Dear devotees, friends and well-wishers,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

On Guru-Purnima day at 12:10 am (UTC -5) in Montreal Canada, our dear friend His Grace Visvambhara Prabhu a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupda, departed from this world. He was accompanied with Srila Prabhupada’s continuous chanting of the maha-mantra in his ears. and in the association of his godbrother and godsister. He had been fighting with cancer for many months.

Visvambhara Prabhu joined ISKCON in the early 1970’s in Montreal and moved to France in 1972 where he served for more than 15 years having different managerial positions in the France yatra during all these years. He then moved back to Canada in the late 80’s and continued to play a key role at the Montreal temple for a few more years and then spent the rest of his life in the south of Quebec province continuously giving guidance to devotees.

We will remember him as a true ISKCON pillar in France being a key player in establishing the main temples in France in Paris and New Mayapura, supporting and expanding Srila Prabhupada’s mission. His dedication and strong determination was such an inspiration to the devotees whilst at the same time remaining always available for everyone. Though many obstacles were there to establish those temples, he always remained enthusiastic and optimistic which had a reassuring effect to the devotees.
Visvambhara Prabhu had a wonderful character. He was known to be such a good friend and well-wisher to al l! Always “fatherly” caring ready to help anyone who would approach him. He never aspired for anything else than being Srila a Prabhupada’s soldier.

Dear Visvambhara Prabhu, we are very fortunate to have had your association and we are forever grateful for all that you have done and accomplished. We will miss you.

Yours faithfully.
Siksastaka das

On behalf of all the devotees who have served and serve Srila Prabhupada’s mission in France.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=112701

Surat embraced the grandest Rath Yatra in decades on 7th July, 2024. The day dawned with mild clouds and gentle sunshine, a perfect backdrop for Lord Jagannatha’s divine journey through the city streets.

The atmosphere was charged with spiritual fervor as devotees and curious onlookers alike thronged the path of the magnificent chariot. Despite the textile markets and shops along the route being closed, devotees tirelessly distributed books to every soul eager for darshan.

In the Rath Yatra parade, several kirtan parties and vibrant idols portraying Lord’s pastimes adorned the procession, spanning about 1.5 kilometers. Thus, Lord Jagannath embarked on His 14 km- long journey, accompanied by the soldiers of Prabhupada’s army, who held books in their hands. Amidst the enthusiastic crowds, the devotees were searching and giving books to the fortunate souls. In the six hours of dedicated book distribution service, two book-vans with 15 devotees were supplying books and about 150 devotees were running in the crowd, in the shops or in the home to distribute books enthusiastically.

His Holiness Guruprasad Swami graced the event with his divine presence, joining at 5 PM. Maharaj immersed himself in the kirtan festivities, leading different teams in chanting the holy names out of 7 teams available for Sankirtan. He joyously observed the entire Rath Yatra from start to finish, spreading joy and blessings among the devotees.

His Holiness Guruprasad Maharaj’s enthusiasm knew no bounds as he distributed prasadam from the chariot for over 2 hours without fatigue. Thousands of souls were blessed to receive prasadam with his blessings along the Rath Yatra route. Maharaj’s youthful vigor and spiritual zeal were evident as he lovingly tossed prasadam packets to the delighted crowd.

He remained present for about 3 hours, radiating happiness as he observed and actively participated by chanting kirtan with different teams and joyously distributing prasadam in the Rath-Yatra celebration.

“These books and magazines are our most important propaganda weapons to defeat the ignorance of maya’s army, and the more we produce such literature and sell it profusely all over the world, the more we shall deliver the world from its suicide course. So your work is the most important preaching work. May Krsna bless you more and more. Thank you for helping me in this way.”
— Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Jayadvaita on November 18, 1972.

In the spirit of service and devotion, the devotees distributed books with utmost enthusiasm, achieving an impressive Rathayatra Marathon distribution score:

– 28 Sets of Srimad Bhagavatam (18 Vol Set)
– 5 Sets of Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta (9 Vol Set)
– 1587 Maha Big Books
– 124 Medium Books
– 3840 Small Books
– 300 Loose BTG copies The entire Rath Yatra was efficiently administered by HG Vrindavan Prabhu (President), Sachisuta Prabhu, HG Chandra-Govinda Prabhu, Sarvadukhahara Krishna Prabhu, Vishnu Gopinatha Prabhu, Brahmatirtha Prabhu, Kartika Chandra Prabhu and many other devotees. Senior devotees from Surat graced the event, adding their blessings to the festivities. HG Radhesh Prabhu meticulously managed the book distribution parties.

For photos, please follow the link: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNCYSpXOEbwFC5gb0SymSDGN7hZz9ubsS9bFgomwoR4rUCUsHJ7cpzzVU9Wp8y4Bw?key=OElFR3ZKM0Zld3lCMnJ4VTAxd0hHTEFEaUhRcHln

All glory to Srila Prabhupada and his transcendental book distribution.

With utmost humility, Jagannatha Damodar Das On behalf of ISKCON Surat.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=112693

It was Govardhan Eco Village's great honor to welcome the Honorable Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Ramesh Bais, for awarding the tribal change makers of Govardhan Eco Village's Atmanirbhar Palghar Project.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/nectar/2024-07-24-09-54-55.html

By Atma Tattva Das

The first edition of Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto One in Turkish has recently been published after years of dedicated effort. This project was led by Nrsimha Krishna Das and his wife, Krsnamala Devi of ISKCON Turkiye. The new volume was recently presented to their spiritual master, Sivarama Swami, at New Vraja-dhama in Hungary.

Nrsimha Krishna Das, who serves as the Zonal Supervisor for ISKCON Turkiye, has been instrumental in steering this ambitious project. Based in Istanbul, he oversees all ISKCON activities across Turkiye. In a recent interview, he shared insights into the journey, challenges, and triumphs involved in bringing the Srimad-Bhagavatam to Turkish readers.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the project, Nrsimha Krishna said, “What motivates me actually is to please Srila Prabhupada and my Guru Maharaj. It’s my life and soul to have Prabhupada’s books in Turkish and distribute them in the country or Turkish-speaking areas.” His vision was also fueled by the profound impact that Prabhupada’s teachings had on his own life and the desire to share that wisdom with Turkish-speaking people who may not be fluent in English.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/a-translation-milestone-achieved-with-srimad-bhagavatam-canto-one-now-in-turkish-language/

This handbook and accompanying curriculum, which are to be used enjointly, have been compiled under the direct order of the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. Their contents are based wholely on the inspiration, guidance and wisdom of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, the founder acarya of ISKCON. This humble attempt has been made in the service of any aspiring devotee and future disciple of the authorised ISKCON Acaryas. We pray to Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila Rupa Gosvami that this work may be strictly in the line of the parampara and full of transcendental potency for the eternal benefit of one who makes use of it.
Your humble servant, Rohininandana das Adhikari
(May 14th 1984/498 Caitanya Era, Appearance Day of Lord Nrsimhadeva)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part I Introduction Page 1
Part II Daily Life
(1) Awakening Page 2
(2) Applying Tilak Page 2
(3) Japa Meditation Pages 2-3
(4) Offering obeisances to Vaisnavas Page 3
(5) Entering the Temple Pages 3-4
(6) Mangala Arati and Temple Programme Pages 4-5
(7) Prasada Page 5
(8) Service in the Temple Pages 5-6
(9) The Bhakta Class Page 6
(10) Harinam Samkirtan Pages 6-7
Part III Appendix
(1) Faith and Discrimination Page 7
(2) Casual becomes Casualty Page 7
(3) Idle Talking Page 7
(4) Mundane Friendships Pages 7-8
(5) Answering the telephone Page 8
(6) Istaghosti Page 8
(7) Vaisnava Etiquette Page 8

Part I Introduction

We would like to welcome you to the Introductory Cours for Krsna Consciousness and suggest that you study this handbook which is supplementary to the daily curriculum and which we hope you will find useful.
The purpose of this course is basically four-fold:
(1) To give you an idea what Krsna conscious life is, so that you can decide if and how you want to commit yourself further
(2) To teach you the correct attitude and approach to Krsna Consciousness
(3) To help you make strong and swift progress in spiritual life
(4) To give fundamental procedures and regulations, thus creating a firm basis for the future

Generally the course lasts three months and during that time one can attain a fairly thorough understanding of the following: cleanliness, harinam samkirtan, preaching, rules and regulations, Vedic philosophy, Vaisnava behaviour, devotional service, Krsna meditation etc. We have a very structured daily schedule, which, although regulated, embodies the actual principle of freedom from material existence. Everything is completely in accordance with the ancient scriptural (sastric) tradition of Vedic India. The more diligently one applies oneself to this process the more benefit and realisation one will attain.

We should try to mould the activities of our lives in such a way that we remember Krsna at all times. This is Krsna Consciousness. Therefore the all-inclusive principle is, “always think of Krsna and never forget Him”. Within this one principle is contained all other principles of devotional service.
Actually, devotional service or “bhakti-yoga” is the eternal way of life of every living entity, presently lying dormant in the heart. In the scriptures there is the statement: “it is the prime duty of persons who want to become fearless, to hear, chant and remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, Who is to be remembered and never forgotten, not even for a single moment.” Therefore, if the devotee is desirous of associating with the Lord,Who is the Supreme Pure, he has to undergo the process of purification. One who strictly adheres to the Lord’s instructions as outlined in the Vedic scriptures becomes very dear to Him. Lord Krsna says ” As they surrender unto Me I reward them accordingly.” The devotee tries his best to follow these instructions. To assist him in the process of purification, it is essential that he follow the following regulative principles:
1. No illicit sex life
2. No gambling, including idle sporting and speculative pursuits
3. No intoxicants, which includes no tea, coffee, etc.
4. No meat eating, which includes no fish, eggs, etc.
5. The chanting of the Lord’s Holy Name, the Hare-Krsna-MahaMantra: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna/ Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rame/ Rama Rama Hare Hare. At least 16 rounds a day.

