chaitanya mahaprabhu - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree | IDT2024-03-28T16:52:33Zhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/chaitanya+mahaprabhuThe Essential Principles Of Lord Gauranga’s Kirtanhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-essential-principles-of-lord-gauranga-s-kirtan2023-06-14T08:30:00.000Z2023-06-14T08:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="text-align:justify;"><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3651449900,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="3651449900?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" /></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>By Sacinandana Swami</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">There is one foundational principle of the Bhagavata philosophy, which is enacted and taught practically by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu during His earthly pastimes. By understanding it you will be able to live and apply what Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had come to teach us. This foundational principle is to establish a relationship with the Lord through the mood of separation. This is best practiced in kirtan.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>RECEIVING THE HOLY NAME</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">We have heard it so many times – in order to receive the holy name we first need to become focused. By being mindful to the sound vibration of the holy name we will bring the mind into connection with Krishna. To do this we need to actually hear the mantra and stay with it all the time, which requires some focus, willingness, and prayer.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Our biggest problem however is that we feel disconnected and “dry” while applying ourselves to the practice of chanting. We try to focus our minds on the sound vibration, but alas – the mind seems to be more difficult to control than the wind! What should we do? Where is our hope?</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Our hope and solution lies in learning to chant in the mood of separation. This feeling of separation from Krishna is possible for the conditioned soul because we have turned away from Him.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">How do we come to this mood? It is by feeling: “Krishna, I really need You!”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>LEARNING FROM THE LIVES OF GREAT DEVOTEES</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">After the death of his mother, the five-year-old boy Narada Muni left his home and went into the jungle. There, under a banyan tree, he sat down and meditated according to the instructions of the four great saints who had visited his home. While Narada Muni was meditating under the banyan tree, the Lord appeared to him.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Narada Muni was so overwhelmed by the darshan of the Lord, that he became so absolutely moved and lost both the vision of himself and the Lord. Everything disappeared. He became frantic and most eager to see the Lord again, but the Lord said to him:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and are not completely free from all material things can hardly see Me. Oh Narada Muni, you are virtuous. Only once you have seen Me in person, and this is just to increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires.”<br /> (SB 1.6.21, 22)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">When the Lord disappeared, Narada Muni was thrown into an ocean of abject inner pain. Imagine what happens when a poor man receives a touchstone which can fulfill all of his desires, and then all of a sudden loses it. What will this poor man do? For the rest of his life, he will try to find this jewel again.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In the same way that Krishna disappeared from Narada Muni, He appears and disappears from our lives as well. For example, He appears to us at the beginning of our Krishna Consciousness by giving us some taste which is so strong that we leave the material world behind. Otherwise how could we attempt to live a life which is completely different from what we had learnt and seen before? Krishna is present to some degree or another when we read the Bhagavatam. It is said that by reading the Bhagavatam the Lord appears within our hearts. To some degree or another, we have experienced this as well. And Krishna also appears in our lives when we sing kirtans. At other times we have feelings of deep appreciation and connectedness. In this way we know Krishna is there.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">But then He leaves us…And we experience states of dryness, separation, disconnectedness, etc. In Christian theology, these phases are known as the “dark nights of the soul.” You feel desperate because you don’t feel any love of Godhead left.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The question is what will you do then. Will you say: “Oh, I’ll get another Lord. This is just too much for me.” Or will you understand “I need to become purified now. There is a reason why the Lord does this to me. He wants to increase my hankering for Him.”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Don’t despair! Understand Krishna’s principle of wanting to increase your attachment to Him.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Krishna said to the gopis: “The reason I do not immediately reciprocate the affection of living beings even when they worship Me, O gopīs, is that I want to intensify their loving devotion. They then become like a poor man who has gained some wealth and then lost it, and who thus becomes so anxious about it that he can’t think of nothing else.<br /> [..] I acted as I did only to increase your attachment to Me. Even when I removed Myself from your sight by suddenly disappearing, I never stopped loving you. Therefore, My beloved gopīs, please do not harbour any bad feelings toward Me, your beloved. (SB 10.32.20, 21).</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Let us see what Narada Muni did, when the Lord disappeared from Him: He became determined to meet the Lord again and concluded, “Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all the formalities of the material world. Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are benedictory. So doing, I traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble and unenvious.” (SB 1.6.26)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Let us also choose this response to Krishna’s hiding and thus continue to worship him in this mood of separation.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">What we can learn from Narada Muni is that:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">1) We need to take shelter in Krishna by chanting in the mood of separation and</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">2) We need to be in a humble and non-envious state of mind while chanting</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Narada Muni expressed this in his own words:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all the formalities of the material world. Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are benedictory. In doing so, I traveled all over the world, fully satisfied, humble, and unenvious.”<br /> (SB 1.6.26)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>THE MOOD OF SEPARATION</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">To come to this anticipating mood, or the mood of longing for Krishna, “Krishna I really need You” you can do the following:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">* Hear about Krishna from the Bhagavatam. In this way you will develop<br /> your taste for Krishna.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">* Serve the Bhagavatas – devotees who talk about and live by the example of<br /> the Bhagavatam. They can infuse us with the bhakti, which they have for Krishna.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In his lecture on Nectar of Devotion, (Sri Vrindavan Dhama, Oct 20th 1972), Srila Prabhupada explains that to read regularly from our acaryas means to associate with them and if we act accordingly, then we are serving their lotus feet .</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">By hearing the Bhagavatam and serving the devotee Bhagavata, we will come to understand that we belong to Krishna. This understanding will make us turn to Krishna for shelter. Hence a devotee will pray:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“Ayi nanda tanuja kinkaram . . . My dear Lord, I am Your eternal servant, but somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of this material world. Kindly pick me up and fix me as a speck of dust at Your lotus feet.”<br /> (Siksastaka 5)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">HUMILITY</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Srila Prabhupada said in the purport to the text 1.6.26, that such devotees who take the chanting of the Lord’s names seriously have no desire for material gain. Because they have the highest aim of life, going back to Godhead, they are never envious of anyone, nor are they proud of being eligible to go back to Godhead</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expresses the same principle in His Siksastaka (3), where He says:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna<br /> amanina manadena kirtaniya sada hari</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw on the street, being more tolerant than a tree and always ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">As we can see the way in which Narada Muni chanted ‘fully satisfied, humble and non-envious’, was also instructed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">• We must be free from pride like the straw on the street that people trample upon and</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">• We must be non-envious – in the words of Mahaprabhu, we must respect others, not be envious of them.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">This instruction of Mahaprabhu does not refer only to social etiquette whereby we give respect to those ‘higher’ than ourselves, “Oh Sannyasi Maharaja, you are the best..” No, it means that we respect everyone, all souls without wanting anything else in return. So the next time we are disrespected, next time someone hurls insults upon us, we should just understand that it is not worth our while to fight. We want something much higher.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">So let us get practical now!</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">1) When you sit down to chant your japa or kirtan, remember the Lord and how you are now separated from Him. Turn to Him for shelter:</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>krsna, tomara hana´ yadi bale eka-bara<br /> maya-bandha haite krsna tare kare para</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“My dear Lord Krsna, although I have forgotten You for so many long years in the material world, today I am surrendering unto You. I am Your sincere and serious servant. Please engage me in Your service.”<br /> (CC M 22.33)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">2) Then continue to chant by focusing on the maha-mantra. Try to hear each mantra all the while staying in the mood of longing.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">3) When your mind starts to wander here and there and you cannot easily focus it on the holy name, then come to a humble state of mind. You may pray to the Lord, a prayer like:</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>aparadha-sahasra-bhajanam<br /> patitam bhima-bhavarnaodare<br /> agatim saranagatam hare<br /> krpaya kevalam atmasat kuru</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“O Hari! I am guilty of committing thousands and thousands of offenses thus I am drowning inside this terrible, turbulent ocean of material existence. I have lost my way, but I desire to find the right path and so I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet. Please accept me as Your own out of Your mercy alone.”