A beautiful cake resembling the Temple of Vedic Planetarium was offered to Srila Prabhupada yesterday in Iskcon Los Angeles!

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30828

Vyasa Puja Reply

Letter to: Devotees
Los Angeles
26 August, 1972
72-08-26

My dear beloved Children,

Please accept my blessings. I am so much pleased with your kind and affectionate words on the occasion of my birthday anniversary on the Nandotsava day this year (1972). My Guru Maharaja wanted me to spread this Krishna Consciousness Movement in western world, and you are all helping in this great attempt.

My Spiritual Master knew it that alone I could not do this great work. Therefore He has very kindly sent you all to help me in this task. I accept you therefore as representatives of my Guru Maharaja playing as my affectionate disciples.

It is said that child is father of man. Kindly therefore continue your help in this great task and act as my young father and mother in my old age. I am

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS

Source : https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/08/26/letter-by-srila-prabhupada-to-his-disciples/

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagvatam 10.2.31 for the morning class on Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja day.

“In Srila Prabhupada’s initiation letter to me he wrote, ‘I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may be aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.’

“The pure devotee prays to Krishna to give mercy to the fortunate conditioned soul. And because Krishna isbhakta-vatsala—affectionate and favorably inclined to His devotees—He fulfills their desires. Within the heart He encourages the candidate—the object of the devotee’s mercy—to appreciate the value of Krishna consciousness and accept the process of devotional service.”

Source : http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=11345

Rising like waves from material association, these bad effects mass into a great ocean of misery.

PURPORT

The deluding potency, māyā, is the Lord's own energy and can thus overcome even a powerful sage. As Lord Kapila declares, "Among all kinds of living entities begotten by Brahmā, namely men, demigods, and animals, none but the sage Nārāyaṇa is immune to the attraction of māyā in the form of a woman" (Bhāg. 3.31.37). One should not flirt with māyā, thinking that one can transgress a little and then pull back later if it gets too rough. Until we are completely liberated we maintain seeds of destruction within us, and we should not allow them to grow by bad association.

Once Śrīla Prabhupāda learned that some of his initiated disciples had indulged in their former habits of smoking marijuana. Prabhupāda said that this was due to bad association, and he gave the example of bedbugs. During winter, bedbugs seem to disappear from your bed, but in due time they emerge and again bite you and grow fat on your blood. Similarly, a transcendentalist's kāma may seem to be entirely subdued, but it is actually present in a very reduced state. If given a fresh opportunity, his material desires will strike again. On another occasion, Śrīla Prabhupāda referred to "hippy seeds." Having noticed one of his brahmacārī disciples with long hair, he said the disciple's old hippy tendencies were now sprouting in the form of long hair.

So it is good to be afraid of even a little bad association and avoid it at all costs. But one may question whether this attitude is at odds with the compassionate mood of the preacher. If the preacher associates with materialists, won't he become like them? The answer is that a preacher must be strong in his Kṛṣṇaconsciousness to prevent becoming contaminated. If he follows the rules and regulations of bhakti-yoga — including association with devotees, chanting and hearing the Lord's glories, avoiding sense gratification, and so on — then he will be able to preach without falling down. Acting as the spiritual master of Lord Caitanya, Īśvara Purī gave him instructions that in truth are directed at us: "My dear child, continue dancing, chanting, and performing sańkīrtana in association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of chanting kṛṣṇa-nāma, for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls" (Cc. Ādi 7.92). Similarly, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed his disciples to be compassionate preachers:

One who is not very expert in preaching may chant in a secluded place, avoiding bad association, but for one who is actually advanced, preaching and meeting people who are not engaged in devotional service are not disadvantages. A devotee gives the nondevotees his association but is not affected by their misbehavior. Thus by the activities of a pure devotee even those who are bereft of love of Godhead get a chance to become devotees of the Lord one day. [Cc. Ādi 7.92, purport]

Śrīla Prabhupāda sometimes told the following story to illustrate how one may mix with nondevotees and yet keep one's devotional integrity:

Once a crocodile invited a monkey in a tree to come and ride on his back. The foolish monkey jumped down from the tree and soon found himself clinging to the crocodile's back in the middle of the river.

The monkey asked the crocodile, "Where are we going?"

The crocodile replied, "I'm going to take you home, where my wife will cut out your heart and we will eat you for lunch!"

The monkey replied, "But I left my heart back on shore in the tree. Will you please let me get it?"

The crocodile thought this was a good proposal and allowed the monkey to touch shore. But the monkey jumped into his tree and refused to accept further invitations from the crocodile.

The moral of this story: You may associate with the nondevotee, but don't give him your heart.

Preachers living in ISKCON temples follow this advice daily. They rise early and gather for mańgala-ārati before the temple Deities, chant kīrtana and japa, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class, and honor prasādam in the association of devotees. Strengthened by this morning program, they go out to preach in the most materialistic places in the world, offering people a chance to receive Kṛṣṇa's mercy in the form of literature, prasādam, or hari-nāma. In the early evening the preachers return to the temple for more chanting and hearing. While they are with the nondevotees, they do not compromise their devotional principles, and thus they keep their hearts aloof from the modes of material nature and bad association.

Of course, if a preacher finds himself being overwhelmed by the material energy, he should save himself instead of allowing māyāto swallow him up while he's trying to save others. But Narada's advice against bad association does not mean that those who are strong enough to preach should not approach the Jagāis and Mādhāis of this world and humbly offer them the holy name and transcendental literature. If devotees don't approach them, how will the fools and rascals be saved?

- Srila Prabhupada 

Source : http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.in/2015/07/seeds-of-sinful-desire-arising-from.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/krsna+(Krishna-Bhakti+Yoga)

As Vasudeva-suta, Krsna performs pastimes that, for the most part, prominently review His power and opulence, while as Nanda-suta He performs only humanlike pastimes that prominently reveal His sweetness. Vasudeva-suta’s lila is clothed in opulence while decorated with sweetness, like an opulent mirror decorated with an attractive picture. By contrast, Nanda-suta’s lila is clothed in sweetness while decorated in opulence, like a beautifully painted stage curtain decorated at the bottom with a row of opulent mirrors. Both these forms of Krsna are oceans of nectar, but the form of Krsna in Vraja is the most absolutely perfect.
(from Gopiparanandhana’s comments to Sri Laghu-bhagavatamrta)

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30803

ISKCON Temples all over the world celebrated Janmashtami, the 5243rd “birth” of Lord Krishna, on 25th August 2016. Radha Krishna Deties in ISKCON Radha Gopinath Temple - Girgaum Chowpatty were wearing the opulent gold hand embroidered dress of zardosi on pure silken velvets in royal Colours inspired by the six opulence’s of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna during the day time .The night dress was completely hand woven by the weavers in Varanasi / Banaras in pure silks and gold Zari ,with intricate ornamental designs. Jaya Sri Krishna!

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30805

Expression reflects and reinforces emotion. The celebration of Vyasa-puja is an expression of the gratitude that the disciple feels for the spiritual master. And that feeling becomes reinforced when a disciple expresses one’s own gratitude and hears other disciples’ express their gratitude.

