Waves of Devotion August 27th, 2012
During August 23-26, 2012, dozens joined Dhanurdhara Swami, Raghunatha, and Visvambhar and Vrinda Devi for a weekend of sat sanga, meditation, kirtan, and yoga at the Pumpkin Hollow Retreat Center in Craryville, New York.
The following pictures are just a glimpse of the activities that took place.
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Waves of Devotion August 24th, 2012
Krishna-lila: How to Relish and Understand the Krishna Story
On August 14, 2012, Srila Dhanurdhara Swami gave a lecture entitled Krishna-lila: How to Relish and Understand the Krishna Story at The Bhakti Center in New York. The following is a recording of that talk.
Krishna-lila: How to Relish and Understand the Krishna Story
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Waves of Devotion August 23rd, 2012
Lotus Festival: The Bewilderment of Lord Brahma
On August 11, 2012, Srila Dhanurdhara Swami gave a lecture entitled The Bewilderment of Lord Brahma on the final day of a three day Sri Krishna Janmastami festival at The Bhakti Center in New York. The following is a recording of that talk.
Lotus Festival: The Bewilderment of Lord Brahma
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Waves of Devotion August 21st, 2012
Sri Krishna Janmastami
On August 9, 2012, Srila Dhanurdhara Swami gave a lecture about Sri Krishna Janmastami, the appearance day of Krishna, as part of a three day festival at The Bhakti Center in New York. The following is a recording of that talk.
Sri Krishna Janmastami
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Waves of Devotion August 16th, 2012
Narada Bhakti Sutra
Sutra 3
amṛta-svarūpā ca
This pure love for God is eternal.
All spiritual paths, or yogas, are simply a means or practice (sadhana) to achieve a transcendent objective (sadhya). Bhakti, unlike other yogas, is not just a steppingstone to a goal but also the goal itself, the sadhya. By the practice of selfless devotion we attain the fruit of pure devotion, the only difference being their respective maturity. In contrast, the practice and goal of all other paths are quite at variance. For example, the jnani strives for moksa (liberation), a state of untroubled awareness, but his practice is vairagya, arduous renunciation. And like every other path, except bhakti, its mode of practice is relinquished upon accomplishment. To highlight that bhakti unlike other paths is not just an intermediary step to achieve something else but also what the practitioner is seeking to attain in perfection, Sri Narada asserts that bhakti is eternal. In implying that bhakti is the goal or ultimate attainment, Narada is following the authority of standard texts like the Taittiriya Upanishad, where the ultimate reality is described as rasa vai saha, a flow of pure and intense devotion.
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Waves of Devotion July 27th, 2012
Narada Bhakti Sutra
Sutra 2
sā tv-asmin parama-prema-rūpā
The nature of bhakti is the topmost love for God.
The first verse of Narada Bhakti Sutra announced the subject of the book, implied bhakti’s superlative position, and hinted at the urgency to realize the self through the study and practice of bhakti. This second verse now defines the nature of such bhakti — it is the purest love for God.
Sri Rupa Goswami, a prominent 15th century successor of Sri Narada, thus defined bhakti as follows.
“True bhakti is activity not covered by any selfish desire and done with the exclusive intention to please God.”
Thus bhakti in its topmost form has two pertinent characteristics: it is free of all selfish motives, and it is focused upon God. It is easy to see that true devotion cannot be selfish, but why does it have to be for God?
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Waves of Devotion July 25th, 2012
The Heart of a Yogi: The Power and Culture of Humility – Part II
On July 24, 2012, Srila Dhanurdhara Swami gave the second part in a series entitled The Heart of a Yogi: The Power and Culture of Humility” at The Bhakti Center in New York. The following is a recording of that talk.
The Heart of a Yogi: The Power and Culture of Humility – Part II
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Waves of Devotion July 21st, 2012
The Heart of a Yogi: The Power and Culture of Humility – Part I
On July 10, 2012, Srila Dhanurdhara Swami gave the first part in a series entitled The Heart of a Yogi: The Power and Culture of Humility” at The Bhakti Center in New York. The following is a recording of that talk.
The Heart of a Yogi: The Power and Culture of Humility – Part I
Waves of Devotion July 6th, 2012
Dhanurdhara Swami is writing a new book called Bhakti in Essence – A commentary on Narada Bhakti Sutra.
Every week he will be publishing a sutra and commentary. Maharaja’s commentary begins here:
Narada Bhakti Sutra
Sutra 1
athāto bhaktiḿ vyākhyāsyāmaḥ
Now, therefore, I will try to explain the process of bhakti.
A sutra is a condensed phrase codifying a larger body of thinking. Most Indian schools of thought systematize their teachings into a series of sutras to help their students memorize and understand the teachings. Since volumes of meaning have been condensed into very terse aphorisms, sutras are also accompanied by suitable commentaries to unpack the sutras meaning. In this way, a student can retain and understand a concise version of an entire philosophical system.
Such sutras traditionally begin with “atha” (now) to indicate the significance of the school that will be discussed and the urgency to undertake its study. By the word “now” the Narada Bhakti Sutra points to the importance and urgency of practicing bhakti-yoga.
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Waves of Devotion June 19th, 2012
The Later Pastimes of Sri Caitanya at The Bhakti Center
On May 22, 2012, Srila Dhanurdhara Swami gave a talk entitled The Later Pastimes of Sri Caitanya at The Bhakti Center in New York. The following is a recording of that talk.
The Later Pastimes of Sri Caitanya at The Bhakti Center
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