Narottam Finds the Deity of Gaura

Nityananda Das was a disciple of Jahnava Mata, the divine consort of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Jahnava related to Nityananda Das many stories from the lives of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and their associates. On her order he compiled those stories into the book known as Prema-viläsa. The following is a translation excerpted from the 19th chapter.

One day in his home Narottam thought about installing a deity. That night Narottam saw in a dream the six deities of Gaurangga, Vallabhi Kanta, Sri Krishna, Vraja Mohana, Radha Kanta and Radha Ramana. Seeing those six dear deities the pleasure that Narottam received was beyond description. After seeing that dream Narottam woke and, sitting up, spent the rest of the night crying tears of joy.

When the night finished he performed his morning duties, and then began arranging for the deities to be carved. Stone was brought and artisans started carving those six deities with great devotion. The five Krishna deities were made beautifully, but although all due care was taken in the work, the deity of Gauranga was not made nicely. Seeing the deity of Mahaprabhu, Narottam became disheartened, and began calling out in a loud voice, “Gauranga, Gauranga,” and crying and crying.

Later, in a dream, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared before Narottam. In his dream Narottam saw Mahaprabhu sitting at his side. The Lord said gently: “My dear Narottam, listen carefully. With much care you are trying to carve a deity of Me, but I will never stay in this mürti. I will tell you how to obtain a deity of Me. Before I accepted sannyäsa I had a deity made of Myself which I had put into the Ganges. No one knows about this. But because you My dear devotee I am blessing youwith t his knowledge. That deity is now inside the rice storage house of Vipradas.” After saying this, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu disappeared.

Narottam awoke and saw that morning had arrived. After finishing his morning duties he began making inquiring from people as to the whereabouts of Vipradas. One person told him that Vipradas was a wealthy man who lived nearby. He said that Vipradas was doing business in large quantities of rice and other grains. Hearing this, Narottam went to the house of Vipradas.

When Vipradas saw that Narottam had arrived he offered his obeisances and inquired what had brought him to his home. Thakur Mahashay replied, “I have some special purpose to accomplish here. I want to go to where you store your grains.” Vipradas replied, “ O Mahashay, this is not possible to do. That is a fearful place with many kinds of snakes. As soon as they see a man they begin to hiss very loudly. Out of fear of those snakes no one can go near that place. For many days much grain has been laying there.” Narottam said, “Don’t worry. When I go there the snakes will all leave.”

After saying this, Narottam Mahashay went to that storage room. Immediately all the snakes left that place and then Narottam came out with a deity of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Seeing this, all of the people became surprised. From that time there was no more fear of snakes in that place, Vipradas became very happy. Vipradas came with his whole family and took shelter at the feet of Thakur Mahashay.

Obtaining that deity, Narottama brought Him to his house and installed Him. Seeing the beauty of that deity, everyone felt very blissful. Those who had previously seen Chaitanya Mahaprabhu verified that the deity looked exactly like Him.

Now allow me to tell a true story that happened some 10 years ago in South Africa. The father and the daughter who experienced this event told this story to my friend, a sannyasi and devotee of Lord Nrsimhadev. This stories was also found in the newspapers, and several witnesses of this truck-accident after this incident became devotees of Lord Nrsimhadev. This happened to a simple Vaishnava family that lives there. They had back then a 5 years old daughter. This girl was a great "fan of Nrsimhadev." She found Him simply funny, as He looked half-lion half-man and she felt very attracted to Him. She often told her playmates about her favorite God, a lion, and the kids always wondered about what kind of God this could be--a lion.

What can a five year old girl know about God? She wasn't initiated, not even her parents, as far as I can remember. The father of the family followed a guru and surely later accepted initiation. But there was a small Hindu-community they were in close touch with.

So, one day the girl was playing outside with her ball together with other kids, beside the street. The ball, how else could it be, fell on the street, and the girl ran after her precious ball. There was nearly no traffic, a rarely used country road. But this time a very fast truck came running down the road. The girl in her play didn't see the truck coming.

The father was in the first floor of the house and saw his baby girl running on the street. But he also saw the huge truck coming down, closer to his daughter with huge speed. The father yelled at her, but she didn't hear him. So he jumped out of the window of this first floor to save his daughter, and broke both his legs, when coming down, and remained laying on the ground in pain.

