Sound Bhakti

Lord Gauranga is calling, "Wake up, sleeping souls! Wake up, sleeping souls! How long will you sleep in the lap of the witch called Maya? (Verse 1, Jiva jago) To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikada

(1) doyāl nitāi caitanya’ bole’ nāc re āmār man nāc re āmār man, nāc re āmāra man (2) (emon, doyāl to nāi he, mār kheye prema dey) (ore) aparādha dūre jābe, pābe prema-dhan (o nāme aparādha-vicāra to nāi he) (takhon) kṛṣṇa-nāme ruci ha’be, ghucibe bandhan (3) (kṛṣṇa-nāme anurāg to ha’be he) (takhon) anāyāse saphal ha’be jīvera jīvan (kṛṣṇa-rati vinā jīvan to miche he) (ese) bṛndābane rādhā-śyāmer pa’be daraśan (gaura-kṛpā ha’le he) TRANSLATION 1) Chanting the holy name “Doyal Nitai Caitanya!” – O my mind, please dance! O my mind, please dance! O my mind, please dance! 2) Oh! Such a merciful personality as Nityananda Prabhu is not to be found anywhere! He suffers a beating from Jagai and Madhai and still gives them the love of God! Oh! When your offenses are being vanquished, you will obtain the treasure of love of God! But in these names of Caitanya and Nitai there is no consideration of offenses! Once you have a taste for the holy name of Krsna, bondage to this world will come to

In his teachings to Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave a schema indicating the rarity of those who take to the process of pure devotional service. He started with the population of all the living entities: some of them are humans. Out of them, very few are interested in religious principles. Out of those, some are serious about religious principles. And out of those, there are fewer still that are devotees of the Supreme. And out of them, there are very fewer still of those who are aware of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and who are engaged in the process of pure devotional service. Well, Prabhupāda performed a miracle in this world, but he didn't do it alone. He did it because there were some very special souls who came to his aid when he had no money and no place to stay, and who gave their entire lives to serve him. Kanka Devī is one of those devotees—the rarest of the rare—who are servants of the servant, of the servant of a genuine, pure devotee Ācārya. She joined the Kṛṣṇa Consciousn

If we have false expectations about what we're going to get in life and don't trace it back to the way we're doing our own planting, then this is illusory. An illusory lifestyle is not very satisfying. But what is satisfying is coming to grips with how what we're planting is coming up in various ways. So, being fully aware that the seeds we plant will give us specific results, and in our lives, also, we have to be very much aware of what we're doing and how we're doing it, so we can cultivate our consciousness to the highest level. Now, that brings us to something I alluded to a few minutes ago. And in slide number five, we have this oft-repeated concept in many of the ancient literatures—the Upanishads and the Vedas, the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad Gītā—that human life has a very specific purpose. It's not willy-nilly. It's meant for us to cultivate something that bears a specific fruit. And therefore, we can count on the cultivation process. If we follow a system, and we're vigilant about it, we can expect

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that we assume the qualities of those with whom we associate. And if one were to want to advance in a particular discipline, one quite naturally would search out a community, a society, a club, an organization where people were focused on that discipline, and one would take the association of those people. In a similar way, if one wants to advance spiritually, it's quite natural that one would gravitate towards a place where people were engaged in that practice. And it's natural because we want to do something. We want to be with others who are doing it. In describing the process of devotional service, one of the previous great teachers of bhakti says that as soon as one develops a sense of appreciation for devotional service, the next impulse is to find out where people are practicing it, so one can be there with them. That happened to me when I was in high school. I had an impulse to practice spiritual life. And then I got a magazine called Back to Godhead, and it had pictu

(1) devādi-deva gauracandra gaurīdāsa-mandire nityānanda-sańge gaura ambikāte vihare (2) cāru-aruṇa-guñjā-hāra hṛt-kamale je dhare viriñci-sevya-pāda-padma lakṣmī-sevya sādare (3) tapta-hema ańga-kānti prātaḥ-aruṇa-ambare rādhikānurāga prema-bhakti vāñchā je kare (4) śacī-suta gauracandra ānandita antare pāṣaṇḍa-khaṇḍa nityānanda-sańge rańge vihare (5) nityānanda gauracandra gaurīdāsa-mandire gaurīdāsa karata āśa sarva-jīva uddhāre TRANSLATION 1) The Lord of lords, Sri Gauracandra, along with Nityananda Prabhu is pleasurably engaged in His pastimes in Gauridasa Pandita’s house in Ambika Kalna. 2) Gaurasundara adorns Himself with a very beautiful, red gunja-mala, which falls over His lotus heart. Brahma and Laksmi worship His lotus feet with great respect. 3) His body shines brilliantly like molten gold, and His cloth is saffron like the rising sun. He desires that prema-bhakti like the anuraga of Srimati Radhika. 4) The son of Saci, Gaurasundara, who is so joyful inside, is r