The underlying principle of all one’s activities is the chanting of the Holy Name. This is specifically recommended by Lord Caitanya Himself – “in this age of Kali there is no other way, no other way, no other way of making spiritual advancement than chanting the Holy Names of the Lord.”
A Krsna conscious person, even if he is not educated by the university standard, can immediately give up illicit sex life, gambling, meat eating and intoxication whereas those who are not in Krsna consciousness, although very highly educated materially, are often drunkards, meat eaters, sex mongers and gamblers. These are practical proofs of how a Krsna conscious person becomes highly elevated in good qualities, whereas a person not in Krsna consciousness, cannot attain the same perfection. What follows may seem at first too much to learn and practice all at once! So don’t worry because it always becomes clear for someone in the course of time, and please feel free to ask any questions you may have. (Any word that you don’t know can be found in the Vedic dictionary in Week 11 of the curriculum).

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=34207

The purpose of this paper is to both establish the importance of the seva of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books as well as understanding the essence of the message in Prabhupada’s books which is the performance of devotional service, regardless of one’s role or place in society.

Firstly I would like to present my own personal reading resume: I have read the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta five times, the five-volume set of the unedited letters of Srila Prabhupada three times, the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is 45 times, all 12 cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam 40 times, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita 40 times, Nectar of Devotion 30 times, the Ramayana three times, the Mahabharata three times, the Nectar of Instruction 25 times, Sri Isopanisad ten times, as well as a few other books by some of our recent writers in ISKCON.

Some time back one GBC and some VIPs said to me: “Antaryami, why read the books so much? All you need is a computer and the Prabhupada Vedabase; ” My argument then and now is: the founder-acharya states in all of his books, conversations and letters that books are the basis and that we should read the books. I have personally found that computers are not reliable for searching data from the Prabhupada Vedabase. While computers do have a place in society, because they are designed by persons having the four defects, defective computers are the result.

While I have personally found that ISKCON is the most practical and beneficial society for practicing bhakti-yoga it should be noted that no other society or sampradaya is excluded from being a vehicle for the practice of bhakti-yoga in Srila Prabhupada’s books.

In Prabhupada’s books it is emphasised again and again that the best process today for spiritual advancement is chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. If one chants a fixed number of rounds a day (minimum sixteen) with faith, sincerity and perseverance success will follow.

In the Dallas temple, before the devotees and the Deities in early 1983, H.H. Tamal Krsna Goswami read out a letter from Srila Prabhupada: “My dear Tamal, the temple is likened to a military training camp where persons come and are trained as soldiers. After being trained they are sent out into the field to live an ideal devotee life preaching and living by example, or they remain in the temples to serve in one of many varieties of service. Those who are not strong enough to live outside the temple maintaining sadhana they can remain in the temple till such a time.” (I was there during this reading.)

Long before coming to the west, Srila Prabhupada asked his Guru Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati if it would be okay for him to move into the temple ashram. His Guru told him not to move into the temple, as at that time there were a lot of problems, politics, etc., amongst his disciples. It was better to live outside and practice Krsna consciousness and in time all would be revealed.

I present such examples because some devotees are disturbed when asked to move out of the temples. In a class given by Srila Prabhupada titled “weapons by mantra, and gopis have highest pleasure,” Srila Prabhupada quotes this verse by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: “Every one of you become guru, and deliver; please let people understand what is Krsna.” No mention that one needs to remain living in a temple ashram.

While an ISKOCN temple is undoubtedly an ideal place to practice devotional service, it is not the only way.

Before Srila Prabhupada came to the west and started ISKCON, he was preaching in India travelling as a retired family man. In his preaching travels he did not direct persons to any particular temple. Srila Prabhupada was a really good, pure and learned preacher empowered directly from Krsna. With integrity he encouraged everyone towards the bhakti process.

There are four disciplic lines of bhakti yoga in this universe, from Brahma (ISKCON’s line), Siva, Laxmi and the four Kumaras.

The books say that Maya is a very strong personality. Maya directs us to always choose, whether it be enemies, friends, right, wrong, husbands, wives, etc. Maya also starts wars and makes the peace as well. She makes the good look bad and the bad look good. Maya affects our minds, bodies, intellect and intellectual conclusions. She does this personally and through her aides-de-camp, the three modes of material nature. Our tasting, eating, drinking, smelling, seeing, feeling, etc., are also affected by Maya. We desire something, and Maya presents it for our experience — it’s no accident.

Srila Prabhupada’s books show that Maya’s mission is to deflect one away from the Krsna conscious process. Srila Prabhupada said that this chanting of Hare Krsna is a war against Maya and that Maya’s work is to keep us here — bewildering us, cheating us, taunting us, playing with our mind’s eye and psychological intellect. This is Maya’s service to Krsna.

Some devotees, when they do not have the benefit of living in or visiting a temple will often stop the bhakti process. However Srila Haridas Thakur the Namacarya did not stop chanting Hare Krsna when he couldn’t visit the Jagannath Puri temple. Did he start some movement to reform the temple? Did he say “they changed”, “I can’t go in there” or “They beat me up and Krsna did not protect me, so I quit “? There are many examples of tests given in the books. These tests are brought about by Krsna through Maya, through the demigods and personally by Krsna. Such tests show the greatness of sincere steadfast devotees as well as testing the neophyte devotees’ iron. Tests are sometimes a result of past karma.

Srila Prabhupada did not start a reform movement during his lifetime. He just kept to the process learned from his Srila Gurudeva and, with faith and perseverance, living outside the temple, showed through example how to be a good devotee in Krsna bhakti. He showed us how to act (to be an acharya).

Srila Prabhupada says: “One need only know how to act, and it is faith only that will see you through in this process.” The books teach that, once having learned the bhakti process, one need only follow it with faith, whether in a temple, living outside or far away.

Some examples of devotional tests: 1. The brahman whose finger was burned in his meditation of making sweet rice. He learned a process not directly taught to him, and he privately practiced that process with faith. 2. Prahlada Maharaja and his demon father. 3. Sita devi, apparently kidnapped by a demon. 4. Dhruva Maharaja insulted by his step-mother. 5. Daksha’s cursing of Narada Muni. 6. the Pandavas exiled. 7. Lord Rama exiled. 8. Krsna’s firstborn son Pradyumna stolen by a demon. 9. The Pandavas’ grandson to die from snakebite. 10. Haridas Thakura beaten. 11. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s many associates faced many difficulties. In recent history, Srila Prabhupada the founder-acharya of ISKCON encountered many problems while preaching. Such examples and pastimes are there to teach, to help us stay faithful in the process of Krsna consciousness. There will be many problems; this is kali-yuga.

Srila Prabhupada’s books present perfect solutions. One needs to read the books carefully to see what those persons of the past did to resolve or deal with circumstantial problems and personal karma and eventually to go back to Godhead.

ISKCON is not a plain-Joe or -Jane yoga society; ISKCON is a Bhaktivedanta yoga society. There are many books; the acarya has asked us in every page and chapter to read them — it is our duty as Bhaktivedanta yogis.

Something to heed: In Srimad Bhagavatam there is the story of Daksha and Narada Muni. Daksha curses Narada Muni that he would not be able to stay in any one place for any long time. Srila Prabhupada says in this purport that this curse had fallen upon him, also, from the parents of the young devotees who joined his society. Interestingly, Srila Prabhupada says he has passed this curse onto his disciples.

Our friends, relatives, family members, children, enemies, mind, intellect, health, looks, senses, strength, birthplace, wealth, fame, infamy, etc., are results of past karma. Karma is not only a “sticks-and-stones, break-bones” or timely-death issue. Karma is deep and complicated. Maharaja Dasarath, the father of Sri Rama, said to his wife, the mother of Rama: “Now I see that no one is exempt from their karma — not even I.”

Srila Prabhupada’s books state the material world is so complex that sometimes even Brahma and Siva are placed into perplexities due to its complexities. Again, this is kali-yuga, the fallen age. Contaminated with the four defects, affected by maya and the three modes of material nature, we have unlimited karma.

The Hare Krsna movement always was and always will be about one thing only: Hearing, chanting, remembering or seeing Krsna’s form at the time of death — and that’s it.

I’ve chosen to read the books a lot. I felt it was my duty and, as Srila Prabhupada states in Bhagavad-gita, a onetime reading is not sufficient. For those of you who doubt my history of many times reading the books, I can only ask you to seek out those ISKCON devotees who personally know me and to ask them. One who has not read the books cannot ask others to read them. Hare Krsna.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=85918

By Chandni RAJ

On June 23, 2024, ISKCON New Mayapur, situated in the serene countryside of Centre-Val de Loire, France, organized a Holi Festival mainly attended by locals from nearby towns and villages. For those who are accustomed to croissants, baguettes, and the Fete de la Musique, a completely different kind of Indian festival with traditional Indian music, dance, and throwing colors on one another provided a huge surprise and fun for all. Food stalls, clothes and jewelry kiosks, face-painting, mehendi, traditional Indian music, a variety of classical Indian dance performances, and a free bullock cart ride around the New Mayapur village to boot. The festival, albeit small, was colorful and diverse.

