From Mithilesh Mishra P

1.Vivekanandji talks about SUPERCONSCIOUS state and says that this very

state is achieved by all i.e. through highest knowledge or nirvikalpa

samadhi(jnana yogi),Nirbeej Samadhi(raja yogi)and pure love of God(bhakta)

.He further adds about the  state  which can't be conceived through mind

because the knower and the known become one. Here those who want to keep

their minds (specially bhaktas) come back on the Bhav Samadhi stage and

serve God or Ishvar (which is shuddha sattva).

He says that bhakta becomes one with Brahman in pure stage of love (beyond

Bhav Samadhi) and again he comes on the platform of name and form and he

describes the things according to stages he passed through using his mind.

Even srutis tell in this connection "avadmansagocharam".

Answer Podcast

Amor stringing his bow 

Here’s a little something to whet your appetite for Volume 2 of Beautiful Tales of the All Attractive. This is the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam’s Second Canto, Seventh Chapter – ślokas 6 and 7.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

6

Brahmā: He was born as Nārāyaṇa and Nara, from Mūrti – daughter of Dakṣa and wife of Dharma, to display the power of celibacy. The armies of Eros tried to destroy their vows, but when they saw themselves and many other divine beauties emanating from the All-Attractive they realized they could never win.

Nārada: Nara and Nārāyaṇa defeated Cupid’s armies without struggle and without anger!

7

Brahmā: Yes! Sometimes great personalities can control lust, but not anger. Śiva, for example, destroys lust by glancing wrathfully and it. That wrath controls lust, but itself refuses to submit to control. Wrath, however, is terrified to enter within the All-Attractive, so how can lust ever hope to find a place within his mind?

Object of meditation refers to the thing that we meditate on. Objective of meditation refers to the thing that we want to get by meditating. For students, the course material may be the object of their meditation, but marks and salaries are usually the objective of that meditation.

Some people argue that the notion of a personal God is just an object of meditation for less evolved people who can’t meditate on the impersonal absolute which, they claim, is the ultimate objective of meditation.

The Bhagavad-gita thoroughly debunks such arguments. It declares repeatedly  (07.07, 10.08 and 15.19, for example) that the personal absolute, Krishna, is the highest reality. This proclamation is consistent with the Gita’s enthronement (11.53-54) of bhakti-yoga as the best among all paths. In bhakti-yoga, Krishna is both the object and the objective of meditation.

In other paths, is Krishna a mere object of meditation?

Let’s consider the Gita’s sixth chapter that deals with ashtanga-yoga. While delineating the initial stages of the process, the Gita (06.14) urges yogis to fix their mind on Krishna.

Might this refer to Krishna as a temporary dispensable tool for meditation?

Some yogis may think so, but that’s not the Gita’s verdict. The last verse of the same chapter (06.47) declares those who meditate on Krishna within their hearts to be the topmost yogis. Those who treat him as a tool and not goal of meditation are lower, not higher, than them.

When we get rid of the misconception that there’s some reality higher than Krishna, we become free to offer him our full being – head and heart. This enables us to relish the supremely sweet glories of Krishna – an experience so relishable that, as the Gita (10.18) indicates, we no longer desire anything else.

***

06.14 - With an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life.

Holy Name Meditation Podcast

“How did you come to Krishna consciousness?” This is one of the most stimulating questions in devotee-circles. The feature “How I came (HIC)” in Back to Godhead, ISKCON’s official magazine, is one of its most popular features. Being one of the editors for BTG, I strive and pray to make BTG more attractive. So I look forward especially to HIC stories among the articles submitted to us for review.

What makes HIC stories tick? I don’t know of any precise answer. But after having heard or read hundreds of such stories, I have thought of five points centered on the acronym SHARE. Through these points, I hope to encourage you to share your story:

S – Special

H – Heart-to-heart

A – Attractive

R – Reminding

E – Experiential

S – Special

Your story is special. No one else’s story will be exactly like yours simply because no one else is exactly like you. No one else can share your story. If you don’t share it, it will be lost forever.

Lest you feel apprehensive about sharing your story, feeling that it may be self-glorificatory, it’s important to remember that the story is not just about you. It is about the evolution of your relationship with Krishna, who is the most special person in all of creation. And this evolution reveals Krishna’s endearing expertise – how he acts in wonderful ways to draw his lost children back to him.