Everybody carries a song in their heart. That's what moves all of us. Melody and rhythm are universal. So in Bhakti, when we sing these bhajans, they go deeply within our body. They overwrite the other sound vibrations that are there, and they leave us with the clear, pristine spiritual sounds of another realm. And when we have those and we can aspire for that realm, actually, we'll be carried to that realm by the power of that sound vibration. (excerpt from the talk Material World Has a Shelf Life | Prabhupada Picks #6&7 | HG Vaisesika Dasa | 16 Aug 2025) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Fa

In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions. (SB 11.5.32) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spa

Rūpa Goswāmī explains that we understand the hierarchy of The Lord’s manifestations in terms of His qualities. And one of His qualities is that He plays a flute. Think about that: He is a musician. Once, when somebody asked Prabhupāda why Kṛṣṇa (God) plays a flute, Girirāj Mahārāj told us, Prabhupāda said it means that He is all play and no work. In the 1960s, way before you guys were born, here in the Bay Area, you could have a sighting of a certain kind of creature called the hippie. And lots of hippies played flutes. They also had bare feet, just like Kṛṣṇa is bare feet, and they had long hair, just like Kṛṣṇa has long hair. They played their flute, and they'd sit on the sidewalk. They had an idea also that they would be all play and no work. But it didn't work out, because then the '70s came, and then the '80s, and everything was finished, because everyone went back to business school and forgot about being hippies. They had to work hard, and most of them died early. So utopia, or the land of eternal ha

Thakura Bhaktivinoda, the humble servant of the Lord, says, “The holy name of Krishna has fulfilled all my desires by vibrating on everyone’s tongue.” Bhaktivinoda therefore prays at the feet of Sri Rupa Goswami that the chanting of harinam may continue like this always. (Verse 6, Narada Muni Bajaye Vina) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spar

Regarding the daily chanting, Prabhupāda wrote the following in a letter to one of his disciples, and I'll just read part of it: "My dear Jayapataka, please accept my blessings. I am very glad to receive your letter dated February 28 and noted the contents with great pleasure. The transcendental experience which you had during kīrtana performance at the Loyola University is very nice. Relishing the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is only possible when one is actually advanced toward perfection. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī used to say, wishing, if he had possessed millions of ears and billions of tongues, then he could chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra a little bit relishably. In the conditioned stage, we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra officially without any attachment, and try to finish the rounds as soon as possible. Sometimes we also forget to chant the prescribed number of rounds. But Haridāsa Ṭhākura at the last stage of his life, he was chanting 300,000 beads, although Lord Caitanya asked him not to labor so hard. But Haridāsa Ṭ

We started our reading in Govardhan Hill with a theme led by a specific verse (SB 11.3.31): smarantaḥ smārayantaś ca mitho ’ghaugha-haraṁ harim bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum The last line says that you'll experience transcendental symptoms in your body. Tanum means the body, and that means when we interact with the world, we experience various changes in our bodies, like heart palpitations, we can worry about things; we can become affected. And we can also become affected by the power of transcendental experiences and interactions. It's one of the noticeable points made in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. In fact, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu experienced extreme changes in His body because of His ecstasy and love of Kṛṣṇa, in reaction to chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa and so forth. So, bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum means your hair will stand on end; you'll feel ecstasy in your body. But why? I'm going backward in the verse, which says bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā. This means that one kind of bhakti, which

Envy is born of ignorance, in the sense that when we forget that we have a relationship with Kṛṣṇa, who's our best friend, and who's the best resource you're ever going to meet. I met, I was introduced to somebody who said he'll be a good resource for you. Who could be a better resource than Kṛṣṇa? Actually, Kṛṣṇa says it himself (BG 5.29), "I'm the best resource. bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati You want a resource? I own everything. Everything comes from Me." So, envy can be overcome when one realizes one's relationship with Kṛṣṇa. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ---------------------------------------