<br /> (Stotra-ratna 48)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">If you continue to chant in this way, chanting from the heart and thus connecting with the Lord, miracles will unfold!</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">So far we have learnt from the example of Narada Muni how chanting in the mood of separation and in a humble state of mind forms the essence of our philosophy. This is exactly what Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach us, by establishing His sankirtan movement:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Isvara Puri in Gaya, He received the Gopal mantra, which is chanted to worship Krishna. As a result, He wanted to run to Vrindavan to meet His Lord.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">After travelling awhile, the Lord heard a voice from the sky—a representative of the demigods—saying, “O crest-jewel of the twice-born, do not go to Vrindavana now. You will certainly go when the appropriate time comes. Now just return to Your house in Navadvipa. You are the Lord of the spiritual world and have appeared with Your associates to deliver the people of the world. When You distribute the wealth of ecstatic love of God, Your chanting will inundate innumerable universes. We are Your servants, and thus we offer this reminder at Your lotus feet.”<br /> (CB Adi 17.129-132)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">So by this “higher intervention” the Lord did not go to Vrindavan. He went back to Navadvipa to start the sankirtana movement. After His return the devotees witnessed a distinct change in His character, because instead of engaging them in difficult debates, He was now crying “Krishna! Krishna! Where are you?”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The Lord wanted to explain to His devotees what had happened, thus He invited them to the cottage of Suklambara das on the banks of the Ganga. There He explained how on His way back from Gaya, He came to Kanai Natshala where He had the darshan of Krishna. He expressed in His own words:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“There I saw a young, beautiful boy, with a glowing, dark complexion, blackish like the bark of a tamal tree. His enchanting curly hair was decorated with wild flowers, a fresh garland of gunja berries, and a colourful peacock feather. His jewellery and gems were so bright that I could not see Him properly. Thus it is impossible for Me to describe the beauty of the delicately ornamented flute in His hand. His soft lotus feet were adorned with attractive ankle bells. His strong, graceful arms defeated the strength and beauty of blue pillars. How will I ever be able to describe the wonder of His golden-yellow silk dhoti, His dangling fish-shaped earrings, and His lotus-petal eyes with a beautiful, lazy expression? He sweetly smiled as He approached Me, and after embracing Me, He suddenly ran away.”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Sri Chaitanya then fainted. The devotees hastily picked Him up and chanted, “Krishna! Krishna!” They pacified Him to some extent, but He could not remain calm. He continuously cried, “Where is Krishna? Where is Krishna?”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda 2.180–195)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“Nimai Pandit has become a great devotee,” the devotees said. And then they said to the Lord, “For one who associates with You, what is the value of Vaikuntha? A single moment with You gives us the fruit of devotion. We are now all dependent on You. You are our leader now. You lead us in Kirtan.”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu then started his nocturnal kirtans in the house of Srivasa Pandit and chanted throughout the night. He said, “Why should we waste our nights with sleeping? Let’s chant!”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">So this is how it all started. This is the underlying mood, the mood of separation. In the words of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “Where is Krishna?”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">From Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu flows a river of the immortal nectar of bhakti. “Anyone who has taken a human form of life but does not take advantage of such a river, but instead drinks the poison of material life is baffled in his opportunity.” (CC Adi 13.123)</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Do you want to live? Then come to drink from the nectarine river of the Holy Name. According to the Upanisads, we are all born in the ocean of nectar. We are not meant to be satisfied with anything else but nectar. This is our birthright.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">By appearing in the land of Navadvipa, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed the chanting of the Holy Names as the means of obtaining this nectar of immortality and by taking on the role of a teacher He has revealed how to chant the Holy Names for the best results.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Gour-premanandi Hari Haribol!<br /> <br /> <strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=53847">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=53847</a></p></div>Appreciating Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhuhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/appreciating-sri-krishna-chaitanya-mahaprabhu2021-03-27T08:30:00.000Z2021-03-27T08:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515176538,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515176538,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="450" alt="2515176538?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></a></p>
<p><strong>By Giriraj Swami</strong></p>
<p>From Amrit Vani, “Nectarean Instructions for Immortality,” gleaned from the instructions of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and presented in the form of questions and answers.</p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Is the favor given by Mahaprabhu the highest favor?</strong></p>
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<p>There has never been nor will there ever be better benefactors than Mahaprabhu and His devotees. No other type of human welfare work can compare; all those others simply perform a great disservice to humanity. The favor offered by Mahaprabhu and His devotees is the supreme favor. This favor is eternal, not a temporary five- or ten-day promise. Mundane benefits tend to ultimately do harm, but Mahaprabhu’s favor will never harm others.</p>
<p>For example, what is good for our country will certainly be harmful to another country. It is the nature of temporary happiness to cause distress to others. If I am happy to ride in a horse-pulled cart, the horse will be inconvenienced by my pleasure. Mahaprabhu and His devotees never deceive people by preaching about temporary favors. Their favor and charities are suitable for all people at all times and under all circumstances. Their gifts are good for the entire universe. Mahaprabhu and His devotees never offer gifts related to narrow or sectarian views.</p>
<p>Mahaprabhu’s compassion is considered harmless compassion. Thus we say that He and His devotees are the most magnanimous. I am not speaking flowery language or myth but topmost truth when I say these things.</p>
<p>Mahaprabhu’s compassion is complete, while all other forms of compassion are limited and deceptive. Matsya, Kurma, Varahadeva, Ramachandra, and even Krishna distributed mercy only to Their devotees and annihilated those who opposed Them. Mahaprabhu displayed compassion to everyone. He did not even hesitate to show His harmless mercy to the Kazi and the Buddhists, and He converted the worshipers of Ramachandra, known as the Ramanandis, into pure Vaishnavas.</p>
<p><strong>What has Sri Chaitanyadeva done?</strong></p>
<p>Sri Chaitanyadeva has instructed everyone to engage everything they have in Krishna’s service. Although Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna, He appeared in the mood of a devotee and revealed Krishna to the world. He taught everyone to serve Krishna by His own example. Sri Rupa Gosvami Prabhu, who was an associate of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, glorified Mahaprabhu as follows:</p>
<p>namo maha-vadanyaya, krsna-prema-pradaya te <br /> krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah</p>
<p>“O most munificent incarnation! You are Krsna Himself appearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 19.54)</p>
<p>O Sri Krishna Chaitanya! You are most magnanimous! You have not established so-called schools and orphanages, nor have You spent your time digging wells, building hospitals, or performing other social welfare activities. Rather, You have established spiritual institutions to educate the people. You are therefore the ultimate shelter of all orphans. You have revealed the nectarean ocean of the mellows of devotional service. You have built Gaudiya hospitals, centers where the root cause of material disease can be treated. Your mercy is causeless and yields no inauspicious results. The so-called mercy seen in this world always creates inauspiciousness in the end. But Your mercy on the living entities creates all auspiciousness for them. Therefore You are considered the most magnanimous personality and He who bestows love of Krishna.</p>
<p><strong>Who is Sri Chaitanyadeva?</strong></p>
<p>Sri Chaitanyadeva is not a personality two thousand or ten thousand years old; He is eternal. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is beginningless, the origin of all, and the cause of all causes. He is not born under the influence of time. Rather, past, present, and future originate in Him. He is eternal and almighty. He is not a physical body of flesh and bones but the primeval Lord. He is the supreme enjoyer and proprietor of everything. He is the Supersoul situated in the heart of all living entities. He is the supreme Brahman and the Supreme Lord. He is directly Krishna and the fountainhead of all incarnations. He is full of all opulence and is the supreme Absolute Truth.</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanyadeva is the ocean of mercy. No one else can bestow as much mercy as He can. No other incarnation of the Lord has ever distributed so much causeless mercy. His mercy is distributed to worthless persons to make them qualified. His mercy is eternal. He is so merciful that He gives Himself to His devotees. Such compassion has never before been seen.</p>
<p>Karmis, jnanis, and yogis are unable to see the beauty of His distribution of love of God, but any fortunate soul can attain it. Therefore I say, give up all your considerations and spend time hearing about Sri Caitanyadeva. If we hear about such a personality, who is far superior to ordinary human beings, we can find enough qualification to engage in krsna-bhajana, the actual path of peace.</p>
<p>The Absolute Truth is full of knowledge and bliss. We run here and there to try to know Him; but the Lord of Goloka has appeared in human form among us as Gauranga to give us instruction. If we do not follow His instructions, how will we be benefited?</p>
<p><strong>What is Sri Gaurangadeva’s compassion?</strong></p>
<p>Sri Gaurasundara said that sankirtana is the only duty of humankind. This is proof of His magnanimous nature. Human beings can attain what it is impossible even for the best of the demigods to attain. Sri Gaurangadeva does not cheat and does not mix material enjoyment with spiritual understanding. He has preached what is most beneficial to all living beings. If one hears His teachings he will understand that all other teachings in this world are incomplete and weak. Sri Gaurasundara has not descended to cheat people as the mental speculators cheat people by presenting their insignificant sadhanas. By preaching Srimad-Bhagavatam Sri Gaurasundara has proved that the sadhanas put forth by so-called sampradayas are simply ineffective. He has also demonstrated that the congregational chanting of Krishna’s name is the only way to attain auspiciousness.</p>
<p>But the sankirtana must be for Krishna. Any kirtan performed for one’s own happiness or the happiness of others is not krsna-kirtana. The holy name of Krishna is directly Krishna Himself. The letters K-r-s-n-a are nondifferent from Krishna.</p>