Many devotees, when asked about their story, downplay it by saying something like, “It was nothing special. I got a book and became a devotee.” But a few gently probing questions can reveal the treasure hidden under the nothing-special cover. For example, What attracted you? What convinced you? What transformed you.

Sometimes the external events about how you came to Krishna may not be distinctive. Yet the level of cultural commitment, personal purification and intellectual reorientation that Krishna consciousness inspires is extraordinary. Contemplating how your emotions and conceptions changed can be intriguing.

Your story is, like you, unique. Your unique narrative can be your gift to everyone else – both existing devotees and potential devotees. It will help existing devotees appreciate the treasure of Krishna consciousness from a new angle. And it will help potential devotees see that treasure illumined by the testimony of your experience.

H – Heart-to-heart

Asking other devotees their stories is one of the best icebreakers. It can take a conversation among newly acquainted devotees from formal socialization to heart-to-heart discussion. It helps us see each other deeply, beyond the externals to the essence – as wandering souls who have fortunately found the path back home to Krishna.

The classic example of an intimate conversation centered on a HIC story is found right at the start of Srimad Bhagavatam. In chapters four to six of its first canto, the great sage Narada Muni solaces and guides his learned disciple Vyasadeva. Woven in that exposition of pure devotional service is Narada Muni’s own multi-life story: his transition from being the undistinguished five-year old son of a maidservant to becoming a universally celebrated, ageless spiritual seer. Narada Muni uses his story to demonstrate how the path of bhakti-yoga can elevate anyone from any background. His story also illustrates how the unseen hand of the Supersoul guides everyone, especially sincere spiritual seekers. Narada in his previous life became an orphan when his mother succumbed to snakebite. But the Lord within guided him to the sanctuary of a forest for meditation, blessed him with a brief divine revelation, and reassured him of an enduring future tryst once he completed the course of purification.

Our stories may not have such miraculous visions, yet they do involve the mysterious guiding hand of Krishna. The thousands of devotees that are a part of the Krishna consciousness movement come from different countries, creeds, colors, castes and cultures. Their diverse backgrounds highlight the universal appeal of Krishna consciousness – the profundity of its philosophy, the beauty of its culture and ultimately the sublimity of its bliss. Over and above such specific features that may have attracted different devotees is a generic truth: it is Krishna who has attracted them through these features. Whenever I hear an exciting story of how someone in some part of the world came to Krishna, one of my favorite verses from the Bhagavad-gita (18.61) springs to mind: “The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.”

I have had the fortune of meeting many inspiring devotees during my fifteen years in the devotee-community. Among these meetings, those in which we shared HIC stories candidly have been the most memorable.

Heart-to-heart discussions can take place on various topics, but what makes discussions centered on HIC stories distinctive is that they deepen our bond with our heart’s eternal companion – Krishna. And they bond us through him to each other. The bonds of affection that go to Krishna and through Krishna to others are the most enriching and fulfilling.

A – Attractive

People like to read about people far more than about philosophy. Abstract principles become concrete and come alive when explained through stories. That’s why expert teachers, whatever their subjects, have always told stories that illustrate their teachings. Buddha told the Jataka tales; Jesus told his parables; and Vedic sages retold the teachings of the Upanishads through the Puranas and the Itihasas.

In the Vedic canon, the Upanishads have great authority, but they have never been able to compete with the Puranas and Itihasas in terms of popularity and efficacy. No doubt, all scriptures being revealed texts have divine potency. But people need to access those texts to benefit from that potency, just as sick people need to take a potent medicine to be benefitted by its potency.

The scriptures offer us the healing wisdom that cures our diseased desires – desires that are directed away from Krishna instead of towards Krishna. This misdirection of our desires is the root of all our problems. Battling with these problems consumes most of our energy, indeed our whole life. Lifetime after lifetime. When we use scriptural wisdom to redirect our desires, we discover the way to lasting inner fulfillment and meaningful outer achievement. Such achievement brings glory to Krishna, does justice to our God-given abilities and enables us to serve others holistically. All these blessings can’t reach those who don’t access scriptural wisdom.

