Belle Indifference

Caitanya Caritamrta

2012-01-30T12:56:00.001-08:00

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.1
—
Māyāpur, March 25, 1975

Radha Madhva

Prabhupāda:

vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān
īśam īśāvatārakān
tat-prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktīḥ
kṛṣṇa-caitanya-saṁjñakam
[Cc. Ādi 1.1]

Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa. That was observed by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. He composed one hundred verses praising the glories of Lord Caitanya, but because Caitanya Mahāprabhu was playing the part of a devotee, He threw away the ślokas, because "This is not for Me." That was Caitanya Mahāprabhu's humbleness. But the devotees know that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combination of Śrī Caitanya... Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu means Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa combined. In the beginning there is Kṛṣṇa, and then Kṛṣṇa divided into two, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And then again combined, that is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād
ekātmānāv api (bhuvi purā) deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau
caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptam...
[Cc. Ādi 1.5]

So the Gosvāmī's siddhānta, that Kṛṣṇa is one. There is no rivalry with Kṛṣṇa. God is one. Eka-brahma dvitīya nāsti. There cannot be many Gods. So when God, Kṛṣṇa, wants to enjoy His pleasure potency, that is Rādhārāṇī. So He manifests Himself, manifests His energy... His energy and He, there is no difference. Śakti-śaktimator abhedaḥ. The śāstra says śakti and the śaktimat—means one who possesses the śakti (śakti means power, potency)—they are equal. There is no difference. Just like the sun. Sun is the powerful, and the sunshine is the power. So there is heat in the sun and there is heat also in the sunshine. There is light in the sun and there is light in the sunshine also. Therefore qualitatively they are one so far heat and light is concerned. But the temperature of the sun and the temperature of the sunshine may be different. May be not. Actually there is difference. This is the basic principle of all philosophies. Acintya-bhedābheda. Acintya means inconceivable, bheda means different, and abheda means nondifferent. The whole situation... The one is there, God, but He has expanded Himself in different way. Eko bahu syām.

So that is described here. Kṛṣṇa-caitanya-saṁjñakam. Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He has expanded Himself as gurūn. The guru, the spiritual master, he's also Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ **. In all the śāstras, guru is accepted as Kṛṣṇa. Sākṣād-dharitvena. Sākṣād means directly. Just like you offer your devotion, respects, to guru. So that respect is offered to Kṛṣṇa. Guru also does not think himself that he is Kṛṣṇa, but he collects the devotional services of the disciples to offer to Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. We cannot approach Kṛṣṇa directly. We should approach through guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. That is the injunction of the śāstra, that one should approach the guru who can transfer the service from the disciple to the Supreme Person. So... Therefore the first offering is guru, vande gurūn. Then guru creates many devotees. Guru's business is to canvass on behalf of Supreme Lord. That is guru's business. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], so, "You give up all material, engage..." Sarva-dharmān means in the material world we have created so many so-called duties. This is our material disease. People are interested in material engagements and they have created different varieties of engagements. Sociology, communism, and this "ism," that "ism," philanthropism, altruism, internationalism, nationalism—many, many duties they have created. That is all material. Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy... (children crying) Stop that children. Out of His causeless mercy, He comes, He descends. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata [Bg. 4.7]. Glānir, this is glānir. Human life is meant for one thing, athāto brahma jijñāsā, to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth. But instead of doing that, they have created so many "isms." That is their misfortune.

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Gita Jayanta

2011-12-05T16:59:00.001-08:00

Bhagavad Gita

Chapter 18 Verse 76

O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Kåñëa and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.

PURPORT

The understanding of Bhagavad-gétä is so transcendental that anyone who becomes conversant with the topics of Arjuna and Kåñëa becomes righteous, and he cannot forget such talks. This is the transcendental position of spiritual life. In other words, one who hears the Gétä from the right source, directly from Kåñëa, attains full Kåñëa consciousness. The result of Kåñëa consciousness is that one becomes increasingly enlightened, and he enjoys life with a thrill, not only for some time, but at every moment.

Chapter 18 Verse 76

O King, when I remember the wonderful form of Lord Kåñëa, I am struck with even greater wonder, and I rejoice again and again.

PURPORT

It appears that Saïjaya also, by the grace of Vyäsa, could see the universal form of Kåñëa exhibited to Arjuna. It is, of course, said that Lord Kåñëa never exhibited such a form before. It was exhibited to Arjuna only, yet some great devotees could also see the universal form of Kåñëa when it was shown to Arjuna, and Vyäsa was one of them. He is one of the great devotees of the Lord, and he is considered to be a powerful incarnation of Kåñëa. Vyäsa disclosed this to his disciple, Saïjaya, who remembered that wonderful form of Kåñëa exhibited to Arjuna and enjoyed it repeatedly.

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Teachings of Lord Caitanya

2011-10-22T16:59:00.001-07:00

TLC 12-1975: The Devotee
Chapter Twelve

Sri Krishna

The Devotee

A person in Kåñëa consciousness who is fully devoted to the transcendental loving service of the Lord develops all the godly qualities of the demigods. There are many divine qualities, but Lord Caitanya describes only some of them to Sanätana Gosvämé. A devotee of the Lord is always kind to everyone, and he does not pick quarrels. His interest is in the essence of life, which is spiritual. He is equal to everyone, and no one can find fault in him. His magnanimous mind is always fresh and clean and devoid of material obsessions. He is a benefactor to all living entities and is peaceful and always surrendered to Kåñëa. He has no material desires. He is very humble and is fixed in his purpose. He is victorious over the six material qualities such as lust and anger, and he does not eat more than he needs. He is always sane and is respectful to others, but he does not require respect for himself. He is grave, merciful, friendly, poetic, expert and silent.

There is also a description of the devotee of the Lord in Çrémad-Bhägavatam (3.25.21) wherein he is said to be always tolerant and merciful. A friend to all living entities, he has no enemies. He is peaceful, and he possesses all good qualities. These are but a few of the characteristics of a person in Kåñëa consciousness.

It is also said in Çrémad-Bhägavatam that if one gets an opportunity to serve a great soul-a mahätmä-his path to liberation is open. However, those who are attached to materialistic persons are on the path of darkness. Those who are actually holy are transcendental, composed, peaceful, friendly to all living entities and not subject to anger. Simply by association with such holy men one can become a Kåñëa conscious devotee. Indeed, to develop love of Godhead, the association of holy devotees is needed. The path of advancement in spiritual life opens for anyone who comes in contact with a holy man, and by following the path of the devotee, one is sure to develop Kåñëa consciousness in full devotional service.

Intro To Srimad Bhagavatam

2011-07-28T17:52:00.001-07:00

Srila Prabhupada

Excerpts

Disparity in human society is due to lack of principles in a godless civilization. There is God, or the Almighty One, from whom everything emanates, by whom everything is maintained and in whom everything is merged to rest. Material science has tried to find the ultimate source of creation very insufficiently, but it is a fact that there is one ultimate source of everything that be. This ultimate source is explained rationally and authoritatively in the beautiful Bhāgavatam,or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the transcendental science not only for knowing the ultimate source of everything but also for knowing our relation with Him and our duty toward perfection of the human society on the basis of this perfect knowledge. It is powerful reading matter in the Sanskrit language, and it is now rendered into English elaborately so that simply by a careful reading one will know God perfectly well, so much so that the reader will be sufficiently educated to defend himself from the onslaught of atheists. Over and above this, the reader will be able to convert others to accepting God as a concrete principle.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins with the definition of the ultimate source. It is a bona fide commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra by the same author, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, and gradually it develops into nine cantos up to the highest state of God realization. The only qualification one needs to study this great book of transcendental knowledge is to proceed step by step cautiously and not jump forward haphazardly like with an ordinary book. It should be gone through chapter by chapter, one after another. The reading matter is so arranged with its original Sanskrit text, its English transliteration, synonyms, translation and purports so that one is sure to become a God-realized soul at the end of finishing the first nine cantos.

The Tenth Canto is distinct from the first nine cantos because it deals directly with the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One will be unable to capture the effects of the Tenth Canto without going through the first nine cantos. The book is complete in twelve cantos, each independent, but it is good for all to read them in small installments one after another.

I must admit my frailties in presenting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but still I am hopeful of its good reception by the thinkers and leaders of society on the strength of the following statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.11):

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo
yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api
nāmāny anantasya yaśo ’ṅkitāni yac
chṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

“On the other hand, that literature which is full with descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, form and pastimes of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a transcendental creation meant to bring about a revolution in the impious life of a misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though irregularly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.”

Oṁ tat sat
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Dated at Delhi
December 15, 1962

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Srila Prabhupada Discusses Gita

2011-05-13T16:16:00.001-07:00

The family relationship may be an impediment to spiritual advancement.

Currently the family is being atomized. This states that the children are living with less than their true biological parents. The government is the extension of the family. With the trend of same sex marriage and in vitro insemination this will escalate. It is easily seen that government is becoming a vehicle for privation and personal gain.

Such corruption does not create stability. It is a basis to use familial ties to divide the cultural support for collective security.

Atomization is more common in hedonistic western cultures while clan and tribal variations of the extended family exists in more traditional settings.

Osama Bin Laden had at least 5 wives and perhaps 11 children. The clash of culture that was focalized during the essentialist conflict between Reagan and Khomeini continues with the Obama – Gadhaffi conflict.

The fragmentation of our personal and social lives escalates as personal motivations displace more stable preferences.

Purport of Narottama das Thakura

2011-04-11T16:47:00.001-07:00

Srila Prabhupada in this lecture explains the concept of purity enabling a sadhaka to perceive Vrndavana within the heart.

The pleasing of Radha Krishna is also touched upon in this excellent class.

Prabhupada Morning Walk

2011-03-15T15:56:00.001-07:00

February 16, 1976 Mayapur

Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupäda: ...I am your friend, I am God, so you sleep, I shall do everything. In Russia like that. When Arjuna refused to fight He chastised him like anything. What is the anärya-juñöam? He's just like non-Aryans, talking foolish. People should clearly understand that we don't encourage laziness. We never encourage. According to your capacity, guëa-karma-vibhägaçaù [Bg. 4.13], you must work. Çaréra yäträpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaëaù, Kåñëa says, "By not working, even if you cannot put on your body and soul together." Kåñëa says like that.

Dayänanda: Isn't laziness one of the demonic qualities, Çréla Prabhupäda?

Prabhupäda: It is less than demonic. Demonic qualities, they have some activity and laziness is ignorance, darkness. Therefore too much sleeping is very, very bad. That is another part of laziness. Nidrähära-vihärakädi-vijitau **, one has to conquer over this sleeping and laziness. Eating, nidrä, ahära, vihära, sense gratification, vihära means sense gratification. One has to minimize these things up to the point of nil, that is perfect. When there is no more sleeping, no more eating, no more mating, and no more fearing, that is perfection of spiritual life. And that is not possible, but as much as possible. [break] ...they cannot sleep more that the culture (?) is very great gain, profit.

Hådayänanda: Consider a rich man. A rich man can sleep, a poor man must work.

Prabhupäda: Oh.

Hådayänanda: They're always making agitation to reduce what they call the work week. Formerly they were working so many hours per week, now they want to reduce it down to forty, thirty, twenty hours per week.

Prabhupäda: So why they're inventing machine? Machine means no work.

Hådayänanda: They think this is progress, everyone can lie down and the machines will work.

Prabhupäda: Yes, machine, inventing machine means one machine can work for fifty men. The banks are using this, what is that, computer?

Hådayänanda: Yes, everyone is using computers.

Prabhupäda: To save money. Machine means unemployment for many. Tractor, they're using, they're unemployment for bulls and plowmen and then they, bulls have to be killed. This is going on. Unemployment, then kill them. Vietnam, send all the men to fight and kill them. As soon as there is overpopulation, they declare war so that people may be killed.

Hådayänanda: Sometimes the soldiers became so disgusted that they would shoot their own officers.

Prabhupäda: Yes.

Hådayänanda: But they would do it in such a way so it appeared to be accidents. Sometimes they would take little bomb and throw it into the tent of the officers and they would all be killed.

Prabhupäda: What was the reason?

Hådayänanda: Well, because the officers, they were not qualified. They were simply foolish. They were directing them in such a way that they were all in danger.

Prabhupäda: Oh.

Hådayänanda: And they could not understand why they were there. It was a foreign... They were used to America and so they had to go to the jungle but they were, they could not see the point of fighting...

Prabhupäda: Mm. (indistinct)

Hådayänanda: So many times they would become so disgusted they would simply kill their own officers, shoot them or throw a bomb. Also in Vietnam, the majority of the soldiers were fighting intoxicated, marijuana and different drugs.

Dayänanda: Also I think people have no respect for authority any more.

Prabhupäda: No.

Dayänanda: There's... All over the world people are not respecting any kind of authorities.

Prabhupäda: No.

Dayänanda: There are so many false...

Prabhupäda: Especially the students. That means chaotic condition. [break] ...type of civilization, this material world.

Dayänanda: Tagore (?) is so nice that your divine grace was presenting the perfect authority, Kåñëa.

Prabhupäda: Yes. And one who follows His instruction, he also perfect. That we are pushing (indistinct) Kåñëa conscious, everything will be all right. Everyone is fallen, I asked this question to Kotofsky. "Sir, you have got a leader, we have got a leader, so where is the difference?" And then I said, "Only you have got a fool leader, we have got intelligent leader." Otherwise you cannot avoid leadership, authority. That is not possible.

Dayänanda: They want to avoid but they... Impersonalists are catering to that desire, they want to avoid authority and so the impersonalists are encouraging that. So they are rascals, the...

Prabhupäda: No, it is not possible to give up authority. That is not possible.

Hådayänanda: Your interview, those articles that you had spoken about, against Communism, are very, very brilliant. Actually we were struck with wonder to see the different arguments. Very, very important for South America because there the Communism is popular among the young students.

Prabhupäda: They read it?

Hådayänanda: Yes, we just published it in our magazine.

Prabhupäda: Oh. So they like that argument?

Hådayänanda: Yes, the argument was so intelligent that no one has ever thought of such intelligent arguments against Communism. Also the article on Freud, I think that book is very, very important. It will actually satisfy the students. No one else would dare to call these people fools. (laughter) (end)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is

2010-12-31T10:43:00.001-08:00

Chapter 15. The Yoga of the Supreme Person

TEXT 9

srotram caksuh sparsanam ca
rasanam ghranam eva ca
adhisthaya manas cayam
visayan upasevate

SYNONYMS

srotram--ears; caksuh--eyes; sparsanam--touch; ca--also;rasanam--tongue; ghranam--smelling power; eva--also; ca--and;adhisthaya--being situated; manah--mind; ca--also; ayam--this;visayan--sense objects; upasevate--enjoys.

TRANSLATION

The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.

PURPORT

In other words, if the living entity adulterates his consciousness with the qualities of cats and dogs, in his next life he gets a cat or dog body and enjoys. Consciousness is originally pure, like water. But if we mix water with a certain color, it changes. Similarly, consciousness is pure, for the spirit soul is pure. But consciousness is changed according to the association of the material qualities. Real consciousness is Krsna consciousness. When, therefore, one is situated in Krsna consciousness, he is in his pure life. But if his consciousness is adulterated by some type of material mentality, in the next life he gets a corresponding body. He does not necessarily get a human body again; he can get the body of a cat, dog, hog, demigod or one of many other forms, for there are 8,400,000 species.

Sri Isopanisad

2010-12-14T15:16:00.001-08:00

Mantra 4

TRANSLATION

Although fixed in His abode, the Personality of Godhead is swifter than the mind and can overcome all others running. The powerful demigods cannot approach Him. Although in one place, He controls those who supply the air and rain. He surpasses all in excellence.

PURPORT

Through mental speculation, even the greatest philosopher cannot know the Supreme Lord, who is the Absolute Personality of Godhead. He can be known only by His devotees through His mercy. In the Brahma-saàhitä (5.34) it is stated that even if a nondevotee philosopher travels through space at the speed of the wind or the mind for hundreds of millions of years, he will still find that the Absolute Truth is far, far away from him. The Brahma-saàhitä (5.37) further describes that the Absolute Personality of Godhead has His transcendental abode, known as Goloka, where He remains and engages in His pastimes, yet by His inconceivable potencies He can simultaneously reach every part of His creative energy. In the Viñëu Puräëa His potencies are compared to the heat and light that emanate from a fire. Although situated in one place, a fire can distribute its light and heat for some distance; similarly, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, although fixed in His transcendental abode, can diffuse His different energies everywhere.

Although His energies are innumerable, they can be divided into three principal categories: the internal potency, the marginal potency and the external potency. There are hundreds and millions of subheadings to each of these categories. The dominating demigods who are empowered to control and administer such natural phenomena as air, light and rain are all classified within the marginal potency of the Absolute Person. Lesser living beings, including humans, also belong to the Lord's marginal potency. The material world is the creation of the Lord's external potency. And the spiritual sky, where the kingdom of God is situated, is the manifestation of His internal potency.

Thus the different energies of the Lord are present everywhere. Although the Lord and His energies are nondifferent, one should not mistake these energies for the Supreme Truth. Nor should one wrongly consider that the Supreme Lord is distributed everywhere impersonally or that He loses His personal existence. Men are accustomed to reach conclusions according to their capacity for understanding, but the Supreme Lord is not subject to our limited capacity for understanding. It is for this reason that the Upanisads warn us that no one can approach the Lord by his own limited potency.

In the Bhagavad-gita (10.2) the Lord says that not even the great rsis and suras can know Him. And what to speak of the asuras, for whom there is no question of understanding the ways of the Lord? This fourth mantra of Sri Isopanisad very clearly suggests that the Absolute Truth is ultimately the Absolute Person; otherwise there would have been no need to mention so many details in support of His personal features.

