Weekly Sanga

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 1 Text 5 he man-mātar idānīṁ tvaṁ sāvadhāna-tarā bhava sthiratāṁ prāpayantī māṁ sa-dhairyaṁ śṛṇv idaṁ svayam TRANSLATION My dear mother, please now be fully attentive. Listen soberly with steady concentration to what I am about to say.

In today’s sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares the story of his disciple Krishna-mayi Devi Dasi on the 25th anniversary of her passing.

In today’s sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami gives a talk during his bhakti immersion retreat at Shyam Ashram in Cali, Colombia.

In today’s sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami gives a talk during his bhakti immersion retreat at Shyam Ashram in Cali, Colombia.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 1 Texts 1-3 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca tac chrutvārye mahā-prema- rasāveśena yantritaḥ mahā-viṣṇu-priyo vīṇā- hasto ’sau vismṛtākhilaḥ sadā-dvāravatī-vāsā- bhyastāntaḥ-pura-vartmanā prabhu-prāsāda-deśāntaḥ- praveśāścarya-vāhinā pūrvābhyāsād ivābhyāsaṁ prāsādasya gato muniḥ bhūtāviṣṭo mahonmāda- gṛhītaś ca yathetaraḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: Noble mother, after hearing Ugrasena’s advice, Nārada, the dear devotee of Lord Mahā-viṣṇu, became absorbed in the taste of exalted love of God, which seized him in its grip. Forgetting everything else, he started off, vīṇā in hand. Having spent much time before in Dvārakā, Nārada automatically took the familiar roads to the center of the city, amazing roads that led to the neighborhood of the Lord’s palaces, and came to a palace of Kṛṣṇa’s that he knew how to reach from earlier visits. Under the spell of intense transcendental agitation, Nārada seemed like an ordinary person haunted by a ghost.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 129 yathāhaṁ prārthya tat-saṅga- sthitiṁ nāpnomi karhicit tan-mahā-lābhato hīno ’satyayā rājya-rakṣayā TRANSLATION In contrast, despite my begging to stay in Kṛṣṇa’s company, I never obtain that blessing. I am deprived of that achievement because of my degraded occupation of protecting the kingdom.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 120 yas tiṣṭhan bhojana-krīḍā- kautukāvasare hareḥ mahā-prasādam ucchiṣṭaṁ labhate nityam ekalaḥ TRANSLATION Uddhava stays alone with Kṛṣṇa when the Lord playfully enjoys His meals. So he is the only person who can always obtain the Lord’s mahā-prasāda remnants.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 116 kintv asmāsūddhavaḥ śrīmān paramānugrahāspadam yādavendrasya yo mantrī śiṣyo bhṛtyaḥ priyo mahān TRANSLATION But among us, blessed Uddhava has received Kṛṣṇa’s greatest mercy. That exalted soul is Lord Yādavendra’s adviser, His disciple, His servant, and His extremely dear friend.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 89 tad yāhi tasya parama-priya-varga-mukhyān śrī-yādavān nirupama-pramadābdhi-magnān teṣāṁ mahattvam atulaṁ bhagavaṁs tvam eva jānāsi tad vayam aho kim u varṇayema TRANSLATION Therefore, go see the divine Yādavas, the Lord’s most beloved associates, who live immersed in a vast, unequaled ocean of joy. My lord Nārada, you know very well how great they are. What can I tell you about their glories?

