2022 Swami Padmanabha

Lecture given at Amal Syama´s and Atula-sakhi’s House, North Carolina on May 8, 2022

Brahma-stuti, Verse 9: The Art of Devotional Lamentation

ŚB 10.14.9

पश्येश मेऽनार्यमनन्त आद्ये

परात्मनि त्वय्यपि मायिमायिनि ।

मायां वितत्येक्षितुमात्मवैभवं

ह्यहं कियानैच्छमिवार्चिरग्नौ ॥ ९ ॥

paśyeśa me ’nāryam ananta ādye

parātmani tvayy api māyi-māyini

māyāṁ vitatyekṣitum ātma-vaibhavaṁ

hy ahaṁ kiyān aiccham ivārcir agnau

Translation

My Lord, just see my uncivilized impudence! To test Your power I tried to extend my illusory potency to cover You, the unlimited and primeval Supersoul, who bewilder even the masters of illusion. What am I compared to You? I am just like a small spark in the presence of a great fire.

Lecture given at Krishna Caitanya´s and Gopal Nandini’s House, North Carolina on May 7, 2022

Brahma-stuti, Verse 8: How Can We Inherit Krishna?

ŚB 10.14.8

तत्तेऽनुकम्पां सुसमीक्षमाणो

भुञ्जान एवात्मकृतं विपाकम् ।

हृद्वाग्वपुर्भिर्विदधन्नमस्ते

जीवेत यो मुक्तिपदे स दायभाक् ॥ ८ ॥

tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo

bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam

hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te

jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk

Translation

My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.

Lecture given at Giriraja Mandira, North Carolina on May 6, 2022

Brahma-stuti, Verse 7:  Everything is Measurable Except for Sri Krishna

ŚB 10.14.7

गुणात्मनस्तेऽपि गुणान् विमातुं

हितावतीर्णस्य क ईशिरेऽस्य ।

कालेन यैर्वा विमिता: सुकल्पै-

र्भूपांशव: खे मिहिका द्युभास: ॥ ७ ॥

guṇātmanas te ’pi guṇān vimātuṁ

hitāvatīṛnasya ka īśire ’sya

kālena yair vā vimitāḥ su-kalpair

bhū-pāṁśavaḥ khe mihikā dyu-bhāsaḥ

Translation

In time, learned philosophers or scientists might be able to count all the atoms of the earth, the particles of snow, or perhaps even the shining molecules radiating from the sun, the stars and other luminaries. But among these learned men, who could possibly count the unlimited transcendental qualities possessed by You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have descended onto the surface of the earth for the benefit of all living entities?

Q & A at Ananda Asrama, North Carolina on May 4, 2022

•Are We Non-Different from our Siddha-deha?
•Features and Activities of the Different Gaudiya Parivaras
•In which Sense Mahaprabhu´s Gift is Beyond the Reach of Brahma and Siva?
•The Difference Between Codependency and Devotional Surrender
•Why Gaura Tastes Radha-bhava on Earth if He can do so in Nitya Navadvipa?

Lecture given at Ananda Asrama, North Carolina on May 1, 2022

Brahma-stuti, verse 6: The Formless Form of the Absolute

ŚB 10.14.6

तथापि भूमन्महिमागुणस्य ते

विबोद्धुमर्हत्यमलान्तरात्मभि: ।

अविक्रियात् स्वानुभवादरूपतो

ह्यनन्यबोध्यात्मतया न चान्यथा ॥ ६ ॥

tathāpi bhūman mahimāguṇasya te

viboddhum arhaty amalāntar-ātmabhiḥ

avikriyāt svānubhavād arūpato

hy ananya-bodhyātmatayā na cānyathā

Translation
Nondevotees, however, cannot realize You in Your full personal feature. Nevertheless, it may be possible for them to realize Your expansion as the impersonal Supreme by cultivating direct perception of the Self within the heart. But they can do this only by purifying their mind and senses of all conceptions of material distinctions and all attachment to material sense objects. Only in this way will Your impersonal feature manifest itself to them.

Lecture given at Ananda Asrama, North Carolina on April 30, 2022

Sri Gadadhara Pandita Avirbhava Mahotsava: The Supreme Personality of Radha

Lecture given at Ananda Asrama, North Carolina on April 29, 2022

Brahma-stuti, Verse 5: Yoga Bears Fruit Only Through Bhakti

ŚB 10.14.5

पुरेह भूमन् बहवोऽपि योगिन-

स्त्वदर्पितेहा निजकर्मलब्धया ।

विबुध्य भक्त्यैव कथोपनीतया

प्रपेदिरेऽञ्जोऽच्युत ते गतिं पराम् ॥ ५ ॥

pureha bhūman bahavo ’pi yoginas

tvad-arpitehā nija-karma-labdhayā

vibudhya bhaktyaiva kathopanītayā

prapedire ’ñjo ’cyuta te gatiṁ parām

Translation

O almighty Lord, in the past many yogīs in this world achieved the platform of devotional service by offering all their endeavors unto You and faithfully carrying out their prescribed duties. Through such devotional service, perfected by the processes of hearing and chanting about You, they came to understand You, O infallible one, and could easily surrender to You and achieve Your supreme abode.

Lecture given at Bhaktivan, Kansas on April 25, 2022

Vrindavana Dasa Thakura´s Tirobhava Mahotsava

Lecture given at Bhaktivan, Kansas on April 24, 2022

Brahma-stuti, Verse 4: The Uselessness of Jñana Without Bhakti

ŚB 10.14.4

श्रेय:सृतिं भक्तिमुदस्य ते विभो

क्लिश्यन्ति ये केवलबोधलब्धये ।

तेषामसौ क्लेशल एव शिष्यते

नान्यद् यथा स्थूलतुषावघातिनाम् ॥ ४ ॥

śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho

kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye

teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate

nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām

Translation

My dear Lord, devotional service unto You is the best path for self-realization. If someone gives up that path and engages in the cultivation of speculative knowledge, he will simply undergo a troublesome process and will not achieve his desired result. As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain, one who simply speculates cannot achieve self-realization. His only gain is trouble.

Lecture given at Bhaktivan, Kansas on April 23, 2022

Brahma-stuti, Verse 3: The Glories of Brain-Dead Bhakti

ŚB 10.14.3

ज्ञाने प्रयासमुदपास्य नमन्त एव

जीवन्ति सन्मुखरितां भवदीयवार्ताम् ।

स्थाने स्थिता: श्रुतिगतां तनुवाङ्‌मनोभि-

र्ये प्रायशोऽजित जितोऽप्यसि तैस्त्रिलोक्याम् ॥ ३ ॥

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva

jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām

sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir

ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām

Translation

Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.