There is nothing more direct and personal that we can do than repeat Kṛṣṇa's names. He is completely present, 100%. In fact, Rūpa Goswāmī says the name is better than Kṛṣṇa personally. And therefore, out of all the practices we do, this is the most direct. We have complete, full access to Kṛṣṇa just by his name. So, it's very personal. You can remember that the name and the named—Kṛṣṇa and his name—are non-different, and that it's a very personal process of repeating somebody's name. If you love somebody and you say their name, then you become immediately connected in consciousness. But because Kṛṣṇa is an absolute person, He makes his avatār in his name specifically to lift us up. And Rūpa Goswāmī and all the ācāryas say, "Out of all the practices we do, this is the most important." Feel free to give your whole heart and mind to the process. Nothing else is needed, just this chanting with sincerity. And one other mood is that we're all going through a lot because we're in a human experience, and we're very

In the Western countries, where the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is spreading, learned scholars and other thoughtful men are realizing its effectiveness. For example, Dr. J. Stillson Judah, a learned scholar, has been very much attracted to this movement because he has actually seen that it is turning hippies addicted to drugs into pure Vaiṣṇavas who voluntarily become servants of Kṛṣṇa and humanity. Even a few years ago, such hippies did not know the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, but now they are chanting it and becoming pure Vaiṣṇavas. Thus they are becoming free from all sinful activities, such as illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. This is practical proof of the effectiveness of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, which is supported in this verse. One may or may not know the value of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, but if one somehow or other chants it, he will immediately be purified, just as one who takes a potent medicine will feel its effects, regardless of whether he takes it knowingly or unknowingly. (SB 6.2.19,p

(1) gāye gorā madhura sware hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare (2) gṛhe raho, vana meń raho, sadā hari hari kaho, sukha meń duḥkh meń bhulo nahiń, mukha se hari-nām bolo re (3) māyā-jāla baddha hoyā, bṛddha hi ke kāja liye, ab bhī mana tū ceta hokara, rādhā-mādhava bol re (4) aba to jīvana huwā śeṣa, bhajā nahiń hṛṣīkeśa bhaktivinodopadeśa, nām-meń matta hobo re TRANSLATION 1) Lord Gaurasundara sings in a very sweet voice, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. 2) Whether you are a householder or a sannyasi, constantly chant "Hari! Hari!" Do not forget this chanting, whether you are in a happy condition or a distressful one. Just fill your lips with the hari-nama. 3) You are bound up in the network of Maya and are forced to toil fruitlessly. Now you have obtained full consciousness in the human form of life, so chant the names of Radha-Madhava. 4) Your life may end at any moment, an

People like to accumulate. In fact, the whole airline interest industry is supported and based on the reward systems they have. They wouldn't exist today if they didn't have the frequent flyer programs. I saw a documentary about it. They got that idea from an idea that was in America ,circa 1960. I remember it well: it was Blue Chip Stamps. You used to get these little stamps you could paste in a book when you bought things, and once you filled out a certain number of pages, you could trade it in for exciting prizes. Even though the prizes were not that significant, the whole idea gave people this compulsion to collect Blue Chip Stamps. And the airline industry figured that out—that people seek some reward. So they started this reward system, and it's the only reason they hold it together today. People are compelled, like, "I'm going to fly this airline because I get points, I get miles, and then I could trade it in for an upgrade someday." And when you get on that, a little plastic red carpet you can walk o

Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the essential value of this Age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the performance of saṅkīrtana. (SB 11.5.36) https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/11/5/36/ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ----------------------------------------------------

Question: What is so special about reading together in the association of devotees? Excerpt from the answer: It is because it pleases Kṛṣṇa. In fact, there's a verse from Bhāgavatam (SB 11.3.31) that explains the phenomenon. It says: smarantaḥ smārayantaś ca mitho ’ghaugha-haraṁ harim bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum The first line, smarantaḥ smārayantaś ca, says "those who come together to remember Kṛṣṇa and cause other people to remember Kṛṣṇa." Mitho means "to meet together," and thus mitho ’ghaugha-haraṁ harim refers to that assembly where people are reminding one another and remembering Kṛṣṇa together. Agha means sin, like the demon Aghāsura, and aghaugha-haraṁ signifies that the huge warehouses of horrible sinful reactions are destroyed in that assembly when you are speaking about and reminding one another of Kṛṣṇa. The last line bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum, says then in that assembly, by reminding others and remembering Kṛṣṇa together, because it pleases Kṛṣṇa, your body starts to f

If you just understand that the spirit soul is the eternal servant of Krsna, you will never have any more sorrows. Chant, chant “Radha-Krsna!” Everyone chant! (Translation,verse 3) https://versecircle.com/?s=1515 To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlesson