Planet ISKCON

Hare Krishna! Canada Rugby World Cup team visit ISKCON Leicester
The Canada Rugby World Cup Team attended the ISKCON Leicester Kirtan Fest this Sunday 27th September. The Canadian Team, who are in the UK for the World Cup tournament, were walking through Leicester’s City Centre, when they heard the sound of kirtan coming from the magnificent temple. Ananda Monet was leading a beautiful kirtan, and they were warmly welcomed by Leicester’s Bhakta Ash. Still in their red training tops, the rugby stars enquired about the festival, the significance of the Hare Krishna mahamantra, and about the ISKCON Centre in Leicester. In his usual, friendly way, Ash asked them to read and chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra, which they did so happily. The Canadian Team then met some devotees, and spoke to young 8-year old devotee who also plays rugby in Leicester.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20107

Hare Krishna! WSN August 2015 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following results of book distribution for the month of August 2015 from the whole planet. World Totals, Monthly Congregation and Weekend Warriors, Monthly Continents, Monthly Top Ten Temples by Size, Monthly Top Ten Temples by Continent, Monthly Top Teams and Individuals, Monthly All Countries, Monthly All Temples, Monthly All Prabhupada Disciples, Cumulative Top Ten Countries, Cumulative Top Ten Temples, Cumulative Top 50 Individuals Worldwide
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20105

The post Darshan – Sep 28th- Appearance of Rangadevi and Sudevi appeared first on Mayapur.com.

SB 07 05 04 By HG Jananivas Prabhu at ISKCON Juhu on 11 Sep 2015

“O Kesava! You assumed the form of Vamana to trick the great demon Bali Maharaja by Your steps, and to purify all living entities by the water that emanated from the nails of Your lotus feet. All glories unto You, Lord of the universe.”

Lord Vamana’s appearance was observed at Jagannatha Gauranga temple in Bali with abhiseka, kirtan, recital and wonderful feast.

Although it’s true that we need Krishna’s grace at each stage, and if we hope to advance, we can still use our own free will properly and we must become determined to hear Krishna’s holy names. By our own efforts, based on our faith in the holy name, we should try to listen to one mantra—the mantra we are currently chanting.

From Japa: Nine Keys from the Siksastakam to Improve Your Japa
by Bhurijana dasa

Friday, September 25th, 2015
Hartford, Connecticut

May the Source be with you!

Thursday, September 24th, 2015
Rockville, Connecticut

Apple Monk

On this trail a police officer pulled over and asked, "Going for a walk?"

Answer was "Yes! To Pennsylvaniaand I'm doing it for my teacher, my guru. Here's my card." So, I handed him a card which has the maha-mantra on one side with its translation, "Oh, awesome Creator, allow me to be of blissful service to You and the world."The officer expressed his thanks and moved on.



May the Source be with you!

Valkó György (Bud)

Gadāi Dāsa – servant of Gadādhara Paṇḍit

Kovács Gábor (Szolnok)

Gaṅgā-prasāda Dāsa — servant of the mercy of Gaṅgā Devī

Galavits Tibor (Szombathely)

Kuru-śreṣṭha Dāsa – servant of Parīkṣit Mahārāja, the best of the Kurus

 

Gaura-priya (NVD)

Nīla-kamala Devī Dāsī – servant of the blue lotus, Kṛṣṇa

Egervári Szilvia (NVD)

Śāradīyā Devī Dāsī – servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is Goddess of the autumn season, when the śāradīya-rāsa takes place

Csorba Szilvia (NVD)

Śaktimatī Devī Dāsī – servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī who possesses great prowess

Molnár Ágnes (Szolnok)

Aśoka-mañjarī Devī Dāsī – servant of one of the young maidservants of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī

Orha Anikó (Bud)

Aṁśumati Devī Dāsī – servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is glowing with rays of love for Kṛṣṇa

Bornemissza Ildikó (Bud)

Kusumañjali Devī Dāsī – servant of an offering of a handful of flowers

Bhn. Katyerina (Bud)

Kālaka-maṇi Devī Dāsī – servant of the dark blue gem, Kṛṣṇa

Fröschl Eszter (Bud)

Sanātanī Devī Dāsī – servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, whose love for Kṛṣṇa never wavers and who is the

Bozóki Diána (Bud)
Daivī-śakti Devī Dāsī – servant of the transcendetal potency of the Lord

Bhn.Tanya (Bud)

Taraṅginī Devī Dāsī – servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is full of waves of love for Kṛṣṇa

 Csíkszeredai Sári (Bud)

Sulakṣaṇā Devī Dāsī – servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is the personification of auspicious qualities

Talló Virginia (Bud)

Vinītā Devī Dāsī -servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the embodiment of modesty

Bhn. Vibha (UK)

Vibhāvarī Devī Dāsī – the servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the Goddess of night (who meets Kṛṣṇa on stary nights)

 

 

 

The post Radhastami initiates appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Conference on Farms and Cows (Album with photos)
ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry [IDVM] in association with Cow Protection Ministry organised a three days Conference on Farms and Cows which started on 22nd of September 2015 to 25th of September at Neelachal Dham, (Under ISKCON Juhu) Talaseri. Many delegates from various farm communities had taken this wonderful opportunity to share their experiences, ideas and concepts in this conference.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/savra0

Hare Krishna! Visvarupa-mahotsava and Srila Prabhupada’s Sannyasa
Giriraj Swami: Today is Visvarupa-mahotsava, the date on which Lord Caitanya’s older brother, Visvarupa, took sannyasa, the renounced order of life. And on the same date some four hundred and fifty years later, our own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, also accepted sannyasa. According to Vedic scripture, Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, come in the present age in the role of a devotee. In the previous age, Lord Krsna came in His original feature and spoke the Bhagavad-gita, and at the conclusion He instructed, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: give up all other duties and surrender unto Me. But people could not understand or appreciate Lord Krsna’s instruction. So later, about five hundred years ago, the same Krsna came again, not in His original form but in His devotional form as Lord Caitanya. And Lord Caitanya taught us how to serve Krsna, how to worship God in the present age.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20097

Today is Visvarupa-mahotsava, the date on which Lord Caitanya’s older brother, Visvarupa, took sannyasa, the renounced order of life. And on the same date some four hundred and fifty years later, our own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, also accepted sannyasa.

According to Vedic scripture, Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, come in the present age in the role of a devotee. In the previous age, Lord Krsna came in His original feature and spoke the Bhagavad-gita, and at the conclusion He instructed, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: give up all other duties and surrender unto Me. But people could not understand or appreciate Lord Krsna’s instruction. So later, about five hundred years ago, the same Krsna came again, not in His original form but in His devotional form as Lord Caitanya. And Lord Caitanya taught us how to serve Krsna, how to worship God in the present age.

Lord Caitanya taught various methods of worship, but He especially emphasized the chanting of the holy names of God, or Krsna. In particular, He quoted a verse from the Brhan-Naradiya Purana (38.126):

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

“One should chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of Hari, Krsna. In this age of Kali, there is no other way, no other way, no other way for spiritual realization.”

He acted like a teacher who shows students how to write the alphabet. The teacher stands in front of the class and writes on the board, “A, B, C, D.” She has no need to practice writing, but she shows by her own example how to form the letters properly. In the same way, God, Krsna, had no need to worship, but to set the example for us, so that we could learn how to worship God in the best way in the present age, He came as Lord Caitanya and taught and demonstrated the chanting of the holy names.

When Lord Caitanya appeared, the social and spiritual system called varnasrama-dharma was still prevalent in India. In this system there are four social and four spiritual divisions, all necessary for society to function properly. Although we may not refer to them by the same terms, and although the system has not been developed as systematically and scientifically as in Vedic culture, still, by the arrangement of nature, the divisions still exist. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me.” (Bg 4.13) So, the four social orders, or broad divisions of occupational duties, are created by Krsna.

The four divisions include the intelligent class, who are teachers and priests—mainly teachers. Then there is the martial or administrative class, comprised of rulers and warriors; they govern and protect the citizens. There is the vaisya, or productive class, who engage in agriculture—farming and cow protection—and, with any surplus, in trade. And there is the service class, or workers, who perform services to support the other three classes.

When a person hears the description of the different social orders and duties, he or she may be alerted to the possibilities for exploitation and domination of the “lower” classes by the “higher.” But in Vedic society the different members work cooperatively for the common good, ultimately for the pleasure of God. In the physical body there are natural divisions—the head, the arms, the stomach, the legs—and they all have different functions. But they all cooperate for the benefit of the whole. In the social body, the brahmanas are compared to the head—they give guidance. The ksatriyas are compared to the arms—they protect the body. The vaisyas are compared to the stomach—they provide food for the body. And the sudras, or workers, are compared to the legs—they carry the rest of the body where it wants to go. There is no question of competition among the different parts of the body—or exploitation. They all work for the good of the whole.

Apart from the social divisions, there are four spiritual divisions. These are also natural, especially in a culture meant for self-realization and God realization, which Vedic culture is. The first order is the brahmacaris, celibate students. In the traditional system, the brahmacari would study in the asrama of the guru, in the gurukula. He would be trained mainly in principles of good character. And because the main emphasis was on good character and spiritual development, the teachers had to be spiritually qualified.

Here we can see the defect in modern education, where emphasis is given to material knowledge without much consideration of personal character. Now practically no spiritual or moral qualification is required of teachers. They may drink, they may smoke, they may gamble, they may do all sorts of nonsense in their “private” lives, but if they know the subject in a material way, they are considered qualified to teach. But in the Vedic system, because the emphasis was on moral character and spiritual development, the teachers, the brahmanas, had to be exemplary. And in addition, they had to know the content of the subjects they taught. The exemplar in the Vedic system was called acarya. Acarya means “one who teaches by example”— not that in the classroom the teacher says, “You should not smoke” but then outside the classroom he or she smokes, or that the teacher says, “You shouldn’t drink” but then outside he or she drinks.

A friend of ours in Mumbai was attending an international conference on drug abuse in Delhi. She is a devotee, and she works with a lot of underprivileged people in the slum areas of Mumbai. And in her own way, she tries to introduce Krsna consciousness, seeing how it can transform people’s lives, how people who were addicted to drugs can give them up with the spiritual strength gained by chanting and other practices—by the grace of God. So, she went to the conference, and during the evenings her colleagues would get together and have parties and drink and smoke and take drugs. Then, during the day, they would meet to discuss what to do about the problem of substance abuse. Socially, she would be with them. After all, they were her friends and colleagues, but when she attended their parties, they would insist, “Why don’t you have a drink? Have a smoke. Have this, have that.” And she would always refuse.

One night, their party was busted by the police. The only one of them of good character, of spotless character, was our friend, the devotee. They knew that her word would be accepted because she was strict in her habits. So her colleagues appealed to her to make up some story that they were doing some experiment, some research, on taking drugs. Whatever happened in the end, the point I am making is that in Vedic culture the teachers were supposed to be exemplary. Their character was considered one of their main qualifications as teachers.

So, the first order is brahmacari—celibate students living in the asrama of the guru, the spiritual preceptor. The second order is grhastha—married, or household, life. At the age of twenty or twenty-five, the young man could choose to enter the grhastha-asrama. At such a time he would take permission from the guru to leave the gurukula, and there would be a ceremony comparable to today’s graduation. The young man would leave and go out into the world, bringing with him all the principles of moral character and spiritual development that he had learned in the asrama of the guru.

Then, after living in the grhastha-asrama, having children and providing for their future, the husband and wife would enter the vanaprastha-asrama, retired life. They would retire, not to while away their time in idle pursuits and reminiscences, but to realize God. Of course, there is no harm in reminiscing sometimes, but they had a positive engagement, and their positive engagement was spiritual perfection.

The first instruction of the Bhagavad-gita is:

dehino ’smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” (Bg 2.13) In other words, the soul is distinct from the body.

Later in the Gita Krsna says that He has two energies: the superior energy, or para-prakrti, which is spiritual, and the inferior energy, or apara-prakrti, which is material.

bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh
kham mano buddhir eva ca
ahankara itiyam me
bhinna prakrtir astadha

apareyam itas tv anyam
prakrtim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho
yayedam dharyate jagat

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies. Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.” (Bg 7.4–5) The spiritual energy is conscious and eternal, whereas the material energy is unconscious and temporary. Physical bodies are made of the eight material elements, inferior energy, but the soul within each body is made of the superior, spiritual energy.

The soul continues to live after the death of the body. In one sense there is no death of the body, because the body is always dead. It is just a machine, and the soul is the driver of the machine who makes the machine work. When the soul is in the body, the body appears to be alive. When the soul leaves the body, we declare that the body is dead, because the soul has left. Now, someone might argue that the soul, or life, is created by a particular chemical combination, that when the chemicals or atoms and molecules combine in a certain way, life is produced. But if that were the case, death would be merely a breakdown in the chemical combination. If life were created by a certain combination of chemicals, then death would mean that the combination had broken down, and the implication would be that if we restored the combination, the person would come back to life. A car is a combination of material elements. The car may break down, but if you keep replacing the material elements, the car will work again. Even if the car is from 1900, if you replace the engine, replace the carburetor, replace the steering—whatever the parts are—if you keep replacing them, it will work again. Yet although people have tried to become immortal since the beginning of time, they have never succeeded in bringing a dead person back to life, because life is not a combination of material elements. Life is the quality of the spiritual soul, the superior energy of the Lord. Once the spiritual soul leaves the body, we can do nothing to bring the body back to life, because the living force has left.

So the question is, “What happens to the living force when it leaves the body? What happens to the soul?” According to the Bhagavad-gita, the soul, depending on its activities or karma, will enter a particular type of body. If the car breaks down and is not worth fixing, the driver will get another car. Now, what kind of car he gets will depend on how much he can afford. If the person has been earning and saving, he can get a luxury car. If the person has been working but not earning so much, or has been saving but not that much, he might get an ordinary car. If the person has been irresponsible or is unemployed, he might not be able to afford a car at all. He might have to get a motorcycle or a scooter or a bicycle, or he may just have to walk. In the same way, the body we get in the next life will depend on how we conduct ourselves in the present life. If we are responsible and follow a disciplined, moral, spiritual life, we will get a better body. In fact, if we are fully self-realized or God-realized, fully surrendered to God, we can get a spiritual body and go to the spiritual world and live with God in the spiritual kingdom. Otherwise, if we are not perfect but are good, we will get a good material body in the material world; we will take birth on a higher planet—on a heavenly planet—or on earth in a better situation, with better opportunities for education; we may be born with more intelligence, with more opulence, with better looks, and so on. And if we have been negligent in our duties toward God, if we have been immoral or irreligious, we will be born in an unfortunate situation on earth in a human body or even in a lower species of life. Or we may have to take birth on a hellish planet and suffer there for some time.