The spiritual master’s guidance and grace are indispensable for elevating and liberating souls caught in this dangerous and treacherous material existence. The spiritual master is non-different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the sacred scriptures proclaim. In Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Uddhava Gita (11.17.27: acaryam mam vijaniyam), Krishna himself declares that the acarya is nondifferent from him. This non-difference is not because of a merging of beings but because of a joining of hearts. The spiritual master is purely and selflessly surrendered to Krishna, as was Arjuna at the end of the Bhagavad-gita (18.73). The spiritual master is not just the conveyor of Krishna’s will – he is also the gateway to Krishna; on Krishna’s behalf, he receives the disciple’s service and bestows mercy.

yasya prasadad bhagavata prasado
yasya ‘prasadan na gatih kuto ‘pi

By the mercy of the spiritual master is the mercy of Krishna accessed. So potent and transformational is the spiritual master’s mercy that the sincere disciple feels and remains indebted, lifetime after lifetime. The disciple strives to express that gratitude by dedicating one’s life to the spiritual master’s service.

During the course of our life, Vyasapuja offers us a precious annual opportunity to meditate on and better appreciate our spiritual master’s gifts. In composing our offering to the spiritual master, we go deep into our heart. Going beyond the routines and superficialities that frequently crowd our consciousness, we focus on that which matters most – the supreme treasure of Krishna-bhakti with which the spiritual master has enriched our heart. And by hearing the offerings of other devotees, we see those devotees with greater appreciation – not just for their functional roles in this world, but also as devoted and exalted souls committed to the spiritual master’s service.

Vyasadeva is the quintessential spiritual master. He is the literary incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By rendering the Vedic message in written form, he preserves and propagates that timeless treasure of wisdom. Therein, he provides a comprehensive gamut of guidelines for elevating people at all levels. And he also gives in Srimad-Bhagavatam, the ripened fruit of the Vedic literature (Bhagavatam 1.1.3), the conclusive guidelines of pure devotion for those seeking life’s highest destination – eternal spiritual love for Krishna.

All spiritual masters follow in the footsteps of Vyasadeva and carry on his mission. Thus, the spiritual master represents Krishna, specifically Krishna in his manifestation as Vyasadeva. Through the numerous representatives of Vyasadeva over millennia culminating for us in our spiritual master, we receive the treasure of krishna-bhakti.

Among the many spiritual masters who have carried forward Vyasadeva’s legacy, the position of His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada is distinctive. Srila Prabhupada was the commander who fulfilled the prophecy of Lord Chaitanya that the holy names will be chanted in every town and village of the world.

Srila Prabhupada manifested both the literary vigor of Vyasadeva and the itinerant vigor of Vyasadeva’s spiritual master, Narada Muni. Srila Prabhupada wrote prolifically and profoundly, thus doing in English what Vyasadeva did in Sanskrit. And Srila Prabhupada, following in Narada Muni’s footsteps, circumnavigated the globe fourteen times, making Krishna’s message accessible to millions who had never heard it before.

The Vyasa-puja celebration of 2016 is special because this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of ISKCON. Devotees in various parts of the world have prepared inspiring presentations that demonstrate movingly the global spread and devotional depth of Srila Prabhupada’s legacy.

One way of contemplating Srila Prabhupada’s unparalleled contribution is by adapting a quote attributed to Julius Caesar: “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Srila Prabhupada’s mission was not one of political conquest, but of spiritual compassion; so, the variant applicable to him is, “He came, he gave, he conquered.”

He came: Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.5.3) states, “O my lord, great philanthropic souls travel on the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to show compassion to the fallen souls who are averse to the sense of subordination to the Lord.”

Srila Prabhupada descended from the spiritual world to the material world on the sacred day of Nandotsava, the day after Krishna’s appearance. That Srila Prabhupada’s appearance day follows Krishna’s appearance day signifies his mission: to carry forward Krishna’s message.

He came to the Western world with the message of Krishna’s love – a message that had never before been highlighted despite the many gurus who had come before him to the West from India. And he came back to India with a living demonstration of the universal appeal of krishna-bhakti: hundreds of Western men and women who had given up everything else for devoting themselves to Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada encouraged us to meditate on his coming as a mission for our personal redemption. During one of his visits to Australia, a girl asked him why this message hadn’t been brought earlier. He replied sweetly that it was because she had not been born earlier; the message had been brought now so that she could be delivered.

He gave: In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.31.9), the topmost devotees, the gopis, laud those who shower the world with Krishna’s love by sharing his glories: “Those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.”

This world is like a quicksand of ignorance, wherein we are not only kept in ignorance of life’s spiritual side, but are sucked deeper into that ignorance by the lure of material pleasures. And in the present times, the accumulation of material knowledge creates an illusion of progress that doesn’t just lure us into ignorance, but also makes us complacent and arrogant, thus keeping us in ignorance of our ignorance. Srila Prabhupada rescued us from this ignorance by sharing generously the timeless spiritual knowledge of the Vedas. And his charity went far beyond offering spiritual knowledge alone; he offered spiritual love – love for Krishna that was revealed to the world by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And this charity of love enabled him to conquer hearts.

He conquered: Srila Prabhupada won the hearts of thousands of people all over the world by the power of spiritual love. He radiated pure, pristine love; his selfless, surrendered consciousness transmitted Krishna’s love to all those who came in contact with him. By that love, he inspired people from incredibly diverse backgrounds to enthrone Krishna as the Lord of their heart, conquering the many illusions that misdirected their love towards worldly things.

Chaitanya Bhagavata states that Lord Chaitanya descended to this world to bless it with the garland of Krishna-prema. Srila Prabhupada made that garland manifest by establishing all over the world temples that made loving Krishna intelligible and relishable.

The glory of his feat has been recognized not just by his followers but also by secular authorities, in both the West and the East. The religious scholar A L Basham stated, “The Hare Krishna movement arose out of next to nothing in less than twenty years and has become known all over the West. This is an important fact in the history of the Western world.” The phenomenal propagation that Srila Prabhupada pioneered has continued after his disappearance through the vision and vigor he has imparted to his followers.
The Times of India in an editorial in 2006 stated, “Guess again if you think Bollywood or Indians writing in English is the country’s biggest cultural export. You may not come across any of these if you visit Cochabamba in Bolivia or Gaborone in Botswana; what you will find instead is a centre of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).”

“He came, he gave, he conquered” is not just a historical and historic event – it is also an ongoing event. He conquers the hearts of new people who come in contact with him through the many manifestations of his mercy such as his mission, his temples, his books and his followers. And he conquers even more the hearts of us, his followers, as our appreciation of his gifts deepens.
Leading a life of devotion in a world of temptation is undoubtedly difficult, but meditating on the sacrifices of the givers of devotion lessens the difficulty. A child may be reluctant to take a bitter medicine, but if he remembers that his mother has sold her jewelry to pay for that medicine, then contemplating her sacrifice will replace reluctance with gratitude.

Similarly, difficulties while practicing and sharing krishna-bhakti may make us reluctant in our service. But by meditating on Srila Prabhupada’s innumerable and insurmountable sacrifices just for giving us the opportunity to practice bhakti, we can shed our reluctance and face whole-heartedly whatever challenges confront us.

If we keep the memories of his sacrifices alive in our hearts, he will come deeper into our hearts; the glory of his gifts will be increasingly revealed to us; and he will conquer our hearts more and more.