“Decades after Indradyumna Swami organized a great Indian festival that was a crowd-puller, with elephants and the Indian ambassador to France as a special guest, this is the beginning of the revival of New Mayapur as Western Europe’s grand Indian festival spot,” said Locanananda Das, President of New Mayapur. 

This year, two Indian professional dancers, Monisa and Reshmi, came all the way from India to conduct performances of Indian classical dances Kathak and Sattrohi and also train the devotee dancers in New Mayapur. They conducted a dance workshop for three days and offered group dance performances with local French and Indian devotee dancers. Even the kids in New Mayapur greatly enjoyed the dance workshops and became eager to learn Indian classical dance.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/new-mayapur-celebrates-holi-festival-kickstarting-their-festival-season/

Phone: + 91 9564381737 /  + 91 8145829888 / + 91 9775052574

Email: mayapurjhulan@pamho.net

Visit the Jhulan Yatra Facebook page


Source: https://www.mayapur.com/serve-mayapur/jhulan-yatra-is-coming/

Source: https://www.thewalkingmonk.net/post/montreal-night-stroll

Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s instructions come to the aid of those of us who shudder at the mention of the word “surrender.”

Growing up, my older brother and I would sometimes get into physical fights. I can’t remember what we would fight about, but a few times a month when my parents weren’t home we would end up in a skirmish. He would often bend my arm behind my back, telling me to surrender by saying “uncle.” I would scream and push and stomp until the pain would become unbearable. Then I would yell, “Uncle! I surrender.” He would triumphantly release my arm, bragging about his victory. I remember feeling angry and vengeful. I even decided to stop biting my nails so I could use them as weapons to defend myself. I hated having to surrender to him.

So when I first heard Krishna’s words in the Bhagavad-gita telling me to give up everything and surrender to Him, I winced. That word surrender carried an emotional charge.

After getting past my initial negative response to the word, I wanted to know more about what Krishna means when he uses the word surrender, or in Sanskrit, sharanam. I learned that sharanam is often translated as “shelter.” So the surrender Krishna talks about differs from the surrender my brother demanded from me. Krishna’s call for surrender is His loving invitation to come under His complete shelter.

Although the Bhagavad-gita is apparently a private conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, Krishna intended that His teachings to Arjuna would be available to us. He is giving knowledge of Himself that will help us understand why, at the end of His talk, He can ask us to give up all other paths for progressing in human life and just surrender to Him. Anyone who has faith in all the things Krishna has said about Himself in the Bhagavad-gita will be convinced that He is worthy of our surrender and love.

In our Gaudiya tradition (the disciplic line descending from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu), Bhaktivinoda Thakura has elaborated on the word sharanam. In his collection of songs titled Saranagati (“The Goal of Surrender”), he gives us a conceptual orientation of what pure surrender looks like and how we can practice to achieve the status of a sharanagata, a fully surrendered devotee. He describes the six practices of those serious about dedicating their lives to Krishna: accepting things favorable to devotional service, rejecting things unfavorable to devotional service, accepting that Krishna is our only maintainer, accepting that Krishna is our only protector, developing a deep sense of humility, and fully giving ourselves for the purpose of guru and Krishna.

Favorable and Unfavorable

In the beginning of our devotional life it is critical to learn to distinguish between what helps and what hurts our spiritual advancement. When I first became involved in devotional life, I brought many misconceptions about what was favorable for spiritual progress. Prior to meeting devotees, I would walk barefoot everywhere, considering this a spiritual practice. I was amazed to learn that devotees wore shoes outside and that, with the exception of walking in a holy place, going barefoot was discouraged. I also thought spiritual life meant to hardly eat or sleep. I had been trying to reduce both beyond what was healthy for my body. I quickly learned that spiritual life involves being balanced in our material needs-avoiding too much or too little.

Srila Prabhupada had translated a number of books by the time I joined his movement in 1976. Studying those books, especially The Nectar of Devotion and The Nectar of Instruction, along with the association of devotees, helped me understand what was favorable and what wasn’t. Once we have the foundational understanding, it is up to us to make choices that will help us advance. Prabhupada told us that sense gratification is like salt. We need a little, but not too much. Similarly, some renunciation and detachment can help us advance, especially in the beginning of our spiritual journey, but too much can harden our heart. It is important for people starting on the path of bhakti to have good guidance-devotees they can trust to help them make good choices based on their individual natures. What might be too much for one may be too little for another. Finding a more advanced devotee who understands our psychology is very helpful in our treading the path.

Krishna as Our Maintainer

Those who have imbibed the mood of surrender will see Krishna as their only maintainer. They won’t be anxious about their maintenance and will have complete confidence that Krishna will provide for all their needs. They do their part, but they know that ultimately the Lord is the source of their supply. This faith is a central piece of surrender, and those who have developed deep faith in this principle are released from much anxiety.

In the early stages of bhakti, we develop our faith in Krishna as our maintainer by reading stories about how He maintains His devotees. Many stories in the scriptures demonstrate Krishna’s commitment to provide for all of His devotee’s needs.

For example, when Narada Muni approached the hunter Mrigari, Narada asked him to give up his sinful habit of half killing animals and leaving them to die. He enlightened the hunter about karma, telling him how in his next life he would have to suffer a fate similar to that of the poor creatures he was torturing.

After the hunter had developed some faith in Narada Muni as his spiritual guide, Narada asked him to break his bow. Mrigari hesitated, wondering how he and his family would survive if he gave up his means of livelihood. Narada assured him that if he took to the devotional path, Krishna would provide for all his needs. The hunter complied with Narada’s request, breaking his bow and taking up the spiritual practice of chanting Krishna’s holy names.

Many of Mrigari’s neighbors became aware of his transformation and began to honor him as a saintly person. Every day they would bring food to him and his family. In fact, the quantity of food far exceeded his needs, and he had to ask that the amount be reduced.

Hearing such narrations helps us have faith in the principle of seeing Krishna as our maintainer. And that faith enables us to stretch ourselves in ways that help us see Krishna’s maintenance in action. In my own life, after I’d worked at a full-time job in a mental-health clinic for over ten years, my husband and I took a risk to create a life that would give us more time for our spiritual practices. We moved to a rural spiritual community, and I developed a private practice, mostly on the phone and the Internet. I feel that Krishna reciprocated with our desire; we have had enough means to live comfortably, with more time for our spiritual lives.

Krishna as Our Protector

The next principle of shsharanagati is to have full faith that Krishna will protect us in all situations. When I first became a devotee, I read Krishna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srila Prabhupada’s summary study of the Tenth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The book tells of Krishna’s life on earth fifty centuries ago. He spent His childhood in Vrindavana, an idyllic rural community surrounded by His loving devotees. What struck me most was the seemingly relentless stream of threatening situations that flowed into Vrindavana, a replica of His home in the spiritual world. Why would Krishna’s abode be fraught with danger? Because, I learned, each successive attack from a demon or misguided demigod increased the love and dependency the inhabitants of Vrindavana felt for Krishna.

In the material world there is danger at every step and people are filled with worry about how they will survive so many distressful situations. Without knowledge and faith in Krishna, there is no shelter from suffering. With knowledge and faith in Krishna, we can run into the mouth of Aghasura demon saying, as the cowherd boys did, “Even if he is a demon, Krishna will save us.” The cowherd boys’ example is the epitome of the principle of having faith in Krishna’s protection.

Of course we don’t purposely put ourselves in harm’s way. We act intelligently, but if while living a life dedicated to making spiritual progress we confront a dangerous situation, we practice taking shelter of Krishna. Again, hearing narratives from scriptures about how Krishna protects His devotees and hearing of the experiences of contemporary devotees (such as Indradyumna Swami’s Diary of a Traveling Preacher), we develop faith in this principle. It is also important to understand that protection may not always mean protection for the body, but rather we, the soul, are always protected, and if Krishna desires that we leave our present circumstance, He will protect us, the soul, and we will never lose whatever spiritual attainment we have.

Humility

The next principle of surrender is humility. The mood of humility is critical for spiritual progress. Real surrender comes from realizing we can’t do anything without the mercy and help of the Lord. Humility allows us to let Krishna take the lead in our lives. It allows us to open our hearts to His instructions and to serve Him through His representatives in the material world.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that the beginning of humility is the absence of the enjoying mentality. Our spiritual nature is pleasure seeking, but when we look for enjoyment in matter, in things that don’t endure, we become takers, exploiters. To reinstate our spiritual consciousness, we need to practice giving and serving.

Giving Ourselves Fully

The last principle of sharanagati is to fully give ourselves-body, mind, and heart-to the Lord’s service. This means we no longer have any separate interest from Krishna’s. To practice this principle, we serve advanced Vaishnavas and share Krishna consciousness with others. We see where we are not giving of ourselves and what material attachments are holding us back. We strive to go forward, and hope to attract the attention of spiritual personalities who can help us progress.

Saranagati sets the stage for our loving sentiments to fully develop. Practicing these six principles encapsulates abhideya, or the way and means to attain love of Krishna. Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad-gita (4.11) that He reciprocates our efforts to surrender. What is that reciprocation? We become enlightened by knowledge of who we really are-an eternal spiritual being who has a loving relationship with Krishna and all of His associates. We also become joyful and experience a transcendent reality that becomes more and more relishable as we progress on the path.

I now have a different association with the word surrender, but I also find it is helpful to use other words, such as shelter or refuge, to help others who might also have had a big brother growing up.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16547

Understanding the deeper meanings of rasa-lila.

