Planet ISKCON

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vande ‘nantadbhutaisvaryam
sri-nityanandam isvaram
yasyecchaya tat-svarupam
ajnenapi nirupyate

Let me offer my obeisances to Lord Sri Nityananda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose opulence is wonderful and unlimited. By His will, even a fool can understand His identity.

(CC Adi 5.1)

To celebrate the most auspicious and important occasion of Nityananda Trayodasi this year, 2022, the TOVP is happy to announce the release of the flipbook edition of the book, The Advent of Panca Tattva, published originally in 2004. Many devotees served in the production of this book including His Holiness Bhanu Swami, Braja Sevaki Dasi, Jahnudvipa Das, Nitya-trpta Dasi, Ganga Das, Bhagavatamrta Das and Vijaya Govinda das.

As explained below by the author, Braja Sevaki Dasi, this is the first of two consecutive publications about the production, arrival and installation of Sri Panca Tattva in Sridhama Mayapur. The flipbook also includes a short video documentary of the arrival of Panca Tattva on February 6, 2004 on the inside back cover.

In 2004, Bhagavatamrita Das and Ganga Das produced this wonderful book, “The Advent of Sri-Panca-tattva.” Covering the period of time leading up to the casting of the deities, the transport of the beautiful golden forms from South India to Mayapur, and the many adventures and stories in between, the book’s historical value cannot be measured. It was an event the likes of which we have never seen, and will never see again, and both authors bring the entire story to you in colorful detail.

And as their book ends upon the arrival in Mayapur on February 6, 2004 of the truck bearing its precious cargo, a second book, “18 Days: Sri Panca-tattva’s Mayapur-lila” takes up the story. From the moment the truck arrived, slowly crawling along Bhaktisiddhanta Road to the shouts and chanting and dancing and sheer joy of every resident of this district, eighteen days passed before the great maha-abhiseka “first darshan” of these golden forms of mercy and bliss. Braja Sevaki Dasi and Rasarani Priya Dasi authored this similarly historical account of Sri Panca-tattva’s arrival in Mayapur, and the wild, unbelievable, and ecstatic pastimes that unfolded before “the big day,” when tens of thousands filled the temple halls, spilled out into the gardens, and watched worldwide as the Golden Avatar and His associates finally appeared before us in all Their glorious splendor…

As a most glorious addition to ISKCON’s history, both books will be available here on the TOVP site, the first today on Nityananda’s Appearance Day, 2022, the second on Gaura-purnima, 2022.

panca-tattva jaya jaya sri radha-madhava
jaya navadvipa ganga-devi sri vaisnava

All glories to Sri Panca-tattva and Sri Radha-Madhava! All glories to Navadvipa-dhama, Sri Ganga-devi, and to all the Vaisnava devotees!

Click on The Advent of Panca Tattva to view this and other flipbooks on the TOVP website.

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•❁•◈ 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐧 •❁•◈ Visiting the Dham this Gaura Purnima or any other festive period in Sri Dham Mayapur? Make your journey memorable by taking darshan of this Holy places. ❁•◈ • ─── ❖ ─── • ❁•◈ 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒚 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑮𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒍! 𝑺𝒓𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒘𝒂 𝑩𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝑷𝒊𝒚𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒋 𝑱𝒂𝒋𝒊𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒘𝒊𝒑 𝑫𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒓 𝑬𝒌𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒌𝒓𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 […]

The post Sri Gaura Mandala Darshan – Gaura Purnima Special appeared first on Mayapur.com.

•❁•◈ ISKCON Mayapur ◈•❁• presents ◈• ✿ • ─── ❖ ─── • ✿ • ◈ 🎊 A very special, 🎊 3 day online event , ” Sri Nitai Kathamrit ” on the most Auspicious occasion of 🌕 Sri Nityananda Trayodashi. 🌕 ◈• ✿ • ─── ❖ ─── • ✿ • ◈ 📌 These 3 days […]

The post IKSCON Mayapur Dham Presents – Sri Nitai Kathamrit appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Today is the disappearance anniversary of Sripada Ramanujacharya, the principal acharya in the Sri, or Lakshmi, sampradaya. In a letter dated November 22, 1974, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “We find great shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Ramanujacharya because his lotus feet are the strongest fort to combat the Mayavadi philosophy.” And in the early days of ISKCON in India, before we had Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is in Hindi, Prabhupada would refer people to read the Hindi edition of the Gita with Sri Ramanujacharya’s commentary.