Srila Prabhupada conquered by surrendering. On the Jaladuta, in his celebrated song, Markine Bhagavata Dharma, he prayed to Krishna, “Make me dance; make me like a puppet; make me dance according to your will.” On the sacred occasion of Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasapuja celebration, during ISKCON’s fiftieth year, we pray that we too may surrender so that we can dance like puppets in Srila Prabhupada’s hands to do our small parts to push on his glorious mission.

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30807

I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline awhile back, half paying attention, when an image came up which read:

Don't know which is worse: To be present and your presence not acknowledged or to be absent and your absence not felt.

It caught me off guard and made me stop what I was doing, reflect and pose the question as to which would be worse for me. As a person who thrives on validation, my initial response was immediate - obviously being present and not having my presence acknowledged would be worse. But the longer I thought about it, the more I felt: It's a hard question to answer!

The first situation addresses the immediate here and now. Being absent and not having your absence felt is much more complicated. It might mean you are aware that your absence wasn't felt or it could also mean that you are unaware or oblivious to the fact. For most, being unaware is easier on the ego (after all, there is some truth to the saying "ignorance is bliss!), but it still doesn't mask the reality that your absence wasn't felt.

Just think about that for a minute. Simply put, it can be interpreted to mean that if you're not there, you're not missed.

As living beings, we all have a need to feel connected. Among individuals, that need for connection can vary from needing to feel it at all times, to seeking it out at certain times, in specific situations or with specific individuals. 

Connection implies acknowledgement of our presence. It also gives us a sense of belonging and feeling valued. It is the lack of "being needed" that is at the root of both these scenarios and which can leave one feeling unsettled and uncomfortable.

It is in these moments that the potential to grow and become truly wise present themselves.

As much as the need to feel valued and needed is a natural one, it is one that will not always be fulfilled. Recognizing and acknowledging that truth is essential to becoming a balanced and mature human being. Although a potentially painful and unpleasant experience, it teaches us that the world doesn't revolve around us. It also offers us great insight into whose eyes we want to feel needed. After all, it's not in all situations where we feel bad if our presence is not acknowledged or our absence not felt - it's specific ones.

So the next time you find yourself in this situation, take a step back from the hurt and dig a little deeper. What you learn from that exploration will be invaluable in your personal journey of self-discovery.

Source : http://theaspiringchanter.blogspot.in/2015/07/the-need-to-be-seen.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/mYGAg+(kirtaniyah+sada+hari)

While attending the Janmastami festival at the ISKCON farm in Czechoslovakia several years ago, I was asked to give a lecture about the appearance of Lord Krishna. Afterwards I asked for questions and an elderly, red-haired lady raised her hand. Since almost all the devotees there spoke only Czech, I was surprised when she began to speak in English. She said, “Satsvarupa Gosvami, could you tell us something about Prabhupada, because you knew him very well?”

I started out by remembering Janmastami 1966 in the storefront. “The room we are in now reminds me of that storefront,” I said. “It was about the same size. 1966 was the first year Prabhupada observed Janmastami in America. In 1965, he left India and observed Janmastami at sea a few days later. By 1966, ISKCON had just begun. So he asked the devotees to stay all day in the storefront and fast.

“His request seemed like a very difficult proposal. Some of us expressed doubt that we could do it, so Swamiji said, ‘If you get hungry or weak in the afternoon, you can take some fruit from our refrigerator.’

“When he said that, it gave us some hope, because it seemed almost impossible that a living being could go all day without eating. He wanted us to try for it, and yet it was not such a hard and fast rule that we had to do it or die.

“Fasting was one problem, and another problem was what to do all day? How to control the mind? When Prabhupada stayed with us in the storefront, reading his manuscript from the Bhagavad-gita, then it was very enjoyable. But whenever he left us alone, our consciousness and conversation dropped way down. We began to complain, ‘I don’t think I can do this. How does he expect us to stay like this all day? This is like being in prison; you can’t even leave the temple.”

Even while Prabhupada was present, one of the disciples who was later to be initiated as Janaki dasi said, “Swamiji, I am sorry but I have to leave. I have to go home and feed my cats.” Swamiji said, ‘No, do not do it. Stay here and you can take care of them later.’ Janaki thought about it but then said, ‘I’m sorry, I have to go and take care of them.’”

“The rest of us reluctantly surrendered and stayed there for a whole day, which very slowly turned into afternoon, and night. We sat against the wall drowsily and weakly, trying to chant on our new beads.”

I went on to tell the devotees about the jar of ISKCON bullets that Prabhupada kept in a corner of his room upstairs. Many of his devotees had been cigarette smokers and almost everyone committed illicit sex. This jar of ISKCON bullets was like the last resort against temptation. If you became agitated, before you broke any of the principles, you knew you could go up at any time and take a gulabjamumn, an ISKCON bullet.

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30761

We recently returned from the annual pilgrimage to Glastonbury. The iconic music festival has a remarkable history. What began 40 years ago with one pound tickets, free milk, and a few thousand people, has now grown to a tented city of 180,000 people, high profile performances and a media spotlight bringing an audience of tens of millions. What has remained, however, is the sense of idealism, activism, counter culture and ‘outside the box’ approach. It’s a refreshing contrast to an otherwise conformist world, and I did indeed have several interesting conversations in my short weekend stay there.

At approximately 2.00am on Sunday morning a fairy entered our tent. Well, he was actually an East Anglian insurance broker and father-of-three who was in costume for the weekend! We sat down and spontaneously began exchanging reflections on life, the universe and everything. He appreciated our spiritual contribution, charitable disposition and jolly approach, but confessed he wasn’t a ‘believer.’ He identified himself as humanist, suggesting that people could live happy and meaningful lives through open communication, strong morals, and healthy criticism, without any need for metaphysical or spiritual belief. He found no grounds to believe in God or religion. But, he said, “I believe man – in man’s creative power, in man’s innate goodness, in man’s endeavour to better the world through discovery, discussion, honest hard work and love.” Passionately gesticulating he ended in a crescendo: “for me, humanity is divine, and divinity is redundant!” I appreciated his heartfelt presentation, but, as you can imagine, I wasn’t quite convinced. 

For many, the horrors of the world, the war, injustice, crime and suffering through centuries, can only signal the supreme triumph of atheism. After all, who could believe in God in the face of such horrifying acts of violence and brutality? Many more, however, would argue that it is humanity devoid of genuine spirituality and metaphysical worth that creates such problems. Indeed, humanity has been responsible for moral, social and political catastrophes. Sometimes it was humanity that was supposedly inspired by God, and sometimes it was humanity that was entirely and utterly atheistic. The common denominator, however, in the problem: humanity not divinity. We are innately good, but that goodness is only activated through genuine spirituality. We are good, only when we know who we really are. True goodness rests upon a profound and broad understanding of ourselves, the universe, and its ultimate purpose. History repeatedly shows that the net result of atheism and superficial religious belief, is that we inevitably sink into immorality and selfishness. Attempts to foster goodness and purity on the material platform are neither universal nor sustainable.

Source : http://sutapamonk.blogspot.in/2015/07/good-humans.html

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.33.36 at Lord Krishna’s Appearance Day festival.

“When we hear these stories, we should think, ‘Krishna is so kind to His devotees.’ Even in the midst of the worst calamity, if you just take shelter of Krishna — just surrender to Krishna — He will protect you.  ‘I could have that facility if I surrender to Krishna. Why am I missing out — puttering around with my little toys and sense gratification and fallible soldiers? I am wasting my time. I should surrender to Krishna and get the real benefit.’ So, Krishna appears for this reason. And we can make the purpose of His appearance successful by hearing about His pastimes and dedicating ourselves to Him.”

