Jai Radhe
Jai Gaur
Just came across this beautiful information and wanted to share it will all Gaur Bhakta Vrinda.
In the shakti temples special puja was offered during navratri from time immemorable, however once sachinandan set his foot on utkal desh, just like many new festivities of radha and krishna started in Puri so started the Gosani puja or modern day Saradiya Durga Puja (Autumnal Durga Puja). The speciality of Durga Puja in utkal desh is here durga devi is worshiped along with jagannath. So how did it all started:
Once when Gauranga Mahaprabhu visited Cuttack (the then capital of Odisha - Capital of Maharaja Prataprudra) he left behind one of his associate to start regular worship of radha krishna, the temple was named sri sri binod behari mandir. The temple is still present at Balu Bazar Cuttack. In the same temple somewhere between 1512-1517 CE, Mahaprabhu started the worship of Devi Durga. The worship is still going on non stop by the family of lord Gaurangas associate and is said to be the parent of all Saradiya Durga Puja in Odisha, says present day seva adhikari Akshay Kumar Banerjee.
Such nice fact, right??
I only get pained to see that sometimes, some Neo Gaudiya Vaishnav institution without understanding this facts looks down upon demi god worship. Demi god worship with yugal prasadi naivedya for yugal bhakti is something which has been illustrated by our previous acharyas and lord himself.
Replies
Bs 5.3 — The whorl of that transcendental lotus is the realm wherein dwells Kṛṣṇa. It is a hexagonal figure, the abode of the indwelling predominated and predominating aspect of the Absolute. Like a diamond the central supporting figure of self-luminous Kṛṣṇa stands as the transcendental source of all potencies. The holy name consisting of eighteen transcendental letters is manifested in a hexagonal figure with sixfold divisions.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
In these two verse the author describes the primary place of the great eighteen-syllable mantra, which is worshipped by all other mantras. The yantra pattern described here is worthy of the most respectful worship. The pattern is described as a hexagon eclipsing the bija-syllable (klim) inscribed in a diamond (vajra-kilakam). The word “ca” indicates the four (catur) other words of the mantra also written in diamond around the bija-syllable. In this way the six words of the mantra are inscribed on the six parts of the hexagon.
The word “prakrti” indicates the place where the mantra is written. Because Shri Krishna is its creator, that prakrti is also Shri Krishna Himself. The word “purusa” indicates Shri Krishna in His aspect as the supreme controller. Both “prakrti” and “purusa” are this situated within the hexagon. Shri Krishna may be considered in four ways:
1. as the origin of the mantra;
2. as the syllables of the mantra;
3. as the supreme controller;
4. as the ultimate object of worship.
Shri Krishna’s nature as the origin of the mantra and the supreme controller have already been described here. Shri Krishna position as the supreme controller was described in the first verse of this Brahma-samhita in the words “isvarah paramah krishnah”. Lord Krishna’s identity as the syllables of the mantra will be described later in the Brahma-samhita in the words “kamah krishnaya”. Shri Krishna’s identity with the sacred mantra is also explained in the following words of the Hayasirsa-pancaratra:
“The wise know there is no difference between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the mantras that contain His holy name. There is no difference between the Supreme Person and His holy name.”
This is confirmed by the following words of Gopala-tapani Upanisad (1.16):
“Although originally one, air becomes the five life-airs in the bodies of all living entities. In the same way Lord Krishna becomes this five-word mantra.”
Sometimes Goddess Durga is also described as the supreme controller. This is also correct because there is no difference between the potencies and Lord Krishna, the master of all potencies. This is confirmed by the following words of the Gautamiya Tantra:
“Krishna is Durga. Durga is Krishna. One who sees that they are different will not become liberated from the cycle of repeated birth and death.”
Durga is the personal potency of Lord Krishna, and therefore she is Lord Krishna Himself. For this reason Durga should not be considered manifested from a portion of the Lord’s illusory potency Maya. This fact is confirmed by the following statement of the Nirukti:
“Even if one continually worships her, Durga is still difficult to understand.”
Durga is also described in Narada-pancaratra, in the following conversation of Sruti and Vidya:
“Durga is the supreme goddess. She is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. She is the transcendental potency of the Lord. She is manifested from the form of Lord Maha-Vishnu.
“Simply by understanding her one immediately attains the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not otherwise.”
“She is identical with Gokula’s queen Shri Radha, who possesses a great treasure of love for Krishna. By her grace the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all living entities, is easily understood.”
“She is the potency of personified devotional service. She worships Her beloved Supreme Lord. Because She is understood only with great difficulty, the saintly devotees call her “durga” (difficult to understand). She is the personal potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and she is always filled with the nectar of love for Him.”
“From her is manifested the maha-maya potency, the controller of all conditioned souls, who covers them with illusion. By this maha-maya potency the residents of the entire world are bewildered into thinking themselves identical with their external material bodies.”
In the Sammohana Tantra, Durga herself declares:
“I am Durga. I possess all virtues. I am not different from Shri Radha, the eternal, supreme goddess of fortune.”
In this way the word “durga” is explained. In this verse of Brahma-samhita the words “premananda” and “mahananda” refer to the fullest development of transcendental bliss. “Jyoti-rupena” means “self-manifested”, and “manuna” means “by the mantra”. The mantra is accompanied by the bija-syllable (kama-bijena sangatam). The kama-bija syllable in this mantra elaborately described in another passage where the independence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained.
Activities of the Lord and His pure devotees are difficult to understand for ordinary humans.
The interpretations of transcendental activities are mainly speculated along the world,
because people have been led by unqualified religious preachers.