Although the individual parts and parcels of the Lord's potencies have all the symptoms of the Lord Himself, they have limited spheres of activity and are therefore all limited. The parts and parcels are never equal to the whole; therefore they cannot appreciate the Lord's full potency. Under the influence of material nature, foolish and ignorant living beings who are but parts and parcels of the Lord try to conjecture about the Lord's transcendental position. Sri Isopanisad warns of the futility of trying to establish the identity of the Lord through mental speculation. One should try to learn of the Transcendence from the Lord Himself, the supreme source of the Vedas, for the Lord alone has full knowledge of the Transcendence.

Every part and parcel of the Complete Whole is endowed with some particular energy to act according to the Lord's will. When the part-and-parcel living entity forgets his particular activities under the Lord's will, he is considered to be in maya, illusion. Thus from the very beginning Sri Isopanisad warns us to be very careful to play the part designated for us by the Lord. This does not mean that the individual soul has no initiative of his own. Because he is part and parcel of the Lord, he must partake of the initiative of the Lord as well. When a person properly utilizes his initiative, or active nature, with intelligence, understanding that everything is the Lord's potency, he can revive his original consciousness, which was lost due to association with maya, the external energy.

All power is obtained from the Lord; therefore each particular power must be utilized to execute the will of the Lord and not otherwise. The Lord can be known by one who has adopted such a submissive service attitude. Perfect knowledge means knowing the Lord in all His features, knowing His potencies and knowing how these potencies work by His will. These matters are described by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita, the essence of all the Upanisads.

Transcendental Book Distribution…

2010-11-01T11:54:00.001-07:00

Aindra Prabhu's text Transcendental Book Distribution is available online in pdf:

http://prasadam.co.uk/files/aindra.pdf

Aindra’s Last Darshan

New Vrindaban Remembers Hladini devi dasi

2010-10-02T16:34:00.001-07:00

By New Vrindaban Communications

Sunday, October 3, is the anniversary of the day on which Hladini devi dasi was brutally gunned down by an extra-judicial firing squad in war-torn Liberia in western Africa. The death squad arrived at the Hare Krishna temple in the capital city of Monrovia in the early morning hours, and ordered the devotees to come out. Seven devotees, five men and two women, exited the temple and filed into the waiting jeep. They were driven a short distance to the Sturton Bridge, where the devotees were forced out at gunpoint and herded onto the sand next to the river. The leader announced that only the men would be killed. Thus Hladini, a woman, knew she would not be killed.

As the leader raised his weapon to fire the first execution volley, Hladini leapt forward and attacked him with her bare hands. She shouted, “How dare you kill the devotees of Krishna? Better you kill me than kill them!” Hladini was the first to be shot.

Hladini was born on January 16, 1949. Her parents gave her the name Linda Jury. Later, she received the name Hladini from her beloved Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

Hladini grew up in a suburb of Detroit with her older brother and sister. She had many friends and lots of pets, including a dog named Pepperdoodle and a frog named Herbie. She spent her summers at the family’s vacation cottage. Hladini had a happy childhood.

In 1969, Hladini married Mike Ryon. Like many young people, Hladini and her husband were searching for the truth and a sense of fulfillment. Mike read different books about Zen, Taoism, and other eastern religions to find answers to their many questions. After Mike read a book entitled “The Wisdom of God” by Prabhupada, heard the devotees chanting the Hara Krishna maha-mantra, and tasted the free vegetarian food they served, he was convinced that he belonged with the devotees.

Mike and Hladini moved into the Detroit temple. At first, Hladini joined the Hare Krishna temple simply because it was what her husband had wanted. Soon, however, Hladini became convinced that the temple was the right place for her. In March 1970, she wrote to Prabhupada and asked for spiritual initiation. Prabhupada replied immediately by letter, in which he gave her the name Hladini.

In 1972, Hladini and Mike moved to New Vrindaban. Later that year, Mike left New Vrindaban permanently, while Hladini chose to stay. New Vrindaban was her home. Soon, Hladini became one of the most popular devotees in New Vrindaban.

“I moved to New Vrindaban from Zambia [in southern Africa] in 1986 with my husband and four children,” said Manasa Ganga devi dasi. “Hladini blew my mind. I had never before met anyone who was so blissful. She always had a beautiful smile on her face and she was kind and gentle with everyone, especially the children. Hladini loved the children and encouraged them.” For eighteen years, Hladini lived and served in New Vrindaban.

In December 1990, Hladini made the painful decision to leave the place that was so dear to her, and traveled to west Africa. The devotees there so much appreciated Hladini’s service and inspiration that she was given the honor of being the regional secretary. In this capacity, Hladini traveled from center to center, teaching and assisting the devotees in every possible way.

By the time Hladini reached Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, the country was entrenched in a fratricidal civil conflict. The warlords of the seven rivaling parties were fighting for power, while there was wide-spread starvation amongst the people. Seeing the suffering of the people, the devotees of the Hare Krishna temple in Monrovia approached the warlords and arranged to start a Food for Life program.

The warlord who controlled Monrovia, Prince Johnson, agreed to the proposal and the devotees began the free food distribution program. Prince Johnson visited the temple more than once and accepted a Bhagavad-Gita As It Is from the devotees.

As the war intensified, the US government ordered all US citizens to evacuate the country. Hladini had to decide whether to stay in Monrovia or return to safety in Nigeria. True to her nature, Hladini’s compassion and mercy for others outweighed any concern she had for her own safety. She opted to stay. Hladini was the only senior devotee in Monrovia, and her presence gave solace to the native African devotees who could not leave.

On June 14, 1990, Hladini wrote in a letter to Radhanath Swami, a friend from New Vrindaban:

[T]here is never a dull moment. Now I’m stranded in Liberia in the middle of a war to overthrow the government. The airport has been seized and they asked all Americans and foreigners to leave the country immediately. American marines sent 6 battleships and 2000 marines to evacuate the citizens. I’m just going to assist the devotees through the hard times. There’s scarcity of food as all the roads are blocked and no supplies can come in. 150,000 people fled the country in the last few weeks. Every day at least 10 people get beheaded and the rebels are still 35 miles from the city . . .

Prince Johnson was killing all suspected friends and soldiers of the former president. Johnson was also known for killing his own men at a faster rate than the enemy. The warlord’s reputation for insane murder bothered some of the devotees, who therefore wrote a letter to him saying that he should stop killing people.

Johnson, who would not tolerate the slightest criticism of his actions, was angered by the letter. A well-wisher passed a message to the devotees that Johnson was likely to get rid of them. At that time, it was too late to leave the temple and take shelter elsewhere, as many of the buildings in the area were either destroyed or being controlled by Johnson’s troops. The devotees stayed at the temple and left their fate in the hands of Lord Krishna.

The death squad arrived in the early morning hours. Johnson and his men carried away by jeep the seven devotees who had been captured.

Two devotees managed to escape through the back door and climb up trees to take cover. Suddenly, those two devotees heard gun shots from the direction of the bridge. They saw that the captured devotees were being shot by Johnson’s men. At daybreak, they came down from the tree. Instead of going to the temple, they walked to the river where they saw Hladini’s sari floating on the water. Hladini, along with the five male devotees, had become a martyr of the Liberian War. Hladini was the first one shot.

“When we heard in New Vrindaban that there had been a coup in Liberia and Hladini was trapped, the whole community came together at the Palace of Gold and prayed,” remembers Manasa Ganga. “When we heard Haldini had been killed, it was a huge shock. We held a memorial service and everyone came because she was one of the most loved devotees in the community. She always had a smile on her face and she was always ready to help out.

“Nothing was ever a bother,” said Manasa Ganga with a sad smile. “For Hladini, taking care of others was always a pleasure. That’s what she gave her life for – taking care of others.”

New Vrindaban Community is located south of Moundsville – Wheeling, off Route 250. For more information, contact (304) 843-1600 or visit

www.NewVrindaban.com.

http://www.dandavats.com/?p=8886

Radha Krishna

2010-07-11T09:25:00.001-07:00

Radha Krishna

Excerpts

Chapter 14: The Ecstasy of the Lord and His Devotees
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Even the transcendental relationship experienced by a devotee of Näräyaëa in Vaikuëöha is incomplete in that it is not realization of a relationship with Kåñëa in Goloka Våndävana. The devotees of Kåñëa do not relish devotional service to Näräyaëa because devotional service to Kåñëa is so attractive that Kåñëa's devotees do not desire to worship any other form. Thus the gopés of Våndävana do not like to see Kåñëa as the husband of Rukmiëé, nor do they address Him as Rukmiëéramaëa. In Våndävana Kåñëa is addressed as Rädhäkrñëa, or Kåñëa, the property of Rädhäräëé. Although the husband of Rukmiëé and Rädhä's Kåñëa are on the same level in the ordinary sense, still, in the spiritual world, the names indicate different understandings of various aspects of Kåñëa's transcendental personality. If one equalizes Rukmiëéramaëa, Rädhäramaëa, Näräyaëa or any other name of the Supreme Lord, he commits the fault of overlapping tastes, which is technically called rasäbhäsa. Those who are expert devotees do not accept such amalgamations which are against the conclusions of pure devotional service.

Although Çré Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, embodies all superexcellence and beauty, when He is amongst the damsels of Vraja, He is known as Gopéjanavallabha. The devotees cannot relish the beauty of the Supreme Lord more than the damsels of Vraja. In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.33.7) it is confirmed that although Kåñëa, the son of Devaké, is the last word in superexcellence and beauty, when He is amongst the gopés it appears that He is a sublime jewel set amongst divine golden craftsmanship. Although Lord Caitanya accepted this as the highest realization of the Supreme Lord as conjugal lover, He nonetheless requested Rämänanda Räya to proceed further.

Upon hearing this request, Rämänanda Räya remarked that this was the first time that he had been asked to go further than the gopés in an attempt to understand Kåñëa. There is certainly transcendental intimacy between the damsels of Vraja and Kåñëa, Rämänanda pointed out, but out of all the relationships, the relationship between Rädhäräëé and Kåñëa in conjugal love is the most perfect. No common man can understand the ecstasy of transcendental love between Rädhäräëé and Kåñëa, nor can he understand the transcendental flavor of the transcendental love between Kåñëa and the gopés. Yet if one tries to follow in the footsteps of the gopés, he may become situated in the highest stage of transcendental love. Thus one who wants to be elevated to the transcendental stage of perfection should follow in the footsteps of the damsels of Vraja as an assistant maidservant of the gopés.

Lord Caitanya exhibited the mode of Çrématé Rädhäräëé when She was contacted from Dvärakä by Çré Kåñëa. Such transcendental love is not possible for any common man; therefore one should not imitate the highest perfectional stage exhibited by Caitanya Mahäprabhu. If, however, one desires to be in that association, he may follow in the footsteps of the gopés. In the Padma Puräëa it is stated that just as Rädhäräëé is dear to Kåñëa, similarly the kuëòa known as Rädhäkuëòa is also very dear to Him. Rädhäräëé is the only gopé who is dearer to Kåñëa than all the other gopés. In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.30.28) it is also stated that Rädhäräëé and the gopés render the highest perfectional loving service to the Lord and that the Lord is so pleased with them that He does not wish to leave the company of Çrématé Rädhäräëé.

Spiritual sex is of two kinds: one in accordance with the constitutional position of the self and the other in accordance with the object. When one understands the truth about this life but is not completely cleansed of material contamination, he is not factually situated in the transcendental abode, Våndävana, although he may understand spiritual life. When, however, one becomes free from the sex urges of the material body, he can actually attain the supreme abode of Våndävana. When one is so situated, he can utter the käma-gäyatré and käma-béja mantra.

In His spiritual form, Kåñëa enjoys His spiritual energy, and that is the sum and substance of the Rädhä-Kåñëa pastimes. These pastimes can only be understood by elevated devotees. One should not try to understand the Rädhä-Kåñëa potencies and pastimes from the mundane platform. Generally people misunderstand these as being material.

When the pleasure potency is further condensed, it is called mahäbhäva. Çrématé Rädhäräëé, the eternal consort of Kåñëa, is the personification of that mahäbhäva. In this regard, in Ujjvala-nélamaëi (4.3) Rüpa Gosvämé states that there are two competitors in love with Kåñëa, Rädhäräëé and Candrävalé. When they are compared, it appears that Rädhäräëé is superior, for She possesses mahäbhäva-svarüpa. Mahäbhäva-svarüpa, the personification of mahäbhäva, is applicable to Rädhäräëé only. Mahäbhäva is full of the pleasure potency, and it is an exhibition of the highest love for Kåñëa. Rädhäräëé is therefore known throughout the world as the most beloved of Kåñëa, and Her name is always associated with Kåñëa as Rädhä-Kåñëa.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is

2010-05-29T11:06:00.001-07:00

Chapter 11

TEXTS 26-27
TEXT

amé ca tväà dhåtaräñörasya puträù
sarve sahaivävani-päla-saìghaiù
bhéñmo droëaù süta-putras tathäsau
sahäsmadéyair api yodha-mukhyaiù
vakträëi te tvaramäëä viçanti
daàñörä-karäläni bhayänakäni
kecid vilagnä daçanäntareñu
sandåçyante cürëitair uttamäìgaiù

SYNONYMS

amé—all those; ca—also; tväm—You; dhåtaräñöasya—of Dhåtaräñöra; puträù—sons; sarva—all; saha eva—along with; avanipäla—warrior kings; saìghaiù—with the groups; bhéñmaù—Bhéñmadeva; droëaù—Droëäcärya; süta-putraù—Karëa; tathä—also; asau—that; saha—with; asmadéyaiù—our; api—also; yodha-mukhyaiù—chief among the warriors; vakträëi—mouths; te—Your; tvaramäëäù—fearful; viçanti—entering; daàñörä—teeth; karäläni—terrible; bhayänakäni—very fearful; kecit—some of them; vilagnäù—being attacked; daçanäntareñu—between the teeth; sandåçyante—being seen; cürëitaiù—smashed; uttama-aìgaiù—by the head.

TRANSLATION

All the sons of Dhåtaräñöra along with their allied kings, and Bhéñma, Droëa and Karëa, and all our soldiers are rushing into Your mouths, their heads smashed by Your fearful teeth. I see that some are being crushed between Your teeth as well.

PURPORT

In a previous verse the Lord promised to show Arjuna things he would by very interested in seeing. Now Arjuna sees that the leaders of the opposite party (Bhéñma, Droëa, Karëa and all the sons of Dhåtaräñöra) and their soldiers and Arjuna's own soldiers are all being annihilated. This is an indication that Arjuna will emerge victorious in battle, despite heavy losses on both sides. It is also mentioned here that Bhéñma, who is supposed to be unconquerable, will also be smashed. So also Karëa. Not only will the great warriors of the other party like Bhéñma be smashed, but some of the great warriors of Arjuna's side also.

Obama Responsible: Poison in the Well…

2010-05-06T14:55:00.001-07:00

Currently there is discourse over the accountability of President Barack Obama in the Gulf Oil Spill. Some observers have postulated this event as Obama’s Katrina in reference to the slow response of then President Bush in the same area.

I was in Ehrenberg AZ – Blythe California along the Colorado River on April 20, 2010.

THIS RIVER HAS BEEN CHEMICALLY DESPOILED SINCE AT LEAST NOVEMBER OF 2009.

Several bodies of water as the Owens River and Lake Mono must be despoiled around me as move the Mt.Shasta area for the summer.

The Gulf Oil Spill has to be taken into the context of real concrete circumstances.

The right to drill was awarded by the federal government. Therefore the government ultimately is liable for direct and the negative externality in regulation of the drilling and safety practices of BP.

It is too hasty to determine the exact ratio of liability.

Ignorance is not a credible defense for Obama or BP. The politically duplicity of many opinions is not equal protection.

Those competent authorities whether public or private need to be held accountable for performance or ommisive behavior.

The behavior of the president in real world scenarios is impacting both corporate and faith based leadership in the United States and the international environment. A state of entropy has occurred where the leaders of this systems are incapable or organizing resources to maintain homeostasis or equilibrium.

QUESTION PRESIDENT OBAMA AS TO HIS LIABILITY IN THIS SPILL.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/president-obama-makes-statement-economy-and-oil-spill

Bhagavad Gita As It Is

2010-04-30T16:08:00.001-07:00

TEXT 8
na tu mäà çakyase drañöum
anenaiva sva-cakñuñä
divyaà dadämi te cakñuù
paçya me yogam aiçvaram

na—never; tu—but; mäm—Me; çakyase—able; drañöum—to see; anena—by this; eva—certainly; sva-cakñuñä—with your own eyes; divyam—divine; dadämi—I give; te—you; cakñuù—eyes; paçya—see; me—My; yogam aiçvaram—inconceivable mystic power.

TRANSLATION

But you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give to you divine eyes by which you can behold My mystic opulence.

PURPORT

A pure devotee does not like to see Kåñëa in any form except His form with two hands; a devotee must see His universal form by His grace, not with the mind but with spiritual eyes. To see the universal form of Kåñëa, Arjuna is told not to change his mind but his vision. The universal form of Kåñëa is not very important; that will be clear in the verses. Yet because Arjuna wanted to see it, the Lord gives him the particular vision required to see that universal form.

Devotees who are correctly situated in a transcendental relationship with Kåñëa are attracted by loving features, not by a godless display of opulences. The playmates of Kåñëa, the friends of Kåñëa and the parents of Kåñëa never want Kåñëa to show His opulences. They are so immersed in pure love that they do not even know that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In their loving exchange they forget that Kåñëa is the Supreme Lord. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam it is stated that the boys who play with Kåñëa are all highly pious souls, and after many, many births they are able to play with Kåñëa. Such boys do not know that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They take Him as a personal friend. The Supreme Person is considered as the impersonal Brahman by great sages, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the devotees, and as a product of this material nature by ordinary men. The fact is that the devotee is not concerned to see the viçva-rüpa, the universal form, but Arjuna wanted to see it to substantiate Kåñëa’s statement so that in the future people could understand that Kåñëa not only theoretically or philosophically presented Himself as the Supreme but actually presented Himself as such to Arjuna. Arjuna must confirm this because Arjuna is the beginning of the paramparä system. Those who are actually interested to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, and who follow in the footsteps of Arjuna should understand that Kåñëa not only theoretically presented Himself as the Supreme, but actually revealed Himself as the Supreme.