<p>By performing krsna-kirtana the sinful mentality of impersonalists and atheists is destroyed and they become eligible for ultimate liberation. Mayavadi Prakasananda is the prime example of this fact. Even people who are too attached to material enjoyment can attain ultimate liberation by performing krsna-kirtana. Prataparudra, the king of Utkala, is the prime example of this fact. All jivas, including men, women, animals, birds, trees, and even the dead stones can be liberated by the performance of krsna-kirtana. The animals, birds, trees, and creepers of Jharikhanda forest are prime examples of this fact.</p>
<p>The living entities are not becoming liberated simply because they do not engage in krsna-kirtana. Sri Gaurasundara incarnated in this world to benefit all living entities. Our only welfare lies in performing krsna-kirtana. There is no other way to attain the ultimate goal of education, knowledge, and life itself.</p>
<p>sri-krsna-caitanya-daya karaha vicara, <br /> vicara karite citte pabe camatkara</p>
<p>“If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 8.14)</p>
<p>‘eka’ krsna-name kare sarva-papa nasa, <br /> premera karana bhakti karena prakasa</p>
<p>“Simply chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra without offenses vanquishes all sinful activities. Thus pure devotional service, which is the cause of love of Godhead, becomes manifest.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 8.26)</p>
<p>anayase bhava-ksaya, krsnera sevana, <br /> eka krsna-namera phale pai eta dhana</p>
<p>“As a result of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates, and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of Krsna is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 8.28)</p>
<p>harse prabhu kahena, “suna svarupa-rama-raya, <br /> nama-sankirtana kalau parama upaya <br /> sankirtana-yajne kalau krsna-aradhana, <br /> sei ta’ sumedha paya krsnera carana”</p>
<p>“In great jubilation, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, ‘My dear Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya, know from Me that chanting the holy names is the most feasible means of salvation in this Age of Kali. In this Age of Kali, the process of worshiping Krsna is to perform sacrifice by chanting the holy name of the Lord. One who does so is certainly very intelligent, and he attains shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 20.8–9)</p>
<p>nama-sankirtana haite sarvanartha-nasa, <br /> sarva-subhodaya, krsna-premera ullasa</p>
<p>“Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna, one can be freed from all undesirable habits. This is the means of awakening all good fortune, and initiating the flow of waves of love for Krsna.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 20.11)</p>
<p>sankirtana haite papa-samsara-nasana, <br /> citta-suddhi, sarva-bhakti-sadhana-udgama <br /> krsna-premodgama, premamrta-asvadana, <br /> krsna-prapti, sevamrta-samudre majjana</p>
<p>“By performing congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, one can destroy the sinful condition of material existence, purify the unclean heart, and awaken all varieties of devotional service. The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Krsna, and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately, one attains the association of Krsna, and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 20.13–14)</p>
<p><strong>Why did Mahaprabhu chant “gopi, gopi”?</strong></p>
<p>The materialist cannot understand why Mahaprabhu, who is the supreme teacher of all living entities, chanted “gopi, gopi.” In order to teach people that without glorifying the devotees one cannot glorify Krishna, and without engaging in the spiritual master’s service one cannot engage in Krishna’s service.</p>
<p><strong>Can you please tell us Sri Chaitanyadeva’s philosophy in brief?</strong></p>
<p>We find Sri Chaitanyadeva’s philosophy summarized in one ancient verse:</p>
<p>aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam<br /> ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita<br /> srimad-bhagavatam pramanam amalam prema pum-artho mahan <br /> sri-caitanya-mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah nah parah</p>
<p>“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode, Vrndavana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopis of Vrndavana. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” (Caitanya-manjusa, a commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam)</p>
<p>Krishna, the son of Nanda, is the complete manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Krishna manifests Himself in three features before His devotees according to their respective qualifications. All of these features are complete. They are not partial or indirect manifestations of Krishna the way His manifestations as Paramatma and Brahman are partial. These three features are complete, more complete, and most complete and are situated in Dvaraka, Mathura, and Vrindavan. In Dvaraka Krishna’s manifestation is complete, in Mathura, He is more complete, and in Vraja, He is most complete.</p>
<p>Above Vaikuntha is Dvaraka, above Dvaraka is Mathura, and above Mathura is Goloka Vrindavan. Those spiritual abodes, which are eternally present in the spiritual sky, are also manifest in this world. Whatever is absent in the spiritual world cannot appear in this one. As lotus flowers grow in the water but are not touched by the water, so Vrndavana-dhama is in this world but untouched by matter. Those whose hearts are not inclined to serve the Lord cannot realize the transcendental nature of the Lord’s abode as it appears in this world.</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanyadeva established the supremacy of serving the Lord of Vrindavan, or Gokula. Krishna is the fountainhead of all the Vishnu incarnations; He is the son of Nanda and the beloved child of Yasoda. He is also the beloved Lord of Radha. This Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna alone is the eternally worshipable Lord of the Gaudiyas, the followers of Sri Rupa like ourselves. Sri Chaitanyadeva has instructed everyone to worship Krishna, the Lord of Gokula.</p>
<p><strong>Are Sri Gauranga’s instructions the topmost teachings?</strong></p>
<p>There is no truth superior to the truth preached by Sri Gaurasundara. It is possible to attain to the highest kingdom of bhajana only by the Lord’s holy name.</p>
<p>Thank you.<br /> Hare Krishna.</p>
<p>Your aspiring servant,<br /> Giriraj Swami</p>
<p><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=43871">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=43871</a></p></div>Vedic verses reveal more secrets about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhuhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/vedic-verses-reveal-more-secrets-about-sri-chaitanya-mahaprabhu2020-01-15T11:00:00.000Z2020-01-15T11:00:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515082639,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515082639,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515082639?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p>Are you still wondering if God exists or not? And if you know He exists, are you still not sure who He is and how to find Him? Waste no more time. After many years of in-depth research, the scholars at Vedic schoolsh have given their conclusion for the benefit of all sincere seekers of spiritual perfection. Based on the evidences found in the scriptures they confidently declare that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Later on in this article we will see how they come to this conclusion.</p>
<p>The word Veda means knowledge. Vedas are the the most authentic source of knowledge, both material and spiritual. Vedas are considered a manual for understanding life and the universe we live in. Being what they are, Vedas not only give a comprehensive and concluding information on what God is, who God is, what His attributes and activities are, but they also inform us when God comes to Earth, where He appears, how He looks during a particular visit, what He does during His visit and so on. It is like when the president of a country is scheduled to visit a certain place, announcements are made by government agencies detailing when he will come, how he will come, what his schedule will be and so on. In the past all the information found in the Vedas have come true and there is no doubt among Vedic scholars that all that is predicted in the Vedas will also come true. This makes Vedic knowledge matchless.</p>
<p>Just as one cannot see the president of a country without going through the process outlined by the government, considering the Vedas as the highest authority, God cannot be seen, perceived or even understood unless we follow the process given in the Vedas to know Him.</p>
<p><img src="http://i2.wp.com/venupayyanur.com/wp-content/uploads/Vedas.jpg?resize=640%2C525" alt="" /></p>
<p>One may ask why only Vedas? What about Quran, Bible and other scriptures? A simple answer is, while other scriptures do talk about God, the Vedas give amazingly accurate and in-depth information on God. As mentioned above, Veda describe God’s transcendental attributes, His eternal abode, His pastimes, His various energies and their functions like creation, maintenance and annihilation of innumerable universes and so on. Vedas show us how God’s expansions appear, why they appear and when they appear. Vedas also give a complete education on how to achieve God’s abode, blissfully be with Him, render loving devotional unto Him, and how God magnanimously reciprocates with His devotees’ service attitude. Vedas give a fascinating yet scientific description of both material and spiritual worlds. And no surprise they are capable of delivering such knowledge as Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (15.15): “By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”</p>
<p>It may not be considered a fault if the word “God” sounds like an imagination to some. In fact this is expected of conditioned souls, as Lord Krishna, who, according Vedic scriptures, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declares in Bhagavad Gita – naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah mudho ‘yam nabhijanati loko mam ajam avyayam, meaning “I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.”</p>
<p>Vedic scriptures unanimously declare Lord Krishna as the Supreme Lord, but to know that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is generally known by historians as a saintly person who propagated the cult of prema bhakti, or loving devotional service, is none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is certainly an exciting revelation.</p>
<p>In the following lines we bring to you a compilation of verses from Vedic scriptures that predict Lord Krishna’s advent as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Kaliyuga, in Sri Mayapur, during this period. You can see it for yourself how the Vedic scriptures predicted all detail of God’s arrival and how accurately Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu matched the description. The overwhelming number of evidences make the text a little long but it’s worth reading if you are serious about this most important subject matter. Sanskrit verses are followed by their translation, and explanation as applicable.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sriptures quoted are: Bhagavat Puran | Adi Puran | Kurma Puran | Garuda Puran | Narasimha Puran | Padma Puran | Narada Puran | Brahma Puran | Bhavisya Puran | Agni Puran | Matsya Puran | Vayu Puran | Markandeya Puran | Varah Puran | Vaman Puran | Upa Puran | Ananta Samhita | Mahabharat | Atharva Ved | Sama Ved | Chaitanya Upanishad | Chandogya Upanishad | Svetasvatar Upanishad | Purusa-Bodini-Upanisad</p>
<h4>Prediction of Lord Gauranga’s advent in the form of a brahmana.</h4>
<p>In the Adi-Puran and in the Narada Puran, the Supreme Lord says:</p>
<p>aham eva dvija-srestho nityam pracchanna-vigrahah<br /> bhagavad-bhakta-rupena lokam raksami sarvada</p>
<p>I shall advent in the form of a Brahmana devotee [aham eva dvija-srestho] and I shall hide my factual identity [prachanna vigrahah]. I shall deliver all the worlds [lokam raksami sarvada].</p>