In the Vedic system, by the time a person reaches the age of fifty or so, he or she should have fulfilled his or her family responsibilities and be free to leave the work and assets to the next generation, to concentrate on spiritual development. Old age is a warning or a reminder that one will have to leave the body, and so one will consider, “How can I use my time to reach the best destination?” It is as if you are living in a house and you get notice that you will have to vacate. Of course, you will continue to take care of the house to some degree, but you will not put all your energy into taking care of a house that you must soon vacate. Rather, you will consider, “Where am I going to move?” That is the guiding principle in Vedic civilization: “Where am I going to go after I leave the present body, this present habitat?”

The best destination one can achieve is the spiritual kingdom of God, and for that one must engage in spiritual practices, especially the chanting of the holy names of God, by which one will develop love for God. Such practices are common to different religious traditions. Although here we speak on the basis of the Bhagavad-gita, on the basis of Vedic knowledge, the principle of chanting God’s name is in practically every tradition; the principle of praying to God, glorifying God, learning about God from scriptures and teachers, and serving God and His creatures—ultimately to develop love for God—is part of every bona fide religious tradition. As the Bible says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shalt be in thine heart. Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. . . . Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him.” This passage from Deuteronomy (6.5–9, 7.9) pretty well describes the life of devotees. While at home or on a path, sitting or walking, lying down or getting up—wherever they are and in whatever they do—they are conscious of God, and they teach their children the same principle: to be God conscious.

Again, the ideal of singing the name of the Lord or praising the name of the Lord is common to every tradition. The Bible, for instance, enjoins us: “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him, talk yet of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name; let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually.” (I Chronicles 16.7–11) But the actual process of chanting, especially the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is elaborated most scientifically in Vedic literature. Srimad-Bhagavatam in particular gives precise and detailed information about God and the process to reach Him. Otherwise, one could question, “If the principles are the same, why did you have to take to Krsna consciousness? Why could you not have just been a good Christian or Jew or whatever?” The answer is that this method, technically called bhakti-yoga, is scientific and practical, and that the knowledge of God given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam is most detailed. To love someone, you must know the person: “To know him is to love him.” To know God is to love Him. Otherwise, we may talk theoretically about loving God, but if we don’t know Him, how can we really love Him?

God in the most complete conception is both male and female: Radha and Krsna. Still, for simplicity’s sake, we often use the masculine pronoun. In any case, we learn about God in detail from sastra, especially Srimad-Bhagavatam. As our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, used to say, “Every religion will teach that you should love God, but who is God? The Vedic scriptures tell you His name, His address, His telephone number—all the details—about His family, His friends, His habits, His hobbies, His pastimes.” That is why we have taken to Krsna consciousness: to learn about God and how to reach Him—in detail. Even then, as Srila Prabhupada said, “You don’t have to give up being a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim or whatever; you can add Krsna consciousness and become a better Hindu or a better Christian or a better Jew.” It is not a religion in the sense that you have to convert, like one gives up one faith and accepts another, but you can remain whatever you are and add bhakti-yoga. With the physical practices of yoga, hatha-yoga, people don’t mind—they may be Christian or Jewish or Muslim and still practice yoga. So too you can practice bhakti-yoga whatever your faith may be. But this yoga will help you to come closer to God and have direct realization of God.

In varnasrama-dharma, the last stage, after retired life, is called sannyasa, renounced life. Although in retired life the husband and wife may stay together, their aim is God consciousness. They often retire to a holy place to worship and serve God, associating with learned scholars and saintly persons, so that they can come closer to God and be with God in their next life. But in the fourth stage, which is not meant for everyone and is not generally recommended in the present age, the husband and wife do not remain together. Also, although the brahmacari will usually marry and have children, in exceptional cases he may not; he may remain in the brahmacari-asrama for his entire life, or at some point proceed directly from the brahmacari– to the sannyasa-asrama. In the renounced order too there are different stages, four stages, but in the present age the recommended process for the renounced order is to spread the message of Godhead—to travel and preach the message of Godhead, and to write articles and books on the science of God.

So, these are the four social and spiritual orders, and from that background we come to today’s occasion: Visvarupa-mahotsava. As mentioned earlier, Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself, and He appeared on earth, as did Krsna, like an ordinary person. Yet although He seemed to take birth like an ordinary person, His birth was not ordinary; it was divine. Just as a dramatic actor plays the part of a family member on stage, so Lord Caitanya appeared in a particular family on earth. And in the family in which He chose to appear, He had an older brother named Visvarupa (who Himself was an incarnation of Lord Balarama, Krsna’s first expansion).

From the very beginning, Visvarupa was attracted to devotional service to Lord Krsna. As soon as He was old enough, He would go daily to bathe in the Ganges and then proceed to the home of Advaita Acarya to engage in topics of Krsna. He had no interest whatsoever in material life. And so, when he heard that arrangements were being made for his marriage, Visvarupa left home and took sannyasa. At that time, Lord Caitanya tried to console His aggrieved parents: “My dear mother and father, it is very good that Visvarupa has accepted the sannyasa order, for thus He has delivered both His father’s and His mother’s family.”

As a sannyasi, Visvarupa’s name was Sankararanya Svami. He traveled from one place of pilgrimage to another, throughout the country. Finally, He attained perfection—entered the spiritual world after giving up His mortal body—in Pandarapura, a holy place in Maharashtra. As cited by Srila Prabhupada, the Gaura-candrodaya states that after His departure, Visvarupa remained mixed within Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The date on which Visvarupa took sannyasa is celebrated today as Visvarupa-mahotsava.

Now we come to our spiritual teacher and founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He was born in Calcutta in 1896 in a very pious family. He was well educated and attended Scottish Churches’ College, one of the most prestigious colleges in Calcutta. As a young man he married and had a child, but soon he met a very saintly person, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, and was impressed by him. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta requested that Srila Prabhupada take up the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and spread His message all over the world, specifically in English. From their very first meeting in 1922, Srila Prabhupada accepted Srila Bhaktisiddhanta in his heart as his spiritual master, and eleven years later, in Allahabad, he was formally initiated as Abhay Caranaravinda dasa. Abhay means “fearless” and caranaravinda means “the lotus feet” of Krsna. By taking shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna one becomes fearless—even of death, the most fearful situation in the material world.

Srila Prabhupada always remembered the order of his guru maharaja, and in his household life he began the fortnightly magazine Back to Godhead. He personally wrote all the articles, got the issues printed, and distributed them. He would go on foot to the teashops in Delhi and approach the customers with his magazine. Later, a friend suggested that magazines might be thrown away but that books would remain forever. And so Srila Prabhupada turned his attention to translating the Bhagavad-gita, and later Srimad-Bhagavatam.

In 1950, Srila Prabhupada retired from family life as a vanaprastha. He traveled to Jhansi and tried to start his guru maharaja’s mission there. He was on the verge of acquiring an ideal property to use as a center, but in the end there was some politics with the governor’s wife and the deal fell through. So he left Jhansi and came to Mathura, a holy place associated with Lord Krsna’s pastimes, to the Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha, where he served in cooperation with one of his godbrothers, His Holiness Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Maharaja.

