Planet ISKCON

We are writing to provide you with an overview of the achievements and activities of the ISKCON Russian-Speaking Yatra throughout the month of April. 1. Sunday Programs: We hosted our two Sunday programs this month, one of which featured a lecture by HG Gaura Sundara Prabhu. During the other program, we dedicated our efforts to
Read More...

By Murari Gupta Dasa When I turned fifty, I had my highest salary ever, I worked less than ever, I still had a nice relationship with my wife (in Kali Yuga unbelievably), and I was a respected member of both karmi society and ISKCON. I was a rajadvipa – king of my island. I built
Read More...

Today is Rukmini-dvadasi, the appearance day of Srimati Rukmini-devi. There have been wonderful festivities all day, beginning with the special darshan of the Deities in Their flower outfits, and just now a wonderful abhiseka. During the abhiseka I really felt like I was in Vrindavan. There was so much devotion, spontaneous devotion—every time the pujaris poured another substance on the Deities, there would be gasps and cries of ecstasy and approval. It was wonderful. And that is life in Krishna consciousness: somehow being captivated by Krishna, the beauty of Krishna, manifest in His deity forms, His holy names, and His words and descriptions, the revealed scriptures. We want, somehow or other, to be absorbed in Krishna, and that absorption, encouraged by all these different activities, will cleanse the heart naturally and make us happy.

In terms of tattva (ontology), Krishna is the Absolute Truth. From Him everything emanates. He is the cause of all causes.

isvarah paramah krsnah
  sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
  sarva-karana-karanam

“Krishna, 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.” (Brahma-samhita 5.1)

Once, on a morning walk here at Cheviot Hills Park, I asked Srila Prabhupada, “We say that Krishna is the origin of all, but sometimes people question us, ‘You say Krishna is the origin, but what is Krishna’s origin?’ What should we answer?” And Prabhupada replied, “You should tell them that according to our information, Krishna is the origin of everything and has no origin, but if you find someone or something that is the origin of Krishna, we will worship that person or thing—but until then you should worship Krishna.”

So, Krishna is the origin, but in terms of tattva, there are two basic categories: vishnu-tattva and shakti-tattva. Krishna is the source of all Vishnu forms, beginning with Balarama (Krishna’s first expansion), Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha—so many expansions on the side of the energetic (Vishnu). Similarly, there are so many expansions on the side of the energy (shakti), and the first is Srimati Radharani. From Her expand so many gopis in Vrindavan, so many queens in Dvaraka, and so many Lakshmis in Vaikuntha.

krsna-kanta-gana dekhi tri-vidha prakara
  eka laksmi-gana, pure mahisi-gana ara
vrajangana-rupa, ara kanta-gana-sara
  sri-radhika haite kanta-ganera vistara

“The beloved consorts of Lord Krsna are of three kinds: the goddesses of fortune, the queens, and the milkmaids of Vraja, who are the foremost of all. These consorts all proceed from Radhika.” (Cc Adi 4.74–75)

Of all Krishna’s queens in Dvaraka, Rukmini-devi is the principal. Ultimately, she is an expansion of Srimati Radharani. All of Rukmini’s qualities are present in Radharani, though Radharani manifests some qualities that Rukmini doesn’t.

Many of Rukmini and Krishna’s pastimes are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, and they are all relishable and instructive. When I first read the story of Rukmini and Krishna in the Krsna book, I thought that it was the most wonderful story—one that could make a fabulous movie, with romance, suspense, chivalry, adventure, and a truly happy ending. I thought, “This is amazing. You get everything in Krishna consciousness—but completely pure and spiritual.”

Rukmini was the daughter of the king of Vidarbha, and when sages and saintly persons visited the royal palace, they would glorify the transcendental beauty, prowess, and character of Krishna. Sages knew Krishna to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and so they were pleased to glorify Him. And because He was acting as a ruler, kshatriyas were also pleased to speak about Him. By hearing about Krishna, Princess Rukmini became attached to Him (we could say she fell in love). She had never met Him, but just by hearing about Him she developed great faith, attraction, and love for Him and decided that He would be the perfect husband for her.

This is instructive for all of us—that if we hear about Krishna without envy, we will also become attracted to Him. Of course, Rukmini was a very pious, religious, pure-hearted girl. In fact, she was an expansion of Srimati Radharani. And because she was pure and religious and cultured, hearing about Krishna had an especially powerful effect on her heart. In the same way, if we lead pure lives as ordained by scripture, as taught by Srila Prabhupada, when we hear about the beauty and qualities and pastimes of Krishna, we will also become attracted.

Thus Rukmini, a most qualified princess, became attached to Krishna, the most qualified prince, and decided to marry Him. But her eldest brother, Rukmi, was envious of Krishna and forbade her marriage with Him. Instead, he arranged her marriage to his friend Sisupala, who was practically from birth envious of and antagonistic toward Krishna.

Other than Rukmi, all Rukmini’s family members and well-wishers, including her father, favored her match with Krishna. And Rukmini, Krishna’s eternal consort, could not think of marrying anyone else. Later, she told Krishna that only a woman who had not relished the fragrance of the honey of His lotus feet could accept someone else as her husband or lover. Any other suitor would be a “living corpse”—a bag covered with skin, whiskers, nails, and hair and filled with flesh, bones, blood, stool, mucus, bile, and air. “The aroma of Your lotus feet,” she averred, “which is glorified by great saints, awards people liberation and is the abode of Goddess Laksmi. What woman would take shelter of any other man after savoring that aroma? Since You are the abode of transcendental qualities, what mortal woman with the insight to distinguish her own true interest would disregard that fragrance and depend instead on someone who is always subject to terrible fear?” She insisted that she would depend only on Krishna, who has an eternal, blissful, spiritual form.

Understanding the situation, Rukmini, in a bold move, sent a message to Krishna through a trustworthy brahman, expressing her heart’s desire to have only Him as her husband and suggesting how He could steal her away from the assembly at her proposed marriage the following day.

Rukmini was so beautiful and attractive that not only Sisupala but also many kings and princes desired her. That is what we experience in the material world: Pretty much everyone looks at everyone else as objects to exploit and enjoy, however sweetly they may act or speak. For example, at the end of almost any phone call to a large business, the company’s rep will ask, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” It’s all scripted. The ultimate purpose is to get your money, but they ask ever so politely, “Is there anything else I can do for you today?” Underneath it all, people want to get something from you for themselves. They want to exploit your body, your mind, or your resources. They are just like the lusty kings and princes hovering around Rukmini.

In that delicate predicament, that awkward situation, Rukmini reached out to Krishna, cried out to Him to save her. That was the only recourse she had, and ultimately that is the only recourse any of us has. We are in an ocean surrounded by sharks ready to devour us, and the only one who can save us is Krishna.

 daivi hy esa guna-mayi
  mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
  mayam etam taranti te

[Lord Krishna says,] “This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Gita 7.14)

Rukmini surrendered herself to Lord Krishna with utter, complete sincerity, and the Lord reciprocated and delivered her. Sometimes we also pray to Krishna, but with some duplicity. We want Krishna’s help but at the same time still desire to enjoy materially, without Krishna. There is a saying about soldiers in combat: “There are no atheists in foxholes [pits dug for cover from enemy fire].” There are no atheists in foxholes because someone in extreme danger will naturally pray to God, knowing intuitively that only God can save him. But after he has been saved from his immediate danger, the person will tend to forget God and again think, “I’m the controller, I’m the enjoyer, I’m the proprietor,” and return to his ordinary, self-centered, inauspicious way of life.

Princess Rukmini was completely sincere. She wanted only to serve Krishna, and nothing else. Nothing else would satisfy her. And so she concluded her message to Krishna:

yasyanghri-pankaja-rajah-snapanam mahanto
  vanchanty uma-patir ivatma-tamo-’pahatyai
yarhy ambujaksa na labheya bhavat-prasadam
  jahyam asun vrata-krsan chata-janmabhih syat

“O lotus-eyed one, great souls like Lord Siva hanker to bathe in the dust of Your lotus feet and thereby destroy their ignorance. If I cannot obtain Your mercy, I shall simply give up my vital force, which will have become weak from the severe penances I will perform. Then, after hundreds of lifetimes of endeavor, I may obtain Your mercy.” (SB 10.52.43)

Now, one could argue that yes, Rukmini wanted Krishna, but along with Krishna she got a beautiful palace—there are descriptions in the Bhagavatam of the extraordinary opulence of Dvaraka—and so many nice children and servants and maidservants, and so much affluence. Actually, there is no harm in opulence, as long as Krishna is in the center. That is the main thing—that Krishna should be in the center. A chaste and faithful wife—this is another instruction from the narration of Rukmini and Krishna in the Bhagavatam—will follow her husband. If he is in an opulent position, so be it; if by circumstances he falls into a poor condition, still she will stay with him. And sometimes it happens that, by the grace of Krishna, the poor husband becomes opulent.

One example is Sudama Vipra. He was Krishna’s friend from when they were students in gurukula, in the ashram of Sandipani Muni. Sudama was a peaceful and learned brahman, detached from sense enjoyment, and he ended up being very poor. Krishna was a prince, the husband of the goddess of fortune, and He naturally ended up being supremely opulent. One day, Sudama’s wife, weak from hunger and distressed (more for her husband’s sake than for her own), implored him, “The Supreme Lord Krishna is nearby in Dvaraka. He is a personal friend and is compassionate to brahmans. Please approach Him, and He will surely give you, a suffering householder, abundant wealth.”

Sudama was not very keen on asking for something material from Krishna, but he did like the idea of seeing Him. In accordance with proper etiquette, he wanted to bring some gift, and he asked his wife if there was anything in the house he could take. They had nothing, so she begged four handfuls of flat rice from neighboring brahmans, tied it in a torn piece of cloth, and gave it to her husband as a present for Lord Krishna. Thus Sudama set out to Dvaraka, constantly thinking of Krishna.

When Lord Krishna caught sight of the brahman, He immediately stood up, went forward to meet him, and embraced him with great pleasure. He seated him very nicely on His own bedstead and washed his feet, while Queen Rukmini, the divine goddess of fortune herself, personally fanned the poor brahman. After some affectionate, philosophical talks about their times in service to their guru, Krishna asked His friend, “What gift have you brought Me?” Sudama felt so ashamed and embarrassed, he simply remained silent and bowed his head. Then the Lord, who knew everything, snatched the flakes of chipped rice tied in the old cloth and exclaimed, “What is this?” He ate a palmful of the rice, but when He was about to eat a second, Queen Rukmini caught hold of His hand and said, “One palmful is enough.” According to Vishvanatha Chakravarti, she was thinking, “If You eat all of this wonderful treat Yourself, what will be left for my friends and servants and me?”

Rukmini told Krishna, “This is more than enough to satisfy You. Your pleasure alone assures Your devotee of opulence in this life and the next.” In Krsna (Ch. 81), Srila Prabhupada comments, “This indicates that when food is offered to Lord Krsna with love and devotion and He is pleased and accepts it from the devotee, Rukmini-devi, the goddess of fortune, becomes so greatly obliged to the devotee that she has to go personally to the devotee’s home to turn it into the most opulent home in the world.”

Sudama spent the night in Lord Krishna’s palace, and the next day, after being duly honored by the Lord, without having asked Him for any material benefit, he set off for his home. Walking along the road, he felt blissful, satisfied just by the Lord’s darshan. And he thought that the merciful Lord, considering that if he suddenly became rich he would become intoxicated with material happiness and forget Him, had not granted him even the slightest wealth.