To increase the reach and appeal of scriptural wisdom, teachers present that wisdom in the form of stories. No doubt, scriptural stories of the Lord and his intimate devotees are in a different league from our stories. But still the underlying principle holds true for both – concepts in action are far more appealing than concepts in abstraction.

This analysis isn’t meant to minimize the importance of the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. Without the philosophy as explained by Srila Prabhupada in his empowered books, people won’t even understand the difference between the sick state and the healthy state, leave alone understanding that they themselves are sick. HIC stories center on that same philosophy and convey the same essential message.  But they also vivify the message, thereby expanding and enriching its attractiveness.

In fact, so great is the human hunger for stories that catering to it comprises a booming industry – the fiction literature industry. This giant genre of literature has hardly been touched by our outreach efforts. Nearly all our books fall in the non-fiction genre. Christian fiction is a huge sub-genre with several books regularly finding their way to best-seller lists. A few enterprising devotee-authors have written devotional fiction that incorporates the themes of Krishna consciousness, but that doesn’t even begin to tap the potential.

To better tap the potential, all of us can do our small part in catering to the universal hunger for stories by sharing our HIC story. Of course, our stories may not be fiction, but they may well be better than fiction. Many HIC stories demonstrate the saying “facts are stranger than fiction.” Even if your story isn’t all that exciting, still being a story, it will be much more appealing than a discourse. Many people who would refuse to hear a philosophical discourse would be open to hearing a personal story.

R – Reminding

When we find our way to Krishna, our initial days, with their many dramatic outer and inner transformations, are exciting. But over the years we may get so caught in life’s daily struggles that we forget the huge difference Krishna has made in our life. Such forgetfulness can make us neglect the supreme blessing of Krishna consciousness.

To help us remember how Krishna has blessed us, here are a few introspection-inducing questions.

1.     What was my life like before Krishna entered into it?

What were my conceptions and beliefs? What was my culture and lifestyle?

2.     What made me feel the need for Krishna?

When and how did I start feeling that something was missing in my life? How did I try to fill that void before I came to Krishna?

3.     How did I commit my life to Krishna?

How did I encounter Krishna through his devotees for the first time? What was my first impression? How did that impression evolve with future encounters? What eventually convinced me? What were the defining moments in my spiritual transformation from apprehension to conviction, from vacillation to dedication, from dissipation to purification?

4.     What difference has Krishna made in my life?

How did Krishna consciousness make me a better person? How did it bring vision and add value to my life? How did it empower me to encounter and counter my lower side? How did it help me to face problems better?

I wrote my HIC story after much hesitation and trepidation (It’s here: An intellect discovers it perfection). All the standard objections stonewalled me – “There’s nothing special about it. Why are you doing self-promotion? What good is going to come out of it?” But eventually the wall broke due to the insistent requests of several devotee-friends who argued: “You are a regular writer. Readers will want to know more about the person who is sharing Krishna’s message with them. Knowing the messenger better will increase their appreciation of the message and their attraction to the source of the message, Krishna.”

I don’t know if my HIC helped my readers, but it definitely helped me. Writing my HIC helped me look back at my life-journey and see how Krishna, through his various manifestations, has been there at all the critical turns, not just showing the way or helping along the way but even taking me along the way. Few things are as faith-boosting, hope-generating and joy-bestowing as gaining such a devotional vision of our life-journey.

E – Experiential

An honest real-life story bypasses the intellectual defenses of people and places the case in the court of the heart with the evidence of personal experience on full display. You may or may not be an authority on scripture, but you are the authority on your life. And the testimony of personal experience has its own inimitable, irreducible, irreplaceable force.

Skeptics often deride religion as a big business and dismiss religious teachers as professional marketers. So they dissect even the best presentations of the philosophy of Krishna consciousness, finding some fault somewhere so as to preserve and propagate their disbelief.

Within their cynical view, your personal story has a credibility that the best talks of spiritual teachers can’t have. In their lingo, you are a satisfied customer. They believe that your satisfaction is a delusion, but still they want to understand your delusion, to comprehend why it makes you feel satisfied. Your story, if effectively explained, may well help them discover the real delusion – not your warranted satisfaction but their unwarranted suspicion.