He had to watch how his little girl was hit by the truck and thrown through the air, some 20meter away. All children and neighbors around who observed this froze the blood. The father later said his only desire when he saw this was to die.

From the other direction came a police car that also witnessed the accident. The truck went on and the policeman stopped his car across the street to stop him. The truck-driver hardly stopped his truck and he seemed to be very drunk.The policeman immediately called the ambulance and ran over to the motionless laying girl in the grass.The closest hospital was a small private clinic. The ambulance came, but refused to take the girl, being afraid they wouldn't have the necessary devices and machines to help the injuries the girl must have. They advised the policeman to call the main hospital, as only they could efficiently help her, as her spine must be broken, etc. The policeman was in despair, not even knowing where the father of the girl was. Actually he didn't even know if the girl was still alive, as he didn't dare to touch her, not knowing how injured she was. However, in the end she was brought to a right hospital, the policeman accompanied the girl, and also finally the father was there.

The chief-doctor heard then what happened to the girl, and they immediately x-rayed her to see first results. The policeman wanted to rest assured how the girl was doing, and waited there to see the results. Everybody was shocked to hear what terrific accident had happened to the girl.

So the nurse brought the x-ray pictures to the doctor, who became very upset and started yelling at the nurse she should for-God's-sake bring the right pictures, things were about death and life! He threatened to fire her, as it was unacceptable to make such mistakes. The nurse was scared and didn't understand what was happening. Those were the pictures of the five year old girl that was hit by the truck. The nurse wasn't aware yet of what had happened to the girl.The doc said this cannot be, for on the x-ray there was not a single broken bone. So, the doc all the time again and again repeated "Impossible! It can't be."

Then suddenly the girl awoke from her faint and then told a story at full consciousness, which made its tour through the media.

In the moment she picked up the ball from the street, she saw the truck coming up to her. The only thing she could do was to yell out for help. She didn't call for mommy or daddy, but for her Nrsimhadev. In this moment when the truck should hit her, she suddenly saw how Nrisimhadev picked her up from the ground, smiled at her, and said, "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen to you." The girl continued her story that the Lord had put her on the other side of the street into the grass. But when putting her down, He accidentally scratched her waist, which still hurt her a bit.

She spoke about how beautiful Nrsimhadev was, His hair, His eyes, etc. But his claws were very sharp, He should cut the nails. He wore a golden dhotie, etc. The doctor didn't understand anything and told the policeman she still was in shock and hallucinated, which is normal.

So, the girl was profoundly checked for any injuries, but the only injury they found on her body were those scratches and the doctor said this must be from a wild animal like a lion, as he had cases like this before. So, he was disturbed and asked if they had brought the girl to hospital, as this one was inured by a wild animal, not a truck. Nobody was clear about what had happened. The same doctor and the nurse who took care of her later became devotees, as they later learned from the parent who "that lion" was.

As we can see miracles still today happen. Not only in Mahabharata, Puranas or shastras that are more than thousands of years old. The little girl was very attracted to this form of God, and in her despair she called Him for help. Lord Nrsimhadev did not look if she was initiated and have the right to call His name. He protects His devotees that sincerely worship Him in their hearts.

I am sure this litte girl was no common soul. Who knows what she did in her previous life? The sannyasi heard that she very much liked to eat sweets, and prepared a big plate full of sweets for her to rest assured she will not be able to eat it all up. He gave her the mounted plate of sweets, she took some of the sweets and ran out playing with her friends.

As soon as she was gone from the room, the sannyasi went over to that plate and took the rest, as for him, this was the best maha-prasad available! Who last time has met Lord Nrsimhadev? Narada Muni maybe?? The girl for sure, and she must be a great soul.

Radhanath Maharaja told me a very blissful story the other day and he said I could use it. So here goes! There was that Taj Hotel where the terrorists attacked. They were fighting in there for three days, complete carnage. The terrorists had arranged in such a way that they would always be up higher. They would shoot from a lower vantage point down. Radhanath Maharaja told me this. They had all these grenades and they would throw the grenades and the grenades would create so much smoke that if you were down looking up you couldn't see anything.