Thus the brahman eventually reached home. In place of his former meager residence, however, he found a celestial palace with beautiful gardens and servants and maidservants. And when Sudama’s wife came forward to greet him, she looked just like the goddess of fortune herself. Without Sudama’s having asked Krishna for anything, and without Krishna’s having told Sudama that He would give him anything, He gave him more than Sudama or his wife could ever have imagined. And Sudama never forgot Lord Krishna. He concluded:

kincit karoty urv api yat sva-dattam
  suhrt-krtam phalgv api bhuri-kari
mayopanitam prthukaika-mustim
  pratyagrahit priti-yuto mahatma

“The Lord considers even His greatest benedictions to be insignificant, while He magnifies even a small service rendered to Him by His well-wishing devotee. Thus with pleasure the Supreme Soul accepted a single palmful of the flat rice I brought Him.”

tasyaiva me sauhrda-sakhya-maitri-
  dasyam punar janmani janmani syat
mahanubhavena gunalayena
  visajjatas tat-purusa-prasangah

“The Lord is the supremely compassionate reservoir of all transcendental qualities. Life after life may I serve Him with love, friendship, and sympathy, and may I cultivate such firm attachment for Him by the precious association of His devotees.”

bhaktaya citra bhagavan hi sampado
  rajyam vibhutir na samarthayaty ajah
adirgha-bodhaya vicaksanah svayam
  pasyan nipatam dhaninam madodbhavam

“To a devotee who lacks spiritual insight, the Supreme Lord will not grant the wonderful opulences of this world—kingly power and material assets. Indeed, in His infinite wisdom the unborn Lord well knows how the intoxication of pride can cause the downfall of the wealthy.” (SB 10.81.35–37)

Firmly fixed in his determination by his spiritual intelligence, Sudama remained absolutely devoted to Krishna, and without avarice, he, with his wife, remained in the opulent position awarded them by Him. Being completely purified by constant remembrance of the merciful, affectionate Lord Krishna, Sudama attained the Lord’s supreme abode.

So, we are not against opulence, and we are not for poverty—we are for Krishna. Sometimes, however, opulence can be an impediment. We may be tested: “Do I want Krishna more or maya more?” And sometimes poverty, in a way, can be an impediment. But whatever is destined for us will come to us. We don’t have to bother about it. It is ordained. Some people are rich automatically, and some people are poor. It is ordained. Whatever happiness is due to us will come, and whatever distress is due to us will come, but the main thing is Krishna, to have Krishna, to make Krishna—the Deity of Krishna, the holy name of Krishna, the pastimes of Krishna, the philosophy of Krishna, everything Krishna—the center of our lives. And if Krishna, the husband of the goddess of fortune (and Rukmini, the goddess of fortune herself) wants, He will give us more facility to serve Him. That is what He did with Sudama Brahman. Knowing that the brahman would not misuse the facility, that he would remain a humble, devoted servant, Krishna gave him everything.

So, if we worship Rukmini-Dvarakadisa and make Them the center of our lives, we may enjoy some of Their opulence. New Dvaraka itself is quite opulent, so we are already enjoying some of Their opulence. But material opulence is incidental, because material things without Krishna will not make us happy. The real thing is Krishna. Only Krishna can make us happy, and with Krishna we will be happy—with or without material things.

Today’s festival is wonderful because it infuses us with thoughts of Krishna, inspires our attraction for Krishna. That is why Srila Prabhupada established this temple, installed the Deities, and trained the devotees, so that they could always be busy with Krishna, busy for Krishna, and by association inspire and teach others also how to be absorbed in Krishna. Among the main processes in the present age of Kali, the foremost is the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So let us chant Hare Krishna, dance, feast on krsna-prasada, and be happy in Krishna consciousness.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Rukmini-dvadasi, May 14, 2011, New Dvaraka, Los Angeles]

 

HG Braja Vilasa prabhu announce the Nrsimha Navaratri nine day yajna at ISKCON Mayapur leading to Nrsimha Caturdasi on May 22. 108 offerings will be made to the Lord during this time, along with regular daily Go-puja.

Take advantage of these auspicious yajnas to support the completion of the Nrsimha Wing by Nrsimha Caturdasi, and participate in the Give To Nrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser. Ambarisa prabhu is matching ALL donations and pledge payments dollar-for-dollar.

“O devoted one, one who builds a beautiful temple for Lord Nrsimhadeva will be freed from all sinful reactions and he will enter the Vaikuntha planets.”

Nrsimha Purana

 

---

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsappcommunity1
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

Srimati Sita Devi is the daughter of the Earth goddess, Bhumi Devi, and central figure of the Ramayana. In Maharishi Valmiki’s own words, Ramayana is known as the noble story of Sita “Sita-ayah Charitam Mahat”.

Janaka Maharaja did not have any children, so the Brahmins suggested to him to do a hola-yajna.  “You take a plough and draw a line around the palace.  When you move the plough, it will get stuck in the mud and every time it gets stuck you have to donate gold to the priests. In this way you are giving a lot of charity and you are getting a lot of blessings so you will get children.”

In one place it got stuck, and after giving all the gold, still the plough would not move on.  “There must be some big rock there,” everybody said, so they dug and found a box.  And inside the box was a baby, a female baby, and she looked just like Laksmi.  She was known as Janaki, the daughter of Janaka, and she grew up in the palace. When Siradhvaja (Janaka) was plowing a field, from the front of his plow [sira] appeared a daughter named Sitadevi. Thus he was known as Siradhvaja.

“Oh daughter of Janaka, the blessed souls of refugees! Oh Consort of Sri Raghu Rama, bedecked with shining gem-ornaments! Pray, protect me always! You are the wind that destroys the clouds of demons like the hundred-headed Ravana; You are the indweller in the hearts of the devotees; Your Feet shine with the lustre of gems set in the crown of Indra.”

Our dear Madhava is blue today being the seventh day of Chandan yatra! Hare Krishna! On this beautiful seventh day of Chandan Yatra, we experienced a moment of divine awe that we eagerly wish to share with you. As the Chandan Yatra festival unfolds, each day brings its own unique touch of devotion and grandeur, […]

Today is Sita-navami, the appearance day of Srimati Sitadevi, the eternal consort of Lord Ramachandra. She appeared as the daughter of King Janaka, one of the twelve mahajanas, great authorities in Krishna consciousness, and thus one of her names is Janaki. In Valmiki’s Ramayana, Sita is said to have been discovered in a furrow in a ploughed field believed to now be the city of Sitamarhi in the Mithila region of present-day Bihar, and for that reason she is regarded as a daughter of Bhumi Devi (the goddess earth).

 To begin, we shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Nine: “Lord Caitanya’s Travels to the Holy Places.”

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda Prabhu! All glories to Sri Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

TEXT 178

daksina-mathura aila kamakosthi haite
tahan dekha haila eka brahmana-sahite

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at southern Mathura from Kamakosthi, He met a brahmana.

TEXTS 179–193

The brahmana who met Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu invited the Lord to his home. This brahmana was a great devotee and an authority on Lord Sri Ramacandra. He was always detached from material activities.

After bathing in the river Krtamala, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the brahmana’s house to take lunch, but He saw that the food was unprepared because the brahmana had not cooked it.

Seeing this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “My dear sir, please tell Me why you have not cooked. It is already noon.”

The brahmana replied, “My dear Lord, we are living in the forest. For the time being we cannot get all the ingredients for cooking.

“When Laksmana brings all the vegetables, fruits, and roots from the forest, Sita will do the necessary cooking.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very satisfied to hear about the brahmana’s method of worship. Finally the brahmana hastily made arrangements for cooking.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took His lunch at about three o’clock, but the brahmana, being very sorrowful, fasted.

While the brahmana was fasting, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him, “Why are you fasting? Why are you so unhappy? Why are you so worried?”

The brahmana replied, “I have no reason to live. I shall give up my life by entering either fire or water.

“My dear sir, Mother Sita is the mother of the universe and the supreme goddess of fortune. She has been touched by the demon Ravana, and I am troubled upon hearing this news.

“Sir, due to my unhappiness I cannot continue living. Although my body is burning, my life is not leaving.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “Please do not think this way any longer. You are a learned pandita. Why don’t you consider the case?”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “Sitadevi, the dearmost wife of the Supreme Lord Ramacandra, certainly has a spiritual form full of bliss. No one can see her with material eyes, for no materialist has such power.

“To say nothing of touching Mother Sita, a person with material senses cannot even see her. When Ravana kidnapped her, he kidnapped only her material, illusory form.

“As soon as Ravana arrived before Sita, she disappeared. Then just to cheat Ravana she sent an illusory, material form.

TEXT 194

aprakrta vastu nahe prakrta-gocara
veda-puranete ei kahe nirantara

TRANSLATION

“Spiritual substance is never within the jurisdiction of the material conception. This is always the verdict of the Vedas and Puranas.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As stated in the Katha Upanisad (2.3.9, 12):

na sandrse tisthati rupam asya
  na caksusa pasyati kascanainam
hrda manisa manasabhiklpto
  ya etad vidur amrtas te bhavanti
naiva vaca na manasa
  praptum sakyo na caksusa

“Spirit is not within the jurisdiction of material eyes, words, or mind.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.84.13) states:

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
  sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
  janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah

“A human being who identifies his body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of his body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of his birth worshipable, and who goes to a place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than to meet men of transcendental knowledge there is to be considered like an ass or a cow.”

These are some Vedic statements about spiritual substance. Spiritual substance cannot be seen by the unintelligent, because they do not have the eyes or the mentality to see the spirit soul. Consequently they think that there is no such thing as spirit. But the followers of the Vedic injunctions take their information from Vedic statements, such as the verses from the Katha Upanisad and Srimad-Bhagavatam quoted above.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We know from Srila Prabhupada, from the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu:

 nama cintamanih krsnas
  caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
  ’bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

Namah cintamanih krsnah: the holy name of Krishna is Krishna Himself. Caitanya-rasa-vigrahah: it is the form of rasa, the reservoir of pleasure. It is purna, complete; suddha, pure; and nitya-mukta, always free from material contamination. Why? Because there is no difference between the holy name of Krishna and the possessor of the name, Krishna Himself (abhinnatvan nama-naminoh).

Now, the question arises, “Since the Lord is spiritual and beyond the jurisdiction of material senses, how can one with materially covered senses touch, or chant and hear, the holy name of Krishna?” In the next verse of the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami explains:

 atah sri-krsna-namadi
  na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
  svayam eva sphuraty adah

Atah means “therefore,” as in athatho brahma-jijnasa. Atah: therefore (that is, because the holy name of Krishna is completely spiritual like Krishna) one cannot chant or hear the holy name—touch the holy name—with materially contaminated senses. However, if we engage our senses in the service of the Lord and the Lord becomes pleased with our service, then the Lord will reveal Himself to us.

In other words, although we cannot perceive the Lord with materially contaminated senses, the Lord can reveal Himself to us when He is pleased by our service; He can purify our senses and make Himself visible to us.

When even a sadhaka, a devotee who is practicing devotional service, cannot touch even the holy name of the Lord, how could a demon like Ravana see or touch Mother Sita, who is directly the spiritual energy of the Lord? It is not possible. What Ravana saw and touched was not the original Sita but maya Sita, an illusory representation of the original Sita. Thus Lord Chaitanya was consoling the brahman: “Don’t lament that Mother Sita has been touched by the demon Ravana. The demon Ravana could not even see her, what to speak of touch her. There is no need to lament.”

TEXT 195

visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane
punarapi ku-bhavana na kariha mane

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then assured the brahmana, “Have faith in My words and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception.”

PURPORT

This is the process of spiritual understanding. Acintya khalu ye bhava na tams tarkena yojayet: “We should not try to understand things beyond our material conception by argument and counterargument.” Maha-jano yena gatah sa panthah: “We have to follow in the footsteps of great authorities coming down in the parampara system.” If we approach a bona fide acarya and keep faith in his words, spiritual realization will be easy.

COMMENT

In the material world everyone is acting independently. Actually, people are not independent, but they imagine themselves to be independent. They want to think for themselves, see for themselves, make their own decisions, make their own plans. Even when they come to the subject of God, they keep the same attitude: “I don’t need anyone to tell me about God. I can think for myself; I can decide for myself.” Or they may accept some authority according to their liking. Many people go to various authorities and pick and choose what they like from each, and in the end they find confirmation for whatever they thought or wanted to begin with. That is not the way to understand God. Rather, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master and surrender. Surrender means no wavering to this side or that side. One must remain fixed in submission and obedience to the spiritual master and accept the spiritual master’s instructions without argument.

Of course, the whole process is based on faith, and therefore Lord Chaitanya’s first words are visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane: “Have faith in My words.” If you do, He says, you will be relieved. But if you don’t have faith in His words, you’ll go on suffering and nobody will be able to help you.

visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane
punarapi ku-bhavana na kariha mane

“Have faith in My words and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception.”