Sarat-purnima is the first day of the month of Kartika (Oct.-Nov.). It is on this night that Lord Krsna enacts His rasa-lila in Vrndavana. The rasa-lila is the ultimate culmination of spiritual realization. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sukadeva Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami, Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the greatest of all sannyasis, and pure renunciants who have absolutely no interest in sensual enjoyment worship the five chapters of Srimad-Bhagavatam explaining this pastime as the revelation of the highest and purest spiritual love. It is the crest jewel, most precious, most elevated of all the pastimes of the Lord.

The Supreme Love

On this night, which is glorified by great personalities as the most beautiful night of the year, the sweet fragrance of jasmine and lotus flowers was permeating the atmosphere. The full moon rose. It had a golden reddish color and it illuminated all the directions, especially the western horizon, with a beautiful shade resembling kumkum. Krsna was born in the lunar dynasty, and so the moon was very anxious to assist the Lord. By His yoga-maya potency, Krsna created the most pleasing atmosphere surcharged with enchanting beauty, the atmosphere of the spiritual world.

Within Krsna’s heart arose the great desire to satisfy the hearts of His most beloved devotees. At that time on the bank of Yamuna, under the holy Vamsivata tree, Krsna played the fifth note of His flute. The essence of the love of His heart came through His lips into the holes of the flute and formed into a beautiful song. It filled the atmosphere, entered the gopis’ ears, through their ears it entered into their hearts, and within their hearts it plundered the treasure of their entire consciousness. The song of Krsna’s flute stole the hearts of the gopis. They were in such absorbed state of remembering Krsna, wanting to please Krsna through their services that they abandoned whatever they were doing. Some were milking cows, some were boiling milk, others were serving husbands or parents, some were serving prasada or eating prasada, some were bathing, some were putting on their clothes or their ornaments, but immediately without any consideration they left their homes; they forgot everything except Krsna. But Krsna is so kind. He did not want them to get in trouble, so He arranged by His yoga-maya potency to make duplicate material forms of each gopi to stay home. Their spiritual bodies went into the forest but their family members thought that they changed their mind and stayed at home because there was an illusory form of them that remained at home.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana declare that there is no love purer than that of the gopis’ of Vrndavana. Their hearts are not contaminated by even the slightest trace of selfish desires.

Why do the greatest acaryas in the renounced order of life consider that the gopis represent the perfection of renunciation? This is a very subtle but important subject. The gopis of Vrndavana exhibited complete renunciation, they are the supreme embodiments of vairagya. For the pleasure and service of Krsna they were willing to detach themselves from those forms of love that are most difficult to ever forget in this world. They were willing to leave the securities of their homes, with a good possibility that they would never be allowed back because the elders were forbidding them to leave. Their reputation, the Vedic rules and regulations, the attachment of family members, the security of a home, going into the darkness of the forest how would they survive? But their love was so deep and so pure that not a single gopi even considered these things for a moment. They forgot everything except their burning desire to serve Krsna and please Krsna. They surrendered their body, mind, words, life and soul only for the satisfaction of Krsna. His beautiful smile, His wonderful three-fold bending form, His extraordinary pastimes everything manifested within their hearts through the sound of His flute.

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah

(Bhagavad-gita (18.66)

Krsna tells us that we should abandon all varieties of dharma and surrender to Him. “I will protect you from all sinful reactions,” He says. “Do not fear.”

To put aside our desires for sense gratification for a higher purpose, for self-realization that is tapasya. To actually be willing to do that is surrender. The gopis gave up everything. The question or thought of sense gratification would never even enter their hearts. They had already given their hearts wholesale in love for Krsna. Their absorption was single-minded; their renunciation was out of pure love.

WHO ARE THE GOPIS?

There are different categories of gopis. Some are nitya-siddhas, who descended from the spiritual world of Goloka in order to assist the Lord in His pastimes. These gopis met with no problem when they went to meet Krsna. But there were others. Some of them, by the arrangement of yoga-maya, were forcibly locked in rooms so that they couldn’t escape. They had such longing and intense feeling that they could do nothing but meditate in the core of their heart on meeting Krsna and giving pleasure to Him. These gopis were personified Vedas, who longed to have intimate relationships with Krsna. They were allowed to take birth in Vrndavana to completely purify themselves in the association of other gopis.

Some gopis were the sages in Danoakaranya forest who met Lord Rama during His exile. They were all longing to have a loving relationship with Rama. But in that incarnation, Sri Rama would only have such a relationship with one person Sita. Therefore, He gave them the benediction that when He appeared as Lord Krsna on the earth, they would also reappear as gopis to enjoy this relationship.

Some gopis, although pure devotees of the Lord, had not yet achieved the absolute pure level of the nitya-siddha gopis. These gopis were not allowed to see Krsna that night. They were locked in rooms. Due to the intensity of the separation, they were on the verge of death. This overwhelming desire to be with Krsna burned to ashes any tinge of material contamination that may have been in their hearts. They then entered into the realm of the nitya-siddha gopis.

Krsna is the basis of all love

The gopis came to Vamsivata, and there with hearts anticipating a night of unalloyed service to the Supreme Lord, offered their hearts to Krsna. Krsna welcomed them very respectfully with deep love. After welcoming them Lord Krsna wanted to test them. He said, “My dear gopis, why have you come in the middle of the night? It is not appropriate for chaste young ladies like you to leave your fathers, brothers, husbands to meet another man in the forest. Besides that it’s very dangerous; there is no security here. It is very dark, you should go home. The gopis began to weep, “We have given our hearts to You; we have abandoned everything only for You. Please smile upon us. Do not send us away.” The gopis gave so many heartfelt arguments; one was, “Krsna, You are in everyone’s heart. You are the source of life for every living being. If You leave a person’s heart, all that is left is a dead corpse and no one loves dead corpses. They put them in fire or bury them underground. In truth, my dear Lord, it is Your presence within the person’s heart that makes them lovable.”

The gopis’ words help us understand that the actual attractive quality in the world is the presence of Krsna. Because Krsna is in the heart of our child, we love our child. Because Krsna is in the heart of our mother and father, we love them. It is actually Krsna that we love. In the romantic relationship between a husband and wife, the basis of love is the presence of Krsna within themselves. Because Krsna is all-attractive and because we are all part of Krsna, it is that attractive quality of Krsna that attracts people to each other.

The only person we ever love is Krsna. Unfortunately because we do not understand Krsna in truth, our love is steeped in ignorance and therefore we don’t taste the sweetness of transcendental ecstasy in our loving relationship in this world. If you learn how to love Krsna then you will have loving relationship with everybody in this world, because you will see and reciprocate with Krsna in their hearts. This is love.

The culmination of this pastime is so beautiful. Krsna is bhakta-vatsala. He is so gracious to His devotees because bhakti conquers Krsna. Krsna is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the controller of all controllers. But Krsna is controlled by the love of His devotees. That is why He is Rasaraja. He feels such a debt to those who surrender to love Him that Krsna feels unable to repay. That is the nature of His love.

Krsna then performed the topmost spiritual pastime of rasa-lila on the banks of Yamuna and through the forest of Vrajabhumi with the gopis. He danced with them throughout the night and just to fulfill the gopis’ desire to serve Him with love, Krsna extended one night to be an entire night of Lord Brahma. Who else can reciprocate with our love in that way?

Understanding rasa-lila

At the time of the rasa-lila Sri Krsna, Syamasundara, was only eight years old. At the age of eight, such a conjugal relationship, even from the material point of view, is in perfect innocence. There cannot be lust in an eight-year-old. In the rasa-lila, Krsna, who is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, whose form is eternity, knowledge, and bliss, was reciprocating pastimes of pure love with the gopis who were in their spiritual forms. The gopis did not approach Krsna with material bodies. They were in their original, spiritual pure forms where the modes of material nature have no access. So from the material and from the spiritual point of view, it was a perfectly pure exchange of love.

Krsna’s pastimes are not just meant for entertainment; they are meant for purification. If the rasa-lila is understood according to the teachings of the great saints, there is great knowledge that we can practically apply to our lives. That is why Srila Prabhupada and all of the great acaryas in our sampradaya always give a commentary while translating the Vedic literature, because without that commentary you don’t understand them in their proper spirit or content.

The rasa-lila is very instructive. Although the gopis put aside all material attachment for the pleasure of Krsna, when they went back to their homes, they performed all their responsibilities. They loved their children, husbands, parents because they felt and experienced Krsna in their hearts. That means Krsna’s service is the unifying factor of all of our relationships. Whatever our activities in this world may be, they are perfect if we put Krsna in the center. The perfect marriage is when the husband and the wife simply exist together for the pleasure and the loving service of Krsna. If they do this, they will have perfect respect, compassion, and sympathy for one another because they won’t see each other as objects of enjoyment but as the sacred property of God. The gopis teach the householders the perfect household lives, and the gopis also teach sannyasis, the perfect sannyasa life.

If you hear properly the beautiful stories of Krsna-lila, you will be inspired to surrender to Krsna. You will be inspired to do something for the pleasure of Krsna and His devotees. If this mood is absent, then you are not hearing properly or it’s not being presented properly. We are not meant to enjoy, we are meant to be enjoyed, enjoyed by Krsna. That is the meaning of rasa-lila sarat-purnima, the night when everyone simply gives up all their ego, all their attachments for the purpose of being enjoyed by Krsna.