Srila Prabhupada often told a story about Sri Ramanujacharya merciful, compassionate nature. As he related it in Ahmedabad in 1972, “The servants of Krishna take all risk for Krishna’s sake. Just like Ramanujacharya. Sri Ramanujacharya’s spiritual master said, ‘My dear son, the mantra which I am giving, you chant silently and you will be delivered. It is so powerful. Don’t chant this mantra loudly so others can hear.’

“Ramanujacharya thought, ‘If this mantra is so powerful that if others hear it they’ll also be delivered, then why not?’ He immediately went to the market and began to chant the mantra. So, his spiritual master became very angry, that ‘I told you not to chant loudly, so that others may not hear.’ And Ramanujacharya replied, ‘My Lordship, I have done offense unto you. That’s all right. For this I am prepared to go to hell. But if this mantra is so powerful, I must speak it to everyone.’ ”

In this mood, following in the footsteps of Sripada Ramanujacharya, Srila Prabhupada broadcast the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita everywhere, to everyone.

We pray and aspire to follow in their footsteps.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 5 November 2021, Simhachalam, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.25.19)

How did all these cows, cowherd boys, cowherd men and cowherd women fit under Govardhana Hill? How? The answer is, simply by Krsna’s shakti. Mathematically, it was not possible. If you measured it with a measuring tape and calculate the area that these cows and other living beings would be taking, it would not be possible that they could all fit under Govardhana Hill. No way, they would have to stack the cows on top of each other. But no, by Krsna’s shakti, they all fit. This was an amazing thing and it shows Krsna’s unlimited mercy how all the cows and living beings of Vrndavana fit under Govardhana Hill. There was no difficulty at all on Krsna’s part in giving shelter to them. This is a great encouragement for us, that Krsna can give shelter to unlimited living beings. The pastime of Govardhana Hill, therefore, becomes a reassurance to us that we will always have the Lord’s shelter.

You can watch the full lecture by clicking the below link:

The article " Shelter to unlimited living beings " was published on KKSBlog.

Today is Sripada Madhvacharya’s disappearance day.  Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter 9, describes him:

TEXT 245

madhvacarya-sthane aila yanha ‘tattvavadi’
udupite ‘krsna’ dekhi, tahan haila premonmadi

TRANSLATION

Caitanya Mahaprabhu next arrived at Udupi, the place of Madhvacarya, where the philosophers known as Tattvavadis resided. There He saw the Deity of Lord Krsna and became mad with ecstasy.

PURPORT

Sripada Madhvacarya took his birth near Udupi, which is situated in the South Kanara district of South India, just west of Sahyadri. This is the chief city of the South Kanara province and is near the city of Mangalore, which is situated to the south of Udupi. Near the city of Udupi is a place called Pajaka-ksetra, where Madhvacarya took his birth in a Sivalli-brahmana dynasty as the son of Madhyageha Bhatta, in the year 1040 Sakabda (A.D. 1118). According to some, he was born in the year 1160 Sakabda (A.D. 1238).

In his childhood Madhvacarya was known as Vasudeva, and there are some wonderful stories surrounding him. It is said that once when his father had piled up many debts, Madhvacarya converted tamarind seeds into actual coins to pay them off. When he was five years old, he was offered the sacred thread. A demon named Maniman lived near his abode in the form of a snake, and at the age of five Madhvacarya killed that snake with the toe of his left foot. When his mother was very much disturbed, he would appear before her in one jump. He was a great scholar even in childhood, and although his father did not agree, he accepted sannyasa at the age of twelve. Upon receiving sannyasa from Acyuta Preksa, he received the name Purnaprajna Tirtha. After traveling all over India, he finally discussed scriptures with Vidyasankara, the exalted leader of Srngeri-matha. Vidyasankara was actually diminished in the presence of Madhvacarya. Accompanied by Satya Tirtha, Madhvacarya went to Badarikasrama. It was there that he met Vyasadeva and explained his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita before him. Thus he became a great scholar by studying before Vyasadeva.