Even in his household life, Srila Prabhupada had dreams in which his guru maharaja was calling him to leave his family and follow him. Srila Prabhupada would wake up and feel horrified: “How can I take sannyasa?” He continued to have the dream, and in Mathura, Kesava Maharaja advised him, “To really preach the message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and fulfill Guru Maharaja’s order, you must take sannyasa.” So, on September 17, 1959, on Visvarupa-mahotsava, the same date that Visvarupa, the older brother of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, took sannyasa, Srila Prabhupada accepted the renounced order of life at the Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha in Mathura. At the end of the ceremony Kesava Maharaja asked him to speak. Although the common language was Hindi, Srila Prabhupada thought of his mission and the order of his guru maharaja,and he spoke in English. Now he was Bhaktivedanta Swami, and “completely ready to discharge the order of his spiritual master.”

It is most fortunate for all of us today that Srila Prabhupada did take sannyasa. After he translated Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, in three volumes, he felt ready to travel. Later he would remark, “When I decided to go to foreign countries, I thought of New York. Generally they go to London, but I thought, ‘No, I will go to New York.’ ” He managed to procure free passage in the passenger cabin on a cargo carrier of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, and so he crossed the Atlantic on board the Jaladuta, suffering two heart attacks on the way. Then, in New York, for almost one year, he struggled alone. No one took up his message seriously. He would stay at different people’s places, but he had no place of his own—and almost no money. He felt so discouraged that from time to time he would go to the Scindia office to see when the next boat was departing for India. But—again fortunately for us—he never left.

Hare Krsna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Visvarupa-mahotsava, September 17, 2005, Carpinteria, California]

Hare Krishna! Love Conquers All
Radhanath Swami: “The Latin poet Virgil, has written, ‘Love conquers all’. The second part of what he wrote, in many ways is instrumental. He said, ‘Love conquers all, so let us all be conquered by love’. This is the principle of bhakti. The first and great commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and the natural consequence of that is that you will love your neighbor as yourself. And according to the Bhagavad-gita you will see every living being as your neighbor.” “But that actual ecstasy of loving God really comes when we become conquered by God’s love. Krishna, who is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the one God who has many names and has descended into this world many times, in his fullest expression, comes once in a day Brahma to this world. Sri Radha comes with him. The one Supreme God is ever as two personalities, Krishna, the Supreme object of love, and Srimati Radharani, who is the ultimate supreme lover.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20094

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Talk to University of Florida Students at Gainesville,
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Mira Road Kirtan Mela at its Peak on last day of Iskcon Mira Road Temple Inauguration (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Dza76f

Jaya Tribhuvanatha Prabhu!
Padmapani das: Over the years, devotees and friends have asked me what it was like preaching and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books in the Middle East back in the late Seventies and early Eighties. During that time, our main focus for book distribution was Beirut (Lebanon), Amman (Jordan) and Damascus (Syria). Beirut was our headquarters. For those unaware, there was a civil war raging in Lebanon at the time. After a long trip overland from England, I was surprised to discover the reality of the situation awaiting me because my good friend, Tribhuvanatha Prabhu, had failed to warn me beforehand. When we arrived in Beirut I said to Tribhuvanatha, “You didn’t tell me there was a war going on down here.” Tribhuvanatha replied, “Oh, I forgot!” Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I think the following selection speaks for itself. It was truly “A Season in Hell.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20090

Hare Krishna! Reality is a Dance, not Bureaucratic Law
Urmila Devi Dasi: We know we are following dharma by the result. Prabhupada said to judge a tree by its fruits. What are the fruits? Our relationship of love and respect and peace and satisfaction, satyam, truth, are increased internally for ourselves and others. The result that we are looking for is that everyone comes closer to truth and peace and satisfaction. That’s our result. Then we go to sadhu, sastra, and guru with that in mind. Our action has to be within sadhu, sastra, guru. We can’t make something up. Which means, of course, we have to know sastra. We can’t just say, “Well, I think that this will bring me more peace so I can do this.” It has to be within the purview of sastra, it has to be within the purview of the sadhu, within the purview of guru. But the result has to be that Krsna and the devotees are pleased. Otherwise if you say that we are following the sastra and everyone becomes disturbed, that’s not dharma.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20087

Iskcon kuching doing Food For Life at Batu Tiga Market (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/s0Cz3S

The devotees from ISKCON New Govardhana - Sri Sri Radha Govardhanadhari performed Harinama at Surfers Paradise - 27 September 2015 (Album with photos)
(Surfers Paradise is a suburb within the local government area of Gold Coast City in Queensland, Australia)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/3Cdp2V

Hare Krishna! The Passing of Haridasa Thakura
Drutakarma Dasa: If you visit the town of Puri on the Bay of Bengal, you will find, amid palm trees and small houses, a stone shrine marking the place where the great saint Haridasa Thakura sat alone or with a devotee companion and worshiped Krsna. There he passed almost the whole day and night simply chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. He softly repeated the sacred syllables hour after hour, keeping count on his prayer beads until, long after sunset, the holy names had crossed his lips no less than three hundred thousand times. Not far from Haridasa Thakura’s secluded hermitage lived Lord Caitanya and His followers, who loudly chanted the maha-mantra, proclaiming the glories of Krsna. People honored Lord Caitanya as an extraordinary devotee, and a select few knew that He was an incarnation of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that He had come to this world to spread the chanting of the maha mantra.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20084

Prasurama prabhu and the UK Hare Krishna Festival crew is getting ready to feed 5,000 people delicious prasadam today at Place de la Republique, Paris, France. Join them!

Radhanath Swami greets the Pope upon his arrival in New York and more Iskcon related news report (5 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/bdP9m6

Hare Krishna! Cow Protection and Varnasrama
Many of our devotees in cities say, “What can we do?” Those who are preaching, full time devotees, they can inspire the congregation members that if you have a house and a lawn, you can grow food. Like in America, people are changing their lawn from growing grass to growing food. Because food that is grown by devotees – organic food – is very good for the health and we should know that it is important to keep our body healthy to serve Krishna properly, is it not? To make a proper material arrangement is not maya. It is proper utilizing Krishna’s energy. Krishna has given us some instructions how to work with nature in a more wholesome way without exploiting. As we are doing all over the world.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20079

Revatinandana: One day had been especially difficult for me. I had been on the street collecting for a long time, I was tired, and I had just fought with another devotee. I felt that I couldn’t go on, that it was time for me to disappear and leave.
That night, after another eight-hour day of street sankirtan and magazine selling, we were driven over to the bungalow where Prabhupada was speaking. I didn’t get into chanting during the first kirtan because I didn’t want to get carried away again.
Every time I felt like leaving, it was either one of Prabhupada’s lectures or a feast that would wind up changing my mind to stay. Maya was really tugging at me.
When Srila Prabhupada started to lecture that night, I had my head down. Prabhupada said, “When one is engaged in devotional service he will become joyful. If one is morose, that means he is not Krishna conscious. If one is Krishna conscious, he cannot be morose.”
That hit me hard. I looked at him, and his eyes were right on me. He was speaking to me at that moment, but I was so psychologically fragile, if he had singled me out I would have probably run from the room or broken into tears or gotten very agitated, even angry, and left.
Instead he did it in a lecture. I knew that he had seen exactly what I was feeling, and he said it for me. And I knew he was right, because all day I had refused to engage myself and, therefore I had been miserable.
My legs hurt, I was tired, I was this, and I was that. Otherwise, I would have been absorbed, time would have passed, and little by little I would be getting stronger. Periodically other devotees had experiences similar to mine.
Prabhupada was very good at reading faces. He once said that the face was the index of the mind, and he had that art down by training or intuition or both. He knew what to say at a particular time to keep us from faltering or to encourage us in different ways.