Lord Caitanya, who was Krsna Himself, appeared in the guise of a devotee to teach us how to love, how to give pleasure, how to be enjoyed by God. And the most simple and sublime of all processes, the foundation on which we can build our devotion and our love, is the chanting of the holy name: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This chanting is the offering of our hearts, an offering of our love, an offering of our life for the pleasure of Krsna.

And Krsna as Lord Caitanya has taught:

trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

(Sri Siksastaka, Text 3)

The rasa-lila is about this principle. Lord Caitanya says, “If we have pure love then we are humble like a blade of grass, tolerant like a tree, ready to offer all respect to others and expect none in return. Our love is selfless.”

na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

(Sri Siksastaka Text 4)

Radharani is speaking this verse in the Siksastaka. “I don’t want wealth, I don’t want anything, I only want to serve You Krsna, to please You Krsna.” The process of achieving that perfection is to strive to be prideless in our chanting of the holy names. You cannot enter into the rasa-lila through mental gymnastics or through intellectual memorization of slokas. It is only possible when we feel ourselves so humble, so much in need that we cry out to Krsna like a baby crying for its mother.

Prayers

On this day, we pray for pure devotional service. We pray to follow in the footsteps of those Vaisnavas who are following in the footsteps of the gopis no selfishness, no false ego, no separate interest, no agenda, except the aspiration to be the servant of the servant of the servant. To try to imitate the gopis and meditate on their activities in their eternal forms is premature for a person who still has false ego. We want to be the servant of the servant of the servant of the gopis by following their principles of having a pure heart of selfless surrender, focused in absorption on the pleasure of Krsna. What pleases Krsna the most is service to His devotees. To the degree our hearts become pure, we will derive the ultimate satisfaction to see Krsna enjoying His pastimes with Srimati Radharani. At that stage, we want nothing else.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=14150

For Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s disappearance day, I thought to read one verse and purport about him from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Ten, “The Branches of the Caitanya Tree”:

TEXT 105

sri gopala bhatta eka sakha sarvottama
rupa-sanatana-sange yanra prema-alapana

TRANSLATION

Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great and exalted branches of the tree. He always engaged in discourses about love of Godhead in the company of Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Sri Gopala Gosvami was the son of Venkata Bhatta, a resident of Sri Rangam. Gopala Bhatta formerly belonged to the disciplic succession of the Ramanuja-sampradaya but later became part of the Gaudiya-sampradaya.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

The word sampradaya means “party.”

PURPORT (continued)

In the year 1433 Sakabda (A.D. 1511), when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was touring South India, He stayed for four months during the period of Caturmasya at the house of Venkata Bhatta, who then got the opportunity to serve the Lord to his heart’s content. Gopala Bhatta also got the opportunity to serve the Lord at this time. Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was later initiated by his uncle, the great sannyasi Prabodhananda Sarasvati. Both the father and the mother of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami were extremely fortunate, for they dedicated their entire lives to the service of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They allowed Gopala Bhatta Gosvami to go to Vrndavana, and they gave up their lives thinking of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was later informed that Gopala Bhatta Gosvami had gone to Vrndavana and met Sri Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami, He was very pleased, and He advised Sri Rupa and Sanatana to accept Gopala Bhatta Gosvami as their younger brother and take care of him. Sri Sanatana Gosvami, out of his great affection for Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, compiled the Vaisnava smrtinamed Hari-bhakti-vilasa and published it under his name. Under the instruction of Srila Rupa and Sanatana, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami installed one of the seven principal deities of Vrndavana, the Radha-ramana deity. The sevaits (priests) of the Radha-ramana temple belong to the Gaudiya-sampradaya.

COMMENT

Actually, one of the families entrusted with the Deity service at the Radha-ramana temple has a history of relations with the line of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Visvambhara Gosvami’s father or grandfather had relations with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the family maintained relations with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and then Visvambhara Gosvami had very friendly relations with Srila Prabhupada. And he spoke very nicely about Srila Prabhupada. Now Visvambhara Gosvami’s son Padmanabha Gosvami is also very favorable to ISKCON. In fact, ISKCON devotees often honor prasada at his home at the Radha-ramana temple. I also took prasada there with His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami, and Padmanabha Gosvami showed us a letter that Srila Prabhupada had written to his father, Visvambhara Gosvami, about how all Vaishnavas should cooperate. So, not only does the Radha-ramana temple belong to the Gaudiya-sampradaya, but at least some of the sevaits have had close relations with the line of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

PURPORT (continued)

When Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami took permission from all the Vaisnavas before writing Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami also gave him his blessings, but he requested him not to mention his name in the book. Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has mentioned Gopala Bhatta Gosvami only very cautiously in one or two passages of the Caitanya-caritamrta. Srila Jiva Gosvami has written in the beginning of his Tattva-sandarbha, “A devotee from southern India who was born of a brahmana family and was a very intimate friend of Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami has written a book that he has not compiled chronologically. Therefore I, a tiny living entity known as jiva, am trying to assort the events of the book chronologically, consulting the direction of great personalities like Madhvacarya, Sridhara Svami, Ramanujacarya, and other senior Vaisnavas in the disciplic succession.” In the beginning of the Bhagavat-sandarbha there are similar statements by Srila Jiva Gosvami. Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami compiled a book called Sat-kriya-sara-dipika, edited the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, wrote a foreword to the Sat-sandarbha and a commentary on the Krsna-karnamrta, and installed the Radharamana Deity in Vrndavana. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (184) it is mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord Krsna was Ananga-manjari. Sometimes he is also said to have been an incarnation of Guna-manjari. Srinivasa Acarya and Gopinatha Pujari were two of his disciples.

COMMENT

Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami ki jaya!

One story about Gopala Bhatta Gosvami is that on the eve of Nrsimha-caturdasi all the other Gosvamis and Vaishnavas in Vrindavan were preparing to worship their deities and hold festivals. Gopala Bhatta Gosvami had only a salagrama-sila; he didn’t have a deity with form, with arms and legs, a body he could dress and decorate. So he was feeling deprived of the opportunity to serve his deity like the other devotees who had deities with forms. Out of his strong desire, a salagrama-sila manifest in the form of Radha-ramana. Radha-ramana is considered the most beautiful deity of Krishna. It is the one original deity of the Gosvamis that has remained in Vrindavan, while the others had to be taken elsewhere for fear of the Muslim invaders. And near the temple of Radha-ramana in Vrindavan is the samadhi of Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami.

Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s uncle and siksa-guru was Prabodhananda Sarasvati. His samadhi is also located in Vrindavan, just off the parikrama path near Kaliya-ghata, which is quite near our Krishna-Balaram temple. Often when we go on parikrama down the path near the Yamuna, we visit Prabodhananda Sarasvati’s samadhi and bhajana-kutira. Then we proceed to Srila Sanatana Gosvami’s samadhi. Sanatana Gosvami was the most senior of the Gosvamis and was also a close associate and instructor of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. In fact, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami worked with Sanatana Gosvami to produce the great treatise Hari-bhakti-vilasa.

I feel that Gopala Bhatta Gosvami has been especially merciful to me on two occasions. On one, I visited his bhajana-kutira at Sanketa, a place between Nandagrama and Varsana where Radha and Krishna used to meet and sometimes perform rasa-lila. Gopala Bhatta would sit and chant underground in a deep cavern accessible only through a long, narrow passage. At the end of the passage was a somewhat roomier place where Gopala Bhatta used to chant, now marked as his bhajana-sthala. I remember going there with Tamal Krishna Goswami and others on a very hot day and struggling to crawl through the passage to the bhajana-sthala. It was difficult, but when I finally reached there, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was very merciful. He allowed me to chant with a glimpse of taste. And after all the devotees emerged from the cavern, I stole back in. I crawled back to Gopala Bhatta’s lotus feet and sat there chanting. I will never forget his mercy to me there, and I pray that he will enable me to chant with relish and love.

On the other occasion, during Kartik of 1999, shortly before my surgery, I visited Gopala Bhatta’s samadhi near the Radha-ramana temple in Vrindavan. We arrived just after raja-bhoga-arati, and the pujari was closing the doors to the samadhi-mandir. But he was kind enough to open the doors for us, to allow us darshan of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. He gave us some flowers and caranamrta and invited us to stay for prasada. Thus our small party, along with some local sadhus, honored Gopala Bhatta Prabhu’s maha-maha-prasada with great relish, and we even stayed to take a little rest before, filled with bliss, we continued on our way. So, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami is very kind.

 Years later, when some of my disciples from Bombay went to Vrindavan on pilgrimage, they visited the samadhi of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. They told the pujaris about me, how my health no longer allowed me to visit Vraja, and asked for some prasada for me. And the priest kindly gave them a piece of cloth from Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s samadhi. It is very special. Now, twice a year, on his appearance day and on his disappearance day, we bring it out and touch it. So now we shall pass it around and touch it to our heads and to our hearts—and pray to Gopala Bhatta Gosvami for his sublime mercy.

Thank you.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s disappearance day, July 31, 2002, Carpinteria, California]

Source: http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=14507

In the holy land of Vṛndāvana, where the Divine Couple Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda are performing their eternal pastimes, resided a great devotee named Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, one of the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana. But where did he come from? Why did he reside in Vṛndāvana? To know that we have to go to a holy place called Śrī Raṅgam.

