF VARNASRAMA, IN WHICH THERE ARE FOUR VARNAS (BRAHMANA, KSHATRIYA, VAISYA AND SÜDRA) AND FOUR ASRAMAS (BRAHMACHARYA, GRHASTHA, VANAPRASTHA AND SANNYASA). Thus, Yudhishthira Maharaja inquired from Narada Muni about the principles of sanatana-dharma for the benefit of human society.

TRANSLATION
O best of the brahmanas, you are directly the son of Prajapati [Lord Brahma]. Because of your austerities, mystic yoga and trance, you are considered the best of all of Lord Brahma's sons.

TRANSLATION
No one is superior to you in peaceful life and mercy, and no one knows better than you how to execute devotional service or how to become the best of the brahmanas. Therefore, you know all the principles of confidential religious life, and no one knows them better than you.

PURPORT
YUDHISHTHIRA MAHARAJA KNEW THAT NARADA MUNI IS THE SUPREME SPIRITUAL MASTER OF HUMAN SOCIETY WHO CAN TEACH THE PATH OF SPIRITUAL LIBERATION LEADING TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.

Actually, it is for this purpose that Narada Muni compiled his Bhakti-sütra and gave directions in the Narada-pancharatra. To learn about religious principles and the perfection of life, one must take instruction from the disciplic succession of Narada Muni. Our Krshna consciousness movement is directly in the line of the Brahma-sampradaya. Narada Muni received instructions from Lord Brahma and in turn transmitted the instructions to Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva instructed his son Sukadeva Gosvami, who spoke Srimad-Bhagavatam.

The Krshna consciousness movement is based on Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Because Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami and Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krshna, there is no difference between them. If we strictly follow the principle of disciplic succession, we are certainly on the right path of spiritual liberation, or eternal engagement in devotional service.

Gita (shloka 2.57) Non-duality 22nd May

Bhagvad Gita (shloka 2.57):

TRANSLATION
HE WHO IS WITHOUT ATTACHMENT, WHO DOES NOT REJOICE WHEN HE OBTAINS GOOD, NOR LAMENT WHEN HE OBTAINS EVIL, IS FIRMLY FIXED IN PERFECT KNOWLEDGE.

PURPORT
THERE IS ALWAYS SOME UPHEAVAL IN THE MATERIAL WORLD WHICH MAY BE GOOD OR EVIL.

ONE WHO IS NOT AGITATED BY SUCH MATERIAL UPHEAVALS, WHO IS UNAFFECTED BY GOOD AND EVIL, IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD TO BE FIXED IN KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS.

AS LONG AS ONE IS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD THERE IS ALWAYS THE POSSIBILITY OF GOOD AND EVIL BECAUSE THIS WORLD IS FULL OF DUALITY.

BUT ONE WHO IS FIXED IN KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT AFFECTED BY GOOD AND EVIL BECAUSE HE IS SIMPLY CONCERNED WITH KRSNA, WHO IS ALL GOOD ABSOLUTE.

SUCH CONSCIOUSNESS IN KRSNA SITUATES ONE IN A PERFECT TRANSCENDENTAL POSITION CALLED, TECHNICALLY, SAMADHI.