Hare Krishna! Spiritual Friday at TKG Academy
Gopi Gita Schomaker: Each Friday, students at the TKG Academy Gurukula in Dallas worship the school Deities by bathing, dressing, preparing bhoga for and performing different services, emulating the temple Deity worship program. They take turns leading the kirtan, offering arati and giving the class each week. Here’s a short video of their festivities.
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20076

Today is the disappearance day of Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura, so we shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter Eleven, “The Passing of Haridasa Thakura”:

The summary of this chapter is given by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya as follows. In this chapter it is described how Brahma Haridasa Thakura gave up his body with the consent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and how the Lord Himself personally performed the funeral ceremony and carried the body to the sea. He personally entombed the body, covered it with sand, and erected a platform on the site. After taking a bath in the sea, He personally begged prasada of Jagannatha from shopkeepers and distributed prasada to the assembled devotees.

 

TEXT 1

namami haridasam tam
caitanyam tam ca tat-prabhum
samsthitam api yan-murtim
svanke krtva nanarta yah

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Haridasa Thakura and his master, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who danced with the body of Haridasa Thakura on His lap.

TEXTS 2–9

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya dayamaya
jayadvaita-priya nityananda-priya jaya

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is very merciful and who is very dear to Advaita Acarya and Lord Nityananda!

jaya srinivasesvara haridasa-natha
jaya gadadhara-priya svarupa-prana-natha

All glories to the master of Srinivasa Thakura! All glories to the master of Haridasa Thakura! All glories to the dear master of Gadadhara Pandita! All glories to the master of the life of Svarupa Damodara!

jaya kasi-priya jagadananda-pranesvara
jaya rupa-sanatana-raghunathesvara

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya, who is very dear to Kasi Misra! He is the Lord of the life of Jagadananda and the Lord of Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.

jaya gaura-deha krsna svayam bhagavan
krpa kari’ deha’ prabhu, nija-pada-dana

All glories to the transcendental form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! My dear Lord, kindly give me shelter at Your lotus feet by Your causeless mercy.

jaya nityananda-candra jaya caitanyera prana
tomara caranaravinde bhakti deha’ dana

All glories to Lord Nityananda, who is the life and soul of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! My dear Lord, kindly give me engagement in devotional service at Your lotus feet.

jaya jayadvaita-candra caitanyera arya
sva-carane bhakti deha’ jayadvaitacarya

All glories to Advaita Acarya, who is treated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as superior due to His age and respectability! Please give me engagement in devotional service at Your lotus feet.

jaya gaura-bhakta-gana,—gaura yanra prana
saba bhakta mili’ more bhakti deha’ dana

All glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for the Lord is their life and soul! All of you, kindly bestow devotional service upon me.

jaya rupa, sanatana, jiva, raghunatha
raghunatha, gopala,—chaya mora natha

All glories to Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Jiva Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana! They are all my masters.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

Here Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami is reciting the names of Lord Caitanya and His associates, both His expansions and His servants. Just by reciting the names of the devotees, one becomes purified and enlivened in devotional service.

Once, in 1969, hooligans attacked the Boston temple in the middle of the night. They broke in the front door and with chains and knives and sticks they started to beat the devotees. Eventually we managed to call the police. Although the hooligans tried to run away, the police caught some of them, and ultimately the matter went to court.

In the temple at that time was a very nice, simple, humble devotee named Nanda-kisora Prabhu. Nanda-kisora had never been in court before and had hardly ever spoken in public, so he was very bashful. The lawyer for the hooligans tried to make the case that we were followers of some weird cult. He was very aggressive, and Nanda-kisora didn’t really know what to say or do. The lawyer began by asking, “Who was present on the night of the crime? Who was sleeping with you in the temple?” So Nanda-kisora started to list the names of the devotees. He said, “Satsvarupa was there, Murari was there, Madan Mohan was there . . .” and by reciting the names of the devotees, which were also names of the Lord, all of his apprehensions and fears and hesitation went away, and he became completely enlivened and ready to speak. The lawyer for the hooligans deliberately tried to bewilder Nanda-kisora, and he began with the definition of Krsna from some dictionary or book, that Krsna was “the Hindu god of love and fertility.” After Nanda-kisora had chanted the names of the devotees, he felt quite empowered. So he said to the judge, “Your Honor, can I quote my authority?” The judge said, “Yes.” Then Nanda-kisora quoted the Brahma-samhita, “Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda vigrahah/ anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam: Krsna who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, and He is the prime cause of all causes.” And in the end we won the case.

Here Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami does the same thing. He recites the names of the devotees in order to invoke auspiciousness and get blessings for the work of narrating the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 10

e-saba prasade likhi caitanya-lila-guna
yaiche taiche likhi, kari apana pavana

I am writing this narration of the pastimes and attributes of the Lord by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. I do not know how to write properly, but I am purifying myself by writing this description.

TEXT 16

eka-dina govinda maha-prasada lana
haridase dite gela anandita hana

One day Govinda, the personal servant of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, went in great jubilation to deliver the remnants of Lord Jagannatha’s food to Haridasa Thakura.

TEXT 17

dekhe,—haridasa thakura kariyache sayana
manda manda kariteche sankhya-sankirtana

When Govinda came to Haridasa, he saw that Haridasa Thakura was lying on his back and chanting his rounds very slowly.

TEXT 18

govinda kahe,—“utha asi’ karaha bhojana”
haridasa kahe,—“aji karimu langhana”

“Please rise and take your maha-prasada,” Govinda said.
Haridasa Thakura replied, “Today I shall observe fasting.

TEXT 19

“sankhya-kirtana pure nahi, ke-mate khaiba?
maha-prasada aniyacha, ke-mate upeksiba?”

“I have not finished chanting my regular number of rounds. How, then, can I eat? But you have brought maha-prasada, and how can I neglect it?”

TEXT 20

eta bali’ maha-prasada karila vandana
eka ranca lana tara karila bhaksana

TRANSLATION

Saying this, he offered prayers to the maha-prasada, took a little portion, and ate it.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Maha-prasada is nondifferent from Krsna. Therefore, instead of eating maha-prasada, one should honor it. It is said here, karila vandana, “he offered prayers.” When taking maha-prasada, one should not consider the food ordinary preparations. Prasada means favor. One should consider maha-prasada a favor of Krsna. As stated by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, krsna bada dayamaya karibare jihva jaya svaprasada-anna dila bhai. Krsna is very kind. In this material world we are all very attached to tasting various types of food. Therefore, Krsna eats many nice varieties of food and offers the food back to the devotees, so that not only are one’s demands for various tastes satisfied, but by eating prasada he makes advancement in spiritual life. Therefore we should never consider ordinary food on an equal level with maha-prasada.

COMMENT

Maha-prasada is nondifferent from Krsna. Therefore we honor maha-prasada; we don’t eat it. But sometimes devotees do get in the mood of eating it. Once, here in Juhu, in the small temple, two devotees had a big fight and both ran to Srila Prabhupada, each to complain about the other. Srila Prabhupada heard the complaints of both sides and in the end delivered his judgment: the reason for all the fighting was that both devotees were eating too much maha-prasada. Because of eating too much opulent food, they were becoming passionate and fighting with each other. Srila Prabhupada said that we should take all the maha-prasada from the Deities’ plates and mix it all together so that one wouldn’t feel that one was sitting down to a delicious meal, but actually recognize that it was the Lord’s mercy and honor it and appreciate it as the Lord’s mercy, not as various types of tasty preparations.

TEXT 21

ara dina mahaprabhu tanra thani aila
“sustha hao, haridasa”—bali’ tanre puchila

The next day, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Haridasa’s place and inquired from him, “Haridasa, are you well?”