<h4>Prediction of His advent as a Sannyasi (A person in renounced order of life)</h4>
<p>In the Upa-Puranas, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna speaks to Srila Vyasadeva:</p>
<p>aham eva kvacid brahmansannyasa asramam asritah<br /> hari bhaktim grahayami kalau papa-hatan naran</p>
<p>O Brahmana, I occasionally take the Sannyas Asram [sannyasa asrama asritah] in an attempt to bring the fallen people of Kali Yuga to take up the path of Bhakti or devotional service to Lord Krishna [hari bhaktim grahayami].</p>
<h4>Prediction of His actual time of incarnation</h4>
<p>In the Kurma-Purana, it is stated:</p>
<p>kalina dahyamanam uddhararaya tanu-bhrtam<br /> janma prathama sandhyayam bhavisyati dvijalaye</p>
<p>The Supreme Person will appear in the first part of the age of Kali [janma prathama sandhyayam]. He will appear in the home of a Brahmana [bhavisyati dvijalaye], to save the embodied conditioned souls [uddharaya tanu-bhrtam] burning in the troubles of Kali-Yuga.</p>
<h4>Description of the purpose of Sri Chaitanya’s incarnation.</h4>
<p>In the Garuda-Purana, the Supreme Person says:</p>
<p>kalina dakyamananam paritranaya tanu-bhrtam<br /> janma prathama sandhyayam karisyami dvijatisu</p>
<p>In the first part [prathama sandhya] of the age of Kali, I will come among the brahmanas [karisyami dvijatisu] to save the fallen souls, [paritranaya tanu-bhrtam] who are being burned by the troubles of the age of Kali [kalina dahyamananam].</p>
<h4>Prediction of the name of His mother and the actual name of His future<br /> birthplace.</h4>
<p>In the Garuda-Purana, the Supreme Lord says:</p>
<p>aham purno bhavisyami yuga-sandhyau visesatah<br /> mayapure navadvipe bhavisyami sachi sutah</p>
<p>I will take birth as the son of Sachi [bhavisyami sachi sutah], in Navadvip-Mayapur [mayapure navadvipe]. I will come in my complete spiritual form in the first part of Kali-Yuga.</p>
<h4>Prediction of the name of His future first wife and His future assumption of the sannyasa order</h4>
<p>In the same Garuda-Purana, it is Also stated:</p>
<p>kaleh prathama sandhyayam lakshmi- kanto bhavisyati<br /> daru-brahma-samipa-sthah sannyasi gaura-vigrahah</p>
<p>In the first part of Kali-Yuga, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will come in a gold-like form. First He will become the husband of Lakshmi [Srimati Lakshmi Devi, Lord Chaitanya’s first wife]. Then He will become a sannyasi, near Lord Jagannatha who will appear in a divine wooden form.</p>
<h4>Prediction of the bodily color of Sri Chaitanya and the nature of His<br /> future activities.</h4>
<p>In the Nrsimha-Purana, it is said:</p>
<p>satye daitya-kuladhi-nasa-samaye simhordhva-martyakrtis<br /> tretayam das-kandharam paribhavan rameti namakrtih<br /> gopalan paripalayan vraja-pure bharam haran dvapare<br /> gaurangah priya-kirtanah kali-yuge chaitanya-nama prabhuh</p>
<p>The Supreme Personality of Godhead who in the Satya-Yuga appeared as a half-man, half-lion to cure a terrible disease that had ravaged the daityas, and who in the Treta-Yuga appeared as a person named Rama [Lord Ramachandra], the person who defeated the ten-headed Demon Ravana, and who in the Dvapara-Yuga removed the earth’s burden, and protected the Gopa [cowherd men] people of Vraja-pura, will appear again in the Kali-Yuga. His form will be golden, He will delight in chanting the Lord’s holy names, and His name will be Chaitanya.</p>
<h4>Prediction of the future advent of Sri Chaitanya by His direct name</h4>
<p>In the Padma-Purana, it is said:</p>
<p>yatrayogesvarah saksad yogi-cintyo janardanah<br /> chaitanya vapur aste vai sandranandatmakah</p>
<p>The Supreme Personality, Janardana, who is the object of the yogis’ meditation [yogi-chintyo- janardanah], who saves the devotees from various sufferings, and who is the master of all yogic practices [yogesvarah], who is always full of divine transcendental ecstasy and bliss [sandra-ananda-atmakah], will advent in His own divine form of Sri Chaitanya [Chaitanya-vapah].</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/lcm14.jpg"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/lcm14.jpg?resize=364%2C378" alt="lcm14" /></a></p>
<h4>Description of the time and place Sri Chaitanya’s future advent</h4>
<p>In the Padma-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself states:</p>
<p>kaleh prathama-sandhyayam gaurangotham mahi-tale<br /> bhagirathi-tate ramye bhavisyami sachi-sutah</p>
<p>I shall appear on this earth [mahi-tale] in the first part of Kali-Yuga [kaleh prathama sandhyayam] in a beautiful place on the bank of the Bhagirathi [bhagirathi-tate ramye]. I shall have a golden form [gaurangah], and I shall take birth as the son of Sachi [bhavisyami sachi-sutah].</p>
<h4>Prediction of the purpose of Sri Chaitanya’s advents</h4>
<p>In the Narada-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:</p>
<p>aham eva kalau vipra nityam prachanna-vigrahah<br /> bhavavad-bhakta-rupena lokan raksami sarvada</p>
<p>O Vipra, in the age of Kali, I will come disguised [nityam prachanna vigraha] as a devotee [bhagavad-bhakta-rupena] and I will save all the worlds [lokan raksami sarvada].</p>
<h4>Prediction of His mother’s name and the nature of His specific preaching method [sankirtana]</h4>
<p>The Supreme Personality of Godhead states in the Narada-Purana:</p>
<p>divija bhuvi jayadhvam jayadhvam bhakta rupinah<br /> kalau sankirtana arambhe bhavisyami sachi-sutah</p>
<p>O Divija (demigods), please come and advent as devotees on this earth [bhuvi jayadhvam jayadhvam] in the age of Kali-Yuga. I will incarnate as the son of Sachi [bhavisyami sachi-sutah] to inaugurate the congregational chanting of the name of Krishna [kalau sankirtana arambhe].</p>
<h4>Prediction of the revelation of Sri Chaitanya’s form</h4>
<p>In the Brahma-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:</p>
<p>kaleh prathama sandhyayam gaurangotham mahi-tale<br /> bhagirathi-tate bhumni bhavisyami sachi-sutah</p>
<p>I will reveal my eternal golden form [gaurangotham mahi-tale] in the first part of Kali- Yuga [kaleh prathama sandhyayam]. I will advent on the earth on the bank of the Bhagirathi [bhagirathi-tate bhumni] as son of Mother Sachi [bhavisyami sachi-sutah].</p>
<h4>Prediction of the future sannyasi role and ecstasy of Sri Chaitanya</h4>
<p>In the Bhavisya-Purana, the Supreme Lord says:</p>
<p>anandasru-kala-roma harsa-purnam tapo-dhana<br /> sarve mama eva draksyanti kalau sannyasa-rupinam</p>
<p>O austere sage, you should know that in the age of Kali, everyone will see my transcendental form as a sannyasi [kalau sannyasa rupinam]. I will be exhibiting symptoms of ecstasy like shedding tears of bliss and hairs standing in ecstasy [anandasru-kala-roma-harsa-purnam].</p>
<h4>Prediction of the color of Sri Chaitanya and the nature of His future associates.</h4>
<p>In the Agni-Purana, it is said:</p>
<p>prasantatma lamba-kanthas gaurangas ca suravrtah</p>
<p>The Supreme Personality of Godhead will come in a golden form [gaura-anga], full of peace [prasantatma], and a beautiful long neck [lamba-kanthah]. He will be surrounded by many saintly devotees [sura-avrtah]. (Note: This is an indirect prediction of the future advent of the members of the Pancha-Tattva.)</p>
<h4>Prediction of the characteristics of Sri Chaitanya.</h4>
<p>In the Matsya-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:</p>
<p>mundo gaurah su-dirghangas tri-srotas-tira-sambhavah<br /> dayaluh kirtana-grahi bhavisyami kalau-yuge</p>
<p>In the age of Kali, I shall advent [bhavisyami kalau yuge] where the three rivers meet [tri-srotas-tira-sambhavah]. I shall have a shaven head [mundah]. I shall have a golden complexion [gaurah]. I will be very kind and always chant the holy name of Krishna [dayaloh kirtana-grahi].</p>
<h4><a href="http://i2.wp.com/mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/yogapith3.jpg"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/yogapith3.jpg?resize=371%2C500" alt="yogapith3" /></a>Prediction of the name of the river where Sri Chaitanya will take his birth and other characteristics</h4>
<p>In the Vayu-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead states:</p>
<p>suddho gaurah-su-dirghango ganga-tira-samudbhavah<br /> dayaluh-kirtana-grahi bhavisyami kalau yuge</p>
<p>In the age of Kali-Yuga, I shall come [bhavisyami kalau yuge] in a place on the bank of the Ganges [ganga-tira-samudbhavah]. I will be very pure [suddhah], have a golden complexion [gaurah], and be very tall [su-dirghangah] and chant the holy names of Krishna. [Vyau Puran next quote]</p>
<h4>Prediction that the Supreme Lord will leave Goloka and come in a golden form</h4>
<p>In the Markandeya-Purana, the Supreme of Godhead declares:</p>
<p>golokam ca parityajya lokanam trana-karanat<br /> kalau gauranga-rupena lila-lavanya-vigrahah</p>
<p>In the Kali-Yuga, I will leave Goloka and, to save the people of the world, I will become the handsome and playful Lord Gauranga.</p>
<h4>Prediction of one of the purpose of Sri Chaitanya’s appearance</h4>
<p>In the Varaha-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead declares:</p>
<p>aham eva dvija-srestho lila-pracurya-vigrahah<br /> bhagavad-bhakta-rupena lokan raksami sarvada</p>
<p>I shall come as the best of the brahmanas [aham eva dvija-srestha]. I will exhibit many pastimes [lila-pracurya-vigrahah] in the form of a devotee [bhagavad-bhakta-rupena]. I shall deliver the people of the world [lokan raksami sarvada].</p>
<h4>Prediction of the name of the mother of Sri Chaitanya and His future role as the deliverer of the darkness of Kali-Yuga.</h4>
<p>In the Vamana-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead declares:</p>
<p>kali-ghora-tamas-channat sarvan acara varjitan<br /> sachigarbhe ca sambhuya tarayisyami narada</p>
<p>O Narada Muni, I will take birth in the womb of Sachi [sachi-garbhe ca sambhuya]. I shall save the people, who will give up all proper good conduct [sarvan acara varyitan], from the terrible darkness of the age of Kali-Yuga [kali-ghora-tamas-channan].</p>
<h4>Prediction of the future advent of Sri Chaitanya, His birth time, His mother, His birth city, His name and His mission</h4>
<p>In the Vayu-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:</p>
<p>paurnamasyam phalgunasya phalguni-rksa-yogatah<br /> bhavisye gaura-rupena sachi-garbhe purandarat</p>
<p>svarnadi-tiram asthaya navadvipe janasraye<br /> tatra dvija-kulam prapto bhavisyami janalaye</p>
<p>bhakti-yoga-pradanaya lokasyanugrahaya ca<br /> sannyas-rupam asthaya krishna-chaitanya-nama-dhrk</p>
<p>tena lokasya nistaras tat kurudhvam mamajnaya<br /> dharitri bhavita cabhir mayaiva dvija-dehina</p>
<p>I shall advent in the month of Phalguna, when the star Phalguni is conjoined with the full moon. I shall incarnate in a golden complexion in the womb of Sachi and Purandara Misra. I will be born in the city of Navadvipa,on the Ganges’s shore, in a Brahmana’s family. I shall take the renounced order of life [sannyasa] and show kindness to the people in general and engage them in Bhakti. I will be known as Sri Krishna Chaitanya. All of you should follow My order and deliver the people of the world. I shall appear as a Brahmana. I shall make this earth fearless.</p>
<h4>Prediction of Sri Chaitanya’s birth city, the name of the river close to His birth site, the name of His mother, His close associates and their divine roles in His lila (pastimes), His divine reason for incarnating as well as different names by which Sri Chaitanya will be known.</h4>
<p>In the Ananta-Samhita, it is said:</p>
<p>svarnadi-tiram asritya navadvipe dvijalaye<br /> sampradatum bhakti-yogam lokasyanugrahaya ca<br /> sa eva bhagavan krmo radhika-prana-vallabhah<br /> srsty-adau sa jagannatho gaura asin mahesvari<br /> avatirno bhavisyami kalau-nija-ganaih saha<br /> sachi-garbhe navadvipe svardhuni-parivarite<br /> aprakasyam idam guhyam na prakasyam bahir mukhe<br /> bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam bhaktam bhakti-pradam svayam<br /> man-maya-mohitah kecin na jnasyanto bahir-mokhah<br /> jnasyanti mad-bhakti-yuktah sadhavo-nyasinotmalah<br /> krmavatara-kale-yah striyo ye purusah priyah<br /> kalau te’vatarisyanti sridama-subaladayah<br /> catuh-sasti-mahantas te gopa dvadas balakah<br /> caitanyera simhera…<br /> dharma-samsthapanarthay a viharisyami tair aham<br /> kale nastam bhakti-patham sthapayisyamy aham punah<br /> gacchantu bhuvi te putrah jayantam bhakta-rupinah<br /> dharma-samsthapanam kale kurvantu te mamajnaya<br /> krishnas chaitanya-gaurango gaurachandrah sachi-sutah<br /> prabhur gauro gaura-harir namani-bhakti-dani me</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/mayapurganga1.jpg"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/mayapurganga1.jpg?resize=640%2C360" alt="mayapurganga1" /></a></p>
