Weekly Sanga

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 42 śrī-bṛhaspatir uvāca ata ūrdhvaṁ mahar-loko rājate karmabhiḥ śubhaiḥ prāpyo mahadbhir yo naśyet trai-lokya-pralaye ’pi na TRANSLATION Śrī Bṛhaspati said: Above this realm shines the world called Maharloka, attainable through the best of pious works. Even when the three worlds are annihilated, that world is not destroyed.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 35 evaṁ nivasatā tatra śakratvam adhikurvatā brahman saṁvatsaro divyo mayaiko gamitaḥ sukham TRANSLATION O brāhmaṇa, thus I lived in Svarga, ruling in the post of Indra, and happily spent one celestial year.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 33 tato yo jāyate śokas tena nīlācala-prabhum acalāśrita-vātsalyaṁ draṣṭum iccheyam etya tam TRANSLATION And so the distress I felt would make me want to go back to see the Lord of Nīlācala, whose affection for those who take shelter of Him never wavers.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 12 tad-darśane jāta-manorathākulaḥ saṅkalpa-pūrvaṁ sva-japaṁ samācaran sv-alpena kālena vimānam āgataṁ mudāham āruhya gatas tri-piṣṭapam TRANSLATION Eager to see Him, I chanted my mantra specifically for that purpose. In a very short time a celestial airplane arrived. I climbed aboard and joyfully flew to the heavenly kingdom.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 12 tad-darśane jāta-manorathākulaḥ saṅkalpa-pūrvaṁ sva-japaṁ samācaran sv-alpena kālena vimānam āgataṁ mudāham āruhya gatas tri-piṣṭapam TRANSLATION Eager to see Him, I chanted my mantra specifically for that purpose. In a very short time a celestial airplane arrived. I climbed aboard and joyfully flew to the heavenly kingdom.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 2 Text 1 śrī-gopa-kumāra uvāca māthurottama viśrāntau snātvā vṛndāvanaṁ gataḥ atra govardhanādau ca yathā-kāmaṁ paribhraman TRANSLATION Śrī Gopa-kumāra said: O best of the Mathurā brāhmaṇas, after bathing at Viśrānti-ghāṭa I came to Vṛndāvana. Here I wandered freely in such places as Govardhana.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 214 evaṁ saṁvatsare jāte mayā tatraikadā śrutam mathurāyāḥ prāyātebhyo ’tratya-vṛttaṁ viśeṣataḥ TRANSLATION Thus one year passed, and then one day I heard some detailed news of Mathurā from visitors who had come from there.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 213 gantuṁ vṛndāvanaṁ prātar ājñārthaṁ purataḥ prabhoḥ gataḥ śrīman-mukhaṁ paśyan sarvaṁ tad vismarāmy aho TRANSLATION Early in the morning, I went before Lord Jagannātha to ask His permission to leave for Vṛndāvana; but oh, when I saw His beautiful face I forgot all my plans.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 206 nāma-saṅkīrtana-stotra- gītāni bhagavat-puraḥ śrūyamāṇāni dunvanti mathurā-smārakāṇi mām TRANSLATION When I heard the songs, prayers, and congregational chanting of the Lord’s names in front of Lord Jagannātha, I was disturbed because they reminded me of Mathurā.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 201 rājyaṁ rājopabhogyaṁ ca jagannātha-padābjayoḥ samarpyākiñcanatvena sevāṁ kurve nijecchayā TRANSLATION I offered the kingdom, with all its royal enjoyments, at the lotus feet of Jagannātha. In a completely dependent mood, I took my pleasure in simply serving the Lord.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 190 śrī-jagannātha-devasya sevā-rūpaṁ ca viddhi tam evaṁ matvā ca viśvasya na kadācij japaṁ tyajeḥ TRANSLATION “This chanting, please understand, is another form of service to Lord Śrī Jagannātha. Have faith in this and never give up your japa.”

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 180 śārīraṁ mānasaṁ vā syāt kiñcid duḥkhaṁ kadācana tac ca śrī-puṇḍarīkākṣe dṛṣṭe sadyo vinaśyati TRANSLATION And even if I sometimes underwent some physical or mental distress, as soon as I saw the lotus-eyed Lord the pain disappeared.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 171 saṁjñāṁ labdhvā samunmīlya locane lokayan punaḥ unmatta iva taṁ dhartuṁ sa-vego ’dhāvam agrataḥ TRANSLATION I came to my senses, opened my eyes, and gazed upon Him again. Like a madman I ran forward quickly to catch hold of Him.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 165 tad-didṛkṣābhibhūto ’haṁ sarvaṁ santyajya tat-kṣaṇe saṅkīrtayañ jagannātham auḍhra-deśa-diśaṁ śritaḥ TRANSLATION Overcome by desire to see Lord Jagannātha, in a moment I abandoned everything and set off in the direction of Orissa, chanting Lord Jagannātha’s glories.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 159 dāru-brahma jagan-nātho bhagavān puruṣottame kṣetre nīlācale kṣārā- rṇava-tīre virājate TRANSLATION “At Puruṣottama-kṣetra, on the blue mountain on the shore of the salt ocean, Jagannātha, the Lord of the universe, the Personality of Godhead, is present as the Absolute Truth manifest in wood.”

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 142 antaḥ-pure deva-kule jagad-īśārcana-dhvanim apūrvaṁ tumulaṁ dūrāc chrutvāpṛccham amuṁ janān TRANSLATION Within the inner precincts of the city, from a distance I heard the sound of temple worship of the Lord of the universe. I had never heard such a tumult, so I asked about it from people nearby.

In today’s sanga, Śrīla Dhanurdhara Swami shares his realizations from his recent studies, including Mother's Day (US) and Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśī, the appearance day of Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 146 paramānanda-pūrṇo ’haṁ praṇaman daṇḍa-van muhuḥ vyacintayam idaṁ svasyā- paśyam adya didṛkṣitam TRANSLATION “Filled with supreme bliss, I repeatedly fell flat on the ground. “Today,” I thought, “I have seen what I always wanted to see.”

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 140 hṛt-pūrakaṁ mahānandaṁ sarvathānubhaviṣyasi idānīm etya mad-gehe bhuṅkṣva viṣṇu-niveditam TRANSLATION “You will feel great ecstasy, fulfilling all your heart’s desires. But for now please come have lunch in my house from the remnants of what has been offered to Lord Viṣṇu.”

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 2 Chapter 1 Text 126 tan-mahā-puruṣasyaiva prabhāvāt tādṛśena ca japena citta-śuddhir me tatra śraddhāpy ajāyata TRANSLATION By the influence of that great person, even such aimless chanting purified my mind, and I developed faith in the mantra.