Source : http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=11339

Including Manipur ISKCON in the worldwide celebration of 50 Golden years of ISKCON, the Youth Forum of ISKCON Manipur organized ‘The Achintya Youth Festival 2016’, from 21st to 24th August 2016 at the temple premises and was completed successfully. A festivity replete with cultural programs, musical performances, debate, quizzies, interesting competitions, interaction with distinguished professors, social workers and celebrities, martial arts presentationa, kirtans, prizes and to complete it all…extraordinary mahaprasad for all….altogether made the event memorable.

As a prelude to the festival a photography competition was held during the ratha yatra festival with a theme ‘ratha yatra in Manipur’, jointly organized with the Manipur Photography Club. An open essay competition on the topic ‘Spirituality is the Ultimate Solution to All Material Problems’, and a painting competition on the theme ‘Krishna Lila’, for classes 6th to 12th was also organized on 14th August 2016 with an attendance of more than two hundred students. The first prize for the essay competition went to Kavita Kancahan Ningthoujam of DM College of Arts and for painting competition, Telen Khaidem of DAV Public School bagged the first prize. A state level open debating competition was also held on 21st August 2016 on the subject ‘Communal Harmony is Possible Only through Interfaith Dialogue’, which was presided over by Dr. I. Ibohalbi Singh, MLA leader of opposition; A. Mubi Singh, President, Editors’ Guild and His Holiness Bhaktivyasa Tirtha Swami, ISKCON Guru and Sannyasi. The first prize for the debate was awarded to Mr. Misban Hanif of Modern College. It was very interesting that students from all different faiths came and took part in the events which in itself served the purpose of the festival…’going forward together as one community, promote open mindedness and creative thinking, and generate an awareness to be successful in life both materially as well as spiritually.’ The famous Gaura Lila of Manipur was also enacted in the evening to the pleasure of all.

22nd August- interactive program on ‘ womens’ role in upliftment of Manipur Society.’ The discussion was headed by Dr. Ch. Jamini devi, former Chairperson Manipur State Women Commission, retd. Principal DM College of Commerce. Rains arrived early morning on 23rd August drenching all hopes of the devotees but students started to pour in and within no time around six hundred students packed in within the pandal. The festival on the theme ‘Science of Happiness’, started with cultural programs, interaction with Professor W. Nabakumar, Department of Anthropology, Manipur University and Professor S. Ghosh of IIT Kaharagpur, questions and answers, scientific movies, ISKCON movies, martial arts performances for very young yet extremely talented children. The traditional dances based on the padavalis of our vaishnava acharyas captured the hearts of all. Students also enthusiastically participated in the interactive quiz, on the spot photography contest, slogan writing contest. The first prize of the quiz went to N. Ruchita Devi of Manipur University; for Slogan writing contest Kavita Kanchan Ningthoujam of DM College of Arts was awarded the first prize. A free medical camp was also organized by the ISKCON Nature Hospital. Again the evening was clourful…performances by expert artists on traditional Gaura lila entitled Nitya Lila which depicts the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Abhiram Thakura: Sridama Sakha, appeared as Abhiram in Gaura lila joined to play hide and seek but he remained hiding only to come out in Kali Yuga where Nityananda Prabhu brought him to meet with Mahaprabhu. Another dance drama entitled ‘Kamsa bodh’, or killing of Kamsa.

An unexpected indefinite bandh was called starting from 24th August…again drenching all hopes in full despair…as the sun came out bright..leaving aside the rain clouds…hopes also started to sprout new leaves. Students started to arrive in very small numbers. Devotees decided to have kirtan as there was nothing else they could to do to make the situation better…more and more students and performance artists started to arrived and so did the visitors along with more students. Krishna Sudama Das led the kirtan. The day’s theme was ‘Exploring Mind’s potential.’ Cultural programs starting from local folk dances of Manipur to intricate dances of Krishna or Gopis depicting the geeta- govinda, violin performances, ballet and martial arts show made the festival very lively. Students also very enthusiastically interacted with Professor Ghosh asking him many questions. There was a contest on picture guessing and sound recognition. The first prize went to Amit Laishram of LMS Law College, Imphal. Vasanta Rasa…which is a famous part of the all famous Manipuri Rasa Dance was performed as well as Krishna Lila.

How the whole festival went on so smoothly was something completely beyond our wildest dream or expectations. We sincerely thank the students of LMS Law College, DM College, Manipur College, Imphal College, Manipur University, Manipur Public School, Modern college, Comet School, Maria Montessori School, HRD Academy, MEM Hr Sec. School and Bhaktivedanta Institute Mission Higher Secondary school, NIT Imphal and many more reputed institutes for kindly taking part in the festival. The team of the organizing committee would like to thank all the wonderful members of the team. Also we would like to thank H. H. Bhaktivyasa Tirtha Swami: HG Ekanath Das, Zonal Secretary of ISKCON; HG Radhacharan Das temple president of ISKCON Manipur along with all the devotees involved; also our gratitude goes to HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj, the GBC of Manipur for his continuous support for the festival. Our obeisances to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktiswarupa Damodara Svami for their unlimited blessing upon all the devotees.

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30765

Beautiful floral decorations today for the Bhaktivedanta Manor altar and Deities.

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30768

San Francisco, Calif. – Several thousand Indian Americans, along with other devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, gathered together here Aug. 14 to celebrate the 50th annual Ratha Yatra.

“I have come every year since 1994,” Mohini Raj, bearing several garlands of marigolds which she offered to Sri Jagannatha, told India-West. The elderly woman brought her young grandchildren along this year, to clap, sing and dance at the joyous festival. “This reminds me of the festivals I would go to in India,” she said.

Four colorful carriages – bearing replicas of Srila Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness; Lord Jagannatha; Nityananda Prabhu and his devotee Nitai Guaranga; and Sri Baladeva and Sri Subhadra Devi – were pulled by devotees, who wound their way down a mile-long path in the park. The red-and-gold chariots and sparkling outfits of the revelers cast a spell of sunshine onto the fog-driven morning.

The Ratha Yatra is a centuries-old festival, originating in Puri, Odisha. Devotees of Sri Jagannath – the Lord of the Universe – traditionally pull him in his current form as Krishna, back to Vrindavan.

As a child, Srila Prabhupada would recreate the festival for his neighborhood in Kolkata. Arriving in the U.S. in the mid-60s, the ISKCON founder held the first Festival of Chariots in San Francisco in 1967. Similar festivals are now held annually at more than 100 cities throughout the world.

Srila Prabhupada arrived in New York in 1965, with just $5 in his pocket, at the behest of his spiritual master who asked him to spread Krishna Consciousness throughout the world. The first Ratha Yatra was held in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury District in 1967.

“It was the summer of love,” Jagannath Swami Das, who has organized the festival for 40 years, told India-West. “There were lots more people on the street,” he said, estimating that more than 15,000 people came to the first Ratha Yatra.

The festival is smaller now, but Swami Das believes it is still relevant to present its culture. “It does a lot of good for the public. It makes everyone happy,” said the New York native, adding: “Police say there is less crime in their cities on parade day.”

