— { LOVING SEARCH FOR THE LOST SERVANT } —

1 | INVOCATION

amnayah praha tattvam harim iha
paramam sarva-saktim rasabdhim
tad bhinnamsams ca jivan prakrti-
kavalitan tad vimuktams ca bhavat
bhedabheda-prakasam sakalam api
hareh sadhanam suddha-bhaktim
sadhyam tat pritim evety upadsiati
harir-gauracandro bhaje tam

Here, in one verse, Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given the very gist of Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy. He says, "We are not interested in the opinion of anyone ordinary: there is no value to any opinion other than what is revealed truth (amnaya)." Amnaya means revealed truth or scripture that is coming through a reliable source: the guru-parampara, a genuine succession of gurus.

And what do they say? They enumerate these facts: Hari is all in all (harim iha paramam). What is His nature? He is the master of all potencies (sarva-saktim). And He Himself is the ocean of rasa, ecstasy (rasabdhim).

And the jiva soul is not a direct part of Him, but a part of His potency (tad bhinnamsams ca jivan). Not a plenary portion (svamsa), but a partial portion (vibhinnamsa). Everything is a part of Hari, but svamsa means an avatara and vibhinnamsa means a part of His potency, tatastha-sakti. And by nature, some souls are engrossed in the external potency, and we find some in the lap of the internal potency (prakrti kavalitan tad vimuktams ca bhavat). By their very existence some souls are within the svarupa-sakti and some are outside the svarupa-sakti. Some souls are liberated and some are nonliberated (mukta and amukta). Everything is a part of Hari and has something in common with Him and something different (bheddaheda-prakasam sakalam api hareh). And the only means to attain Him is pure devotion, exclusive devotion (sadhanam suddha-bhaktim). Hari Himself, in the form of Gauracandra, is giving us the understanding that divine love is the highest goal of life (sadhyam yat pritim evaty upadi-sati harir-gauracandro bhaje tam).

CONTENTS:

• Invocation
• Introduction
• Planets of Faith
• The Environment
• Beneath the Loving Eye of God
• Lord of the Cows
• Brahma's Illusion
• Sonhood of God
• Knowledge-Free Devotion
• The Holy Name
• The Service of Sri Radha