In 1510, Mahāprabhu went to Śrī Raṅgam. Located in South-India, it is a major pilgrimage destination for Śrī Vaiṣṇavites. There, with His hands raised, He began chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā Mantra. The chant was so sweet that it attracted the local devotees. One of the local devotees was Shri Vyeṅkaṭa Bhatta, who detected the symptoms of a Mahāpuruś, a great personage in Mahāprabhu. After the kīrtan, Vyeṅkaṭa went to Mahāprabhu and asked for His mercy. Mahāprabhu embraced him heartily. Vyeṅkaṭa then asked Mahāprabhu if He could stay at his residence as Cāturmāsya was around the corner. Mahāprabhu agreed and resided at his residence for four months.

Vyeṅkaṭa ‘s son was Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and at the time of Mahāprabhu’s visit he was only a child. When the little boy offered his respects at the feet of Mahāprabhu, the Lord picked him up and held him on his lap, affectionately embracing the boy. Mahāprabhu used to call the boy and give him the remnants of his prasāda. By giving him his prasāda, he was blessing Gopāla Bhaṭṭa to become a great acharya in the future.

After spending four months in the house of Vyeṅkaṭa Bhatta it was time for Mahāprabhu to bid farewell to their family. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa fainted at the feet of Mahāprabhu. He then instructed Gopāla Bhaṭṭa to stay with his parents and serve them and later on come to Vṛndāvana where he would constantly hear and glorify the holy name of the Lord. After giving this instruction Mahāprabhu left their house.

In due course of time, Gopāla learnt Sanskrit and excelled in learning the bhakti-śāstras from his uncle Śrīlā Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. After the passing away of his parents, he then left for Vṛndāvana.

When he came to Vṛndāvana, Śrīlā Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī greeted him and treated him like a brother. At that time Śrīlā Rūpa Gosvāmī was preparing to send messages with some devotees from Vrindavan to Mahāprabhu in Purī. When Mahāprabhu heard about Gopāla’s arrival in Vṛndāvana He sent with the messenger kaupin and outer garments of the bābājī order, to be given to Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī as symbols of his renunciation. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī accepted this with great happiness, considering it to the Lord’s mercy and prasāda.

Lord Caitanya ordered Gopāla Bhaṭṭa to write a book to check the spread of pseudo-loving rasas and negligence to Vaidhī-bhakti. In corroboration with Sanātana Gosvāmī he compiled the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, the authorized book explaining the ritual and devotional practices of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradaya. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was responsible for originating the six thesis of Ṣaṭ-sandarbha later elaborately developed by Jīva Gosvāmī. He also wrote Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā, a guide to Vaiṣṇava saṁskārāsand rituals for birth ceremonies, sacred thread initiations, marriage ceremonies, sannyasa, and funerals etc.

Śrīlā Prabhupāda wonderfully summarizes the works, role in Kṛṣṇa Lila and disciples of Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī in the purport of CC Adi 10.105. He writes “Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī compiled a book called Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā, edited the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, wrote a foreword to the Ṣaṭ-sandarbha and a commentary on the Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, and installed the Rādhāramaṇa Deity in Vṛndāvana. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (184) it is mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa was Anaṅga-mañjarī. Sometimes he is also said to have been an incarnation of Guṇa-mañjarī. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and Gopīnātha Pūjārī were two of his disciples.”

Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was born in the year 1503 AD on the 13th day of the dark moon in the month of Pauśa. He lived within this world for 75 years. In the 1578 AD, on the sixth day of the dark moon, he left this world behind and entered into the eternal pastimes of the Lord.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=76844

This weekend four Chariot Fests are being held within the Quebec/ Ontario area. Burlington, Oakville, Kingsville and Montreal. It is Burlington's 2nd, Oakville's 1st, Kingsville's (I'm not sure), but Montreal's running for decades is the largest. After beautiful overnight showers and a persistent overcast sky, the procession began at Sherbrooke and Ste. Laurent.

A large number of police escorted. They were great and most co-operative. By the end of the day, at festival site, Joanna Mance Park, the helpful authority reported to us that the day's event was no sweat. They liked the mood and the peaceful atmosphere. They implied we were low maintenance.

Please join us in prayers for Vishvambhara Das, who left his body on Guru-Purnima in Montreal, Canada.  According to his godbrother Deena Bandhu Das, “He went to France and expanded the preaching there very widely for Srila Prabhupada’s pleasure. He was a wonderful Vaishnava who was like a big brother to the devotees who knew him. He will be greatly missed! Hare Krishna!”  Other godbrothers like Giriraja Swami noted, “I have fond memories of serving with him in New Mayapur. He was a great soul and will be sorely missed. I will pray for his auspicious onward spiritual journey.” Vimuktasanga Das appreciated his key role in negotiating the purchase of Radhadesh as a co-signee on the contract.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/vishvambhara-das-departed-on-guru-purnima/

God is one. Moreover, according to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that one God is Krishna, the cowherd boy of Vrindavan, who chooses to expand Himself unlimitedly still remain the same one Supreme Person, just to increase His own pleasure. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.28) designates this original Godhead as svayam bhagavān: Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has three primary energies. The first is antarańga–śakti, or the internal potency. The second is known as taṭastha–śakti, the marginal potency or ‘jiva sakti’. The living entities constitute the marginal potency, and they are situated between the internal and external Potencies yet the living entity is also spiritual. The third is called bahirańga–śakti, or ‘māyā sakti’ illusory Potency or the external potency / energy known as illusion, which consists of fruitive activity (karma).

Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.7.61): viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyātṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate -Lord Kṛṣṇa naturally has three energetic transformations. He is embodiment of multifarious, inconceivable spiritual potencies. parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate! svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca!!(Svetasvatra Up 6:8) – Each potency acts quite naturally (svābhāvikī) in sequences providing Him full knowledge (jñāna), power (bala) and pastimes (kriyā). parā sakti’ : Also known as internal potency ‘antaranga śakti’ Although this inherent spiritual potency is one, it manifests in three features Bala : strength and opulence called ‘sandhini’, jñāna: knowledge called ‘samvit’ and kriyā : pastimes known as ‘hlādini’. Kṛṣṇa says: daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā — This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. Being conducted by divine will, material nature, although inferior, acts so wonderfully in the construction and destruction of the cosmic manifestation. The Vedas confirm this as follows: māyāṁ tu prakṛtiṁ vidyān māyinaṁ tu maheśvaram.“Although māyā [illusion] is false or temporary, the background of māyā is the supreme magician, the Personality of Godhead, who is Maheśvara, the supreme controller.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.10) hlādinyā saṁvid-āśliṣṭaḥ sac-cid-ānanda īśvaraḥ –The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, is always full of transcendental bliss and is accompanied by the potencies known as hlādinī and saṁvit. (CC Madhya 18.114)

Trying to convey to Sanātana Gosvāmī something of the extent of one-fourth of Kṛṣṇa’s energy, Caitanya Mahāprabhu cited an incident from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in which Brahmā, the lord of the universe, came to see Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā. May I inquire if there are other Brahmās besides me? “Upon hearing this, Kṛṣṇa smiled and at once called for many Brahmās from many universes. The four-headed Brahmā then saw many other Brahmās coming to see Kṛṣṇa and to offer their respects. Some of them had ten heads, some had twenty, some had a hundred and some even had a million heads. Indeed, the four-headed Brahmā could not even count the Brahmās who were coming to offer their obeisances to Kṛṣṇa. Upon seeing this wonderful exhibition, the four-headed Brahmā became nervous and began to think of himself as no more than a mosquito in the midst of many elephants. As each of the Brahmās saw Kṛṣṇa, each thought that He was only within his universe. . Upon seeing this, the four-headed Brahmā at once fell down at the feet of Kṛṣṇa and said, “What I thought about You at first was all nonsensical. Everyone may say that they know You in perfection, but as far as I am concerned, I cannot begin to conceive how great You are. You are beyond my conception and understanding.” “This particular universe is only four thousand million miles broad,” Kṛṣṇa then informed him, “but there are many millions and billions of universes which are far, far greater than this one. Some of these are many trillions of miles broad, and all these universes require strong Brahmās, not just four-headed.” Each universe is made up of 8 elements. Each one is 10 times larger than previous.

Lord Brahmā after he had stolen Lord Kṛṣṇa’s calves and cowherd boys and Kṛṣṇa had exhibited His transcendental opulence by re-creating all the stolen calves and cowherd boys by His viṣṇu-mūrti expansions. After he had seen this, Brahmā offered the following prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa: guṇātmanas te ‘pi guṇān vimātuṁ hitāvatīrṇasya ka īśire ’sya
kālena yair vā vimitāḥ sukalpair bhū-pāṁsavaḥ khe mihikā dyubhāsaḥ – “Scientists and learned men cannot even estimate the atomic constitution of a single planet. Even if they could count the molecules of snow in the sky or the number of stars in space, they cannot estimate how it is You descend on this earth or in this universe with Your innumerable transcendental potencies, energies and qualities.” (SB 10.14.7)

jānanta eva jānantu kiḿ bahūktyā na me prabho manaso vapuṣo vāco vaibhavaḿ tava go-caraḥ (SB 10.14.38) – There are people who say, “I know everything about Kṛṣṇa.” Let them think that way. As far as I am concerned, I do not wish to speak very much about this matter. O my Lord let me say this much: As far as Your opulances are concerned, they are all beyond the reach of my mind, body, and words. Total Material energy- Mahat Tattva-is inferior energy yet it is very powerful and very difficult to overcome. “daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (Bg 7.14). Manifestation of Total Material energy is temporary. It is only one breath of Mahā Vishnu an expansion of expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Brahmā the secondary creator of this universe has gigantic form. . He created all these planets by receiving creative energy (śrṣṭi-śakti) from Krishna. From his abode Brahma Loka-Satya Loka he observes activities of all 14 planetary systems.

