Spiritual secrets – Transcending pain! मकर संक्रांति special 🌷🙏
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Spiritual secrets – Transcending pain! मकर संक्रांति special 🌷🙏 – YouTube. Happy Makar Sankranti! 🙏 Spiritual secrets – Transcending pain! It’s a reality that we can access! Sanatana Dharma has many secrets and liberating oneself beyond pain and pleasure is just scratching the surface… I have seen in my own life many examples of sadhakas
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Srila Prabhupada’s Inconceivable Struggle: “The Individual Endeavor Must Be There”
Giriraj Swami

A talk by Giriraj Swami at the conclusion of a meeting held in his honor at the residence of Lalita Sakhi dasi (Smt. Lalita Piramal), in the presence of HH Radhanath Swami and devotees from Juhu and Chowpatty.

Srila Prabhupada is so great we cannot even begin to estimate his greatness. In one sense he is like God, because anyone can surrender to him at any time and in any place and he will reciprocate. He will help the person to connect with the disciplic succession and progress on the spiritual path.

Somehow Srila Prabhupada considered Bombay to be very important. He wrote, “Bombay is the richest city, the gateway to India, and in all respects the most important city. So we must have something here.” A few hours ago, one devotee from South Africa told me about a dream she had this morning. Srila Prabhupada was sitting on his vyasasana in the Juhu temple, relating the whole history of how he had struggled for the Juhu land and temple for Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. While describing his struggle, Srila Prabhupada became so emotional that tears were pouring from his eyes. And naturally all the devotees in the audience were also moved to tears. In the end Srila Prabhupada turned to Tamal Krishna Goswami, who was next to him, looked at him in the eyes and said, “I struggled so much.” With a handkerchief Tamal Krishna Goswami wiped the tears from Srila Prabhupada’s cheeks.

How Srila Prabhupada struggled we cannot even say. Of course, he was successful in getting the land, building the temple, and installing the Deities. But he had a vision of preaching that went beyond just installing Deities and attracting people for darshan. And we as his servants are duty bound to fulfill his vision for Juhu and make his effort completely successful. In no way should Srila Prabhupada’s struggle be in vain.

Srila Prabhupada was always a fighter, always a hero. He was never one to be discouraged. Once, when the situation at Juhu seemed completely hopeless Srila Prabhupada declared: “Even if we never get the land or build the temple, we do not mind. We will turn Hare Krishna Land into a bus stop and send out buses with preachers and books.”

So, Srila Prabhupada was interested in preaching—with or without the temple—and I think he would be pleased with all the preaching going on in Bombay.

In the beginning we didn’t really have any proper place for Srila Prabhupada to stay on Hare Krishna Land. So at one stage he was staying in a chatai hut belonging to the Khatau family, near Sumati Morarji’s bungalow in Juhu. Mahamsa Prabhu, Dr. Patel, and I were sitting in the room with Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada had just gotten the title to the land and was anxious to begin construction. He remarked that he needed one crore of rupees. Dr. Patel ventured, “Prabhupada, you should bring the money from abroad.” Disturbed by Dr. Patel’s suggestion, Srila Prabhupada replied, “I could bring the money from America, but what is your credit?” Prabhupada said that Bombay is such a place that if people were willing, we could collect one crore in one day. Dr. Patel went on and on, insisting that people wouldn’t give. “Of course, I don’t want to discourage you, but—” “But,” Srila Prabhupada interjected, “you are discouraging me.”

So, although Srila Prabhupada was superhuman, in one sense he was also very human. He could also feel discouraged.

Shyamasundar Prabhu said once that in the middle of one night in England, he heard some sound. Immediately he got up and found Srila Prabhupada collapsed on the floor. He lifted Srila Prabhupada into his arms. Srila Prabhupada looked up and said, “It is not automatic. The individual endeavor must be there.”

Srila Prabhupada showed us how to endeavor for Krishna. And by his example, we also were caught up with him in his struggle.

Coming back to the discussion at the Khatau’s house, soon Dr. Patel left and Srila Prabhupada turned his attention to Mahamsa and me. He quoted the verse from the Bhagavatam (5.5.18):

gurur na sa syat sva-jano na sa syat
  pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat
daivam na tat syan na patis ca sa syan
  na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum

“One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.”

Then he cited some examples: It is the duty of the son to defend the father when the father is attacked, but when Lord Nrsimhadeva attacked Hiranyakasipu, Prahlada did not defend his father. Rather, Prahlada glorified the attacker. But Prahlada was not at fault, because his father was not a real father—he was not helping Prahlada become Krishna conscious. Similarly, it is the duty of the son to obey the mother, but when Kaikeyi told Bharata to sit on the throne of Ayodhya, Bharata refused. Still, he was not at fault because Kaikeyi was not a real mother—she wasn’t helping him to be delivered.  Ultimately Srila Prabhupada said, “So you have left your mothers and fathers, but you have done the right thing. Don’t go back.”