Picture that you are one of these soldiers or police officers and you are in this cloud of smoke and up above you there is this hail of bullets from the terrorists shooting at you. One of those soldiers was one of our devotees. At one point, they were trying to chase these people through the hotel. They are trapped. The terrorist were throwing all these grenades, they are in a complete cloud of smoke. They cannot see one foot in front of their face. They can't see left, right or anything and this hail of bullets is being fired at them. Just a wall of bullets coming at them.

This devotee police officer, with two other police officers on either side, he is in the middle, he actually was completely helpless. He couldn't see left, right, he couldn't see his colleagues. He remembered that he had on his ring tone on his phone Nrsimhadeva prayers. He began playing the Nrsimhadeva prayers and praying intently to Lord Nrsimhadeva, "Please I am absolutely helpless. I am going to die. Save me, in an absolutely hopeless state."

When the shooting stopped, the smoke cleared, his friend to the right and his friend to the left were completely killed, riddled with bullets, and he was unscathed. In front of him, which he couldn't see at the time, was a giant pillar. And because they were shooting at him the pillar protected him.

He thought, "Just as Lord Nrsimhadev came out of the pillar to save Prahlada He put a pillar here to save me!" So my point is, simple point, is if we have that faith, "Oh, how will I be taken care of?" Krishna will take care of you, don't worry. Let me give my life to the sankirtana movement.

from Srimad Bhagavatam class in Mayapur

On a warm December morning last year, around 11:00 a.m., as I sought the association of the magnificent Lord and prayed to His dear most devotee Prahlada, I found myself involved in one of His temple lilas (pastimes), much to my astonishment

After offering my obeisances to the captivating Prahlada, who stands next to his beloved Lord with his hands folded and his small body decorated with fresh fresh flowers and beautiful ornaments, I prayed, "My dear Prahlada, you are expert in receiving all kinds of blessings from Lord Nrsimhadev. You even received the blessings of forgiveness for you demoniac father, Hiranyakasipu. Please ask you Lord to bless this poor soul with the destruction of everything that stands in the way of her devotional service. Show me the way to real happiness."

Then, as I stood meditating on the Lord's beauty and mercy, I heard a very sweet, deep voice: "I want My eyes back!" At first, I ignored it and kept my mind in the mode of prayer. But the voice spoke a second time: "I want My eyes back!" Attempting again to disregard this clear message raised a burning and almost a painful sensation in my heart. I was dumbfounded. What was I to do? Then the voice continued: "Go to the pujari." Okay, I thought, I have nothing to lose. If the pujaris think I am crazy, I will at most lose a bit of my false ego.

Praying to the Lord to give me the strength to carry out His order, I paid my obeisances and almost breathlessly headed for the pujari rooms. There I found Jananivas Prabhu reading the Srimad Bhagavatam. The atmosphere in the room was extremely serene and otherworldly. I stood there for several minutes and waited for him to notice me. Then, after I told him what happened, he asked me to go see his twin brother, Pankajanghri Prabhu, the actual pujari of Lord Nrsimhadev.

Somehow I felt that I didn't have to do more at this point."

The following day, as I approached the magnificent form of Lord Nrsimhadev, my mind buzzed with doubt. "What if that voice was just my mind, demanding the healing of my eyesight, which has been very poor and painful for the past six week?"Thinking in this way, I prayed for an answer. The voice spoke to me again, this time with a more serious and firm tone: "You will get your eyes back when I get mine!" His form always emanates a soft light, and my heart felt peaceful and warm. I felt overwhelmed with unusual confidence, as if my head were touching the sky.

The next morning, at 2:20 a.m., I woke up fully refreshed and wide-awake. It was unusually early for me, as I usually get up around six O'clock. A soft voice urged me to rise, bathe and attend mangala-arati (early morning worship)-- which I did.

After the ceremony was over, the same voice urged me to follow Pankajanghri Prabhu from Lord Nrsimhadev's altar into the pujari room. I felt very embarrassed and had tears in my eyes. I also felt a kind of unwillingness in my heart to reveal my mind to him.

As he was preparing the articles for the Lord's abhisheka, I started to talk to him. Pankajanghri Prabhu listened attentively to my story. Then, without saying anything, he smiled and gave me maha sweets from Lord Nrsimhadev's plate.