By the time he came to the Ananda-matha from Badarikasrama, Madhvacarya had finished his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita. His companion Satya Tirtha wrote down the entire commentary. When Madhvacarya returned from Badarikasrama, he went to Ganjama, which is on the bank of the river Godavari. There he met with two learned scholars named Sobhana Bhatta and Svami Sastri. Later these scholars became known in the disciplic succession of Madhvacarya as Padmanabha Tirtha and Narahari Tirtha. When he returned to Udupi, he would sometimes bathe in the ocean. On such an occasion he composed a prayer in five chapters. Once, while sitting beside the sea engrossed in meditation upon Lord Sri Krsna, he saw that a large boat containing goods for Dvaraka was in danger. He gave some signs by which the boat could approach the shore, and it was saved. The owners of the boat wanted to give him a present, and at the time Madhvacarya agreed to take some gopi-candana. He received a big lump of gopi-candana, and as it was being brought to him, it broke apart and revealed a large Deity of Lord Krsna. The Deity had a stick in one hand and a lump of food in the other. As soon as Madhvacarya received the Deity of Krsna in this way, he composed a prayer. The Deity was so heavy that not even thirty people could lift it. Yet Madhvacarya personally brought this Deity to Udupi. Eight of Madhvacarya’s sannyasa disciples became directors of his eight monasteries. Worship of the Lord Krsna Deity is still going on at Udupi according to the plans Madhvacarya established.

Madhvacarya then for the second time visited Badarikasrama. While he was passing through Maharashtra, the local king was digging a big lake for the public benefit. As Madhvacarya passed through that area with his disciples, he was also obliged to help in the excavation. After some time, when Madhvacarya visited the king, he engaged the king in that work and departed with his disciples.

Often in the province of Ganga-pradesa there were fights between Hindus and Muslims. The Hindus were on one bank of the river, and the Muslims on the other. Due to the community tension, no boat was available for crossing the river. The Muslim soldiers were always stopping passengers on the other side, but Madhvacarya did not care for these soldiers. He crossed the river anyway, and when he met the soldiers on the other side, he was brought before the king. The Muslim king was so pleased with him that he wanted to give him a kingdom and some money, but Madhvacarya refused. While walking on the road, he was attacked by some dacoits, but by his bodily strength he killed them all. When his companion Satya Tirtha was attacked by a tiger, Madhvacarya separated them by virtue of his great strength. When he met Vyasadeva, he received from him the salagrama-sila known as Astamurti. After this, he summarized the Mahabharata.

Madhvacarya’s devotion to the Lord and his erudite scholarship became known throughout India. Consequently the owners of the Srngeri-matha, established by Sankaracarya, became a little perturbed. At that time the followers of Sankaracarya were afraid of Madhvacarya’s rising power, and they began to tease Madhvacarya’s disciples in many ways. There was even an attempt to prove that the disciplic succession of Madhvacarya was not in line with Vedic principles. A person named Pundarika Puri, a follower of the Mayavada philosophy of Sankaracarya, came before Madhvacarya to discuss the sastras. It is said that all of Madhvacarya’s books were taken away, but later they were found with the help of King Jayasimha, ruler of Kumla. In discussion, Pundarika Puri was defeated by Madhvacarya. A great personality named Trivikramacarya, who was a resident of Visnumangala, became Madhvacarya’s disciple, and his son later became Narayanacarya, the composer of Sri Madhva-vijaya. After the death of Trivikramacarya, the younger brother of Narayanacarya took sannyasa and later became known as Visnu Tirtha.

It was reputed that there was no limit to the bodily strength of Purnaprajna, Madhvacarya. There was a person named Kadanjari who was famed for possessing the strength of thirty men. Madhvacarya placed the big toe of his foot upon the ground and asked the man to separate it from the ground, but the great strong man could not do so even after great effort. Srila Madhvacarya passed from this material world at the age of eighty while writing a commentary on the Aitareya Upanisad. For further information about Madhvacarya, one should read Madhva-vijaya, by Narayanacarya.