“There is so much trouble in the world today, because people identify with the body too much,” said Swami Das. “But each of us have a super-soul, God in our heart. And when you chant “Hare Krishna” you are directly associating with God.”

Swami Das recalled the first time he met Srila Prabhupada, at the San Francisco airport. “He was glowing,” he recalled to India-West.

“I walked next to him, in a spiritual bubble,” said Swami Das reverently.

The 2016 procession of chariots – which began with a blow on a conch shell – ended at Golden Gate Park’s Sharon Meadow with a mela. Long orderly queues snaked around the meadow clad in colorful canopies for a free vegetarian lunch, while pizza, watermelon, samosas and lassis were also available for a price.

Several spiritual leaders of ISKCON Berkeley and Silicon Valley offered advice to those seeking it. Another booth allowed devotees to make offerings to the deities, who had been taken off the chariots and placed on seats.

Students of sitar maestro Pandit Habib Khan performed bhajans onstage. Swami Das – playing American drums – and Khan performed an East/West fusion mix.

Daly City, Calif., Mayor Sal Torres attended the festival and bestowed a proclamation. A representative of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s office also attended and declared Aug. 15 “Festival of Chariots” day.

“We are here in the hopes of bringing peace to our world, which is very much in need of an intervention right now,” ISKCON devotee Aditya told India-West, as he danced to the rhythm of drum-beats and temple bells co-mingling with chants of “Hare Krishna.”

“Imagine a world where every one of us daily chants for peace; what a joyful world we would be,” said the young worshipper, clad in white robes.

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30772

The Holy Appearance Day of 
His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Maharaja

When Nanda Maharaja is observing a great festival for the appearance day of his beloved son, Sri Krsna, that very day Krsna’s very dear devotee, very intimate devotee, His own man, has appeared.
What is the necessity of the Vaisnavas coming here? Sadhu-vaisnavas, Krsna’s own men are always with Krsna in that sat-cid-ananda-maya-dhama. Those who have attained Krsna, only see krsna-sambandha, the relationship with Krsna. They see how everyone, everything, every object is related to Krsna. Krsna is the only relationship. Krsna nitya-sambandha — every jiva has a perfect, eternal, loving relationship with Krsna. A completely Krsna conscious person has this vision. For that premi-bhakta Krsna is his most beloved and Krsna is his object of love. Krsna prananatha — Krsna is the Lord of his heart. The premi-bhakta, Vaisnava sees that everything, every jiva is related to Krsna in this loving relationship. Therefore how can he tolerate the suffering of Krsna’s jiva? His heart bleeds seeing the jivas who are suffering because of their forgetfulness of Krsna and forgetfulness of their relationship with Him. They are bereft of Krsna consciousness therefore they are suffering. This is the only cause. Sadhu Vaisnava knows the cause very well. If they will develop Krsna consciousness, that lost consciousness and become completely Krsna conscious, then there will be no more suffering. They will go back home to Godhead.

Source : http://tvpbooks.com/2016/08/srila-prabhupadas-appearance-day/

In the chapter of the Krishna book titled “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb” Srila Prabhupada cautions against the tendency to be a bit impersonal towards God. We understand that Krishna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has both personal and impersonal aspects – He is simultaneously one with everything and different from everything. It’s easy to see and appreciate the power and energy of Krishna in the world in front of us, but sometimes not so easy to see or understand Krishna as a person – who is He? What does He do?
The call of the soul, the dharma of life, is to reawaken our relationship with the person Krishna. Prabhupada says we have to have some ‘feeling for the Personality of Godhead’ and to become ‘affectionately attached’ to the Lord. How do we do that? How do we feel those feelings?
A good place to start is to ask ourselves ‘What do we love about Krishna?’. Maybe it’s His flute playing, or His dancing with the Gopis under the full moon? Perhaps it’s His love for animals and especially His affection for cows? Or His love of nature – forests and flowers, rivers and trees?
Is it the sweets He likes to eat? The kirtan of His holy name that warms our heart? Do we love His devotees who seem so happy to serve Him, or His philosophy of equal vision and spiritual consciousness? Or the incredible role He plays in the Bhagavad-gita as a friend and mentor to Arjuna?
There are so many things to love about Krishna. Read Krishna Book and be drawn to love and honor Him for who He is, not who we want Him to be. After all, He gives us our individuality and want’s us to be ‘real’ with Him. Let’s return the gesture, give Him His and allow it to nourish and grow our love for Him, for God as a Person, for Krishna.
Happy Janmastami!

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30788

janma karma me divyam

Today marks the auspicious celebration of the Appearence Day Of Lord Sri Krishna, Janmastami. We will fast all day and have a small feast at midnight. The following are some selected quotes by Srila Prabhupada on understanding Krishna.

“Let us understand Krishna. That is Krishna consciousness movement. Let us understand Krishna. And if you simply understand Krishna, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah… Tattvatah, in truth, not superficially. Learn this science of Krishna. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is the instruction: if you simply try to love. The process is that you worship the Deity, you take the prasadam, you chant the holy name, you follow the instruction of the spiritual master. In this way you’ll be trained up how to understand Krishna, and then your life is successful. This is Krishna consciousness movement.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, September 9, 1973)

“Some way or other, be in relationship with Krishna, and you’ll be happy. You’ll be happy, this life and next life.

yo janati tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti kaunteya

This is the simplest point. You simply try to understand Krishna. There is no difficulty. If you do not foolishly misinterpret Bhagavad-gita, it is very easy to understand Krishna. Very easy. There is no difficulty. But we are rascals. We misinterpret.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, January 7, 1973)

“We are wandering, life after life, in different species of life, different forms of life, in different planetary system. And that is going on. This is not progress. Where is progress? You are conditioned within this universe. Where is your progress? Suppose you… Just like if I jump with a limited space, where is my progress? Real progress is Krishna consciousness. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). If we actually want to make progress, then we must take to Krishna consciousness so that after leaving this body there is no more coming down to accept a material body. That is real progress. Otherwise, there is no progress. It is simply wandering with a limited space. That is not progress at all. But because we are in illusion, we are thinking it is progress. It is not progress.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 2, 1972)

“If you take to devotional service and simply try to understand what is Krishna, then you are no longer within the influence of this good work or bad work. You are transcendental. Immediately after death, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), you are no more subjected to this gross body.

You can understand Krishna simply by chanting Hare Krishna mantra. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau (Brs. 1.2.234): simply by your service attitude, to serve Krishna, beginning with the tongue. It is very wonderful. By utilizing your tongue, you can achieve Krishna very easily, by the tongue. By the tongue if you simply chant, without any offense, Hare Krishna mantra, and by the tongue if you simply taste Krishna prasadam, and by the tongue if you speak about Krishna, yare dekha tare kaha krsna upadesa (CC Madhya 7.128), you understand Krishna. The three business of the tongue: tasting the prasadam, chanting Hare Krishna mantra and preaching about Krishna. By these three things you understand Krishna, and as you understand Krishna, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti (BG 4.9), you are transferred to the spiritual kingdom.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, October 19, 1972)

“So our this Krishna consciousness is next life to go back to Krishna directly. That is our program. How? Simply by knowing Krishna. That’s all. Krishna guarantees this: janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah (BG 4.9). If we want to go back to home, back to Godhead, simply try to understand what is Krishna. And He’s explaining in the Bhagavad-gita. But if you foolishly misinterpret Krishna, then you go to hell. But if you understand Krishna as Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, then you go back to Krishna. Where is the difficulty?” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, December 28, 1972)

