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Kartik – The Holiest Month

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on October 21, 2011 at 6:51pm

Kartik is the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. It usually overlaps with the months October & November in the English calendar. Kartik Maas, also known as Damodar Maas, is described in the scriptures as the best among months for performing austerities.

Lord Shri Krishna says, “Of all plants, the sacred Tulasi is most dear to Me; of all months, Kartik is most dear, of all places of pilgrimage, My beloved Dwarka is most dear, and of all days,Ekadashi is most dear.” (Padma Purana, Uttara Khand 112.3)

Kartik or the festival of offering lamps to Lord Krishna, glorifies Lord Krishna’s pastime of being bound with ropes by Mother Yashoda. Observing vrata in the month of Kartik is glorified in the Puranas.

“As Sat-yuga is the best of yugas (ages), as the Vedas are the best among scriptures, as Ganga is best of rivers, so Kartik is the best of months, the most dear to Lord Krishna.” (Skanda Purana)


This vrata begins on 4th Oct 2009(this year), and one may observe the following foremost activities throughout the entire month of Kartik:


v Japa – chanting the holy names of the Lord.


v Worship the Lord by offering ghee lamps (diyas), flowers, incense, food, etc.


v Practice brahmacharya – celibacy.


v Worship of Tulasi Devi.


v Give charity.


v Perform austerities.


The month of Kartika is the best of all months, and it is in this month that many special festivals like Dhan-Teras, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Duj,Tulsi Vivaah and various others take place.

Following are excerpts from some scriptures (Puranas) describing the glory of the pious Kartik month:


“If somebody performs even a little worship of Lord Shri Hari in this month, He offers that devotee His own abode.”


“If somebody burns a lamp in the temple of Lord Shri Hari even for a short time (in the month of Kartik), then whatever sins, he has acquired for millions of kalpas (one kalpa equals 1000yugas) are all destroyed.”


“A person, who for the entire month of Kartik eats only once a day, becomes very famous, powerful and heroic.”


“O Narada! I have personally seen that a person who happily reads the Bhagavad Gita in the month of Kartik does not return to the world of birth and death.”


“Of all gifts, the gift of a lamp during the month of Kartik is the best. No gift is its equal.”


“The pious result obtained by bathing in all holy places and giving all charities is not equal to one ten-millionth part of the result obtained by following the vow of Kartik.”

Sri Damodarashtakam

(found in the Padma Purana of Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa, spoken by Satyavrata Muni in a conversation with Narada Muni and Shaunaka Rishi)

"In the month of Kartika one should worship Lord Damodara and daily recite the prayer known as Damodaraishtaka, which has been spoken by the sage satyavrata and which attracts Lord Damodara. "

(Shri Hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.16.198)

(1) namamishvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam
lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam
Yashoda-bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam
paramrishtam atyantato drutya gopya

To the supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence, knowledge, and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro, who is beautifully shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who [due to the offense of breaking the pot of yogurt that His mother was churning into butter and then stealing the butter that was kept hanging from a swing] is quickly running from the wooden grinding mortar in fear of mother Yashoda, but who has been caught from behind by her who ran after Him with greater speed—to that supreme Lord, Shri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.

(2) rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrjantam
karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram
muhu shvasa-kampa-trirekhanka-kantha-
sthita-graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham

[Seeing the whipping stick in His mother’s hand,] He is crying and rubbing His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes are filled with fear, and the necklace of pearls around His neck, which is marked with three lines like a conchshell, is shaking because of His quick breathing due to crying. To this supreme Lord, Shri Damodara, whose belly is bound not with ropes but with His mother’s pure love, I offer my humble obeisances.

(3) itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde
sva-ghoisham nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyeishita-gyeishu bhaktair jitatvam
puna prematas tam shatavrtti vande

By such childhood pastimes as this He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy, and is revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbued with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. With great love I again offer my obeisances to Lord Damodara hundreds and hundreds of times.

(4) varam deva mokisham na mokishavadhim va
na canyam Vrine ’ham vareishad apiha
idam te vapur natha gopala-balam
sada me manasy avirastam kim anyai

O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor the highest liberation of eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon [which may be obtained by executing the nine processes of bhakti]. O Lord, I simply wish that this form of Yours as Bala Gopala in Vrindavana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?

(5) idam te mukhambhojam atyanta-nilair
vrtam kuntalai snigdha-raktaish ca gopya
muhush cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
manasy avirastam alam lakisha-labhai

0 Lord, Your lotus face, which is encircled by locks of soft black hair tinged with red, is kissed again and again by mother Yashoda, and Your lips are reddish like the bimba fruit. May this beautiful vision of Your lotus face be ever manifest in my heart. Thousands and thousands of other benedictions are of no use to me.

(6) namo deva damodarananta viishno
prasida prabho dukha-jalabdhi-magnam
krpa-drishti-vrishtyati-dinam batanu
grhaneisha mam agyam edhy akishi-drshya

O Supreme Godhead, I offer my obeisances unto You. O Damodara! O Ananta! O Vishnu! O master! O my Lord, be pleased upon me. By showering Your glance of mercy upon me, deliver this poor ignorant fool who is immersed in an ocean of worldly sorrows, and become visible to my eyes.

(7) kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat
tvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau krtau ca
tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha
na mokishe graho me ‘sti damodareha

O Lord Damodara, just as the two sons of Kuvera—Manigriva and Nalakuvara—were delivered from the curse of Narada and made into great devotees by You in Your form as a baby tied with rope to a wooden grinding mortar, in the same way, please give to me Your own prema-bhakti. I only long for this and have no desire for any kind of liberation.



(8) namas te ’stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne
tvadiyodarayatha vishvasya dhamne
namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai
namo ’nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam



O Lord Damodara, I first of all offer my obeisances to the brilliantly effulgent rope which binds Your belly. I then offer my obeisances to Your belly, which is the abode of the entire universe. I humbly bow down to Your most beloved Shrimati Radharani, and I offer all obeisances to You, the supreme Lord, who displays unlimited pastimes.

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The Reincarnation of Shri Raghava Das Brahmachari (1954-1973)

