Articles by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

This article examines laulya (mental restlessness) and its role as an obstacle to spiritual progress. Drawing upon the teachings of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Upadeśāmṛta, the work discusses how taking shelter of bhakti serves as the means to overcome this impediment. The article forms part of a comprehensive series that systematically presents the six practices and attitudes that are favourable to bhakti and the six that are unfavourable, as outlined in the second and third verses of Rūpa Gosvāmī’s influential text. First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 10.

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura describes the glories of sādhu-saṅga and the dangers of asat-saṅga in this article on jana-saṅga (association with worldly-minded persons). The piece forms the fifth in a series addressing the six things that are favourable to bhakti and the six things that are unfavourable, as outlined in the second and third verses of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Upadeśāmṛta. Through his analysis, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explores how association with spiritually-minded individuals supports devotional practice, whilst association with the materially-minded presents significant obstacles to spiritual progress. First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 10.

This article examines Niyamāgraha (attachment to or neglect of rules and regulations), explaining how both unnecessary attachment to scriptural rules and the rejection of scriptural rules at the lower stages of sādhana-bhakti present obstacles to spiritual progress. The discussion is grounded in the second and third verses of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Upadeśāmṛta, which enumerate the six conditions favourable to bhakti and the six conditions unfavourable to it. This piece forms the fourth in a series of articles examining these principles in detail.

First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 10.

This article examines prajalpa (idle speech) and the various types of jalpana (talk), distinguishing between speech that is favourable to bhakti and speech that proves unfavourable. The analysis draws from the second and third verses of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Upadeśāmṛta, which enumerate the six conditions that promote bhakti and the six that hinder it. First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 10.

This article examines prayāsa (over-endeavouring), one of the six obstacles to bhakti discussed in the Upadeśāmṛta of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. The article analyses how excessive effort and striving can impede the natural, unobstructed flow of devotional practice, drawing on the second and third verses of this foundational Vaiṣṇava text. As the second in a series of articles addressing both the favourable and unfavourable conditions for bhakti, this piece explores the subtle but significant ways that over-endeavouring becomes a serious impediment to spiritual progress. First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 10.

This article addresses atyāhāra (overeating or collecting too much), the first in a series examining the six things favourable to bhakti and the six things unfavourable to it, as presented in the second and third verses of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Upadeśāmṛta. The discussion focuses specifically on atyāhāra as an obstacle to spiritual practice, analysing its nature and significance within the framework of Vaiṣṇava theology. First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 10.

In this article, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura stresses the importance of serving the Vaiṣṇavas and explains the distinction between authentic service and its counterfeit forms. The piece examines what constitutes genuine Vaiṣṇava sevā and clarifies misconceptions about the nature of devotional service to advanced practitioners of bhakti. First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 7, 1894.

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura examines how the process of sādhana is necessary for increasing one’s thirst to attain the Supreme. First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 11, 1899.