“So in this way we have to understand Krishna from the sastra, from the Vedas. Then we shall understand Krishna. And once we understand Krishna, our life is successful. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Anyone who understands Krishna in truth, his life is perfect. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). The perfection of life is that after giving up this body, we shall not accept any more material body. That is perfection. The people do not know that.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, January 1, 1973)

“Now, in our material dealings, the rasas are temporary. They’ll be finished. As soon as this body is finished, the rasa is also finished. Just like we love somebody, any way, either as friend or as child or as husband or as lover, friend, so many ways, but these rasa will be finished as soon as this body’s finished. I have got some affectionate dealings with my sons, but as soon as the son dies or I die, the rasa is finished. But if you deal in the same way with Krishna, who is the reservoir of all rasas, it will continue. If you love Krishna as a friend in this life, if you develop your consciousness, Krishna consciousness, as friend of Krishna’s, then tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti (BG 4.9): when you go to Krishna, tyaktva deham, giving up this body, then you go there as Krishna’s friend.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, October 19, 1972)

“So our philosophy is that once going into the ocean, no more coming back. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). That is our philosophy. If we once go in the spiritual world, we do not like to come back. We stay with Krishna and dance with Him, or play with Him, or serve Him as tree, as plant, as water, as cows, as land, as cowherd boys, as father, mother or as gopis. This is our philosophy. Once we go to Krishna, we live forever with Him in either of these capacity. ‘Let me live at Vrindavana in any capacity. It doesn’t matter. But live there.'” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, October 27, 1972)

“If you simply hear about Krishna. The process… to krsna-tattva-vetta means to hear about Krishna. That’s all. Try to hear about Krishna. Satam prasangad mama virya-samvidah. That is very, what is called, potential. Simply if you hear from the right source of Krishna — not from the professional or from jnanis, karmis or politicians. No. Pure devotee. Satam prasangad: in pure devotional service, in pure devotional mood. Then the potency will act and you will…, we shall become pure devotee. Khanera gita diya mora me pasile, mora me pasile. It will act. And as soon as it will act, you become Krishna conscious, then your life becomes successful, above all sinful or pious activities.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 4, 1972)

“So in order to dissipate our ignorance, we should receive perfect knowledge. Then we can stop our sinful activities. Therefore Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavan says, Krishna says, janma karma me divyam. Krishna appears, Krishna lives here, He teaches, He acts. If we simply try to understand Krishna from the devotee of Krishna, then we become perfect, so much so that after giving up this body… tyaktva deham punar janma naiti… (BG 4.9). Without being perfect, without being free from all sinful reaction, we have to undergo the tribulation of accepting different types of body. But as soon as we become perfect through the perfect knowledge, then automatically we become uncontaminated from this material world and we become liberated.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 5, 1972)

“Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna (BG 4.9). These statements are there. If we actually take to Krishna consciousness, then maya, the laws of nature, will not act. Otherwise, we shall be put into the cycle of birth and death. So the best utilization of this human life is to elevate oneself to Krishna consciousness and, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah: if we try to understand Krishna, in truth, then tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), then we’ll not have to accept any more this material body, which is full of miserable conditions. Then we go back to home, back to Godhead.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 14, 1972)

“Simply by chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one becomes liberated from the resultant action of sinful life, and at length he is promoted, param vrajet… tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti (BG 4.9). This is the process. So this Krishna consciousness movement, Hare Krishna movement, should be spread. And that is actually auspicity for all people, all over the world.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 8, 1972)

“As stated in Bhagavad-gita (4.9), janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah. One should understand Krishna in truth, and this one can do only by serving a pure devotee.” (SB 7.9.24, Purport)

Source : https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/08/25/you-simply-try-to-understand-krishna/

One thing you notice is that if like me you use social media there is a lot of articles that come along and once you closely scrutinise them it becomes clear that the information contained is not what it seems to be.

So it was of interest that I found a reference to an article that caught my curiosity and so a further look and small research was undertaken and it appeared to be valid; but interestingly made me feel inspired as Sri Krishna had made the whole journey of Srila Prabhupada even more auspicious than I personally had realized.

The article claimed that the picture of the Jaladuta that Srila Prabhupada travelled on was not the actual one he would have, and indeed if you look closely at the ships records held by the Scindia S.N. Company the one we see pictured regularly was indeed scrapped in 1958.

Their is however an exciting twist to this the Jaladuat that was in service at the time coming into service in 1959 had one unique feature not carried by any previous ship; nor carried in general by the Scindia S.N. Comapny.

Yes look carefully and you will see a unique feature on the bow of the ship, it is the sacred swastika, and that for me is amazing that even the vessal that carried Srila Prabhupada was all auspicious.

My realization is that Sri Krishna always takes care of even the finest detail when it comes to his devotees who are serving him and following their guru maharaja direction.

Hare krishna

Source : http://david.deltaflow.com/?p=3379

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and activities, are all transcendental, and one who understands them factually becomes immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohiṇī was also predominant because this star is considered to be very auspicious. Rohiṇī is under the direct supervision of Brahmā. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious. (Krsna Book Chapter 3)

Full Chapter

KRSNA, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter 3

The Birth of Lord Krishna

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and activities, are all transcendental, and one who understands them factually becomes immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohiṇī was also predominant because this star is considered to be very auspicious. Rohiṇī is under the direct supervision of Brahmā. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious.

At that time, in all directions, east, west, south, north, everywhere, there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. There were auspicious stars visible in the sky, and on the surface in all towns and villages or pasturing grounds and within the minds of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of waters, and lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance along with their consorts. The wind blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, and the sensation of bodily touch was very pleasing. At home, the brāhmaṇas, who were accustomed to offer sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Due to disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire alter had been almost stopped in the houses of brāhmaṇas, but now they could find the opportunity to start the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brāhmaṇas were very distressed in mind, intelligence and activities, but just on the point of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear loud vibrations in the sky of transcendental sounds proclaiming the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The denizens of the Gandharva and Kinnara planets began to sing, and the denizens of Siddhaloka and the planets of the Cāraṇas began to offer prayers in the service of the Personality of Godhead. In the heavenly planets, the angels along with their wives, accompanied by the Apsaras, began to dance.

The great sages and the demigods, being pleased, began to shower flowers. At the seashore, there was the sound of mild waves, and above the sea there were clouds in the sky which began to thunder very pleasingly.

When things were adjusted like this, Lord Viṣṇu, who is residing within the heart of every living entity, appeared in the darkness of night as the Supreme Personality of Godhead before Devakī, who also appeared as one of the demigoddesses. The appearance of Lord Viṣṇu at that time could be compared with the full moon in the sky as it rises on the eastern horizon. The objection may be raised that, since Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon, there could be no rising of the full moon. In answer to this it may be said that Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in the dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the moon; therefore, although the moon was incomplete on that night, because of the Lord’s appearance in the dynasty wherein the moon is himself the original person, the moon was in an overjoyous condition, so by the grace of Kṛṣṇa he could appear just as a full moon.

In an astronomical treatise by the name Khamaṇikya, the constellations at the time of the appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa are very nicely described. It is confirmed that the child born at that auspicious moment was the Supreme Brahman or the Absolute Truth.