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on October 8, 2010 at 7:35pm
The Reincarnation of Shri Raghava Das Brahmachari (1954-1973)“Regarding the auto accident, just hold a condolence meeting for Raghava das Brahmachari and pray for his soul to Krishna for giving him a good chance for advancement in Krishna Consciousness. Certainly Krishna will give him a good place to take birth where he can again begin in Krishna Consciousness activities. That is sure.”(Shrila Prabhupada in a letter to Revatinandana das – 14 Nov. 1973)From the personal diary of Ratnavali Dasi (London)With thanks to Mithuna Twiins Astrological Services (dkrishna108@yahoo.com) for creating this amazing article and allowing us to publish it on this website.INTRODUCTIONI have remembrance of my last past life as a brahmachary named Raghava das. This has come about through a sequence of dreams that were later found to be real of events in the life and death of Raghava, as confirmed by those that knew him. His post mortem injuries and my birth marks, scars and illnesses all correlate.MY DIARY OF REVELATIONSI am of Hindu descent and was born on 9th August, 1975 in London. My parents had a small shrine at our home with many photos of demigods and Lord Shri Krishna. One day I opened a drawer and there was a book written by Shrila Prabhupada. I cannot remember the title, but when I looked at the back cover, I was drawn to the picture of Shrila Prabhupada on it. I remember that when I looked at him, his eyes were very deep. I felt like he was asking me to come back home, come back home…OCTOBER, 1991I was brutally attacked in my high school field by a drugged up man who was trespassing. He continuously beat me with a fence log with nails on it with full force on my head. I used my hands to protect my head. As he continued hitting me the pain was incredible. Even though he was striking my head and hands, I suddenly realized that he could not hit the real me which was something inside my body. I screamed for help, but no one was around. So I prayed intensely, “Please God help me, please God help me.” A voice from within started guiding me saying, “Pretend you’re dead,” so I pretended to be dead and he stop hitting me. Then the voice said “open your eyes now, he has gone,” I was scared because if he was still there, I would be killed.Opening my eyes slowly, I was relieved to see that he was no longer there. The voice then guided me, “Now get up and go.” I was exhausted from the beating and did not want to get up. Then the voice mentioned, “What if he comes back again, this is the time for you to escape.” Immediately I got on my feet and saw that my hands and head were covered with blood. After this horrific incident, it took me some time to recover emotionally and physically, but I felt like I owed my life to this voice that saved me.1992I met devotee book distributors around the area where I lived and they had many books written by Shrila Prabhupada. I approached them and bought a few to read. The more I read them, the closer I could feel to that voice that had protected me. The main book that answered all my questions was Bhagavad Gita As It Is which explained about the science of the soul and that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now I was convinced that the voice was Krishna who had protected me as Supersoul. I was looking for Krishna. The book distributor mentioned that there was a temple in London with Deities of Radha-Krishna. Immediately I felt a strong desire to see Them. Eventually, when I had darshan of the beautiful Deities of Shri Shri Radha-Londonishwara, I became very emotional. Tears ran down my eyes as I was convinced wholeheartedly that They saved me. Then and there I decided that I wanted to dedicate my life to Them.Marriage and on to Sankirtan with TribhuvanathOCTOBER 1997: I married Krishna Vidhi Prabhu and two years later received initiation from HH Bhakti Charu Swami and became Ratnavali dasi.JUNE 2000: I was very inspired by Tribhuvanath Prabhu’s Hari Nam sankirtan especially Saturday night in London. I could play a beat on the African drum which connected with his mridanga beat very nicely. I remember when I played the first time on Saturday night Hari Nam, he requested me to stand next to him at the front. I was very shy and did not come to the front, so one devotee pushed me and there I was standing with Tribhuvanath Prabhu. I felt very uncomfortable as I was in a female body next to abrahmachary but he was very normal and encouraging. He preferred all instrument prayers to be together. When all the men surrounded him playing the fast beat, I was also in the circle.Tribhuvanath (r.) with Padmapani dasI became embarrassed and walked out as I thought this may look unchaste but Tribhuvanath Prabhu stopped the Hari Nam and became a little angry. He pointed at me and asked me to come back in the circle. I put my head down and walked back into the circle and we continued the Hari Nam. From this day, he taught me how to chant Hare Krishna on Hari Nam sankirtan without being attached to the bodily conception of life. I felt very strongly that he treated me like a brahmachary. I joined his festival team, traveling and playing my African drum.Glimpses of My Past LifeAUGUST 2000: I mentioned to Krishna Kshetra Prabhu (my husband’s spiritual master) in Rathayatra that I had been here in Trafalgar Square during the Rathayatra 1973**. He replied, “Really, so was I.” Afterwards I wondered why I said that because I was born in August of 1975.OCTOBER 2000: Tribhuvanath Prabhu arranged 24 hour kirtans to collect donations for his festivals in East Africa. I wanted to drum with him for 24 hours. When I mentioned this to him, he replied, “You will drop dead.” I replied, “It’s better to drop dead in kirtanthan an accident.” Afterwards I wondered why I had said something so strange.“Simply Chant Hare Krishna”JULY 2001: I had a dream which showed many obstacles. As Hari Nams increased, the obstacles decreased. Finally I opened a door and there was Shrila Prabhupada sitting at a table. I started crying on his lap. He looked at me in compassion and said, “Come. Many people want to speak about you but there is nothing left for you to do but simply chant Hare Krishna.” Then the dream ended.SEPTEMBER 2001: I mentioned to my Guru Maharaj that a brahmachary was not treating me properly and it was difficult to work with him as I felt uncomfortable. He responded that it was my karmic reaction. I was surprised to hear the reply. Then I narrated to him humorously, how my husband mentioned that he had seen me as abrahmacary in his healing regression. My Guru Maharaj replied in a very serious manner that there was no doubt that I was a brahmacary in my past life performing Hari Nam in the past, present and future. Now I was really shocked.Disappearance of Tribhuvanath PrabhuOCTOBER 2001: When Tribhuvanath Prabhu was diagnosed with stomach cancer, I began performing Hari Nam sankirtan daily, praying for his welfare. Touched by the gesture, Tribhuvanath Prabhu said he would help me with the Hari Nams when he gets better and he instructed me to become attached to sankirtan yagna and holy names. Regrettably, he left this world so I continue with Hari Nams seeing it as an eternal link to Tribhuvanath Prabhu who was very kind, loving and could relate to different individuals on all levels.“I Am Still Here”OCTOBER 2001: I had a dream that I was going to Scotland. In one scene I was in a hospital ward In the other I was looking for my home but it had turned into a pub with distinctive black spiral stairs and an alley at entrance and in the third scene I was chanting japa in the park which I could see from all angles. Two weeks later I had a dream that I was chanting japa in the same park.OCTOBER 2001: I had seen Krishnadas* Prabhu for the first time at Tribhuvannath Prabhu’s memorial program and was feeling that I had seen him before. He mentioned in a speech that someone left for some unforeseen circumstances. Immediately something within me replied, “No, it is not true, I am here” and I became emotional. Afterwards I wondered why I felt like this as I not met him before.*Not his real name.Searching for Raghava PrabhuNOVEMBER 2001: Rama Nrsingha Prabhu and I asked five different disciples of Shrila Prabhupada if they knew any brahmacharies who had died before 1974, who had loved Hari Nam, who had been connected to Shri Shri Radha-Londonishwara and Tribhuvanath Prabhu. This is what I discovered about Raghava:SHRIMAN RAGHAVA DAS BRAHMACARI (1954 – 1973): David Hoey was born May 14, 1954 in Glasgow. He was the only son and lived with his mother and father. Around the age of 13, he found his father hanging from a rope, dead from suicide. David began to question life and at the age of 17 he joined the ISKCON Edinburgh temple. David was inspired by Tribhuvanath Prabhu to perform Hari Nam. When Tribhuvanath Prabhu and David met in the temple room, they would jump up and down nearly every day for few minutes chanting Hare Krishna, clapping hands and sometimes playing caratals like mad men. David also visited the Bury Place temple in London many times where Shri Shri Radha-Londonishwara reside. He had also been to see Radha-Gokulananda at Bhaktivedanta Manor. David was initiated by Shrila Prabhupada on 19th October 1973 and named Raghava das Brahmachary. He offered his life savings of 200 pounds to Shrila Prabhupada as guru dakshina.Tragically his enthusiastic service was cut short by his sudden death the next day in a van accident on the way from Edinburgh to Newcastle. Krishnadas Prabhu fell asleep on the steering wheel, the van crashed and Raghava left his body. Tribhuvannath Prabhu cried as he mentioned to others about Raghava’s departure. Raghava missed his initiation yajna which was to be conducted by Revatinandana Swami the next day on behalf of the spiritual master. Shrila Prabhupada sent a letter to Revatinandana Swami as follows:“Regarding the auto accident, just hold a condolence meeting for Raghava das Brahmachary and pray for his soul to Krishna for giving him a good chance for advancement in Krishna Consciousness. Certainly Krishna will give him a good place to take birth where he can again begin in Krishna Consciousness activities. That is sure. But we offer our condolences to a departed soul separated from a Vaishnava. Do you know that there must be prasadam distributed? Three days after the demise of a Vaishnava a function should be held for offering the departed soul and all othersprasadam. This is the system.” (Shrila Prabhupada in a letter to Revatinandana Maharaj, 14 Nov. 1973)Past Life RegressionsNOVEMBER 2001: I had accepted HH Tamal Krishna Goswami as my shiksa guru as he was very kind and inspiring me very much especially on Hari Nams and playing the African drum. I decided to speak to my Guru Maharaja and Tamal Krishna Goswami about my strange experiences. They both advised me to do past life regression, and I underwent two of them. Both regressions showed that I was a young brahmacharyperforming Hari Nams with Tribhuvannath Prabhu. There were some scenes of Shrila Prabhupada which made me very emotional. After both regressions on the following mornings, coincidentally I had exactly the same reoccurring dreams that a man with long hair falls asleep on the steering wheel and I am in the back of the vehicle and the vehicle crashes.Raghava, Raghava, Raghava!JANUARY 2002: I had a dream that Krishnadas Prabhu was calling out, “Raghava, Raghava, Raghava!” After few weeks I also had another dream where I was trying to tell him that I was his old friend Raghava but he could not see me.I had many nightmares of vehicle crashes that seemed to be ongoing and horrific. I also had a few dreams of Edinburgh such as I am going up the stairs of Edinburgh temple for a Shrimad Bhagavatam class.My husband and I met up with Krishnadas Prabhu to explain what was happening and I was very nervous as I knew that no one would approach him regarding Raghava as it was a very sensitive issue. When I sat in his car, he started driving and the door kept opening on my side. I tried to shut the door many times and still it kept opening on my side. Then I shouted that the door does not shut. Krishnadas Prabhu immediately stopped car, shut door from outside and said in a very confident way, “Do not worry, you are safe with me.” It was an ironic, strange and a humorous way to meet. When we arrived at his home, I mentioned my revelations, he was very kind and open minded. He wanted me to keep him updated as he was very curious.My husband and I visited the area where ISKCON Edinburgh temple had been at 14 Forrest Rd with the help of a map. As I had ongoing problems with my stomach, I went to the nearby hospital to get a plaster around it. Returning, I noticed a park nearby. I was shocked as it was the same park in my dreams. I did not want to leave as I felt I had been here before. I looked at it from many angles and knew that it was the same as my dream. Then I went to find the location of the old Edinburgh temple which to my amazement had become a pub. When I went inside, it had the same black spiral stairs and an alleyway at the entrance. I ran out as it had taken me time to digest all this. I felt like this was my home and I had been here before. Raghava had been based in the Edinburgh temple and he loved chanting his japa in that same park nearby which was named The Meadows. I was amazed to see in reality all that I had seen in my dream on Oct 2001.That You Shall AttainAPRIL 2002: I spoke to my Guru Maharaj updating him of my revelations. I asked him if this was a figment of my mind, or a revelation from above. He replied that it was a revelation from above. This was hard to digest because even though I knew in theory that we are not the body but the soul, it still had taken me time to accept in reality. My Guru Maharaj was very supportive and caring and was helping me in dealing with this. On his visit to London, he had also spoken to Krishnadas Prabhu who was already convinced that in my past life I was Raghava. Krishnadas Prabhu was very relieved although it was a lot for him to digest.Once when my Guru Maharaj had spoken to me, he asked me jokingly, “So who was the girl that you were thinking of at the time of death.” I was shocked as I was embarrassed and I replied “I do not know and better that I not know.” In 8.6 ofBhagavad Gita As It Is, it is stated, “Whatever you think of at the time of death, that state you will attain without fail.”“I Never Left You”JUNE 2002: I had the same reoccurring dreams from childhood that I was looking outside my bedroom window and all I could see is hills and greenery.NOVEMBER 2002: I met Krishnadas Prabhu’s ex-wife Dhenuvati for first time in Edinburgh. She knew Raghava as he did some services with her in Edinburgh temple kitchen. She had two dogs and I was scared of her dogs and started moving my left hand out the way in fear. Then I mentioned that I had a realistic dream that I had been bitten by a dog on the palm of my left hand in the park. Dhenuvati was very amazed and she replied that she remembered the time when Raghava had come running to her and said that he will not go to The Meadows park again as he was bitten by a dog on his left palm.NOVEMBER 2002: Dhenuvati also mentioned that Krisjnadas Prabhu cried numerous times for Raghava and would say how he would like to bring his old friend back again. I immediately rang Krishnadas Prabhu and mentioned what Dhenuvati said. I told him “I never left you.” Krishnadas Prabhu became very emotional.Satyavati*SEPTEMBER 2003: When the spiritual master jokes, there is always a meaning behind it. I started to remember the Indian girl that Raghava liked very much who was also in Edinburgh temple. So I rang Dhenuvati and she confirmed that it was right because she had seen the dealings between Raghava and an Indian girl named Satyavati. He would concentrate more on her than his japa and complained to Dhenuvati about her many times. He was both attracted and averse to her so he could not be normal around her and then would not treat her properly. When she walked in kitchen, he would get shy and walk out. I was embarrassed to hear all this.*Not her actual name.MARCH 2004: I had a dream that I was sitting in the back of vehicle and Krishnadas Prabhu was there. Then the dream changed, instead of Krishnadas Prabhu, it was Shrila Prabhupada sitting and he was writing something. After this dream, my dreams of crashes seemed to decrease.OCTOBER 2004: I attended Tribhuvanath Prabhu’s memorial festival and his two brothers gave me a lift home. We were discussing, but they knew nothing about my past life story. Coincidentally, one of them started speaking about an Indian girl that he worked with, who knew Tribhuvanath Prabhu. He said her name was Satyavati. I was shocked when I realized that he had just spoken of the girl that Raghava had been attracted to.I asked him for her contact details and met her saying that I was coming to give hermahaprasadam sweets from Dhenuvati. It was amazing and strange as we had similar eyes, shapes and features. I gave her sweets and within myself I apologized to her for all my offenses as I felt in this life I was getting some karmic reaction. I asked her about Raghava many times but she could not remember him. From the meeting I could see that I should have been more conscious of Shrila Prabhupada and Krishna in my past life.“Thank You, Prabhu”PHOTO: Shrila Prabhupada dances in the Rathayatra Festivali n London, 1973. His Divine Grace refused his seat on the chariot to dance with his disciples. On His left is your Editor. Behind Guru Maharaja is Revatinandan das.JANUARY 2005: I had a dream which showed I was staying in 7, Bury Place as abrahmacary where Shri Shri Radha-Londonishwara presided in the 1970’s. Raghava had visited and stayed there a few times.APRIL 2005: I rang Revatinandana Prabhu in Hawaii. I had sent him my revelations about Raghava a week before. He spoke to me very nicely saying that I was very blessed to have these remembrances. He remembered the accident and how Shrila Prabhupada had asked him to offer prasadam to “my” photo and prayers. It was very strange as I thanked him for offering prayers and the wonderful prasadam to my photo calling the departed soul to come to honor it. I feel indebted to Revatinandana Prabhu’s kindnessMAY 2005: I was curious to know if Raghava’s family was around so I managed to get Raghava’s post mortem, birth and death certificate along with his mother’s death certificate. It was strange to have my previous life’s death certificate and post mortem as it serves as a warning of reality for this life also. I knew that Raghava had no brothers or sisters so there was no one I could get in contact with. It is amazing in one life how we are so attached to our family, relatives and friends. Then in our subsequent lives every relationship has been finished with the termination of the previous body.All my birth marks, scars and illnesses correlated with Raghava’s death injuries. I also secured some pages of witness statements of the accident.Scotland’s Hills and GreeneryJUNE 2005: I decided to visit the home of where Raghava lived with his parents in Glasgow. I knocked on the door but no one answered. Then I knocked on “my” neighbours door where the garden was shared and I met one old lady named Mary. From our conversation I found out she had been my neighbour. She had been very good friends with Raghava’s mother Hannah. When I mentioned my revelations, she became convinced. She invited me into her home and was very friendly towards me. She said, “If you go to David’s bedroom window, only from his bedroom window, you can see beautiful hills and greenery.” I was shocked and started crying as this was the answer to my recurring dream. Mary and I have kept in touch. I gave her Shrila Prabhupada’sComing Back which she has found interesting.APRIL 2006: Once again I experienced the recurring dream of the hills and greenery. Now in the dream I am going towards the hills and greenery. Behind the hills I find a room. Upon entering I see that there are many Deities of Krishna engaged in different pastimes such as Krishna killing demons, Krishna with Mother Yasodha, Radha and Krishna, etc. I was very attracted to Mother Yasodha and Krishna. This dream revealed to me that the eternal happiness for which we are all searching is only in relationship to Krishna.APRIL 2006: I was feeling a strong need to build my relationship with Shrila Prabhupada as I had left him untimely. The way now was through following his instructions by reading his books, watching him on videos, DVD’s and via Bhakti Charu Maharaj guidance. I am very fortunate to have Bhakti Charu Maharaj as my Guru Maharaj as he is expertly bringing me closer to the lotus feet of Shrila Prabhupada. I am very indebted to Shrila Prabhupada for his unlimited protection.MAY 2006: I visited the same area where Raghava left his body in the motorway in Morpeth with the help of the witness statement report. When I was in the same area, I could feel as Raghava. I was not ready to leave my body at the time of death. When I had seen the motorway, one sign was Edinburgh to Morpeth and the other was Morpeth to London. It was the ending of one life and the beginning another.Moving On2010: Krishna Vidhi Prabhu and I became divorced and went in different directions. It was a friendly agreement because both of us agreed that we had never lived as an ordinary couple. We were more like brahmacharies in a grihasta life. He continues performing Hari Nam three times a day and is very dedicated to Krishna’s Holy Names at the Soho St. temple. We are still good friends and keep in touch. I have given myself to Tribhuvanath Prabhu’s ISKCON festival program which is now managed by Giridhari Prabhu. My role is full time service within the festival program. I feel very fortunate somehow to be protected by Tribhuvanath Prabhu life after life and be under his authority somehow.Medical Records and RealizationsRaghava’s post mortem showed that he had multiple injuries but most of his injuries were caused around his abdomen, intestines and pelvis. My medical reports show that I have inflammation of stomach lining which causes my abdomen to distend and has caused marks around my abdomen. My intestines and pelvis are weak and I am still undergoing various tests to investigate problems around that area. All my birth marks and scars also correlate with Raghava’s injuries as shown in his post mortem. [Others who have experienced past life remembrances also affirm that injuries from the past can be reflected onto the present body. -Ed.]My devotional mood is similar to my past life. Raghava’s main service was Hari Namsankirtan. I must have had a strong desire to come back to Tribhuvanath Prabhu again. I especially feel Raghava’s emotions very strongly when I meet devotees that knew him, and also when I visit those places where Raghava had been. I have a fear of driving vehicles. Internally my mood is of a brahmachary. Since my earliest years I have had no desire to have children and have always remained celibate even in my married life.Krishnadas Prabhu always felt tremendous guilt for falling asleep at the wheel and, because of his sincerity, he was united again with Raghava. Whatever happened was an accident and was destined to happen to me so I do not blame Krishnadas Prabhu in any way. I hope this helps him to overcome his guilt.In whatever body we find ourselves, we should treat others in the same way that we want to be treated. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This also means respecting the body of animals and not slaughtering them for our food. Otherwise we will suffer same results. It is best to keep Krishna in the center of our relationships, Our relationship with our spiritual master and Krishna are eternal but other relationships will terminate with the body. The ultimate lesson for all of us is to become serious in our devotional practices. The process Shrila Prabhupada has given us, the philosophy that holds us together as a family, is perfect just as it is. ·Part 2 :From Raghava to Ratnavali : An Astrological PerspectiveWe feel grateful to Her Grace Abhaya Mudra Dasi for making the astrological calculations about David Hoey and Ratnavali Prabhus life.Sincere thanks also to His Grace Patita Pavana Prabhu in Mithuna Twiins Astrological Services (dkrishna108@yahoo.com) for creating this amazing article and allowing us to publish it on this website.Let us glance at the astro-data of Raghava das Brahmachary and Ratnavali devi dasi. From the correlations between them, we will see that these two are in fact the same person who has transmigrated from one body to the next.Raghava das’s birth chart14 May 1954, 7:20 pm in Glasgow, ScotlandWhat is clear from Raghava’s chart is that we are dealing with a devotee. Jupiter is nicely positioned in the house of dharma (the 9th). But Raghava has an extremely good 8th house of death with 2 friendly planets there: Venus in his own sign of Libra and friendly Mercury. Venus also rules the 1st house or atmastan (house of self) where we find an exalted Saturn in Libra. Saturn is also retrograde and moving towards the 12thhouse of loss in Virgo. Virgo is ruled by Mercury who, again, is found on the 8th house of death with Venus the lord of atma. Mercury here gives a good timing of death according to a system that is attributed to Brighu Muni.Nonetheless, such a good 8th house should have been responsible for a long and happy life. After all, Venus lord of the 8th in the 8th confers a nice sarala yoga for “easy life.” What planetary culprits are there that could have caused his premature death? At the time of his death, Raghava das Brahmachary was undergoing Rahu mahadasha. Rahu, according to some astrologers, is in debilitation in Sagittarius. In any case, Dhanush rashi is an unwelcome place for the shadowygraha. Rahu is with the destructive Mars, a maraka or death-inflictor as 7th lord. Both Rahu and Mars are in the house of short distance travel the 3rd. Therefore, we conclude that it was the planetary period of an afflicted Rahu that had the ability to override the other good points of the horoscope and caused his death while traveling.The punya chakra (time of death) of Raghava das Brahmachary.Died: 20 October 1973 at 8:45 am in Morpeth, UK20th October 1973 must have been an ordinary day for many people but not for Raghava das Brahmachary. The first coincidence we notice in this chakra is that Rahu is at the exact same position by house and sign as at the time of Raghava’s birth, namely in third in Sagittarius. The quota of his life was therefore one round of Rahu. But since the degrees are not the same in both charts, there must have been other coincidences for the fatal incident taking place. Note that the rising sign at the time of death is Libra, same as at Raghava’s time of birth. In fact the lagna position between the two charts is almost exact; there is a difference of a mere 2 minutes. Note that the two planets of the 8th house of his birth chart, namely Sun and the fatal Mercury, are also in the rising sign of the chart for the time of death. Those were the circumstances as seen from the vantage point of external circumstances or punya chakra.From the natal chart, which gives us the internal circumstances of the time of death, we can ascertain that Raghava was also running not only Rahu mahadasha but he was in Venus bhukti dasha and Saturn pratyantara dasha. As the main planetary period of Rahu created the backdrop of events, the bhukti gives the flavor of events playing on the foreground. The pratyantara dasha gives the reaction to the events set bymahadasha and bhukti.Both bhukti lord Venus and prayantara lord Saturn have a strong connection to the 8thand 1st houses dealing with one’s physical body and it’s time of expiry. In his birth chart, both Saturn and Venus are strongly positioned in the 1st and 8th houses respectively. Saturn is in lagna in exaltation in Libra, ruled by Venus, while Venus is in Taurus. Venus is in his own sign and is the atma karaka or “significator of the self.” The wily outcaste Rahu, as the lord of the main planetary period, has played these two friendly planets into his malefic favor, i.e. incurring death. If we go deeper into the planetary influences of periods and sub-periods, etc., we find the same theme repeated. Rahgava das was in Rahu / Venus / Saturn / Venus / Rahu. Despite the fact that the death came quickly, its seed was planted in the very time of birth just waiting for the right cluster of planets to occur. It all came together on 20 October 1973.On the day of the accident three features of the panchang, namely tithi, nakshatra andwara were inauspicious. The lunar cycle was navami, a rikta or “hollow” tithi in thekrishna paksha or waning lunar phase. The nakshatra was Ashlesha which is never deemed favorable for travels. The day was Shaniwar, Saturday, ruled by malefic Saturn. A look into the drekkana kundali, or three-part divisional chart for the time of death, reveals that the stronger of the two luminaries, the Moon, is in the drekkana of Sagittarius. Since Sagittarius is ruled by the righteous Jupiter, the drekkana indicates a spiritual future for the departed soul of Shri Raghava das Brahmachary.There are still other clues to a violent departure in Raghava’s birth chart. The past life is ruled by the 5th house which is therefore called the purva-punya-stan. In Raghava’sjanma chakra we can see that Saturn (one of the inflictors of death) is the ruler of the 5th house. The shasha mahapurush yoga formed by Saturn in the first house of self is spoiled by him being retrograde and moving toward the 12th house of loss. As indicated by the powerful Saturn bad choices must have been made in past lives using a position that had been attained to by good karma of an even earlier life.Nonetheless, although Raghava lived for only one round of Rahu, we cannot say that he was in any way unfortunate. He passed on as a devotee and he was reborn as a devotee. Rather than being a cause for regret, the death of a devotee is a time for celebration despite his material circumstances. We now turn our attention to the birth chart of Raghava’s future life as Ratnavali devi dasi.Ratnavali dasi, Born: 9th August at 2am in London, UKSince Raghava das Brahmachary was absorbed in thought of an Indian girl, he found himself re-born as one. We recall that Venus, the significator of women, played a very strong part at the time of his death. Venus was the lord of the rising sign in the punya chakra as well as the lord of 8th house of death. Since Libra rises in both instances, Venus’ dual role holds true for both the birth chart as well as the chart for the moment of exit. Ominously, Venus was also the lord of the sub-period or antardasha at the time of death. The overpowering influence of feminine Venus planet caused the soul to accept the body of a woman.In this life time we see that Ratnavali’s 5th house ruling past life is in Libra and is therefore also ruled by Venus. The indication is clear. The “self” of Raghava (first house or atma) has become the fifth “house of past life” for Ratnavali. Her fifth house is aspected by Jupiter revealing her devotional past life connection. The position of Jupiter in her 11th mitrastan or “house of friends” indicates her coming in touch with Krishna Consciousness via the media of another person. Note that Jupiter rules the 7th house of partners, the jayastan. Ironically, in her case the other person is one’s very self from a previous lifetime as further explained in the next paragraph.Mars, lord of the 11th house where Jupiter is positioned, is lost in the 12th, again in sign ruled by Venus. Her devotional link can be seen also in the drekkana chart where the stronger of the two luminaries, the Sun, is again positioned in Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter and indicates a devotional link to the past. In fact, this is the same position where we found the Moon, the stronger of the two luminaries at the time of Shriman Raghava Prabhu’s death. Here is a subtle yet indisputable proof that we are dealing with the same individual in two different embodiments.Mercury, who was also positioned in the 8th house in Raghava’s birth chart and promised a good timing of death, has become the ruler of Ratnavali’s first house. In other words, Ratnavali’s house of self in Gemini was Raghava Prabhu’s ninth house of dharma. This is yet another indisputable proof for time travel of the same soul from one body to another.Ratnavali’s main revelations about her past life have come in her major planetary period of the Moon, the manasakaraka or planet of the mind. Just see that her Moon is with Venus, the ruler of the 5th house of past life. Lord of the fifth house of past life Venus is also retrograde indicating a sense of returning or going back. There is also a nice exchange or parivartana yoga between the Sun and the Moon in her chart. Indeed, her early revelations came in 1994 during Sun dasha. True, Ratnavali first felt the influence of her previous life during the dasha of the 5th house lord Venus. However, Sun and Moon as lords of the houses of communication (2nd and 3rd) have given Ratnavali devi dasi the means to illuminate the facts of her previous birth. Hence the exchange of houses between the luminaries Surya and Chandra allows her to relate her revelation to others during the periods they rule.One feature that immediately attracts the astrologer’s eye is that Ratnavali’s lagna is hemmed in by two malefic planets on either side. Violent Ketu and Mars are in the 12thand enemies Sun and Saturn are in the 2nd. Hence she had to undergo a horrible torture at the hands of a crazed lunatic due residual effects of lingering karma. The blind and explosive rage is seen in the Sun-Saturn conjunction, the violence and bloodshed are from Mars, and Ketu is seen in the nails. This trauma occurred in her Venus major / Mercury minor planetary periods. Both planets are strongly linked to the 5th house of past lives. At the same time transiting Rahu happened to be in Sagittarius, the same sign from where he began and ended her previous life. In this life since backwards-moving Rahu has moved one sign away to Scorpio this indicates a moving on, a divesting of the past karma. This violent attack was a brutal reflection sent from the past life and transported into this life.Interestingly, at the time of this writing Rahu is at present moving through Sagittarius (till 6 June 2011) and as an example of Rahu’s influence it is during this period that she has decided to share her story, and divest of the karma of the past. As a side note, she should be especially wary of traveling with tired or careless drivers, fierce dogs, angry strangers etc. till Rahu enters Scorpio in the middle of next year.What can she expect from this lifetime? Saturn’s lordship over the 8th house of death reveals that this life could not be as short as the previous one. Karma has been paid for and now is the time to fully manifest the activities associated with devotional service. The deep regret for the past is expressed by the weak position of Rahu / Ketu axis dealing mainly with the issues coming from the past and leading to future decisions. The weakness of Ketu is compensated by the strength of Rahu who does very well in a malefic house like the 6th. Theketu-caused regretfulness will be brought into focus at time of the present Mars planetary period running from June 2010 until June 2017 since Mars stands alongside Ketu in the 12th house of loss. It is good that Ratnavali has dedicated herself to fully spiritual activities because such stars are unlikely to produce any satisfactory results in their period.An 18-year Rahu mahadasha (the same dasha that was running during her previous death) will follow Mars planetary period. Then Ratnavali devi dasi will have the full opportunity to eradicate all the regrets emerging from the past and establish a strong ground for her wonderful 16-year Jupiter period which follows Rahu. Her next time of death will certainly come in Saturn’s planetary period. She will pass on as an old lady, one who has told many a story about a life of fascinating events. ·--Chanting is a great service, when we chant we invite Krsna and Radha to our hearts and offer Them our service, our senses, our time, our voice and our love so They can take care of our whole life and engage us like They want to. This means we are surrended and we have complete faith the Lord will be there for us, to protect us any time in any situation we are in and we accept anything They give us. When we achieve this stage of complete faith we may understand our position as eternal servants and advance to pure chanting as our goal of life.Chant:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare
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What are the Vedas?