TEXT 22

namaskara kari’ tenho kaila nivedana
“sarira sustha haya mora, asustha buddhi-mana”

Haridasa offered his obeisances to the Lord and replied, “My body is all right, but my mind and intelligence are not well.”

TEXT 23

prabhu kahe,—“kon vyadhi, kaha ta’ nirnaya?”
tenho kahe,—“sankhya-kirtana na puraya”

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu further inquired from Haridasa, “Can you ascertain what your disease is?”
Haridasa Thakura replied, “My disease is that I cannot complete my rounds.”

PURPORT

If one cannot complete the fixed number of rounds he is assigned, he should be considered to be in a diseased condition of spiritual life. Srila Haridasa Thakura is called namacarya. Of course, we cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura, but everyone must chant a prescribed number of rounds. In our Krsna consciousness movement we have fixed sixteen rounds as the minimum so that the Westerners will not feel burdened. These sixteen rounds must be chanted, and chanted loudly, so that one can hear himself and others.

COMMENT

The association of devotees is very important, because the devotees are always watching us and checking us to make sure that we are up to the standard. And we benefit from the watchful glance of other devotees. Naturally, every devotee is concerned that every other devotee should chant his or her rounds properly. Thus we should chant loudly enough that not only we but also others can hear: “Oh, yes, he is actually chanting.” They can hear if we are pronouncing properly. Sometimes we miss syllables, not really properly pronouncing and hearing every syllable. So Srila Prabhupada says, “One should chant loud enough for oneself to hear and for others.”

Haridasa Thakura says that his disease is that he cannot complete his rounds. Sometimes we may think that we have so much important service, we don’t have time to finish our rounds. And of course there are emergencies. Maybe on a particular day we cannot finish. But then, as Srila Prabhupada instructed, we should make up the rounds later. Once, an American boy joined our party when we were at the Ardha-kumbha-mela in 1971. From there we went to Gorakhpur, and in Gorakhpur the boy asked Srila Prabhupada, “If all service is absolute, why do we have to chant sixteen rounds?” Elsewhere in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Srila Prabhupada explains that the basic principle of vaidhi-bhakti is to always remember Krsna and never forget Him, and that although we have so many other duties in relation to Krsna, in order to actually remember Krsna and never forget Him we must chant sixteen rounds every day. If we do not chant sixteen rounds, we may forget Krsna, even though we are engaged in activities that are meant for Krsna. But the boy asked Srila Prabhupada, “If all service is absolute, why do we have to chant sixteen rounds?” There was some discussion, and the boy didn’t really accept Srila Prabhupada’s answer. Again he raised the question. Finally Srila Prabhupada became very grave and said, “Why do you have to chant sixteen rounds? Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead wants you to. You can sleep the rest of the day. This is a special prerogative for you. But you must finish sixteen rounds.”

The idea obviously is not that we should sleep all day but that we should chant sixteen rounds. Srila Prabhupada is making the point that we shouldn’t allow other services to eclipse chanting. The emphasis here is on chanting sixteen rounds. Even if you don’t do any other service but just chant sixteen rounds, Srila Prabhupada says, “I will be satisfied; Krsna will be satisfied.” But if you work day and night doing various services but don’t chant sixteen rounds, Krsna and Krsna’s representatives may not be pleased.

TEXT 24

prabhu kahe,—“vrddha ha-ila ‘sankhya’ alpa kara
siddha-deha tumi, sadhane agraha kene kara?

TRANSLATION

“Now that you have become old,” the Lord said, “you may reduce the number of rounds you chant daily. You are already liberated, and therefore you need not follow the regulative principles very strictly.

PURPORT

Unless one has come to the platform of spontaneous love of God, he must follow the regulative principles. Haridasa Thakura was the living example of how to follow the regulative principles. Similarly, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was also such a living example. In the Sad-gosvamy-astaka it is stated, sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih kalavasani-krtau. The Gosvamis, especially Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, strictly followed all the regulative principles. The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra loud enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds.

COMMENT

Some years ago one of the leaders who left the movement tried to change this formula and said, “You don’t have to chant loudly; you can chant silently within the mind.” He also said, “You don’t have to chant a fixed number of rounds, but you just chant for a certain period of time.” But here Srila Prabhupada states very clearly that we must chant loudly so that we and even others can hear, and that we must chant a fixed number of rounds. It’s very simple. But we have to be simple and follow it. As Srila Prabhupada remarked, Krsna consciousness is “simple for the simple but difficult for the crooked.”

TEXT 25

“loka nistarite ei tomara ‘avatara’
namera mahima loke karila pracara

TRANSLATION

“Your role in this incarnation is to deliver the people in general. You have sufficiently preached the glories of the holy name in this world.”

PURPORT

Haridasa Thakura is known as namacarya because it is he who preached the glories of chanting hari-nama, the holy name of God. By using the words tomara avatara (“your incarnation”), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that Haridasa Thakura is the incarnation of Lord Brahma. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that advanced devotees help the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His mission and that such devotees or personal associates incarnate by the will of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord incarnates by His own will, and, by His will, competent devotees also incarnate to help Him in His mission. Haridasa Thakura is thus the incarnation of Lord Brahma, and other devotees are likewise incarnations who help in the prosecution of the Lord’s mission.

COMMENT

Here Lord Caitanya is saying, “You incarnated for a particular purpose, which was to preach the glories of the holy name, and you have preached the glories of the holy name sufficiently. So you need not follow so strictly now. Because you are old, you are not able to follow strictly.” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura instructed Srila Prabhupada to preach Krsna consciousness in the English language, especially in the Western world. But after some time, Srila Prabhupada returned to India with some disciples and began to concentrate his efforts here. One disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “Your guru maharaja ordered you to preach in the West, but now you seem to be spending more time in India. Can you please explain?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, my guru maharaja did order me, and I have done that. Now I want to do this.” So, after fulfilling one instruction from the spiritual master, or one mission, one may proceed to the next.

TEXT 26

ebe alpa sankhya kari’ kara sankirtana”
haridasa kahe,—“suna mora satya nivedana

The Lord concluded, “Now, therefore, please reduce the fixed number of times you chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.”
Haridasa Thakura replied, “Kindly hear my real plea.

TEXT 27

“hina-jati janma mora nindya-kalevara
hina-karme rata muni adhama pamara

“I was born in an inferior family, and my body is most abominable. I always engage in low work. Therefore, I am the lowest, most condemned of men.

TEXT 28

“adrsya, asprsya more angikara kaila
raurava ha-ite kadi’ more vaikunthe cadaila

“I am unseeable and untouchable, but You have accepted me as Your servant. This means that You have delivered me from a hellish condition and raised me to the Vaikuntha platform.

TEXT 29

“svatantra isvara tumi hao icchamaya
jagat nacao, yare yaiche iccha haya

“My dear Lord, You are the fully independent Personality of Godhead. You act by Your own free will. You cause the whole world to dance and act as You like.

TEXT 30

“aneka nacaila more prasada kariya
viprera sraddha-patra khainu ‘mleccha’ hana

TRANSLATION

“My dear Lord, by Your mercy You have made me dance in many ways. For example, I was offered the sraddha-patra, which should have been offered to first-class brahmanas. I ate from it even though I was born in a family of meat-eaters.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in his Anubhasya, quotes from the Visnu-smrti in reference to the sraddha-patra.

brahmanapasada hy ete
kathitah pankti-dusakah
etan vivarjayed yatnat
sraddha-karmani panditah

According to this verse, if one is born in a brahmana family but does not behave according to brahminical standards, he should not be offered the sraddha-patra, which is prasada offered to the forefathers. Advaita Acarya offered the sraddha-patra to Haridasa Thakura, not to a brahmana who had been born in a brahmana family. Although Haridasa Thakura was born in the family of meat-eaters, because he was an advanced devotee he was shown more respect than a first-class brahmana.

