Classes and discussions on Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
For some time I have wanted to do a reading of Nectar of Devotion, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s summary study of Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. This is the core of the Esoteric Teaching and the most scientific explanation of bhakti-yoga. Today I sat in my room and read Chapter 3(MP3 audio)
The entire transcription of this recording is available here.
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Some time ago we made a series of posts on karma-yoga covering the first part of Bhagavad-gītā, Chapter 3. But we felt that the actual practice of devotional service in our school was still not up to the actual standard of karma-yoga, so we took a break while we designed our community project and online university. Now that these practical projects are moving along nicely, we return to Chapter 3 of Bhagavad-gītā for a more detailed study. This Satsang covers Texts 3.1-15. It covers the process of sacrifice, standards of devotional service from karma-yoga up to pure devotional service, ordinary work versus transcendental work, offering food and taking prasādam, pure love of God, and much more.
You can watch it here.
This video is available on YouTube.
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For some time I have wanted to do a reading of Nectar of Devotion, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s summary study of Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. This is the core of the Esoteric Teaching and the most scientific explanation of bhakti-yoga. Today it was raining cats and dogs, so I sat in my room and started reading Chapter 2 (MP3 Audio)
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For some time I have wanted to do a reading of Nectar of Devotion, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s summary study of Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. This is the core of the Esoteric Teaching and the most scientific explanation of bhakti-yoga. So today I sat down under the big oak tree in the back yard and started reading with Chapter 1 (MP3 audio)
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The next set of Sunday Satsang programs will be a review of Bhagavad-gītā Chapter Three. Now that our practice and building our community have caught up with our theoretical and philosophical study of karma-yoga, I want to review the subject so far and then proceed further.
This opening lecture of the series was recorded as an mp3 Darshan, since we’re not yet fully set up for video Satsangs in our new ashram in southern Chile.
Listen to it here.
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This is our last Sunday Satsang from Santiago, Chile. Later this evening Babaji and some devotees left for the south of Chile to scout for a suitable place to move to in the beautiful Chilean countryside. This is the next step in our plan to build a community. This Satsang focuses on this idea of building a community – why, how, where, the different roles of the members, the executive structure etc.. We had quite a lively discussion going with lots of questions from our online audience, something which we always welcome.
The video of this Satsang can be watched here
This video is also available on YouTube.
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In this Satsang we finish up discussing the vyabhicārī-bhāvas and summarize.
| cintā | anxiety | The thinking which arises due to non-attainment of one’s desired object or due to attainment of an undesired object is called cintā. To think, “Now what will happen?” is called cintā. The symptoms of cintā are breathing deeply, lowering the head, writing on the ground, change of color, sleeplessness, lamentation, inflammation, weakness, tears and meekness. |
| mati | resolve or understanding | The conviction or resolve that arises from ascertainment of the meaning of the śāstras is called mati. The symptoms of mati are performance of duty, giving instructions to disciples and deliberation on the pros and cons of a subject. |
| dhṛti | fortitude | The steadiness of the mind that arises from knowledge (here meaning realization of the Lord), absence of distress (due to one’s relationship with the Lord) and attainment of the topmost object (bhagavat-prema), is called dhṛti. In dhṛti one feels no distress on account of things which are not obtained or those which have already been destroyed. |
| harṣa | jubilation | The bliss that arises in the heart from seeing or obtaining one’s desired object is called harṣa. The symptoms of harṣa are horripilation, perspiration, tears, blossoming of the face, impassioned outburst, madness, inertness and bewilderment. |
| autsukya | ardent desire |
The inability to tolerate the passing of time instigated by an intense longing to see or to obtain one’s desired object is called autsukya. The symptoms of autsukya are drying of the mouth, haste, anxiety, breathing heavily and unsteadiness. |
| augrya | fierceness or dreadfulness | The anger or fury arising from another’s offense or injurious speech is called augrya. The symptoms of augrya are killing, binding, trembling of the head, reprimanding and beating. |
| amarṣa | intolerance or indignation | Intolerance arising from being rebuked or disrespected is called amarṣa. The symptoms of amarṣa are perspiration, trembling of the head, change of color, anxiety, seeking relief, shouting, turning the face away and admonition. |
| asūyā | envy | The malice that arises upon seeing the good fortune and qualities of others is called asūyā. The symptoms of asūyā are jealousy, disrespect, accusations, projecting faults upon the qualities of others, slander, scowling and raising the eyebrows. |
| cāpalyam | restlessness, fickleness, rashness or impudence | The loss of gravity or the lightness of the heart that arises due to attachment or aversion is called cāpalyam. The symptoms of cāpalyam are want of discrimination, harsh speech and whimsical behavior. |
| nidrā | deep sleep or complete unconsciousness | The absence of the external function of the mind arising from anxiety, lethargy, natural disposition or exhaustion is called nidrā. The symptoms of nidrā are yawning, inertia, closing the eyes and shallow breathing. |
| supti | dreaming |
Sleep in which there are many impressions within the subconscious mind and the manifestation of many different pastimes is called supti. The symptoms of supti are cessation of the external function of the senses, breathing in, and closing the eyes. |
| bodha | awakening | The enlightenment or awakening of knowledge that occurs upon the cessation of ignorance, fainting or sleep is called bodha. |
The video can be watched here.
You can also see it on YouTube.
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We’ve written quite a bit about consensus management on our forums, but never gave any examples. So I thought it might be interesting to record a typical meeting and post it. We also discuss some spiritual issues related to nonsense talk.
listen(MP3 audio)
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This Evening Darshan comes from my efforts to explain what the Esoteric Teaching really is. You can look at it as a religion like the neophytes do; you can accept it as a transcendental esoteric school, which is what the Initiates do; or you can understand it as a high-level ontological system, like the perfected souls. Anyway this talk is very hard to describe; it ranges over examples from computer languages and meta-languages to musical harmonics, scales, chords and tonalities; from the external forms of religion to the most subtle reaches of high-level ontological entities and systems.
listen(MP3 audio)
The audio for the recording has a few short gaps due to a technical glitch. The complete transcription of this Darshan is available here.
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This Sunday Satsang continues our discussion of bhakti-rasa, explaining the vyabhicāri-bhāvas. This topic was postponed from last week. These are definitions extracted from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and summarized in my book Śrī Bhakti-Nirukti. Today we shall discuss the following:
| jāḍya | inertness or insensibility | When one is deprived of the power of deliberation due to separation or due to seeing or hearing about either that which is cherished or a calamity, it is called jāḍya. jāḍya is the condition just prior to or just following moha (loss of consciousness). The symptoms of jāḍya are blinking the eyes, remaining silent and forgetfulness. |
| vrīḍā | shyness or shame | The bashfulness or shame that arises due to new association, performance of misdeeds, praise or scorn is called vrīḍā. The symptoms of vrīḍā are silence, anxiety, covering the face, writing on the ground and lowering the face. |
| avahitthā | concealment of emotions | To display emotions artificially in order to conceal one’s true confidential feelings or emotions is called avahitthā. The symptoms of avahitthā are hiding the limbs which betray those emotions, looking elsewhere, futile action and impaired speech. |
| smṛti | remembrance | Recollection and love for some previously experienced object brought about by seeing a similar object or by constant practice is called smṛti. The symptoms of smṛti are moving the head and contracting the eyebrows. |
| vitarka | deliberation or reasoning | The deliberation performed to determine the truth about something is called vitarka. This deliberation may be instigated either by doubt or curiosity to determine its cause. The symptoms of vitarka are contracting the eyebrows and moving the head and fingers. |
This video is also available on YouTube.
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