MANTRAS FOR DRINKING CHARANAMRTA
One should drink the nectar from the lotus feet of the Lord (the bathwater) and take the used garlands upon one's body. The mantra for drinking the caranamrta (the general mantra) is:
akala-mrtyu-haranam
sarva-vyadhi-vinasanam
visnoh padodakam pitva
sirasa dharayamy aham
"Having drunk the water from the lotus feet of Lord Visnu, which destroys all disease and takes away the chance of dying untimely, I hold that water on my head."
The mantra for taking the spiritual master's caranamrta is:
asesa-klesa-nihsesa-
karanam suddha-bhakti-dam
guroh padodakam pitva
sirasa dharayamy aham
"Having drunk the water from the lotus feet of the spiritual master, which bestows pure devotional service and causes the destruction of unlimited troubles, I take that water on my head."
The mantra for drinking the caranamrta of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is:
asesa-klesa-nihsesa
karanam suddha-bhakti-dam
gaura-padodakam pitva
sirasa dharyamy aham
"Having drunk the water from theeee lotus feeeeet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which beestows pure devotional servicee and causeeees thee destruction of unlimited troubles and pains, I take that water on my head."
The mantra for drinking Sri Sri Radha-Krsna's caranamrta is:
sri-radha-krsna-padodakam
prema-bhakti-dam muda
bhakti-bharena vai pitva
sirasa dharayamy aham
"The water from the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna gives pure loving to Them. Having drunk that water with great joy and devotion, I hold that water upon my head."
More Nectar:
arcye visnau sila-dhir
gurusu nara-matir
vaisnave jati-buddhir
visnor va vaisnavanam
kali-mala-mathane
.-tirthe 'mbu-buddhih
sri-visnor namni mantre
sakala-kalusa-he
sabda-samanya-buddhir
visnau sarvesvarese
tad-itara-sama-dhir
yasya va naraki sahh
"One who thinks the Deity in the temple to be made of wood or stone, who thinks of the spiritual master in the disciplic succession as an ordinary man, who thinks the Vaisnava in the Acyuta-gotra to belong to a certain caste or creed or who thinks of caranamrta or Ganges water as ordinary water is taken to be a resident of hell." (Padma Purana)
From Padma Purana:
Sri Saunaka asked Suta Gosvami about who had previously drunk this caranamrta, the water which washed the two lotus feet of Lord Visnu, and what happened to him. Previously, in Treta-yuga, there was a sinful brahmana named Sudarsana. He would eat on the day of Lord Hari (Ekadasi) and he would criticize all of the scriptures daily as well as all the people who would fast on the Ekadasi day. He would only think of how to fill his belly. One day in the morning, he died. The Yamadutas came to take him away to Yamaloka. When Yamaraja saw him he asked his secretary to narrate what kinds of sins and merits this person, who had been brought by his messengers, had accumulated. He also said that this person looks like a grievously sinful person.
The secretary, Citragupta, replied, "O Lord (Yamaraja), he has not done any merits, but has only acquired sins. He even ate on the day of Lord Sri Hari (the Ekadasi day). He even ate on the appearance day of the husband of the goddess of fortune (Janmastami). He is the lowest of all mankind because he ate on the birthday of Lord Sri Krsna, Janmastami, therefore he should be put in the greatest hellish planet for millions of years and at last, he should take birth as a worm in stool."
Suta Gosvami then said, "Hearing this, the great messengers of Yamaraja took him to the greatest ferocious hell to suffer for the duration of one hundred Manus. (In one day of Lord Brahma there are fourteen Manus so he was put there to suffer for the period of one hundred Manus) After that he was liberated and he was made as a pig in a village and daily he would eat sufficient stool because he had previously eaten on the day of Lord Sri Hari. After that life, he became a crow who would eat mucus. One day, that crow went to the house of a brahmana where a pot of caranamrta was left outside the door and he drank some and became free from all sins. On the same day, he fell in a hunter's net and was killed, and at last he went to the abode of Lord Sri Hari, carried on a palanquin by two swan-like devotees of the Lord. This is the great merit derived from drinking the water which has emanated from washing the two lotus feet of Lord Sri Visnu, which removes all sins. Whoever even listens to this narration about caranamrta, also becomes free from all sins."
Srila Prabhupada and caranamrta
When sick, Srila Prabhupada himself often used to rely upon caranamrta rather than various medicines, which he generally distrusted and never took very seriously. He said his sister Bhavatarini devi dasi, whom we used to call Pisi Ma (auntie), would always simply depend upon the Lord's caranamrta whenever she was sick. Pisi Ma gave her son Madana caranamrta and the boy was cured of cholera as a result of her firm sraddha (faith). Srila Prabhupada praised this faithful practice of hers. Pisi Ma thought much of the holy Ganga.
Pisi Ma was like an ocean of humility. She always used to carry a small phial of Ganga-jala with her. Bhaktibhrnga Govinda Maharaja said that one morning she was sitting on steps of the Krsna-Balarama Guest House in Vrndavana. At that time he was busy attending to other services, so he could not pay much attention to her. Some time later, he saw her getting up, as if ready to leave. She then took out her phial of Ganga water and began sprinkling it all over the steps. B.B. Govinda Maharaja thought this was a rather curious act, so he approached her cautiously and respectfully asked her why she had done this. She looked up at him with a very grave expression and explained in a voice full of humility, "I have to do this everywhere I go, because I am so, so sinful - I cannot bear the responsibility of my presence contaminating the places I go, so I at least try purify them when I leave with the holy water of Mother Ganges."
"I am unqualified but always take some caranamrta. I advise devotees who are having troubles with their rounds or principles to go to the temple and get some caranamrta." (Pandava Vijaya Das)
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