The Lord gave Arjuna the necessary power to see His universal form because He knew that Arjuna did not particularly want to see it, as we have already explained.

Caitanya Caritamrta

2010-03-18T13:43:00.001-07:00

Adi Lila

Chapter 1.2

TEXT 101

TEXT

cic-chakti, svarupa-sakti, antaranga nama
tahara vaibhava ananta vaikunthadi dhama

SYNONYMS

cit-sakti--spiritual energy; svarupa-sakti--personal energy; antah-anga--
internal; nama--named; tahara--of that; vaibhava--manifestations; ananta--
unlimited; vaikuntha-adi--Vaikuntha, etc.; dhama--abodes.

TRANSLATION

"The cit-sakti, which is also called svarupa-sakti or antaranga sakti, displays many varied manifestations. It sustains the kingdom of God and its paraphernalia.

TEXT 102

TEXT

maya-sakti, bahiranga, jagat-karana
tahara vaibhava ananta brahmandera gana

SYNONYMS

maya-sakti--the illusory energy; bahih-anga--external; jagat-karana--the
cause of the universe; tahara--of that; vaibhava--manifestations; ananta--
unlimited; brahma-andera--of universes; gana--multitudes.

TRANSLATION

"The external energy, called maya-sakti, is the cause of innumerable universes with varied material potencies.

TEXT 103

TEXT

jiva-sakti tatasthakhya, nahi yara anta
mukhya tina sakti, tara vibheda ananta

SYNONYMS

jiva-sakti--the energy of the living entity; tata-stha-akhya—known as marginal; nahi--there is not; yara--of which; anta--end; mukhya--principal;tina--three; sakti--energies; tara--of them; vibheda--varieties; ananta--unlimited.

TRANSLATION

"The marginal potency, which is between these two, consists of the numberless living beings. These are the three principal energies, which have unlimited categories and subdivisions.

PURPORT

The internal potency of the Lord, which is called cit-sakti or antarangasakti, exhibits variegatedness in the transcendental Vaikuntha cosmos. Besides ourselves, there are unlimited numbers of liberated living beings who associate with the Personality of Godhead in His innumerable features. The material cosmos displays the external energy, in which the conditioned living beings are provided all liberty to go back to the Personality of Godhead after leaving the material tabernacle. The Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.8) informs us:

na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate
na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate
parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate
svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca

"The Supreme Lord is one without a second. He has nothing to do personally, nor does He have material senses. No one is equal to Him or greater than Him. He has unlimited, variegated potencies of different names, which exist within Him as autonomous attributes and provide Him full knowledge, power and pastimes."

Caitanya Caritamrta Chapter Five

2010-02-13T12:43:00.001-08:00

TEXT 10

TEXT
srsty-adika seva,----tanra ajnara palana
'sesa'-rupe kare krsnera vividha sevana

SYNONYMS

srsti-adika seva--service in the matter of creation; tanra--His; ajnara—of the order; palana--execution; sesa-rupe--the form of Lord Sesa; kare--does;krsnera--of Lord Krsna; vividha sevana--varieties of service.

TRANSLATION

He executes the orders of Lord Krsna in the work of creation, and in the form of Lord Sesa He serves Krsna in various ways.

PURPORT

According to expert opinion, Balarama, as the chief of the original quadruple forms, is also the original Sankarsana. Balarama, the first expansion of Krsna, expands Himself in five forms: (1) Maha-sankarsana, (2) Karanabdhisayi, (3) Garbhodakasayi, (4) Ksirodakasayi, and (5) Sesa. These five plenary portions are responsible for both the spiritual and material cosmic manifestations. In these five forms Lord Balarama assists Lord Krsna in His activities. The first four of these forms are responsible for the cosmic manifestations, whereas Sesa is
responsible for personal service to the Lord. Sesa is called Ananta, or unlimited, because He assists the Personality of Godhead in His unlimited expansions by performing an unlimited variety of services. Sri Balarama is the servitor Godhead who serves Lord Krsna in all affairs of existence and knowledge. Lord Nityananda Prabhu, who is the same servitor Godhead, Balarama,
performs the same service to Lord Gauranga by constant association.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is

2009-12-01T15:40:00.001-08:00

Chapter 7

Text 8

raso ’ham apsu kaunteya
prabhäsmi çaçi-süryayoù
praëavaù sarva-vedeñu
çabdaù khe pauruñaà nåñu

rasaù—taste; aham—I; apsu—in water; kaunteya—O son of Kunté; prabhä asmi—I am the light; çaçi-süryayoù—in the sun and the moon; praëavaù—the three letters A.U.M.; sarva—in all; vedeñu—in the Vedas; çabdaù—sound vibration; khe—in the ether; pauruñam—ability; nåñu—in man.

TRANSLATION

O son of Kunté [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.

PURPORT

This verse explains how the Lord is all-pervasive by His diverse material and spiritual energies. The Supreme Lord can be preliminarily perceived by His different energies, and in this way He is realized impersonally. As the demigod in the sun is a person and is perceived by his all-pervading energy, the sunshine, similarly, the Lord, although in His eternal abode, is perceived by His all-pervading, diffusive energies. The taste of water is the active principle of water. No one likes to drink sea water because the pure taste of water is mixed with salt. Attraction for water depends on the purity of the taste, and this pure taste is one of the energies of the Lord. The impersonalist perceives the presence of the Lord in water by its taste, and the personalist also glorifies the Lord for His kindly supplying water to quench man’s thirst. That is the way of perceiving the Supreme. Practically speaking, there is no conflict between personalism and impersonalism. One who knows God knows that the impersonal conception and personal conception are simultaneously present in everything and that there is no contradiction. Therefore Lord Caitanya established His sublime doctrine: acintya-bheda and abheda-tattvam—simultaneously one and different.

The light of the sun and the moon is also originally emanating from the brahmajyoti, which is the impersonal effulgence of the Lord. Similarly praëava or the omkära transcendental sound used in the beginning of every Vedic hymn to address the Supreme Lord also emanates from Him. Because the impersonalists are very much afraid of addressing the Supreme Lord Kåñëa by His innumerable names, they prefer to vibrate the transcendental sound omkära. But they do not realize that omkära is the sound representation of Kåñëa. The jurisdiction of Kåñëa consciousness extends everywhere, and one who knows Kåñëa consciousness is blessed. Those who do not know Kåñëa are in illusion, and so knowledge of Kåñëa is liberation, and ignorance of Him is bondage.

Caitanya Caritamrta – Chapter 5

2009-11-09T14:21:00.001-08:00

Chapter 5
The Glories of Lord Nityananda Balarama

This chapter is chiefly devoted to describing the essential nature and glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Lord Sri Krsna is the absolute Personality of Godhead, and His first expansion in a form for pastimes is Sri Balarama. Beyond the limitation of this material world is the spiritual sky, paravyoma, which has many spiritual planets, the supreme of which is called Krsnaloka.
Krsnaloka, the abode of Krsna, has three divisions, which are known as Dvaraka, Mathura and Gokula. In that abode the Personality of Godhead expands Himself into four plenary portions--Krsna, Balarama, Pradyumna (the transcendental
Cupid) and Aniruddha. They are known as the original quadruple forms. In Krsnaloka is a transcendental place known as Svetadvipa or Vrndavana. Below Krsnaloka in the spiritual sky are the Vaikuntha planets. On each Vaikuntha planet a four-handed Narayana, expanded from the first quadruple
manifestation, is present. The Personality of Godhead known as Sri Balarama in Krsnaloka is the original Sankarsana (attracting Deity), and from this Sankarsana expands another Sankarsana, called Maha-sankarsana, who resides in one of the Vaikuntha planets. By His internal potency, Maha-sankarsana maintains
the transcendental existence of all the planets in the spiritual sky, where all the living beings are eternally liberated souls. The influence of the material energy is conspicuous there by its absence. On those planets the second quadruple manifestation is present.

Outside of the Vaikuntha planets is the impersonal manifestation of Sri Krsna, which is known as the Brahmaloka. On the other side of the Brahmaloka is the spiritual karana-samudra, or Causal Ocean. The material energy exists on the other side of the Causal Ocean, without touching it. In the Causal Ocean is Maha-Visnu, the original purusa expansion from Sankarsana. This Maha-Visnu
places His glance over the material energy, and by a reflection of His transcendental body He amalgamates Himself within the material elements. As the source of the material elements, the material energy is known as pradhana, and as the source of the manifestations of the material energy it is known as maya. But material nature is inert in that she has no independent power
to do anything. She is empowered to make the cosmic manifestation by the glance of Maha-Visnu. Therefore the material energy is not the original cause of the
material manifestation. Rather, the transcendental glance of Maha-Visnu over material nature produces that cosmic manifestation.

Maha-Visnu again enters every universe as the reservoir of all living entities, Garbhodakasayi Visnu. From Garbhodakasayi Visnu expands Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the Supersoul of every living entity. Garbhodakasayi Visnu also has His own Vaikuntha planet in every universe, where He lives as the Supersoul or supreme controller of the universe. Garbhodakasayi Visnu reclines in the midst of the watery portion of the universe and generates the first living creature of the universe, Brahma. The imaginary universal form is a partial manifestation of Garbhodakasayi Visnu.

In the Vaikuntha planet in every universe is an ocean of milk, and within that ocean is an island called Svetadvipa, where Lord Visnu lives. Therefore this chapter describes two Svetadvipas--one in the abode of Krsna and the other in the ocean of milk in every universe. The Svetadvipa in the abode of Krsna is
identical with Vrndavana-dhama, which is the place where Krsna appears Himself to display His loving pastimes. In the Svetadvipa within every universe is a Sesa form of Godhead who serves Visnu by assuming the form of His umbrella, slippers, couch, pillows, garments, residence, sacred thread, throne and so on.
Lord Baladeva in Krsnaloka is Nityananda Prabhu. Therefore Nityananda Prabhu is the original Sankarsana, and Maha-sankarsana and His expansions as the purusas in the universes are plenary expansions of Nityananda Prabhu. In this chapter the author has described the history of his leaving home for
a personal pilgrimage to Vrndavana and his achieving all success there. In this description it is revealed that the author's original paternal home and birthplace were in the district of Katwa, in the village of Jhamatapura, which is near Naihati. Krsnadasa Kaviraja's brother invited Sri Minaketana Ramadasa, a
great devotee of Lord Nityananda, to his home, but a priest named Gunarnava Misra did not receive him well, and Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami's brother, not recognizing the glories of Lord Nityananda, also took sides with the priest. Therefore Ramadasa became sorry, broke his flute and went away. This was a great
disaster for the brother of Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. But on that very night Lord Nityananda Prabhu Himself graced Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami in a dream and
ordered him to leave on the next day for Vrndavana.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Text 8

2009-09-30T16:33:00.001-07:00

Transcendental Knowledge

pariträëäya sädhünäà
vinäçäya ca duñkåtäm
dharma-saàsthäpanärthäya
sambhavämi yuge yuge
pariträëäya—for the deliverance; sädhünäm—of the devotees; vinäçäya—for the annihilation; ca—also; duñkåtäm—of the miscreants; dharma—principles of religion; saàsthäpana-arthäya—to reestablish; sambhavämi—I do appear; yuge—millennium; yuge—after millennium.

TRANSLATION

In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.

PURPORT

According to Bhagavad-gétä, a sädhu (holyman) is a man in Kåñëa consciousness. A person may appear to be irreligious, but if he has the qualifications of Kåñëa consciousness wholly and fully, he is to be understood to be a sädhu. And duñkåtam applies to one who doesn't care for Kåñëa consciousness. Such miscreants, or duñkåtam, are described as foolish and the lowest of mankind, even though they may be decorated with mundane education; whereas another person, who is one hundred percent engaged in Kåñëa consciousness, is accepted as sädhu, even though such a person may neither be learned nor well cultured. As far as the atheistic are concerned, it is not necessary for the Supreme Lord to appear as He is to destroy them, as He did with the demons Rävaëa and Kaàsa. The Lord has many agents who are quite competent to vanquish demons. But the Lord especially descends to appease His unalloyed devotees, who are always harassed by the demonic. The demon harasses the devotee, even though the latter may happen to be his kin. Although Prahläda Mahäräja was the son of Hiraëyakaçipu, he was nonetheless persecuted by his father; although Devaké, the mother of Kåñëa, was the sister of Kaàsa, she and her husband Vasudeva were persecuted only because Kåñëa was to be born of them. So Lord Kåñëa appeared primarily to deliver Devaké, rather than kill Kaàsa, but both were performed simultaneously. Therefore it is said here that to deliver the devotee and vanquish the demon miscreants, the Lord appears in different incarnations.

In the Caitanya-caritämåta of Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja, the following verses summarize these principles of incarnation:

såñöi-hetu yei mürti prapaïce avatare
sei éçvara-mürti ‘avatära’ näma dhare
mäyätita paravyome savära avasthäna
viçve ‘avatäri’ dhare ‘avatära’ näma.

"The avatära, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or avatära. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatära."

There are various kinds of avatäras, such as puruñävatäras, guëävatäras, lélävatäras, çaktyäveça avatäras, manvantara-avatäras and yugävatäras—all appearing on schedule all over the universe. But Lord Kåñëa is the primeval Lord, the fountainhead of all avatäras. Lord Çré Kåñëa descends for the specific purposes of mitigating the anxieties of the pure devotees, who are very anxious to see Him in His original Våndävana pastimes. Therefore, the prime purpose of the Kåñëa avatära is to satisfy His unalloyed devotees.

The Lord says that He incarnates Himself in every millennium. This indicates that He incarnates also in the age of Kali. As stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, the incarnation in the age of Kali is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who spread the worship of Kåñëa by the saìkértana movement (congregational chanting of the holy names), and spread Kåñëa consciousness throughout India. He predicted that this culture of saìkértana would be broadcast all over the world, from town to town and village to village. Lord Caitanya as the incarnation of Kåñëa, the Personality of Godhead, is described secretly but not directly in the confidential parts of the revealed scriptures, such as the Upaniñads, Mahäbhärata, Bhägavatam, etc. The devotees of Lord Kåñëa are much attracted by the saìkértana movement of Lord Caitanya. This avatära of the Lord does not kill the miscreants, but delivers them by the causeless mercy of the Lord.

Bhagavad Gita Ch. 3 Text 1

2009-08-23T17:40:00.001-07:00

arjuna uvaca
jyayasi cet karmanas te
mata buddhir janardana
tat kim karmani ghore mam
niyojayasi kesava

arjunah—Arjuna; uvaca—said; jyayasi—speaking very highly; cet—although; karmanah—than fruitive action; te—your; mata—opinion; buddhih—intelligence; janardana—O Krsna; tat—therefore; kim—why; karmani—in action; ghore—ghastly; mam—me; niyojayasi—engaging me; kesava—O Krsna.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna said: O Janardana, O Kesava, why do You urge me to engage in this ghastly warfare, if You think that intelligence is better than fruitive work?

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna has very elaborately described the constitution of the soul in the previous chapter, with a view to deliver His intimate friend Arjuna from the ocean of material grief. And the path of realization has been recommended: buddhi-yoga, or Krsna consciousness. Sometimes Krsna consciousness is misunderstood to be inertia, and one with such a misunderstanding often withdraws to a secluded place to become fully Krsna conscious by chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna. But without being trained in the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, it is not advisable to chant the holy name of Krsna in a secluded place where one may acquire only cheap adoration from the innocent public. Arjuna also thought of Krsna consciousness or buddhi-yoga, or intelligence in spiritual advancement of knowledge, as something like retirement from active life and the practice of penance and austerity at a secluded place. In other words, he wanted to skillfully avoid the fighting by using Krsna consciousness as an excuse. But as a sincere student, he placed the matter before his master and questioned Krsna as to his best course of action. In answer, Lord Krsna elaborately explained karma-yoga, or work in Krsna consciousness, in this Third Chapter.

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Hridayananda Writes GBC

2009-04-27T17:55:00.001-07:00

April 11, 2009
ISKCON Philadelphia

Dear GBC members,

Please accept my obeisance's. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I am writing in reference to this resolution passed by the GBC this year:

317. Action and Public Statements of Hridayananda Das Goswami

The GBC has carefully reviewed the recent action (giving blessings) and the public statements of Hridayananda Maharaja concerning homosexuality. These remain controversial and divisive in ISKCON, and the GBC does not endorse or support them.

Teaching obligations have kept Hridayananda Maharaja from attending the GBC meetings this year, so the GBC has not been able to discuss this issue with him. A GBC delegation will soon meet personally with him to discuss this issue and attempt to reach a common understanding.

In compliance with that resolution I have flown to Philadelphia and on April 11, 2009 met with H.H. Bir Krishna das Goswami and H.G. Ravindra Svarupa dasa, the GBC delegation.

We have a common understanding, which I had already expressed prior to the Mayapura GBC meetings, in a dialogue with some GBC members.

I am writing to reaffirm that I uphold the Krishna conscious principle that sexual union is for procreation within marriage, and that no spiritual leader should encourage or endorse any other form of sexual relation.

I regret that I acted and spoke in such a way as to give many an impression to the contrary. I am sorry.

Your servant,

Hridayananda dasa Goswami

http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7166

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ISKCON Bangalore Wins the Court Battle

2009-04-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

BY: NIMAI PANDIT DAS

Apr 16, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK (SUN) — In breaking news on April 17th 2009, in the Trial Court of Bangalore the Judge finally passed an order in the matter of ISKCON Bangalore vs. ISKCON Mumbai. He ruled in favor of ISKCON Bangalore Society, giving it ownership to the Hare Krishna Hill and the famous temple atop it. He thereby once and for all put to rest all allegations of wrong doing or corrupt family dealings among the leadership of ISKCON Bangalore.