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on October 31, 2009 at 1:29pm
By Atma-tattva DasaThe Vedic scriptures are the spiritual literature of the ancient Indian culture, written in the Sanskrit language. They are comprised of a huge collection of books which include material (mundane), religious (ritualistic) as well as spiritual (monotheistic) knowledge. The expression “Vedic” is derived from the Sanskrit word VEDA, which means knowledge or revelation. According to the Vedic history, they were written down thousands of years ago. The date, however, is not very important because, without a doubt, the knowledge contained in these scriptures was existing a long time before it was written down.The Veda may be understood by simply accepting what the Veda says about itself. Since the Vedic self-understanding may be amazing or even unbelievable to the modern reader, it seems important to dedicate a few sentences to the clarification of probable misunderstandings. The different opinions about the origin and history of the Vedic scriptures are due to the fundamental difference of world-views between the followers of the Veda and modern mundane scholars.According to the indological world-view, such a thing as “Vedic scripture” doesn’t even exist. The collection of books mentioned in the beginning of this article is not a consistent body of knowledge—modern Indology says—but a mere accumulation of texts from different sources, written over a long period of time, starting about 1000 or 1500 B.C., after the hypothetical Aryan invasion into the Indian Subcontinent. Only then, a “Vedic” culture was formed through the mixture of tribes. If we believe this scenario, then it is natural to think that the Indian scriptures are nothing but a mass of unsystematic mythological texts.Needless to say that the Vedic scriptures themselves maintain a completely different version. They refer to very ancient cultures, timeless revelations and divine incarnations. They also say that the entire body of Vedic knowledge has a systematic structure and a clearly defined goal, being compiled by the great Vedic Rishis (seers and sages), headed by Vyasadeva, about five thousand years ago. This knowledge was then systematically put into a written form in order to prevent it from being lost during in the upcoming age, which was foreseen as the Kali-yuga, the Iron Age, the most fallen in the cycle of ages.The structure of the Vedic scriptures can be compared to a staircase with many steps, with specific scriptures corresponding to each step. The Vedic scriptures describe both the goal and the steps leading up to this goal. They are non-sectarian because they respect people of all “steps”; they simply encourage everyone to progress up to the next step. There is no question of converting or pushing, because everyone has to walk for himself or herself. Or, as the Vedic saying goes, “Even in a flock of birds, each bird has to fly for itself.”The individual evolution is not limited to one single life. The Vedic understanding is based on the concept of reincarnation, which declares that the steps of this symbolical staircase can also be understood as lifetimes. In other words, the almost proverbial “Hindu” tolerance is originally based on a solid philosophical understanding and shouldn’t be confused with the attitudes of merging, indifference, or “Everything is one.”From a superficial point of view, the Vedic scriptures may appear to be unsystematic and even contradictory, but this impression can easily be reconciled by finding out how each step is connected with the goal.The four Vedas: The scriptures of this category are generally labeled as the original Vedic scriptures. These four Vedas are known as Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. Rig means ritual, and it contains mainly hymns and prayers (Mantras) in the worship of the universal forces called the demigods. Yajur means ceremony, and it mainly describes how to perform the rituals. Sama means singing; the scriptures of these categories contain many other mantras as well as strict rules how to chant thesemantras according to mystic vibrations. Atharva means a priest who knows the secret lore; these scriptures describe many different kinds of worship and invocations. In a broader sense, many other scriptures of material knowledge are also counted in the Atharva, like the Ayurveda (pharmacological sciences and the means to maintain health.)All of these teachings are supposed to encourage a human being to understand that he is not an independent entity, rather he is a part of a universal body, depending on many higher forces. The most important lesson of these four Vedas is to learn that everyone has to accept higher authorities. If you link up with these divine forces through the proper form and contents (ritual and understanding), then you will profit materially and experience some peace and harmony.Tantric scriptures: Not everybody is inclined to follow the methods of the Vedas which demand strictness, purity, faith and patience. Impatient, ignorant people demand results on the spot, and these can be obtained by magic, ghost worship, etc. By providing such knowledge, the Vedic scriptures encourage the faith of such occult people so that one day, or lifetime, they may develop interest in the higher aspects of the Veda. These literatures are within the modes of passion and ignorance.The Upanishads: Woven into the four Vedas are different kinds of philosophical discussions, like the Aranyakas and Brahmanas. Most significant are the Upanishads (“sitting beneath,” i.e. knowledge obtained from a spiritual teacher). These texts indicate that all material forms are transient; they are temporary manifestations of an eternal energy, which in itself is beyond material duality. They indicate the oneness behind the variety and inspire people engaged in the rituals of the Vedas to go beyond their short-term goals.Vedanta-sutra: 560 condensed aphorisms which define the Vedic truths in most general terms in order to provide a common ground of argument to all different kinds of philosophical schools. Therefore, the commentaries to the Vedanta-sutras are voluminous.Itihasas: These are the historical works, mainly the Ramayana (the history of the incarnation Rama), the 18 Puranas and 18 Sub-Puranas (universal history of creation and annihilation, the incarnations and the great kings, saints and teachers), and the Mahabharata (the history of ancient India [called Bharata], leading up to the appearance of Krishna five thousand years ago). These scriptures are essential because they expand the understanding of the Absolute beyond the abstract, impersonal platform. The Absolute is supremely perfect and complete; that’s why it is both impersonal AND personal. Actually, the personal aspect is the original source of the secondary impersonal existence of the Lord, since an impersonal energy cannot be the source of persons. The Itihasas reveal this personal feature, gradually introducing and identifying it, culminating in the purely monotheistic revelations of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam: These sacred texts are designated even by the Vedic scriptures themselves as the most important, essential revelations. They directly describe the nature, energy and person of God, who is both the immanent (as Vishnu) and transcendent (as Krishna) source of everything, the cause of all causes, of both the impersonal and personal manifestations.Bhagavad-gita (“God’s Song”) is the words spoken BY God, and Srimad-Bhagavatam (“Divine Revelation”) is the words ABOUT God, spoken by the representatives of God.This implicit structure of the Vedic scriptures sheds new light on the entire Vedic tradition and deserves closer examination. However, since these scriptures want to lead us to the supreme goal—God—it is not sufficient to merely study them theoretically. They imply practical consequences. Mere academic study of the Vedic scriptures can be compared to reading a cookbook or a musical composition. If we don’t come to the point of actually cooking or playing, we’ve missed the point.Related Reading…Krishna book: Chapter 86Sri Isopanisad: IntroductionSrimad-Bhagavatam: 1.4.19-30, 1.1.2-3, 6.1.40Science of Self Realization: Chapter 3
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The Literalist