In fact, the experience-based approach for outreach is critical amidst the contemporary intellectual ethos, which is known as post-modernism. In modern times (which are now considered outdated by many thinkers), people had faith in reason and science, which were seen as reliable means to certain knowledge. In pre-modern times, people had faith in revelation and scripture. But that faith was assaulted by science, whose worldview seemed to be superior to that of the world’s scriptures. However, science didn’t reign on the human intellect for long; it was found to be not as objective as was initially touted. Historians of science showed that scientific theories have deep-rooted biases – they are usually formulated, popularized and accepted based largely on the cultural conceptions and intellectual inclinations.

Due to this historical erosion of the authority of both scripture and science, people in today’s post-modern times have faith in neither; they view with deep suspicion any source of knowledge that claims to be absolute. They base their lives largely on experience, and consider as authentic those teachers who speak based on experience, not dogma. Many teachers of impersonalism have popularized their philosophy by presenting it through their memoirs, but not many bhakti teachers have tapped this avenue.

This is unfortunate because the post-modern fascination with experiential spirituality opens a great opportunity for us to share Krishna consciousness. After all, because bhakti-yoga is eminently experiential – it gives direct perception of the self by realization, as the Bhagavad-gita (9.2: pratyakshavagamam) asserts. Acknowledging this experiential potency of bhakti, Sanatana Goswami enthrones experience as the highest of all pramanas, ways of acquiring knowledge. Your story, with your unique experiences, may well present the very kind of evidence that many people will find persuasive.

**

Do share the story of how Krishna changed your life. In the devotee-community, you will be asked the how-you-came question. Inevitably. Repeatedly. By answering that question effectively, you can render a valuable service. If you invest the time to organize your story into a proper article, you will be able to do this service much better – you will be able to tell your story candidly, coherently and cogently.

Your story may even be published in BTG. If it isn’t, it can still be published on a special site exclusively designed for such stories: howicame.com. This site is a nectar-store of the wisdom of Krishna consciousness in action. Do add you nectar there. You can send your story to H G Vaishnava Seva Prabhu, the person behind the iskcondesirtree network of sites, at vaishnavasevadasa@gmail.com

Krishna can act in inconceivable ways. As he has changed your life, so he can use your story to change others’ lives.

Radhastami – Friday – 13th September 2013

Woodstock 2013 Madhava Das

            Sometimes people ask who is Lord Balarama? And the answer is that He is the brother of Lord Krishna. However, He does many things besides that.
            How we understand this is to first recognize that, according to Vedic scripture such as the Srimad Bhagavata Purana, it is described that Lord Krishna is the primeval Lord, the original Personality of Godhead, so He can expand Himself into unlimited forms with all potencies. They are no different from Him, but may exhibit differences in form and function.
            He first expands Himself into Baladeva, or Balarama, who is considered Krishna’s second body and brother. Balarama assists in Lord Krishna’s innumerable spiritual pastimes in both the spiritual and materials realms.
            Lord Balarama is also Lord Sankarshana, the predominator of the creative energy. He creates and is also the shelter of the material and spiritual worlds. By the will of Krishna and the power of the spiritual energy, Lord Balarama creates the spiritual world, which consists of the planet Goloka Vrindavana [the supermost spiritual planet] and the Vaikuntha planets [in the spiritual sky]. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.255-6)
            Lord Balarama especially assists Lord Krishna in the creation of the material world. After Balarama has expanded Himself into Lord Maha-Sankarshana, He expands Himself into four different forms, including: 1) Karanadakashayi Vishnu [Maha-Vishnu], 2) Garbhodakashayi Vishnu [the Vishnu expansion in each universe], 3) Ksirodakashayi Vishnu [the Supersoul in each living being], and 4) Sesha, also called Seshanaga, who lies down and is the support and resting place for Lord Vishnu. These four plenary portions assist in the material cosmic manifestation. Sesha is Balarama’s form who assists in the Lord’s personal service. He is also called Ananta, meaning unlimited, because He assists the Lord in His unlimited variety of pastimes. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila, 5.4-6, 8-11).