Vasudeva saw that wonderful child born as a baby with four hands, holding conchshell, club, disc, and lotus flower, decorated with the mark of Śrīvatsa, wearing the jeweled necklace of kaustubha stone, dressed in yellow silk, appearing dazzling like a bright blackish cloud, wearing a helmet bedecked with the vaidūrya stone, valuable bracelets, earrings and similar other ornaments all over His body and an abundance of hair on His head. Due to the extraordinary features of the child, Vasudeva was struck with wonder. How could a newly born child be so decorated? He could therefore understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa had now appeared, and he became overpowered by the occasion. Vasudeva very humbly wondered that although he was an ordinary living entity conditioned by material nature and was externally imprisoned by Kaṁsa, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, was appearing as a child in his home, exactly in His original position. No earthly child is born with four hands decorated with ornaments and nice clothing, fully equipped with all the signs of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Over and over again, Vasudeva glanced at his child, and he considered how to celebrate this auspicious moment: ”Generally, when a male child is born,“ he thought, ”people observe the occasion with jubilant celebrations, and in my home, although I am imprisoned, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has taken birth. How many millions of millions of times should I be prepared to observe this auspicious ceremony!“

When Vasudeva, who is also called Ānakadundubhi, was looking at his newborn baby, he was so happy that he wanted to give many thousands of cows in charity to the brāhmaṇas. According to the Vedic system, whenever there is an auspicious ceremony in the kṣatriya king’s palace, the king gives many things in charity. Cows decorated with golden ornaments are delivered to the brāhmaṇas and sages. Vasudeva wanted to perform a charitable ceremony to celebrate Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, but because he was shackled within the walls of Kaṁsa’s prison, this was not possible. Instead, within his mind he gave thousands of cows to the brāhmaṇas.

When Vasudeva was convinced that the newborn child was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, he bowed down with folded hands and began to offer Him prayers. At that time Vasudeva was in the transcendental position, and he became completely free from all fear of Kaṁsa. The newborn baby was also flashing His effulgence within the room in which He appeared.

Vasudeva then began to offer his prayers. ”My dear Lord, I can understand who You are. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul of all living entities and the Absolute Truth. You have appeared in Your own eternal form which is directly perceived by us. I understand that because I am afraid of Kaṁsa, You have appeared just to deliver me from that fear. You do not belong to this material world; You are the same person who brings about the cosmic manifestation simply by glancing over material nature.“

One may argue that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who creates the whole cosmic manifestation simply by His glance, cannot come within the womb of Devakī, the wife of Vasudeva. To eradicate this argument, Vasudeva said, ”My dear Lord, it is not a very wonderful thing that You appear within the womb of Devakī because the creation was also made in that way. You were lying in the Causal Ocean as Mahā-Viṣṇu, and by Your breathing process, innumerable universes came into existence. Then You entered into each of the universes as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Then again You expanded Yourself as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and entered into the hearts of all living entities and entered even within the atoms. Therefore Your entrance in the womb of Devakī is understandable in the same way. You appear to have entered, but You are simultaneously all-pervading. We can understand Your entrance and nonentrance from material examples. The total material energy remains intact even after being divided into sixteen elements. The material body is nothing but the combination of the five gross elements–namely earth, water, fire, air and ether. Whenever there is a material body, it appears that such elements are newly created, but actually the elements are always existing outside of the body. Similarly, although You appear as a child in the womb of Devakī, You are also existing outside. You are always in Your abode, but still You can simultaneously expand Yourself into millions of forms.

“One has to understand Your appearance with great intelligence because the material energy is also emanating from You. You are the original source of the material energy, just as the sun is the source of the sunshine. The sunshine cannot cover the sun globe, nor can the material energy–being an emanation from You–cover You. You appear to be in the three modes of material energy, but actually the three modes of material energy cannot cover You. This is understood by the highly intellectual philosophers. In other words, although You appear to be within the material energy, You are never covered by it.”

We hear from the Vedic version that the Supreme Brahman exhibits His effulgence, and therefore everything becomes illuminated. We can understand from Brahma-saṁhitā that the brahmajyoti, or the Brahman effulgence, emanates from the body of the Supreme Lord. And from the Brahman effulgence, all creation takes place. It is further stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that the Lord is also the support of the Brahman effulgence. Originally He is the root cause of everything. But persons who are less intelligent think that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes within this material world, He accepts the material qualities. Such conclusions are not very mature, but are made by the less intelligent.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is directly and indirectly existing everywhere; He is outside this material creation, and He is also within it. He is within this material creation not only as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; He is also within the atom. Existence is due to His presence. Nothing can be separated from His existence. In the Vedic injunction we find that the Supreme Soul or the root cause of everything has to be searched out because nothing exists independent of the Supreme Soul. Therefore the material manifestation is also a transformation of His potency. Both inert matter and the living force–soul–are emanations from Him. Only the foolish conclude that when the Supreme Lord appears He accepts the conditions of matter. Even if He appears to have accepted the material body, He is still not subjected to any material condition. Kṛṣṇa has therefore appeared and defeated all imperfect conclusions about the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

“My Lord, Your appearance, existence and disappearance are beyond the influence of the material qualities. Because Your Lordship is the controller of everything and the resting place of the Supreme Brahman, there is nothing inconceivable or contradictory in You. As You have said, material nature works under Your superintendence. It is just like government officers working under the orders of the chief executive. The influence of subordinate activities cannot affect You. The Supreme Brahman and all phenomena are existing within You, and all the activities of material nature are controlled by Your Lordship.

”You are called śuklam. Śuklam, or ’whiteness’ is the symbolic representation of the Absolute Truth because it is unaffected by the material qualities. Lord Brahmā is called rakta, or red, because Brahmā represents the qualities of passion for creation. Darkness is entrusted to Lord Śiva because he annihilates the cosmos. The creation, annihilation and maintenance of this cosmic manifestation is conducted by Your potencies, yet You are always unaffected by those qualities. As confirmed in the Vedas, harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always free from all material qualities. It is also said that the qualities of passion and ignorance are nonexistent in the person of the Supreme Lord.

“My Lord, You are the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead, the supreme great, maintaining the order of this cosmic manifestation. And in spite of Your being the supreme controller, You have so kindly appeared in my home. The purpose of Your appearance is to kill the followers of the demoniac rulers of the world who are in the dress of royal princes but are actually demons. I am sure that You will kill all of them and their followers and soldiers.

”I understand that You have appeared to kill the uncivilized Kaṁsa and his followers. But knowing that You were to appear to kill him and his followers, he has already killed so many of Your predecessors, elder brothers. Now he is simply awaiting the news of Your birth. As soon as he hears about it, he will immediately appear with all kinds of weapons to kill You.“

After this prayer of Vasudeva, Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa, offered her prayers. She was very frightened because of her brother’s atrocities. Devakī said, ”My dear Lord, Your eternal forms, like Nārāyaṇa, Lord Rāma, Śeṣa, Varāha, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, Baladeva, and millions of similar incarnations emanating from Viṣṇu, are described in the Vedic literature as original. You are original because all Your forms as incarnations are outside of this material creation. Your form was existing before this cosmic manifestation was created. Your forms are eternal and all-pervading. They are self-effulgent, changeless and uncontaminated by the material qualities. Such eternal forms are ever-cognizant and full of bliss; they are situated in transcendental goodness and are always engaged in different pastimes. You are not limited to a particular form only; all such transcendental eternal forms are self-sufficient. I can understand that You are the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu.