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on October 31, 2009 at 1:07am
By Sri Narasingha Dev-GosaiA literal understanding of sastra, as it seems to be regarded in some sectionsof the greater Vaishnava community, is looked down upon as being neophyte orsimply not intellectually satisfying. Some even consider the literalunderstanding of sastra to be the great enemy of progressive Krsna consciousness- thus we sometimes read such statements as:"... after the damage devotees have done by literal use of scripture"or"... now devotees are blocking the sukrti of many people in the name offollowing Srila Prabhupada literally."I have not combed the internet or surveyed multitudes of devotees to discoverexactly if many feel this way - I have simply come across the above quotes inrecent readings and it has sparked a particular thinking in me and the impetusto write this short essay.Obviously, even the critic of the 'literalist' must indeed accept some literalmeanings in the sastra such as in dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre - meaning the placeof pilgrimage known as Kuruksetra (Gita 1.1). Here a literal reading will takeyou to a place in North India that many great acaryas have accepted as the placeof the Kuruksetra War, where Bhagavad-gita was spoken etc. However, anon-literal reading of the text takes one to the realm of no-Krsna andno-Pandavas. The non-literal interpretation being that Kuruksetra is the bodyand the Pandavas are the senses, etc.When A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wrote his Gita translation andcommentary he chose Bhagavad-gita As It Is, for the title - As It Is meaning theliteral understanding. He wrote, warning against misinterpretations, "ReadBhagavad-gita as it is. Then you will be benefited."However, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in their Gitacommentaries, transcend the literal meaning of Bhagavad-gita and take theirreader to a substratum to discover hidden truths. In kind, Srila SridharaMaharaja followed the line of Visvanatha and Bhaktivinoda and his Gitacommentary is entitled The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute.The revelation of the substratum does not always change the meaning of theliteral reading. Indeed, the revelation of the substratum often increases thebeauty and charm of the devotee's experience. It does not necessarily contradictit.Take the following verse:sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vrajaaham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucahThe literal reading is:"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliveryou from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." Thus the Lord takes allresponsibility for one who surrenders unto Him, and He indemnifies such a personagainst all reactions of sins. (Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 18.66)Revelation of the substratum, however, reads differently:"Give up all engagements and come to Me. You won't have to repent, Arjuna,because I am everything to you, and You are everything to Me. This is the mosthidden of all hidden truths. What more can I say? And you will find this inVraja [Goloka Vrndavana]." (The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute, 18.66)The two readings of Gita 18.66 are not actually different, but the later givesthe devotee a certain solace that a life of surrender leads one to Krsna in Hissupreme abode of Goloka Vrndavana.The substratum or hidden truth of sastra is sometimes hidden for a purpose - atleast one would think so. One thing is said and on occasion a deeper truth is tobe understood. It seems to me that the truth is sometimes hidden to keep it outof reach for those who are unqualified - first deserve, then desire.But herein lies a problem - who is actually qualified to interpret sastra? Whois actually qualified to understand and enter the substratum? We have often seenhow interpretation leads to misinterpretation, especially in the case of theimpersonalists and the imitationists. With this consideration in mind one couldconclude that the literalist, although meager in his/her depth of understandingis safe, or at least for the time being.To suggest that the literalist is somehow in a safer position as opposed to theinterpreter of sastra is not to say that ignorance is bliss, but such may haveits merits. If a great Vaisnava personality such as A.C. Bhaktivedanta SwamiPrabhupada was indeed a literalist, as has been suggested, then surely theliteral interpretation of sastra must have some intrinsic value in the ultimatesearch for truth.My perception is that when one makes a literal reading of sastra one is oftenfaced with the unbelievable, the fantastic - that which mind, intelligence,logic and reason struggles to accept or even totally rejects. Is the literalinterpretation of sastra actually blocking or damaging to our progress as somehave suggested, or does the literal interpretation call upon something that isgreatly beneficial to us? I believe it does. The literal reading of the sastracalls upon our faith, however meager (even blind faith), as the basis of ourunderstanding. The literalist has faith in the sastra and so he/she takes thesastra at face value. Is that a bad thing?After all, faith is the only sure way to know Krsna, the unknown andunknowable. Knowledge, reason, logic and even our deepest intelligence areunable to capture Krsna. Only our deep faith and surrender can do so.Srila Sridhara Maharaja used to tell the story of a dream that he once hadwherein he saw that all his knowledge of sastra had abandoned him. In his dreamhe was alone and only his faith remained - that which takes us to the lotus feetof Krsna, beyond the coverings of the material world.Those who knew Sridhara Maharaja certainly know that he had a vast knowledge ofsastra. He had deep realizations, that would make many of us faint. Yet he knewand preached that faith alone was our guide in the infinite.Some may condemn the literalist as a neophyte, but I personally question suchcondemnation. Rather than condemn the literal interpretation of sastra, I tendto lean towards a deeper understanding - perceiving it as a building block offaith in the progressive path of Krsna consciousness. Those who condemn theliteralists may do better to first learn to believe in the "As It Is" stratum -first acquiring a deeper faith in guru, the Vaisnavas and the sastra before theyventure to explore the substratum. Explorer beware! There are tigers in thoseforests!When dealing with the higher plane or the deeper substratum, even a littleinaccuracy can create great havoc. In such areas the devotee must be verycareful not to misinterpret or to offend, because this can completely eliminateone's progress.At the end of the day we are not interpreters of sastra nor are we literalists- we are harmonists. The harmonist sometimes takes the sastra literally andsometimes not so - endeavoring to penetrate deeper into the world that isKrsna's inner domain.For the harmonist - faith (sraddha) is his greatest asset - knowledge and theintellect are but bystanders in the endeavor. Saints are the beacons that guidethe faith of the harmonist to the land ruled completely by faith.So let us give the literalists their due credit for taking their stand on faithand not relying on the intellect. And while being taken into confidence by thesaints and shown the beautiful world of Krsna's inner domain, let us not becomeproud of our small brains and finite knowledge, lest we become harmonists inname only. While endeavoring to see the deeper meaning of sastra, are we not togo deeper into the meaning of being a literalist also?View online as html:[ http://www.gosai.com/krishna-talk/95-literalist.html ]
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Bhisma Pancak Vrata

