Nityananda Trayodasi @ New Vrindavan
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Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi 1.87, Translation: The appearance of ?r? K???a Caitanya and Prabhu Nity?nanda has surcharged the world with happiness.
The purpose of the appearance of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nity?nanda is to dispel the darkness of the soul.

CC Adi 1.94, Translation and Purport: All kinds of activities, both auspicious and inauspicious, that are detrimental to the discharge of transcendental loving service to Lord ?r? K???a are actions of the darkness of ignorance.
The poetical comparison of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nity?nanda to the sun and moon is very significant. The living entities are spiritual sparks, and their constitutional position is to render devotional service to the Supreme Lord in full K???a consciousness. So-called pious activities and other ritualistic performances, pious or impious, as well as the desire to escape from material existence, are all considered to be coverings of these spiritual sparks. The living entities must get free from these superfluous coverings and fully engage in K???a consciousness. The purpose of the appearance of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nity?nanda is to dispel the darkness of the soul. Before Their appearance, all these superfluous activities of the living entities were covering K???a consciousness, but after the appearance of these two brothers, people’s hearts are becoming cleansed, and they are again becoming situated in the real position of K???a consciousness.

CC Adi 13.61, Translation: In R??hade?a, the part of Bengal where the Ganges is not visible, Nity?nanda Prabhu, Ga?g?d?sa Pa??ita, Mur?ri Gupta and Mukunda took birth.

Another place nearby is named H???ug???. A fair is held there on the birthday of ?r? Nity?nanda Prabhu.

CC Adi 13.61, Purport: Another place nearby is named H???ug???. It is said that Lord Nity?nanda Prabhu brought all the holy places there. Therefore the people in the surrounding villages go there instead of to the Ganges to take bath. It is named H???ug??? because ?r?la Nity?nanda Prabhu used to perform the dadhi-ci?? festival of distributing chipped rice with yogurt pras?dam there and He took the pras?dam kneeling down. A sanctified lake in this place is always full of water throughout the year. A great fair is held there during Go??h???am?, and there is another big fair on the birthday of ?r? Nity?nanda Prabhu. In the Gaura-ga?odde?a-d?pik? (58–63) it is described that Hal?yudha, Baladeva, Vi?var?pa and Sa?kar?a?a appeared as Nity?nanda Avadh?ta.

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The opening of Iskcon Noida Temple, Delhi
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Nioda temple (67)

A new temple in Delhi was opened on 12 February 2014, on the auspicious occasion of Nityananda Trayodasi. Lokanatha Maharaja was the driving force behind this temple and the installation of Sri Sri Radha Govinda, Sri Sri Jagannath Baladeva Subhadra and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai took place in grand style with many senior devotees present.

Lokanatha Maharaja extended an invitation to the opening ceremony to Kadamba Kanana Maharaja and in his class on 19 January, Kadamba Kanana Maharaja shared that exchange with us:

In 1986, Lokanatha Maharaja came to me and said, “Can you take care of pada-yatra?” Pada-yatra included a wild elephant; a camel that would bite people; a whole caravan of tractors and exhibitions; and about a hundred and fifty to two hundred Indian villagers! And he asked me to take care of them.

I said to Maharaja, “I am so busy!” There was the samadhi and I was in charge of all the construction in Mayapur. I said to Maharaja that I was so busy and just had no time so please ask someone else.

He said, “In my village, if you want to get something done, you never go to a man who is not busy. If you go to a man who is not busy, he will not do anything because he is lazy. But if you go to a man who is busy, he may not have enough time but because he is active by nature, at least he will do something!” 

So how could I say no! This year, he came to me and on an impossible date, when I’m really busy in Mayapur, he wants me to go to Noida, Delhi for the opening of his new temple! And I said to Maharaja, “How can I go?” And he told me the same story again!

So, okay, I am going to Noida on 12 February for the opening of the new temple. Didn’t really want to go but I am going because Lokanatha Maharaja wants it. So what can we do, let the vaisnavas control our life. Let us not be miserly and just think about me. I am happy to go because Lokanatha Maharaja will smile at me and with that smile, maybe I’ll get some selflessness in my heart…

Kadamba Kanana Maharaja describes the festival:

Lokanatha Maharaja celebrated the festival in a wonderful way. ‎Maharaja and his team of devotees welcomed so many vaisnavas with great generosity – they gave us gifts, they arranged for all our travel, they were most attentive to any little need we might have.