The following morning, when my daughter returned from the temple, she was shouting, "Mommy, they changed Nrsimhadev's eyes! He has beautiful red eyes now." And as the sweet deep voice had promised, my eyesight was miraculously cured--within three days.

All glories, all glories to the merciful Lord Nrsimhadev in Sri Mayapur.

[Editor's note: Lord Nrsimhadev originally had red eyes. One day, a devotee came to Mayapur and offered two precious yellow stones for His eyes, and the pujaris reluctantly changed the eyes on the Deity. They felt happy when the Lord revealed that He wanted His original red eyes.]

Sri Nrsimhadev:

The Lord in His Most Terrific Form.

By Nandlal prabhu

Om namo bhagavate sri maha-Nrsimhaya/ damstra-karala-vadanaya/ ghora-rupaya vajra-nakhaya/ jvala-maline mama vighnan paca paca/ mama bhayan bhindi bhindi/ mama satrun vidravaya vidravaya mama/ sarva ristan prabhanjaya prabhanjaya/ chata chata, hana hana, chindi chindi/ mama sarvabhistan puraya puraya mam/ raksa raksa hum phat svaha

"O Nrsimhadeva, whose form is terrible by sharp and long teeth: who is very fearful to see with strong, large nails, and who is garlanded by flames--destroy, destroy my obstacles and kick out, kick out my fear. Scatter, scatter my enemies, destroy, destroy my karma. Flash, flash! Kill, kill! Cut, cut! Ever fulfill, fulfill my desire to serve You and protect, protect me and all around me."

Startling, isn't it--this maha-mantra of Lord Nrsimhadeva? For those who have had darsana of this Deity form here in Mayapur--especially at mangala-arati, when in the darkness of pre-dawn, His doors open to reveal His awesome form, illuminated by 200 oil lamps, that make His eyes and teeth glint in His lion-like face with a gaping mouth--they know that this description is no exaggeration. While inside the altar area, the pujari circles large lamps of bright flaming camphor and ghee. Outside, many devotees throng for a glimpse of their Lord, for they know that this auspicious arati will be over in just three or four minutes.

It is just before 5:00 a.m. The arati is over and the heavy wooden doors to Lord Nrsimhadeva's altar are closed.

I enter the Deity room, after offering prostrated obeisances and praying for the blessings of Srila Prabhupada and the assembled devotees. While standing before the Lord with folded hands, I recited the following prayer: "O Kesava, O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who has assumed the form of half-man, half-lion. All glories to you! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one's fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasp-like demon Hiranyakasipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful painted nails on Your beautiful lotus hands."

After cleaning the floor and sitting on a kusa-grass mat, the puja begins... The first thing I do is to purify the articles to be used, as well as the body and the mind. Then I meditate on my spiritual identity as different from the body, understanding myself to be the eternal servant of the servant of the Lord. Next comes my worship for my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, with sandalwood paste, flowers, incense, a ghee lamps, and some food. I then ask for his permission to assist in the worship of Lord Nrsimhadeva. Repeating the same procedure for Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Prahlada Maharaja, I begin to offer 16 items of worship through mantras--through the medium of water--to Lord Nrsimhadeva.

I touch my head to the lotus feet of the deity of Sri Prahlada Maharaja, praying for his blessings. "It was only to relieve the distress brought to you by your demoniac father Hiranyakasipu, that the Supreme Lord appeared in His wonderful form of Lord Nrsimhadeva. O Sri Prahlada Maharaja, you are one of the twelve mahajanas, or great authorities of devotional service. Kindly bless me with the understanding of spiritual truths."

On the altar of Lord Nrsimhadeva are 60 salagrama-silas. I remove Them to offer abhiseka. The big sila in the center who wears a crown is a Nrsimha saligram.