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on October 28, 2009 at 12:07pm
Bhisma Pancaka Fasting================The fasting starts on Ekadasi Day which is 29th tomorrow and will continueuntil the 2nd, Rasa purnima Day. The fasting is broken at sunset (or at moonrise) on Rasa Purnima day. Generally it is recommended to do full fast onEkadasi and then the following four days fruits and roots fasting. Or onecan do five day fruits and roots fasting.Levels of fasting:-----------------Devotees can choose whichever level of fasting as is convenient to them. Itshould not disturb their normal devotional service(s) and daily sadhana.Level 1:One can consume products of the cow (pancha-gavya) each for each day:First day: Cow dung (Gomaya)Second day: Cow urine (Go-muutra)Third day: Cow milk (Kshiira)Fourth day: Cow yoghurt (Dadhi)Fifth day: All products of the ccow mixed (Pancha-gavya)Level 2 (this is what Guru Maharaja has been following):If one can't follow level 1, one can take fruits and rootsfruits with many seeds should be avoided like guava, pomegranate, papaya,cucumber etc. Boiled potatoes, raw banana and sweet potato can be takenboiled or baked. We can use sea salt for taste. Cashewnuts, raisins, datescan be taken. We shouldn't take milk and milk products in this level offasting. Coconut water and grated coconut can be taken.Level 3:If one can't follow level 2, one can take "Havishya."References: Padma Puraana, Brahma-khanda, Chapter 23; Skanda Puraana, VishnuKhanda, Kaartika Maahaatmya section, Chapter 32; Garuda Puraana, PuurvaKhanda, Chapter 123.Ingredients for Havishya as mentioned in Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa (13.10-13)--------------------------------------------------------------------------The following are ingredients that can be used in making Havishya, which islike a khichari made with these items.* Aatap rice* Ghee from cow* 'Saindhava' salt (salt from ocean)* Milk from cow* Milk with cream* Ripe banana* Kaala-shaaka* Wheat* Fruits (Skanda Puraana, Naagara Khanda says they must be with a small seedor with few seeds only)* Mango* Jackfruit* Labali fruit* Roots except 'keaa' (a type of grass or root)* Pippalii* Haritakii* Naagaranga* Ikshu-dravya or sugarcane derivatives (other than gur or mollasses)* No oilThe following ingredients are normally part of Havishya but have to beavoided in the month of Kaartika:* Mung dal* Til oil* Beta-shaaka* Shashtikaa-shaaka* Radish* Jeeraa* TamarindOne should take bath in Ganges or a holy river every day and should offertarpana 3 times for Bhismadeva by saying the following mantra:Tarpanaom vaiyaghra padya gotrayasamkrti pravaraya caaputraya dadamyetatsalilam bhismavarmaneArghyavasunamavatarayasantanoratmajaya caarghyam dadami bhismayaajanma brahmacarinePranamom bhismah santanavo birahsatyavadi jitendriyahabhiradbhiravapnatuputrapautrocitam kriyamOfferings to the Lord:---------------------Devotees may offer the following flowers to the Deity:On the first day, one must offer padma (lotus) flowers to the feet of theLordOn the second day, one must offer bilva (wood-apple) leaves of the thigh ofthe LordOn the third day, one must offer gandha (scents) to the navel of the LordOn the fourth day, one must offer java flower to the shoulders of the LordOn the fifth day, one must offer malati flower to the head (siro-desa) ofthe LordWhen there is a overlap of days then the flowers for both days can beoffered in the same day.Reference: Garuda Puraana (op cit.)Your humble servant,Ratnavali dd
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Timings of the Four Yugas