Among the 14 planetary systems only three systems, bhur-loka, bhuvar-loka and svar-loka are visible to human eye. No upper or lower planets are visible to us. Thus all the stars and planets we see in the night sky, even with the aid of a telescope, belongs to these three planetary systems, with a few rare exceptions. Following is the illustration of the comparison of some visible planet as described by modern day scientists: It shows that the biggest planet is Antares and next big is Arcturus, next is sun. Smaller than Sun is Jupiter, smaller then that is Saturn, then Venus, and Earth. Smallest is Pluto. Compare to Antares (assuming a size of an orange) sun is one pixel in size. Compared to Sun Earth is a small dot about three pixels. So compared to Antares earth is invisible.

As described above the compared to Antares earth is invisible. Sun is ninety millions miles away from earth. Sun is so powerful that its pin size portion can burn entire USA. The light of the sun and the moon is also originally emanating from the brahma-jyotir, which is the impersonal effulgence of the Lord. Kṛṣṇa, by His different energies, diffuses heat and light through the agency of electricity and the sun. Kṛṣṇa says He is the light of the sun and the moon – prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. That prabhā is just a small particle (citkana) of brahma jyotir – which is the glaring effulgence of the transcendental body of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Whatever illumination appears in the material world is only a reflection of that supreme illumination that supreme Brahman effulgence spreads throughout both the material and spiritual skies. He says by a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe. viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat. (Bg 10.42) ‘yasya prabhā-prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi- Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40)- (I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord) whose effulgence is the source of the illumination of millions and millions universes. Lord also says: It is because of My supremacy that the wind blows, out of fear of Me; the sun shines out of fear of Me, and the lord of the clouds, Indra, sends forth showers out of fear of Me. Fire burns out of fear of Me, and death goes about taking its toll out of fear of Me.

mad-bhayād vāti vāto ‘yaḿ sūryas tapati mad-bhayāt varṣatīndro dahaty agnir mṛtyuś carati mad-bhayāt

“The Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu is the Absolute Truth, whose lotus feet all the demigods are always eager to see. Like the sun god, He pervades everything by the rays of His energy. He appears impersonal to imperfect eyes.” tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ divīva cakṣur ātatam

Just as the demigod in the sun is a person and is perceived by his all-pervading energy, the sunshine, so the Lord, although in His eternal abode, is perceived by His all-pervading diffusive energies. The predominating Deity within the sun is Hiraṇmaya, another expansion of Lord Nārāyaṇa whose body is composed of golden effulgence, and has a golden hue which is illuminating the as well as maintaining the entire universe. In the Ṛg Veda, the predominating Deity of the sun is worshiped by this Ṛg mantra: dhyeyaḥ sadā savitṛ-maṇḍala-madhya-vartī nārāyaṇaḥ sarasijāsana-sanniviṣṭaḥ. Nārāyaṇa sits on His lotus flower within the sun. By reciting this mantra, or the Gāyatrī mantra every living entity should take shelter of Nārāyaṇa just as the sunrises. Therefore, when we chant gāyatrī during three sandhyās we should chant mantras in prayerful mood, not just mechanically but consciously meditating upon predominating deity Hiraṇmaya, an expansion of Lord Nārāyaṇa who sits on lotus flower within the sun and whose body is composed of golden effulgence and with golden hue illuminating and maintaining the entire universe. Ultimately, the energy, which sustains us by prolonging the duration of our life, is Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa meets us at the end as death. (BG 9.19 Purport). The mantra in Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 15 –hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham tat tvaṁ pūṣann apāvṛṇu – is a simple prayer to the Lord to remove the brahma-jyotir so that one can see His real face “O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence.”

The earth with 2/3 of vast ocean and 1/3 land would look like a moist grain of sand as compared to the sun. That 1/3 of land is divided into 5 continents filled with 3.5 billion humans. One of the continents is American continent. In North American continent, there is USA with 50 states. Each state has many cities, each city has many streets and there are many houses on a street. In realty human being is tiny jiva jantu-like an insect, aṇu (atomic size) as compared to the Lord who is Vibhu yet living in one house a person thinks, “I am very important and will live here forever. Is it not amazing? In the Bhagavad-gītā(10.41) Lord Kṛṣṇa says: yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā
tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ mama tejo-’ṁśa-sambhavam –“Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.”

Vedic literature (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13) asserts that the Lord is the supreme maintainer. nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kamān – He is eternal and the living beings are eternal. He is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that He is supreme living entity of all living entities, and is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities; He alone is maintaining all life from a tiny germ to a big elephant. He cares for all living entities like father does for his children.

Seven types of empowerments (śakti) invested by Lord Kṛṣṇa are: (1) Sesa Nāga in the Vaikuntha world empowered for the personal service of the Supreme Lord (Sva-sevana-śakti). (2) Anantadeva empowered to bear all the planets within the universe (bhū -dhāraṇa-śakti). (3) Lord Brahma empowered with the energy to create the cosmic manifestation (śrṣṭi-śakti). (4) Catuhsana, or the Kumāras, specifically empowered to distribute transcendental knowledge (jñāna -śakti). (5) Nārada Muni, empowered to distribute devotional service (bhakti-śakti). (6) Maharaja Prthu, specifically empowered to rule and maintains living entities (pālana-śakti). (7) Paraśurāma specifically empowered to cut down rogues and demons (duṣta-damana-śakti).

First Meaning: –

Srila Jiva Gosvami reveals the meaning of each of the sixteen Names in the Hare Krishna Mahaamantra in his Mahaa-mantrartha Dipika as follows: –

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

(1-Hare)
Krishna steals the minds of everyone, yet Radha steals even His mind by Her divine expertise. Thus She is known as Haraa.

(2-Krishna)
He forcibly attracts Sri Radha with the sweet sound of His flute, therefore that Lord of all enchanting qualities is known as Krishna.

(3-Hare)
It has been heard that during the rasa-lila, doe-eyed Radha was stolen away by Krishna to be alone with Him in a secret forest bower. She is therefore known as Haraa.

(4-Krishna)
When Krishna sports with Radha, Her golden hue takes on the dark complexion of Krishna’s skin. He is thus known as Krishna.

(5-Krishna)
In order to please Sri Radha, Krishna manifested the most wonderful lake (Syama-kunda) in Vrndavana. He then called all the holy rivers to fill it. He is thus known as Krishna.

(6-Krishna)
By Her unsurpassed love, Radha charms He who performs wonderful lilas on the banks of the Yamuna. Therefore, those who are sober know Him as Krishna.

(7-Hare)
While in Gokula, Sri Hari (Krishna) killed the demon known as Aristasura. During that time, Radha cried out to Him with great feeling and by doing so, She stole His mind. She is thus known as Haraa.

(8-Hare)

Filled with ecstatic love, Radha sometimes sings the glories of Hari’s exploits quietly and sometimes She sings them aloud. Those who are expert in the secrets of divine sentiments call Her Haraa.

(9-Hare)
Due to the intense love of Sri Radha, Sri Hari becomes so captivated that His flute falls from His hand. With the desire to enjoy in the forest bowers with Krishna, Radha steals His flute. That goddess is thus famous as Haraa.

(10-Rama)
Krishna, who is expert at embracing, sports with Radha in the forest groves or in the caves of Govardhana. Thus He is known as Rama.

(11-Hare)

That most merciful Radha destroys the miseries of Her devotees and gives them great happiness every day. Therefore that goddess is known as Haraa.

(12-Rama)
The minds of the devotees are continuously drowned in an ocean of supreme joy by seeing the beautiful dark form of Krishna. Therefore He is known by the Name Rama.

(13-Rama)
Radharani is known as Rama because She enjoys loving pastimes with Acyuta (Krishna) in a secret forest pavilion. Since He is always by Her side, He is known as Rama.

(14-Rama)

When the residents of Gokula were crying due to fear of the forest fire, Krishna immediately swallowed it and gave His devotees great joy. In this way, He is known as Rama.

(15-Hare)
Sri Krishna went to Mathurapuri in order to destroy the demons. However, due to being captivated by the love of Radha, He later returned. Therefore She is known as Haraa.

(16-Hare)
When the son of Maharaja Nanda returned to Vraja, He took away the suffering of all the Vrajavasis. By His wonderful exploits, He steals the heart of Sri Radha. Thus He is known as Hari.

Second Meaning: –

There are three Holy Names that make up the Maha-Mantra, Hare, Krishna, and Rama.

1. ‘Hare’ is a powerful word that directly addresses the energy of the Lord

2. ‘Krishna’ is the Name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna is the Possessor of every quality in and out of the universe. He also possesses these qualities in an unlimited quantity.

3. ‘Rama’ means the reservoir of pleasure.

By chanting this Maha-Mantra and doing service to Krishna, anyone can be linked to this reservoir and get unlimited happiness.

While engaged in nama-sankirtana one should chant with deep feeling, full faith, firm determination, and the realization that Radha-Syamasundara are personally present in the maha-manlra with all of their transcendental beauty, qualities, and pastimes. Such performance of nama-sankirtana will surely bring the desired result of Krishna-prema.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=24724

From Back to Godhead

Academic knowledge provides information of the world, but spiritual knowledge awards us eternal liberation

One of my friends in college was known for his immense general knowledge. He knew the names of all recent Hollywood and Bollywood movies, the actors, directors, and producers of each movie, and the winners of Oscar and Filmfare awards from every year. In sports, he knew the winners of each Grand Slam tennis tournament from every year as well as similar information about football and cricket. He also knew the capital city and currency of each country, and a lot more.