TEXT 196

prabhura vacane viprera ha-ila visvasa
bhojana karila, haila jivanera asa

 TRANSLATION

Although the brahmana was fasting, he had faith in the words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and accepted food. In this way his life was saved.

COMMENT

The brahman was fasting because he thought that Ravana had touched Sita and kidnapped her. He was ready to give up his life, but because he had faith in the words of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he gave up his misconception, took prasada, and saved his life.

TEXT 197

tanre asvasiya prabhu karila gamana
krtamalaya snana kari aila durvasana

TRANSLATION

After thus assuring the brahmana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu proceeded further into southern India and finally arrived at Durvasana, where He bathed in the river Krtamala.

TEXT 199

setubandhe asi’ kaila dhanus-tirthe snana
ramesvara dekhi’ tahan karila visrama

 TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then went to Setubandha [Ramesvara], where He took His bath at the place called Dhanus-tirtha. From there He visited the Ramesvara temple and then took rest.

PURPORT

The path from Mandapam through the ocean to the island known as Pambam consists partly of sand and partly of water. The island of Pambam is about seventeen miles long and six miles wide. On this island, four miles north of Pambam Harbor, is Setubandha, where the temple of Ramesvara is located. This is a temple of Lord Siva, and the name Ramesvara indicates that he is a great personality whose worshipable Deity is Lord Rama. Thus the Lord Siva found in the temple of Ramesvara is a great devotee of Lord Ramacandra. It is said, devi-pattanam arabhya gaccheyuh setu-bandhanam: “After visiting the temple of the goddess Durga, one should go to the temple of Ramesvara.”

In this area there are twenty-four different holy places, one of which is Dhanus-tirtha, located about twelve miles southeast of Ramesvara. It is near the last station of the South Indian Railway, a station called Ramnad. It is said that here, on the request of Ravana’s younger brother Vibhisana, Lord Ramacandra destroyed the bridge to Lanka with His bow while returning to His capital. It is also said that one who visits Dhanus-tirtha is liberated from the cycle of birth and death, and that one who bathes there gets all the fruitive results of performing the yajna known as Agnistoma.

COMMENT

It is said that when Lord Rama was on the way to Lanka, He worshipped a deity of Lord Shiva. Some ignorant people say, “Because Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva is the Supreme and Lord Rama is subordinate to him.” But actually the opposite is true: Lord Shiva himself is a great devotee of Lord Rama. Sometimes, however, the Lord likes to serve His devotees, as in the case of Krishna and Yasoda. Krishna used to obey the dictations of Yasoda, but that doesn’t mean that Yasoda is God. Krishna used to carry the shoes of Nanda Maharaja, but that doesn’t mean that Nanda Maharaja is God. Krishna drove the chariot of Arjuna, but that doesn’t mean that Arjuna is greater than Krishna. Krishna washed the feet of Sudama Vipra, but that doesn’t mean that Sudama is superior to Krishna. The Lord takes pleasure in worshipping His devotees. Lord Ramachandra wanted to glorify His devotee Shiva, and therefore He may have worshipped him.

Other ignorant people say that because Ravana was a devotee of Lord Shiva, Rama approached Lord Shiva to ask his permission before killing Ravana. Once, at Juhu Beach, a disciple mentioned this idea to Srila Prabhupada, and Prabhupada replied that people who say that Lord Rama had Lord Shiva’s permission to kill Ravana want to say that Lord Shiva is a rascal, that he would give permission for someone to kill his devotee: “Oh, yes. He is my devotee, but it’s all right—you can kill him.” Prabhupada said they want to prove that Lord Shiva is a rascal. Rather, he said—and he quoted the shastra—when Rama was in the process of killing Ravana, Mother Parvati asked Lord Shiva, “Ravana is your great devotee, and now he is in trouble. Why don’t you do something to help him?” And Lord Shiva replied, “Lord Rama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When He wants to kill Ravana, what can I do?”

TEXT 200

vipra-sabhaya sune tanha kurma-purana
tara madhye aila pativrata-upakhyana

TRANSLATION

There, among the brahmanas, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu listened to the Kurma Purana, wherein is mentioned the chaste woman’s narration.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarks that only two khandas of the Kurma Purana are now available, namely the Purva-khanda and Uttara-khanda. Sometimes it is said that the Kurma Purana contains six thousand verses, but according to Srimad-Bhagavatam the original Kurma Purana contains seventeen thousand verses. It is considered the fifteenth of the eighteen Maha-puranas.

TEXT 201

pativrata-siromani janaka-nandini
jagatera mata sita—ramera grhini

TRANSLATION

Srimati Sitadevi is the mother of the three worlds and the wife of Lord Ramacandra. Among chaste women she is supreme, and she is the daughter of King Janaka.

TEXT 202

ravana dekhiya sita laila agnira sarana
ravana haite agni kaila sitake avarana

TRANSLATION

When Ravana came to kidnap Mother Sita and she saw him, she took shelter of the fire-god, Agni. The fire-god covered the body of Mother Sita, and in this way she was protected from the hands of Ravana.

TEXT 203

‘maya-sita’ ravana nila, sunila akhyane
suni’ mahaprabhu haila anandita mane

TRANSLATION

Upon hearing from the Kurma Purana how Ravana had kidnapped a false form of Mother Sita, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became very satisfied.

TEXT 204

sita lana rakhilena parvatira sthane
‘maya-sita’ diya agni vancila ravane

TRANSLATION

The fire-god, Agni, took away the real Sita and brought her to the place of Parvati, goddess Durga. An illusory form of Mother Sita was then delivered to Ravana, and in this way Ravana was cheated.

TEXT 205

raghunatha asi’ yabe ravane marila
agni-pariksa dite yabe sitare anila

After Ravana was killed by Lord Ramacandra, Sitadevi was brought before the fire and tested.

TEXT 206

tabe maya-sita agni kari antardhana
satya-sita ani’ dila rama-vidyamana

TRANSLATION

When the illusory Sita was brought before the fire by Lord Ramacandra, the fire-god made the illusory form disappear and delivered the real Sita to Lord Ramacandra.

TEXT 207

sunina prabhura anandita haila mana
ramadasa-viprera katha ha-ila smarana

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard this story, He was very pleased, and He remembered the words of Ramadasa Vipra.

TEXT 208

e-saba siddhanta suni’ prabhura ananda haila
brahmanera sthane magi’ sei patra nila

TRANSLATION

Indeed, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard these conclusive statements from the Kurma Purana, He felt great happiness. After asking the brahmanas’ permission, He took possession of the manuscript leaves of the Kurma Purana.

TEXT 209

nutana patra lekhana pustake deoyaila
pratiti lagi’ puratana patra magi’ nila

TRANSLATION

Since the Kurma Purana was very old, the manuscript was also very old. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took possession of the original leaves in order to have direct evidence. The text was copied onto new leaves in order that the Purana be replaced.

TEXT 210

patra lana punah daksina-mathura aila
ramadasa vipre sei patra ani dila

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned to southern Mathura [Madurai] and delivered the original manuscript of the Kurma Purana to Ramadasa Vipra.

TEXTS 211–212

sitayaradhito vahnis
  chaya-sitam ajijanat
tam jahara dasa-grivah
  sita vahni-puram gata

pariksa-samaye vahnim
  chaya-sita vivesa sa
vahnih sitam samaniya
  tat-purastad aninayat

TRANSLATION

“When he was petitioned by Mother Sita, the fire-god, Agni, brought forth an illusory form of Sita, and Ravana, who had ten heads, kidnapped the false Sita. The original Sita then went to the abode of the fire-god. When Lord Ramacandra tested the body of Sita, it was the false, illusory Sita that entered the fire. At that time the fire-god brought the original Sita from his abode and delivered her to Lord Ramacandra.”

PURPORT

These two verses are taken from the Kurma Purana.

TEXT 213

patra pana viprera haila anandita mana
prabhura carane dhari’ karaye krandana

TRANSLATION

Ramadasa Vipra was very pleased to receive the original leaf manuscript of the Kurma Purana, and he immediately fell down before the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and began to cry.

TEXTS 214–218

After receiving the manuscript, the brahmana, being very pleased, said, “Sir, You are Lord Ramacandra Himself and have come in the dress of a sannyasi to give me audience.

“My dear Sir, You have delivered me from a very unhappy condition. I request that You take Your lunch at my place. Please accept this invitation.

“Due to my mental distress I could not give You a very nice lunch the other day. Now, by good fortune, You have come again to my home.”

Saying this, the brahmana very happily cooked food, and a first-class dinner was offered to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed that night in the house of the brahmana. Then, after showing him mercy, the Lord started toward the Tamraparni River in Pandya-desa.

COMMENT

The chastity of Mother Sita is glorified in similar terms in the summary of the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra in the Ninth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because Ravana had been cursed by the anger of Mother Sita, his armies were vanquished and ultimately he was killed.

te ’nikapa raghupater abhipatya sarve
  dvandvam varutham ibha-patti-rathasva-yodhaih
jaghnur drumair giri-gadesubhir angadadyah
  sitabhimarsa-hata-mangala-ravanesan

 “Angada and the other commanders of the soldiers of Ramacandra faced the elephants, infantry, horses, and chariots of the enemy and hurled against them big trees, mountain peaks, clubs, and arrows. Thus the soldiers of Lord Ramacandra killed Ravana’s soldiers, who had lost all good fortune because Ravana had been condemned by the anger of Mother Sita.” (SB 9.10.20)

After Ravana had been killed, his wife, Mandodari, praised the power of Mother Sita’s chastity, addressing her husband:

na vai veda maha-bhaga
  bhavan kama-vasam gatah
tejo ’nubhavam sitaya
  yena nito dasam imam

“O greatly fortunate one, you came under the influence of lusty desires, and therefore you could not understand the influence of Mother Sita. Now, because of her curse, you have been reduced to this state, having been killed by Lord Ramacandra.” (SB 9.10.27) In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada explains that any woman who follows the example of Mother Sita’s chastity and service can attain similar power—and that, in fact, women should follow her ideal example: “Not only was Mother Sita powerful, but any woman who follows in the footsteps of Mother Sita can also become similarly powerful. There are many instances of this in the history of Vedic literature. Whenever we find a description of ideal chaste women, Mother Sita is among them. Mandodari, the wife of Ravana, was also very chaste. Similarly, Draupadi was one of five exalted chaste women. As a man must follow great personalities like Brahma and Narada, a woman must follow the path of such ideal women as Sita, Mandodari, and Draupadi. By staying chaste and faithful to her husband, a woman enriches herself with supernatural power.”

Although Mother Sita was completely pure and chaste, some ignorant citizens criticized Lord Rama for accepting her back after she had been abducted by Ravana, and to preserve His authority as king—for the benefit of the citizens—He was obliged to consign her to the care of the great sage Valmiki Muni.

By her transcendental qualities and devotional service, Sitadevi attracted her husband, Lord Ramachandra, the Personality of Godhead. And after she completed her pastimes on earth, He remained absorbed in thought of her—while perfectly executing His royal duties—until He followed her, to continue their eternal lila in the spiritual world.

munau niksipya tanayau
  sita bhartra vivasita
dhyayanti rama-caranau
  vivaram pravivesa ha

“Being forsaken by her husband, Sitadevi entrusted her two sons to the care of Valmiki Muni. Then, meditating upon the lotus feet of Lord Ramacandra, she entered into the earth.” (SB 9.11.15)

tac chrutva bhagavan ramo
  rundhann api dhiya sucah
smarams tasya gunams tams tan
  nasaknod roddhum isvarah

 “After hearing the news of Mother Sita’s entering the earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was certainly aggrieved. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, upon remembering the exalted qualities of Mother Sita, He could not check His grief in transcendental love.” (SB 9.11.16) Of course, the Lord’s grief upon hearing the news of Sitadevi’s entering the earth was not material. In the spiritual world there are also feelings of separation, but such feelings are a manifestation of the Lord’s internal pleasure potency (hladini-sakti) and give rise to transcendental bliss—although they resemble the miserable feelings experienced by ordinary men and women who are materially attached to each other.

tata urdhvam brahmacaryam
  dharyann ajuhot prabhuh
trayodasabda-sahasram
  agnihotram akhanditam

“After Mother Sita entered the earth, Lord Ramacandra observed complete celibacy and performed an uninterrupted Agnihotra-yajna for thirteen thousand years.” (SB 9.11.18)

smaratam hrdi vinyasya
  viddham dandaka-kantakaih
sva-pada-pallavam rama
  atma-jyotir agat tatah

“After completing the sacrifice, Lord Ramacandra, whose lotus feet were sometimes pierced by thorns when He lived in Dandakaranya, placed those lotus feet in the hearts of those who always think of Him. Then He entered His own abode, the Vaikuntha planet beyond the brahmajyoti.” (SB 9.11.19)

Sri Sri Sita-Rama ki jaya!

