Quit Complaining and Be the Example!
In this article, Gaura Gopāla Dāsa explores the unhealthy obsession with unnecessary fault-finding among devotees, emphasising that our energy would be better spent striving to become positive examples ourselves.
The Proper Standard of Deity Worship
In this previously unpublished article from May 1999, Swami B.G. Narasiṅgha explains to an ISKCON devotee the proper standard for worshipping Govardhana-śilā (or any Deity) as established by our previous ācāryas. Śrī Caitanya gave Govardhana-śilā (Kṛṣṇa) and guñja-mālā (Rādhārāṇī) to Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, setting the standard for worship. Swami Narasiṅgha stresses that independent of guru or senior Vaiṣṇava guidance, one should not engage in deity worship.
Śrī Nāma Saṅkīrtana
The following talk, 'Śrī Nāma Saṅkīrtana', by Prabhupāda Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was given on the day of Śrī Nityānanda Trayodaśī, at Śrī Yogapīṭha in Māyāpura, in the year 1926. This lecture was originally printed in The Gauḍīya (Vol.5, Issues 34 & 35). Herein, Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains the five primary limbs of devotion in relation to hari-nāma, and gives pertinent advice on the qualification to chant the Holy Name.
The Secret of the Guṇḍicā Mārjana Pastime (Guṇḍicā-mārjana-līlā Rahasya)
In his commentary on Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12, Verse 135, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda gives the hidden meaning behind Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s cleaning of the Guṇḍicā Temple in Jagannātha Purī and explains how the various types of garbage thrown out of the temple relate to the anarthas of the jīva.
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura at the Bhajana Kuṭīra of Śrīla Jagannātha Dāsa Bābāji
Should one constantly chant or just do service? This eternal question on the lips of every sādhaka is answered by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda in this instructive pastime concerning some errant disciples of Jagannātha Dāsa Bābāji and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. This article is extracted from the hari-kathā of Sarasvatī Ṭhākura originally spoken at Śrī Caitanya Maṭha on the evening of December 21st, 1927.
The Heart-Pursuit and the Head-Pursuit
In this letter, Gaura Gopāla Dāsa answers the question of a young devotee about whether or not to read the books of a certain sādhu, how the guru establishes which books a disciple should study, and how approaching the Absolute Truth is a 'heart-pursuit', not a 'head-pursuit'.
Śaraṇāgati – The Only Path to Auspiciousness
In this article, 'Śaraṇāgati - The Only Path to Auspiciousness', Dhīra Lalitā Dāsī analyses the process of śaraṇāgati (surrender) beginning with śraddhā (faith). She also discusses the role of śāstra and the Vaiṣṇava in connection with surrender.
From Śraddhā to Prema
The following article is adapted from a class on Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.68, given by Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja on Rādhāṣṭamī, September 10th 1997. Mahārāja systematically explains the process of bhakti starting with śraddhā and culminating in prema, which is personified as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
Kīrtana is Not Simply Music!
Are all kīrtanas the same or are there gradations? In "Kīrtana is Not Simply Music!" Mañjarī Devī Dāsī, a professional musician, explores this point and explains the emotional impact that mundane music has on us, as compared to the transcendental nature of the Holy Name.
“Can I Dovetail It?”
In 'Can I Dovetail It?' Kalki Dāsa explores the common notion amongst devotees of 'dovetailing' - using everything in Kṛṣṇa's service, and asks "Are such things really pure devotion, or are we simply attached to fulfilling our desires and using Kṛṣṇa as an excuse?"