* * *

            To explain more clearly, all expansions of the Lord begin with Sri Krishna. For His pastimes in one of the highest levels of the spiritual realm, called Dvaraka, Sri Krishna expands Himself into Balarama, who then expands Himself into Pradyumna and Aniruddha. These four expand into a second quadruple which is present in the unlimited Vaikuntha planets of the spiritual sky. The second quadruple is known as Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. They are changeless, transcendental expansions of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. In the second quadruple, Vasudeva is an expansion of Krishna, and Sankarshana is a representative of Balarama.
            In the Vaikuntha spiritual sky there is the pure, spiritual creative energy called Shuddha-satva that sustains all of the spiritual planets with the full opulences of knowledge, wealth, power, beauty, etc., all of which pervade the entire spiritual kingdom and are fully enjoyed by the residents there. This energy is but a display of the creative potencies of Balarama, Maha-Sankarshana. It is also this Sankarshana who is the original cause of the Causal Ocean (which takes shape as a cloud in a corner of the spiritual sky) where Karanodakashayi Vishnu (Maha-Vishnu) sleeps, while breathing out the seeds of the innumerable universes. [This is the start of the material creation. It is the Karana Ocean, also called the Causal Ocean, in which the material universes are manifest.] When the cosmic creation is annihilated, all of the materially conditioned, although indestructible, living entities merge back into the body of Maha-Vishnu where they rest until the time of the next creation. So Balarama as Sankarshana is the origin of Maha-Vishnu, from whom originates all of the potencies of the material manifestation. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila, 5.41 & purport).
            So, to summarize, for His spiritual pastimes in the Vaikuntha realm, Lord Krishna has four original expansions, namely Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. Maha-Vishnu is an expansion of Sankarshana; Garbhodakashayi Vishnu is an expansion of Pradyumna; and Ksirodakashayi Vishnu is an expansion of Aniruddha. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila, 2.56, purport.