Lokanatha Maharaja gave all his guests the opportunity to take leading roles in the program and he stayed humbly in the background. His humility came to the forefront, meanwhile giving credit to all. It was wonderful. The Deities of Radha Govinda look like They are intoxicated with bliss.

Maharaja made me give Bhagavatam class. I spoke about the descent of the river Ganges, how the mercy comes in the universe and how the demigods partake in distributing it. Then I spoke about how the Lord mercifully manifests Himself in His Deity form and in each Deity, manifests a different aspect of His unlimited qualities. I mentioned how once we were debating which Deity is the most beautiful. I said, “Radha Syamasundara, of course,” while a leading devotee from Delhi said, ‘It’s Radha Partha-Sarathi.’ Finally, the conclusion was that the most beautiful Deities are the ones that you serve.

I reminded the devotees once again how ecstatic Sri Sri Radha Govinda looked. Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu from Vrndavana commented that the D‎eites take the quality of the place where they are at and that these Deities have taken in the ecstasy of Lokanatha Maharaja. Jananivasa Prabhu mentioned that Maharaja had said, “I already love these Deities very much. They have stolen my heart.”

And what can I say, I know that I will have to go back to the Noida temple and as far as you are concerned, I think that on the way to Vrndavana you should stop for a darshan and you will see that these Deities are really special.

I must also say that I thank Lokanatha Maharaja and all the Noida devotees for the very generous hospitality; in their association I felt purified.

After flying up-and-down, bumpy roads, arriving at 1 am, little sleep and cold for the last few days, I am going to have a big sleep, right now!

Here are pictures from the opening ceremony. If you cannot view the slide-show below, then please visit flickr.

 

 

 

Nityananda-trayodasi Morning, February 12, New Dvaraka, Los Angeles
Giriraj Swami

01.2014-02-12 02.2014-02-12—————————————————–
03.2014-02-12“We think of Srila Prabhupada staying in the Bowery with that young man, David Allen, who was taking the New York version of strong liquor—LSD. David just went mad. He could have done anything to Srila Prabhupada. And Srila Prabhupada went running down the stairs onto the street, not knowing where he would go. It was like Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura running for their life from the drunken brothers Jagai and Madhai. I cannot imagine anyone since Nityananda Prabhu and His associates who has taken up that mission of approaching anyone and everyone without discrimination and giving them the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as Srila Prabhupada did. And he is doing that through all of you; you are also doing the same thing. You are approaching people without discrimination and giving them the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the form of Srila Prabhupada’s books, or through or the hari-nama sankirtana party, which also carries books and magazines. By that activity we will get the mercy of Lord Nityanada and Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.”

Nityananda-trayodasi Morning

TEXAS FAITH 124: Is it crazy to pray for your team to win the Super Bowl?
→ Nityananda Chandra Das' Blog, ISKCON Dallas

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

Two things Americans take seriously are religion and football. With the Super Bowl set for Sunday, here’s a question: Why do so many people pray for their favorite sports team to win? Is it just a ritual? An act of faith? Or a hedge, just in case?

A new survey finds that half of American sports fans say they believe God or a supernatural force is at play in the games they watch. That includes Americans who pray for God to help their team (26 percent), think their team has been cursed (25 percent) or more generally believe God is involved in determining who wins on the court or in the field (19 percent).

So is God the 12th man on the field at kickoff when the Broncos and Seahawks meet in the big game this weekend? The Great Odds Maker in the Sky?

The Public Religion Research Institute finds that football fans are the most likely to pray for their own teams to win. About one-third say they ask God to intervene in games. When it comes to whether God rewards religious athletes with health and success, about half of Americans say yes, about half say no. The belief that God will help religious athletes was most prominent among white evangelicals (62 percent) and non-white Protestants (65 percent). When it comes to the religiously unaffiliated, only about 20 percent feel that way.

So why do so many Americans pray for God to help their team? Or believe that God rewards religious athletes?

Do they really think God works this way? Or like Pascal’s wager, do people figure — hey, I’ve got doubts, but what if it works, what if it’s true? Why not be on the winning side?

