Bhakti Raghava Swami

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Comment by Cidanandas Yuan on March 7, 2012 at 6:38pm

Haribol from Mauritius!

Glad to join this group!

Comment by Gour Gopal Das on February 5, 2011 at 11:17pm

Are Economic Development and Bhakti Mutually exclusive?

Development has generally, unless specified, has come to be understood as “economic advancement”. Let us understand this material or economic development little more analytically.

“Having attained this human form of life, we should inquire after Brahman.” “What is God? Who is God? What is my relationship with Him?” These questions distinguish human being from animals, and mark the beginning of Krishna consciousness - atatho brahma jijñasa.

The modern civilization may foolishly encourage boatmen to go sailing without rudder, but traditionally people’s material life was also guided by spiritual paradigms. They catered to everybody’s interest. Vedic way of life recognized catur purusharthas or the four goals of human life in the material world – moksha (liberation), dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), and kama (passionate desire). Moksha and dharma take care of the higher spiritual development of a human being - mind, while the other two,– artha and kama – though considered inferior to other two , are responsible for securing the bodily requirements of a human being.

Moksha and Dharma, though superior to the other two goals of human endeavor are still not considered worth striving for by a devotee. No wonder, the whole Kartik mas devotees, while lighting the lamp to the Lord sing,

varaḿ deva mokṣaḿ na mokṣāvadhiḿ vā 
na canyaḿ vṛṇe haḿ vareṣād apīha 
idaḿ te vapur nātha gopāla-bālaḿ 
sadā me manasy āvirāstāḿ kim anyaiḥ

[O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor the highest liberation of eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon (which may be obtained by executing the nine processes of bhakti). O Lord, I simply wish that this form of Yours as Bala Gopala in Vrndavana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?]

In a similar strain, the Lord Himself tells Arjuna to abandon all kinds of ‘dharma’ that take him away from the Lord’s lotus feet:

sarva-dharman parityajya / mam ekam saranam vraja 
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo / moksayisyami ma sucah

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]
One may feel that when the higher goals itself are being eliminated, where is the room for other two, which are anyways obviously considered lower, catering only to the physical requirements.

The beauty of Vedic life lies in recognizing difference in the nature of different human beings, in their proclivities and natural capabilities (that is why varnasrama) and further sanctifying everything, including the carnal requirements (that is why daivi-varnasrama); therefore the pursuit of artha and kama was also defined by dharma or morality. Hence, while Vedas extolled being “anyabhilashita shunyam” also acknowledge the presence of desires in majority of people and thus suggest ways how they can accomplish their desires without compromising on the spiritual component. So, the superscript of dharma – one could indulge in sense gratification but on the condition that it did not violate the injunctions of dharma (varnasrama dharma).

Artha or economic development was also defined. One’s material acquisitions were defined and limited. One was supposed to adhere to the dictum of simple living and high thinking, keeping just enough to keep the body and soul together! Srimad Bhagavatam 11.8.9 clearly states:

stokam stokam grased grasam / deho varteta yavata
grihan ahimsann atishthed / vrittim madhukarim munih

[A saintly person should accept only enough food to keep his body and soul together. He should go from door to door accepting just a little bit of food from each family. Thus he s

Comment by Vinay Kamath on November 12, 2010 at 2:55pm

Hare Krishna !!!!!
Respected Devotees
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada !!!

Comment by Haridas Das on September 22, 2010 at 12:04pm

Hare Krishna Devotees

Please Accept My Humble Obeissances
All Glories to Guru & Gauranga
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Please find below updated schedule of GuruMaharaj


September
22nd -- 25th -- ISKCON Leads Seminars in Delhi
26th -- 29th ---- Vrindhavan yatra
30th --- Flight to Bangalore
30th -- Same night reaching Shimoga in Train

October
1sth,--4rd -- Shimoga includes Sunday feast lecture
5th - -- Reaching Hebri
5th -- 20th -- Mostly in SSKBK Farm (which includes Manipal Youth preaching, Udipi and Mangalore ISKCON Sunday Feast lectures)
22nd - 25th -- IRGBC Meetings in Mumbai followed by RGB meetings upto 5th November

November
8th,9th & 10th Nov - Sravanam Kirthanam camp in Andhra (GuruMaharaj & HH Bhakti Vikasa Maharaj) venue is not finalized
10th -- Village preaching in Andhra starts


Haridas Das

Comment by RUMANDLA SANDEEP KUMAR on May 28, 2010 at 1:38pm

hare krishna

Comment by Haridas Das on April 26, 2010 at 8:47pm

VARNASRAMA DHARMA IS LIFE-LONG EDUCATION.

H.H Bhakti Vikas Swami maharaj comments on Varnasrama Dharma.

Sripada Bhakti Raghava Swami presents how traditional eductation and the varnasrama social system are inseperable, for they deal with eternal principles and concepts. He argues that Varnasrama-dharma is the standard, Ideal educational institution--eternally ordained by the Supreme Lord for organizing humanity--and that by deviating from this system, mankind consequently embraces the path of adarma, the subtle but extremely prenicious effects of which inevitably lead to severe individual and cocietal anomalies and calamitites.

Comment by Rohini-suta dasa on April 26, 2010 at 1:17am

Hare Krsna, all glories to Srila Prabhupada. Will look forward as events unfold here. rsd

Comment by krishnasakhadasa on April 25, 2010 at 9:58pm

Hare Krishna please accept my humble obeissances.All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga,All Glories to Srila Prabhupada