The acaryas of the Madhva-sampradaya established Udupi as the chief center, and the monastery there was known as Uttararadhi-matha. A list of the different centers of the Madhvacarya-sampradaya can be found at Udupi, and their matha commanders are (1) Visnu Tirtha (Soda-matha), (2) Janardana Tirtha (Krsnapura-matha), (3) Vamana Tirtha (Kanura-matha), (4) Narasimha Tirtha (Adamara-matha), (5) Upendra Tirtha (Puttugi-matha), (6) Rama Tirtha (Sirura-matha), (7) Hrsikesa Tirtha (Palimara-matha), and (8) Aksobhya Tirtha (Pejavara-matha). The disciplic succession of the Madhvacarya-sampradaya is as follows (the dates are those of birth in the Sakabda Era; for Christian era dates, add seventy-eight years): (1) Hamsa Paramatma; (2) Caturmukha Brahma; (3) Sanakadi; (4) Durvasa; (5) Jnananidhi; (6) Garuda-vahana; (7) Kaivalya Tirtha; (8) Jnanesa Tirtha; (9) Para Tirtha; (10) Satyaprajna Tirtha; (11) Prajna Tirtha; (12) Acyuta Preksacarya Tirtha; (13) Sri Madhvacarya, 1040 Saka; (14) Padmanabha, 1120; Narahari, 1127; Madhava, 1136; and Aksobhya 1159; (15) Jaya Tirtha, 1167; (16) Vidyadhiraja, 1190; (17) Kavindra, 1255; (18) Vagisa, 1261; (19) Ramacandra, 1269; (20) Vidyanidhi, 1298; (21) Sri Raghunatha, 1366; (22) Rayuvarya (who spoke with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu), 1424; (23) Raghuttama, 1471; (24) Vedavyasa, 1517; (25) Vidyadhisa, 1541; (26) Vedanidhi, 1553; (27) Satyavrata, 1557; (28) Satyanidhi, 1560; (29) Satyanatha, 1582; (30) Satyabhinava, 1595; (31) Satyapurna, 1628; (32) Satyavijaya, 1648; (33) Satyapriya, 1659; (34) Satyabodha, 1666; (35) Satyasandha, 1705; (36) Satyavara, 1716; (37) Satyadharma, 1719; (38) Satyasankalpa, 1752; (39) Satyasantusta, 1763; (40) Satyaparayana, 1763; (41) Satyakama, 1785; (42) Satyesta, 1793; (43) Satyaparakrama, 1794; (44) Satyadhira, 1801; (45) Satyadhira Tirtha, 1808.

After the sixteenth acarya (Vidyadhiraja Tirtha), there was another disciplic succession, including Rajendra Tirtha, 1254; Vijayadhvaja; Purusottama; Subrahmanya; and Vyasa Raya, 1470–1520. The nineteenth acarya, Ramacandra Tirtha, had another disciplic succession, including Vibudhendra, 1218; Jitamitra, 1348; Raghunandana; Surendra; Vijendra; Sudhindra; and Raghavendra Tirtha, 1545.

To date, in the Udupi monastery there are another fourteen Madhva-tirtha sannyasis. As stated, Udupi is situated beside the sea in South Kanara, about thirty-six miles north of Mangalore.

Most of the information in this purport is available from the South Kanada Manual and the Bombay Gazette.

TEXT 246

nartaka gopala dekhe parama-mohane
madhvacarye svapna diya aila tanra sthane

TRANSLATION

While at the Udupi monastery, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw “dancing Gopala,” a most beautiful Deity. This Deity appeared to Madhvacarya in a dream.

TEXT 247

gopi-candana-tale achila dingate
madhvacarya sei krsna paila kona-mate

TRANSLATION

Madhvacarya had somehow or other acquired the Deity of Krsna from a heap of gopi-candana that had been transported in a boat.

TEXT 248

madhvacarya ani’ tanre karila sthapana
adyavadhi seva kare tattvavadi-gana

TRANSLATION

Madhvacarya brought this dancing Gopala Deity to Udupi and installed Him in the temple. To date, the followers of Madhvacarya, known as Tattvavadis, worship this Deity.

TEXT 249

krsna-murti dekhi’ prabhu maha-sukha paila
premavese bahu-ksana nrtya-gita kaila

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu received great pleasure in seeing this beautiful form of Gopala. For a long time He danced and chanted in ecstatic love.

Once again, we are announcing this year’s celebration of the 50th Anniversary of chota Radha Madhava’s arrival in Sridhama Mayapur, and remaining there at Srila Prabhupada’s divine request. To commemorate this and four other important anniversaries this year we have organized the Radha Madhava Golden Jubilee Festival from March 2-5.