Mother Gurga is perfectly qualified to be on altar with Jaganath :
SB 10.4.13 — After speaking to Kaṁsa in this way, the goddess Durgā, Yoga-māyā, appeared in different places, such as Vārāṇasī, and became celebrated by different names, such as Annapūrṇā, Durgā, Kālī and Bhadrā
.
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Anyway, lets back on the subject and see whats the reason of such Lord Caitanyas lilas with mother Durga :
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CC Ādi 4.30 — “Neither the gopīs nor I shall notice this, for our minds will always be entranced by one another’s beauty and qualities
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Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted that His rasa lila with Gopis sentimentally and emotionally encreases.
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Jai Radhe Dean ji
Dandavat
Completely agree with you. So that fallen soul like us get the gift of krishna bhakti, for that sole purpose Lord Gauranga and Lord Nityananda has shown the path of Yogamaya worship/appeasement with Krishna prasad .
Your Servant
Satyananda Das
There are different modes of worship for different persons desiring success in particular subjects. The conditioned soul living within the purview of the material world cannot be an expert in every type of materially enjoyable asset, but one can have considerable influence over a particular matter by worshiping a particular demigod, as mentioned above. Rāvaṇa was made a very powerful man by worshiping Lord Śiva, and he used to offer severed heads to please Lord Śiva. He became so powerful by the grace of Lord Śiva that all the demigods were afraid of him, until he at last challenged the Personality of Godhead Śrī Rāmacandra and thus ruined himself. In other words, all such persons who aspire after gaining some or all of the material objects of enjoyment, or the gross materialistic persons, are on the whole less intelligent, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20). It is said there that those who are bereft of all good sense, or those whose intelligence is withdrawn by the deluding energy of māyā, aspire to achieve all sorts of material enjoyment in life by pleasing the various demigods, or by advancing in material civilization under the heading of scientific progress. The real problem of life in the material world is to solve the question of birth, death, old age and disease. No one wants to change his birthright, no one wants to meet death, no one wants to be old or invalid, and no one wants diseases. But these problems are solved neither by the grace of any demigod nor by the so-called advancement of material science. In the Bhagavad-gītā, as well as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, such less intelligent persons have been described as devoid of all good sense. Śukadeva Gosvāmī said that out of the 8,400,000 species of living entities, the human form of life is rare and valuable, and out of those rare human beings those who are conscious of the material problems are rarer still, and the still more rare persons are those who are conscious of the value of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which contains the messages of the Lord and His pure devotees. Death is inevitable for everyone, intelligent or foolish. But Parīkṣit Mahārāja has been addressed by the Gosvāmī as themanīṣī, or the man of highly developed mind, because at the time of death he left all material enjoyment and completely surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord by hearing His messages from the right person, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. But aspirations for material enjoyment by endeavoring persons are condemned. Such aspirations are something like the intoxication of the degraded human society. Intelligent persons should try to avoid these aspirations and seek instead the permanent life by returning home, back to Godhead.
jai Radhe Shravn Ji
Dandavat
Can you please explain me , why have you copy pasted a Srimad Bhagawatam interpretation by Srila Swami Maharaj. when i have stated of historical information of lord gauranga himself starting Durga Puja in Odisha.
Please explain me with your great intelligence your intention of the CUT COPY PASTE activity.
Your servant
Satyananda Das
Hare Krsna Prabhu,
PAMHO.
The pastime you have mentioned - please can you state the scriptural basis - where is mentioned - in Chaitanya Bhagwata, Chaitanya Charitamrta or Chaitanya Mangala?
When I visited Govardhan, one small temple (there are so many dotted along the path), the priest there said that the birth of Lord Krsna actually happened at that very spot. When I tried to ask him howcome lord appeared in Govardhana when the scriptures say Mathura, he had no answer.
THere are so many stories that way - without scriptural basis, we would not like to comment.
Whatever scriptures we know (Gita & Srimad Bhagawatam), state that people worship demigods to get material boons, whereas the same boons and much more can be attained by worshipping God.
Another point - Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura was in Puri extensively and was a pioneer in doing research and establishing the places of exact pastimes of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He would not have missed such an important event, its my opinion.
We are also in parampara and find it slightly difficult to accept what is not mentioned in scriptures or by our acharyas.
THe pastime you have mentioned is not of reciprocation due to intense desire of one devotee, like so many Krsna pastimes (which we believe), it is like a separate paramapara itself.
I hope you understand now.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Jai Radhe Rashmiji
Dandavat
The information I got is from a proper bonafide parampara (which we Gaudiya vaishnav accept - not like some dream initiated or mushrooming Gurus or Math and Institutes).
And Mahaprabhu visiting cuttuck and starting and visiting Binod Behari temple time and again is mentioned in both Chaitanya Mangal and Chaitanya Bhagabat in the as it is format (i am not sure whether it exists in the ISKCON format or the one you could get hold of or not).
Thirdly Mahaprabhu starting Durga Puja is even acknowledged by Govt of Orissa, i have seen that in their website. (http://odisha.gov.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/2012/oct/engpdf/21-22.pdf)
Fourthly, with the study of shastra bhagawat gita, srimad bhagwatam (with its as-it-is purports by sampradaya acharyas like Prabhupad Radha Gobinda Goswami Maharaj) i have found that Krishna and his other incarnations like Rama has time and again approached his potencies Yogamaya and Mahamaya with what we materialistically call worship. And if Lord Gauranga has done it again I am not surprised. (as for matter of fact Lord Nityananda used to worship Devi Tripureswari in yantra -which is still present in Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar Temple, Khardah, Westbengal -the hometown of Lord Nityananda).
So as you know Rashmiji, "Yad Yad acharati sresthaya....." so demigod worship with krishna prasad is just following the param srestha (Krishna's) acharan.
Hope I am able to reply to your concerns.
Your Servant
Satyananda Das