Then Srila Prabhupada encouraged us further. He told us, “Madhvacharya established temples in India just to provide platforms for his disciples to preach. Similarly, I am building this temple at Juhu for you.”

So, we are so indebted to Srila Prabhupada—for engaging us in preaching, for bringing us together in service and association, and for giving me the friendship of HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja, my life and soul.

It is inconceivable: Srila Prabhupada was superhuman and at the same time human, and somehow we have to remember both. Otherwise, if we think he was superhuman and everything was easy for him, we may hesitate to struggle. No, Srila Prabhupada struggled, and we also have to struggle. But then again, if we think that he’s human like us, and like us he can make mistakes, we may neglect his instructions. We may speculate: “Are all of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions really valid? Must we follow absolutely?” And if knowingly or unknowingly we disobey Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, we court disaster. Srila Prabhupada is superhuman. Whatever he said is perfect and we should faithfully follow. But at the same time, he was human. He could feel discouraged—or encouraged. Once he told me, “When I see you all enthusiastic, I also become more enthusiastic.” The human side was also there.

Srila Prabhupada himself gave a little hint in one purport in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. After the appearance of Lord Krishna in the prison house of Kamsa, Vasudeva and Devaki expressed their fear that Kamsa would come and kill Krishna. In the purport Srila Prabhupada wrote, “Uncivilized men are not in favor of the Krsna consciousness movement. Such persons actually created opposition to our Bombay project, Hare Krishna Land. As Kamsa could never kill Krsna, so uncivilized men can never stop ISKCON. Yet we must face many difficulties in many ways.” (SB 10.3.22 purport) Srila Prabhupada explained that the Krishna consciousness movement is an incarnation of Lord Krishna, and just as Vasudeva and Devaki were always in anxiety that nothing may happen to Krishna, so he was also anxious that nothing may happen to ISKCON.

Just as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna Himself is seen by devotees as both human and superhuman simultaneously, we also understand Srila Prabhupada in both ways. Although Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, out of affection, Vasudeva and Devaki sometime considered Him to be their “human” child. Similarly, although Srila Prabhupada is the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead, we may also see how he struggled to serve Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari and preach Krishna consciousness—and feel inspired to help him.

Anyway, I feel that Srila Prabhupada’s will and mercy are being manifest through all of you, and I pray that you always keep me in your company and that together we will always be engaged in service to Guru and Gauranga.

Hare Krishna.

Nityananda Trayodasi
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The Personality of Godhead known as Śrī Balarāma in Kṛṣṇaloka is the original Saṅkarṣaṇa (attracting Deity), and from this Saṅkarṣaṇa expands another Saṅkarṣaṇa, called Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa, who resides in one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets. By His internal potency, Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa maintains the transcendental existence of all the planets in the spiritual sky, where all the living beings […]

The Most Sacred Place
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Indradyumna Swami: Dear devotees: The other day I was invited for prasadam at the famous Radha Damodar temple in Vrindavan established by Srila Jiva Goswami 500 years ago. Taking along a small group of devotees we were greeted by Kanika Prasad Goswami who took us on an extended tour of the temple; including the deities
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Prabhupada’s Daughters Speak Out on Vdg
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An Open Letter to The Present And Future ISKCON Devotees January 14th, 2023 Dear Esteemed Vaishnavas and Vaishnavis, Our most respectful obeisances to you all. All glories to our beloved Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada. We are a group of women disciples of Srila Prabhupada who has been sincerely serving his ISKCON for fifty-some years. We’ve been […]

The post Prabhupada’s Daughters Speak Out on Vdg appeared first on ISKCON News.

Lochana Dasa Thakura Disappearance
→ Ramai Swami

Shri Lochana Dasa Thakura was a disciple of Shri Narahari Sarakara Thakura, a dearest associate of Lord Gaura Raya.
 

Lochana Dasa Thakura wrote Chaitanya Mangala which tells many pastimes of Lord Chaitanya not revealed by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura or Krishna Dasa Kaviraja. He mentions an especially touching conversation Shri Gaurasundara had with Vishnupriya Devi the night before He took sannyasa.

Being a talented musician, Lochana Dasa told Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in beautiful poetry filled with fire and rhythm. Common people could easily understand the divine character of Shri Chaitanya and awaken their religious feelings. As devotees regularly chant the Vedic epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, Gaudiya Vaishnavas still wander through Bengal reciting the Chaitanya Mangala.