There is an important lesson for all of us here, whether we are in a man’s body or a woman’s: Sitadevi is the energy of Lord Rama, the property of Lord Rama, and to take the property of the Lord for one’s sense gratification is demonic. Ravana was a scholar, a devotee of Lord Shiva, and he had many, many good qualifications. However, he had one fault that put him in the category of demons: he wanted to take the Lord’s property and enjoy it for himself. As we have been discussing—and maybe realizing—people in Kali-yuga have two sides: the devotee side and the demon side. The demon side wants to take the property of the Lord and enjoy it, like Ravana. So we must be careful that the demonic side does not become predominant. Otherwise, just as Ravana and his whole dynasty were destroyed, our spiritual life will be destroyed.

What is the difference between material and spiritual? When people challenge us, “You are living in a marble palace, you are using telephones, computers, tape recorders, and automobiles, so you are involved in materialism,” how do we reply? “We are using everything in the service of the Lord. What is used in the service of the Lord is no longer material; it becomes spiritual.” And it is true. The temple is spiritual because it is dedicated to the service of the Lord, and all the paraphernalia used in the Lord’s service is spiritual. So, there is no contamination. However, if we use the paraphernalia meant for the service of the Lord for our own sense gratification, then it is no longer spiritual; it becomes maya. Ravana wanted to take Rama’s Sita, but he couldn’t touch the original Sita. He could get only the maya Sita. Similarly, the Lord’s paraphernalia is spiritual when engaged in the Lord’s service, but if we try to use the same things for our sense gratification, they become maya.

We should not be complacent and assume, “I am a devotee, and everything I do is spiritual. Even if I handle money, it is spiritual because it’s for Krishna.” If it is for Krishna, it is spiritual, laksmi, but if it is used for our sense gratification, it becomes material, maya. So, we must be careful in every situation—in every activity, every transaction—to consider, “Am I doing this for Krishna or for sense gratification?” If an activity is done for Krishna, it becomes spiritual, but if that same activity is done for sense gratification, it becomes material. All the things we have, all the paraphernalia, which are meant for Krishna’s service, become maya if we use them for sense gratification. So, we should be very careful, especially if we take donations from the public, directly or indirectly. Even if we don’t directly take donations, we are using donations for our service, so we should take care that the donations we take from the public are used exclusively in transcendental devotional service and not one cent is used for sense gratification. If we use any of it for sense gratification, we are implicated in a cheating process, because the public think they are giving the money for Krishna’s service but in fact we are using it for sense gratification.

Srila Prabhupada said that if we take money in the name of Krishna’s service and then use it for sense gratification, we become debtors to the people who gave us the money. In other words, we are supposed to be only peons, carrying the money from the donor to the Lord—like Hanuman. He went to liberate Sita from Ravana not to keep her for himself but to deliver her to Lord Rama. We should be like Hanuman: we should liberate Sita from the hands of whomever and deliver her to Rama. We are not meant to touch her. If we do, we’ll have to come back in another life and pay our debt to the people from whom we took the money. These are subtle laws, and Srila Prabhupada was concerned that we should not become victims of our desires for sense gratification. Therefore he explained everything very clearly, so that we can be conscientious and use the Lord’s property only for the Lord’s service. Then we will be like Hanuman, the great devotee who got the mercy of Lord Rama. But if we try to use the Lord’s property for our sense gratification, we become like Ravana and will be destroyed.

On this occasion we pray to Mother Sita to bless us to become pure-hearted servants like Hanuman, Laksmana, and Mother Sita herself—and to save us. Whatever Ravana-like demonic tendencies we have, let them be vanquished by her mercy, by her will, so we may continue in our devotional service without any impediment and ultimately attain pure love (prema), our ultimate goal.

Sri Sri Sita-Rama-Laksmana-Hanuman ki jaya!
Sri Sita-navami ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Sita-navami, May 9, 1995, Bombay]

Shri Suryadasa Sarakhela had two daughters.  The older of the two was named Shri Vasudha and the younger was named Shri Jahnava. 

The Gaura-Ganodesha-dipika says: shri varuni revatyoramshasambhave, tasya priye shrivasudha cha jahnava, shri suryadasakhya-mahatmanah sute, kakudmirupasya cha suryatejasah, kecit shri vasudha-devim, kalav api vivrinute, ananga-manjarim kecij, jahnavim ca pracakshate, ubhayam tu smichinam, purva-nyayat satam matam. 

Kavi Karnapura says, “Shri Nityananda Prabhu’s dear consorts, Shri Vasudha and Jahnava Devi are expansions of Varuni and Revati, respectively. Shri Suryadasa Pandit had formerly been Maharaja Kukudmi. His bodily effulgence was as brilliant as the sun.

Some say that Shrimati Vasudha-devi is the incarnation of Shrimati Ananga-manjari, and others say that Shrimati Jahnavi-devi is the incarnation of Shrimati Ananga-manjari. In truth, both opinions are correct. They are both incarnations of Shrimati Ananga-manjari.

Suryadas Sarakhela was a dear devotee of Nityananda and Gauranga. Seeing his daughters maturing into the full bloom of their youth, he began to think about the subject of their marriage. 

This is recorded in Bhakti-Ratnakara:“Suryadasa Pandit began to think about this very deeply. Once, thinking in this way late at night, he fell asleep. At that time, a dream came to him. With this, his mind was filled with bliss. In his dream, he saw himself giving his two daughters in marriage to Shri Nityananda Prabhu.

A little while later, Shri Suryadasa Pandita worship the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu and offered his two daughters—Shri Vasudha and Shri Jahnava Mata—into the hands of Nityananda. The Bhakti Ratnakara says, “In the opinion of both the scriptures and the people in general Suryadasa was most fortunate, having given his daughters in charity to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Nityananda Prabhu.  

After some time, Shri Vasudhadevi gave birth to a daughter named Ganga and a son named Virachandra. Shri Jahnava devi, on the other hand, had no children.

The story of Shri Jahnava Mata’s pilgrimage throughout the holy places of Gaura Mandala and Vraja Mandala has become quite famous throughout the society of Gaudiya Vaishnavas. 

Shri Jahnava Mata is a reservoir of prema-bhakti and is known as Nityananda-svarupini—the other self of Nityananda Prabhu. She delivered many sinners and atheists by her mercy. Her divine opulence (aishavarya) and sweetness (madhurya) are both astounding.

Today is a most auspicious occasion. Mother Arca-vigraha was a very special devotee, and she really gave everything to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and the devotees. I think of the verse akamah sarva-kamo va, moksa-kama udara-dhih/ tivrena bhakti-yogena, yajeta purusam param, that akamah, whether one has no desires, sarva-kamo; or is full of desires, moksa-kama; or is desirous of liberation, tivrena bhakti-yogena, if one engages in bhakti-yoga to Krishna, tivrena, with great intensity—that is a very important point: with great intensity, and in a sense it doesn’t even matter what your service is, but if you give yourself to it fully, if you put your heart into it fully—then you can approach the Supreme Lord, the supreme destination.

akamah sarva-kamo va
  moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
  yajeta purusam param

“A person who has broader intelligence, whether he is full of all material desire, is free from material desire, or has a desire for liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.” (SB 2.3.10)

Mother Arca-vigraha did that, and in a way, she was helped in the end by her pain—intense, difficult pain—because the only thing that gave her relief was hearing and chanting about Krishna. His Holiness Bhakti Bhrnga Govinda Swami Maharaja recounts an incident when he went in to see Arca in her room and she was literally crying in pain. Arca was a very strong woman, and she never complained, but she was in so much pain that she couldn’t control herself, and she was weeping, and Govinda Maharaja began to speak krsna-katha, about the pastimes of Krishna to her, and miraculously she stopped feeling the pain. She started to smile and laugh and enjoy the hearing and remembering of Krishna. So, she had discovered a secret: that as long as she was absorbed in Krishna, she could pretty much transcend the pain, but as soon as she was lax in remembering Krishna, the pain came back in full force. So, her pain actually helped her.

She was a very caring and compassionate person. She always gave her best to help devotees, and she genuinely liked and appreciated them. Sometimes even devotees who were considered renegades or somewhat eccentric in ISKCON would come to visit her, and she would always receive them and encourage them. Sometimes other devotees were worried and would mention these devotees’ bad reputations to her, how these devotees were perceived by others, but that didn’t stop her. She just wanted to extend herself to anyone and everyone, and she genuinely appreciated them as very dear friends.

She was a real artist. She found a way to convey deep spiritual truths in a new vocabulary of form and color. She did one series called “The Eye Opener” that illustrated different principles of Krishna consciousness. On occasion she’d put a little reference to a verse from the Bhagavad-gita, but the images themselves said so much. She displayed the first ones on her wall in her home in Johannesburg, and two completely different people became vegetarian just by seeing her depiction of meat-eaters sitting around the table, how they were developing the faces of animals. She conveyed that idea that by eating the flesh of animals, the eaters were becoming like animals and probably preparing their next birth as animals.

Her last desire, or one of her last desires, was that just as she loved Vrindavan and had all facility to associate with senior devotees in Vrindavan and relish the spiritual atmosphere of the dhama, she wanted others to have the same opportunity. And this desire—her compassion and her desire—gave rise to the idea of the hospice in Vrindavan, which has actually taken shape and is open and running. In my own life, her desire brought me into the field of devotee care in a very specific way, and that has also expanded into other ways and has brought me into the field of death and dying, and so I wrote my book Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying in the Vedic Tradition.

Another of my books, Many Moons: Reflections on Departed Vaishnavas, deals with nine of Srila Prabhupada’s exalted departed followers, including Arca-vigraha. There are about two pages of pictures for each of the moonlike devotees. For Arca, one picture shows her at her initiation ceremony. She had her full head of red hair and was coming forward to get her beads. I gave her the name Arca-vigraha dasi because she was a painter, an artist—a sculptor also, but mainly a painter. Once, a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “Which of the nine processes is painting, and Srila Prabhupada replied, “Arcanam, decorating the form of the Lord.” So, I gave her the name Arca-vigraha devi dasi, and one of her important services became painting deities. She began with the Gaura-Nitai Deities in Muldersdrift, and she went on to do beautiful painting of Deities, Radha-Golokananda in Mauritius and Radha-Rasabihari in Juhu, and she even did the Deities in Vrindavan, although strictly speaking, it was against the rules for a woman to go into the Deity room. But Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu arranged for her to come on the altar after all the Deities and the devotees had taken rest, and she painted the Deities between nine-thirty or ten at night and two or two-thirty in the morning. She would hardly eat or sleep—maybe an hour or two before she went to work. So, she did that service wonderfully—her painting of the Deities was beautiful.

Another picture shows Arca in front of her home in Ramana-reti. She had already retired to Vrindavan—she had cancer, but it wasn’t so bad yet, and she was still active and very blissful, happy to be in Vrindavan, very attached to chanting the holy name and hearing about Krishna. She had also begun to paint the deity of Vrindadevi at Vrinda-kunda. The pujari there had engaged her in painting the deity, with whom she had a special relationship, but it was near the end of her life, and using her arm had become quite painful. It was painful even otherwise, and so it was hard for her to paint, and she never completed the work. After she passed away, Bhakti Bhrnga Govinda Swami and I took some of the devotees who were in Vrindavan and were attached to her to Vrinda-kunda, and I mentioned to the pujari that she had felt sorry that she had not been able to complete her service to Vrindadevi. The pujari closed his eyes and then pointed upwards and said, “Now she will complete her service there.”