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on October 27, 2009 at 10:06am
By Stephen KnappWhen describing the length of the yugas or ages, and which yuga we are in and how far along we are in it, there is sometimes confusion about how to calculate them. Some people think we are already in the next Satya-yuga, known as the Golden Age. The problem is when the yugas are figured only according to the years in earth’s time, in which case any calculations will never be accurate. They are described in the Vedic literature according to the celestial years, or years of the devas, not according to the time we experience here on earth. This is where we have to make adjustments. Nonetheless, there are specific references in the Vedic texts which make it clear how to calculate them. For starters, the Mahabharata (Shanti Parva, 231.12-20) explains it in detail:“The rishis, measuring time, have given particular names to particular portions [of time]. Five and ten winks of the eye make what is called a Kastha. Thirty Kasthas make what is called a Kala. Thirty Kalas, with the tenth part of a Kala, make a Muhurta. Thirty Muhurtas make one day and night. Thirty days and nights form a month, and twelve months form a year. Persons well-read in mathematical science say that a year is made up of two solar motions, meaning the northern and southern. The sun makes the day and night for men. The night is for the sleep of all living creatures, and the day is for work. A month of human beings is equal to a day and night of the departed manes [ancestors who have gone on to the subtle worlds]. That division consists in this: the light half of the month is their day which is for work; and the dark fortnight is their night for sleep. A year (of men) is equal to a day and night to the gods [devas or celestials]. This division consists in this: the half year for which the sun travels from the vernal to the autumnal equinox is the day of the gods, and the half year for which the sun moves from the latter to the former is their night. [Thus, an earth year is but a day for the devas.] Calculating by the days and nights of human beings about which I have told you, I shall speak of the day and night of Brahma and his years also. I shall, in their order, tell you the number of years, that are for different purposes calculated differently, in the Krita, the Treta, the Dvapara, and the Kali Yugas. Four thousand celestial years is the duration of the first or Krita age. The morning of that cycle consists of four hundred years and its evening is of four hundred years. [Note: This says celestial years, or years of the demigods on the higher planets. Such years are much longer than those of planet earth. So 4000 celestial years, with the morning or Sandhya of 400 celestial years and the evening or Sandhyansa, or intermediate period, of another 400 years, equals 4800 celestial years or 1,728,000 human years.]“Regarding the other cycles, the duration of each gradually decreases by a quarter in respect of both the principal period with the minor portion and the conjoining portion itself. These periods always keep up the never-ending and eternal worlds. They who know Brahma, O child, regard this as Immutable Brahma.” (Mb, Shanti Parva, Chap.231, Text 21-22)This means that as each age appears, from the Krita, Treta, Dvapara to Kali, each yuga decreases by a quarter of the previous yuga, in addition to the conjoining Sandhya and Sandhyansa periods with each yuga. In this way, it is roughly calculated that a whole cycle of the four yugas, namely Krita, Treta, Dvapara and Kali-yuga together, total about 12,000 celestial years in length.The Mahabharata (Shanti Parva, 231.29-32) continues: “The learned say that these 12,000 celestial years form what is called a cycle. A thousand such cycles form a single day of Brahma. The same is the duration of Brahma's night. With the beginning of Brahma's day the universal entities come into being. During the period of universal dissolution the Creator sleeps in Yoga-meditation. When the period of sleep expires, He awakes. What is Brahma’s day covers a thousand such cycles. His night also covers a thousand similar cycles. They who know this are said to know the day and the night. On the expiry of His night, Brahma, waking up, modifies the indestructible intelligence by causing it to be overlaid with ignorance. He then causes Consciousness to spring up, whence it originates Mind which is at one with the Manifest.”In calculating the duration of the different yugas, there are a few differences between the Puranas. The Brahmanda Purana (1.2.29.31-34) specifically states that Krita or Satya-yuga is 1,440,000 human years in length, Treta-yuga is 1,080,000 years, Dvapara-yuga is 720,000 years, and Kali-yuga is 360,000 years in length. The Linga Purana (4.24-35) also agrees with this except for Treta-yuga, which it says is 1,800,000 years in length.However, when explaining the various measurements of time, the Vishnu Purana (Book One, Chapter Three) and the Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.11.19), along with the Bhagavad-gita (8.17) and the Vayu Purana (Chapter 57) and others, such as the Mahabharata as quoted above, all agree on the measurements of the durations of the yugas, as explained below.In the explanations of the measurements of time found therein, one cycle of the four yugas together is 12,000 years of the demigods, called divine years. Each of these years is composed of 360 days, and each of their days is equal to one human year. So Krita-yuga is 4000 divine years in length, Treta-yuga is 3000 divine years in length, Dvapara-yuga is 2000 divine years in length, and Kali-yuga is 1000 divine years long, with the addition of the conjoining portions of the Sandhya and Sandhyansa.In this way, each yuga is preceded by a period called a Sandhya, which is as many hundred years in length as there are thousands of years in that particular yuga. Each yuga is also followed by a period of time known as a Sandhyansa, which is also as many hundreds of years in length as there are thousands of years in the yuga. In between these periods of time is the actualyuga. Therefore, we have:Krita-yuga = 4000 divine years, Sandhya = 400 divine years, Sandhyansa = 400 divine years. Total = 4800 divine years x 360 days = 1,728,000 human years.Treta-yuga = 3000 divine years, Sandhya = 300 divine years, Sandhyansa = 300 divine years. Total = 3600 divine years x 360 days = 1,296,000 human years.Dvapara-yuga = 2000 divine years, Sandhya = 200 divine years, Sandhyansa = 200 divine years. Total = 2400 divine years x 360 days = 864,000 human years.Kali-yuga = 1000 divine years, Sandhya = 100 divine years, Sandhyansa = 100 divine years. Total = 1200 divine years x 360 days = 432,000 human years.This equals 4,320,000 human years in one cycle of the four yugastogether, and 1000 cycles of these yugas equals 12,000 divine years and 4,320,000,000 human years in a day of Brahma.It is also explained that Kali-yuga began with the disappearance of Lord Krishna from the planet. This has been calculated to be 3102 B.C.. Since Kali-yuga is described as being 432,000 earth years in length, with 5,000 years and more already passed, then the age of Kali-yuga has approximately 426,000 more years to go. I hope this has clarified what is sometimes a confusing issue.[Available at: www.stephen-knapp.com]
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SRILA PRABHUPADA'S DISAPPEARANCE DAY

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on October 21, 2009 at 11:28pm

[Dear Readers,Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga. October 22, 2009 is the divine disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. In honor of his day, please accept the following lecture given by Srila Maharaja in Bombay, 1994:]At the time of his divine departure from this world, Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja ordered me, "You should serve me by performing my samadhi ceremony." He knew the meaning and significance of entering samadhi, as well as the proper procedures to be performed at that time.Samadhi is a Sanskrit word consisting of the two syllables, sama-dhi. Sama means "the same" and dhi means "intelligence." When the pure devotee takes samadhi, it means that upon departing from this world he enters the same level, position and spiritual mood as the personal associates of his worshipful Deity. He is serving in that realm according to his own svarupa (constitutional form), with equal qualities, intelligence and beauty as those associates. Srila Swami Maharaja’s worshipful Deity is Srimati Radhika, and he serves Her under the guidance of Her personal associates, the manjaris.Your Srila Prabhupada has preached about Lord Jagannatha-deva, Sri Krsna-Balarama and various manifestations of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. But from his writings, books and personal meetings and visits, I am absolutely sure that his worshipful Deity is Srimati Radhika, and he sees Sri Krsna as Her Beloved.The Complete ConceptionAt the time of Srila Swami Maharaja’s entering samadhi, his desire was to assist Srimati Radhika in that very place where She renders Her services to Sri Krsna. He was one with the mood of Her maidservants, and he requested my service at that time.The leader of the manjaris, Sri Rupa-manjari, serves Srimati Radhika when Radhika wants to meet with Krsna. In the dark of night she dresses Radhika in black clothes, and ties Her ankle-bells in such a way that they will not make any sound. At the time of dressing Radhika, she may decorate Her with a necklace, with the Syamantaka jewel as its centerpiece. At that time she may say, "This jewel is the friend of Sri Krsna’s Kaustubha jewel." In this way, Radhika is reminded of Her pastimes with Lord Krsna and bestows all Her mercy upon Sri Rupa-manjari , who always gives so much uddipana (inspiration) to Her bhava.If one has the mood to assist in his Guru’s service to Sri Rupa-manjari or Srimati Radhika, he renders the best service. I do not know why Srila Swami Maharaja gave me the mercy of giving him uddipana as he entered samadhi. I performed this service by decorating him with tilaka and by writing certain sacred mantras with sandlewood paste on his chest. These decorations indicated his personal services to his worshipful Deity, Srimati Radhika.Just before his departure from this world, he requested me to sing Sri Rupa-manjari-pada:sri rupa-manjari-pada, sei mora sampada,sei mora bhajana-pujanaThe lotus feet of Sri Rupa-manjari are my dearmost treasure. They are the topmost object of my worship and inner devotional practices. (Sri Rupa-manjari-pada 1)sei mora prana-dhana, sei mora abharana,sei mora jivanera jivanaHer lotus feet are my most cherished wealth, more dear than my own life. They are the exquisite ornament of my life, and indeed, the very essence of my existence. (Sri Rupa-manjari-pada 2)This is the best sankirtana of Sri Rupa-manjari, who can lead us to Radhika’s service. While I sang this bhajana, I saw that Srila Swami Maharaja’s face was sometimes colored with one transcendental mood and sometimes with another. I requested my brahmacari, Sesasayi prabhu, to sing with me as I personally performed this kirtana for him – just as I did for my Gurudeva at the time of his entering samadhi. There were many similarities between my diksa-guru, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. I did what Srila Swami Maharaja ordered me to do for him, and I feel so fortunate that he gave me this service.Also just before his departure, he ordered me: "You should advise and help my disciples, all GBC (Governing Body Commision) devotees, and all devotees connected with me."I did not think I could help them at that time, for I considered them higher in rank than myself. I thought, "They have so much guru-nistha, faith in the lotus feet of their Gurudeva. They are far more advanced than I am. They know the conclusive truths of the Krsna Consciousness philosophy better than I. How can I help them?" But my siksa-guru gave some inspiration in my heart.By Srila Swami Maharaja’s inspiration I came to know that many disciples were misunderstanding his real identity. They were guessing that his constitutional form is that of a cowherd friend of Krsna. When I heard this, I experienced so much pain in my heart for them – they did not have accurate knowledge or feelings about him. I realized that it is my duty to give them faith in the complete conception of him, that he is in madhurya-rasa. Sakhya-rasa is included within madhurya-rasa, so sakhya-bhava is also within him.How Deep is the MountainThere are two ways to see our Gurudeva, and in this connection an analogy can be given of the Himalayan Mountains. The height of the Himalayas is one thing and its depth is another. We can somewhat see its height, but we cannot see what is hidden deep within the ground. We saw that Srila Swami Maharaja collected a large number of disciples throughout the world in practically no time; we saw all varieties of his height. He loved everyone, and everyone felt, "He loves me so much." We also saw this in our Guru Maharaja.However, we cannot know how deep Sri Guru is. Srila Swami Maharaja used to sing Sri Gurvastakam with a profound mood and tears in his eyes – in samadhi. He did not see who was looking at him and who was not, who was taking part and who was not. He was simply absorbed in singing and playing his karatalas.The first four verses of Sri Gurvastakam contain very high subject matter that we can realize and see. But at present we cannot realize the next two verses:sri-radhika-madhavayor apara-madhurya-lila-guna-rupa-namnamprati-ksanasvadana-lolupasyavande guroù sri caranaravindamAt every moment Sri Gurudeva is experiencing intense greed in his heart to taste the unlimited sweetness of the holy names, forms, qualities, and pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava in Vrndavana. I offer my prayers unto the lotus feet of Sri Gurudeva. (Sri Gurvastakam, verse 5)nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyaiya yalibhir yuktir apeksaniyatatrati-daksyad ati-vallabhasyavande guroh Sri caranaravindamSri Gurudeva is always present with the sakhis, planning the arrangements for the perfection of Yugala-kisora’s amorous pastimes (rati-keli) within the kunjas of Vrndavana. Because he is so expert in making these tasteful arrangements for Their pleasure, he is very dear to Sri Radha and Krsna. I offer my prayers unto the lotus feet of Sri Gurudeva. (Sri Gurvastakam, verse 6)Only one who is equal to his self-realized Guru can understand his depth. A kanistha-adhikari (novice devotee) and a madhyama-adhikari (intermediate devotee) cannot guess how deep his feelings are. They cannot begin to imagine the fathomless moods of krsna-prema and radha-prema in their Guru’s heart. Without being an uttama-adhikari, a topmost pure devotee, one cannot understand.Kanistha- and madhyama-adhikari devotees can see his height, his aisvarya (opulence), the way in which he collected disciples and very quickly preached all over the world. But it is more valuable to see his depth. He has not collected disciples just so we can experience his height. Ultimately, he brought us to him with the sole aim of giving us his deep thoughts. Of course this will take time; it could take many births to realize this.When I look towards him and remember his orders, I become moved, knowing that he is engaged in nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai. The main reason he came was to give this very same service. He came to obey the orders of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, but he had to spend a great deal of time laying the groundwork for this.His Gurudeva was in a similar situation. Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has said, "I came to give some valuable conceptions in raganuga-bhava, but I could not do so in the way I desired. Most of my life was spent in sweeping and cutting jungles."This type of preaching is essential. Without preaching vaidhi-bhakti the main thing cannot be given, because vaidhi-bhakti is a prerequisite for further advancement. Srila Sarasvati Thakura also used to say that when the Mayavada philosophy is present, there can be no preaching of bhakti. We will therefore have to cut the jungles of atheism, Mayavada, sahajiyaism and other non-Vedic philosophies. We will have to spend time defeating their arguments.Now I think that by obeying Srila Swami Maharaja’s orders, I have been fortunate to play a small role in this deeper mission. If I can inspire raganuga-bhakti in the hearts of devotees, I will see that I have fulfilled the orders he gave me. This is the best service I can render to his lotus feet.When you are situated in raganuga-bhakti, you will be able to factually see his relationship with Sri Sri Radha and Krsna in gopi-bhava. Then you can deeply think of his services to the Divine Couple in nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai.He used to sing daily, "Jaya radha-madhava jaya kunja-bihari gopi-jana-vallabha jaya giri-vara-dhari."Srila Swami Maharaja has so much transcendental greed to serve Kunja-Bihari. A cowherd boy does not have these sentiments and exalted conceptions. The reference to gopi-jana-vallabha in this song is also in our gopala-mantra, and it filled his heart. He desired to give the service of gopi-jana-vallabha as performed by the gopis.He saw that there were only a few in this world who were qualified for this; the number could be counted on one’s fingers. Thus, in order to gradually bring his audiences to a level of understanding, he preached about Lord Jagannatha-deva and established Deities of Sri Sita-Rama and Sri Krsna-Balarama.The gopis also spoke about Rama-Krsna in Srimad-Bhagavatam, but they were not referring to Balarama. Balarama is sometimes called Rama, but the gopis were indicating Ramaniya-Krsna, that is, Sri Krsna the enjoyer of Sri Radha. The gopis’ Rama is Krsna. Qualified devotees, who have actually received the mercy of their Gurudeva, will understand this.The best service I can render to his lotus feet is to give even an atom of the feelings of these exalted conceptions to his disciples and followers.Painting of Srila Prabhupada - courtesy of Puru dasa
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Material Attachment....Gate Way To Hell