We put that question to our Texas Faith Panel and the result was a funny, thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining set of answers from some of the smartest people on matters of religion and faith in Texas. It’s not so easy as you might think. Some of the answers might surprise you.

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas 

The Supreme Lord is not an order supplier waiting to commanded at a whim.  This survey illustrates that many in the world are very ignorant in regards to the position of God.  We are His servants and He also loves to serve us.  How does God like to serve us?  He helps those who are seeking Him get closer.

"To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me." Bhagavad Gītā As It Is 10.10.   Because of illusion, people misidentify the body as the self and become absorbed in the gains and failures that are related to this body.  Thus one falsely thinks himself to be related to a particular group or nation.

In bodily consciousness one thinks himself to be Black, White, heterosexual, homosexual, Republican, Democrat, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or being related to a particular team that they identify with.  In this illusion one imagines that the gains and failures of those different groups are in relation to themselves.  However the self is actually spiritual, eternal, and unaffiliated with the things of this world.

The ephemeral gains for our vehicle, the body, do nothing to bring satisfaction to the self, the soul.  Thus God has no interest in fueling one's illusion but happily reciprocates with those who try to connect with Him beyond the Matrix.

To see all responses of the TEXAS Faith panel click here.

TEXAS FAITH 123: Why are religious hostilities on the rise across much of the world? What, if anything, can be done about it?
→ Nityananda Chandra Das' Blog, ISKCON Dallas

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

A new poll finds that religious hostilities have increased in almost every major region of the world. Perhaps not surprisingly, the sharpest increase was in the Middle East and North Africa, most likely an after effect of the 2010-11 political uprisings known as the Arab Spring. But the Pew Research Center study also found a significant increase in religious hostilities in China and the Asia-Pacific region.

Todd Slater

Some numbers in the new report: a third (33%) of the 198 countries and territories included in the study had high religious hostilities in 2012, up from 29% in 2011 and 20% as of mid-2007. Here’s the link: http://www.pewforum.org/2014/01/14/religious-hostilities-reach-six-year-high/

The study looked at efforts by governments to ban particular faiths, prohibit conversations and give preferential treatment to some religious groups at the expense of others. Those haven’t changed significantly. But acts of overt hostility toward religion – religion-related armed conflict or terrorism, mob or sectarian violence, harassment over attire for religious reasons or other religion related intimidation or abuse — have increased.

Incidents of abuse targeting religious minorities seen as offensive or threatening to the majority faith are up. In Libya, for instance, two worshippers were killed in an attack on a Coptic Orthodox church. Harassment of women over religious dress occurred in nearly a third of countries in 2012 (32%), compared to less than one-in-ten (7%) as of mid-2007. And mob violence related to religion occurred in a quarter of countries in 2012 (25%) – double the number from five years earlier.

So what’s happening here? Is this just a cycle, a phase? Or is it something else? The power of religious faith to divide as well as to unite has a long history. But clearly in the last few years, people are increasingly using religion for negative and destructive ends in many places.

Why are religious hostilities on the rise across much of the world? What, if anything, can be done about it? Our Texas Faith panel weighs in:

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas 

The cause of any type of injustice is ignorance.  Specifically people misidentify the body at the self.  Therefore, in ignorance, one thinks oneself to be White, Black, Asian, Republican, Democrat, male, female, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, as so on.  The solution to injustice is knowledge of the self and practical application.

It is not that one needs to know just theoretically that one is not the body but the soul within.  One must have a process to practically experience it.  That individual who experiences himself beyond body is self satisfied and thus is peaceful and happy.  A society of individuals who have no self knowledge will never be happy.  Therefore peace and happiness is concomitant of actual spiritual knowledge, everything else is ignorance, despite that it may have a religious appearance.

To see all responses of the TEXAS Faith panel click here.

HG Saksi Gopal lights up Leicester Square with the Holy Name.
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HG Saksi Gopal lights up Leicester Square with the Holy Name.

There is nothing like an old fashion Hari Nam.


Filmed by HG Bhaja Hari Prabhu.

There is about eight direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada going out regularly on this Hari Nam, in the old days these devotees would perform this sacrifice daily for eight hours.

That was the norm!

Please come out on the streets it’s “susukham kartum avyayam”, great fun.

your servant
Parasuram Das.