* * *

            To begin explaining the purpose and function of these expansions, the Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.6.42) describes that, “Maha-Vishnu (Karanadakashayi Vishnu) is the first incarnation of the Supreme Lord in the process of creating the material worlds. He is the master of eternal time, space, cause and effects, mind, elements, material ego, the modes of nature, senses, the universal form of the Lord (Garbhodakashayi Vishnu) and the sum total of all living beings, both moving and nonmoving.”
            Then Maha-Vishnu lies down in the Viraja River, which is the border between the spiritual and material worlds. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.268-271)
            Lord Maha-Vishnu is the source of thousands of avataras in His thousands and thousands of subjective portions. He is also the creator of countless individual souls [that spread throughout the material creation]. He is also known by the name of Narayana, meaning the shelter of all the individual jiva souls. From Him springs forth the vast expanse of water known as the spiritual Causal Ocean [also known as the Karana Ocean, for which He is also called Karanadakashayi Vishnu]. Maha-Vishnu then reclines in the waters of the Causal Ocean in a state of divine sleep, called yoga-nidra. Thus, it is said that the universal creation is but the dream of Maha-Vishnu. (Brahma-samhita 5.11-12)
            Since the waters of the Causal Ocean or Karana Ocean come from the body of Maha-Vishnu, it is completely spiritual. The sacred Ganges River is but a drop from that ocean, which can purify the fallen souls [when they bathe in it]. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adil-lila, 5.54)
            Lord Balarama also expands into the great serpent known as Ananta, or Seshanaga. He reposes on the Causal Ocean and serves as the couch upon whom Lord Maha-Vishnu reclines. (Brahma-samhita, 5.47) That Ananta-Sesha is the devotee incarnation of God who knows nothing but service to Lord Krishna. With His thousands of mouths, He always sings the endless glories of Lord Krishna. He also expands Himself to serve as Lord Krishna’s paraphernalia, including such items as the umbrella, slippers, bedding, pillow, garments, resting chair, residence, sacred gayatri thread, and throne in the pastimes of Lord Krishna. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 5.120-124)
            At the time of creation, after the Supreme has been sleeping for some time, the first emanation from the breathing of Lord Maha-Vishnu are the personified Vedas who serve Him by waking Him from His mystic sleep. They begin to enthusiastically sing His glories, pastimes and praises, just as a King is awoken in the morning by poets who recite his heroic deeds. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.87.12-13)
            As one of the first expansions from Maha-Vishnu, this also shows the eternal and spiritual nature of the vibrational energy of the Vedic literature. They are not merely the writings of men, but they are spiritual vibrations that exist before, during and after the material creation, and which emanate from the Supreme Lord.
            Once the Lord is awoken, He casts His glance upon the material energy of maya. Then she becomes agitated. At that time the Lord injects [through His glance] the original seeds of all living entities. This glance is how the Supreme impregnates material nature with all the living entities. Thus, the Lord does not personally touch the material energy, but by His functional expansion He places the living entities into the material nature by His glance. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.272) This functional expansion of the Lord takes the form of Shiva. The glance of Maha-Vishnu is Shiva known as Shambhu. which we explain more fully elsewhere.
            After agitating the material nature into three qualities, which are the modes of nature in the form of goodness, passion and ignorance, they become active, and material nature begins to give birth to the total material energy known as the hiranya-mahat-tattva. This is the sum total of cosmic intelligence. Thus, material nature becomes agitated by the destinations of the conditioned souls as determined by the influence of these modes of nature. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.19) Simply by the glance of Maha-Vishnu consciousness is created, which is known as the mahat-tattva. The predominating Deity of the mahat-tattva is Lord Vasudeva, another expansion of Lord Krishna. This explains how the material energy is like the mother of the living beings while the Lord is the Supreme Father of everyone. Just as a woman cannot give birth without the contact of a man, or at least his seed, so material nature cannot create without the contact of the Supreme Being.
            So first, the total material energy is manifest, and from this arise the three types of egotism, which are the original sources of all the demigods [the minor controlling deities], the senses, and material elements. By combining the different elements, the Supreme Lord creates all of the unlimited universes. Once the material elements have been manifested, and the full potential for creating the universes has been established, the innumerable universes begin to emanate from the pores of the body of Maha-Vishnu, and from His exhalations. They appear just like atomic particles that float in sunshine and pass through a screen. Then when Maha-Vishnu finally inhales at the time of the universal annihilation, they return to His body. In this way, Maha-Vishnu is the Superself of all the universes. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.275-282)
            Brahma, all the demigods, and each universe remain alive for the duration of one of His exhalations. (Brahma-samhita 5.48) However, there is no limit to the exhalations of Maha-Vishnu. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.324)
             Once all of the universe are created, which are unlimited, Maha-Vishnu expands Himself into unlimited forms and each one enters each universe as Garbhodakashayi Vishnu. Once He is in each universe, He sees that there is no place to reside. Then, after some consideration, He fills half of the universe with water from His own perspiration. He then lays down on the water, again supported by the bed of Seshanaga [an expansion of Lord Balarama]. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.284-6)
            This Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, who is also known within the universe as Hiranyagarbha and Antaryami, the Supersoul, is glorified in the Vedic hymns. He is the master of each and every universe and shelter of the external or material energy. However, being transcendental, He is completely beyond the touch of the external [material] energy.
            Next is the third expansion of Vishnu, called Ksirodakashayi Vishnu, who is the incarnation of the quality of goodness. He is the universal form of the Lord and expands Himself as the Supersoul within every living entity. He is known as Ksirodakashayi Vishnu because He lies on the ocean of milk [ksira] on the island of Svetadvipa. These are the three expansions of Lord Vishnu who oversee and make the creation of the material world possible. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.292, 294-5)
            This also explains the part that is played by Lord Balarama in this process of material creation. However, after the material creation has been accomplished, then the nectar of the pastimes of Lord Krishna takes place at particular times in the material realm wherein Lord Balarama plays the part of His brother to exhibit so many escapades together in the area of Vrindavana, India. These may be pastimes of killing the demons that attack the residents of Vrindavana, or the fun of playing with the cowherd boys in the forests or in tending the cows. It is all recreation and spiritual enjoyment. These are described in the tenth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
            Various prayers, such as the Thousand Names of Lord Balarama, and others, such as the one below, further describe many of the characteristics of Lord Balarama, which can be found at http://www.stephen-knapp.com/thousand_names_of_lord_balarama.htm.

Sri Balabhadra-stava-räja
The King of Prayers to Lord Balaräma

Text 1
duryodhana uväca
stotram shri-baladevasya
     prädvipäka mahä-mune
vada mäm kripayä säkshät
     sarva-siddhi-pradäyakam

        Duryodhana said: O Prädvipäka, O great sage, please kindly tell me the prayer of Lord Balaräma, which grants all perfection.