This ruling again reiterated the fact that ISKCON Bangalore, under the leadership of Sriman Madhu Pandit das, is on the path shown by Krishna, separate from the corrupt ISKCON Mumbai Society and its GBC leadership. This result will further enhance and deepen the quality of service of all the residents of Hare Krishna Hill to Sri Sri Radha Krishnacandra for the benefit of all humanity, without unnecessary influences.

This ruling is further proof that what Krishna promises in the Bhagavad-gita, that "My devotees will never perish", is a hundred percent true even though we may not know His workings most of the time.

Thanks goes to devotees worldwide who stood by the ISKCON Bangalore devotees in their decade long struggle to reinstate Srila Prabhupada in the center of ISKCON in spite of severe hardships.

A message to HH Radhanath Swami, HH Jayaptaka Swami, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami and HH Bhakti Caru Swami:

Please take this result, which has come in spite of immense funds sacrificed by you all (to the tune of many millions of dollars) and repeated confidential assurances by Doyaram das, as Lord Krishna's indication that NO ONE CAN DISTURB THE SERVICES OF HIS SINCERE SERVANTS. Hence please desist from further prolonging the case in Bangalore or supporting the dirty cause of Varada Krishna das, who is trashing devotees in a tabloid manner through some websites.

Please call for an end to all hostilities being undertaken by means of your underlings in Bangalore, and let us concentrate on preaching in our own areas and services given to us by Srila Prabhupada. Only pure devotional service rendered for the benefit of the conditioned souls will help us at the time of fast approaching death. Let us preach by our own strengths depending on Srila Prabhupada and Krishna, and then LET THE RESULTS SPEAK.

http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/04-09/editorials4386.htm

IceRocket Tags: IRM,prabhupadanuga,iskcon,ritvik,political philosophy,censorship,clergy abuse,jayapataka,interfaith,journalism,reformation

Bhakti Vikasa and Hridayananda

2009-04-16T15:39:00.001-07:00

Letter to the GBC
BY: HH HRIDAYANANDA DASA GOSWAMI
Apr 15, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, USA (SUN) —
ISKCON Philadelphia

Dear GBC members,

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I am writing in reference to this resolution passed by the GBC this year:
317. Action and Public Statements of Hridayananda Das Goswami
The GBC has carefully reviewed the recent action (giving blessings) and the public statements of Hridayananda Maharaja concerning homosexuality. These remain controversial and divisive in ISKCON, and the GBC does not endorse or support them.
Teaching obligations have kept Hridayananda Maharaja from attending the GBC meetings this year, so the GBC has not been able to discuss this issue with him. A GBC delegation will soon meet personally with him to discuss this issue and attempt to reach a common understanding.

In compliance with that resolution I have flown to Philadelphia and on April 11, 2009 met with H.H. Bir Krishna das Goswami and H.G. Ravindra Svarupa dasa, the GBC delegation.

We have a common understanding, which I had already expressed prior to the Mayapura GBC meetings, in a dialogue with some GBC members.

I regret that I acted and spoke in such a way as to give many an impression to the contrary. I am sorry.

Your servant,
Hridayananda dasa Goswami

http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/04-09/editorials4383.htm

All the Trappings of a Gay Marriage
BY: HH BHAKTI VIKASA SWAMI
Apr 15, INDIA (SUN) —

Dear Hridayananda Maharaja, Please accept my obeisances. Jaya Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for your reply.

> > 1 Earlier this year, it became public that you had "blessed" a "gay
> > union." 2 The "gay union" you "blessed" had all the trappings of a
> > religious marriage: a ceremony conducted by a religious minister at a
> > religious venue (in this case, a preaching center overseen by yourself)
> > in which two persons (in your words) "commit themselves to each other."
> > Relatives and friends were invited. The blessings of God were invoked on
> > the couple. The event was reported in a magazine (in this case, Chakra)
> > that covers the affairs of the concerned religious institution.
>
> A few minor corrections: The event did not take place at an ISKCON
> facility.

However that the event was presented and seen as an ISKCON event is clear from the following:
"One hundred family members, friends and ISKCON devotees celebrated... Santa Barbara ISKCON temple president Sarvatma das officiated. Govinda's of Los Angeles served prasad. H.H. Hridayananda das Goswami conferred this blessing"

Does the fact that the event did not take place at an ISKCON facility make a significant difference to what transpired?

> It did not have 'all the trappings,'

As mentioned above, it certainly had "many" of the trappings of a religious marriage. According to the description on Chakra, those in attendance, unless specifically informed otherwise, presumably would have understood that the event was to solemnize what was tantamount to what has come to be known as a "gay marriage."

> especially not a marriage vow

The report stated that they "committed to a loving relationship at a Blessing Ceremony." In other words, the crux of the ceremony was your blessing -- in which you specified that "they commit themselves to each other." What is the nature of that commitment that makes it radically different from a "marriage vow" between gays -- that you profess to disfavor?

> the event was not reported in an ISKCON publication

True; Chakra is not an official ISKCON publication. It is a pro-gay site that reports almost exclusively on ISKCON and clearly intends to influence attitudes and policies in ISKCON, and which has for years prominently voiced your opinions, which are in tandem with its propaganda.

By pointing out that the event did not take place at an ISKCON facility and was not reported in an ISKCON publication, you have stressed that this was not an official ISKCON event. Why have you stressed the unofficial nature of this event, and what significant difference do you feel that this makes to what transpired and your leading role in it?

You are of course fully aware that as an ISKCON sannyasi, guru, and GBC member, all your actions, especially formal public actions, are liable to be considered representative of and endorsed by ISKCON, and fully in line with Srila Prabhupada and the parampara.

> It was not my idea to publish the report, and I had no knowledge a picture
> would be posted.

If you would have known that a report with a picture was going to be posted, would you have acted differently, and if so why?

> > Of course, the outstanding difference between this and a traditional
> religious
> > marriage was that the "union" was between two males: Joshua Norman
> > Einhorn and Stanley Earl Harris.
>
> A further 'outstanding difference' is that they chose not to marry, and
> did not make a marriage vow.

Their becoming "committed to a loving relationship" was meant to be solemnized by the "Blessing Ceremony." If not, then what was the purpose of the ceremony and what was it that "one hundred family members, friends and ISKCON devotees celebrated"? And what is the crucial difference between a a marriage vow and a religiously sanctified "committ[ment] to a loving relationship"?

> For the last few years, I have not 'so strongly endorsed and defended' gay
> unions.

Please explain how your "blessing" of a gay couple's becoming "committed to a loving relationship" is not "serious, formal and public recognition and appreciation" of and not a strong endorsement of "gay unions."

> By your logic, Prabhupada 'strongly endorsed and defended' meat
> eating since he many times urged people that could not or would not give
> up meat to eat a less important animal and not the cow.
> I spoke of a gay mongamous commitment precisely in the way that
> Prabhupada spoke of eating the flesh of less important animals.

A crucial difference is that Srila Prabhupada never advocated or practiced that Vaisnavas should bless meat-eating, nor hold a formal religious ceremony in celebration of it. Your blessing a "gay union," and its celebration by persons reported to be Vaisnavas, gives an aura of religious sanctity to homosexuality, the tendency toward which our founder-acarya describes as "demoniac" and the act of which Manu describes as sinful.

To encourage grossly sinful people to eat chicken rather than beef, or to stick to one homosexual partner rather than flitting around, should be accompanied by making it clear that such activities, although an improvement, are still inherently sinful and punishable by the laws of nature, and have to be given up if one is serious to attain the ultimate goal of life, pure love of Krsna.

But you have extolled Stanley Harris and Joshua Einhorn's "true love for each other," "such true spiritual love," as "in the spirit of God's love for them" and "blessed" them that "their relationship lead them ... back to our real home in the spiritual world." However that "love," that relationship, is homosexual, which our sacred authorities describe as demoniac and sinful; nowhere in sastra is it stated that homosexuality can lead to the spiritual world.

This topic remains "controversial and divisive": you clearly feel your actions to be in the best interests of ISKCON, whereas others feel that your actions are seriously flawed. As this issue deserves to be intelligently scrutinized and understood by the broader body of devotees, who it certainly affects, I am forwarding these texts beyond this conference, thus also affording you further opportunities to clarify your perspective. Clear, unambiguous responses to my points (given above) would be appreciated.

Hoping this meets you well,
your servant,
Bhakti Vikasa Swami

http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/04-09/editorials4384.htm

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Bhakti Vikasa Requests Clarification Between Gay Union and Gay Marriage

2009-04-12T14:50:00.001-07:00

Bhakti Vikasa Maharaj

Hridayananda Maharaj

Submitted by krishna-kirti on Sat, 04/11/2009 - 16:32.

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

New Text 48304 (59 lines)
From: Bhakti Vikasa Swami
Date: 11-Apr-09 10:48 -0400
To: Tridandi Sannyasa
Subject: "gay marriage" and "gay union" -- what is the difference?
------------------------------------------------------------
---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Answer 48300 (47 lines)
From: Bhakti Vikasa Swami
Date: 11-Apr-09 10:45 -0400
To: Hridayananda Dasa Goswami
Reference: Text PAMHO:17289512 by Hridayananda Dasa Goswami
Subject: "gay marriage" and "gay union" -- what is the difference?
------------------------------------------------------------

Sri Sri Guru Gaurangau Jayatah

Dear Hridayananda Maharaja,

Dandavat.

Four years ago, you publically announced that it was in ISKCON's best interests to offer "serious, formal and public recognition and appreciation" for "gay monogamy."1 Earlier this year, it became public that you had "blessed" a "gay union."2

The "gay union" you "blessed" had all the trappings of a religious marriage: a ceremony conducted by a religious minister at a religious venue (in this case, a preaching center overseen by yourself) in which two persons (in your words) "commit themselves to each other." Relatives and friends were invited. The blessings of God were invoked on the couple. The event was reported in a magazine (in this case, Chakra) that covers the affairs of the concerned religious institution.

Of course, the outstanding difference between this and a traditional religious marriage was that the "union" was between two males: Joshua Norman Einhorn and Stanley Earl Harris.

In an email of 5 April 2009, sent to multiple receivers and conferences, you wrote:

"I have repeatedly clarified that I am not in favor of gay marriage."

Maharaja, it is not clear to me, so kindly clarify once more: what is the significant difference between "gay union" of the type that you so strongly endorse and defend, and "gay marriage," which you disfavor? What is the crucial factor that makes them so markedly different as to evoke your wholly different attitude toward them?

dasa, Bhakti Vikasa Swami

=====================================================

Footnotes:

1. "Vaisnava Moral Theology and Homosexuality" Hridayananda Goswami - http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/dandavats/homosexuality.pdf
You have written: "I have repeatedly clarified that I am not in favor of gay marriage."

2. "Hridayananda Das Goswami Blesses Gay Male Couple"
http://chakra.org/announcements/persFeb01_09.html

(Text 48300) -----------------------------------------------

------- End of Forwarded Message ------
(Text 48304) -----------------------------------------------

Bhakkti Vikasa Petitions GBC

Submitted by krishna-kirti on Sat, 04/11/2009 - 16:27.

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Comment 48301 (6 lines)
From:      Bhakti Vikasa Swami
Date:      11-Apr-09 10:06 -0400
To:        Hridayananda Dasa Goswami
To:        Tridandi Sannyasa
Reference: Text PAMHO:17289512 by Hridayananda Dasa Goswami
Subject:   From the GBC resolutions
------------------------------------------------------------

For the benefit and clarification of the worldwide body of devotees, I request the GBC (via the GBC members on this conference) to make a clear statement of whether or not "gay unions," "gay monogamy," or "gay marriage" may under any circumstance be allowed within ISKCON or by ISKCON members (and if so under which circumstances), and whether or not it is acceptable that an ISKCON leader bless or publicly approve such unions.

------- End of Forwarded Message ------

http://www.siddhanta.com/

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Mukunda Mala Stotra

2009-03-19T18:49:00.001-07:00

TEXT 6

divi va bhuvi va mamastu vaso
narake va narakantaka prakamam
avadhirita-saradaravindau
caranau te marane 'pi cintayami

SYNONYMS

divi--in the abode of the demigods; va--or; bhuvi--on the earth, the home of human beings; va--or; mama--my; astu--may be; vasah--residence; narake--in hell; va--or; naraka-antaka--O killer of the demon Naraka; prakamam--however You desire; avadhirita--which have defied; sarada--of the fall season; aravindau--the lotus flowers; caranau--the two feet; te--Your; marane--at the time of death; api--even; cintayami--may I remember.

TRANSLATION

O Lord, killer of the demon Naraka! Let me reside either in the realm of the demigods, in the world of human beings, or in hell, as You please. I pray only that at the point of death I may remember Your two lotus feet, whose beauty defies that of the lotus growing in the Sarat season.

PURPORT

As stated before, a pure devotee of the Lord has nothing to do with mundane religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, or salvation, nor is he concerned whether his standard of material existence is the highest or the lowest. To him, heaven and hell are of equal value. He is not afraid of going to hell for the service of the Lord, nor is he glad to live in heaven without the service of the Lord. In any circumstance his consciousness is fixed on the Lord's lotus feet, whose beauty defies the most beautiful lotus flower of the mundane world.

The defiance is due to the transcendental position of the Lord's form, name, qualities, pastimes, and so on. The sruti mantras declare that although the Lord has no hands He can accept anything we offer Him with devotion, although He has no feet He can travel anywhere, and although He has no mundane eyes He can see anywhere and everywhere without hindrance. The Brahma-samhita describes each of His senses as omnipotent. The mundane eye can see but not hear, but His eyes can see, hear, eat, generate offspring, and so on. The sruti mantras say that He impregnates material nature with the seeds of living beings simply by casting His glance at her. He does not need any other kind of intercourse with mother nature to beget the living beings in her womb and become their father.

Therefore any relationship the Lord has with His many devotees--whether fatherhood, sonhood, or any other--is not at all material. The Lord is pure spirit, and only when the living being is in his pure spiritual state can he have all sorts of relationships with Him. Philosophers with a poor fund of knowledge cannot conceive of these positive spiritual relationships between the Lord and the all-spiritual living beings, and thus they simply think in terms of negating material relationships. In this way such philosophers naturally adopt the concept of impersonalism.

By contrast, a pure devotee like King Kulasekhara has complete knowledge of both matter and spirit. He does not say that everything material is false, yet he has nothing to do with anything material, from heaven down to hell. He fully understands the statement in the Bhagavad-gita that from the lowest planets up to Brahmaloka, the highest planet in the universe, there is no spiritual bliss, which the living beings hanker for. Therefore the pure devotee, being in full knowledge of spiritual life, simultaneously rejects material relationships and cultivates his spiritual relationship with the Lord. In other words, the spiritual knowledge a devotee possesses not only allows him to reject material existence, but it also provides him with an understanding of the reality of positive, eternal spiritual existence. This is the understanding King Kulasekhara expresses in this prayer.

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Mukunda Mala Stotra

2009-01-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

SUTRA 5
TEXT
nastha dharme na vasu-nicaye naiva kamopabhoge
yad bhavyam tad bhavatu bhagavan purva-karmanurupam
etat prarthyam mama bahu matam janma-janmantare 'pi
tvat-padambhoruha-yuga-gata niscala bhaktir astu
SYNONYMS

na--not; astha--special regard; dharme--for religiosity; na--nor; vasu--of wealth; nicaye--for the accumulation; na eva--nor even; kama-upabhoge--for sense enjoyment; yat--whatever; bhavyam--inevitable; tat--that; bhavatu--let it happen; bhagavan--O Lord; purva--previous; karma--my deeds; anurupam--according to; etat--this; prarthyam--to be requested; mama--by me; bahu matam--most desirable; janma-janma--birth after birth; antare--during; api--even; tvat--Your; pada-amboruha--of lotus feet; yuga--in the pair; gata--resting; niscala--unflinching; bhaktih--devotion; astu--may there be.

TRANSLATION

O my Lord! I have no attachment for religiosity, or for accumulating wealth, or for enjoying sense gratification. Let these come as they inevitably must, in accordance with my past deeds. But I do pray for this most cherished boon: birth after birth, let me render unflinching devotional service unto Your two lotus feet.

PURPORT

Human beings advance toward God consciousness when they go beyond the gross materialistic life of eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating and begin to develop moral and ethical principles. These principles develop further into religious consciousness, leading to an imaginary conception of God without any practical realization of the truth. These stages of God consciousness are called religiosity, which promises material prosperity of various degrees.

People who develop this conception of religiosity perform sacrifices, give in charity, and undergo different types of austerity and penance, all with a view toward being rewarded with material prosperity. The ultimate goal of such so-called religious people is sense gratification of various kinds. For sense gratification, material prosperity is necessary, and therefore they perform religious rituals with a view toward the resultant material name, fame, and gain.

But genuine religion is different. In Sanskrit such genuine religion is called dharma, which means "the essential quality of the living being." The sastras say that this essential quality is to render eternal service, and the proper object of this service is the Supreme Truth, Lord Krsna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead. This eternal, transcendental service of the Lord is misdirected under material conditions and takes the shape of (1) the aforementioned religiosity, (2) economic development, (3) sense gratification, and (4) salvation, or the attempt to negate all material variegatedness out of frustration.

Genuine religion, however, does not culminate in either economic development, sense gratification, or salvation. The perfection of religion is to attain complete satisfaction of the spirit soul, and this is accomplished by rendering devotional service to the Lord, who is beyond the perception of the material senses. When the living being directs his eternal service attitude toward the eternal Supreme Being, such service can never be hampered by any sort of material hindrance. Such transcendental service is above even salvation, and therefore it certainly does not aim at any kind of material reward in the shape of name, fame, or gain.