Friday’s Feast at Matchless Gifts
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Dear Maharajs/Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The following video clip was taken from last Friday’s Feast at Matchless Gifts, UK. The singer’s name is “Youth” from one of my favorite bands “Killing Joke”.

He was a good friend of “Polystryne” or as we knew her “Maharani”.

x ray spex from Food For All on Vimeo.

Your servant
Parasuram Das

Nityananda Trayodasi Celebration at ISKCON Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Album 79 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Nityananda Trayodasi: Appearance of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu appeared as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's principal associate for spreading the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. He appeared in 1474 in the village of Ekachakra, now in West Bengal. He especially spread the holy name of Krishna throughout Bengal. His beauty was so enchanting and He was so full of ecstatic love for Krishna that, wherever He moved, crowds of people would follow and become lovers of God. He is considered an incarnation of Krishna's principal expansion, Balarama. Read more ›

Deity Darshan: Nityananda Trayodasi (Appearance of Sri Nityananda Prabhu)
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!


The appearance day of Lord Nityananda Prabhu was celebrated at ISKCON Toronto on February 12, 2014. Lord Nityananda Prabhu, whose name literally means, “eternally blissful”, appeared around 1474 AD in the village of Ekachakra, near Mayapur, West Bengal. He is the eternal companion of Lord Caitanya and both are worshiped together as are Krishna and Balaram. In the same way that Lord Balaram is considered the original spiritual master, so is Lord Nityananda.







How to quickly dry up an ocean of tears?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

The entire universe is full of miseries, and therefore the inhabitants of this material universe are always shedding tears out of intense grief. There is a great ocean of water made from such tears, but for one who surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ocean of tears is at once dried up. One need only see the charming smile of the Supreme Lord. In other words, the bereavement of material existence immediately subsides when one sees the charming smile of the Lord.

- Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.28.32 purport

 

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New Vrindaban’s Transcendental “Throwback Thursday” – 02/13/14
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

NV TBT 02-13-14

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental “Throwback Thursday” – 02/13/14.

Each week we highlight an earlier era of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

This week’s challenge: These two devotees look like they are happily engaged in their service. Who are they and what do you think they are working on?

Post your guesses on the “who, what, when & where” in the comment section at the New Vrindaban Facebook Page.

Technical stuff: We share the photo Thursday and confirm known details Sunday. Let’s keep it light and have a bit of fun!

Special request: If you have a photo showing New Vrindaban devotees in action, share it with us and we’ll use it in a future posting.

Lightening up Leicester Square with an old fashion Hari Nam (2 min video)
→ Dandavats.com

Parasuram das: HG Saksi Gopal lights up Leicester Square with the Holy Name. There is nothing like an old fashion Hari Nam. There are about eight direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada going out regularly on this Hari Nam, in the old days these devotees would perform this sacrifice daily for eight hours. That was the norm. Please come out on the streets as it's "susukham kartum avyayam", great fun. Read more ›

My prayer to Lord Nityananda Rama!
→ Servant of the Servant

Today is the most auspicious day of the appearance of Lord Nityananda Rama. He is none other than Lord Balarama who is the self same Supreme Being.

We live in a world where service and love is strongly reposed to the things and people of this world. In this condition of spiritual aridity, it is next to impossible to understand God and the eternal dharma of love of God despite the presence of many religions, places of worship and godmen.

Lord Nityananda prabhu appeared 500 years ago as the spiritual oasis to spread the sanatana dharma of prema pumartha mahan: to achieve love of Supreme Godhead Krishna as the topmost perfection of life.  There is no truth superior to this. Without the mercy and blessing of Lord Nityananda one cannot gain access into the eternal lila of Radha and Krishna. In fact, one cannot even understand in theory the position, greatness and sweetness of Krishna and His eternal consort Radha.

So on this day, we must aspire in a humble way to be the servant of the servant of Lord Nitynanda - to desire to be free from false prestige that arises from our attachment to our body and mind. We must take our Krishna conscious life seriously, sincerely and without any self motivations. When we struggle hard for this simple position of servant of servant free from false pride & prestige, then surely Lord Nityananda will be pleased with our endeavor and will grant entrance into the eternal lila of Radha and Krishna.

I pray to that Supreme Lord Nityananda prabhu to give me the desire, faith and determination to remain humble and chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in a way that attracts Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.