I was impressed by his memory, and I admired his voracious reading. Here I was struggling to remember basic mathematical and scientific formulae and somehow clear my examinations. I wished I had the ability to retain at least half of what I read daily.

When I came to Krishna consciousness, however, I felt less impressed by my friend’s general knowledge. I learned that knowledge was meant to produce good character and, ultimately, devotion to God. So-called knowledge of this world is incomplete, because information in this world keeps changing continuously; what is true today will no longer remain true tomorrow. The greater your memory, the greater your capacity to retain information, and the greater will be your reputation as a knowledgeable person. But knowledge about this world is simply data loaded into the brain. How can such ever changing information help us attain anything permanent and everlasting? How can such knowledge help us solve the real problems of life, namely, birth, old age, disease, and death?

Real knowledge is to know what matter is, what spirit is, and the controller of both. And such knowledge must transform one’s heart by invoking our divine nature, which is expressed by displaying divine qualities like cleanliness, forgiveness, compassion, and love for all living beings. Although my friend was updated with the latest current affairs and was also good in his academics, he didn’t seem to possess all these divine qualities. Always unclean, he was addicted to many nasty habits, and he doubted the existence of God and questioned His activities.

Material knowledge is called jada-vidya, or knowledge of inert matter, while spiritual knowledge is called para-vidya, or knowledge of transcendence. Jada-vidya helps us to use the body and live in the material world, but para-vidya can help us attain liberation from the material world and can take us to the eternal blissful spiritual world. Knowledge of the spirit is considered transcendental because it can free us from our conditional material existence.

The Bhagavad-Gita is renowned as the jewel of India’s spiritual wisdom because it presents the condensed essence of all transcendental knowledge one needs to know to perfect the human mission. Srila Prabhupada explains the unique position of the Gita “One will find in the Bhagavad-Gita all that is contained in other scriptures, but the reader will also find things which are not to be found elsewhere. That is the specific standard of the Gita. It is the perfect theistic science because it is directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.”

What is the effect of transcendental knowledge upon us? How does it benefit us? Lord Krishna uses four analogies to answer these questions.

Knowledge as Fire

Transcedental knowledge
Although fire often acts destructively, knowledge is here compared with fire in a positive way. Just as fire burns up all impurities, the fire of transcendental knowledge burns up all the karmic baggage we carry.

A conditioned soul accumulates enormous karma during his sojourn in this material world. Life after life, in every species of life, a living entity cultivates various desires, and accordingly acts, either piously or sinfully. But whether the actions are pious or sinful, reactions arise out of each action, and no one can escape them. One must enjoy the good reactions and suffer the bad reactions some time in the future.

The glory of transcendental knowledge is that it can burn up all reactions at once both good and bad. jnanagnih serve-kemuini bhesme-sst kurute tatha: “The fire of knowledge burns to ashes all reactions to material activities.” (Gita 4.37) But we may not like to hear about our stock of good karma getting burned up: “I have done so much charity and welfare work for others,” one may protest. “Why should I lose all those credits?” All reactions, both pleasant and unpleasant, are ultimately bad because they bind us to the material world in the repeated cycle of birth and death. Good actions will promote us to higher planets where we enjoy heavenly delights, while sinful actions will push us down to hellish planets where we suffer terrible pain. Even if we go to the heavenly planets, there is no guarantee that we will stay there permanently. Once we exhaust our pious credits, we are forced to return to earth, where we begin our next set of actions and reactions.

Transcendental knowledge can burn up all our reactions and qualify us to go to the eternal spiritual world, from where there is no more coming back.

Knowledge as Boat

The material world is sometimes called bhava-sagara, or an ocean of birth and death. If a man falls into an ocean, he can never cross the ocean alone, no matter how skilled a swimmer he may be. But if he can get the help of a well-built boat, he can save himself from drowning.

Krishna says in the Gita (4.36) that transcendental knowledge is like the boat that can help you cross over this material ocean of nescience:

api ced asi papebhyah
sarvebhyah papa-krt-tamah
sarvarh jnana-plavenaiva
vrjinam santansyasi

“Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge you will be able to cross over the ocean of miseries.”

Actually, our stay in the material world is caused by material desires. And the root cause of material desires, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains, is avidya, or ignorance, which is defined as forgetfulness of this truth “I am the eternal servant of Sri Krishna.”

Transcendental knowledge revives our lost memory of being a servant of Krishna, Therefore it can immediately award us liberation from the ocean of birth and death.

Knowledge as Torchlight

Compared to our blissful eternal existence, life in the material world is groping around in the darkness, in ignorance of our constitutional position. As soon we begin our conditional life, we forget our real identity and get lost in the temporary pain and pleasure of this world. Having spent lifetimes in the darkness of the material world, we have forgotten the life of enlightenment in the spiritual world.

But it is not easy to come out of darkness; years of lone struggle will never lead us out of it. What we need is torchlight, the illuminating lamp of knowledge. That’s how Krishna underscores the importance of transcendental knowledge in the Bhagavad-Gita.

For devotees who are constantly engaged in loving devotional service to Lord Krishna, obtaining transcendental knowledge becomes very easy: Krishna personally destroys the ignorance in their lives by providing this torchlight. He promises this in ens (10.11):

tesam evanukampartham
aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhava-stho
jnana-dipena bhasvata

“To show them [those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love] special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.”

At another place, Krishna compares knowledge to bright sunshine, which remove the dense darkness of night. Tesiim aditya-vaj jnanarh prakasayati tat param (Gita 5.16)

During Lord Caitanya’s tour of South India, He met a simple brahmene who was engrossed in reading the Bhagavad-Gita. While reading, tears would glide down his cheeks and his hair stood on end in ecstasy. When Lord Caitanya asked the brahmena why he was crying, the brahmaha replied, “Whenever I sit down to read the Gita, the form of Lord Krishna as Partha-sarathi [Arjuna’s chariot driver] appears in my heart. And as soon as I see this form I immediately remember how the Lord is bhakta-vatsala [especially kind to His devotees]. This thought makes me cry.” In his purport to this pastime, Srila Prabhupada quotes a verse from the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23):

yasya deve para-bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah

“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.” Lord Caitanya was extremely pleased upon seeing the devotion of this brahmana and He told him that he had perfected his reading of the em.

Knowledge as Sword

When a plant grows in a field, many weeds grow around it, and they consume most of the water and nutrients fed to the original plant. We then need a sharp cutting tool to remove all the unwanted weeds, which can choke the plant to death.

When a living entity begins the practice of Krishna consciousness, he is cultivating the creeper of devotional service. The process of hearing about Krishna and chanting His holy names provides water and nourishment to the plant. But very soon weeds begin to grow in the form of various desires for material enjoyment objects of enjoyment, name and fame in this world, heavenly pleasures, or mystic yogic powers. Even doubts can arise in our minds due to lack of philosophical conviction. These things distract our attention from the main goal, and our desire for pure devotional service is choked to death.

The sword of transcendental knowledge can come to our rescue. Krishna urges us to use this sharp sword to cut all the weeds of material desire and thus be situated in our real position. That way we can attain the ultimate perfection.

tasmed ajnana-sambhutam
hrt-stham jnanasinatmanah
chittvainam samsayam yogam
atisthottistha bharata

“Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, 0 Bharata, stand and fight.” (Gita 4.42)

Knowledge Keeps Maya Away

Meditating on the above four aspects of transcendental knowledge should make us realize the importance of cultivating it. Without knowledge about Krishna, one cannot steadily advance in devotional service. Our faith in the process will remain weak, and thus we are prone to become victims of maya. Srila Prabhupada would constantly emphasize the need to study scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, the foundational books of our Krishna consciousness philosophy. Serious aspirants must somehow acquire this knowledge either through study, hearing or chanting.

Krishna Himself glorifies transcendental knowledge in the following words:

na hi jnanenasadrsam
pavitram ihavidyate
tatsvayam yoga-samsiddhah
kalenatmani vindati

“In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who has become accomplished in the practice of devotional service enjoys this knowledge within himself in due course of time.” (Gita 4.38)

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=25892

By Giriraj Swami  

“Srila Prabhupada has explained that the system of honoring the spiritual master is current in all sections of Vedic followers. In the Mayavadi (impersonalist) sects, the disciples offer respect to the spiritual master once a year, on Guru-purnima. And in the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya, the disciples offer homage annually on the appearance day of the spiritual master, called Vyasa-puja because the spiritual master represents Vedavyasa, the empowered incarnation of Krishna who compiled the Vedic literatures, and the bona fide spiritual master presents the same knowledge through disciplic succession. Although Guru-purnima is generally observed by the Mayavadi groups, we shall take the opportunity to discuss the principle of guru—and glorify the acharya-sampradaya.

Guru is a deep subject. We sing, vande ’ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca. We offer respects to the spiritual master singular, to the spiritual masters plural, and to all Vaishnavas. The singular spiritual master is our personal spiritual master, the plural spiritual masters are the predecessor acharyas, and the Vaishnavas are the followers of the spiritual master. We offer respects to them all, because they all come in the same line, the disciplic succession, parampara, from Krishna Himself.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “The offering of respect to the spiritual master means offering respect to all the previous acharyas. Gurun means plural number. All the acharyas, they are not different from one another, because they are coming in the disciplic succession from the original spiritual master and they have no different views.” Thus we offer respects to the predecessors.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/a-reflection-on-sri-guru-purnima-by-giriraj-swami/