One who engages in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Being automatically attains detachment from material name, fame, and gain, which are aspired for only by those who do not understand that this name, fame, and gain are merely shadows of the real thing. Material name, fame, and gain are only perverted reflections of the substance--the name, fame, and opulences of the Lord. Therefore the pure devotee of Lord Vasudeva, enlightened by the transcendental service attitude, has no attraction for such false things as religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, or salvation, the last snare of Maya.

The purpose of performing real religion is to attain attachment for hearing and chanting the messages of the kingdom of God. Materialistic people are attached to ordinary newspapers on account of their lack of spiritual consciousness. Real religion develops this spiritual consciousness and also attachment for the messages of God, without which all labor in the performance of religious rites is only a waste of energy.

Therefore one should not practice religion with the aim of improving one's economic welfare, nor should one use one's wealth for sense gratification, nor should the frustration of one's plans for sense gratification lead one to aspire for salvation, or liberation from material conditions. Instead of indulging in sense gratification of different grades with the fruits of one's labor, one should work just to maintain the body and soul together, with the aim of inquiring into the ultimate aims and objects of life. In other words, one should inquire into the Absolute Truth.

The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases, namely, the impersonal Brahman, the localized Paramatma, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A person who attains the highest stage of spiritual realization--realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead--automatically prays as King Kulasekhara does here.

Only one who renders devotional service to the Lord can attain this stage of indifference to the false and temporary assets of material nature. Such devotional service is not a mental concoction of depraved persons but is an actual process of God realization characterized by full cognizance and detachment and based on the Vedic literature. So-called devotional practices that have no reference to the rules and regulations set down in such books of Vedic literature as the sruti, the smrti, the Puranas, and the Pancaratras are not bona fide. The self-realized souls advise us to reject such pseudodevotional practices, which simply create a disturbance on the path of spiritual realization. Only by sincerely engaging in the service of the Lord according to the injunctions of scripture can one gradually become a qualified devotee of the Lord, and it does not matter whether it takes many repetitions of birth and death, life after life.

Mukunda-mala-stotra

2008-12-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

SUTRA 4
TEXT

naham vande tava caranayor dvandvam advandva-hetoh
kumbhipakam gurum api hare narakam napanetum
ramya-rama-mrdu-tanu-lata nandane napi rantum
bhave bhave hrdaya-bhavane bhavayeyam bhavantam

SYNONYMS

na--not; aham--I; vande--pray; tava--Your; caranayoh--of the lotus feet; dvandvam--to the pair; advandva--of release from duality; hetoh--for the reason; kumbhipakam--the planet of boiling oil; gurum--most severe; api--either; hare--O Hari; narakam--hell; na--not; apanetum--to avoid; ramya--very beautiful; rama--of the fair sex; mrdu--soft; tanu-lata--of creeperlike bodies; nandane--in the pleasure gardens of heaven; na api--nor; rantum--to enjoy; bhave bhave--in various rebirths; hrdaya--of my heart; bhavane--within the house; bhavayeyam--may I concentrate; bhavantam--on You.

TRANSLATION

O Lord Hari, it is not to be saved from the dualities of material existence or the grim tribulations of the Kumbhipaka hell that I pray to Your lotus feet. Nor is my purpose to enjoy the soft-skinned beautiful women who reside in the gardens of heaven. I pray to Your lotus feet only so that I may remember You alone in the core of my heart, birth after birth.

PURPORT

There are two classes of men: the atheists and the theists. The atheists have no faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, while the theists have various degrees of faith in Him.

The atheists are faithless on account of their many misdeeds in their present and past lives. They fall into four categories: (1) the gross materialists, (2) the immoral sinners, (3) the number-one fools, and (4) those who are bewildered by maya despite their mundane erudition. No one among these four classes of atheist ever believes in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, what to speak of offering prayers unto His lotus feet.

The theists, on the other hand, have faith in the Lord and pray to Him with various motives. One attains such a theistic life not by chance but as a result of performing many pious acts in both the present life and the past life. Such pious men also belong to four categories: (1) the needy, (2) those who have fallen into difficulty, (3) those who are inquisitive about the transcendental science, and (4) the genuine philosophers. The philosophers and those who are inquisitive are better than those in categories (1) and (2). But a pure devotee is far above these four classes of pious men, for he is in the transcendental position.

The needy pious man prays to God for a better standard of life, and the pious man who has fallen into material difficulty prays in order to get rid of his trouble. But the inquisitive man and the philosopher do not pray to God for amelioration of mundane problems. They pray for the ability to know Him as He is, and they try to reach Him through science and logic. Such pious men are generally known as theosophists.

Needy pious men pray to God to improve their economic condition because all they know is sense gratification, while those in difficulty ask Him to free them from a hellish life of tribulations. Such ignorant people do not know the value of human life. This life is meant to prepare one to return to the absolute world, the kingdom of God.

A pure devotee is neither a needy man, a man fallen into difficulty, nor an empiric philosopher who tries to approach the Divinity on the strength his own imperfect knowledge. A pure devotee receives knowledge of the Divinity from the right source--the disciplic succession of realized souls who have followed strictly the disciplinary method of devotional service under the guidance of bona fide spiritual masters. It is not possible to know the transcendental nature of the Divinity by dint of one's imperfect sense perception, but the Divinity reveals Himself to a pure devotee in proportion to the transcendental service rendered unto Him.

King Kulasekhara is a pure devotee, and as such he is not eager to improve himself by the standards of the empiric philosophers, distressed men, or fruitive workers of this world. Pious acts may lead a mundane creature toward the path of spiritual realization, but practical activity in the domain of devotional service to the Lord need not wait for the reactions of pious acts. A pure devotee does not think in terms of his personal gain or loss because he is fully surrendered to the Lord. He is concerned only with the service of the Lord and always engages in that service, and for this reason his heart is the Lord's home. The Lord being absolute, there is no difference between Him and His service. A pure devotee's heart is always filled with ideas about executing the Lord's service, which is bestowed upon the pure devotee through the transparent medium of the spiritual master.

The spiritual master in the authoritative line of disciplic succession is the "son of God," or in other words the Lord's bona fide representative. The proof that he is bona fide is his invincible faith in God, which protects him from the calamity of impersonalism. An impersonalist cannot be a bona fide spiritual master, for such a spiritual master's only purpose in life must be to render service to the Lord. He preaches the message of Godhead as the Lord's appointed agent and has nothing to do with sense gratification or the mundane wrangling of the impersonalists. No one can render devotional service to an impersonal entity because such service implies a reciprocal personal relationship between the servant and the master. In the impersonal school the so-called devotee is supposed to merge with the Lord and lose his separate existence.

Pure devotees like King Kulasekhara are particularly careful to avoid a process that will end in their becoming one with the existence of the Lord, a state known as advandva, nonduality. This is simply spiritual suicide. Out of the five kinds of salvation, advandva is the most abominable for a devotee. A pure devotee denounces such oneness with the Lord as worse than going to hell.

As His separated expansions, the living beings are part and parcel of the Lord. The Lord expands Himself into plenary parts and separated parts to enjoy transcendental pastimes, and if a living being refuses to engage in these transcendental blissful pastimes, he is at liberty to merge into the Absolute. This is something like a son's committing suicide instead of living with his father according to the rules the father sets down. By committing suicide, the son thus sacrifices the happiness he could have enjoyed by engaging in a filial loving relationship with his father and enjoying his father's estate. A pure devotee persistently avoids such a criminal policy, and King Kulasekhara is guiding us to avoid this pitfall.

The king also says that the reason he is praying to the Lord is not to be saved from the Kumbhipaka hell. Laborers in gigantic iron and steel mills suffer tribulations similar to those in the Kumbhipaka hell. Kumbhi means "pot," and paka means "boiling." So if a person were put into a pot of oil and the pot were set to boiling, he would have some idea of the suffering in Kumbhipaka hell.

There are innumerable hellish engagements in the modern so-called civilization, and by the grace of the Lord's illusory energy people think these hellish engagements are a great fortune. Modern industrial factories fully equipped with up-to-date machines are so many Kumbhipaka hells, and the organizers of these enterprises regard them as indispensable for the advancement of economic welfare. The mass of laborers exploited by the organizers directly experience the "welfare" conditions in these factories, but what the organizers do not know is that by the law of karma they will in due time become laborers in similar Kumbhipaka hells.

Intelligent persons certainly want to be saved from such Kumbhipaka hells, and they pray to God for this benediction. But a pure devotee does not pray in this way. A pure devotee of Narayana looks equally upon the happiness enjoyed in heaven, the transcendental bliss of becoming one with the Lord, and the tribulations experienced in the Kumbhipaka hell. He is not concerned with any of them because he is always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. By the grace of the Lord, even in the Kumbhipaka hell a pure devotee can adjust the situation and turn it into Vaikuntha.

The Bhagavad-gita and all other revealed scriptures say that the Lord accompanies every living being in His localized aspect of Paramatma, the Supersoul. Therefore even a living being destined to reside in the Kumbhipaka hell is accompanied by his eternal companion, the Lord. But by His inconceivable power the Lord remains aloof from these hellish circumstances, just as the sky remains separate from the air although seemingly mixed with it.

Similarly, the pure devotee of the Lord does not live anywhere in this material world, although He appears to live among mundane creatures. Actually, the devotee lives in Vaikuntha. In this way the Supreme Lord bestows upon His pure devotee the inconceivable power that allows him to stay aloof from all mundane circumstances and reside eternally in the spiritual world. The devotee does not want this power consciously or unconsciously, but the Lord is careful about His devotee, just as a mother is always careful about her little child, who is completely dependent on her care.

A pure devotee like King Kulasekhara refuses to associate with beautiful soft-skinned women. There are different grades of women on different planets in the universe. Even on the earth there are different types of women who are enjoyed by different types of men. But on higher planets there are women many, many millions of times more beautiful than the women on this planet, and there are also many pleasure abodes where they can be enjoyed. The best of all of these is the Nandana Gardens on Svargaloka. In the Nandana Gardens--a "Garden of Eden"--those who are qualified can enjoy varieties of beautiful women called Apsaras. The demigods generally enjoy the company of the Apsaras in the same way that the great Mogul kings and nawabs enjoyed their harems. But these kings and nawabs are like straw before the demigods of Svargaloka, which lies in the third stratum of the universe.

The inner tendency to enjoy is in the core of every living being's heart. But in the diseased state of material existence the living being misuses that tendency. The more he increases this diseased, conditioned state, the longer he extends his period of material existence. The sastras advise, therefore, that a living entity should accept only those sense-enjoyable objects necessary for the upkeep of the material body and reject those that are just for sense gratification. In this way he will reduce the tendency for sense enjoyment. This restraint cannot be imposed by force; it must be voluntary.

Such restraint automatically develops in the course of one's executing devotional service. Thus one who is already engaged in devotional service need not restrain his senses artificially. A pure devotee like King Kulasekhara, therefore, neither desires sense enjoyment nor exerts himself to restrain his senses; rather, he tries only to engage himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, without any stop.

Narada Bhakti Sutra

2008-10-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

Narada-bhakti-sutra

Chapter 1

The Value of Devotion

Narada-bhakti-sutra

SUTRA 1

TEXT

athato bhaktim vyakhyasyamah

SYNONYMS

atha--now; atah--therefore; bhaktim--devotional service; vyakhyasyamah--we shall try to explain.

TRANSLATION

Now, therefore, I will try to explain the process of devotional service.

PURPORT

Devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, where the Lord says that a self-realized person is always in the transcendental state known as brahma-bhuta, which is characterized by joyfulness. When one is self-realized he becomes joyful. In other words, he is free from the material contamination of lamentation and hankering. As long as we are in material existence, we lament for the losses in our life and hanker for that which we do not have. A self-realized person is joyful because he is free from material lamentation and hankering.

A self-realized person also sees all living entities equally. For him, there is no distinction between the higher and lower species of life. It is also stated that a learned man does not distinguish between a wise brahmana and a dog because he sees the soul within the body, not the external bodily features. Such a perfected, self-realized person becomes eligible to understand bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord.

Bhakti is so sublime that only through bhakti can one understand the constitutional position of the Lord. That is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gita (18.55): bhaktya mam abhijanati. "One can understand the Supreme Lord through devotional service, and by no other process." There are different processes of understanding the Absolute Truth, but if a person wants to understand the Supreme Lord as He is, he has to take to the process of bhakti-yoga. There are other mystic processes, such as karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and dhyana-yoga, but it is not possible to understand the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, except through His devotional service. This is confirmed in the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita (4.3), where we learn that Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna simply because he was the Lord's devotee and friend. The Bhagavad-gita teaches the process of bhakti-yoga, and therefore Lord Krsna explained it to Arjuna because he was a great devotee. As far as spiritual life is concerned, becoming a devotee of the Lord is the high-est perfection…

The strict followers of the karma-kanda portions of the Vedas perform various sacrifices for worship of different demigods in order to achieve particular material results. Out of many millions of such worshipers, some may actually engage in the process of understanding the Supreme, the Absolute Truth. They are called jnanis. Perfection for a jnani lies in attaining the stage of brahma-bhuta, or self-realization. Only after self-realization is attained does the stage of understanding devotional service begin. The conclusion is that one can begin the process of devotional service, or bhakti, when one is actually self-realized. One who is in the bodily concept of existence cannot understand the process of devotional service.

It is for this reason that the Narada-bhakti-sutra begins, "Now, therefore, I shall try to explain the process of devotional service." The word "therefore" indicates that this process of devotional service is for the self-realized soul, one who is already liberated. Similarly, the Vedanta-sutra begins athato brahma-jijnasa. The word brahma-jijnasa refers to inquiry into the Supreme Absolute Truth, and it is recommended for those who have been elevated from the lower stage of addiction to the karma-kanda portion of the Vedas to the position of interest in the jnana-kanda portion. Only when a person is perfectly situated in the realization that he is not the body but a spirit soul can he begin the process of bhakti, or devotional service.

Krishna Community Faces Forced Eviction

2008-09-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

10 Acres in Exchange for 116
On September 11, 2008 the assistant Hakim of Almaty province, S. Mukanov, informed the directors of the Society for Krishna Consciousness that the court has accepted the proposal of the Karasai district Hakim to declare the Society's buildings legally invalid.

Mukanov stated that the Kazakh authorities expect this proposal to be sustained by

court, and that the Temple and other buildings of the society would be declared illegal, demolished, the Society's members forcibly evicted.

In August the Krishna Society received the resolution of the Hakim of the Karasai
District stating that the Kazakh government’s 2001 act of acceptance of the Society’s buildings into official usage had been annulled. The Hakim’s resolution was not on government letterhead, had no official document number, had no signatures, and had no official stamps.

The directors of the Krishna Society had first seen this document in a meeting with the assistant Karasai Hakim in July 2008. During the meeting the Krishna Society directors were not accompanied by their advocate. Thus, despite being forced by the Hakim, they refused to sign the document.

The assistant Hakim angrily responded to their denial by saying, "Be prepared for new
court cases."

On July 30, 2008 the Council for Connections with Religious Organizations of the Kazakh Government held a meeting in Astana to discuss the situation with the Society for Krishna Consciousness.

At that time, an attempt was again made by the chairman of the National Religious Committee, A. Dozhan to force to the Krishna Society to sign an agreement to relocate to unusable land in the Iliy district of Almaty Province.

The directors of the Society have rejected this land, which is an active garbage dump.
The land is unsuitable for constructing a place of worship, has no essential communications, devoid of drinking or irrigation water.

As an alternative to the Kazakh government proposal, the Krishna Society has appealed that the government allow them to use the land where their temple and other buildings are situated. This land was legally purchased, privatized, and developed at huge expense by the Society’s members and cultivated for 9 years.

According to Article 17 of the Law on Freedom of Faith and Religious Organizations in Republic of Kazakhstan, religious organizations have a pre-emptive right to receive the religious buildings with the adjacent territory.

The assistant Hakim of Almaty province, S. Mukanov, responded that there would be no other concessions. He stated, "We have already filed a claim for demolishing the remaining buildings.”

The Karasai government has initiated trials against the Society for Krishna Consciousness since 2005. This has resulted in the demolition of 26 homes of Hindu practitioners in 2006 and 2007.

The court cases have also resulted in the confiscation of 116 acres of the Society's land. This prime property was transferred to the Karasai district land reserve without compensation to the Society.

The proposed compulsory Temple demolition and forced eviction will be the final stage of the Kazakh government’s campaign to destroy the largest established center of the Krishna Society in Central Asia.

http://www.kazakhkrishna.com/en-news/315.html

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Guru Puja - Guru Nistha

2008-08-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

I offer my humble apologies for not being able to post for Janmastami and Guru Puju appropriately.

This small video reflects what I believe what is not mature in myself and the Krishna movemenet writ large. This is guru nistha; Steady Faith in the guru and his words that he can delivery one to Krishna.

yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado

yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ‘pi

dhyayan stuvams tasya yashas trisandhyam

vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

By his grace we gain divine benevolence.

Without his grace no progress can be made.

Always I offer him all accolade.

To his auspicious feet I pay obeisance.

Bhakta David

Narada Bhakti Sutra

2008-07-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

Narada-bhakti-sutra

Chapter 1
The Value of Devotion
Narada-bhakti-sutra

SUTRA 2

TEXT

sa tv asmin parama-prema-rupa

SYNONYMS

sa--it; tu--and; asmin--for Him (the Supreme Lord); parama--highest; prema--pure love; rupa--having as its form. TRANSLATION
Devotional service manifests as the most elevated, pure love for God.