Arca also did a painting of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami to be placed in his renovated bhajana-kutira at Radha-kunda, and that was supposed to be a big secret, because the mahants at Radha-kunda, the babajis at that time, tended to see foreigners as mlechchhas and unqualified and unworthy, and on top of that, she was a woman, so from that conception she was even more unqualified and unworthy. There was one devotee, Akincana Krishna, a granddisciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who had become a babaji at Radha-kunda. And because of his association with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati—and he was also good friends with Bhurijana Prabhu and Jagattarini Mataji—he had some of that dynamic ISKCON spirit, Prabhupada spirit, and he wanted to renovate the whole bhajana-kutira, and Bhurijana Prabhu and Jagattarini arranged for Arca to paint the picture.

Arca and Kunti went to the unveiling of the painting on the disappearance day of three acharyas: Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. But when someone pointed to her, and said, “There’s the artist right there,” she wanted to disappear into the earth.

Then Akincana Prabhu renovated Jiva Gosvami’s bhajana-kutira at Radha-kunda, and Arca also did the portrait of Jiva Gosvami. At the inauguration the head mahant at Radha-kunda surprised everyone and spoke openly about her: “This devotee has come all the way from South Africa, and she has done so many austerities to serve Krishna, and she painted this beautiful painting of Srila Jiva Gosvamipada,” and he actually started to weep when he was speaking about her.

So, Arca made many contributions in many different ways. But the main thing is that she gave her heart fully to service, to the service of the devotees, to Radha-Shyamasundara, and her consciousness became extremely elevated, and her destination was extremely auspicious.

Shortly after Arca left, I visited South Africa. I didn’t particularly expect anything different, but soon after I got there, I could feel her desire to give mercy to various devotees whom she knew, especially those who had been with her or had served her in some way. It was an adventure as she revealed to which devotees she wanted to show special favor. And the same process is continuing today.

We have many fond memories of Mother Arca-vigraha as we knew her, and we believe that she has gone to the realm of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Radha and Krishna and that she can bestow her blessings upon us. She is ready and eager to bestow her mercy upon her associates and friends, and upon the devotees whom she knew and appreciated when she was here. Her mercy is very strong and powerful, and I feel that we are very fortunate and blessed to have known her and to have had the opportunity to associate with her and to be able to receive her blessings even now.

Mother Arca-vigraha ki jaya!

 

Sundarananda dasa:

With Mother Arca-vigraha, the joy of being a devotee and her heart’s feelings for Krishna and the devotees were so alive. All her being, all her self, was full of life and her desire to serve Krishna and the devotees—just radiating this enormous desire to please Krishna, to serve Krishna, to serve the devotees and the spiritual master. It was like seeing everything we read put into practice. It was practically not seeing a human being but seeing a completely spiritual soul in action, in service to Krishna. I never saw her as a material body. Looking at her, I saw her service, her desire to please, her strong determined feelings for Krishna and guru and the devotees.

Hare Krishna.

 

Kandarpa Manjari dasi:

She has definitely been an inspiration in my spiritual life. The main inspiration was her service attitude toward you, Maharaja, and toward the other devotees. And her non-judgmental attitude toward the Vaishnavas—the way she was always willing to give the devotees the benefit of the doubt and encourage them—and her example of always being enthusiastic to serve were both very inspiring.

When I first arrived in South Africa in 1990, some of the devotees greeted me—Nama Cintamani, Kuntidevi—and they pointed out Mother Arca-vigraha, saying, “See Mother Arca-vigraha? She’s very advanced.” And of course, I, with my material vision, thought, “Really? Oh.” But as the years went by and I heard more about her, I realized why she was so advanced. I saw that in her different services in South Africa she was selfless—in her service to the Deities, the devotees, her spiritual master, everyone. I thought, “Oh, this is the real sign of advancement, that someone is willing to give up everything—one’s pride, everything—to serve.” Only then did I begin to realize what the devotees meant.

I finally met her when Maharaja was able to go to India after so many years. She and I were on the same flight back to South Africa. I had always wanted to speak with her, but I didn’t know how to approach her. But she just jumped out of her seat and came and sat right next to me and made me feel really important. She said, “Here, look at these pictures!” They were pictures of Maharaja and the life members in Bombay, and she took the time to explain each incident to me. Her enthusiasm overwhelmed me, and I thought, “This is such a kind-hearted devotee.” She just had an art of making you feel important, even though you weren’t. She was really amazing. It showed that even in her relationships she was selfless: she just wanted to encourage you all the time; she didn’t want anything for herself.

Then I went to Vrindavan. It was about five months before she left her body, and when I saw her I thought to myself that I didn’t know how to deal with her, because she was leaving her body, which is a very traumatic experience. But she must have read my mind or something, and she just walked up to me as if nothing was going on in her life except how much she was in love with Vrindavan. It was in the restaurant, and she hugged me and said, “You better come and see me before you leave”—really begging me to come. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fulfill that desire of hers, because we were in a rush to leave and were with a whole group of other devotees. I thought I would see her when I came back to Vrindavan, because I was planning to come back the following year.

When I heard that she had left her body, I felt very upset. But then I had a dream about her, at the same time that Maharaja came to South Africa after her disappearance. And in the dream we made peace and she forgave me that I had not come to see her.

Her example is my inspiration and example. When Maharaja was very sick and came to America in 1999, Mother Arca-vigraha was instrumental in helping me, because I used to pray to her to inspire me and help me to cook for Maharaja to make him feel better. She was a figure, an instrument, to instruct and help me, even though she was not physically present. And the same thing happened today. Although I have been very sick for the last few days and couldn’t even cook or do any housework, somehow I got up early and had energy to cook. This was definitely Mother Arca’s mercy, that on her auspicious disappearance day she again empowered me to serve the devotees. And I prayed to her that I could learn to become more selfless, like her.

Hare Krishna.

 

Kuntidevi dasi:

My mind is so filled with memories of Mother Arca-vigraha that it is difficult to isolate what inspired me about her, and what inspires me about her now. There is so much. But a few days ago, I was thinking how Mother Arca-vigraha embodied the two most important devotional principles: chanting the holy names and serving the Vaishnavas. As Kandarpa and Sundarananda have mentioned, she performed these two activities with great determination and enthusiasm.

She would get up early each morning, at about three o’clock, and she never failed to chant her sixteen rounds. She worked very hard. When she was painting the Deities in Vrindavan, she would hardly sleep for days or sometimes weeks. Even when we were still in South Africa, before we moved to India, she would paint until late at night. I would come back at about 10 p.m. from a day’s book distribution and the evening preaching program at Yeoville, ready to collapse. But Mother Arca-vigraha would be awake, so we would talk and discuss until late at night, sometimes reading from the Bhagavatam. The next morning, she would be up at three o’clock, ready to start another day. And although she would rise very early, she would often encourage me to take a little extra rest.

She always said that Jayananda Prabhu was her model. Hearing about his example inspired her with the determination to always finish her rounds, no matter what. She had such a taste for service that she often said she wanted to become like the Six Gosvamis. She lamented that she had to sleep at night. Once, we took a course in Vrindavan on The Nectar of Devotion and she said that the real nectar of devotion was to do service.

Her service to the devotees was amazing. She was everybody’s friend, and she made everybody feel important and special and loved. She would greet you in such a way that you would feel that you meant everything to her. One day, before I began to stay with her, I went to visit her at her house in Yeoville. I knocked on the door, and when she opened it she exclaimed, “Oh, Kuntidevi!” with such joy. And I thought, “Wow, she really likes me.” Then, about an hour later, somebody else came and knocked, and when she opened the door she greeted the person with the same joy and enthusiasm. I was quite shocked at first to realize that it wasn’t just me, but then I realized what a special quality it was to be so warm and gracious—and not just as a social mannerism, but from the love in the heart.

I miss her as a friend. She was, in Krishna consciousness, the person with whom I had the deepest friendship and the deepest relationship. I haven’t really had another friend like her. I really miss her a lot. Often I share thoughts and experiences with her in my mind. Or something happens and I immediately think of her—funny things, especially, because we used to laugh at the same things. And also confidential things, things I wouldn’t easily share with anyone else. And I would think, “Oh, Mother Arca would have laughed at this” or “I have to tell her this.” But she is not there in the same way anymore. Still, in another way she is still there and very supportive as a friend and as a devotee.

Although we were friends, Mother Arca-vigraha was older and more experienced. I learned a lot from her training, her instructions, and her association. I was telling Vrajesvari the other day how Mother Arca had a juicer that she received as a wedding gift, thirty years or so before I met her. Arca took such good care of this juicer that it was in first-class condition so many years later, even though she used it every single day.

This was one of the first practical lessons I learned from her—to immediately take the machine apart after every use, wash every piece, dry every part, put it together again, and pack it away. I learned how to take care of things and to perform even simple tasks thoroughly. This may not seem like a very profound lesson, but actually Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna consciousness means to be conscious, and she taught me to become more conscious of details.

Another thing I was remembering the other day—I was wrapping something—was how we used to wrap her paintings in Vrindavan. Again, she did it with such care and precision and artistry, the way she did everything. To maintain herself, she would paint floral still lifes, like the ones on the calendar in our kitchen. She was very, very sick at that time, and the pain in her arm was almost unbearable, but somehow she would still paint. So, I would go to different places in Vrindavan, sometimes in the fields, to collect flowers for her to paint. It wasn’t so easy to find flowers on stems in Vrindavan, because people there grow flowers mainly for garlands. So sometimes I would go to Delhi, and there was one really nice flower market at Khan Market. So, I would pick out some beautiful flowers and bring them back to Vrindavan for her. We would arrange them in one of her colorful Rajasthani ceramic vases, and then she would just paint for days. It was a momentous effort every time. But she was so determined. Then we would have to package these paintings so that Sara, her daughter and agent in South Africa, could sell them. Mother Arca-vigraha was very particular about packing her paintings. By watching her and helping her, I got a sense of her meticulousness, and eventually I was entrusted with packing them. When a person who is such a perfectionist and who has such fine taste entrusts you with something so dear to them, it really means a lot. Of course, in some ways she entrusted her life to me, but at the time packing her paintings meant a lot to me.

Although I fall far short in every respect, I have often thought that my service to Mother Arca-vigraha prepared me for my service to you, Guru Maharaja, because you are also a perfectionist with very sensitive and refined taste, and you also have an artistic temperament in many ways. It was good training to serve her before trying to serve you.

Apart from being an amazing devotee, she was just a wonderful person. Nowadays we often speak about devotees being “balanced.” I feel she was balanced—as a human being and as a devotee—in the sense that she was very deep in spiritual life, very deeply absorbed in Krishna consciousness, but not fanatical at all, not dogmatic at all, not exclusive of anybody or anyone’s belief. She saw the essence in everybody and often said that we should see the divinity in everyone. And she had great respect for all living entities—even the dogs. When she saw the dogs suffering in Vrindavan, she would cry. Sometimes she would cry and say she was crying for the whole world. Of course, her emotions were heightened by her particular situation, but she was very sensitive.

She would befriend all kinds of devotees, even if they were unpopular or ostracized by some. For example, she made friends with Hamsaduta, who was considered very offensive, a renegade in ISKCON, but she made friends with him and welcomed him into her house. At first I was really concerned. I could not understand why she made friends with him. I would go to Govinda Maharaja and ask him what we should do about her association with Hamsaduta, and I would write letters to Guru Maharaja asking him what to do. Eventually I realized that Mother Arca Vigraha was just following her own heart, so full of purity and spiritual realization. And this was another valuable lesson, to be true to oneself, the way Mother Arca Vigraha was always true to herself. She always followed her heart.

Mother Arca-vigraha was not conventional. Sometimes this was quite amusing, especially in the beginning. She was very spontaneous in her devotional service and lived “outside” in her own house, while we all lived in the temple and were all trained to be very, very strict about everything. There were so many rules and regulations, and the slightest “deviation” had tremendous consequences, or so it seemed at the time. But Mother Arca-vigraha was so spontaneous, and in the beginning she couldn’t get every detail right, like how many times to offer an incense stick or ghee lamp. Later on, I understood that the purpose of all the rules and regulations is to remember Krishna, and that Mother Arca-vigraha was already remembering Krishna, so what was the fault if she made some small mistakes.