<p>“To show mercy to the people and give them devotional service, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear in a Brahmana’s home in Navadvip by the Ganges’ shore. The Supreme Person, Sri Krishna Himself, who is the life of Srimati Radharani, and is the Lord of the universe in creation, maintenance, and annihilation, appears as Gaura, O Mahesvari.</p>
<p>In Kali-Yuga, I will descend to the earth with My associates. In Navadvip, which is surrounded by the Ganges, I will take birth in Sachi-devi’s womb.</p>
<p>They who are bewildered by My illusory potency will not understand the great secret of the appearance in this world of Me in My personal form,<br /> in My form as the incarnation of devotion,<br /> in My form as the incarnation of a devotee,<br /> in My form bearing the name of a devotee,<br /> in My form as a devotee, and<br /> in My form as the giver of devotional service.</p>
<p>This secret is not to be revealed to them. Only the saintly, pure, renounced devotees, diligently engaged in My devotional service, will be able to understand Me in these five forms.</p>
<p>My dear male and female associates, headed by Sridama and Subala, who came to this world at the time of My advent as Lord Krishna, will come again during the Kali-Yuga.</p>
<p>The Gopas will become the sixtyfour mahantas and the twelve gopalas. To establish the truth of religion, I will enjoy many pastimes with them.</p>
<p>In this way I will again reveal the path of devotional service, which has been destroyed in the course of time. My sons should also descend to the earth, assume the forms of devotees, and, by My order, also work to re-establish the principles of true religion.</p>
<p>At this time My names will be: Krishna Chaitanya, Gauranga, Gaurachandra, Sachisuta, Mahaprabhu, Gaura and Gaurahari. Chanting these names will bring devotion to Me.”</p>
<h4>Other major Vedic literature describing characteristics of the advent of Sri Chaitanya</h4>
<p>The Great Epic Mahabharata (Dana-Dharma, Visnu-Sahasra-Nama Stotra) points out the divine characteristics of Sriman Mahaprabhu’s appearance.</p>
<p>suvarna varna hemango varangas candanangadi<br /> sannyasa krt-chamah santo nistha shanti parayanah</p>
<p>He has a golden complexion [suvarna varnah]. His limbs are very beautiful [vara-anga] and are smeared with sandalwood pulp [candana-angadi]. He has the appearance of molten gold [hema-anga].</p>
<p>The Supreme Lord Chaitanya accepts the renounced order of life [sannyasa-krt]. He is fully sense-controlled or equipoised [sama], and is completely peaceful [santa]. He is completely fixed (in the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krishna), [nistha]. He is the highest abode of devotion and transcendental peace. (He silences the mayavadi impersonalists) [nistha santi parayanah].</p>
<p>The sanskrit words suvarna-varna indicate one who has gold-like complexion. The Vedic text to support this point is: yada pasya pasyate rukma-varnam kartaram isam purusam brahma-yonim. The words rukma-varnam kartaram isam refer to the Supreme Person [Sri Chaitanya] who has a complexion like molten gold.</p>
<h4>Is there any specific reference in the Vedas as to when in this yuga, the Supreme Lord’s Avatar- Sri Krishna Chaitanya was scheduled to appear?</h4>
<p>In the Atharva-Veda; Purusa-Bodini-Upanisad, it is said:</p>
<p>saptame gaura-varna-visnor ity aena sva-saktya<br /> caikyam etya pratar avatirya saha svaih sva-manum siksayati</p>
<p>“In the seventh manvantara, in the beginning of the Kali-Yuga, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will, accompanied by His own associates, descend in a golden form to the earth. He will teach the chanting of His own names.”</p>
<h4>When exactly does He come in the kali-yuga, and where does He specifically appear and what will He do?</h4>
<p>In the Atharva Veda, the Supreme Person says:</p>
<p>itotham krta sannyaso’vatarisyami sa-guno nirvedo<br /> niskamo bhu-girvanas tira-atho’ lakanandayah kalau<br /> catuh-sahasrabdhopari panca-sahasrabhyantare<br /> gaura-varno dirghangah sarva-laksana-yukta isvara<br /> prarthito nija-rasasvado bhakta-rupo misrakhyo<br /> vidita-yogah syam</p>
<p>I will descend on the earth after the passage of four thousand years in the Kali-Age, [kalau chatuh sahasrabdhopari] and before the passage of five thousand years [pancha sahasra abhyantare]. I will come on the earth on the bank of the Ganges, [tira-sthah<br /> alakanandayah]. I will be a tall and saintly Brahmana devotee. I will have all the auspicious symptoms of an exalted person [dirghangah sarva-laksana-yuktah].<br /> I will exhibit renunciation. I will have all auspicious signs. I will be a devotee, practicing bhakti yoga. I will taste the rasa of My own devotional service.</p>
<p>In the Sama Veda, the Supreme Lord says:</p>
<p>tathaham krta sannyaso bhu-girvano ‘vatarisye<br /> tire’lakanandayah punah punah isvara-prarthitah sa-<br /> parivaro niralambo nirdhuteh kali-kalmasa-kavalita-<br /> janavalambanaya</p>
<p>I shall come to the earth, accompanied by My associates, in a place by the bank of the Ganges. I will advent to save the people who are afflicted and devoured by the sins of the age of Kali. I will manifest as an Avadhut Brahman Sannyasi.</p>
<h4>What is the name of the place where the Supreme Lord appears?</h4>
<p>The Chandogya Upanisad describes the place of advent of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya. In the Sabadvipa Dham Mahatmya (text 5) Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur explains:</p>
<p>tan-madhye daharam saksan mayapuram itiryate<br /> tatra vesma bhagavatas chaitanyasya paratmanah<br /> tasmin yas tv antarakaso hy antardvipah sa ucyate</p>
<p>The spiritual city in the shape of a lotus has the abode of Sri Mayapur as its heart. Sridham Mayapur is the divine abode of Lord Chaitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the middle of Mayapur is the place called Antardvip.</p>
<h4>Are there any other relevant scriptural references in the vedas describing the appearance or qualities of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?</h4>
<p>The Svetasvatara Upanisad (Ch. 6, text 7) describes the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Chaitanya:</p>
<p>tam isvaranam paramam mahesvaram tam devatanam paramam ca daivatam<br /> patim patinam paramam parastad vidama devam bhuvanesam idyam</p>
<p>“O Supreme Lord, you are the Supreme Mahesvara, the worshipable Deity of all the demigods and the Supreme Lord of all Lords. You are the controller of all controllers, the Personality of Godhead, the Lord of everything worshipable.”</p>
<p>Svetasvatara Upanisad Ch 3 text 12, 14</p>
<p>mahan prabhur vai purusahsattvasyaisa pravartakah<br /> sunirmalam imam praptim isano jyotir avyayah</p>
<p>“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Mahaprabhu, who disseminates transcendental enlightenment. Just to be in touch with Him is to be in contact with the indestructible brahmajyoti. ”</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanya Upanisad (Chaitanyopanisad), text 5:</p>
<p>jahnavi-tire navadvipe golokakhye dhamni govindo<br /> dvi-bhujo gaurah sarvatma maha-puruso mahatma<br /> maha-yogi tri-gunatitah sattva-rupo bhaktim loke<br /> kasyatiti. tad ete sloka bhavanti</p>
<p>“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the supreme enjoyer, whose form is transcendental, who is beyond the touch of the three modes of material nature, and who is all pervading Supersoul residing in the-hearts of all living entities, will appear again in the Kali-age. Appearing as the greatest devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will assume a two-armed form of golden complexion in His abode of Goloka Vrindavan manifested on the bank of the Ganga at Navadvip. He will disseminate pure devotional service in the world.</p>
<h4>The appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is further predicted in the following verses</h4>
<p>Sri Chaitanya Upanisad text 6 says in what color the Lord will appear in the Kali-yuga, and what He will do:</p>
<p>eko devah sarva-rupi mahatma gauro rakta syamala-sveta-rupah<br /> chaitanyatma sa vai chaitanya-saktir bhaktakaro bhakti-do bhakh-vedyah</p>
<p>“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all transcendental potencies, and who may be known only by devotional service, [bhakti vedyah] appears in innumerable transcendental forms. He has appeared in red, white and black complexions, [gauro rakta syamala sveta rupah] and He will also appear in the golden form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He will assume the role of a perfect devotee<br /> [bhakta akarah] and He will teach the conditioned souls the path of pure devotional service [bhakti dah].</p>
<p>Chaitanya Upanisad, text 7 predicts the nature of the form of Lord Chaitanya and how He is understood</p>
<p>namo vedanta vedyayakrmaya paramatmane<br /> sarva chaitanya rupaya chaitanyaya namo namah</p>
<p>I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him, who is understood by Vedanta [namo vedanta vedyaya], who is Lord Krishna [Krishnaya], the Supersoul [paramatmane], whose form is fully transcendental and conscious of everything [sarva-chaitanya-rupaya]. We offer our humble obeisances again and again. [chaitanyaya namo namah]</p>
<h4>What is the result of understanding the divine position of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?</h4>
<p>Sri Chaitanya-Upanisad. text 8:</p>
<p>vedanta vedyam purusam puranam chaitanyatmanam visva-yonim mahantam<br /> tam eva viditva’ mrtyum eti nanyah pantha vidyatetyanaya</p>
<p>“Knowing Him who is the object of knowledge in the Upanisads, the oldest person, the embodiment of consciousness, the source of the universe and the greatest of all, one crosses over death. There is no other path for going there.”</p>
<h4>What will Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu do in this incarnation?</h4>
<p>Sri Chaitanya-Upanisad. text 9:</p>
<p>sva-nama mula-mantrena sarvam hladayati vibhuh</p>
<p>The Supreme powerful [vibhuh] Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya appears in His golden form, and He will fill the universe with bliss [hladayati] by the chanting of His own holy names [sva-nama-mula-mantrena].</p>
<p>Which mantra will this yuga avatar chant?</p>
<p>Sri Cartanya Upanisad text 10.</p>
<p>sa eva mula-mantra japati harir iti krishna iti rama iti</p>
<p>Sri Krishna Chaitanya will chant the maha-mantra comprised of the divine names of Hari, Krishna and Rama, i.e., Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.</p>
<h4>Quotations of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s bodily features according to some of the great devotees present at the time</h4>
<p>Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, one of the foremost disciples of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannath Puri, composed an entire series of prayers describing in detail the various features of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, called Sri Gauranga-Prati-Anga-Varnanakhya-Stava-Rajah, or the King of Prayers, proclaiming the glory of each limb of Sri Gauranga. Let us carefully present a few of these divine gems.</p>
<p>Lord Chaitanya’s bodily luster:</p>
<p>Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, a great scholar of his time, who later became a disciple of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, has described the complexion of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s body.</p>
<p>tapta hema dyutim vande kali-krishnam jagad-gurum<br /> caru-dirgha-tanum srimac chaci-hrdaya-nandanam</p>
<p>I worship Lord Krishna, the spiritual master of the universe, who appears in the age of Kali with a luster like molten gold. His body is beautiful and tall. He is like molten gold, and He is the delight and the son of Sachidevi.</p>