PURPORT

As stated before, after attaining the highest stage of self-realization, one becomes situated in devotional service to the Lord. The perfection of devotional service is to attain love of God. Love of God involves the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotee, and the process of devotional service. Self-realization, the brahma-bhuta stage, is the beginning of spiritual life; it is not the perfectional stage. If a person understands that he is not his body and that he has nothing to do with this material world, he becomes free from material entanglement. But that realization is not the perfectional stage. The perfectional stage begins with activity in the self-realized position, and that activity is based on the understanding that a living entity is eternally the subordinate servitor of the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, there is no meaning to self-realization. If one is puffed up with the idea that he is the Supreme Brahman, or that he has become one with Narayana, or that he has merged into the brahmajyoti effulgence, then he has not grasped the perfection of life. As the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32) states,

ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah

Persons who are falsely puffed up, thinking they have become liberated simply by understanding their constitutional position as Brahman, or spirit soul, are factually still contaminated. Their intelligence is impure because they have no understanding of the Personality of Godhead, and ultimately they fall down from their puffed-up position.

According to the Bhagavatam (1.2.11) there are three levels of transcendentalists: the self-realized knowers of the impersonal Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth; the knowers of the Paramatma, the localized aspect of the Supreme, which is understood by the process of mystic yoga; and the bhaktas, who are in knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in His devotional service. Those who understand simply that the living being is not matter but spirit soul and who desire to merge into the Supreme Spirit Soul are in the lowest transcendental position. Above them are the mystic yogis, who by meditation see within their hearts the four-handed Visnu form of the Paramatma, or Supersoul. But persons who actually associate with the Supreme Lord, Krsna, are the highest among all transcendentalists. In the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita (6.47) the Lord confirms this:

yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yukta-tamo matah

"And of all yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to Me--he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion." This is the highest perfectional stage, known as prema, or love of God.

In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.4.15-16), Srila Rupa Gosvami, a great authority in the devotional line, describes the different stages in coming to the point of love of Godhead:

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya
tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha rucis tatah
athasaktis tato bhavas tatah premabhyudancati
sadhakanam ayam premnah pradurbhave bhavet kramah

The first requirement is that one should have sufficient faith that the only process for attaining love of Godhead is bhakti, devotional service to the Lord. Throughout the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna teaches that one should give up all other processes of self-realization and fully surrender unto Him. That is faith. One who has full faith in Krsna (sraddha) and surrenders unto Him is eligible for being raised to the level of prema, which Lord Caitanya taught as the highest perfectional stage of human life.

Some persons are addicted to materially motivated religion, while others are addicted to economic development, sense gratification, or the idea of salvation from material existence. But prema, love of God, is above all these. This highest stage of love is above mundane religiosity, above economic development, above sense gratification, and above even liberation, or salvation. Thus love of God begins with the firm faith that one who engages in full devotional service has attained perfection in all these processes.

The next stage in the process of elevation to love of God is sadhu-sanga, association with persons already in the highest stage of love of God. One who avoids such association and simply engages in mental speculation or so-called meditation cannot be raised to the perfectional platform. But one who associates with pure devotees or an elevated devotional society goes to the next stage--bhajana-kriya, or acceptance of the regulative principles of worshiping the Supreme Lord. One who associates with a pure devotee of the Lord naturally accepts that person as his spiritual master, and when the neophyte devotee accepts a pure devotee as his spiritual master, the duty of the spiritual master is to train the neophyte in the principles of regulated devotional service, or vaidhi-bhakti. At this stage the devotee's service is based on his capacity to serve the Lord. The expert spiritual master engages his followers in work that will gradually develop their consciousness of service to the Lord. Therefore the preliminary stage of understanding prema, love of God, is to approach a proper pure devotee, accept him as one's spiritual master, and execute regulated devotional service under his guidance.

The next stage is called anartha-nivrtti, in which all the misgivings of material life are vanquished. A person gradually reaches this stage by regularly performing the primary principles of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master. There are many bad habits we acquire in the association of material contamination, chief of which are illicit sexual relationships, eating animal food, indulging in intoxication, and gambling. The first thing the expert spiritual master does when he engages his disciple in regulated devotional service is to instruct him to abstain from these four principles of sinful life.

Since God is supremely pure, one cannot rise to the highest perfectional stage of love of God without being purified. In the Bhagavad-gita (10.12), when Arjuna accepted Krsna as the Supreme Lord, he said, pavitram paramam bhavan: "You are the purest of the pure." The Lord is the purest, and thus anyone who wants to serve the Supreme Lord must also be pure. Unless a person is pure, he can neither understand what the Personality of Godhead is nor engage in His service in love, for devotional service, as stated before, begins from the point of self-realization, when all misgivings of materialistic life are vanquished.

After following the regulative principles and purifying the material senses, one attains the stage of nistha, firm faith in the Lord. When a person has attained this stage, no one can deviate him from the conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one can persuade him that God is impersonal, without a form, or that any form created by imagination can be accepted as God. Those who espouse these more or less nonsensical conceptions of the Supreme Lord cannot dissuade him from firm faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.

In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna stresses in many verses that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But despite Lord Krsna's stressing this point, many so-called scholars and commentators still deny the personal conception of the Lord. One famous scholar wrote in his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita that one does not have to surrender to Lord Krsna or even accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but that one should rather surrender to "the Supreme within Krsna." Such fools do not know what is within and what is without. They comment on the Bhagavad-gita according to their own whims. Such persons cannot be elevated to the highest stage of love of Godhead. The may be scholarly, and they may be elevated in other departments of knowledge, but they are not even neophytes in the process of attaining the highest stage of perfection, love of Godhead. Nistha implies that one should accept the words of Bhagavad-gita, the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as they are, without any deviation or nonsensical commentary.

If a person is fortunate enough to vanquish all misgivings caused by material existence and rise up to the stage of nistha, he can then rise to the stages of ruci (taste) and asakti (attachment for the Lord). Asakti is the beginning of love of Godhead. By progressing, one then advances to the stage of relishing a reciprocal exchange with the Lord in ecstasy (bhava). Every living entity is eternally related to the Supreme Lord, and this relationship may be in any one of many transcendental humors. At the stage called asakti, attachment, a person can understand his relationship with the Supreme Lord. When he understands his position, he begins reciprocating with the Lord. By constant reciprocation with the Lord, the devotee is elevated to the highest stage of love of Godhead, prema.

http://www.bvml.org/books/dspobfco.html

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Change of Rasa

2008-06-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

This is an excerpt from a lecture on Siddha Pranali. Here Prabhupada states his opinion on rasa.

Ramesvara: Srila Prabhupada, when the devotee is in the original relationship with Krsna, his siddha-deha, why is it that he sometimes changes his original rasa with Krsna?

Prabhupada: Hm?

Ramesvara: Each one of us has an original relationship with Krsna, some as plant, some as tree, some as cow, some as cowherd boy. So if that is re-established, why should the devotee desire to change it?

Prabhupada: Well, that is spiritual kingdom. You can change if you like.

Tamala Krsna: It is not static, Prabhupada once explained. Love is not static.

Prabhupada: Generally, it is not changed. Just like mother Yasoda, she's mother all the time, eternally.

Tamala Krsna: The question came in Bombay two or three years ago. Prabhupada said that it is not static. You can have (inaudible).

Hari-sauri: I always understood before that the rasa was fixed, but that within that rasa one may take different..., one may take a different line.

Prabhupada: That will be revealed when you are liberated. Why you are bothering now?

Ramesvara: That's the point.

http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/03-06/editorials223.htm

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Prabhupada on the Divine Couple

2008-06-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

Haribol Prabhus
This excerpt is an excerpt from the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. One must understand that I am not purporting to comment as lila smaranam. I am “hoping that perhaps persons who are singing and /or aware of some of the highly excellent bhajanas are also aware of Srila Prabhupada’s comments on the Divine Couple. Just for the record I have read the Srimad Bhagavatam twice. I was using the Krishna Books for the Tenth Canto as the 10th Canto was not out yet. I eventually found a 10th Canto on the rasa lila in a thrift shop. It was not the original version but I believe I still have such at my mothers!

I have not read the last four Cantos.

I have read the TOLC, but again this was many years ago. I spend most of my evenings listening to the lectures by Srila Prabhupada which I may have listened to half. Over the last four years I have read several small books by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura which complements my main study of Srila Prabhupada’s work on the Srimad Bhagavatm itself. It is very hard for some bhaktas as myself to maintain hard copies of the large works.

Taken form the introduction of Teachings of Lord Caitanya by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

In order to learn how Krsna's pleasure can be obtained, we must read the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam in which Krsna's pleasure potency is displayed in His pastimes with Radharani and the damsels of Vraja. Unfortunately, unintelligent people turn at once to the sports of Krsna in the Dasama-skandha, the Tenth Canto. Krsna's embracing Radharani or His dancing with the cowherd girls in the rasa dance are generally not understood by ordinary men because they consider these pastimes in the light of mundane lust. They incorrectly think that Krsna is like themselves and that He embraces the gopis just as an ordinary man embraces a young girl. Some people thus become interested in Krsna because they think that His religion allows indulgence in sex. This is not Krsna-bhakti, love of Krsna, but prakrta-sahajiya-- materialistic lust.

In order to avoid such errors, we should understand what Radha-Krsna actually is. Radha and Krsna display their pastimes through Krsna's internal energy. The pleasure potency of Krsna's internal energy is a most difficult subject matter, and unless one understands what Krsna is, he cannot understand it. Krsna does not take any pleasure in this material world, but He has a pleasure potency. Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, the pleasure potency is within us also, but we are trying to exhibit that pleasure potency in matter. Krsna, however, does not make such a vain attempt. The object of Krsna's pleasure potency is Radharani, and He exhibits His potency or His energy as Radharani and then engages in loving affairs with Her. In other words, Krsna does not take pleasure in this external energy but exhibits His internal energy, His pleasure potency, as Radharani. Thus Krsna manifests Himself as Radharani in order to exhibit His internal pleasure potency. Of the many extensions, expansions and incarnations of the Lord, this pleasure potency is the foremost and chief.

It is not that Radharani is separate from Krsna. Radharani is also Krsna, for there is no difference between the energy and the energetic. Without energy, there is no meaning to the energetic, and without the energetic, there is no energy. Similarly, without Radha there is no meaning to Krsna, and without Krsna, there is no meaning to Radha. Because of this, the Vaisnava philosophy first of all pays obeisances to and worships the internal pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord. Thus the Lord and His potency are always referred to as Radha-Krsna. Similarly, those who worship the name of Narayana first of all utter the name of Laksmi, as Laksmi-Narayana. Similarly, those who worship Lord Rama first of all utter the name of Sita. In any case--Sita-Rama, Radha-Krsna, Laksmi-Narayana--the potency always comes first.
Radha and Krsna are one, and when Krsna desires to enjoy pleasure, He manifests Himself as Radharani. The spiritual exchange of love between Radha and Krsna is the actual display of the internal pleasure potency of Krsna. Although we speak of "when" Krsna desires, just when He did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this way because in conditional life we take it that everything has a beginning; however, in the absolute or spiritual life there is neither beginning nor end. Yet in order to understand that Radha and Krsna are one and that They also become divided, the question "When?" automatically comes to mind. When Krsna desired to enjoy His pleasure potency, He manifested Himself in the separate form of Radharani, and when He wanted to understand Himself through the agency of Radha, He united with Radharani, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya.

Why did Krsna assume the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu? It is explained that Krsna desired to know the glory of Radha's love. "Why is She so much in love with Me?" Krsna asked. "What is My special qualification that attracts Her so? And what is the actual way in which She loves Me?" It seems strange that Krsna, as the Supreme, should be attracted by anyone's love. We search after the love of a woman or a man because we are imperfect and lack something. The love of a woman, that potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and therefore a man wants a woman, but this is not the case with Krsna, who is full in Himself. Thus Krsna expressed surprise: "Why am I attracted by Radharani? And when Radharani feels My love, what is She actually feeling?" In order to taste the essence of that loving affair, Krsna appeared just as the moon appears on the horizon of the sea. Just as the moon was produced by the churning of the sea, by the churning of spiritual love affairs the moon of Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Indeed, Caitanya's complexion was golden, just like the moon. Although this is figurative language, it conveys the meaning behind the appearance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The full significance of His appearance will be explained in later chapters.

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Radhika Stava

2008-04-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

Radhika

If this bhajana by Rupa Goswami does not melt your heart and help you surrender you should consider yourself lost. It is one of the most beautiful and simply examples of devotion in the Gaudiya Sampradaya.

Sri Radhika-stava
(from Stava-mala)by Srila Rupa Gosvami

(chorus)
radhe jaya jaya madhava-dayite
gokula-taruni-mandala-mahite
1
damodara-rati-vardhana-vese
hari-niskuta-vrnda-vipinese
2
vrsabhanudadhi-nava-sasi-lekhe
lalita-sakhi guna-ramita-visakhe
3
karunam kuru mayi karuna-bharite
sanaka-sanatana-varnita-carite

TRANSLATION(chorus)

O Radha! O beloved of Madhava! O You who are worshiped by all the young girls of Gokula! All glories unto You! All glories unto You!

(1-3)
O You who dress Yourself in such a way as to increase Lord Damodara's love and attachment for You! O queen of Vrndavana, which is the pleasure grove of Lord Hari! O new moon who has arisen from the ocean of King Vrsabhanu! 0 friend of Lalita! O You who make Visakha loyal to You due to Your wonderful qualities of friendliness, kindness, and faithfulness to Krsna! O You who are filled with compassion! O You whose divine characteristics are described by the great sages Sanaka and Sanatana! O Radha, please be merciful to me!

ISKCON NEW JERSEY
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Krishna On His Appearance

2008-03-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Caitanya Caritamrta
Adi Lila
Chapter 3
TEXT 12

TEXT
dasa-sakha-pita-mata-kanta-gana lana
vraje krida kare krsna premavista hana

SYNONYMS
dasa--servants; sakha--friends; pita-mata--father and mother; kanta-gana--lovers; lana--taking; vraje--in Vraja; krida kare--plays; krsna--Lord Krsna; prema-avista--absorbed in love; hana--being.

TRANSLATION
Absorbed in such transcendental love, Lord Sri Krsna enjoys in Vraja with His devoted servants, friends, parents and conjugal lovers.

PURPORT
The descent of Sri Krsna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is very purposeful. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that one who knows the truth about Sri Krsna's descent and His various activities is at once liberated and does not have to fall again to this existence of birth and death after he leaves his present material body. In other words, one who factually understands Krsna makes his life perfect. Imperfect life is realized in material existence, in five different relationships we share with everyone within the material world: neutrality, servitorship, friendship, filial love, and amorous love between husband and wife or lover and beloved. These five enjoyable relationships within the material world are perverted reflections of relationships with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in the transcendental nature. That Absolute Personality, Sri Krsna, descends to revive the five eternally existing relationships. Thus He manifests His transcendental pastimes in Vraja so that people may be attracted into that sphere of activities and leave aside their imitation relationships with the mundane. Then, after fully exhibiting all such activities, the Lord disappears.

TEXT 13

TEXT
yathesta vihari' krsna kare antardhana
antardhana kari' mane kare anumana

SYNONYMS
yatha-ista--as much as He wishes; vihari'--enjoying; krsna--Lord Krsna; kare--makes; antardhana--disappearance; antardhana kari'--disappearing; mane--in the mind; kare--He makes; anumana--consideration.

TRANSLATION
Lord Krsna enjoys His transcendental pastimes as long as He wishes, and then He disappears. After disappearing, however, He thinks thus:

TEXT 14

TEXT
cira-kala nahi kari prema-bhakti dana
bhakti vina jagatera nahi avasthana

SYNONYMS
cira-kala--for a long time; nahi kari--I have not done; prema-bhakti--loving devotional service; dana--giving; bhakti--devotional service; vina--without; jagatera--of the universe; nahi--not; avasthana--existence.

TRANSLATION
"For a long time I have not bestowed unalloyed loving service to Me upon the inhabitants of the world. Without such loving attachment, the existence of the material world is useless.

PURPORT
The Lord seldom awards pure transcendental love, but without such pure love of God, freed from fruitive activities and empiric speculation, one cannot attain perfection in life.

TEXT 15

TEXT
sakala jagate more kare vidhi-bhakti
vidhi-bhaktye vraja-bhava paite nahi sakti

SYNONYMS
sakala--all; jagate--in the universe; more--to Me; kare--they do; vidhi-bhakti--regulative devotional service; vidhi-bhaktye--by regulative devotional service; vraja-bhava--the feelings of those in Vraja; paite--to obtain; nahi--not; sakti--the power.

TRANSLATION
"Everywhere in the world people worship Me according to scriptural injunctions. But simply by following such regulative principles one cannot attain the loving sentiments of the devotees in Vrajabhumi.

TEXT 16

TEXT
aisvarya-jnanete saba jagat misrita
aisvarya-sithila-preme nahi mora prita

SYNONYMS
aisvarya-jnanete--with knowledge of the opulences; saba--all; jagat--the world; misrita--mixed; aisvarya-sithila-preme--to love enfeebled by opulence; nahi--there is not; mora--My; prita--attraction.

TRANSLATION
"Knowing My opulences, the whole world looks upon Me with awe and veneration. But devotion made feeble by such reverence does not attract Me.

PURPORT
After His appearance, Lord Krsna thought that He had not distributed the transcendental personal dealings with His devotees in dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. One may understand the science of the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the Vedic literature and thus become a devotee of the Lord and worship Him within the regulative principles described in the scriptures, but one will not know in this way how Krsna is served by the residents of Vrajabhumi. One cannot understand the dealings of the Lord in Vrndavana simply by executing the ritualistic regulative principles mentioned in the scriptures. By following scriptural injunctions one may enhance his appreciation for the glories of the Lord, but there is no chance for one to enter into personal dealings with Him. Giving too much attention to understanding the exalted glories of the Lord reduces the chance of one's entering into personal loving affairs with the Lord. To teach the principles of such loving dealings, the Lord decided to appear as Lord Caitanya.

TEXT 17

TEXT
aisvarya-jnane vidhi-bhajana kariya
vaikunthake yaya catur-vidha mukti pana

SYNONYMS
aisvarya-jnane--in knowledge of the opulences; vidhi--according to rules and regulations; bhajana--worship; kariya--doing; vaikunthake--to Vaikuntha; yaya--they go; catuh-vidha--four kinds; mukti--liberation; pana--achieving.