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on October 1, 2009 at 12:37am
A man was being chased by a tiger in a forest. He kept on running as fast as he could and looked behind to see how far the tiger was. He stumbled and fell down in to a well. He was lucky to get hold of a creeper half way through. While holding tight to the creeper he looked down and saw a big python. In the meanwhile, the tiger came near the well and was waiting on top to finish him. Just above him was a bee hive. The shaking of the creeper disturbed the bee hive and as he looked up, a drop of honey fell on his tongue and he relished the sweet taste of honey. But the bees started stinging him. He tried to hold on to the creeper with one hand and trying to drive away the bees with other hand. In the process, his legs disturbed a rat hole and he found some white and black rats running around and chewing the creeper.He was in a helpless condition. He cannot go down, lest the python would swallow him, can’t go up otherwise the tiger would kill him. Though he enjoyed the sweetness of honey for a moment, he got stung by the bees and just managed to hold on to his life and in a precarious condition.The human beings are in a similar situation. The white and black rats are day and night, drop of honey is the small sense gratification we momentarily enjoy, the bees being the wife and children. The death is waiting for us any time. The moral of the story is that we have to detach ourselves from material attachment and involve in devotional service which is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss.At the present moment our minds are polluted with the dirt accumulated over millions and millions of lifetimes of sense gratification. Even though our original pure nature is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss, due to our mental contamination we are presently suffering in the realm of temporality, ignorance, and misery. By the purificatory process of chanting the holy names of God we can revive our original, pure nature and thus relish the sweetest happiness at every minute.Chant:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare
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Possibility Thinking

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on September 28, 2009 at 12:11pm
by Mahatma das and Akrura dasPlease visit the following link to download to hear the conversation betweenHG Mahatma das and HG Akrura Dashttp://www.tstrain.com/illuminations/Possibility_Thinking.mp3Possibility thinking means there is always more than one way ofapproaching a situation. Generally we have patterns of thinking which lockus into seeing situations in a narrow way or the same way over and overagain. But there is always more than one way to deal with a situation. Bybeing open to other ways of viewing the situation, we begin to seepossibilities we didn’t know existed.Think "what can I do to improve my service to Krishna in this situation?"If we really believe in Krishna, we should be thinking that anything ispossible by His mercy. For example, in any difficult situation we can think,"What else can be done?", “How can I maximize the situation?" "How can Iturn my obstacles into opportunities to serve Krishna?" There is always asilver lining at the end of the cloud.What’s good about this?You can see how bad experiences in the past have helped you become strongertoday. There were valuable lessons learned from those experiences. But atthe time you didn’t know this. Those experiences are blessings in disguiseto learn what we need to learn. So, even the bad, seen in another way,becomes a source of strength and knowledge.Once, a king placed a boulder in the middle of a street and hid himselfbehind a bush. Most persons just went around the boulder. After some time, apeasant came and pushed the boulder aside. Below the boulder he found apurse with gold coins and a note from the king that said "This is a rewardfor the person who removes the boulder."In essence, there is gold at the end of a rainbow. Behind each obstacle,there is a lesson that Krishna wants us to learn.Dealing with anarthasAn outside of the box way of viewing anarthas is to see them as things whichare so valuable to us that if we give them up, we’ll be giving up that whichwe are dearly attached to. Krishna appreciates it when we offer himsomething that we’d rather not give up. So, attachments offer us greatopportunities to serve Krishna.Since everything in creation must be offered to Krishna, we can offer toKrishna our determination to drop the anartha or a bad thought and continuewith faith in our spiritual practices. Having a different perspective on howto deal with anarthas has helped many devotees.Tools for Possibility thinkingBrainstorming or mind stormingSome persons suggest taking a piece of paper and writing down 10 to 20possibilities. This forces one to think differently from how one generallythinks. It is also highly beneficial to do this exercise with a coach or amentor.Is there a third alternative?Often times, two parties are caught up in "I have an idea" and "You have anidea". But there could be a third alternative which encompasses or farexceeds both the ideas. Generally, people think like a funnel, a narrowpipe. It is said that if the mind has 60,000 ideas in a day, they may allhave the same pattern. People have a habitual way of thinking. Most of ourthoughts are the same day in and day out.Win win thinkingWhen two parties come together, its best to come up with an option that isbeneficial for both parties. It’s called synergy or creative co-operation.Such an approach is very beneficial because it helps one develop respect forthe other person's opinion, the other person's needs, and the ability tounderstand the other person.Obstacles to Possibility thinkingI can'tIt is said that what you think to be true is often just your belief orattitude. When devotees use words like "I can't", "It can't", or "This can'tbe done" they are limiting themselves. In fact the words "I can't" can beredefined as "there is no possibility" of any other way of doing it orthinking about it. It’s important that we catch ourselves when we use thosewords. Instead, it’s a healthy habit to use words like "let's look" and "letme consider".Bhakta Henry (Ford), the grandfather of Ambarisha prabhu would say "If yousay ‘I can't,’ you have 100% failed. You have determined your path to fail."Another alternative is to ask other devotees how they view a situation.They’ll often have a completely different perspective.Neglecting the most obviousOften times, because of our fixed mind set, we tend to oversee the mostobvious things we can do to solve a problem. We are surrounded by all kindsof solutions and possibilities. We just don’t see them.Akrura narrates a true story of an African farmer who sold his land andembarked on a journey to find diamonds. When he was unable to find anydiamonds, he drowned himself in the ocean. The new owner of the land one dayfound out that the acres of land that were sold to him were mines ofdiamonds. We also have acres of diamonds as wonderful devotees around usand talents given by Krishna. All we have to do is to open our eyes and lookaround.RoutineWe are caught up in a routine and we don't even know what's beyond that. Wedon't go beyond our routine to explore opportunities. We can become likemachines who can only do a few things. Then we say, “This is just the way Iam.”Being satisfied as a mediocreDevotees often become complacent in their devotional practices. It’s a goodexercise to think from time to time how we can be a better servant ofKrishna. "How can I be a better spouse for the pleasure of Krishna?" "Howcan I be a better parent?" "How can I be a better disciple so I can serveKrishna better?". When we ask such questions, the hidden opportunities forservice start showing up.The hidden blankets in the cold room of your lifeAkrura narrates the story of how he slept in a Slovakian temple on a coldnight with a thin blanket. When he woke up next morning, he found a box nextto his bed with a warm blanket. He obviously did not see the most obvious.What are you not seeing?Krishna has given us intelligence, creativity and talents. We have to lookand unveil our talents for His service.
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SIX FAULTS THAT DESTROY BHAKTI

