Nectar Drops- SADHAKA

Greatness of a Devotee:

• Lord Caitanya was bathing in the ocean of Jagannath puri three times a day. But only when Haridas Thakur was bathed in that ocean, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabha called it as a holy place for bathing.
• If we judge devotees, it is our spiritual destruction. Do not judge them. You don’t know who they may be.
• The tars of separation between two Vaishnavas, when they are based on knowledge and truth, are one of the most elevated and one of the most purifying of all spiritual experiences.
• Devotee who is our junior now might be our superior twenty year from now. So why not treat him like that now. That will be a good investment and also be pleasing to Krishina. Anyone coming to Krishna consciousness is very dear to Krishna.
• If you want to know Krishna, you have to put the Vaishnavas in front of yourself.
• The foundational quality of a Vaishnava is… he is Adusha Darshi (one who does not find faults.)

Mood of Servant:

• First, we think we are das das anu das, then das anu das, then we are Das, then we are prabhu, and then we want to compete with Mahaprabha.
• To be the servant of the servant of the servant is the mood of Goloka Vrindavan.
• If someone calls us prabhu(master), we should think, “Think person is so elevated that he can see even me as prabhu. ” We should not think,” Everyone is calling me prabhu. It must be true.”
• To think that you are a fool and servant is the path of perfection.
• ‘Infinite’ means beyond our imagination, beyond all our comprehension, all pervading and large. Well, ‘infinitesimal’ is the same principle, in smallness, ‘ Infinitesimal’ means beyond our comprehension of how minute, h0w insignificant it could possibly be. And that is ‘anu’. The most insignificant, infinitesimal, tiny particle of a servant, of a servant, of a servant, of a servant. Mahaprabha said, ”That is what I aspire to be, that is my identity.”
• The spirit of servitude is the real treasure of life.
• Performing service with our body and our words is an important function, an essential function to purify the heart; but essentially what the Lord accepts is our attitude.

Service:

• Service is the most beautiful expression 0f the heart.
• Having free time is not opulence: it is a danger.
• We should not be attached to the service but the spirit of the service.
• Don’ t worry about how you feel. worry about service. Then you’re feeling will change.
• We cannot imitate the Hanuman like activities of those who personally served Srila Prabhupada. But if we humbly serve like a squirrel in lord Rama’s Lila., we also will get Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.
• Vrindavan das Thakur says that the highest position in the world is to be servant of Krishna. It means to have no other motivation except to serve the lord.
• we should not think that a beggar is begging, and I am giving. We should think I am begging for service, and this person (appearing as a Begger) is giving me an opportunity (to serve).
• Service does not mean I do what I want, service means whatever makes Krishna happy.
• The consciousness with which we serve the agents of the holy name is the consciousness we serve the holy name with.
• A devotee is not one who just wears tilak, Kanti and gives donation. A devotee is the who pleases the Lord through his service.
• The more you make advancement in Krishna consciousness, the more you need to strengthen your service attitude, in order to bear the weight.
• We may try to have facility for our service, but our service attitude is not dependent on it.
• It is the service that purifies us, not the taste we feel. We are not concerned about our tastes but Krishna’s tastes. That higher taste is the spirit of selfless service.

Association:

• To be in the association of those aspiring to love God is the ultimate gift of God.
• What is the association of devotees? It does not mean that being around with people with tilak and shaved heads or with saris. It means engaging in the nine processes of devotional service together.
• It is not just a detail. It’s not just one of the aspects of bhakti. All the scriptures have this conclusion to make that a moment’s association with a sadhu is the most valuable thing in all of creation, because that moment’s association of a sadhu can open the doors to the loving service of Krishna in our lives. There is nothing more valuable than that.
• In the association of those devotees who are pure, those devotees who are honestly representing pure devotees, the highest benedictions of the treasure of love of God are available even for most fallen souls.
• There is no devotee who has ever read Srila Prabhupada’s books, and doesn’t know somewhere in his consciousness, at least theoretically, that the goal of life is to love Krishna. But in the association of pure devotes that essence always remains in the forefront.

Family:

• A family that prays together, stays together.
• A family that dances together, advances together.
• A family that sings together, clings together.
• A family that dines together, shines together.

Marcy:

• Marcy means “to get what we do not deserve”.
• How can you be qualified to get mercy? Mercy is given to the most unqualified.
• The greater a Vaishnava you are, the more you depend on the mercy of other Vaishnavas.
• The power of mercy cannot be estimated by one’s intelligence.
• Great souls are merciful. Srila Prabhupada was pleased with the little things that someone did, even if that person had all bad qualities. His being pleased was his mercy, because he knew that if he was not pleased, Krishna will not be pleased and if Krishna was not pleased there was not hope for that person’s spiritual advancement.
• Like poles repel, opposite poles attract. When we think we are great, we can’t attract Krishna, all Great. When we are in the spirit of servant of the servant, we attract the mercy of Krishna.
• Radio or television when channeled properly and tuned in by proper antenna helps capture the radio waves which are present everywhere. Similarly, we can access the mercy of the acharyas, if we are properly tuned in and then the spiritual energy can be manifested on the screen of our hearts.

Shelter:

• Changes of situation or service can simply give us temporary satisfaction, not shelter.
• That is what it means to be complacent… we do not take shelter.
• From the darkest situation, the brightest light appears, if we take shelter of God.
• When there is really an emergency, we need each other. Then we really appreciate each other and we really help each other to focus on Krishna, because there is no other shelter. That is one of the great lessons of Govardhan puja.
• With a humble heart we have to take shelter of Krishna’s words and with a humble heart we have to cry for the shelter of Krishna’s holy names.
• Why are we not tasting the bliss of bhakti ? Because we are taking shelter of stone boats. We are sinking and drowning in maya and still we are further taking shelter of stone boats and this can go on life after life.
• When the baby is in danger he doesn’t go to the internet, the doesn’t analyze his strengths and hs weaknesses. Neither does he philosophize. He simply spontaneously and instantly cries from the core of his heart for the mother’s help. We also have to give up our own endeavors and rather beg for shelter and cry for mercy from Krishna.
• We are habituated to find shelter in our bad habits.
• Shelter comes when the Lord is pleased with our intention and spirit of service.
• Our process is not simply chanting, dancing and feasting but chanting, dancing and feasting; difference is, the former is mechanical but latter is motivated by desperately seeking shelter.

Disciple / Spiritual Master :

• The behavior of a disciple can be ornament for of a scar on the reputation of the spiritual master.
• There is both vapu seva and vani sevaof the spiritual master and the real test of the disciple is when he has to surrender to the vani seva.
• Sincerity is sadhana and eagerness to serve is the basis of one’s relationship with the Spiritual Master.
• The word of the spiritual master is the energy of Balarama.
• Disciplic succession is the means by which transcendental knowledge if preserved.
• There are two ways to know if we are actually pleasing Guru and Krishna. Firstly ask senior devotees whom we trust if our understanding and execution of service is correct and secondly, honestly and sincerely take inventory of our own motivations.
• All glories to Guru Maharaja means nothing left for us, no credit for us.
• Taking guru’s order means accepting Krishna in the heart.
• Even when we are executing the order of guru, if we are not pleasing devotees, then it will not please guru.