Lord Nityananda Prabhu ki jay!

Hare Krishna




Lord Nityananda’s mercy: The magnitude, the motivation and the magic
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Lord Nityananda is considered to be the most merciful manifestation of the most merciful incarnation of the Lord. The most merciful incarnation is Lord Chaitanya and he manifested his mercy most exuberantly through Lord Nityananda. Though these two transcendental brothers are non-different, still one takes on the mood of the servant of the other – Lord Nityananda considers service to Lord Chaitanya the supreme treasure of his life, indeed, the very purpose of his life.

In his service to Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda manifested his mercy through many extraordinary incidents. The most celebrated among them is his deliverance of Jagai and Madhai.

To understand the distinctiveness, in fact, the uniqueness, of this merciful accomplishment, let’s analyze it on three counts:

1.     Magnitude: The sheer magnitude of the mercy was mind-boggling, even for Yamaraja. To have two people whose sins were so numerous, even mountainous, as to be impossible to even keep track of, being freed from all their sins in one moment of mercy was so astonishing, so historical, so utterly unprecedented that, as the Chaitanya Bhagavata mentions, Yamaraja on coming to know about it fainted in sheer ecstasy.

2.     Motivation: At one level, the motivation of the Lord was obvious: compassion for the fallen souls. It is for this purpose that the Lord descends millennia after millennia, as the Bhagavad-gita (04.07-09) informs. But along with that standard purpose, the Chaitanya Bhagavata gives us special insight into the transcendental psychology of Nityananda Prabhu. When he heard about the fallen condition of Jagai-Madhai, his eyes lit up with not just compassion but also ambition – the ambition to glorify Lord Chaitanya in a way that would be remembered for all time to come: “These two people are so contaminated that on seeing them pious people feel impelled to bathe in the Ganges to purify themselves. If these sinners can become so pure that people on seeing them feel that they have become purified, as if having bathed in the Ganges, then the fame of all Lord Chaitanya will spread in all the three worlds.” With this desire to glorify Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda tolerated even the brutal assault on his head and uttered the incredible words of compassion that have become etched forever in the collective memory of Gaudiya Vaishanvas: "merechhish kolshir kana, tai bole ki prem debona" (Shall I stop giving you love because you have hit me with an earthen pot?).

It was this endearing blend of compassion and ambition that motivated our beloved Srila Prabhupada to attempt something similarly outrageous: to deliver people from the Western world, who were so fallen that their only regulative principle was to break all the regulative principles.

This blend of compassion and ambition of the Lord and his manifestations is our supreme hope for being delivered from our fallen condition. 

3.     Magic: The magic of Lord Nityananda’s mercy was not just that Jagai and Madhai became free from all their sinful reactions, or even that they became free from their sinful desires – though both of these transformations are no doubt incredible. But the ultimate magic of the mercy was that these two brothers became utterly free from the most subtle of all impurities – the impurity that so easily and frequently contaminates the pure, the impurity of pride.  

Perhaps nothing demonstrates this heart-rending humility of Madhai better than his constructing a ghat as an expression of atonement, begging for forgiveness from all the people who came there and, most significantly, allowing himself to be hit with stones by some of those people who were still angry with them for his past offenses and even picking up those stones and handing them back to his assaulters, saying, “I deserve worse – please hit me again.” That a person who would without the slightest pinch of consciousness assault people ruthlessly in the past was now equipping and encouraging people to assault him due to a feeling of remorse demonstrates the magical depth of his transformation.

Madhai demonstrated poignantly the consciousness of trinad api sunicena. And through him, the Lord demonstrated that by the power of his mercy this exalted consciousness that seems so impossible for us to achieve can indeed one day become achievable, thereby enabling us to relish the supreme sweetness of the holy name constantly.

Shri Nityananda Prabhu ki jaya!

 

Our Thoughts Are Like People
→ Japa Group

Instead of filling our minds with all the thoughts of our daily activities and our problems etc.
It's nice to just clear out the mind and fill it again with the sound of the Holy names.
Like a room full of people all talking at once about different things. Our thoughts are like people and when we clear the room and fill it again with the Maha mantra, then all these internal voices will disappear and we can relish and deepen our relationship with Krsna by attentive Japa.