TRANSLATION
"By performing such regulated devotional service in awe and veneration, one may go to Vaikuntha and attain the four kinds of liberation.

TEXT 18

TEXT
sarsti, sarupya, ara samipya, salokya
sayujya na laya bhakta yate brahma-aikya

SYNONYMS
sarsti--opulences equal with the Lord's; sarupya--the same form as the Lord's; ara--and; samipya--personal association with the Lord; salokya--residence on a Vaikuntha planet; sayujya--oneness with the Lord; na laya--they do not accept; bhakta--devotees; yate--since; brahma-aikya--oneness with Brahman.

TRANSLATION
"These liberations are sarsti [achieving opulences equal to those of the Lord], sarupya [having a form the same as the Lord's], samipya [living as a personal associate of the Lord] and salokya [living on a Vaikuntha planet]. Devotees never accept sayujya, however, since that is oneness with Brahman.

PURPORT
Those engaged in devotional service according to the ritualistic principles mentioned in the scriptures attain these different kinds of liberation. But although such devotees can attain sarsti, sarupya, samipya and salokya, they are not concerned with these liberations, for such devotees are satisfied only in rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord. The fifth kind of liberation, sayujya, is never accepted even by devotees who perform only ritualistic worship. To attain sayujya, or merging into the Brahman effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the aspiration of the impersonalists. A devotee never cares for sayujya liberation.

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Advent of Mahaprabhu

2008-03-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

Here we have a very simple explanation by Prabhupada over the advent of Mahaprabhu. Anyone one who comprehends this mission is qualified to return to Godhead. So that being ascertained we submit to Swamiji's insights.

Caintanya Caritamrta Adi Lila
Chapter 3
The External Reasons for Lord Caitanya's Appearance

In this chapter the author has fully discussed the reason for the descent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, after displaying His pastimes as Lord Krsna, thought it wise to make His advent in the form of a devotee to explain personally the transcendental mellow reciprocations of service and love between Himself and His servants, friends, parents and fiancees. According to the Vedic literature, the foremost occupational duty for humanity in this Age of Kali is nama-sankirtana, or congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The incarnation for this age especially preaches this process, but only Krsna Himself can explain the confidential loving service performed in the four principal varieties of loving affairs between the Supreme Lord and His devotees. Lord Krsna therefore personally appeared, with His plenary portions, as Lord Caitanya. As stated in this chapter, only for that purpose did Lord Krsna appear personally in Navadvipa in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Krsnadasa Kaviraja has herein presented much authentic evidence from Srimad-Bhagavatam and other scriptures to substantiate the identity of Lord Caitanya with Sri Krsna Himself. He has described bodily symptoms in Lord Caitanya that are visible only in the person of the Supreme Lord, and he has proved that Lord Caitanya appeared with His personal associates--Sri Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and other devotees--to preach the special significance of chanting Hare Krsna. The appearance of Lord Caitanya is both significant and confidential. He can be appreciated only by pure devotees and only through the process of devotional service. The Lord tried to conceal His identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by representing Himself as a devotee, but His pure devotees can recognize Him by His special features. The Vedas and Puranas foretell the appearance of Lord Caitanya, but still He is sometimes called, significantly, the concealed descent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Advaita Acarya was a contemporary of Lord Caitanya's father. He felt sorry for the condition of the world because even after Lord Krsna's appearance, no one had interest in devotional service to Krsna. This forgetfulness was so overwhelming that Advaita Prabhu was convinced that no one but Lord Krsna Himself could enlighten people about devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Therefore Advaita requested Lord Krsna to appear as Lord Caitanya. Offering tulasi leaves and Ganges water, He cried for the Lord's appearance. The Lord, being satisfied by His pure devotees, descends to satisfy them. As such, being pleased by Advaita Acarya, Lord Caitanya appeared.

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Sadhana

2008-03-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

Sadhana
by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura Prabhupada

The desire for sadhu-sanga and the inclination to serve Krishna (krishna-anusilana) appear in the jiva by the influence of sukriti.

The jiva’s aversion to Bhagavan is the result of his desire for sense enjoyment;consequently, he wanders throughout this world with the hope of attaining happiness. As long as his desire for worldly happiness does not wane, an inclination to serve Bhagavan cannot possibly arise in him. However, with the accumulation of abundant sukriti, or spiritual merit, his desire for worldly enjoyment slackens. This is the result of Bhagavan’s gradual mercy upon him. It is then that the desire for sadhu-sanga, the association of saintly persons, arises within him naturally.
Sraddha, or transcendental faith, arises by discussing topics about Krishna in sadhu-sanga. With the jiva’s increasing effort to engage in the cultivation of activities related to Krishna, a greed to attain Bhagavan appears within him. At that time, one should accept the shelter of the lotus feet of a guru whose character is spotless and who has full knowledge of philosophical truths. One should learn the art of bhajana from such a guru. Only by the strength of his bhajana does the jiva attain the complete mercy of Bhagavan.

To attain the mercy of Bhagavan is the sole purpose of sadhana

In the jiva’s condition of being completely captivated by maya, he must accept the activities of sadhana as indispensable in order to become eligible to attain the mercy of Bhagavan. Sriman Mahaprabhu has Himself said, “sadhana vina jivera sadhya vastu keha nahi paya – a jiva who does not perform sadhana does not attain his goal, or sadhya.” Although a person may have attained a little sraddha, if he is lazy about performing the activities of sadhana and simply sits back and hopes to attain Krishna’s mercy, he will not receive any real benefit. His life will simply pass by uselessly. Krishna is the embodiment of mercy, and in bestowing His boundless compassion upon the jivas, He has manifested the Vedic scriptures. Furthermore, He descends in every yuga and preaches the specific dharma, or spiritual means for deliverance, for that yuga. In this way, He endeavours to make all jivas under stand those Vedic scriptures and become favourably inclined toward Him. Particularly in Kali-yuga, His mercy is available without restriction. Those who do not become inclined to perform sadhana to attain Krishna, despite having such an opportunity, simply have no hope of ever attaining auspiciousness.

The specific result one attains at the stage of perfection is a function of the quality of one’s sadhana

Sri Krishna-candra is supremely independent. If He so desires, He can give His darsana to the jiva. That said, if a person’s heart lacks eagerness to perform even a little sadhana to attain Him, then that person’s yearning for Krishna cannot be genuine. Rather, it is simply a semblance of real hankering. Such a person would not in fact be satisfied even by the direct darsana of Bhagavan, but would return to this world from Vaikuntha to fulfil his hankering for the worthless happiness of this world.

The process of sadhana is nothing but the art of increasing one’s thirst to attain Bhagavan. A person receives the mercy of Krishna in proportion to the intensity of this thirst, which develops by performing sadhana marked by care and eagerness. When such sadhana is fully matured, Krishna manifests Himself to that person. He cannot withhold Himself.

The conditioned jiva will never achieve success if he relinquishes the activities of sadhana; he must embrace them with great care. He will approach perfection to the extent that he performs sadhana with honour.

What is sadhana?

Srila Rupa Gosvami has stated:
nitya-siddhasya bhavasya prakatyam hridi sadhyata
Sadhana is the process of awakening the eternal dormant propensity within one’s heart to love Krishna.(Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.2)

The jiva’s eternal constitutional nature is to be a servant of Bhagavan; and his eternal occupation is bhagavat-prema, to render loving service to Bhagavan.In the jiva’s conditioned state, his eternally perfect love is observed in the form of his love for sense objects. Sadhana is the process that revokes that love from the sense objects and causes this eternal love to appear in the heart.
The sastras delineate the various limbs of sadhana. Srila Rupa Gosvami has divided these into sixty-four divisions in his book Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu. Srimad-Bhagavatam divides them into nine forms, namely, sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, etc. The essence of all sadhana, especially in Kali-yuga, is harinama – to chant the holy names of Krishna.

Sri nama-sankirtana is the highest sadhana, and the various other limbs of sadhana are its assistants.

When the best of scholars, Vasudeva Sarvabhauma, wished to know what is the highest sadhana, Sriman Mahaprabhu replied that harinama-sankirtana is topmost. This is described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya-lila 6.241):

bhakti-sadhana-sreshtha sunite haila manaprabhu upadesa kaila nama-sankirtana
Sri Mahaprabhu also spoke the following words to Sri Sanatana Gosvami:
bhajanera madhye sreshtha nava-vidha bhakti‘krishna-prema’, ‘krishna’ dite dhare maha-saktitara madhye sarva-sreshtha nama-sankirtananiraparadhe nama laile paya prema-dhana
Among the various methods of performing bhajana, the best is to execute the nine prescribed processes of bhakti. These processes carry the outstanding potency to bestow both krishna-prema and Krishna. Among the nine processes of bhakti, chanting the holy names is foremost. If one chants without committing any offences, one easily receives the treasure of pure love for Krishna. (Sri Caitanyacaritamrita, Antya-lila 4.70–71)

In this Kali-yuga, there is no other refuge for the jiva than chanting the names of Hari. Indeed, harinama is the only sadhana, and the other limbs of sadhana are accepted as its assistants.
In sastra we find the statement “‘eka’ anga sadhe, keha sadhe ‘bahu’ anga – some practise a single limb, whereas others practise many.” However, no one should think he can attain perfection by taking shelter of any limb other than harinama. When a sadhaka understands harinama to be the topmost sadhana and takes one-pointed shelter of nama, he can also perform the other limbs of sadhana. Sastra clearly declares:

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalamkalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

To attain one’s spiritual goal in Kali-yuga, there is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way than to chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name.

Sri nama is both the practice and the goal

Whoever is the recipient of Sriman Mahaprabhu’s mercy will single-mindedly take shelter of harinama without any duplicity. As he performs sadhana of harinama and gradually attains perfection, he will come to realise nama in the form of his sadhya, or goal. This is because Krishna’s name is both the goal and the means to attain it. There is no difference between Krishna’s name (nama) and Krishna Himself, the possessor of the name (nami).

It is necessary to deliberate a little on the subject of the practice, or sadhana, of sri nama. Sadhana is performed with the senses. Therefore, it is essential that the sadhaka firmly and expertly engage his senses in the activities of sadhana. One can perform the practices of sadhana in a charming way if one keeps the body healthy. This can be achieved by regulating one’s eating (yukta-ahara) and recreation (yukta-vihara).

In other words, if a person tortures his body by being falsely renounced, then all his senses become disabled. Consequently, instead of the sadhaka performing sadhana, he forfeits his life. In this regard, Bhagavan says in the Bhagavad-gita (6.16–17):
naty-asnatas tu yogo ’stina caikantam anasnatahna cati-svapna-silasyajagrato naiva carjuna
O Arjuna, yoga cannot be perfected by one who eats too much or too little, or who sleeps too much or too little.

yuktahara-viharasyayukta-ceshtasya karmasuyukta-svapnavabodhasyayogo bhavati duhkha-ha

For one who is moderate in eating and recreation, balanced in work, and regulated in sleeping and wakefulness, his practice of yoga destroys all material miseries.

The meaning here is that one who eats too much or hardly eats at all, who sleeps a lot or does not sleep enough, is never able to use his body and senses to perform the activities of sadhana. If a person does not allow his body to become unhealthy or his senses in active – by regulating all his endeavours including his eating, recreation, sleeping and waking – then his sadhana will be executed exquisitely and it will destroy all his miseries.

The implication is that one must engage one’s internal sense, the mind, in remembering and meditating upon sri nama, by protecting it from the four anarthas, or impediments to spiritual progress. These impediments are misconceptions about reality (svarupa-bhrama), the hankering for temporaty objects (asat-trishna), weakness of the heart in adopting the process of bhakti (hridayadaurbalya) and offences (aparadha). Moreover, one’s external senses should be protected from becoming habituated to activities that are unfavourable to one’s bhajana, such as over-eating, over-sleeping and endeavouring for sense objects. Instead, they should be incessantly engaged in the sadhana of nama-kirtana. The capacity to do so is indeed the expertise of a sadhaka.

The foundation of sadhana: determination to accept what is favourable for bhakti and to reject what is unfavourable

It is necessary for a sadhaka to be both vigilant and resolute in accepting what is favourable for his bhakti and rejecting what is unfavourable. Often various unfavourable things come into the life of a jiva in this material world, and if he does not carefully and decisively reject them, they will hinder his sadhana and delay him in attaining his cherished goal.

Sometimes one may think: “Let me do what is unfavourable for my sadhana today, and from tomorrow I will take special care to avoid this.’’ But one who manifests such weakness of heart (hridaya-daurbalya) will never attain auspiciousness. As soon as a sadhaka perceives something to be an obstacle to his bhajana, he should give it up immediately and embrace the mercy of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Determination is indeed the foundation of sadhana. If a person lacks determination, he cannot progress even a single step in his sadhana.

The sadhaka’s foremost assistant is sadhu-sanga

The sadhu is the sadhaka’s primary benefactor. The heart of the baddha-jiva is so captured by anarthas, that he cannot single-handedly remove them, despite his arduous attempts to do so. For one who remains in sadhu-sanga, however, anarthas have no chance of manifesting. Srila Narottama Thakura Mahasaya has rightly said:
kiva va karite pare, kama-krodha sadhakerayadi haya sadhujanara sanga
What can lust and anger do to a sadhaka if he is in the association of sadhus?
Sadhu-sanga is absolutely essential for one who wants to properly perform the activities of sadhana. Sriman Mahaprabhu has said:
krishna-bhakti-janma-mula haya ‘sadhu-sanga’krishna-prema janme, tenho punah mukhya anga
The underlying cause of the birth of bhakti to Sri Krishna is sadhu-sanga. Even after krishna-prema awakens in the heart, sadhu-sanga remains the foremost principle.(Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 22.83)
mahat-kripa vina kona karme ‘bhakti’ nayakrishna-bhakti dure rahu, samsara nahe kshaya
Unless a person is blessed by an exalted saint, none of the activities he performs can be considered to be bhakti. What to say of attaining krishna-bhakti, it is impossible for him even to extricate himself from material existence.(Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 22.51)

Incessantly accept the shelter of sri nama and pray for the mercy of sri nama

If one can chant the holy name in the association of a pure devotee who is attached to chanting, all his offences will be dispelled and nama-tattva will quickly manifest in his heart. Our prayer at the lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu is that by incessantly chanting the holy name in the association of a suddha-bhakta we may soon experience the sweetness (rasa) of sri nama. We pray for nothing other than the mercy of sri nama.

[Appearing in english for the first time: Rays of the Harmonist No.16 Karttika 2006Translated from Sri Gaudiya Patrika, Year 8, Issue 7]
http://www.bvml.org/SBTP/sadhana.html

Sadhana and Saranagati

2008-02-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

The Nectar Of Instruction

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXT TWO

TEXT
atyaharah prayasas ca
prajalpo niyamagrahah
jana-sangas ca laulyam ca
sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati

SYNONYMS
ati-aharah--overeating or too much collecting; prayasah--overendeavouring; ca--and; prajalpah--idle talk; niyama--rules and regulations; agrahah--too much attachment to (or agrahah--too much neglect of); jana-sangah--association with worldly-minded persons; ca--and; laulyam--ardent longing or greed; ca--and; sadbhih--by these six; bhaktih--devotional service; vinasyati--is destroyed.

TRANSLATION
One's devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) Practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Krsna consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane
achievements.

PURPORT
Human life is meant for plain living and high thinking. Since all conditioned living beings are under the control of the Lord's third energy, this material world is designed so that one is obliged to work. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has three primary energies, or potencies. The first is called antaranga-sakti, or the internal potency. The second is called tatastha-sakti, or the marginal potency. The third is called bahiranga-sakti, or the external potency. The living entities constitute the marginal potency, and they are situated between the internal and external Potencies. Being subordinate as eternal servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the jivatmas, or atomic living entities, must remain under the control of either the internal or external potency. When they are under the control of the internal potency, they display their natural, constitutional activity--namely, constant engagement in the devotional service of the Lord. This is stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.13):

mahatmanas tu mam partha
daivim prakrtim asritah
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jnatva bhutadim avyayam

"O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible."

The word mahatma refers to those who are broadminded, not cripple-minded. Cripple-minded persons, always engaged in satisfying their senses, sometimes expand their activities in order to do good for others through some "ism" like nationalism, humanitarianism or altruism. They may reject personal sense gratification for the sense gratification of others, like the members of their family, community or society--either national or international. Actually all this is extended sense gratification, from personal to communal to social. This may all be very good from the material point of view, but such activities have no spiritual value. The basis of such activity is sense gratification, either personal or extended. Only when a person gratifies the senses of the Supreme Lord can he be called a mahatma, or broadminded person.

In the above-quoted verse from Bhagavad-gita, the words daivim prakrtim refer to the control of the internal potency, or pleasure potency, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This pleasure potency is manifested as Srimati Radharani, or Her expansion Laksmi, the goddess of fortune. When the individual jiva souls are under the control of the internal energy, their only engagement is the satisfaction of Krsna, or Visnu. This is the position of a mahatma. If one is not a mahatma, he is a duratma, or a cripple-minded person. Such mentally crippled duratmas are put under the control of the Lord's external potency, mahamaya.

Indeed, all living entities within this material world are under the control of mahamaya, whose business is to subject them to the influence of threefold miseries: adhidaivika-klesa (sufferings caused by the demigods, such as droughts, earthquakes and storms), adhibhautika-klesa (sufferings caused by other living entities like insects or enemies), and adhyatmika-klesa (sufferings caused by one's own body and mind, such as mental and physical infirmities). Daiva-bhutatma-hetavah: the conditioned souls, subjected to these three miseries by the control of the external energy, suffer various difficulties.

