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The Best Form of Charity

By:Mahanidhi Swami

Pious people are always interested in giving charity to worthy individuals and institutes because it makes them feel good and improves their own position. Of all forms of charity, which is the best and most beneficial? Vedic scriptures like Bhagavad Gita and the Puranas states that giving transcendental knowledge is the best of charity. In Hari Bhakti Vilasa, Sanatana Gosvami quotes Skanda Purana, where Brahma told Narada, danam vidya danam param “Giving transcendental knowledge is the greatest form of charity. By giving transcendental knowledge, one attains good qualities, wealth, happiness, freedom from sins and kingdom of God.” (HBV 2.250-253)
One can easily obtain all these wonderful benefits by following Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s request to, “Tell everyone you meet about Krsna.” You can also give a Bhagavad Gita or some small spiritual books to people, and encourage them to read and follow the teachings to attain a life full of love, happiness and perfection. There is no better form of charity than this.

Om Tat Sat!
Jai Jai Sri Radhe!!

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The Devotee is More Merciful than God

By:Mahanidhi Swami

In Bhagavata-gita (18.54), Bhagavan Sri Krishna says, “After one [a bhakta] becomes liberated from the three modes of material nature, he attains para-bhakti or pure devotion, uttama-bhakti to Me (brahma bhuta prasannatma, mad-bhaktim labhate param)”.

It is significant here that Bhagavan uses the word labhate (achieves, attains), instead of the word kurute (do, make). Labhate means that uttama bhakti is achieved only by the mercy of Bhagavan or His bhaktas; it is not attainable by one’s own efforts.

This is the position of Bhagavan Sri Krishna and the Bhagavad-gita: first liberation then para-bhakti.

Now let’s look at the grantha-raja Srimad Bhagavatam (10.33.39). Here the devotee, Sri Sukadeva Goswami promises that simply by hearing or describing Radha-Krishna’s Rasa Dance, one will first attain uttama-bhakti, para-bhakti, pure devotion to Bhagavan Sri Krishna. And then he will quickly attain liberation from the modes of nature, and their concomitant qualities like lust, anger, greed and so on (vikriditam vraja-vadhubhir, srnuyad atha varnayed, bhaktim param bhagavati pratilabhya, kamamhrd-rogam ashu apahinoti acirena).

This is the position of the bhakta Sukadeva Goswami and the Bhagavatam: first para-bhakti then liberation.

The conclusion is that the devotees of Krishna are more merciful than Bhagavan Sri Krishna.

Grantha-raja Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!

Krpa-shakti murti Sukadeva Goswami ki jai!

Jai Jai Sri Radhe!