Weekly Sanga

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 109 loka-śikṣā-hitārthaṁ tu kurvann āste mahat tapaḥ dhanur-vidyā-gurur brahma- cāri-veśo jaṭā-dharaḥ TRANSLATION Living there as a guru in the science of weaponry, He dresses as a brahmacārī, His hair in matted locks, and performs severe austerities as an instruction for the benefit of the world.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 101 bhaktau nava-vidhāyāṁ ca mukhyaṁ smaraṇam eva hi tat samagrendriya-śreṣṭha- mano-vṛtti-samarpaṇam TRANSLATION Of the nine kinds of devotional service, remembrance is the chief. It is an offering of the activity of the mind, the most important of all the senses.

In today’s sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his recent studies.

The following is a recording of Srila Dhanurdhara Swami's Vyasa-puja address and initiation, given on Saturday, September 20, 2025.

In today’s sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his recent studies.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Texts 103-105 aśeṣa-sādhanaiḥ sādhyaḥ samastārthādhikādhikaḥ yo vaśī-karaṇe gāḍho- pāyo bhagavato ’dvayaḥ tat-prasādaika-labhyo yas tad-bhaktaika-mahā-nidhiḥ vicitra-paramānanda- mādhurya-bhara-pūritaḥ mahā-nirvācya-māhātmyaḥ padārthaḥ prema-saṁjñakaḥ pariṇāma-viśeṣe hi ceto-vṛtter udeti saḥ TRANSLATION There is one goal of all disciplines, one highest attainment of all, the one potent means to bring the Supreme Lord under one’s control. Only by the mercy of the Lord can it be gained. It is the rare, exclusive treasure of His devotees, a treasure rich with every sort of transcendental ecstasy and sweetness. Its wonderful glories are beyond the power to describe. That attainment is called prema. It arises from special transformations of the functions of the mind.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 100 ānandaka-svabhāvo ’pi bhakti-māhātmya-darśanāt bhaktān harṣayituṁ kuryād durghaṭaṁ ca sa īśvaraḥ TRANSLATION The Supreme Lord, by nature the bestower of ecstasy, creates such unlikely situations to delight His devotees by showing them the greatness of devotional service.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Texts 98-99 parānanda-ghanaṁ śrīmat sarvendriya-guṇāñjanam nārāyaṇasya rūpaṁ tat sākṣāt sampaśyatām api madhu-kaiṭabha-mukhyānām asurāṇāṁ durātmanām na līno duṣṭa-bhāvo ’pi sarva-pīḍā-karo hi yaḥ TRANSLATION The beautiful, all-opulent form of Lord Nārāyaṇa, the concentrated essence of supreme bliss, refines the functions of all the senses. Yet demons like Madhu and Kaiṭabha, even after seeing the Lord in person, did not lose their evil disposition, distressing to all.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 93 tasya kāruṇya-śaktyā vā dṛśyo ’stv api bahir-dṛśoḥ tathāpi darśanānandaḥ sva-yonau jāyate hṛdi TRANSLATION And even if by the power of His mercy He becomes visible to external eyes, the bliss that arises from seeing Him has its natural source in the heart.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 86 śrī-pippalāyana uvāca idaṁ mahat padaṁ hitvā katham anyad yiyāsasi kathaṁ vā bhramasi draṣṭuṁ dṛgbhyāṁ taṁ parameśvaram TRANSLATION Śrī Pippalāyana said: Why do you want to leave this exalted place and go somewhere else? And why are you wandering around just to see the Supreme Lord with your eyes?

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto 10 Chapter 30 Text 28 anayārādhito nūnaṁ bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ yan no vihāya govindaḥ prīto yām anayad rahaḥ TRANSLATION Certainly this particular gopī has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, Govinda, since He was so pleased with Her that He abandoned the rest of us and brought Her to a secluded place.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 83 tatrāthāpy avasaṁ teṣāṁ prabhāva-bhara-darśanāt guru-vāg-gauravād dṛṣṭa- phalatvāc cātyajañ japam TRANSLATION Nonetheless, I stayed there for some time, attracted by the display of great power. Out of respect for my guru’s order, and because I had seen how effective my mantra was, I kept on chanting.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 74 śrī-gopa-kumāra uvāca tato ’kārṣam ahaṁ citte tatrāho kīdṛśaṁ sukham īdṛśāḥ kati vānye syur eṣāṁ pūjyaś ca kīdṛśaḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Gopa-kumāra said: I then wondered, “Indeed, what kind of happiness do they enjoy on Tapoloka? How many more are there like him? And what kind of Lord do they worship?”

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 67 vihāya yajña-karmāṇi bhaktyotthāya maharṣibhiḥ praṇamya dhyāna-niṣṭho ’sau yajñeśvara-vad arcitaḥ TRANSLATION The great sages put aside their sacrificial rituals, stood up with devotion, bowed down to the boy, who was absorbed in meditation, and worshiped him as if he were the Lord of sacrifice Himself.

In today's saṅga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations about his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, on the day of his appearance.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 67 tatraikadā mahā-tejaḥ- puñja-rūpo dig-ambaraḥ pāñca-ṣābdika-bālābhaḥ ko ’py āgād ūrdhva-lokataḥ TRANSLATION Once, someone arrived from a higher planet. His form surrounded by brilliant light, he was dressed by the directions only. He appeared to be a five- or six-year-old boy.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 67 tatraikadā mahā-tejaḥ- puñja-rūpo dig-ambaraḥ pāñca-ṣābdika-bālābhaḥ ko ’py āgād ūrdhva-lokataḥ TRANSLATION Once, someone arrived from a higher planet. His form surrounded by brilliant light, he was dressed by the directions only. He appeared to be a five- or six-year-old boy.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 61 catur-yuga-sahasrasya tatratyaika-dinasya hi ante trai-lokya-dāhena jana-loko ’dhigamyate TRANSLATION At the end of one thousand cycles of ages — for that place, one day — the conflagration of the three worlds forced us to take refuge on Janaloka.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 60 kintu yajña-samāptau syād duḥkham antarhite prabhau vṛtte yajñāntare cāsya prādurbhāvāt punaḥ sukham TRANSLATION But at the end of each sacrifice, unhappiness would arise when the Lord disappeared; and when the Lord reappeared at the start of another sacrifice, happiness would begin again.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 58 tatas tān anumānyāham anaṅgī-kṛtya vipratām tatrāvasaṁ svato jāta- prājāpatya-mahā-sukhaiḥ TRANSLATION Therefore, while showing respect to the sages, I declined the status of a brāhmaṇa. But I stayed on Maharloka, enjoying the exalted pleasures that automatically appear in the world of the Prajāpatis.