Although it is a scriptural injunction that one should touch one's head to the feet of the Deity, it's not always possible or practical. Therefore, we bring out the satari, the Deity's shoes, mounted on what looks like a helmet, and place it over the heads of the devotees. One of the benedictions of being a pujari is that he can place his head directly on the Lord's lotus feet. Receiving this benediction and begging forgiveness for any inconvenience I may cause Him, I undress the Lord and wipe His body with a soft, damp towel. His body begins to shine when I massage it with cooling oils like sandalwood or khus. His form is exquisite, slender and perfectly formed. He looks powerful but also graceful. The Lord's knees are bent, ready to spring, and around His hips is an engraved girdle, bearing a face with large cheeks, open mouth and a protruding tongue. His navel is deep and his chest is broad. Lord Nrsimhadeva's transcendental body is smooth, soft to the touch, and very much appealing to the eye. He is bedecked with bracelets and other ornaments. The Lord has eight arms. In six hands He holds a sword, lotus flower, disc, conch, club and shield, and to keep the promise of Brahma, His two front hands yield no weapons.

The Lord cannot bear any intolerance against His devotees. It is said that the face is the index of the mind. If this proves to be true, then we can see how furious Lord Nrsimhadeva must have been when He burst out from the pillar to attack the greatest of all demons, Hiranyakasipu, who tried to kill the Lord's pure devotee, Prahlada. "His angry eyes resembled molten gold, and His shining mane expanded the dimensions of His fearful face. His deadly teeth and His razor sharp tongue moved about like a dueling sword. His ears were erect and motionless, and His nostrils and gaping mouth appeared like caves of a mountain. His jaws parted fearfully and His entire body touched the sky." When it was decided to bring a Deity of Lord Nrsimhadeva to Mayapur for the protection of the devotees and the temple, three of the main pujaris were called by the managers to discuss the importance of establishing this Deity. However, when it came to the point of who would peform daily puja, no one was willing to step forward. "After such a long waiting period, the Deity is finally ready, and now nobody wants to worship Him!" Their concern was obvious. And then I was singled out...."Why don't you want to worship Him?" I was asked. "I'm too scared," I replied. They intimated me: "Oh, you probably don't follow the four regulative principles...." "Of course, but..."

Fortunately, our fears were allayed by Atma-tattva Prabhu, who had procured the Deity in South India. He told us that first, even the sthapati refused to make such a Deity, saying that nobody worships this sthanu form of Nrsimhadeva [the ferocious form of the Lord when He stepped out fo the pillar to Kill Hiranyakasipu]. Generally one goes before the Deity of the Lord to ask for some benediction, but to ask for something when He is shaking with fury--just wouldn't be a smart thing to do. It is certainly better to go for a more pacified form, e.g. after He has killed Hiranyakasipu. But later, when the stapati found out that it was for Mayapur Dhama, he agreed, because any deity brought to the dhama takes on the mood of the presiding deity of the dhama. In this case it is audarya, "benevolence," the mood of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Gaura-Hari!

"Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs. Similarly, although very ferocious to non-devotees like Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadeva is very, very gentle and kind to His devotees like Prahlada Maharaja."

While dressing the Lord and remembering His mercy, I am thinking how some people misunderstand our purpose of worshiping Lord Nrsimha. Sometimes devotees say that worship of Nrsimhadeva is Vaikuntha-bhava, and it cannot take one to Goloka Vrindavana, the Lord's supreme and most intimate abode. But Lord Nrsimhadeva is partucularly inclined towards the devotees of Radha and Krishna. He is Krishna Himself, appearing especially in this form to reciprocate with our desire to remove all the obstacles in our devotional service. If one can always raise his hands and call out with great love the names of Nitai-Gaura and Radha-Madhava, that is wonderful. But if there is something in your heart that is stopping you from that spontaneous call, why not go in all humility before Lord Nrsimhadeva and pray that with His sharp nails, He may pierce those crooked desires in your heart and throw them far away... This is His main function. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura writes: "Therefore, I will pray at the feet of Lord Nrsimhadeva to purify my heart and give me the desire to serve Krishna. Weeping, I will beg at the lotus feet of Nrsimha that I may worship Sri Sri Radha and Krishna in Navadvip Dhama, free from all obstacles." His prayers continue: "At that moment, by Lord Nrsimhadeva's mercy, I will exhibit symptoms of ecstatic love for Radha and Krishna, and I will roll on the ground by the door of Lord Nrsimhadeva's temple."