<p>Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura also describes Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s golden complexion.</p>
<p>ananda lilamaya vigrahaya hemabha-divya-cchavi-sundaraya</p>
<p>“O Lord Chaitanyachandra, O Lord whose form is full of blissful pastimes, O Lord whose complexion is as splendid as gold…”</p>
<p>Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami similarly describes Lord Chaitanya:</p>
<p>tapta hema sama kanti prakanda sarira</p>
<p>“…the luster of His expansive body resembles molten gold…”</p>
<p>Prabodhananda Sarasvati further describes Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s golden complexion.</p>
<p>svayam devo yatra-kanaka-gaurah karunaya</p>
<p>“His complexion is as fair as molten gold.”</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanya’s beautiful hair:</p>
<p>lasan-mukha-lata-naddha charu-kuncita-kuntalam</p>
<p>“His lovely curling locks are interwoven with creepers of glistening pearls…”</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanya’s shoulders and chest:</p>
<p>Prabhodananda Sarasvati Thakura describes the shoulders of Sriman Mahaprabhu as simha skandham…“whose shoulders are like a lion…”</p>
<p>Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami also points out the nature of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s shoulders and voice: simha griva simha-virya simhera hunkar – “He has the shoulders of a lion, the powers of a lion, and the loud voice of a lion.”</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s arms reach all the way to His knees: ajanulambita bhumau kanaka vadatau</p>
<p>And kankanangada-vidyoti-janu-lambi-bhaja-dvayam – “….His two arms, glittering with bracelets and bangles, extend down to His knees.”</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s face:</p>
<p>prema-pravaha-madhura raktotpala-vilocanam<br /> h la-prasuna-susnigdha nutanayata-nasikam</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s beautiful eyes are just like reddish lotus flowers. They are most beautiful, just like lakes of Krishna Prema. His nose is arched and is resplendent just like the sesame flower.</p>
<p>sri-ganda-mandollasi ratna-kundala-manditam<br /> savya-karna-suvinyasta sphurac-caru-sikhandakam</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s cheeks are round and they shine brilliantly. He wears jeweled earrings. He has a peacock feather placed near His left ear.</p>
<p>madhura-sneha-susnigdha praraktadhara-pallavam<br /> isad-danturita-snigdha sphuran-mukta-radoijvalam</p>
<p>Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s lips are tender and very lustrous. They resemble reddish blossoming flowers. He reveals his pearl-like teeth out His kindness.</p>
<p>Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-Lila 3.77</p>
<p>sankirtana-pravartaka sri krma-chaitanya sankirtana-yajne tanre bhaje sei dhanya</p>
<p>“Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya is the initiator of sankirtana [congregational chanting of the holy name of Lord Krishna]. One who worships Him through sankirtana is fortunate indeed”</p>
<p>Susloka-Satakam -59- Sri Gauranga Mahima</p>
<p>vintala-kamala-vaktrah pakva-bi nbadharosthas<br /> tila-kusu na-su-nasah katnbu-kanthah su-dirghah<br /> suvaliuta-bhuja-dando nabhi-gambhira-rupah<br /> sphuratu hrdaya-madhye gaura-candro-natendrah</p>
<p>“His face is flawless like a blooming lotus and His lips are red as ripe as bimba fruits. His nose is as beautiful as the sesame flower and his neck is like a three-ringed conch. He is very tall and His rod-like arms make artistic movements while He dances. His navel is<br /> very deep. May my Lord Gaura Chandra, the king of dancers, reveal Himself in the core of My heart.”</p>
<h4><a href="http://i2.wp.com/mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/lcm15.jpg"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/lcm15.jpg?resize=592%2C800" alt="" /></a>Some interesting questions answered:</h4>
<p>Does Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appear in every day of lord brahma? Just like the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna does appear once in every day of Lord Brahma.</p>
<p>Answer: Srila Prabhupada once explained in Melbourne, Australia, in answer to the question of how long it would be before Lord Krishna would come to this planet again in His personal form: after 8 billion 600 milion years.</p>
<p>Devotee: How long do you say it is before Krishna comes to this planet again in His physical form?</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada: Now, calculate, I have already given the duration of one day, twelve hours, of Brahma means 4,300,000 years multiplied by one thousand….the eight billion.</p>
<p>Devotee (2): 600,000,000.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada: So Krishna comes after this period in one day, after one day of Brahma, He appears.</p>
<p>Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, does Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also appear every day of Brahma?</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada: Yes, following Krishna. Krishna comes in the Dvapar-Yuga. There are four sets of yugas: Satva, Treta, Dvapar, Kali. So Krishna comes at the end of Dvapar-Yuga, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu comes in the Kali-Yuga so almost the same year, same circulation…Similarly, Krishna appears in rotation in this universe after so many years, eight billion years. So next He goes to another universe….[Melbourne Australia. 22nd May 1975.]</p>
<p>Did the Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavat-Puran), the foremost of all Vedic literatures predict the appearance of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?</p>
<p>In the seventh canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Prahlad Maharaj directly hints at the hidden nature of the Supreme Lord’s appearance. Because the Supreme Lord is also called Tri-Yuga, or one who appears in only three yugas (satya, dvapara, treta), He is sometimes said to appear in a concealed form, in the age of Kali.</p>
<p>channah kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo’tha sa tvam (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.38)</p>
<p>Are there any more direct references in the Simad Bhagavatam, than the above reference?</p>
<p>In the Tenth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, chapter eight, Gargamuni the family priest of Nanda Maharaja, explains that the young boy Sri Krishna has three colors – white, red and yellow – when He appears in His transcendental form in different ages. In the current incarnation of Krishna, He has appeared …as black.</p>
<p>asan varnas trayo hy asya grhnatotnvyugam tanuh<br /> suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krmatam gatah<br /> (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.8.13)</p>
<p>Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami, the celebrated author of the Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, explains that the three colors of white, red and yellow are the three bodily colors which the Supreme Lord assumes in the ages of Satya, Treta and Kali respectively.</p>
<p>sukla rakta pita-varna ei tina dyuti satya-treta-kali-kale dharena sri-pati</p>
<p>The Bhagavatam explains in the conversation between Karabhajan Muni and King Nimi, that in the Dvapara-Yuga, the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead appears in a blackish form [dvapare bhagavan syamah]. He has a yellow dress and carries His own weapons [pita-vasa-nija-ayudhah]. He is beautified with the mark of Srivatsa and the Kaustubha jewel [sri vatsa-adibhih ankais ca laksanaih]. This is the actual description of His characteristics [upalaksitah].</p>
<p>The great sage continues his instruction to King Nimi by saying that people in general in the age of Dvapar-Yuga worshiped the Lord of the Universe [iti dvapara urvisam stuvanti jagad isvaram]. In the age of Kali, they worshipped the Supreme Person by the regulation of the scriptures [tantra vidhana].</p>
<p>krishna varnam tvisakrmam sangopangastra parsadam<br /> yajnaih sankirtana prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah<br /> (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32)</p>
<p>“In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the holy name of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.”</p>
<p>How does this verse refer to the advent of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, since his name is not directly mentioned there?</p>
<p>Just as the symptoms and characteristics of the various previous incarnations are mentioned in the scriptures, similarly the symptoms of the appearance of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are described.</p>
<p>Krishna-varnam indicates that He belongs to the category of Krishna. Krishna varnam also means one who constantly repeats and sings the name of Krishna. The main business of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the chanting of the holy name of Krishna. Thus the words Krishna varnam and Krishna Chaitanya are equivalent.</p>
<p>Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami has elucidated the two meanings of the words Krishna varnam by stating:</p>
<p>krishna ei dui varna sadayanra mukhe athava krmake h’nho varne nija sukhe</p>
<p>Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu always sings the two syllables Krish & na [Krishna ei dui varna sada yanra mukhe], or He always relishes great transcendental pleasure while describing Lord Krishna [athava krmake tinho varne nija-sukhe].</p>
<p>As we can see the evidences that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and so is non-different from Lord Sri Krishna are compelling as the predictions made in the scriptures and the advent and activities of Lord Chaitanya perfectly match. This is apart from the fact that many of Lord Chaitanya’s associates recognized Him as the Supreme Lord and have written volumes of books and prayers glorifying His transcendental activities. Sri Chaitasnya charitamrita, Chaitanya Bhagavat and Chaitanya mangal are some of the most famous literature in this regard.</p>
<p>Since Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Sri Mayapur dham, the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness decided to establish ISKCON’s headquarters in Sri Mayapur. All Gaudiya vaishnavas celebrate the appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Gaura purnima, with great festivities and devotional programs along with days long kirtan and ecstatic chanting of the maha-mantra, recommended by Bhagavan Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu- Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.</p>
<p>Sastric Quotes Sourced mainly from <a href="http://www.krishna.com/blog/2012/03/2/kirtan-avatar%E2%80%94shri-chaitanya-gives-divine-love" target="_blank">http://www.krishna.com/blog/2012/03/2/kirtan-avatar%E2%80%94shri-chaitanya-gives-divine-love</a> , <br /><a href="http://iysmumbai.com/blog/2014/06/24/shastric-predictions-on-sri-chaitanya/" target="_blank">http://iysmumbai.com/blog/2014/06/24/shastric-predictions-on-sri-chaitanya</a></p>