Lochana Dasa Thakura also wrote many songs praising Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Shri Nityananda Prabhu, and Gauridasa Pandit. Lochana Dasa stresses that raganuga bhaktas must take shelter of Gadadhara Vrindavanishvari to attain Radha-Govinda prema bhakti. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura used to print and distribute Lochana Dasa Thakura’s Shri Chaitanya Mangala.

Shrila Prabhupada was very fond of his bhajans. While singing Parama Karuna Shrila Prabhupada would plunge into the ocean of Gauranga prema. Prabhupada wrote an extensive commentary on this bhajana: Bhajo bhajo bhai, Caitanya Nitai, sudrdha visvasa kori …

“Lochana Dasa asks everyone, ‘My dear brother, just worship Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda with firm faith and conviction.’ Don’t think that this chanting and dancing will not lead to the desired goal; it will. It is the assurance of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that one will get all perfection by this process. Therefore, one must chant with firm faith and conviction.”

His samadhi is in 64 Samadhis Area. 

Makara Sankranti
Giriraj Swami

The ISKCON Juhu temple opened on Makara Sankranti, January 14, 1978.

The auspicious day of Makara Sankranti, which falls in the Krishna paksha of Magha mas, in the month of January, marks the sun’s entering the zodiac sign of Capricorn, or Makara. Although in ancient times all Sankrantis were observed and celebrated, Makara Sankranti is of special importance as it also marks the beginning of the auspicious six-month period of Uttarayana, the tithi of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s sannyasa and of the descent of the Ganges on this earthly planet.

After the Kurukshetra war, when Bhishmadeva was lying on a bed of arrows and was preparing to leave his body, he was waiting for the sun to enter into Uttarayana, which is considered to be an auspicious time, and therefore it is understood that he left his body on the auspicious day of Makara Sankranti, while beholding the beautiful face of Lord Krishna in the holy place of Kurukshetra, also known as Dharmakshetra.

This glorious day also marks the descent of Mother Ganges on this earthly planet, after the austere penances performed by King Bhagirath with the aspiration to free his ancestors from the curse of Kapila rishi, who, at being falsely accused by the sixty thousand sons of King Sagar for stealing the sacrificial horse actually stolen by Indra, cursed them to go to the nether regions. After being pacified by their prayers, he proclaimed that their only means of salvation would be if the Ganges would descend from the heavenly planets and come down to the earth and down to the nether regions. Then, by being purified by her, they would be freed from the curse. After the austere penances of King Bhagirath, the most purifying Mother Ganges came down to the earth on the day of Makara Sankranti, and this descent of hers is still celebrated—in the form of Ganga Sagar Mela, when numerous pilgrims go to the Sagar Islands in West Bengal and bathe in the holy confluence of the Ganga with the ocean.

Another significant event that took place on this date was the acceptance of the sannyasa order by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for the purpose of preaching and propagating the path of devotional service and delivering the fallen, conditioned souls in this Age of Kali. It was on this day that Mahaprabhu left behind his widowed mother and young wife in Mayapur and in the village of Katwa left the grihastha ashrama. Shaving His beautiful locks of hair and donning saffron cloth, He accepted sannyasa from Sri Keshava Bharati. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one of Mahaprabhu’s opulences is that He is the most renounced, and thus there was no need for Him to accept the renounced order of sannyasa. But seeing the faultfinding nature of the people and understanding that if He accepted the life of a renunciant then the general populace would be able give Him the proper respect and refrain from committing offences at His lotus feet, He decided to do so. Thereafter, He inundated the universe with Krishna-bhakti, and it is due to His causeless mercy alone that today we are able to tread the path of devotion under the guidance of and following in the footsteps of His followers.

anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau
  samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah
  sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandana

“May that Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi be transcendentally situated in the innermost core of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has descended in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.” (Cc Adi 1.4)

Hare Krishna.

Prasadam between explosions
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Written by Loka Saranga das   It`s Christmas at our farm near Prague – finally! I’m waiting for Santa Claus, I’m waiting impatiently. After a while he comes to our house. We’re unwrapping a few presents for the good kids, I’m packing a few things for what seems like a long vacation. I excuse myself
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Gurudev, kripa bindu diya
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Gurudeva (from Saranagati) (1) gurudev! kripa-bindu diya, koro’ ei dase, trinapekha ati hina sakala sahane, bala diya koro’, nija-mane spriha-hina (2) sakale sammana korite sakati, deho’ natha! jathajatha tabe to’ gaibo, hari-nama-sukhe, aparadha ha ’be hata (3) kabe heno kripa, labhiya e jana, kritartha hoibe, natha! sakti-buddhi-hina, ami ati dina, koro’ more atma-satha (4) jogyata-vicare,
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