All glories to AC Prabhupada, Srila Swarupa Damodar Swami Maharaja.
Radha Krishna ki Jay, Gours Nitya ki Jay, Gourabhakta Vrinda ki Jay.
Dandavat Pranam HpS, Guruji Maharaj!
HpS - All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In Nectar of Instruction, Text Five, last paragraph, https://vedabase.io/en/library/noi/5/#bb5954 SrilaPrabhupada gives a very nice illumination of Guru Tattva. We are just presenting ourselves as Madhyama adhikari devotees for taking up this role of Diksa guru on behalf of Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON, and requiring that everyone we initiate is accepting Srila Prabhupada as an Uttama adhikari spiritual master.
How is your relationship with Srila Prabhupada? Do you feel his presence in you life, service?
To be a part of ISKCON we need to have that personal experience of his presence in our life, Sankirtan!
Thank you.
Hare Krishna, please accept my humble obeisanses unto Guruji Maharaja's Padma Charan that the CC I am reading is Pabhu Padas English book. Not only that the Manipuri translation of two different writers, they explain vastly.
Yes, in SB/CC is full of stories of devotees achieving success.
"Took two lifetimes and he we Great Devotees" Who are them?
HpS - Did we say something like this is a previous letter? Of course, Maharaja Bharata is an example of someone who took two lifetimes to become perfect devotee, no? I cannot think of another one right now.
Yes just some days back I read the news in the JayaRama.US.
Guruji it is my personal request that I choose my Sakhi Manjari. Actually such names are offered from the Jagat Guru Gouranga Mahapraphu, but today HpS Gurji Maharaja represents Him so please give me the permission to get Yamunesvari Sakhi and Yamuna Manjuri. My sadhana will fruitful if Guruji give me Gurujis Asirbat (anumati). It is the tradition of Manipuri Vaisnavas.
HpS - We discussed some of this before, no? If we look at NoI, Text 7, paragraph starting, "The conclusion is that in order to get freed from..."
https://vedabase.io/en/library/noi/7/#bb5984
we see how Srila Prabhupada develops the verse, "Adau sraddha..." by Srila Rupa Goswami in a very nice way.
This is one of the most quoted verses in the Bhakti-rasa-amrta-sindhu. Srila Prabhupada gives the full Sanskrit in the purport to his Bhagavad-gita Text 4.40.
We have to know in which of these levels we find ourselves: Kanistha, Madhyama, Uttama adhikari. As Srila Prabhupada explains, following Lord Chaitanya, our Siddha svarupa becomes manifest when we come to the stage of Bhava. Of course, we can start to follow in the footsteps of a Manjari, or cowherd boy, etc even in the stage of Raga-anuga Bhakti. We see this as beginning in the stage of Ruci.
Here we are liberated by following Vaidhi bhakti and we can stimulate these eternal feelings of Rasa by trying to follow the feelings of a Gopi or Gopa in our service.
For example, when we offer the Raja bhoga to Radha Govinda Chandra in Mani-mandir, we can try to do it with the mood of Mother Yasoda or a cowherd friend of Krsna.
So, are you "Nistha"? Are you fixed in devotional service? Every day up for Kirtan and Mangala arati during Brahma muhurta? Always chanting 16-nice rounds etc? Then you can, will, naturally begin Raganuga Bhakti, but your real Siddha svarupa will only become fully manifest when you progress to the stage of Bhava bhakti, and it does not have to be a Manjari. We me become like Krsna's garland or his flute. All this is basically explained in the NoI, and then by reading Srila Prabhupadas books like CC, SB, NoD, we become more familiar with the topic.
Naturally, by following Srila Prabhupada, we are following Rupa Goswami. In Vraja lila he is Rupa Manjari, who is serving Lalita sakhi.
Of course, we are following Manipuri tradition through Bhakti svarupa Damodara Goswami and how he accepted its different aspects, and put aside some others.
Please discuss Srila Prabhupada's Parampara instructions from Lord Chaitanya with Haridas Goswami. He knows the Manipuri perspective very well, no? Ask him what he understands about this topic and then have him send a copy of his thoughts to us.
That will be very great service.
I do not remember in CC where Lord Caitanya gives Manjari names to anyone?
Waiting to hear from you and Maharaja. It is certain that if you just go on chanting sixteen enthusiastic rounds while following the four principles under Srila Prabhupada's authority you will come to the platform of Maha bhagavata and you eternal relation and body with Krsna will become manifest again.
Once again Dangavat Prana.
Yours fallen servant,
Yamunesvara Das.