“After many millions of years, when Lord Brahmā comes to the end of his life, the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation takes place. At that time the five elements–namely earth, water, fire, air and ether–enter into the mahat-tattva. The mahat-tattva again enters, by the force of time, into the nonmanifested total material energy; the total material energy enters into the energetic pradhāna, and the pradhāna enters into You. Therefore after the annihilation of the whole cosmic manifestation, You alone remain with Your transcendental name, form, quality and paraphernalia.

”My Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are the director of the unmanifested total energy, and the ultimate reservoir of the material nature. My Lord, the whole cosmic manifestation is under the influence of time, beginning from the moment up to the duration of the year. All act under Your direction. You are the original director of everything and the reservoir of all potent energies.

“Therefore my Lord, I request You to save me from the cruel hands of the son of Ugrasena, Kaṁsa. I am praying to Your Lordship to please rescue me from this fearful condition because You are always ready to give protection to Your servitors.” The Lord has confirmed this statement in the Bhagavad-gītā by assuring Arjuna, “You may declare to the world, My devotee shall never be vanquished.”

While thus praying to the Lord for rescue, mother Devakī expressed her motherly affection: “I understand that this transcendental form is generally perceived in meditation by the great sages, but I am still afraid because as soon as Kaṁsa understands that You have appeared, he might harm You. So I request that for the time being You become invisible to our material eyes.” In other words, she requested the Lord to assume the form of an ordinary child. “My only cause of fear from my brother Kaṁsa is due to Your appearance. My Lord Madhusūdana, Kaṁsa may know that You are already born. Therefore I request You to conceal this four-armed form of Your Lordship which holds the four symbols of Viṣṇu–namely the conchshell, the disc, the club and the lotus flower. My dear Lord, at the end of the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation, You put the whole universe within Your abdomen; still by Your unalloyed mercy You have appeared in my womb. I am surprised that You imitate the activities of ordinary human beings just to please Your devotee.”

On hearing the prayers of Devakī, the Lord replied, “My dear mother, in the millennium of Svāyambhuva Manu, My father Vasudeva was living as one of the Prajāpatis, and his name at that time was Sutapā, and you were his wife named Pṛśni. At that time, when Lord Brahmā was desiring to increase the population, he requested you to generate offspring. You controlled your senses and performed severe austerities. By practicing the breathing exercise of the yoga system, both you and your husband could tolerate all the influences of the material laws: the rainy season, the onslaught of the wind, and the scorching heat of the sunshine. You also executed all religious principles. In this way you were able to cleanse your heart and control the influence of material law. In executing your austerity, you used to eat only the leaves of the trees which fell to the ground. Then with steady mind and controlled sex drive, you worshiped Me, desiring some wonderful benediction from Me. Both of you practiced severe austerities for twelve thousand years, by the calculation of the demigods. During that time, your mind was always absorbed in Me. When you were executing devotional service and always thinking of Me within your heart, I was very much pleased with you. O sinless mother, your heart is therefore always pure. At that time also I appeared before you in this form just to fulfill your desire, and I asked you to ask whatever you desired. At that time you wished to have Me born as your son. Although you saw Me personally, instead of asking for your complete liberation from the material bondage, under the influence of My energy, you asked Me to become your son.”

In other words, the Lord selected His mother and father–namely Pṛśni and Sutapā–specifically to appear in the material world. Whenever the Lord comes as a human being, He must have someone as a mother and father, so He selected Pṛśni and Sutapā perpetually as His mother and father. And on account of this, both Pṛśni and Sutapā could not ask the Lord for liberation. Liberation is not so important as the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The Lord could have awarded Pṛśni and Sutapā immediate liberation, but He preferred to keep them within this material world for His different appearances, as will be explained in the following verses. On receiving the benediction from the Lord to become His father and mother, both Pṛśni and Sutapā returned from the activities of austerity and lived as husband and wife in order to beget a child who was the Supreme Lord Himself.

In due course of time Pṛśni became pregnant and gave birth to the child. The Lord spoke to Devakī and Vasudeva: “At that time My name was Pṛśnigarbha. In the next millennium also you took birth as Aditi and Kaśyapa, and I became your child of the name Upendra. At that time My form was just like a dwarf, and for this reason I was known as Vāmanadeva. I gave you the benediction that I would take birth as your son three times. The first time I was known as Pṛśnigarbha, born of Pṛśni and Sutapā, the next birth I was Upendra born of Aditi and Kaśyapa, and now for the third time I am born as Kṛṣṇa from you, Devakī and Vasudeva. I appeared in this Viṣṇu form just to convince you that I am the same Supreme Personality of Godhead again taken birth. I could have appeared just like an ordinary child, but in that way you would not believe that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, have taken birth in your womb. My dear father and mother, you have therefore raised Me many times as your child, with great affection and love, and I am therefore very pleased and obliged to you. And I assure you that this time you shall go back to home, back to Godhead, on account of your perfection in your mission. I know you are very concerned about Me and afraid of Kaṁsa. Therefore I order you to take Me immediately to Gokula and replace Me with the daughter who has just been born to Yaśodā.”

Having spoken thus in the presence of His father and mother, the Lord turned Himself into an ordinary child and remained silent.

Being ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva attempted to take his son from the delivery room, and exactly at that time, a daughter was born of Nanda and Yaśodā. She was Yogamāyā, the internal potency of the Lord. By the influence of this internal potency, Yogamāyā, all the residents of Kaṁsa’s palace, especially the doorkeepers, were overwhelmed with deep sleep, and all the palace doors opened, although they were barred and shackled with iron chains. The night was very dark, but as soon as Vasudeva took Kṛṣṇa on his lap and went out, he could see everything just as in the sunlight.

In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that Kṛṣṇa is just like sunlight, and wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the illusory energy, which is compared to darkness, cannot remain. When Vasudeva was carrying Kṛṣṇa, the darkness of the night disappeared. All the prison doors automatically opened. At the same time there was a thunder in the sky and severe rainfall. While Vasudeva was carrying his son Kṛṣṇa in the falling rain, Lord Śeṣa in the shape of a serpent spread His hood over the head of Vasudeva so that he would not be hampered by the rainfall. Vasudeva came onto the bank of the Yamunā and saw that the water of the Yamunā was roaring with waves and that the whole span was full of foam. Still, in that furious feature, the river gave passage to Vasudeva to cross, just as the great Indian Ocean gave a path to Lord Rāma when He was bridging over the gulf. In this way Vasudeva crossed the river Yamunā. On the other side, he went to the place of Nanda Mahārāja situated in Gokula, where he saw that all the cowherd men were fast asleep. He took the opportunity of silently entering into the house of Yaśodā, and without difficulty he replaced his son, taking away the baby girl newly born in the house of Yaśodā. Then, after entering the house very silently and exchanging the boy with the girl, he again returned to the prison of Kaṁsa and silently put the girl on the lap of Devakī. He again clamped the shackles on himself so that Kaṁsa could not recognize that so many things had happened.

Mother Yaśodā understood that a child was born of her, but because she was very tired from the labor of childbirth, she was fast asleep. When she awoke, she could not remember whether she had given birth to a male or a female child.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Third Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

Source : https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/08/25/the-birth-of-lord-krishna-2/