And she always had a very personal relationship with Krishna. I remember that when I stayed with her in her house in Johannesburg, she would often talk to Krishna just like she would talk to any other person. And if something disturbed her, she would call out loud, “Krishna!” We weren’t quite sure how to understand her spontaneity, but her relationship with Krishna was indisputably real. Arca was twelve years old when her mother died, and she told me that her father was so grief-stricken that he was unable to take care of her and her older brother. So her father handed her over to the care of a Catholic lady, Mrs. Schneider, who lived next door. Although Arca was Jewish by birth, Mrs. Schneider taught her how to pray, how to call out to God, bowing down with folded hands, in the Christian way. Arca was in great distress about her mother’s death, but Mrs. Schneider taught her to take shelter of God. Mother Arca-vigraha credited Mrs. Schneider for teaching her to develop a personal relationship with God through prayer. And that sense of having a unique and personal relationship with God always stayed with her.

As she grew older, she explored many different paths of self-realization and God-realization. She inquired into Christianity, the Kabbalah, Sai Baba, Bhagavan Rajneesh, the Rosicrucians—everything there was. She even traveled on the back of a camel through the Sinai desert with a group of Bedouin nomads. And whatever path she followed, she learned everything there was to know about it and then practiced it very seriously. Gradually she rejected all the other theories and came to Krishna consciousness. Then she realized that Krishna consciousness was the process she had always been searching and yearning for. So when she joined and became a devotee, she already had a lot of spiritual training and realization.

But she was a fun person. Even when she was sick in India, dying, still she had a spirit of fun and adventure. At one stage we were going all over India, seeing different kinds of doctors and healers, going to different types of hospitals (I think I saw every cancer ward in Bombay and Delhi). But through all of this, which was a very heavy experience, she always had a sense of humor. Looking back on it now, I can see how incredible it was to maintain this spirit under such circumstances. But we saw it as an adventure, not only the physical adventure of traveling through India, but also a spiritual adventure, a journey. It was a very dynamic time. All these things would happen to us, and it was a great experience. We had some very unusual experiences.

One summer, when Mother Arca-vigraha’s frail health could no longer tolerate the intense heat in Vrindavan, we flew to northern India, to Kulu-Manali in Himachal Pradesh. Kulu-Manali is situated in the outer ranges of the Himalayas, near the border of Tibet. Manali, situated higher up in the valley, is a famous tourist resort, both for wealthy Indians and Western hippies. We chose to stay in the lower village of Kulu, situated on the banks of the river Vyasa.

Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu in Vrindavan had given us the names of some friends in Kulu. One boy invited us to visit his family in their village, high on the slopes of the mountain. The only way to reach his village was on foot, a steep, three-hour climb from Kulu. There was no way Mother Arca could do such a climb, but she insisted I go. One morning the boy and I set out. The climb was magnificent, with beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountain peaks—named after the seven great sages—and the river below. The scenery and landscape reminded me of something one would see in a National Geographic photo-article. I knew Mother Arca would love it and resolved to take her as well.

First our friend offered to carry her on his back. Then he said he could take her on a mountain horse, but she was too frail for that too. Eventually we shelved the idea. But at nine o’clock the next morning our friend burst into our room and said, “Come, let’s go.” He had four other men with him, and they had crafted a special palanquin, or palki, for her, complete with curtains and a roof to shield her from the sun. For Rs. 500, they would carry her up and down the mountain.

Mother Arca-vigraha loved the palki and was excited about the climb. Not wanting to miss the beautiful scenery, she had us take down the curtain and the roof, and she made herself comfortable, sitting cross-legged, sketching. Although paid for their services, the palanquin bearers carried her with the utmost care and respect. She had that effect on people: everyone she met wanted to serve her and please her. And these people recognized her as someone special, a “holy mother.” Wherever we went around Kulu, people would offer respect and address her as “holy mother.”

Eventually we reached the village. First we visited the village temple, where there were a deity of Lord Ramachandra and a Shiva-lingam, and then the boy took us further up the mountain to his family home. His family lived in a simple log cabin—the sheep downstairs, the people upstairs—overlooking groves of almond and apple trees. Huge hemp bushes grew wild everywhere.

Mother Arca-vigraha was fascinated by the villagers’ simple, self-sufficient way of life. They grew their own wheat, dal, and vegetables; herded sheep for wool; and kept short-legged Himalayan cows for milk. They ground their own atta, spun and dyed their own wool, and wove their famous Kulu shawls and tunics. They even built their own houses. With the hemp they made shoes.

With usual Indian hospitality, the mother offered us lunch. She gathered bundles of wheat, ground them in a stone grinder, and with this freshly-ground atta formed thick rotis with her hands. Then she made a sabji of fresh, tiny eggplants with a chili-masala stuffing, and some dal. It was simple, almost primitive, but delicious.

After lunch, we drank fresh water from a stream trickling down the mountain. According to legend, the Pandavas, as well as many sages and rishis, had spent time in the area. It wasn’t difficult to imagine these great devotees living there, drinking fresh water from the streams, eating fruits and berries from the trees, and meditating on God.

Mother Arca-vigraha gained a lot of inspiration from that trip up the mountain. She saw it as a symbolic journey, looking out over the world she was leaving behind and embracing the world beyond.

Then one morning she woke up with intense pain. We knew the cancer had spread, and we returned to Delhi by bus—a fifteen-hour journey, winding down the narrow mountain roads. In Delhi we went straight to Batra Hospital to meet her oncologist, Dr. Gosh. He was very straightforward and told her that the cancer had come to a critical point. Mother Arca-vigraha was shaken. We both realized that she did not have long to live. The only thing she could do was try to control the pain through radiation therapy. So, we went back to Vrindavan for a few days and then returned to Delhi.

Mother Arca-vigraha wanted her art equipment—pencils and brushes and paints and papers—in case she felt inspired to work. We also took a portable kitchen—stoves, pots, and dry goods. And her special pillow, sheets, and personal effects.

The taxi left us at Batra Hospital. There were throngs of people. Struggling with our impossible luggage, we took our places in a long line leading to the front desk. Eventually we reached the admission clerk. Our idea was that I would stay under Arca’s bed and cook for her and take care of her. But the hospital refused. With that, Mother Arca-vigraha turned around and walked out. “We’re going to Kaya Maya.”

Years before, on a flight from Mauritius to Bombay, Mother Arca-vigraha had met a famous Ayurvedic kaviraja. After she moved to Vrindavan, she started taking treatment from Kaviraja Partap Chauhan, who, it turned out, was a student of the famous kaviraja she had met on the plane. And Kaviraj Chauhan’s “Guruji,” as he was called, ran an Ayurvedic clinic called Kaya Maya in Tughlakabad, outside Delhi.

We piled into an auto rickshaw, with Mother Arca-vigraha in the back on top of the luggage, and I squeezed in next to the driver. When we arrived at Kaya Maya, we found that it was just a day clinic. Still, the manager agreed to give us a room, a dark little room full of cobwebs with a simple tap and toilet as an attached bathroom, and another room, a crude cement structure with a tap and a basin, to use as a kitchen.

Every day people would come to consult Guruji. They would wait for hours in the courtyard outside his consulting room, and they would notice us. Partly out of boredom and partly out of curiosity, people would come right up to our door and window and stare at us. And Mother Arca-vigraha, equally intrigued, would stare back. Her artist’s vision always noticed something unique and beautiful about each person, no matter how ordinary he or she seemed.

Mother Arca-vigraha had excellent taste in everything, and she loved fragrant oils. She had one particularly nice oil that she would wear on her sikha. So, the first night at Kaya Maya, at about ten or eleven at night, there was a loud knock on our door. Standing in the door, swaying and hiccupping, was a large man who introduced himself as Guruji’s son. He told us that he had just come from a party and had smelled the exquisite fragrance coming from our room. Mother Arca-vigraha was delighted and said, “Oh, you like it? Come smell.” So, she lifted up her sikha and allowed him to smell. Then he started telling us his life story, all the while hiccupping. As we got to know the place better, we understood that he was the black sheep in his family. But he felt so encouraged by Mother Arca-vigraha’s kindness. She always saw the good in everyone and gave them a sense of dignity and self-respect.

This was about six months before she left her body. She was very sick and in great pain. We had no transport to get to the hospital, so every day I would walk down to the main road to hitchhike. When a car stopped, I would tell the driver, “Just wait, I have to call my mother,” and run back up to call Arca. It is amazing how many austerities she accepted. She was accustomed to having the best of everything, but here she was, begging rides to go to the hospital.

At the hospital we met people from all over India and Nepal. Some had huge tumors, like footballs, protruding from their bodies. It was almost too much for the human mind to bear. I think the other patients recognized how brave Arca was. She was so obviously refined and accustomed to more, but here she was in a mediocre hospital, far away from her family and country and facilities. I think she gave the other patients courage to face their own situations.

After that, we returned to Vrindavan, and she never left again, not even for a day. She became more and more absorbed in Krishna consciousness, and her focus shifted from her life and service in this world to her life and service in Goloka Vrindavan. The next few months extracted from her the ultimate in surrender and purification, and by the time she passed away, her consciousness was highly exalted.

She had taken your instruction, Guru Maharaja—“Just go to Vrindavan and let Radharani take over”—completely to heart. Her faith in guru and Krishna and her love for Vrindavan had assured her of complete victory. There is no doubt that she entered the eternal pastimes of Radha and Krishna and Their associates.

[Mother Arca-vigraha’s disappearance day, May 9, 2000, Carpinteria, California]

 

“May the Fourth, be with us!” A hundred-plus devotees answered this call for the first annual Krishna House Retreat in New Vrindavan, May 3-5, 2024. Krishna House leaders, students and friends from around North America gathered for memorable kirtans, uplifting classes, wonderful prasadam and insightful seminars during the event. Krishna House is an outreach program
Read More...

Mohini Ekadasi vrata, also known as Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, is observed in the auspicious Vedic month of Vaishakha. It is one of the most important of the 24 Ekadashi vratas and is observed on the 11th day during the Shukla Paksha or the Full Moon fortnight.

This year, Mohini Ekadasi (May 18 US / May 19 India) appears during the TOVP Give To Nrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser to complete Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Wing by Nrsimha Caturdasi, May 22. Ambarisa prabhu, TOVP Chairman, is matching ALL donations and pledge payments during this time.

Ekadasi is a very auspicious time for giving in charity. Coupled with the fact that building a temple for Lord Nrsimhadeva results in liberation to Vaikuntha, this is a once-in-a-lifetime, historic event for the participation of all devotees, and we request one-and-all to help with their financial might. Whether you have made and completed a pledge, already given once or twice, please sacrifice some of your wealth again for this highest cause.

Various sponsorships and a general donation are available on the Give To Nrsimha Campaign page, and below are some quick links and QR codes to donate right now.

Ambarisa prabhu and the TOVP Team thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support!

“O devoted one, one who builds a beautiful temple for Lord Nrsimhadeva will be freed from all sinful reactions and he will enter the Vaikuntha planets.”

Nrsimha Purana

Website Links and Quick Pay QR Codes

 

 
Make a donation by using the appropriate QR code below:

 

  NOTE: Mohini Ekadasi is observed on May 18th in US and May 19th in India. Please refer to your local calendar through www.vaisnavacalendar.info.

  View, download and share the TOVP 2024 Calendar​.

 

The Glories of Mohini Ekadasi

From Kurma Purana

Sri Yudhisthira Maharaja said, “Oh Janardana, what is the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight (sukla paksha) of the month of Vaisakha (April-May)? What is the process for observing it properly? Kindly narrate all of these details to me.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh blessed son of Dharma, what Vasishtha Muni once told to Lord Ramachandra I shall now describe to you.

Please hear Me attentively.

“Lord Ramachandra asked Vasishta Muni, ‘Oh great sage, I would like to hear about the best of all fasting days that day which destroys all kinds of sins and sorrows. I have suffered long enough in separation from My dear Sita, and so I wish to hear from you about how My suffering can be ended.’