The main problem confronting the conditioned souls is the repetition of birth, old age, disease and death. In the material world one has to work for the maintenance of the body and soul, but how can one perform such work in a way that is favorable for the execution of Krsna consciousness?

Everyone requires possessions such as food grains, clothing, money and other things necessary for the maintenance of the body, but one should not collect more than necessary for his actual basic needs. If this natural principle is followed, there will be no difficulty in maintaining the body.

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Bhajana Rahasya

2007-12-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

Bhajana Rahasya

Srila Bhaktivinoda

Prathama-yama
SadhanaBhajana at the End of Night Sraddha

(Faith)

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadamyajñaih sankirtana-prayair bhajami kali-pavanam (1)nijatve gaudiyan jagati parigrhya prabhur-imanhare krsnety evam ganana-vidhina kirtayata bhohiti prayam siksam carana-madhupebhyah paridisan
saci-sunuh kim me nayana-saranim yasyati padam

(2)

(Stavavali)

By the sacrifice of the congregational chanting of the holy name, I worship the deliverer of the living entities of Kali-yuga, Sri Gaurangadeva, who constantly sings the name of Krsna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krsna Himself. He is accompanied by His angas (bodily limbs in the form of Nityananda and Advaita Prabhu), upangas (parts of limbs like Srivasa Pandita), astra (weapon in the form of the holy name), and parsada (associates like Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda, Gadadhara, and Govinda).

When will the son of Sacimata appear within the path of my eyes? He has accepted the Gaudiya Vaisnavas, who are like bees at His lotus feet, as His personal associates. Like a father, He gave them instructions to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra counting a fixed number of rounds.
The Supreme Absolute Truth, Sri Hari, has manifested His golden form in Navadvipa to deliver the living entities of Kali-yuga. Along with His associates, He has given the treasure of love of God by introducing the chanting of the holy names of the Lord the religious practice for the age of Kali. Congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord is an eternal activity of the living entity. All other religious activities are meant to help one attain perfection in chanting the holy names.

It is said in the Visnu-rahasya:yad abhyarcya harim bhaktyakrte kratu-satair apiphalam prapnoty avikalamkalau govinda-kirtanat

(3)

Whatever fruit can be obtained in Satya-yuga by devotedly worshiping Sri Hari through the performance of hundreds of sacrifices, that same result can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by Govinda kirtana.

While chanting, other methods of atonement are prohibited. In the Brhad-visnu Purana it is stated:namno 'sya yavati saktihpapa-nirharane harehtavat kartum na saknotipatakam pataki janah

(4)

Simply by once chanting the holy name of Hari, a sinful man can counteract the reactions to more sins than he is able to commit.There is no atonement equal to chanting the holy names. Therefore, intelligent persons give up all other occupational duties mentioned in the Vedas.
In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, there is the following quote from the Vaisnava-cintamani on the superiority of kirtana:aghacchit smaranam visnorbahvayasena sadhyateostha-spandana-matrenakirtanan tu tato varam

(5)

Remembrance of Visnu, which destroys all sins, is attained by great efforts, but the glorification of Visnu just by vibrating the lips is superior to this remembrance. (The reason being that even by namabhasa, or reflection of chanting, the bondage to the material world is cut.)

By performance of austerities, remembrance of the Lord is difficult to attain. However, simply by moving one's lips one can easily perform kirtana. Even without moving the lips one may remember the holy names. By such chanting and remembering of the holy names one can achieve all perfection. Therefore, all the sastras have established that chanting and remembering the holy names is superior to the process of arcana.

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Krishnanusilanam

2007-11-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

I am attempting to find authority for anusilanam or Krishnanusilanam. There are spurious interests that are wishing to defame Srila Prabhupada as not promoting such which is cultivation of Krishna Consciousness at the lotus feet of the Spiritual Master. The argument also wishes to state that Srila Prabhupada also wished to supplant Caitanya Mahaprabhu not preach in his mission.

There is also some discussion of santa rasa current.
The first issue is highly offensive aparadha.

Adi Lila

Chapter 3

The External Reasons for Lord Caitanya's Appearance

In this chapter the author has fully discussed the reason for the descent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, after displaying His pastimes as Lord Krsna, thought it wise to make His advent in the form of a devotee to explain personally the transcendental mellow reciprocations of service and love between Himself and His servants, friends, parents and fiancees. According to the Vedic literature, the foremost occupational duty for humanity in this Age of Kali is nama-sankirtana, or congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The incarnation for this age especially preaches this process, but only Krsna Himself can explain the confidential loving service performed in the four principal varieties of loving affairs between the Supreme Lord and His devotees. Lord Krsna therefore personally appeared, with His plenary portions, as Lord Caitanya. As stated in this chapter, only for that purpose did Lord Krsna appear personally in Navadvipa in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Krsnadasa Kaviraja has herein presented much authentic evidence from Srimad-Bhagavatam and other scriptures to substantiate the identity of Lord Caitanya with Sri Krsna Himself. He has described bodily symptoms in Lord Caitanya that are visible only in the person of the Supreme Lord, and he has proved that Lord Caitanya appeared with His personal associates--Sri Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and other devotees--to preach the special significance of chanting Hare Krsna. The appearance of Lord Caitanya is both significant and confidential. He can be appreciated only by pure devotees and only through the process of devotional service. The Lord tried to conceal His identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by representing Himself as a devotee, but His pure devotees can recognize Him by His special features. The Vedas and Puranas foretell the appearance of Lord Caitanya, but still He is sometimes called, significantly, the concealed descent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Advaita Acarya was a contemporary of Lord Caitanya's father. He felt sorry for the condition of the world because even after Lord Krsna's appearance, no one had interest in devotional service to Krsna. This forgetfulness was so overwhelming that Advaita Prabhu was convinced that no one but Lord Krsna Himself could enlighten people about devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Therefore Advaita requested Lord Krsna to appear as Lord Caitanya. Offering tulasi leaves and Ganges water, He cried for the Lord's appearance. The Lord, being satisfied by His pure devotees, descends to satisfy them. As such, being pleased by Advaita Acarya, Lord Caitanya appeared.

TEXT 11

TEXT
dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, srngara----cari rasa
cari bhavera bhakta yata krsna tara vasa

SYNONYMS

dasya--servitude; sakhya--friendship; vatsalya--parental affection; srngara--conjugal love; cari--four; rasa--mellows; cari--four; bhavera--of the sentiments; bhakta--devotees; yata--as many as there are; krsna--Lord Krsna; tara--by them; vasa--subdued.

TRANSLATION

Servitude [dasya], friendship [sakhya], parental affection [vatsalya] and conjugal love [srngara] are the four transcendental mellows [rasas]. By the devotees who cherish these four mellows, Lord Krsna is subdued.

PURPORT

Dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and srngara are the transcendental modes of loving service to the Lord. Santa-rasa, or the neutral stage, is not mentioned in this verse because although in santa-rasa one considers the Absolute Truth the sublime great, one does not go beyond that conception. Santa-rasa is a very grand idea for materialistic philosophers, but such idealistic appreciation is only the beginning; it is the lowest among the relationships in the spiritual world. Santa-rasa is not given much importance because as soon as there is a slight understanding between the knower and the known, active loving transcendental reciprocations and exchanges begin. Dasya-rasa is the basic relationship between Krsna and His devotees; therefore this verse considers dasya the first stage of transcendental devotional service.

TEXT 12

TEXT

dasa-sakha-pita-mata-kanta-gana lana
vraje krida kare krsna premavista hana

SYNONYMS

dasa--servants; sakha--friends; pita-mata--father and mother; kanta-gana--lovers; lana--taking; vraje--in Vraja; krida kare--plays; krsna--Lord Krsna; prema-avista--absorbed in love; hana--being.

TRANSLATION

Absorbed in such transcendental love, Lord Sri Krsna enjoys in Vraja with His devoted servants, friends, parents and conjugal lovers.

PURPORT

The descent of Sri Krsna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is very purposeful. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that one who knows the truth about Sri Krsna's descent and His various activities is at once liberated and does not have to fall again to this existence of birth and death after he leaves his present material body. In other words, one who factually understands Krsna makes his life perfect. Imperfect life is realized in material existence, in five different relationships we share with everyone within the material world: neutrality, servitorship, friendship, filial love, and amorous love between husband and wife or lover and beloved. These five enjoyable relationships within the material world are perverted reflections of relationships with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in the transcendental nature. That Absolute Personality, Sri Krsna, descends to revive the five eternally existing relationships. Thus He manifests His transcendental pastimes in Vraja so that people may be attracted into that sphere of activities and leave aside their imitation relationships with the mundane. Then, after fully exhibiting all such activities, the Lord disappears.

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Sri Rupa Manjari Pada

2007-11-14T16:06:00.001-08:00

Today is the Disapperance Day of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. In order to acknowledge his saranagati or surrender I present a bhajana of Narottama dasa Thakura.

This bhajana is a powerful example of Vaisnava literature. There are many variations that abound. If one wishes to do advanced research this is a respectable point of departure.

This is such a beautiful expression of spiritual emotion and service. I wish I could post an audio link that would be befitting it and Srila Prabhupada's stature while admitting my fraility in being able to make comment.

Sri Rupa Manjari Pada

The Feet of Sri Rupa Manjari(from Prarthana)
Narottama Dasa Thakura
1. sri-rupa-manjari-pada, sei mora sampada,sei mor bhajana-pujana
2. sei mora prana-dhana, sei mora abharana,sei mor jivanera jivana
3. sei mora rasa-nidhi, sei mora vancha-siddhi,sei mor vedera dharama
4. sei brata, sei tapa, sei mora mantra-japa,sei mor dharama-karama
5. anukula habe vidhi, se-pade hoibe siddhi,nirakhibo e dui nayane
6. se rupa-madhuri-rasi, prana-kuvalaya-sasi,praphullita habe nisi-dine
7. tuwa adarsana-ahi, garale jaralo dehi,ciro-dina tapita jivana
8. ha ha rupa koro doya, deho more pada-chaya,narottama loilo sarana

TRANSLATION

1) The lotus feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my treasure, my devotional service, and my object of worship.

2) They give my life meaning, and They are the life of my life.

3) They are the perfection of rasa, and they are perfection worthy of attainment. They are the very law of the Vedic scriptures for me.

4) They are the meaning of all my fasts and penances and my silent uttering of my mantras. They are the basis of religion and activities.

5) By the purifying process of favorable devotional service one will attain perfection and with these two eyes be able to see.

6) His transcendental form is shining like moonlight in my heart, and my heart therefore shines and reciprocates. In other words, the ordinary moon lights up the night, and its shine illuminates other objects; but the moon of the effulgence of the form of Sri Rupa Manjari shines into the heart and makes the heart also shine back to the spiritual sky. This moon shines not only in the nighttime, but day and night.

7) Your absence from my vision is like a dose of strong poison, and I will suffer till the end of my life.

8) Narottama Dasa Thakura says: "Please give me your mercy and the shade of your lotus feet."

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Sri Siksastakam

2007-11-12T16:09:00.001-08:00

Here are the Direct Orders from Mahaprabhu on how to conduct the Sankirtan Mission. The entire exposition on the Vedas are contained within. At the current zeitgeist I am only a huble bhakta but Harinama Cintanami ang Bhajana Rhasya by Bhaktivinoda Thakura and any nectar by Srila Prabhupada always aids a sincere sadhaka.

Sri Siksastakam

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most recent incarnation of Krsna. He appeared 500 years ago in Bengal and in the form of Krsna's devotee in the mood of Srimati Radharani. He left only 8 slokas (verses) of his instructions in writing, and they describe the glories of the Holy Names of the Lord and the mood one must have to chant and to be a devotee.

cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha--davagni-nirvapanamshreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanamanandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritaswadanamsarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam

Glory to the Sri-Krsna-Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktistatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalahetadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapidurdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragaha

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

trinad api sunichenataror api sahishnunaamanina manadenakirtaniyah sada harih

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

na dhanam na janam na sundarimkavitam va jagad-isha kamayemama janmani janmanishvarebhavatad bhaktir ahaituki twayi

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkarampatitam mam vishame bhavambudhaukripaya tava pada-pankaja-sthita-dhuli-sadrisham vichintaya

O son of Maharaja Nanda (Krsna), I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.

nayanam galad-ashru-dharayavadanam gadgada-ruddhaya girapulakair nichitam vapuh kadatava nama-grahane bhavishyati

O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?

yugayitam nimeshenachakshusha pravrishayitamshunyayitam jagat sarvamgovinda-virahena me

O Govinda! Feeling Your separations I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mamadarshanan marma-hatam karotu vayatha tatha va vidadhatu lampatomat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah

I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

All Glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

http://www.harekrishnatemple.com/bhakta/siksastakam.html

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Authorized Processes Of Bhakti

2007-11-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here below are extremely important items to memorize to clarify one's sadhana. The nine processes of Bhakti expand into 64 angas or branches. One needs to adopt one or all. This is more adequately described in the Nectar of Devotion.

Chapter 24 -The Nine Processes of Devotional Service

They are described by Prahlada Maharaja in the 7th Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam as follows:

To hear about Sri Visnu's transcendental name, His form, His characteristics, His possessions and His pastimes and to hear and chant about His pastimes, to remember them, to serve the lotus feet of the Lord, to respectfully offer service to the Lord, to offer prayers to the Lord, to become His servant, to consider the Lord one's best friend and to offer Him everything-these nine processes are recognized as pure devotional service.

1. HEARING (sravanam)Maharaja Pariksit(the last seven days of his life, he constantly heard the Srimad Bhagavatam).
2. CHANTING (kirtanam) Sukadeva Goswami(spoke the Bhagavatam to Maharaja Pariksit)
3. REMEMBERING( visnu smaranam)Prahlada Maharaja(never forgot Krsna despite constant tortures from his father- Hiranyakashipu)
4. SERVING THE LORD'S LOTUS FEET (pada sevanam)Laxmi, the Goddess of Fortune, is always engaged in serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
5. DEITY-WORSHIP (arcanam)Maharaja Prthu used all of his royal possessions in order to offer them in pure devotion to the Lord.
6.PRAYING (vandanam)Akura offered prayers to Krsna when he was traveling to Vrndavana in order to see Krsna.
7. EXECUTING ORDERS (dasyam)Hanuman, the intimate servant of Ramacandra executed all of Sri Ramacandra's orders despite all kinds of difficulties.
8. SERVING AS A FRIEND (sakhyam)Arjuna was so close to Krsna, that the Lord offered Himself to become his chariot driver and serve Arjuna and his brothers in various ways.
9. COMPLETE SURRENDER (atma nivedanam)Bali Maharaja gave Sri Vamanadeva his entire kingdom, his possessions as well as his own body, although his own spiritual master was against it.

Chapter 25 -The Nine Stages of Bhakti Yoga

The nine stages of Bhakti-yoga are described in the Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhva-lila, by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as follows:

"In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is inititated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes finally fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sadhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Krsna consciousness."

1. sraddha: faith
2. sadhu-sanga: association with devotees
3. bhajana-kriya: performance of devotional service
4. anartha nivrtti: decreasing of unwanted attachments
5. nistha: steadiness
6. ruci: taste
7. asakti: attachment
8. bhava: love
9. prema: pure love for Krsna

In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu the science of devotional sevice is explained as follows:
In the beginning stage there must be a preliminary desire for self-realization. This will lead one to the platform of desiring to associate with spiritually advanced persons. The next step is to become initiated by an authorized spiritual master and to perform devotional service under his guidance. Through the execution of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master, one will become free from all material attachments, achieves steadiness in self realization and finds taste in hearing about Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This taste leads one to further attachment in Krsna consciousness which is called bhava or the preliminary stage of pure love of Godhead. Pure love to the Lord is called prema or the supreme perfectional stage in life.

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Dandavats and Pranams to the Spiritual Master

2007-10-31T15:32:00.001-07:00

His Divine Grace Srila. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The folowing are excerpts from the Introduction of the Original Edition of Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Introduction

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
sri-caitanya-mano-'bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam
I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him. When will Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?

vande 'ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa-jivam sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krsna-caitanya-devam sri-radha-krsna-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and unto the feet of all Vaisnavas. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Gosvami along with his elder brother Sanatana Gosvami, as well as Raghunatha Dasa and Raghunatha Bhatta, Gopala Bhatta, and Srila Jiva Gosvami. I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Krsna Caitanya and Lord Nityananda along with Advaita Acarya, Gadadhara, Srivasa, and other associates. I offer my respectful obeisances to Srimati Radharani and Sri Krsna along with Their associates, Sri Lalita and Visakha.

A devotee is in a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five different ways:

One may be a devotee in a passive state;
One may be a devotee in an active state;
One may be a devotee as a friend;
One may be a devotee as a parent;
One may be a devotee as a conjugal lover.

Arjuna was in a relationship with the Lord as friend. Of course there is a gulf of difference between this friendship and the friendship found in the material world. This is transcendental friendship which cannot be had by everyone. Of course everyone has a particular relationship with the Lord, and that relationship is evoked by the perfection of devotional service. But in the present status of our life, we have not only forgotten the Supreme Lord, but we have forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord. Every living being, out of many, many billions and trillions of living beings, has a particular relationship with the Lord eternally. That is called svarupa. By the process of devotional service, one can revive that svarupa, and that stage is called svarupa-siddhi--perfection of one's constitutional position. So Arjuna was a devotee, and he was in touch with the Supreme Lord in friendship. How Arjuna accepted this Bhagavad-gita should be noted. His manner of acceptance is given in the Tenth Chapter:

(12) arjuna uvaca param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan purusam sasvatam divyam adi-devam ajam vibhum
(13) ahus tvam rsayah sarve devarsir naradas tatha asito devalo vyasah svayam caiva bravisi me
(14) sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi kesava na hi te bhagavan vyaktim vidur deva na danavah

"Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal Divine Person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and you are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages like Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. O Krsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the gods nor the demons, O Lord, know Thy personality." (Bg. 10.12-14).

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