TEXT 31

“eka vancha haya mora bahu dina haite
lila samvaribe tumi—laya mora citte

“I have had one desire for a very long time. I think that quite soon, my Lord, You will bring to a close Your pastimes within this material world.

TEXT 32

“sei lila prabhu more kabhu na dekhaiba
apanara age mora sarira padiba

“I wish that You not show me this closing chapter of Your pastimes. Before that time comes, kindly let my body fall down in Your presence.

TEXT 33

“hrdaye dharimu tomara kamala carana
nayane dekhimu tomara canda vadana

“I wish to catch Your lotuslike feet upon my heart and see Your moonlike face.

TEXT 34

“jihvaya uccarimu tomara ‘krsna-caitanya’-nama
ei-mata mora iccha,—chadimu parana

“With my tongue I shall chant Your holy name, ‘Sri Krsna Caitanya!’ That is my desire. Kindly let me give up my body in this way.

TEXT 35

“mora ei iccha yadi tomara prasade haya
ei nivedana mora kara, dayamaya

“O most merciful Lord, if by Your mercy it is possible, kindly grant my desire.

TEXT 36

“ei nica deha mora paduka tava age
ei vancha-siddhi mora tomatei lage”

“Let this lowborn body fall down before You. You can make possible this perfection of all my desires.”

TEXT 37

prabhu kahe,—“haridasa, ye tumi magibe
krsna krpamaya taha avasya karibe

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “My dear Haridasa, Krsna is so merciful that He must execute whatever you want.

TEXT 38

“kintu amara ye kichu sukha, saba toma lana
tomara yogya nahe,—yabe amare chadiya”

“But whatever happiness is Mine is all due to your association. It is not fitting for you to go away and leave Me behind.”

TEXT 39

carane dhari’ kahe haridasa,—“na kariha ‘maya’
avasya mo-adhame, prabhu, kara ei ‘daya’

Catching the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Haridasa Thakura said, “My Lord, do not create an illusion! Although I am so fallen, You must certainly show me this mercy!

TEXT 40

“mora siromani kata kata mahasaya
tomara lilara sahaya koti-bhakta haya

“My Lord, there are many respectable personalities, millions of devotees, who are fit to sit on my head. They are all helpful in Your pastimes.

TEXT 41

“ama-hena yadi eka kita mari’ gela
eka pipilika maile prthvira kahan hani haila?

“My Lord, if an insignificant insect like me dies, what is the loss? If an ant dies, where is the loss to the material world?

TEXT 42

“‘bhakata-vatsala’ prabhu, tumi, mui ‘bhaktabhasa’
avasya purabe, prabhu, mora ei asa”

“My Lord, You are always affectionate to Your devotees. I am just an imitation devotee, but nevertheless I wish that You fulfill my desire. That is my expectation.”

COMMENT

We can see how humble Haridasa Thakura is. He feels himself to be fallen, less than other devotees. In fact, he does not even consider himself to be a devotee. He refers to himself as bhaktabhasa, an “imitation devotee.” Thus he demonstrates the qualities necessary to chant the holy name constantly:

trnad api su-nicena
taror iva sahisnuna
amanina mana-dena
kirtaniyah sada harih

“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.” (Siksastaka 3) And he did chant the holy name constantly, at least three lakh names (one hundred ninety-six rounds) daily.

TEXT 43

madhyahna karite prabhu calila apane
isvara dekhiya kali dibena darasane

Because He had to perform His noon duties, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu got up to leave, but it was settled that the following day, after He saw Lord Jagannatha, He would return to visit Haridasa Thakura.

TEXTS 44–65

After embracing him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left to perform His noon duties and went to the sea to take His bath.

The next morning, after visiting the Jagannatha temple, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, accompanied by all His other devotees, came hastily to see Haridasa Thakura.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the other devotees came before Haridasa Thakura, who offered his respects to the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all the Vaisnavas.

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, “My dear Haridasa, what is the news?”
Haridasa Thakura replied, “My Lord, whatever mercy You can bestow upon me.”

Upon hearing this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately began great congregational chanting in the courtyard. Vakresvara Pandita was the chief dancer.

Headed by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu surrounded Haridasa Thakura and began congregational chanting.

In front of all the great devotees like Ramananda Raya and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to describe the holy attributes of Haridasa Thakura.

As He described the transcendental attributes of Haridasa Thakura, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu seemed to possess five mouths. The more He described, the more His great happiness increased.

After hearing of the transcendental qualities of Haridasa Thakura, all the devotees present were struck with wonder. They all offered their respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura.

Haridasa Thakura made Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sit down in front of him, and then he fixed his eyes, like two bumblebees, on the lotus face of the Lord.

He held the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu on his heart and then took the dust of the feet of all the devotees present and put it on his head.

He began to chant the holy name of Sri Krsna Caitanya again and again. As he drank the sweetness of the face of the Lord, tears constantly glided down from his eyes.

While chanting the holy name of Sri Krsna Caitanya, he gave up his air of life and left his body.

Seeing the wonderful death of Haridasa Thakura by his own will, which was just like a great mystic yogi’s, everyone remembered the passing away of Bhisma.

There was a tumultuous noise as they all chanted the holy names “Hari” and “Krsna.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became overwhelmed with ecstatic love.

The Lord raised the body of Haridasa Thakura and placed it on His lap. Then He began to dance in the courtyard in great ecstatic love.

Because of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic love, all the devotees were helpless, and in ecstatic love they also began to dance and chant congregationally.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced for some time, and then Svarupa Damodara Gosvami informed Him of other rituals for the body of Haridasa Thakura.

The body of Haridasa Thakura was then raised onto a carrier that resembled an airship and taken to the sea, accompanied by congregational chanting.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced in front of the procession, and Vakresvara Pandita, along with the other devotees, chanted and danced behind Him.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bathed the body of Haridasa Thakura in the sea and then declared, “From this day on, this sea has become a great pilgrimage site.”

Everyone drank the water that had touched the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura, and then they smeared remnants of Lord Jagannatha’s sandalwood pulp over Haridasa Thakura’s body.

COMMENT

We don’t have time to read the whole chapter, but in summary Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu placed the divine form of Haridasa Thakura in samadhi in the earth, covered it with a mound of sand, and on top of the mound planted a tulasi tree. Then He went into the marketplace and begged maha-prasada to distribute to all the devotees. And He personally distributed the prasada. Svarupa Damodara Gosvami advised Him, “My Lord, this is not a proper service for You. You sit down and take prasada with the devotees. Until You take prasada nobody else will honor it.” Then Svarupa Damodara Gosvami distributed the prasada with a few other confidential devotees.

TEXT 89

bhojana kariya sabe kaila acamana
sabare paraila prabhu malya-candana

After all the devotees finished accepting prasada and had washed their hands and mouths, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decorated each of them with a flower garland and sandalwood pulp.

TEXT 90

premavista hana prabhu karena vara-dana
suni’ bhakta-ganera judaya manas-kama

Overwhelmed with ecstatic love, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu offered a benediction to all the devotees, which all the devotees heard with great satisfaction.