“The sage Vasishtha replied, ‘Oh Lord Rama, Oh You whose intelligence is so keen, simply by remembering Your name one can cross the ocean of the material world. You have questioned me in order to benefit all of humanity and fulfill everyone’s desires. I shall now describe that day of fasting which purifies the whole world.

‘Oh Rama, that day is known as Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, which falls on Dvadasi. It removes all sins and is famous as Mohini Ekadasi. Truly, Oh dear Rama, the merit of this Ekadasi frees the fortunate soul who observes it from the network of illusion. Therefore, if You want to relieve Your suffering, observe this auspicious Ekadasi perfectly, for it removes all obstacles from ones path and relieves the greatest miseries. Kindly listen as I describe its glories, because for one who even just hears about this auspicious Ekadasi, the greatest sins are nullified.

‘On the banks of the Sarasvati River there was once a beautiful city named Bhadravati, which was ruled by King Dyutiman. Oh Rama, that steadfast, truthful, and highly intelligent king was born in the dynasty of the Moon (Chandra-vamsa). In his kingdom was a merchant named Dhanapala, who possessed a great deal of wealth of food grains and money. He was also very pious. Dhanapala arranged for lakes to be dug, sacrificial arenas to be erected, and beautiful gardens to be cultivated for the benefit of all the citizens of Bhadravati. He was an excellent devotee of Lord Vishnu and had five sons: Sumana, Dyutiman, Medhavi, Sukriti, and Dhrishtabuddhi.

‘Unfortunately, his son Dhrishtabuddhi always engaged in greatly sinful activities, such as sleeping with prostitutes and associating with similar degraded persons. He enjoyed illicit sex, gambling, and many other varieties of acts aimed at gratifying the senses. He disrespected the demigods (devas), the brahmins, the forefathers and other elders of the community, as well as his family’s guests. The evil-hearted Dhrishtabuddhi spent up his father’s wealth indiscriminately, always feasting on untouchable foods and drinking alcohol to excess.

‘One day Dhanapala kicked Dhrishtabuddhi out of the house after he saw him walking along the road arm-in-arm with a known prostitute. From then on, all Dhrishtabuddhi’s relatives were highly critical of him and distanced themselves from him also. After he had sold all of his inherited ornaments and become destitute, the prostitute also abandoned him and insulted him because of his poverty.

‘Dhrishtabuddhi was now full of anxiety, and also hungry. He thought, “What should I do? Where should I go? How can I maintain myself? He then began to steal. The king’s constables arrested him, but when they learned who it was, and that his father was the famous Dhanapala, they released him. He was caught and released in this way many times. But at last, sick of his arrogance and total disrespect for others, and their property, the ill-mannered Dhrishtabuddhi was apprehended, handcuffed, and then beaten. After whipping him, the king’s marshals warned him, “Oh evil minded one, there is no place for you in this kingdom.

‘However, Dhrishtabuddhi was freed from his tribulation by his father and immediately thereafter entered the dense forest. He wandered here and there, hungry and thirsty and suffering greatly.

Eventually he began killing the jungle animals, the lions, deer, boars, and even wolves for food.

Always ready in his hand was his bow, always on his shoulder was his quiver full of arrows. He also killed many birds, such as chakoras, peacocks, kankas, doves and pigeons. He unhesitatingly slaughtered many species of birds and animals to maintain his sinful way of life, the sinful results accumulating more and more each day. On account of his previous sins, he was now immersed in an ocean of great sin that was so relentless that it appeared that he could not get out.

‘Dhrishtabuddhi was always miserable and anxious, but one day, during the month of Vaisakha, by the force of some of his past merit he chanced upon the sacred Ashrama of Kaundinya Muni.

The great sage had just finished bathing in the Ganges River, and water was dripping from him still. Dhrishtabuddhi had the great good fortune to touch some of those droplets of water that were falling from the great sage’s wet clothing. Instantly Dhrishtabuddhi was freed of his ignorance, and his sinful reactions were reduced. Offering his humble obeisances to Kaundinya Muni, Dhrishtabuddhi prayed to him with joined palms: “Oh great brahmana, please describe to me some of the atonement I may perform without too much endeavor. I have committed so many sins in my life, and these have now made me very poor”.

‘The great rishi replied, “Oh son, listen with great attention, for by hearing me your life will change, and you will become free of all your remaining sins. In the light fortnight of this very month, Vaisakha (April-May) there occurs the sacred Mohini Ekadasi, which has the power to nullify sins as vast and weighty as Mount Sumeru. If you follow my advice and faithfully observe a fast on this Ekadasi, which is so dear to Lord Hari, you will be freed from all the sinful reactions of many, many births.

‘Hearing these words with great joy, Dhrishtabuddhi promised to observe a fast on Mohini Ekadasi according to the sage’s instructions and direction. Oh best of kings, Oh Ramachandra Bhagavan, by fasting completely on Mohini Ekadasi, the once sinful Dhrishtabuddhi, the prodigal son of the merchant Dhanapala, became sinless. Afterwards he achieved a beautiful transcendental form and, free at last of all obstacles, rode upon the carrier of Lord Vishnu, Garuda, to the Supreme abode of the Lord.

‘Oh Ramachandra, the fast day of Mohini Ekadasi removes the darkest illusory attachments to material existence. There is thus no better fast day in all the three worlds than this.’

Lord Sri Krishna concluded, “and so, Oh Yudhishthira, there is no place of pilgrimage, no sacrifice, and no charity that can bestow merit equal to even one sixteenth of the merit a faithful devotee of Mine obtains by observing the Mohini Ekadasi. And He who hears and studies the glories of Mohini Ekadasi achieves the merit of giving away one thousand cows in charity.

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, or Mohini Ekadasi, from the Kurma Purana.

 NOTE: If the holy fast falls on Dvadasi, it is still called Ekadasi in the Vedic literature. Furthermore, in Garuda Purana (1:125.6), Lord Brahma states to Narada Muni:
“Oh brahmana, this fast should be observed when there is a full Ekadasi, a mixture of Ekadasi and Dwadasi, or a mixture of three (Ekadasi, Dwadasi, and Trayodasi) but never on the day when there is a mixture of Dashami and Ekadasi. This is also upheld in the Hari Bhakti Vilas, Vaishnava smriti shastra, and upheld by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupad in his Navadwip Panjika introduction.

 

---

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsappcommunity1
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

Mohini Ekadasi vrata, also known as Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, is observed in the auspicious Vedic month of Vaishakha. It is one of the most important of the 24 Ekadashi vratas and is observed on the 11th day during the Shukla Paksha or the Full Moon fortnight.

This year, Mohini Ekadasi (May 18 US / May 19 India) appears during the TOVP Give To Nrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser to complete Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Wing by Nrsimha Caturdasi, May 22. Ambarisa prabhu, TOVP Chairman, is matching ALL donations and pledge payments during this time.

Ekadasi is a very auspicious time for giving in charity. Coupled with the fact that building a temple for Lord Nrsimhadeva results in liberation to Vaikuntha, this is a once-in-a-lifetime, historic event for the participation of all devotees, and we request one-and-all to help with their financial might. Whether you have made and completed a pledge, already given once or twice, please sacrifice some of your wealth again for this highest cause.

Various sponsorships and a general donation are available on the Give To Nrsimha Campaign page, and below are some quick links and QR codes to donate right now.

Ambarisa prabhu and the TOVP Team thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support!

“O devoted one, one who builds a beautiful temple for Lord Nrsimhadeva will be freed from all sinful reactions and he will enter the Vaikuntha planets.”

Nrsimha Purana

Website Links and Quick Pay QR Codes

 

 
Make a donation by using the appropriate QR code below:

 

  NOTE: Mohini Ekadasi is observed on May 18th in US and May 19th in India. Please refer to your local calendar through www.vaisnavacalendar.info.

  View, download and share the TOVP 2024 Calendar​.

 

The Glories of Mohini Ekadasi

From Kurma Purana

Sri Yudhisthira Maharaja said, “Oh Janardana, what is the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight (sukla paksha) of the month of Vaisakha (April-May)? What is the process for observing it properly? Kindly narrate all of these details to me.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh blessed son of Dharma, what Vasishtha Muni once told to Lord Ramachandra I shall now describe to you.

Please hear Me attentively.

“Lord Ramachandra asked Vasishta Muni, ‘Oh great sage, I would like to hear about the best of all fasting days that day which destroys all kinds of sins and sorrows. I have suffered long enough in separation from My dear Sita, and so I wish to hear from you about how My suffering can be ended.’

“The sage Vasishtha replied, ‘Oh Lord Rama, Oh You whose intelligence is so keen, simply by remembering Your name one can cross the ocean of the material world. You have questioned me in order to benefit all of humanity and fulfill everyone’s desires. I shall now describe that day of fasting which purifies the whole world.

‘Oh Rama, that day is known as Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, which falls on Dvadasi. It removes all sins and is famous as Mohini Ekadasi. Truly, Oh dear Rama, the merit of this Ekadasi frees the fortunate soul who observes it from the network of illusion. Therefore, if You want to relieve Your suffering, observe this auspicious Ekadasi perfectly, for it removes all obstacles from ones path and relieves the greatest miseries. Kindly listen as I describe its glories, because for one who even just hears about this auspicious Ekadasi, the greatest sins are nullified.

‘On the banks of the Sarasvati River there was once a beautiful city named Bhadravati, which was ruled by King Dyutiman. Oh Rama, that steadfast, truthful, and highly intelligent king was born in the dynasty of the Moon (Chandra-vamsa). In his kingdom was a merchant named Dhanapala, who possessed a great deal of wealth of food grains and money. He was also very pious. Dhanapala arranged for lakes to be dug, sacrificial arenas to be erected, and beautiful gardens to be cultivated for the benefit of all the citizens of Bhadravati. He was an excellent devotee of Lord Vishnu and had five sons: Sumana, Dyutiman, Medhavi, Sukriti, and Dhrishtabuddhi.

‘Unfortunately, his son Dhrishtabuddhi always engaged in greatly sinful activities, such as sleeping with prostitutes and associating with similar degraded persons. He enjoyed illicit sex, gambling, and many other varieties of acts aimed at gratifying the senses. He disrespected the demigods (devas), the brahmins, the forefathers and other elders of the community, as well as his family’s guests. The evil-hearted Dhrishtabuddhi spent up his father’s wealth indiscriminately, always feasting on untouchable foods and drinking alcohol to excess.

‘One day Dhanapala kicked Dhrishtabuddhi out of the house after he saw him walking along the road arm-in-arm with a known prostitute. From then on, all Dhrishtabuddhi’s relatives were highly critical of him and distanced themselves from him also. After he had sold all of his inherited ornaments and become destitute, the prostitute also abandoned him and insulted him because of his poverty.

‘Dhrishtabuddhi was now full of anxiety, and also hungry. He thought, “What should I do? Where should I go? How can I maintain myself? He then began to steal. The king’s constables arrested him, but when they learned who it was, and that his father was the famous Dhanapala, they released him. He was caught and released in this way many times. But at last, sick of his arrogance and total disrespect for others, and their property, the ill-mannered Dhrishtabuddhi was apprehended, handcuffed, and then beaten. After whipping him, the king’s marshals warned him, “Oh evil minded one, there is no place for you in this kingdom.

‘However, Dhrishtabuddhi was freed from his tribulation by his father and immediately thereafter entered the dense forest. He wandered here and there, hungry and thirsty and suffering greatly.

Eventually he began killing the jungle animals, the lions, deer, boars, and even wolves for food.

Always ready in his hand was his bow, always on his shoulder was his quiver full of arrows. He also killed many birds, such as chakoras, peacocks, kankas, doves and pigeons. He unhesitatingly slaughtered many species of birds and animals to maintain his sinful way of life, the sinful results accumulating more and more each day. On account of his previous sins, he was now immersed in an ocean of great sin that was so relentless that it appeared that he could not get out.

‘Dhrishtabuddhi was always miserable and anxious, but one day, during the month of Vaisakha, by the force of some of his past merit he chanced upon the sacred Ashrama of Kaundinya Muni.

