True Meaning of Sankirtan

Reciting Shree Radha Krishna’s names and singing the glories of their forms, pastimes, qualities and abode is known as sankirtan. 

The Ramayan says:

ehī kali kāla na sādhana dūjā

joga na japa tapa vrata makha puja

kaliyuga kevala nāma adhārā

sumiri sumiri nara utarahiṅ pārā

“There is no other method in Kaliyug.  Neither yoga, nor austerity, nor yagya, nor worship will take you to your goal.  Just sing the glories of God, engage your mind in roopdhyan (loving remembrance) and listen to his glories from the Saints.  This is the only means in Kaliyug to attain one’s ultimate goal."

Find out more about the true meaning of Sankirtan in this wonderful video from Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj's 2002 lecture in Brahmapur.

God Alone is Ours

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj explains that God alone is ours, while the world can never be ours.  He alone is our Mother, Father, Friend and Beloved.

Guru and Disciple - The Complete Science

How do you find a true Guru? What is Initiation? Can you change Gurus? Find answers to these and other important questions in this brilliant 1989 informal lecture, where Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj explains everything a spiritual seeker needs to know about the Guru and the Guru-Disciple relationship.

Happy Radhastami!

बरसाने वारी राधे, भोरी भारी प्यारी राधे |
All glories to the simple, innocent, and beautiful Radha Rani of Barsana.

सुकुमारी प्यारी राधे, वारी वारी प्यारी राधे |
I sacrifice myself upon the gentle and delicate Radha Rani.

Who is Shri Radha Rani? What is our relationship with Her? 

Find out in this short and beautiful 2012 lecture by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Happy Friendship Day!

मन तेरो साँचो यार, ब्रजराज कुमार |
जैसो जीव करे प्यार, तैसो करे प्यार यार |
O my mind! Only Shree Krishna, the prince of Braj, is your true friend. 

As the soul loves him, so does he love the soul.

आज है फ्रेंडशिप डे, गोविन्द राधे |
साँचो फ्रेंड हरि गुरु, बस दो है बता दे ||
On the occasion of Friendship day, it is to be contemplated today that only God and Guru are our true eternal friends.
 

Hare Ram - Sankeertan

 

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj  gave a constant stream of four day, fifteen day, one month and even four month akhanda (non-stop) sankirtan programs of this famous Mahamantra in order to propogate the bhakti of Shree Krishna to the people of the world.

hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare

Happy Guru Poornima

गुरु चरण कमल बलिहार , गुरु पर तन मन धन वार |
गुरु चरण धूरि सिर धार, गुरु महिमा अपरम्पार ||
I sacrifice myself upon the lotus feet of my Guru. I offer my body, mind, and wealth to my Guru. I reverently place the dust of his lotus feet on my head.  The Guru’s glory is limitless.

Watch this incredible lecture given by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj on the occasion of Guru Poornima in 2009.

The Science of Charity

What is true charity, and why should one engage in it? Find out in this very important lecture given by Shree Maharajji in Nepal.

What is True Love?

We hear of love all the time, but what exactly does it mean to love someone? What is the definition of Love? Find out in this wonderful lecture by Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj.

We're All Crazy!

We are all crazy! Find out why in this wonderful video lecture by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, given in 2002 in Odisha, India.

What is the importance of foot dust?

The scriptures have emphasized special significance of foot dust for devotees on the path of devotion.

It is stated in Chaitanya Charitamrita:

भक्त पदधूलि आर भक्त पद जल भक्त भुक्त अवशेष तिन महाबल,
एई तिन सेवा हैते कृष्ण प्रेम हय |

"The food dust, foot wash and food remnants of a devotee of Shree Krishna has such agreat spiritual power, that an aspiring devotee can easily obtain the divine love of Shree Krishna, through the grace of the Guru, by regularly using these as prasad."

 
Thus, the foot dust of the lotus feet of a Guru and Shree Krishna are extremely important in the process of devotional practice and on the path of devotion.  By using and consuming this as prasad, one can cleanse his heart and mind quicker, thereby become deserving soul of the divine love of Shree Radha Krishna sooner.

 

God is our eternal relative

Our relationship with God is eternal. We do not have this kind of everlasting and endless relationship in this material world. Our material father, mother and son will die one day. They are not our real father, mother or relatives. Our true relationship is only with God.   Why is that?  This word sambandh, or relation, is made from the Sanskrit root bandh, with the prefix sam, and the suffix un.  It means eternal and complete bond.  Do you have such a bond with your father?  No, he passed away twenty five years ago.  And recently my mother also passed away.  One of my daughters has also died.  That means they were not your sambandhis. That is why all the scriptures strongly state:
vedaiśhcha sarvairamevavedyo

vedāñtakṛit vedavidevidevachāham

Shree Krishna says "Arjun! What do you have to understand from all the Vedas and Vedic scriptures? Only this much that your relationship is only with Me, and you must love Me exclusively." Lord Brahma says:

bhagavān brahma kārtsnyen triranvīkṣhya manīśhayā 

tadadhyavatsatkuṭastho ratirātman yato bhavet

He says, "I have churned the Vedas and the other scriptures three times and have come to the conclusion that they declare only one thing - Your eternal relationship is with Shree Krishna alone, and you have to love Him." Shree Maharajji says that God keeps on watching us and eagerly waits in anticipation, "When will this soul come to me and love me? I shall liberate him from all bondages that very instant, and bestow upon him the nectar of Divine love." Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said:
                                                    tomār aham yadi kahe ek bār

Dear Soul! Just say it once with all your heart, "O Shree Krishna! Only you are mine." Not, "You are also mine and this material world is also mine."  Do not divide your affection between your material father at home and your eternal father, God.We could ask God, "You are never seen, and my father at home loves me dearly." God says, "Accept that you are mine." We can question again, "On what basis should we accept this statement?" God says, "Accept it on the basis of knowledge. Understand fully and decide firmly that you are not this material body but the eternal soul.  You will then realize that the soul's eternal relationship is only with God."

You will attain this knowledge of your relationship with God from the Guru.  Understand this from the Guru in various ways, so that you become convinced.  Then on the basis of this knowledge, you must repeated contemplate about your relationship with God.

Why do we have desires?

This is because, all souls desire true happiness, i.e. happiness associated with God.  To fulfill this natural desire for bliss, the mind constantly creates 'desires' every moment.  There are five types of desires - the desire to see, desire to hear, desire to smell, desire to taste and desire to touch or feel.

The mind desires to enjoy subjects related to these five senses, and it can desire for objects only in two areas - either related to God or related to Maya, the material world.  Hence, this mind can either desire for God or for material objects. There is no third area where the mind can seek for happiness.

If we believe that happiness can be achieved from this material world, we will aim to fulfill our desires in this realm. If we believe that happiness can be achieved from God, we will automatically desire to attain Him.  This is a natural tendency and not learnt from anyone.  Not just humans, but even animals and birds have this innate understanding. The mind works in accordance with the decision of the intellect, and has to desire what the intellect thinks is the source of true happiness.

svatantraḥ kriyamāṇe vai kṛito bhagavatā vidā

The material world is readily visible, but God is not easily seen. It is the nature of the mind to desire material pleasure, as it is made of the same elements (Panchmahabhut) that constitute the material world.  It is very natural and easy to get attracted to things that we can see, and we can see this material world and not God.  Although the Vedas, Shastras and Puranas praise God, and the message is repeated by the saints, our mind is not able to concentrate in that direction. The mind is easily attached to material objects of pleasure, and seeks happiness in them.