Text 2
shri-prädvipäka uväca
stava-räjam tu rämasya
     vedavyäsa-kritam shubham
 sarva-siddhi-pradam räjan
     chrinu kaivalyadam nrinäm

        Shri Prädvipäka Muni said: O king, please hear the regal and beautiful prayer of Lord Balaräma, a prayer that brings liberation and all perfection.

Text 3
devädi-deva bhagavan
     käma-päla namo ‘stu te
namo ‘nantäya sheshäya
     säkshäd-rämäya te namah

         O master of the demigods, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O fulfiller of desires, obeisances to You! O Lord Ananta Shesha, obeisances to You! O Lord Balaräma, obeisances to You!

Text 4
dharä-dharäya purnäya
     sva-dhämne sira-pänaye
sahasra-shirase nityam
     namah sankarshanäya te

        O Lord who maintains the earth, O glorious Lord, O perfect and complete Lord, O Lord who holds a plow in Your hand, O Lord who has a thousand heads, O Lord Sankarshana, eternal obeisances to You!

Text 5
revati-ramana tvam vai
     baladeväcyutägraja
haläyudha pralamba-ghna
     pähi mäm purushottama

       O husband of Revati, O Lord Balaräma, O elder brother of Lord Krishna, O Lord who holds a plow-weapon, O killer of Pralambäsura, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, please protect me!

Text 6
baläya balabhadräya
     tälänkäya namo namah
nilämbaräya gauräya
     rauhineyäya te namah

        O Lord Balaräma, who carries a palm-tree flag, obeisances to You! O son of Rohini, O fair-complexioned Lord dressed in blue garments, obeisances to You!

Text 7
dhenukärir mushtikärih
     kutärir balvaläntakah
rukmy-arih kupakarnärih
     kumbhandäris tvam eva hi

       You are the enemy of Dhenuka, the enemy of Mushtika, the enemy of Kuta, the killer of Balvala, the enemy of Rukmi, the enemy of Kupakarna, and the enemy of Kumbhanda.

Text 8
kälindi-bhedano ‘si tvam
     hastinäpura-karshakah
dvividärir yädavendro
     vraja-mandala-mandanah

        You are the Lord who broke the Yamuna’ and dragged Hastinäpura. You are the enemy of Dvivida. You are the king of the Yädavas. You are the ornament of Vraja’s circle.

Text 9
kamsa-bhrätri-prahantäsi
     tirtha-yäträ-karah prabhuh
duryodhana-guruh säkshät
     pähi pähi prabho tö atah

        You are the killer of Kamsa’s brothers. You are the supreme master, the Lord who went on pilgrimage, and Duryodhana’s guru. O master, please protect me! Please protect me!

Text 10
jaya jayäcyuta-deva parät para
     svayam ananta-dig-anta-gata-shruta
sura-munindra-phanindra-caräya te
     musaline baline haline namah

       O infallible Lord, greater than the greatest, O Lord whose glories are heard in all directions without limit, glory to You! Glory to You! O Lord served by the demigods, the kings of the sages, and the kings of the serpents, O powerful Lord who holds a plow and a club, obeisances to You!

Text 11
yah pathet satatam stavanam narah
     sa tu hareh paramam padam ävrajet
jagati sarva-balam to ari-mardanam
     bhavati tasya dhanam sva-janam dhanam

        A person who regularly recites this prayer attains Lord Hari’s transcendental abode. All the strength in the universe is his. He crushes his enemies. He attains great wealth and a great dynasty.

God’s energy is beyond our conception, beyond our thinking jurisdiction, and is therefore called inconceivable (acintya). Who can argue this point? He pervades this material world and yet is beyond it. We cannot comprehend even this material world, which is insignificant compared to the spiritual world – so how can we comprehend what is beyond? Acintya means that which is beyond this material world, that which our argument, logic and philosophical speculation cannot touch, that which is inconceivable. Therefore intelligent persons, avoiding useless argument and speculation, should accept what is stated in scriptures like the Vedas, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam and follow the principles they set down. This will lead one to understanding.

