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Jagannatha, the strange-faced God

EVEN though the International Society for Krishna Consciousness celebrates the “Festival of the Chariots”, annually, in every major city of the world (including Moscow), yet most people are not aware why Lord Jagannatha (who is actually Krishna), His brother, Baladeva, and sister, Subhadra, appear in such strange primitive forms. The festival will be celebrated tomorrowall over the world.
The history is fascinating. In the Satya ‘yuga’, there
Chariots of the Gods: Jagannath Rath Yatra
Crashing cymbals glistened in the bright sunshine, while the beating of drums, mridangas, set the mood. Scores of perspiring hands were t
Q: U performed so many austerities in ur life. It was v peak time in our movement. Many times we feel frustrated while practicing spiritual lives. Did u never considered leaving KC?
Ans: I don’t remember even once consider leaving. I accepted “ I have to surrender”, nothing else. I understood from SP books that if we are not submissive, we cannot make proper spiritual advancement. So I was trying to be totally submissive. In those days, for 2 yrs atleast, I am not even getting 2-3 hrs sleep a day
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
We are living in this world wherein we have so many distractions. Internet, TV, gossips, news-papers, criticisms, cheating, politics, social-pressures and the list is endless. How to save ourselves from these things ? In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.8.42, Kunti Maharani very nicely prays to Lord Krishna to help her to remember Him always without any deviation. She says,
tvayi m
grivayam janaloko 'sya
tapolokah stana-dvayat
murdhabhih satyalokas tu
brahmalokah sanatanah
grivayam -- up to the neck; janalokah -- the Janaloka planetary system; asya -- of Him; tapolokah -- the Tapoloka planetary system; stana-dvayat -- beginning from the breast; murdhabhih -- by the head; satyalokah -- the Satyaloka planetary system; tu -- but; brahmalokah -- the spiritual planets; sanatanah -- eternal.
The meaning of Hera-pancami is as follows. On the fifth day of the Rathayatra Festival, Laksmi-devi becomes very worried and thinks, "Where has my husband gone? He told me, 'I
An ordinary man works for his own sense enjoyment, and when this principle of sense enjoyment is extended to include his society, nation or humanity in general, it assumes various attractive names such as altruism, socialism, communism, nationalism and humanitarianism. These "isms" are certainly very attractive forms of karma-bandhana (karmic bondage), but the Vedic instruction of Sri Īśopaniṣad is that if one actually wants to live for any of the above "isms," he should make them Go
The devotee is always right.
bhurlokah kalpitah padbhyam
bhuvarloko 'sya nabhitah
hrda svarloka urasa
maharloko mahatmanah
bhuh -- the lower planetary systems up to the stratum of the earth; lokah -- the planets; kalpitah -- it is so imagined or said; padbhyam -- out of the legs; bhuvah -- the upper; lokah -- the planetary system; asya -- of Him (the Lord); nabhitah -- from the navel abdomen; hrda -- by the heart; svarlokah -- the planetary systems occupied by the demigods; urasa --
An answer to Krishna’s sometimes mysterious ways may lie in the following quote from the Saranagati songs of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.
"All the troubles encountered in your devotional service are great causes of happiness, for in your devotional service joy and sorrow are equally great riches, both destroy the misery of ignorance."
I can see this in my own life, when in recent years I had to undergo much physical hardship and a certain degree of insecurity. I often asked myself: "Will I ever be p
sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me
O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, a moment feels like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.
Inspirations
For devotees of Krishna, the world feels empty in the absence of their beloved Lord. In affairs of love there is no substitute for the beloved—no other person, toy, or material object can replace one’s beloved. Without Krishna the world seems like a play
What exactly does it mean to become mature?
Immediately two answers come to mind:
(1) To develop a new set of desires and orientation in life
(2) To become enjoyable for others.
Let us consider the example of a young, immature boy and girl. When they become physically mat