<p>Source : <a href="http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/vedic-verses-reveal-secrets-sri-chaitanya-mahaprabhu/" target="_blank">http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/vedic-verses-reveal-secrets-sri-chaitanya-mahaprabhu/</a></p></div>Chanting for Higher Consciousness: A Cultural Historyhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/chanting-for-higher-consciousness-a-cultural-history-12019-09-28T12:03:54.000Z2019-09-28T12:03:54.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="text-align:justify;"><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515169090,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="447" height="291" alt="2515169090?profile=RESIZE_1200x" /></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>From CHANT AND BE HAPPY – THE POWER OF MANTRA MEDITATION</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">It’s a scene that has been repeated countless times on the thoroughfares of cities throughout the Western world-from Hollywood Boulevard and Fifth Avenue in America, to London’s Oxford Street and the Champs Elysees in Paris. There, in the midst of traffic, shops, restaurants, and movie theaters, people suddenly find themselves confronted by a group of young persons singing and dancing to the beat of cylindrical drums and the brassy cadence of hand cymbals. The men are dressed in flowing robes and have shaven heads; the women wear colorful Indian saris. Of course, it’s the Hare Krsna people, chanting their now familiar mantra, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna … But what’s actually going on? Is it some form of protest, avant-garde street theater, a religious demonstration, or what?</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">If you were to ask them, you’d learn that these people are performing a type of meditation long encouraged and practiced in the West-the chanting of the holy names of God. (Krsna is the Sanskrit name for the Supreme Lord.) Of course, meditation is a word that’s thrown around quite loosely these days. It’s come to mean practically any technique employed to silence and calm the harried modern mind. But the ancient and authorized form of meditation practiced by Hare Krsna people has a much deeper and more sublime purpose. Although it easily soothes the turbulent mind, it also awakens those who chant it to their original, joyful spiritual nature and consciousness, imparting a genuine sense of pleasure unavailable by any other means.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The Vedas, scriptures containing the timeless spiritual knowledge of ancient India, state that such an awakening process is desperately needed because everyone in this material world is in a sleeping, dreamlike condition. We have forgotten our original, spiritual identity, accepting instead a temporary material body composed of physical elements as our real self. The Vedas compare the material body to the subtle forms we experience in dreams. While sleeping, we forget our normal waking identity and may find ourselves enjoying or suffering in different types of bodies. But when we hear the ringing of the alarm clock, we awaken and return to normal consciousness. We remember who we are and what we should be doing. Similarly, by hearing the powerful transcendental sound vibrations of the Hare Krsna mantra, we can gradually wake up to our original self, the soul, which is characterized by eternality and is full of knowledge and ever-increasing pleasure.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The sages of ancient India therefore tell us that the goal of human life should not be to try to enjoy our temporary dreamlike situation in the material world. Rather, we are advised to awaken to our original, spiritual nature and ultimately return to our true home in the spiritual world, where we may enjoy an eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">This search for the true self through the meditative process is not something recently discovered, nor is it in any way alien to the basically rationalistic philosophical and spiritual traditions of the West. Although Western civilization has for the most part directed its energies outward in various efforts to control and exploit the resources of nature, there have always been inner-directed philosophers, saints, and mystics who have dedicated themselves to a higher purpose than material well-being, which is in all cases temporary.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">CABH 4.1: The Search for the Self</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The Search for the Self</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato held a view of man’s original nature quite similar to that of the Vedic sages. This temporary world, they taught, is not our real home; we once existed in a spiritual world. In Plato’s famous dialogues, Socrates says that in our original condition, “We were pure ourselves and not yet enshrined in that living tomb which we carry about, now that we are imprisoned in the body like an oyster in his shell.1. Phaedrus, translator Benjamin Jowett. 1 The purpose of philosophy, for these early Athenian thinkers, was to awaken a person to his original, spiritual identity, now hidden within the covering of the physical body.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The very same thing was taught in Galilee four hundred years later by Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of St. John, Christ says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth [gives life], the flesh profiteth nothing.”2. John, 6:63. 2 In other words, the body is simply an external covering for the soul, which is the real life-giving force. Therefore, Jesus warned, “What profiteth a man if he gain the whole world, but lose his immortal soul?”3. Mark, 8:36. 3 The highest goal of life, Christ taught, is to understand and experience our inner spiritual nature. In the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus instructs mankind to look within for true spiritual life: “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”4. Luke, 17:21. 4</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Describing his inner search for God through meditation, St. Augustine, a great saint and eminent philosopher of the Roman Catholic Church, tells us in his Confessions how his mind “withdrew its thoughts from experience, abstracting itself from the contradictory throng of sensuous images.”5. Confessions, translator C. Bigge. London: Methuen and Company, Ltd., p. 244. 5</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">During the Middle Ages in Europe, there was widespread interest in meditation, with many saints and philosophers writing of their thoughts about the inward quest for divine reality. Thomas a Kempis, in his classic Imitation of Christ, cautions man about material life and summarizes the purpose and goal of meditation: “What do you seek here, since this world is not your resting place? Your true home is in Heaven; therefore remember that all things of this world are transitory. All things are passing and yourself with them. See that you do not cling to them, lest you become entangled and perish with them. Let all your thoughts be with the Most High.”6. Imitation of Christ, translator Leo Sherley-Price. Baltimore: Penguin Classics edition. 6</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">When one achieves this deep spiritual vision, his entire world view is completely transformed, as in the case of St. Francis of Assisi, who devoted his life to prayer and meditation. In his Life of St. Francis, St. Bonaventura says, “In all fair things, he beheld Him who is most fair, and, through the traces of Him which He has implanted in all His creatures, he was led on to reach the All-loved, constructing of these things a ladder whereby he might ascend to Him who is Loveliness itself….”7. The Life of St. Francis. New York: Everyman’s Library, 1912. 7 In other words, when one’s original, spiritual consciousness is revived, one sees God everywhere and in everything. One enters a unique world of spiritual knowledge and pleasure, far superior to what most of us perceive as reality-a spiritual reality that lies just beyond our ordinary abilities of perception. William James, the American philosopher who specialized in the psychology of religion, writing on this point, said, “Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different. We may go throughout life without suspecting their existence, but apply the requisite stimulus, and at a touch they are there in all their completeness….”8. The Varieties of Religious Experience. William James. London: Longman, Green, and Co., p. 388. 8</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">But what is the “requisite stimulus” for awakening the dormant consciousness of the self and God that lies within everyone’s heart? All genuine spiritual authorities agree that such transcendental experiences cannot be awakened by any material stimulus or experience, including ingestion of chemical substances like LSD and other “mind-expanding” drugs.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">When Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acarya (spiritual master) of the Hare Krsna movement, was asked by a follower of Timothy Leary about LSD’s place in man’s spiritual life, he said that drugs were not necessary for spiritual life, that they could not produce spiritual consciousness, and that all drug-induced “religious visions” were simply hallucinations. To realize God was not so easy or cheap that one could do it just by taking a pill or smoking.9. Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami. Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1980, p. 201. 9</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">CABH 4.2: Sound and Self-Realization</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Sound and Self-Realization</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The Vedic scriptures advise that the proper technique for awakening spiritual consciousness is the hearing and chanting of transcendental sounds or mantras, like the Hare Krsna mantra. The power of sound to effect changes in consciousness has long been recognized. The English philosopher and statesman Sir Francis Bacon noted that “the sense of hearing striketh the spirit more immediately than any other senses.”10. Sylva sylvarum, in Works, ed. James Spedding, et. al. New York: 1864, IV, p. 231. 10</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Ordinary material sounds, however, will not awaken spiritual consciousness. For this, one must hear spiritual sound vibrations. Therefore, almost every religion in the world recommends that we meditate upon the Word of God. St. John wrote in his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”11. John, 1:1. 11 Divine sound is thus of a vastly different quality than worldly or material sound. This fact was clearly explained by St. Augustine in his Confessions. Once, as he emerged from a mystic trance, he said he “heard again the babble of our own tongues, wherein each word has a beginning and an ending. Far unlike Thy Word, our Lord, who abideth in Himself, never growing old and making all things new.”12. Confessions, X, p. 321. 12 And in the Gospel of St. John, Christ says, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit.”13. John, 6:63. 13</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">While the Word, or teachings of God, have enormous power to transform and uplift our lives, just as important are the actual names of God, which are sometimes praised aloud in song or quietly meditated upon. Since God is fully spiritual and absolute, the Vedic scriptures inform us that His holy names are invested with the Lord’s full spiritual potencies. God and His name are the same. The Padma Purana states, “There is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself. As such, the holy name is as perfect as the Lord Himself.” The Stoic philosopher Maximus noted, “There is one supreme God who is, as it were, the God and mighty father of all.” “It is Him,” he said, “whom we worship under many names.”14. Comparative Religion, Esther Carpenter, 1913, p. 35. 14 Modern Jewish theologian Martin Buber also agreed that “All God’s names are hallowed.”15. Worship in the World’s Religions, Geoffrey Parrinder. London: Faber and Faber, 1961, p. 7. 15</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">And the Bible is replete with similar statements. In the Old Testament it is said, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe.”16. Proverbs, 18:10. 16 In Psalms, King David proclaims, “I will praise the name of God with a song.”17. Psalms, 69:30. 17 Indeed, the Psalms contain countless references to the name of God: “All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord: and shall glorify Thy name.18. Psalms, 86:9. 18… O give thanks unto the Lord: call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name.19. Psalms, 105: 1-4. 19 … Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals.”20. Psalms, 150:4-5. 20 The prophet Isaiah described God as “One that inhabiteth eternity, and whose name is Holy.”21. Isaiah, 57:15. 