 Bhagavad Gita As It Is 8.9 purport

BY SHANTHI RUPA DEVI DASI

KUALA LUMPUR - The Indescribable Beauty of Srimati Radharani 

"O Radharani, O Queen of Vrindavana, Your complexion is like molten gold, Your doe-like eyes are captivatingly restless, a million full and brilliant moons wane before Your lustrous countenance, and a blue sari, having stolen the hue of a fresh rain-laden cloud, has enwrapped Your exquisite form. O Radha, You are the crest-jewel of all the dallying damsels of Vrindavana, fragrant and pristine like a budding jasmine flower. Your sublime form is adorned with priceless jewelry, and you are the best of all the charming and intelligent gopis. You are decorated with all wonderful excellences and surrounded by eight dedicated and beloved cowherd girls known as the asta-sakhis.

"The ambrosia of Your beautiful lips, red as the bimba fruit, is life-giving syrup to Krishna. O Radha, I am rolling on the banks of the Yamuna, my poor heart filled with anticipation, praying to You with all humility. I am guilty of being an offender, a rascal, a useless wretch -- yet I beg You to kindly engage me in even the smallest service to Your lotus feet. O most merciful Lady, it will not become You to ignore this most distressed soul, for Your heart is always overflowing with compassion and love." - [Sri Prarthana-paddhati [Stavamala], Srila Rupa goswami]

VICARU DAS
BHAKTIVEDANTA MANOR
ISKCON UK

SB 7.15.8
Naitadrsah paro dharmo
nrnam sad-dharmam icchatam
nyaso dandasya bhutesu
mano-vak-kayajasya yah

persons who want to advance in superior religion are advised to give up all envy of other living entities,whether in relationship to the body, words and mind.There is no religion superior to this.

SB. 7.15.17
Sada santusta-manasah
sarvah sivamaya disah
sarkara-kantakadibhyo
yathopanat-padah sivam

For a person who has suitable shoes on his feet,there is no danger even when he walks on pebbles and thorns.for him,everything is auspicious. similarly,for one who is always self satisfied there is no distress;indeed,he feels happiness everywhere.

SB 7.15.18
santustah kena va rajan
na vartetapi varina.
aupastha-jaihvya-karpanyad
grha-palayate janah

My dear king, a self satisfied person can be happy even with only drinking water.However, one who is driven by the senses,specially by the tongue and genitals,must accept the position of household dog to satisfy his senses.

SB 7.15.22
asankalpaj jayet kamam
krodham kama-vivarjanat
arthanartheksaya lobham
bhayam tattvavamarsanat

By making plans with determination, one should give up lusty desires for sense gratification.similarly,by giving up envy one should conquer anger, by discussing the disadvantages of accumulating wealth one should give up greed, and by discussing the truth one should give up fear.

SB7.15.23
anviksikya soka-mohau
dambham mahad-upasaya
yogantarayan maunena
himsam kamady-anihaya

By discussing spiritual knowledge one can conquer lamentation and illusion, by serving a great devotee one can become prideless,by keeping silent one can avoid obstacles on the path of mystic yoga, and simply by stopping sense gratification one can conquer envy.

Our daily life, with its many obligations, requires hard work. So, if we make time to meditate, we expect meditation to serve as a break, to de-stress us.

Mantra meditation does indeed offer that break, but not in the way we expect. Let’s understand.

Krishna is non-different from the mantras centered on his holy names. Mantra meditation thus offers us the opportunity to relish Krishna’s energizing presence. However, we can’t relish Krishna’s presence if we lethargically give in to the mind’s default restlessness, for it doesn’t let us connect with Krishna. Consequently, meditation leaves us feeling bored and burdened. It becomes another chore – a difficult, demanding chore.

The problem is our faulty expectation that meditation should be a break from hard work. But authentic meditation requires concentration of the mind and so is hard work. No wonder the Bhagavad-gita (09.14) urges serious practitioners to endeavor with determination.

Intriguingly, this endeavor is not like mundane hard work – it doesn’t strain and drain, but relaxes and rejuvenates.

How?

By cleansing and animating the mind with the power of love.

We are parts of Krishna, just as the hand is a part of the body. Whatever we offer Krishna returns to us as devotional energy, just as the food the hand offers to the body through the stomach returns as physical energy. When we offer our love to Krishna through our attentiveness during meditation, he reciprocates by releasing his infinite love into our heart. This love pacifies and purifies the mind – and redirects it towards positive reality, ultimately towards Krishna. The resulting devotional energy recharges us far better than any break.

To benefit from this recharge, we need to approach meditation positively – not as a mere break, but as a rewarding challenge.

***

09.14 - Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.

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