Didn't Lord Caitanya reveal His divinity to Srivasa Thakura while Srivasa was worshipping his Nrsimha Deity, by saying: "Srivasa, don't you know that I am the same person whom you are worshipping behind those closed doors?" And what about Advaita Acarya, whose offerings of tulasi buds and Ganga water, along with His loud calling, caused the Lord to descend, it is said that He worshipped a Nrsimha Salagram!

I now begin putting ornaments on the Lord's body. I adjust Sri Nrsimhadeva's necklaces, so they hang symmetrically; tie shining bracelets on His wrist, and fix beautiful rings on His lotus fingers. "I am so close to you, oh Lord, and yet so far away. When will I become a devotee?" Prahlada, your foremost bhakta, is indicating that he is not afraid of Your ferocious mouth and tongue; Your eyes as bright as the sun, and Your frowning eyebrows. He fears not Your sharp, pinching teeth, your garland of intestines, and Your mane soaked with blood, nor Your tumultuous roaring, which makes elephants flee; nor Your nails meant for killing your enemies. However, he says, "I'm very much afraid of my condition of life within this material world. When will that moment come when You will call me to the shelter of Your lotus feet?" I know Sri Prahlada was saying that last point only for our benefit, for he was always completely surrendered unto You.

One time, I also felt surrendered unto You--at least for a few minutes. That was during the big flood in 1987. While offering You puja, standing waist deep in water, a big, frightening snake swam in the temple, passing behind You. It stopped about five feet in front of me, finding its exit blocked. After examining me for some long moments, it dipped down, out of sight, in the muddy Ganga water. Feeling myself in imminent danger, I noticed the hair on my arms standing on end, with no weapon to defend myself, nor the ability to run away, I felt very insecure. In such a helpless condition, I turned to You, oh Lord, and I knew that my fate was completely in Your hands. "You are the Supersoul in everyone's heart. If You want that snake to bite me, it will bite--if You don't, it won't. Let me continue my service; the result is dependent on You." Then, I became peaceful again, feeling the safety of Your shelter.

I finished the morning puja, but I couldn't stop thinking about the incident. It reminded me of the description by Lord Kapila of the babies in the womb. In their helpless and painful condition, they get the darshan of Paramatma, the Lord in the heart. If they are pious, they pray that if He relieves them from their suffering condition, they would--after being relieved from the womb--exclusively worship Him. But as soon as they're out and in good shape, they forget everything. Still, I have great hope that one day I'll be able to serve You nicely for Your pleasure. By the way, as long as the temple room was filled with water from the flood, the snake would come every day, circumambulate the Deity once, and then go out. Who knows who that snake actually was?

Covering His body with fresh garlands of flowers and tulasi, offering sandalwood paste, mixed with fragrant flowers and tulsi leaves to His lotus feet (which symbolizes sacrificing everything to the Lord), the morning puja is now complete. Hearing the devotees gathering outside makes me hurry--it's time for darshan. I blow the conch three times and open the doors to reveal the resplendent Lord. Jaya Sri Prahlada Nrsimhadeva! The devotees bow down, happy to see their Ugra Nrsimha again. In their hearts they know that He is not really as ugra as He looks.

“In my heart reside duplicity, insincerity, the desire for fame, and the six enemies: lust, anger, envy, fear, illusion and intoxication. Therefore I will pray at the feet of Lord Nrsimha to purify my heart and give me the desire to serve Krishna.

“Weeping I will beg Lord Nrsimha that I may worship Radha-Madhava in Navadvip, free from obstacles. Although this form of the Lord is terrible for the evil, He is exceedingly auspicious for the devotees headed by Prahlada. When will Lord Nrsiimha become pleased to mercifully speak to me, a worthless fool, and remove my fears?

'Dear child, stay here happily in Gaura Dham. Worship Radha-Madhava, and develop attraction for the holy name. By the mercy of My devotees, all obstacles are transcended.' After speaking like this, when will that Lord joyfully place His feet upon my head? At that moment, by Lord Nrsimha's mercy, I will exhibit symptoms of ecstatic love for Radha and Krishna, and will roll on the ground by the door of Lord Nrsimha's temple.”

--Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur (Navadvipa-bhava-taranga)

Srimati Radharani is the eternal consort of Lord Krishna. Five thousand years ago, when Lord Krishna came to this planet to perform His pastimes, Srimati Radharani also appeared. The following is adapted from a lecture by His Holiness Varshana Swami:

“On a half-moon night in the month of Bhadra, King Vrishabhanu came to the Jamuna to bathe and found himself engulfed in a golden aura, the golden aura of pure love. It was emanating from a lotus, which had a baby girl standing on its whorl. When the king returned to the palace with the baby, Queen Kirtida was delighted. She was also shocked that the girl was blind.

“Lord Krishna’s mother, Yashoda, heard that her best friend Kirtida had a baby, so she came to visit along with her husband and her son. Krishna crawled up to the cradle and pulled Himself up and looked in. At that moment, Srimati Radharani’s eyes fluttered and opened wide and blossomed like lotuses. It seems that she did not want to see anything of this world, only the form of Sri Krishna. Everyone was delighted.

“Srimati Radharani is the mother of the universe, the spiritual mother of all souls. And the concept of mother is the most sacred symbol—that of purity, selflessness, caring, sharing, nurturing, and love. That is why our sacred mantra is the holy names. It is the holy names in the vocative. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

“‘Hare’ means ‘Radhe.’ It is a plaintive, desperate cry for the mother. ‘Radhe! Please wake us up from this nightmare of mortal life! Remind us of the father we have forgotten and take us home!’”

In the Krishna consciousness movement, devotees carefully worship Srimati Radharani as the bestower of devotional service to Krishna, by attentively chanting her name in the maha-mantra, by worshiping her deity form, and by following the instructions of the most merciful Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the combined form of Radha and Krishna.
“(Therefore) Radha is parama-devata, the supreme goddess, and She is worshipable for everyone. She is the protectress of all, and She is the mother of the entire universe.” —Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi 4.89

CHANTING YOUR NAME IS THE ONLY REMEDY.........

THINKING OF YOU IS THE ONLY WAY............

TO MEET YOU MY LORD...THE SCRIPTURES SAY........

SERVING YOUR LOTUS FEET SHOULD BE ONLY THE AIM.....

THINKING OF YOUR PASTIMES...WITH INTENSE LOVE.

SEEING YOU EVERYWHERE BELOW AND ABOVE.......

THOUSANDS OF CUPID SERVE YOUR LOTUS FEET....

YOU ARE INDEED BEAUTY PERSONIFIED.....

SAYS YOUR SERVANT KAMAL NAYAN ...ATTAINED YOU WHOEVER IN YOUR LOVE CRIED.........

I get a lot of amazing e-mails from a devotee in South Africa, MotherCheron. Sometimes I don't have the time to read them, and many of them remain unopened, or half read, as I go off to study or chant my rounds or cook etc. But the heading of this e-mail 'Attract Krsna'smercy!!!" really got my attention, and not just because of the three exclamation points (although that certainly contributed!) After all, isn't that one of our important goals in Krsna Consciousness, to attract Krsna's attention and mercy? I have heard Bhakti CaitanyaSwami say several times in class that when we go before the deities, it is not so that we can see Krsna, it is so that Krsna can see us, and see what we have done to increase our love and devotion for Him. In this excerpt from Kadamba Kanana Swami's class, he tells us how we can attract Krsna's mercy, and when we next stand before Krsna andSrimati Radharani, maybe Krsna will take special notice of us because we have made an extra endeavour to do things with more love and devotion.

The deities of Syamananda Pandita in Vrindavana, Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara, are among my favourite deities in Vraja. This deity is said to be manifested from Srimati Radharanis own heart. Krsna has the most enchanting smile and He is always, always beautifully and opulently adorned.
The last time I was in Vrindavana during Kartik I would make a trip everyday to this temple after the morning program at the Krsna-Balarama mandir ended. Here I would spend an hour or two chanting extra rounds or reading, before heading off to the Radha-Damodara temple just a short walk away.
It's special being there on any ordinary day, but during Kartik, its extra-special. Radha-Shyamasundara, specifically Shyamasundara, is dressed according to His different pastimes - one day He is dressed as a female bangle seller, fully equipped with a basket of sparkly bangles on His head, another day He is dressed as a mendicant devotee of Shiva, with snakes around His neck and arms, and yet another He is disguised as a gopi or demigoddess. There were some days when I wasn't sure what the pastime was exactly (my understanding of Hindi is sketchy at best), but still, it was sweet to have Their darshan.
The devotees have done a great job with the temple website , where you can read about the history of the deities and have Their darshan. Below is a photo of Shyamasundara taken during Candana yatra