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on September 24, 2009 at 8:28pm
Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur1. AtyaharaOvereating or too much collectingIn his Sri Upadesamrta, Srila Rupa Gosvami has written the following :atyaharah prayasas caprajalpo niyamagrahahjana-sangas ca laulyam casadbhir bhaktir vinasyatiTRANSLATION Ones devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) atyahara, eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) prayasa, overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) prajalpa, talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) niyamagraha, practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) jana-sanga, associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Krsna consciousness; and (6) laulyam, being greedy for mundane achievements.It is most important to consider the deep of this. For anyone who wants to engage in pure devotional service, it is especially necessary to follow the instructions of this. For one who neglects to follow these instructions, attaining devotion to Lord Hari is extremely rare. We are hereby elaborating the of thisfor the benefit of those who have a strong desire to attain pure devotional service. In thissix impediments to devotional service are mentioned atyahara, prayasa, prajalpa, niyamagraha, jana-sanga, and laulya. We will separately discuss each of these six items. In this small only the of the word atyahara is being discussed.Many people may think that the word atyahara refers only to overeating, but this is not so. It is explained in the firstof Upadesamrta:vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegamihva-vegam udaropastha-vegametan vegan yo visaheta dhirahsarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyatTRANSLATION A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the minds demands, the actions of anger, and the urges of the tongue, belly, and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.In this regard, the urge of the tongue is the desire to taste foodstuffs. The urge of the stomach is the desire to overeat. If we understand the word atyahara in the secondas overeating, the fault of repetition occurs in this condensed collection of essential instructions. Therefore it is the duty of the learned readers to find other s for the word atyahara as used by the most grave Rupa Gosvami.Although bhojana, or eating, is the principle of the word ahara FAtyahara is a combination of ati, or much, and ahara, or eating or collecting., the word bhojana also means to enjoy the objects of the five senses. Form by the eyes, sound by the ears, smell by the nose, taste by the tongue, feeling of heat and cold, soft and hard by the touch in this way, the five senses enjoy. This type of material enjoyment is compulsory for an embodied soul. Without enjoying the sense objects, a living entity cannot survive. As soon as the living entity gives up sense enjoyment, he leaves his body. Therefore, giving up sense enjoyment is only a figment of the imagination, it can never be applied in practice.2. PrayasaOverendeavoringIf prayasa is not given up, devotion will never arise. The word prayasa means endeavor, useless labor. Spiritual life is nothing other than pure devotion unto the Supreme Lord. Devotion cannot be defined by any symptoms other than full surrender and subordination unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. Full surrender and subordination are the natural, eternal constitutional duties of the living entities. Therefore, only devotional service is the natural propensity or inherent occupation. In ones inherent occupation there is no need of prayasa; still, in the living entitys conditioned state there is need for a small amount of prayasa in order to cultivate devotional service. Except this little prayasa, all other kinds of prayasa are unfavorable for devotional service. Prayasa is of two kinds jnana-prayasa and karma-prayasa. In jnana-prayasa the feeling of oneness, or kevaladvaita, arises. This is also known as sayujya, merging, or brahma-nirvana, absorption in the Supreme. Jnana-prayasa is hostile to spiritual life; this is explained in the Vedic literature, Mundaka Upanisad (3.2.3), in the following words:nayam atma pravacanena labhyona medhasa na bahuna srutenayam evaisa vrnute tena labhyastasyaisa atma vivrnute tanum svamTRANSLATION The Supreme Lord is not obtained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence, or even by much hearing. He is obtained only by one whom He Himself chooses. To such a person, He manifests His own form. Therefore devotion is the only way to attain the lotus feet of the Lord.3.PrajalpaIdle talkingTalking with one another is called jalpana or prajalpa. Nowadays in this world godlessness is so prominent that conversing with others means godless talk. Therefore it is not profitable for a practicing devotee to engage in jalpana. There can, however, be many kinds of jalpana in the cultivation of devotional service. They are all auspicious for the devotees. Srila Rupa Gosvami has written in his Karpanya-panjika-stotra:tathapy asmin kadacidvamadhisau nama-jalpiniavadya-vrnda-nistari-namabhasau prasidatamDevotees recite the purport of this in the following words:tathapi e dina-jane,tathapi e dina-jane,yadi nama-uccarane,namabhasa karila jivanesarva-dosa-nivarana,duhun-nama-sanjalpana,prasade prasida dui janeWhile chanting the holy name of the Lord, if a wretched person in his lifetime achieves namabhasa, or a glimpse of offenseless chanting, then all his faults are destroyed and Their Lordships become pleased with him.Kirtana, offering prayers, and reciting the scriptures are all jalpana; but when these are performed with a favorable mood and devoid of material desire, then they are all cultivation of Krsna consciousness. Therefore the conclusion is this: All prajalpas that are unfavorable to Krsnas service are adto devotional service. The practitioner should carefully give up prajalpa. There is no fault in the activities of the mahajanas. The mahajanas have respectfully engaged in prajalpa (favorable to devotional service), and this is our only duty. Sometimes puffed-up devotees advise that all types of prajalpa should be given up. But we are followers of Srila Rupa Gosvami; being followers of Rupa Gosvami we will always stick to the path shown by the sadhus who are following his instructions.4. NiyamagrahaToo much attachment to, or too much neglect of, rules and regulationsNiyamas, or rules, are of two kinds vidhis, or prescriptions, and nisedhas, or prohibitions. Whatever is enjoined as ones duty is a prescribed rule. Whatever is enjoined as restricted is a prohibited rule. Both kinds of rules are auspicious for the living entities.Conditioned souls are eligible to attain a very exalted position from a very low position. Between these two positions there are many other positions. Each position is a gradual step. Each gradual step is a distinct level of advancement. Each and every gradual step has different prescriptions and prohibitions. Whenever a living entity steps to one level and stays there, he is obliged to follow the prescriptions and prohibitions of that step. By following those enjoined prescriptions and prohibitions, one becomes eligible to attain the next step. If one is unable to attain the next step, he falls down to a lower step. This is called degradation. Attaining the higher step is called advancement.To properly follow the precepts of ones own level is called ones prescribed duties or steadiness in ones own position. Steadiness in ones own position is piety, and deviation from ones position is impiety. There is no other piety and impiety than this. Therefore in the Srimad Bhagavatam (11.21.2-7) Lord Krsna spoke these instructions to Uddhava:sve sve dhikare ya nisthasa gunah parikirtitahviparyayas tu dosah syadubhayor esa niscayahdesa-kaladi-bhavanamvastunam mama sattamaguna-dosau vidhiyeteniyamartham hi karmanamTRANSLATION Steadiness in ones own position is declared to be actual piety, whereas deviation from ones position is considered impiety. In this way the two are definitely ascertained. O saintly Uddhava, in order to restrict materialistic activities, I have established that which is proper and improper among all material things, including time, space, and all physical objects.Prescribed and prohibited rules are further divided into two categories conditional and constitutional. The living entity is pure spirit. The prescriptions and prohibitions in the living entitys constitutional position are consititutional rules. But when the living entity is separated from his transcendental position, he accepts the designations given by the illusory energy and is entangled in this world these are false designations. These designations are of many varieties, but the constitutional situation is one without second.In the eternal state of the living entity, prema is the only prescription and envy is the only prohibition. This prescription and prohibition is subordinate to the living entitys eternal nature. The living entity imbued with prema and devoid of envy is the shelter of eternal rasa. Although rasa is of five varieties, still they are one undivided spiritual truth. The rules of that position are not to be discussed here. We must know only that this state is the eternal condition of the living entity.Although in the conditional state the rules are of different types, still all the steps are divided into three principle categories. According to the Vedas, Bhagavad-gita, and all the smrtis, three principle divisions are found karma, jnana, and bhakti. In each division certain prescriptions and certain prohibitions are enjoined. In the karma division, the rules of varnasrama and the ten supplementary samskaras as well as regulative prayers are prescribed. Sins and bad habits are prohibited. In the jnana division, sannyasa, renunciation, detachment, and discussing matter and spirit are prescribed. Fruitive activities, forbidden activities, and attachment to sense enjoyment are prohibited. In the bhakti division, indifference, performance of activities favorable to devotion, following the prescriptions and prohibitions of the jnana division, and cultivating devotional service with the help of those prescriptions and prohibitions are prescribed. All activities opposed to the Lord, jnana, renunciation, attachment to sense enjoyment, conclusions opposed to devotional service, and giving up action are prohibited.When the conditioned soul advances by giving up his illicit activities, or low-class character, then he attains the level of karma-kanda. Such a person should remain in varnasrama-dharma and aspire to attain the level of jnana. This is his duty. He should remain in varnasrama until he attains detachment from material activities by discussing the difference between matter and spirit and analyzing the nature of false ego, otherwise he becomes sinful. When that detachment is attained, then his higher qualification destroys his attachment to fruitive activities. But if that person still remains inclined to the rules of karma-kanda, then he cannot make advancement.The duty of one who has attained the level of jnana-kanda is to remain fixed in knowledge. Until he attains a taste for devotional service, he should remain under the rules of jnana-kanda. As soon as the qualification for devotional service manifests, he should give up his attachment for jnana-kanda, otherwise he is guilty of niyamagraha and will not make advancement.5.Jana-sangaAssociation with worldly-minded personsThe word jana means both male and female human beings. Srila Rupa Gosvami has written in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu: sadho sangah svato vare a devotee should associate with devotees who are more advanced. Generally the practicing devotees are superior to karmis and jnanis in all respects. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.28) it is said:yesam tv anta-gatam papamjananam punya-karmanamte dvandva-moha-nirmuktabhajante mam drdha-vratahTRANSLATION Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination. Therefore devotees are naturally pure. There is no possibility for them to commit sin. They are not less intelligent like the karmis and jnanis, because they have taken shelter at the lotus feet of the omniscient Supreme Lord. Faith in the devotional service of Lord Krsna is achieved as a result of many lifetimes of pious activities. So there is no doubt that the devotees activities are pure. From faith, the desire to associate with devotees naturally arises. By associating with devotees, everything is achieved. The glories of sadhu-sanga is mentioned in the Adi Purana as follows:ye me bhakta-janah parthana me bhaktas ca te janahmad-bhaktanam ca ye bhaktaste me bhakta-tama matahTRANSLATION O Partha, those who claim to be My devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My devotees are actually My devotees.Regarding the need to associate with devotees, it is said:darsana sparsanalapasahavasadibhih ksanatbhaktah punanti krsnasyasaksad api ca pukkasamTRANSLATION Even an outcaste becomes completely pure by seeing, touching, conversing with, or living with Krsnas devotee for even a moment.6.LaulyaArdent longing or greedThe of the word laulya is restlessness, greed, and desire. Restlessness is of two kinds restlessness of the mind and restlessness of the intelligence. The citta, or mind, has the propensity for following the dictates of the senses. When the mind follows the dictates of the senses and becomes absorbed in a particular subject, attachment or aversion arise. Therefore restlessness of the mind is of two types restlessness due to attachment and restlessness due to aversion. In Bhagavad-gita (2.67) it is said:indriyanam hi caratamyan mano nuvidhiyatetad asya harati prajnamvayur navam ivambhasiTRANSLATION As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a mans intelligence. Again in the Bhagavad-gita (3.34) it is said:indriyasyendriyasyartheraga-dvesau vyavasthitautayor na vasam agacchettau hy asya paripanthinauTRANSLATION There are principles to regulate attachment and aversion pertaining to the senses and their objects. One should not come under the control of such attachment and aversion, because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization. In order to regulate laulya, in the form of restlessness of the mind, one has to take shelter of goddess Bhaktidevi. The instruction of Bhaktidevi is this: When the cause of the minds restlessness is sense gratification and this restlessness is the main obstacle in the practice of devotional service, then all sensual activities should be dovetailed in the service of the Lord and the attachment to sense gratification should be transformed into attachment for the Lord. Then the mind becomes fixed in devotional service by taking shelter of that attachment. The eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, and the sense of touch are called knowledge acquiring senses. The hands, the legs, the anus, and so on are the working senses. When the objects of all these senses are associated with in a devotional mood, then the mind becomes fixed on the Lord. Taste, form, smell, touch, and sound these are the objects of the senses. One has to arouse a mood of devotion in all these objects, and enjoy them, then devotional service is cultivated. Among the objects of the senses, aversion should be applied on any that are unfavorable for devotional service and attachment should be applied on any that are favorable for devotional service. But until the restlessness of the intelligence is vanquished, how will the restlessness of the mind be checked? When the restlessness of the intelligence is vanquished, the mind can regulate attachment and aversion for sense objects by the strength of the intelligence.The intelligence is that which discriminates between the minds good and bad propensities. That intelligence is of two types resolute and many-branched. There is one type of resolute intelligence, and there are unlimited types of many-branched intelligence.Please Chant:Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare HareAnd make your life sublime !!!
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The Mood When Chanting

Posted by kanaiyyadesh on September 21, 2008 at 10:14am
Dear teacher:Please accept my most humble obeisances.On one hand we are advised to chant in a prayerful mood, which is like we are hanging on the cliff calling help by vibrating Krishna's holy names, we are begging Krishna's mercy to save us. On the other hand we should chant for Krishna's pleasure, not for our salvation or pleasure. The two seems contradictory together, what mood should we take when chanting?Your most humble servant,Yechen ZhangAnswer: The Lord is Pleased by Your CryThere is no contradiction. It gives great pleasure to the Lord when we cry out to Him to save us from this material existence by engaging us in His pure devotional service.Whenever something seems contradictory the way to analyze it is to take both points to be true and try to understand how both of them can be simultaneously be true. In other words, instead of being in a doubtful mood be in a faithful mood. In this way you will easily and quickly advance in transcendental understanding. And of course, whenever you are not able to make sense of something you are most welcome to inquire from me.Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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