21 Centuries later, Israel Baal Shem Tov (1699-1761), the great Jewish mystic, founded Hasidism, a popular pietist movement within Judaism, in which members dance and chant in glorification of the Supreme Lord.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Christ, when teaching his disciples how to pray, glorified the Lord’s holy name: “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” And in his Epistle to the Romans, St. Paul wrote, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”22. Romans, 10:13. 22</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In the early Christian churches, there was, according to the historian Eusebius, “one common consent in chanting forth the praises of God.”23. Ecclesiastical History. 23 The Gregorian chants, popularized in the sixth century by Pope Gregory the Great and later by works like Handel’s masterpiece the Messiah, with its resounding choruses of hallelujah (“praised be the Lord”), are still performed and appreciated all over the world.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In addition to praising the Lord’s name and glories in song, there also developed in the Christian churches the practice of meditating upon God by chanting prayers on rosary beads, a tradition continued today by millions of Catholics worldwide. John Chrysostom, a saint of the Greek Orthodox church, especially recommended the “prayerful invocation of the name of God,” which he said should be practiced “uninterrupted.”24. The Way of a Pilgrim, translator R. M. French. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 24 The repetition of the Jesus prayer (“Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me”) became a regular practice among members of the Eastern Church. In The Way of a Pilgrim, a Russian monk describes this form of meditation: “The continuous interior prayer of Jesus is a constant uninterrupted calling upon the divine name of Jesus with the lips, in the spirit, in the heart…. One who accustoms himself to this appeal experiences as a result so deep a consolation and so great a need to offer the prayer always, that he can no longer live without it.”25. Ibid. 25</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Among the followers of Islam, the names of God (Allah) are held sacred and meditated upon. According to tradition, there are ninety-nine names of Allah, called “the Beautiful Names.” They are found inscribed on monuments such as the Taj Mahal and on the walls of mosques. These names are chanted on an Islamic rosary, which consists of three sets of thirty-three beads. Worshipers repeat the names to help them concentrate their minds upon Allah. The dual titles Al-Rahman, al-Rahim, meaning “God, the compassionate, the merciful,” are invoked at the beginning of each chapter of the Koran. Other Arabic names of God glorify Him as the creator, provider, and king.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In India, the Sikhs place special emphasis on the name of God. Indeed, the Sikhs call God Nama-“the name.” Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, prayed, “In the ambrosial hours of the morn I meditate on the grace of the true name,” and says that he was instructed by the Lord in a vision to “Go and repeat My name, and cause others to do likewise.”26. Japji (The Meditations of Guru Nanak). 26</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">“Rosaries are widely used in Buddhism; large ones by monks, smaller ones by the laity, says Geoffrey Parrinder, a professor of comparative religion at the University of London, in his book Worship in the World’s Religions. “The large ones have 108 beads, the two halves representing the fifty-four stages of becoming a boddhi-sattva (enlightened one). The large bead in the middle stands for Buddha.”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Members of Japan’s largest Buddhist order, the Pure Land sect, practice repetition of the name of Buddha (namu amida butsu). The founder Shinran Shonin says, “The virtue of the Holy Name, the gift of him that is enlightened, is spread throughout the world.”27. Buddhist Psalms, Yamabe, S., and Beck, L.A. Murray, 1921, p. 86. 27 The Buddhist teachings reveal that by chanting the name of Buddha, the worshiper becomes liberated from the cycle of reincarnation and joins the Buddha in the Pure Land, or spiritual world.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">CABH 4.3: Krsna: The All-Encompassing Name of God</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Krsna: The All-Encompassing Name of God</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Although God is known throughout the world by many different names, each of which describes some particular aspect of His glories and attractive features, there is one name which expresses the sum total of God’s infinite qualities and characteristics This supreme, all-encompassing, and most powerful name of God is found in the oldest religious scriptures in the world, the Sanskrit Vedas of India, which state that the principal name of God is Krsna.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Srila Prabhupada explains: “When we speak of Krsna, we refer to God. There are many names for God throughout the world and throughout the universe, but Krsna is the supreme name according to Vedic knowledge.”28. Sri Namamrta: The Nectar of the Holy Name, Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1982, p. 142. 28 He further states, “God has many names according to His activities, but because He possesses so many opulences, and because with these opulences He attracts everyone, He is called Krsna [‘all-attractive’].”29. Ibid. 29</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The spiritual qualities of Krsna’s holy name are described throughout the Vedic literatures. The Padma Purana states, “The holy name of Krsna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krsna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure…. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krsna Himself. Since Krsna’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya [illusion]. Krsna’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krsna and Krsna Himself are identical.”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Since time immemorial, millions of devotees and saintly persons have chanted the name of Krsna to achieve spiritual perfection. But history records that it was widely popularized by Lord Caitanya, an incarnation of Lord Krsna who appeared in Bengal barely five centuries ago and established the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra as the universal spiritual practice for the present age.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">According to Vedic cosmology, the material creation eternally passes through cycles of four ages. Each begins with a Golden Age (Satya-yuga), then conditions progressively deteriorate, ending in the Kali-yuga, an age characterized by quarrel and hypocrisy. For each of the four ages, the Vedas prescribe a universal method of self-realization just suited for that particular age.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">For instance, in the Satya-yuga, the recommended path was that of the mystic yoga system, which involved a lifetime of unbroken yoga practice, accompanied by strict vows of penance and austerity. We are presently at the beginning of the last age, Kali-yuga. In this age people no longer have the endurance, willpower, or sufficient life span necessary to successfully practice the original yoga system described in the Vedas. The Vedic scriptures therefore advise, “In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress other than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of the Lord.” 30. Brhan-naradiya Purana. 30</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The Kali-santarana Upanisad specifically recommends the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra: “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to chanting the holy name.”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Lord Caitanya’s biographers record that He spent many years traveling all over India spreading the chanting of the holy names of Krsna. He chanted the Hare Krsna mantra congregationally (kirtana) to the accompaniment of musical instruments, including drums and hand cymbals. The Lord also chanted the mantra quietly a specific number of times daily as a private meditation (japa). In the Siksastaka, His famous prayers about the holy names of Krsna, Lord Caitanya wrote, “Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krsna, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Krsna expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.”</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">During His lifetime, Lord Caitanya predicted that the holy names of Krsna would spread to every town and village in the world. This prophecy lay unfulfilled for four hundred years, until the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great spiritual master in the direct line of disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya. In 1885 Bhaktivinoda wrote, “Lord Caitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men in India. Rather, His main objective was to emancipate all living entities of all countries throughout the entire universe and preach the Eternal Religion…. There is no doubt that this unquestionable order will come to pass…. Very soon the unparalleled path of hari-nama sankirtana [the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord] will be propagated all over the world…. Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German, and American people will take up banners, mrdangas [drums], and karatalas [hand cymbals] and raise kirtana [chanting] through their streets and towns! When will that day come?”31. Sajjana-tosani (newspaper). 31</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Bhaktivinoda’s vision became a reality in less than a century. In 1965, India’s greatest spiritual and cultural ambassador, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, arrived in New York’s East Village, the heart of the countercultural movement of the sixties. Within a year Srila Prabhupada, tenth in the line of spiritual masters from Lord Caitanya, had founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Very quickly, the sound of the chanting of Hare Krsna spread, first across America, then on to England and throughout the world.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The Vedic scriptures predict that although the age of Kali is the most degraded of all, the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra will dramatically alter the present war-torn, hate-filled atmosphere of the world. These most ancient, timeless writings forecast a Golden Age, beginning with the widespread chanting of Hare Krsna, during which the painful disturbances of this age will be mitigated and people everywhere will be economically, politically, socially, culturally, and spiritually happy.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Srila Prabhupada explains, “Kali-yuga continues for 432,000 years, of which only 5,000 years have passed. Thus there is still a balance of 427,000 years to come. Of these 427,000 years, the 10,000 years of the sankirtana movement inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu 500 years ago provide the opportunity for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga to take to the Krsna consciousness movement, chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, and thus be delivered from the clutches of material existence and return home, back to Godhead.”32. Sri Namamrta, p. 249. 32</p></div>WHO IS CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU ? | EVIDENCES FROM SCRIPTUREShttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/who-is-sri-chaitanya-mahaprabhu-a-short-note2018-12-16T05:06:52.000Z2018-12-16T05:06:52.000ZSweta Ganguly (Gaurangi Sweta)https://iskcondesiretree.com/members/Gaurangi_Sweta<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7635913101?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><strong>HARE KRISHNA.</strong></p><p> </p><p>Please click the link to know the Evidences from Scriptures that <a href="https://youtu.be/iV75Mon29bs" target="_blank">WHO IS SRI KRISHNA CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU ?</a></p></div>