The great sage had just finished bathing in the Ganges River, and water was dripping from him still. Dhrishtabuddhi had the great good fortune to touch some of those droplets of water that were falling from the great sage’s wet clothing. Instantly Dhrishtabuddhi was freed of his ignorance, and his sinful reactions were reduced. Offering his humble obeisances to Kaundinya Muni, Dhrishtabuddhi prayed to him with joined palms: “Oh great brahmana, please describe to me some of the atonement I may perform without too much endeavor. I have committed so many sins in my life, and these have now made me very poor”.

‘The great rishi replied, “Oh son, listen with great attention, for by hearing me your life will change, and you will become free of all your remaining sins. In the light fortnight of this very month, Vaisakha (April-May) there occurs the sacred Mohini Ekadasi, which has the power to nullify sins as vast and weighty as Mount Sumeru. If you follow my advice and faithfully observe a fast on this Ekadasi, which is so dear to Lord Hari, you will be freed from all the sinful reactions of many, many births.

‘Hearing these words with great joy, Dhrishtabuddhi promised to observe a fast on Mohini Ekadasi according to the sage’s instructions and direction. Oh best of kings, Oh Ramachandra Bhagavan, by fasting completely on Mohini Ekadasi, the once sinful Dhrishtabuddhi, the prodigal son of the merchant Dhanapala, became sinless. Afterwards he achieved a beautiful transcendental form and, free at last of all obstacles, rode upon the carrier of Lord Vishnu, Garuda, to the Supreme abode of the Lord.

‘Oh Ramachandra, the fast day of Mohini Ekadasi removes the darkest illusory attachments to material existence. There is thus no better fast day in all the three worlds than this.’

Lord Sri Krishna concluded, “and so, Oh Yudhishthira, there is no place of pilgrimage, no sacrifice, and no charity that can bestow merit equal to even one sixteenth of the merit a faithful devotee of Mine obtains by observing the Mohini Ekadasi. And He who hears and studies the glories of Mohini Ekadasi achieves the merit of giving away one thousand cows in charity.

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, or Mohini Ekadasi, from the Kurma Purana.

 NOTE: If the holy fast falls on Dvadasi, it is still called Ekadasi in the Vedic literature. Furthermore, in Garuda Purana (1:125.6), Lord Brahma states to Narada Muni:
“Oh brahmana, this fast should be observed when there is a full Ekadasi, a mixture of Ekadasi and Dwadasi, or a mixture of three (Ekadasi, Dwadasi, and Trayodasi) but never on the day when there is a mixture of Dashami and Ekadasi. This is also upheld in the Hari Bhakti Vilas, Vaishnava smriti shastra, and upheld by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupad in his Navadwip Panjika introduction.

 

---

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsappcommunity1
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

“There are very exalted spiritual understandings in Krishna consciousness. They are not fictional, imaginary, or concocted. They are facts, and every devotee can have the privilege to understand and indeed take part in Krishna’s pastimes if he is actually advanced. We should not think that the privilege given to Mother Yasoda is not available to us. Everyone can have a similar privilege. If one loves Krishna as one’s child, then one will have such a privilege, because the mother has the most love for the child. Even in this material world, there is no comparison to a mother’s love, for a mother loves her child without any expectation of return. Of course, although that is generally true, this material world is so polluted that a mother sometimes thinks, ‘My child will grow up and become a man, and when he earns money, I shall get it.’ Thus there may still be some desire to get something in exchange. But while loving Krishna there are no selfish feelings, for that love is unalloyed, free from all desires for material gain.”

“You should not expect anything in return. That is real love. Just like a mother is loving her child, not expecting any return. But she still she gives service. So, that is as a little sample of pure love.”

—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.31, April 23, 1973, Los Angeles, and room conversation, July 13, 1976, New York

Hare Krishna.

Your grateful servant,
Giriraj Swami

HE SIGNED HIS NAME *In dedication to His Holiness, Gopal Krishna Goswami* Bhaktimarga Swami He signed his name to that temple guest book Which triggered events leading to a hook For that signature meant a follow-up call In ’68 the invite came from the Montreal Hall He was energetic, young, and thoughtful And began to
Read More...

This Nrsimha Caturdasi, May 22, signals the final day of the Give To Nrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser and the completion of the Nrsimha Wing in the TOVP. The Wing was opened on March 1-2 during a grand celebration attended by thousands of ISKCON leaders and devotees.

The matching fundraiser will help raise the funds to complete the Nrsimha Wing, and all donations and pledge payments are being matched by Ambarisa prabhu. This is a once-in-a-lifetime, historic event for the participation of all devotees, and we request one-and-all to help with their financial might. Whether you have made and completed a pledge, already given once or twice, please sacrifice some of your wealth again for this highest cause.

Various sponsorships and a general donation are available on the Give To Nrsimha Campaign page, and below are some quick links and QR codes to donate right now.

Ambarisa prabhu and the TOVP Team thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support!

Website Links and Quick Pay QR Codes

 

 
Make a donation by using the appropriate QR code below:

 

---

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsappcommunity1
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

The day known as Aksaya-tritiya occurs on the third day (tritiya) of the waxing moon in the month of Vaisakha. Every second of this blessed day is completely auspicious, and so there is no consideration of any one period (muhurta) being better than another. Aksaya means “inexhaustible”—anything a devotee undertakes on the day of Aksaya-tritiya is bound to succeed, especially the performance of devotional activities, which guarantee inexhaustible benefit.

It is said that Aksaya-tritiya is the day when Treta-yuga began and the river Ganges descended to earth. Also, the festival known as Candana-yatra starts on Aksaya-tritiya.

In the Madhva-sampradaya, Aksaya-tritiya is celebrated as the day of the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Parasurama. In the Sri Krishna Mutt monastery a special festival takes place during which the aksaya-patra, the marvelous pot gifted by the sun god to Draupadi, is worshipped. Srimati Draupadi was given the benediction that her pot would provide unlimited food at each meal, until she herself ate from it. It appears that the pot came under the custody of Sri Madhvacharya, and on Aksaya-tritiya it is worshipped and prasada is lavishly distributed throughout the day.

An interesting incident took place on Aksaya-tritiya in Nandagrama, where Sri Krishna enjoyed His childhood pastimes with Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda. When Nanda Maharaja established his residence there, he excavated a large lake, then known as Nanda Sarovara. Nanda Maharaja, his family members, and all the Vraja-vasis used to bathe in that lake. And it is said that while Nanda Maharaja and his family bathed at one end of the lake, Vrsabhanu Maharaja would occasionally come and bathe with his family at the other end. And according to local tradition, Srimati Radharani and Krishna used to swim underwater to the middle of the lake and engage in pastimes.

One day, little Krishna noticed that instead of cooking the usual meal of rice, dal, sabji, and chapatis, Mother Yasoda was making all kinds of fried preparations with dal, noodles, and flour. When Krishna asked her why she was cooking those things, she replied that Nanda Maharaja was going on a pilgrimage the next day and that the fried things she was cooking would last for several days without spoiling.

Krishna then asked where His father was going, and Mother Yasoda replied that he was going to Prayaga. So, Krishna went to Nanda Maharaja and asked him where Prayaga was and why he was going there. Nanda Maharaja explained that Prayaga was the sacred place where the three rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati met and flowed together and that to take bath there was most auspicious.

The next morning was Aksaya-tritiya, the perfect day to start on a long journey. As usual, Nanda Maharaja got up early and went to take bath in his lake. When he got there, however, he saw a man he had never seen before—an imposing, regal person—rolling in the dust and laughing loudly. Every now and then he would get up and dive into Nanda Sarovara, and then again he would come out and roll in the dust and laugh, and again bathe in the lake.

Nanda Maharaja approached the kingly man and asked, “Maharaja, who are you?”

“Baba, I’m Prayaga,” the man replied.

“Prayaga? I don’t know anyone in Nandagrama with that name.”

“No. No. I’m not from here. I’m Prayaga Raja, the king of all the holy places (tirthas)!”

“And why have you come here today, Maharaja?”

“Baba, all year long people come and bathe in my waters and leave their sins there. So, every year, on Aksaya-tritiya, I come here, roll in the dust of Vraja, and bathe in this sarovara, because this dust and this lake have the potency to purify (pavana) one from all sins.”

Nanda Maharaja was amazed. Suddenly he noticed that on the other side of the lake were many beautiful ladies in silk saris embroidered with gold and silver threads. They were also bathing in the lake. Approaching them respectfully, Nanda Maharaja asked who they were.

One lady replied, “Baba, I’m Ganga.” Another said, “I’m Sarasvati.” And yet another said, “I’m Godavari.” They all responded with the names of different holy rivers: Kurujangala, Kaveri, Narmada, Brahmaputra, Mahananda, etc.

Then Nanda Maharaja asked, “And why have you come here today? I’ve never seen you before.” The ladies explained that all year long people put their sins into their waters and that every year on the Aksaya-tritiya day they came to Vraja to roll in its dust, bathe in the sarovara, and become purified (pavana).

After taking his bath, Nanda Maharaja went back up the hill to his residence. By that time, little Krishna was awake. Coming before His father, He asked, “Baba, are you going now?” “No, Lala. I’m not going.” “Why, Baba?” “Because today, all the places I wanted to go came to take bath in our lake and become purified (pavana). So why should I take the trouble to go to them when they all came here?”

And from that day, Nanda Sarovara became known as Pavana Sarovara.

The very word Akshaya means, “that which never diminishes”. Any service or charity one performs on this day will be paid back many times over. On this day, Sudama gave the Lord a tiny portion of chipped rice and was rewarded with untold opulence. 

Draupadi was protected by Krishna twice on this day, once when He provided her an unlimited sari at the dice game in return for a tiny piece of cloth, and later, when she needed to provide food for Durvasa muni, the Lord took a single grain from her pot and satisfied the hunger of all the sages.

“If the devotee offers something to the Lord, it acts for his own interest because whatever a devotee offers the Lord comes back in a quantity a million times greater than what was offered. One does not become a loser by giving to the Lord; one becomes a gainer by millions of times.”

Krsna Book Ch. 81, The Brahmana Sudama Blessed by Lord Krishna

Traditionally, this is the best day for starting important endeavours. Vyasadeva and Ganesa chose this day to start writing the great epic Mahabharata, for example, and every year construction of the huge Ratha carts in Puri also starts on this day.

My heart grieves today, having heard about the departure of such an outstanding Vaisnava as His Holiness Gopal Krsna Goswami. I offer my condolences to the thousands of Vaisnavas and Vaisnavis worldwide whose hearts must be aching with intense feelings of separation from the physical loss of their spiritual master, guide, friend, and well-wisher. Last
Read More...

Ambarisa and Braja Vilasa prabhus and the entire TOVP Team would like to express our sadness upon the departure of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja from our earthly presence. However, we are relieved and confident to know that he is continuing to eternally follow in the footsteps of his divine master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, by serving him in some capacity in his preaching mission.

While many are extolling his glories as a most loyal and dedicated servant of Srila Prabhupada through his multifarious services in ISKCON in India and abroad for more than five decades, we at the TOVP will miss him especially for his untiring and unwavering support of the project since its inception. Through arranging fundraising events, to speaking on our behalf at numerous programs, Maharaja was always enthusiastic to help see the project to its completion. And at the recent opening of the Nrsimha Wing on March 1-2, he was in great ecstasy to see the current stage of development, and looking forward with eagerness to the next phase.

We are, of course, deeply regretful that he will not be with us for the most glorious and monumental Grand Opening of the TOVP, Srila Prabhupada’s dearmost project for the propagation of Krishna consciousness in the world. Maharaja would have been overjoyed to be present to experience this occasion, as he was also personally instructed in a letter from Srila Prabhupada in 1969 to “construct a temple at the birthplace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

We will continue our progress towards the completion of the TOVP with Gopal Krishna Maharaja in our thoughts. And we will pray for his blessings, and for an ounce of his determination and resolve to fulfill this glorious task. May he shower us with his mercy, and empower us to follow his footsteps in our service to the mission of Srila Prabhupada, our acharyas and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

His Divine Grace Srila Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki jaya!

 

---

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsappcommunity1
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

Someday, when we’re dying, when we’re like pockets inside out, when we’re like traps without bait, we’ll probably ask ourselves what I’ve done really well in my life. And I hope it will pop up that I was in Amsterdam for a harinam, with or without Kadamba Kanana Swami, and I will be able to
Read More...