Dear Lord, when You appear in Your different incarnations, You take different names and forms according to different situations. Lord Krsna is Your name because You are all attractive; You are called Syamasundara because of Your transcendental beauty. Syama means blackish, yet they say that You are more beautiful than thousands of Cupids. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniya. Although You appear in a color which is compared to the blackish cloud, because You are transcendental Absolute, Your beauty is many many times more attractive than the delicate body of Cupid"
~Krsna Book

Once a sincere young couple visited Srila Gaurakisora Das Babaji maharaj and asked for instructions in how to progress in spiritual life. Babaji Maharaj seeing their sincerity blessed them with instructions in spiritual life. He told the husband that he should cook for his wife, serve her prasadam, and only eat after she is satisfied. This was an incredibly revolutionary statement given that cooking for her husband, serving him, and only eating after he has eaten is practically the main duty of a wife within the Vedic context. And this was in the early 1900’s when the culture of India was still very conservative in regards to traditional roles for men and women.

For a man to make tangible spiritual progress he must be able to see all women, including his wife as a spirit soul, part and parcel of Krishna, meant for Krishna’s enjoyment and not for his own enjoyment.

So for anyone interested in making spiritual advancement everyday should be mothers day.

Happy Mothers Day! I don't think there should be only one out of 365 days in honor of a person who gives so selflessly, who works so tirelessly, who loves so unconditionally. 

Since giving birth to our daughter Vaishali Sundari 4 and a half months ago, I have a new appreciation and understanding of what my own mother has felt for me since before I was born, and for what she has done since. 

And now, as a new mother, I am tired, sleep-deprived and slightly neurotic, but I am also overjoyed and honored (and a little scared, truth be told) that Krsna has given me my own little Vaisnavi to raise.

When sleep forsook my open eye, 
Who was it sung sweet hushaby, 
And rock'd me that I should not cry? 
My Mother.

Who sat and watch'd my infant head, 
When sleeping on my cradle bed, 
And tears of sweet affection shed? 
My Mother.

When pain and sickness made me cry, 
Who gaz'd upon my heavy eye, 
And wept, for fear that I should die? 
My Mother.

Who drest my doll in clothes so gay, 
And taught me pretty how to play, 
And minded all I had to say? 
My Mother.

Who ran to help me when I fell, 
And would some pretty story tell, 
Or kiss the place to make it well? 
My Mother.

Who taught my infant lips to pray, 
And love God's holy book and day, 
And walk in wisdom's pleasant way? 
My Mother.

And can I ever cease to be 
Affectionate and kind to thee, 
Who wast so very kind to me, 
My Mother.

Ah! no, the thought I cannot bear; 
And if God please my life to spare, 
I hope I shall reward thy care, 
My Mother.

When thou art feeble, old, and gray, 
My healthy arm shall be thy stay, 
And I will soothe thy pains away, 
My Mother.

And when I see thee hang thy head, 
'Twill be my turn to watch thy bed, 
And tears of sweet affection shed, 
My Mother.

:

Srila Prabhupada said "Love is action in freedom" -- we must be free from lust, greed, envy, ambition. If we are controlled by these things, we cannot express love. The love of the mother fro child is closest we experience of unconditional love, of love in humility - because it is selfless. This is the focus of our whole culture. To love selflessly. For example, the disciple patiently sits, accepts the discipline of the spiritual master, humbly serves him, and serves one's godbrothers and godsisters. We must rid ourselves of selfishness, as a mother does when she serves her child, if we are to experience the fulfillment of our desire to love and be loved.

By the mystic power of Narada Muni, the living entity reentered his dead body for a short time and spoke in reply to NaradaMuni's request. He said: According to the results of my fruitiveactivities, I, the living being, transmigrate from one body to another, sometimes going to the species of the demigods, sometimes to the species of lower animals, sometimes among the vegetables, and sometimes to the human species. Therefore, in which birth were these my mother and father? No one is actually my mother and father. How can I accept these two people as my parents?" (Bhag. 6.16.4)