TEXTS 91–93

“haridasera vijayotsava ye kaila darsana
ye ihan nrtya kaila, ye kaila kirtana

 “ye tanre valuka dite karila gamana
tara madhye mahotsave ye kaila bhojana

 “acire ha-ibe ta-sabara ‘krsna-prapti’
haridasa-darasane haya aiche ‘sakti’

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave this benediction: “Anyone who has seen the festival of Sri Haridasa Thakura’s passing away, anyone who has chanted and danced here, anyone who has offered sand on the body of Haridasa Thakura, and anyone who has joined this festival to partake of the prasada will achieve the favor of Krsna very soon. There is such wonderful power in seeing Haridasa Thakura.

TEXT 94

“krpa kari’ krsna more diyachila sanga
svatantra krsnera iccha,—kaila sanga-bhanga

“Being merciful upon Me, Krsna gave Me the association of Haridasa Thakura. Being independent in His desires, He has now broken that association.

TEXT 95

“haridasera iccha yabe ha-ila calite
amara sakati tanre narila rakhite

“When Haridasa Thakura wanted to leave this material world, it was not within My power to detain him.

TEXT 96

“iccha-matre kaila nija-prana niskramana
purve yena suniyachi bhismera marana

“Simply by his will, Haridasa Thakura could give up his life and go away, exactly like Bhisma, who previously died simply by his own desire, as we have heard from sastra.

TEXT 97

“haridasa achila prthivira ‘siromani’
taha vina ratna-sunya ha-ila medini

“Haridasa Thakura was the crown jewel on the head of this world; without him, this world is now bereft of its valuable jewel.”

TEXT 98

‘jaya jaya haridasa’ bali’ kara hari-dhvani”
eta bali’ mahaprabhu nacena apani

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then told everyone, “Say ‘All glories to Haridasa Thakura!’ and chant the holy name of Hari.” Saying this, He personally began to dance.

TEXT 99

sabe gaya,—“jaya jaya haridasa
namera mahima yenha karila prakasa”

Everyone began to chant, “All glories to Haridasa Thakura, who revealed the importance of chanting the holy name of the Lord!”

TEXT 100

tabe mahaprabhu saba bhakte vidaya dila
harsa-visade prabhu visrama karila

Thereafter, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bade farewell to all the devotees, and He Himself, with mixed feelings of happiness and distress, took rest.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada has explained the mixed feelings of happiness and distress that one experiences when a Vaisnava leaves: we feel happy because we know the Vaisnava has gone to Krsna, and we feel distress because we will miss the devotee’s association.

TEXT 101

ei ta’ kahilun haridasera vijaya
yahara sravane krsne drdha-bhakti haya

TRANSLATION

Thus I have spoken about the victorious passing away of Haridasa Thakura. Anyone who hears this narration will certainly fix his mind firmly in devotional service to Krsna.

PURPORT

At Purusottama-ksetra, or Jagannatha Puri, there is a temple of Tota-gopinatha. If one goes from there to the sea, he can discover the tomb of Haridasa Thakura still existing. Every year on the date of Ananta-caturdasi there is a festival to commemorate the passing away of Haridasa Thakura. At the same place, three Deities of Nityananda, Krsna Caitanya, and Advaita Prabhu were established about one hundred years ago. Near this temple and the tomb of Haridasa Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura constructed a small house called the Bhakti-kuti. In the Bengali year 1329, the Purusottama-matha, a branch of the Gaudiya Matha, was established there.

COMMENT

The same house has now come to ISKCON.

PURPORT (concluded)

In the Bhakti-ratnakara it is stated:

srinivasa sighra samudrera kule gela
haridasa-thakurera samadhi dekhila

 bhumite padiya kaila pranati vistara
bhagavata-gana sri-samadhi-sannidhane

 srinivase sthira kaila sasneha-vacane
punah srinivasa sri-samadhi pranamiya
ye vilapa kaila, ta sunile drave hiya

“Srinivasa Thakura quickly ran to the seashore. When he saw the tomb of Haridasa Thakura, he immediately fell down offering prayers and almost fainted. The devotees present there pacified him with very sweet and affectionate words, and Srinivasa again offered his obeisances to the tomb. Hearing of the separation that Srinivasa expressed in his lamentation at the tomb of Haridasa Thakura makes one’s heart melt.”

TEXT 102

caitanyera bhakta-vatsalya ihatei jani
bhakta-vancha purna kaila nyasi-siromani

From the incident of Haridasa Thakura’s passing away and the great care Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took in commemorating it, one can understand just how affectionate He is toward His devotees. Although He is the topmost of all sannyasis, He fully satisfied the desire of Haridasa Thakura.

COMMENT

Lord Caitanya is described here as nyasi-siromani, the topmost of all sannyasis. Sannyasis are supposed to be detached and neutral in every situation. But although Lord Caitanya was the topmost of all sannyasis, still He fulfilled the desire of Haridasa Thakura. He was not indifferent. His affection for His devotee prevailed.

TEXT 103

sesa-kale dila tanre darsana-sparsana
tanre kole kari’ kaila apane nartana

At the last stage of Haridasa Thakura’s life, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him His company and allowed him to touch Him. Thereafter, He took the body of Thakura Haridasa on His lap and personally danced with it.

TEXT 104

apane sri-haste krpaya tanre valu dila
apane prasada magi’ mahotsava kaila

Out of His causeless mercy the Lord personally covered the body of Haridasa Thakura with sand and personally begged alms from the shopkeepers. Then He conducted a great festival to celebrate the passing away of Haridasa Thakura.

TEXT 105

maha-bhagavata haridasa-parama-vidvan
e saubhagya lagi’ age karila prayana

Haridasa Thakura was not only the topmost devotee of the Lord but also a great and learned scholar. It was his great fortune that he passed away before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

COMMENT

Although Haridasa Thakura chanted the holy name day and night, he also found time to read and hear scripture, and he discoursed on the glories of the holy name with reference to scripture. And although he was fully absorbed in chanting the holy name, he was affectionate to the devotees and always tried to help them. Even now he will help us if we sincerely approach him and beg him to assist us in our efforts to serve Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and to chant the holy names of Krsna. As Thakura Bhaktivinoda wrote of him:

He reasons ill who tells that Vaisnavas die
When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaisnavas die to live, and living try
To spread the holy name around.

Haridasa Thakura was compassionate to all living entities. He was full of love for the holy name and for his worshipable Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When the Muslim rulers threatened him with death if he did not renounce chanting the name of the “Hindu god” Krsna, Haridasa replied:

khanda khanda hai deha yaya yadi prana
tabu ami vadane na chadi hari-nama

“Even if my body is cut into pieces and I lose my life, I will never give up chanting Lord Krsna’s holy name.” (Cb Adi 16.94) Haridasa Thakura’s determination, even in the face of the worst adversity, should serve as an example and inspiration for us all.

At the end, Haridasa Thakura begged for the mercy to depart before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the Lord’s presence, and the affectionate Lord most kindly fulfilled his desire.

Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A Talk by Giriraj Swami, September 26, 1996, Bombay]

Bhakti Nityananda Swami S.B.6.15.4 – Sep 24th 2015

"O Krsna! By nature I am attached to so many wrong things. Please help me to transfer all my attachments to Your lotus feet. O my Lord! May chanting Hare Krsna become an inseparable part of my life. Please help me to chant Your holy names with pure attachment."

From Art of Chanting Hare Krsna
by Mahanidhi Swami

Harinama in the center of Paris, France. Sankirtan Yajna ki jaya!