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 83 śrī-pṛthovāca anāthāyāḥ sa-putrāyā mamāpad-gaṇato ’sakṛt tvarayā mocanāt samyag devakī-mātṛto ’pi yaḥ kṛpā-viśeṣaḥ kṛṣṇasya svasyām anumito mayā TRANSLATION Śrī Pṛthā [Kuntī] said: I had no husband to protect me, but Kṛṣṇa always interceded just in time to save me and my sons from calamity. From this I understood that Kṛṣṇa’s mercy on me was special, greater even than His mercy on His mother, Devakī.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Texts 69-70 yat sadā sarvathā śuddha- nirupādhi-kṛpākare tasmin satya-pratijñe san- mitra-varye mahā-prabhau viśvastasya dṛḍhaṁ sākṣāt prāptāt tasmān mama priyam mahā-manoharākārān na para-brahmaṇaḥ param TRANSLATION No one is dearer to me than the Supreme Brahman, Kṛṣṇa, with His all-enchanting beautiful form. He has given Himself to me, who have complete faith in Him. He is the reservoir of pure unconditional mercy, the upholder of His word, the best of well-wishing friends, the omnipotent Lord of all.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 58 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca atha śrī-yādavendrasya bhīmo narma-suhṛttamaḥ vihasyoccair uvācedaṁ śṛṇu śrī-kṛṣṇa-śiṣya he TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit continued: Then Bhīma, the bosom friend of the Lord of the Yādavas, laughed loudly and said, Please listen, my dear disciple of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 54 sva-jīvanādhika-prārthya- śrī-viṣṇu-jana-saṅgateḥ vicchedena kṣaṇaṁ cātra na sukhāṁśaṁ labhāmahe TRANSLATION The company of those devotees of Śrī Viṣṇu is more desirable to us than life itself. Deprived of that association, we can no longer find any happiness.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 46 vāvadūka-śiro-dhārya naivāsmāsu kṛpā hareḥ vicāryābhīkṣṇam asmābhir jātu kāpy avadhāryate TRANSLATION Yudhiṣṭhira said: O crest jewel of brilliant speakers, Lord Hari has no mercy for us. We cannot remember any mercy He has shown us, even after we consider this for a long time.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 45 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca atha kṣaṇaṁ lajjayeva maunaṁ kṛtvātha niḥśvasan dharma-rājo ’bravīn mātṛ- bhrātṛ-patnībhir anvitaḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: For a moment, Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira remained quiet, and then he sighed, as if embarrassed. At last he spoke, followed in turn by his brothers, wife, and mother.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 40 āsvādanaṁ śrī-viduraudanasya śrī-bhīṣma-niryāṇa-mahotsavaś ca tat-tat-kṛta-tvādṛśa-pakṣa-pāta- syāpekṣayaiveti vicārayadhvam TRANSLATION Kṛṣṇa relished Śrī Vidura’s porridge and organized the celebration of Śrī Bhīṣma’s passing away. Please, therefore, judge your own standing from how in many controversies both Vidura and Bhīṣma took your side.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 35 cireṇa dvārakāṁ gantum udyato yadu-jīvanaḥ kāku-stutibhir āvṛtya sva-gṛhe rakṣyate ’nayā TRANSLATION Kṛṣṇa, the life of the Yadus, tried for a long time to leave for Dvārakā, but by enveloping Him with plaintive prayers she kept Him in her home.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 30 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca iti pragāyan rasanāṁ munir nijām aśikṣayan mādhava-kīrti-lampaṭām aho pravṛttāsi mahattva-varṇane prabhor apīti sva-radair vidaśya tām TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: While singing enthusiastically in this way, the sage instructed his own tongue, which was greedy to chant the glories of Lord Mādhava, “Oh, you are too busy talking about the greatness of our master!” To stop that tongue, he then seized it with his teeth.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 26 apūrvatvena tasyaiva yo vismaya-vidhāyakaḥ tathā līlā guṇāḥ premā mahimā keli-bhūr api TRANSLATION Those unprecedented attractive features of Kṛṣṇa leave one struck with amazement. So also do His pastimes, His qualities, His pure love, His glorious virtues, and the places where He sports.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 5 Text 14 yasya prasādaḥ san-mauna- śānti-bhakty-ādi-sādhanaiḥ prārthyo naḥ sa svayaṁ vo ’bhūt prasanno vaśa-varty api TRANSLATION We can only pray to satisfy Him through our disciplines of silence, peace, and devotion. But being naturally satisfied with you, He has even submitted Himself to your control.