In our previous articles we have explained the significance of Radha Madhava, the history of their arrival, an explanation by His Grace Jananivas prabhu and the laying of the Ananta Sesha in the TOVP foundation pit by Srila Prabhupada:

The Meanings and Form of Radha Madhava
Chota Radha Madhava Come to Mayapur
Jananivas Prabhu: Serving Radha Madhava for 50 Years
Prabhupada Placing Ananta Sesha

In this article we would like to focus on one of the major reasons for building the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium: This is Radha Madhava’s new home.

For decades They have been residing in a makeshift temple room with little of the opulence, splendor and grandeur They deserve as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His eternal consort. Their new home in the TOVP will include a beautifully ornate altar and over sixty dedicated rooms on the 1.5 acre Pujari floor.

Each one of us should feel a sense of responsibility to complete this new home for Sri Sri Radha Madhava and the other Deities at ISKCON’s World Headquarters in Sridham Mayapur, the birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and original hub of the sankirtan movement. This service belongs to ALL of us, not just a few managers and organizers. We need to eagerly pray for the Grand Opening in 2024 when we will see Them relocated into Their rightful new home in a wonderful festival of love, devotion and joy.

The Radha Madhava Golden Jubilee Festival offers another opportunity to serve Radha Madhava and complete Their new home by sponsoring an abhisheka or Radha Madhava Brick which will provide funds for construction. Ten abhishekas will be performed starting with Their Welcome Ceremony for $25.

Go to the Radha Madhava Golden Jubilee Festival page on the TOVP website and sponsor and abhisheka or Brick TODAY! The festival schedule is also included on this page.

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Shri Madhvacharya appeared near Udupi, Karnataka in South India. He was considered an incarnation of Vayu (wind god). He had an unusually strong physique and extraordinary intellectual power.

Once a fierce tiger attacked Madhvacharya’s sannyasa disciple, Satya Tirtha. Madhvacharya wrestled the tiger and sent him away with his tail between his legs. Madhvacharya took diksha at age five, sannyasa at twelve and left home.

He appeared with a mission to fight and defeat Sankara’s Mayavada (impersonal) philosophy. By giving a pure interpretation of Vedanta-sutra he promoted pure theism. He named his innovative shastric explanation dvaita-dvaita-vada (pure dualism).

   
With a hope of meeting Shrila Vyasadeva himself Madhvacharya walked up the Himalayas. Vyasadeva gave him a Shalagrama sila called Ashtamurti, approved his Bhagavad-gita commentary, and blessed Madhvacharya with deeper realisations of the sastras. 

In Udupi, Madhvacharya installed a beautiful Deity of Gopala standing alone holding a cowherding stick. This Deity manifested from within a chunk of gopi-candana (sacred clay). He established eight mathas (Temples) to lovingly serve “Udupi Krishna.” The sannyasi leaders of each matha worship the Krishna Deity with a rigorous regimen of ceremonial ritual, punctuality, and impeccable personal conduct.

The Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya originates with the Madhvas. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers thoroughly studied Madhva’s works before compiling their philosophy. For the Sat Sandarbhas Shri Jiva Goswami drew heavily from Madhva’s writings. Jiva Goswami found the Gaudiya philosophy of acintya-bheda-abheda tattva in Madhva’s Bhagavat-parya. Shri Chaitanya Himself visited Udupi, the seat of Madhva’s sect. The Lord introduced Hari Nama sankirtana into their sect. 

Shri Madhvacharya serves as Madhavi-gopi in Radha-Govinda’s eternal Vrindavana pleasure pastimes. He passed away from this world while teaching his commentary to the Aitareya Upanishad in the temple of Anantesvara in 1378 AD. He lived for seventy-nine years.

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Advaita Acharya appeared in fifteenth century Bengal, India, as a teacher of Krishna consciousness.

He is frequently mentioned in the biography of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Chaitanya Charitamrita, as an intimate associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and as an avatar of Krishna (specifically an incarnation of Sadashiva and Maha-Vishnu).

Chaitanya Charitamrita relates how Advaita Acharya was so pained to see the degraded condition of the people in Kali Yuga, the Age of Quarrel, that He fervently prayed for Krishna Himself to descend and remedy the situation.

Sri Advaita worshiped Krishna on the banks of the Ganges with Ganges water and Tulasi leaves, crying out and begging for the Lord to come save the suffering souls.

In response to Sri Adwaita Acharya’s devotion and compassion, Krishna decided to appear, in the form of His own devotee—Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Advaita Acharya was the first among Mahaprabhu’s associates to appear within the material world.

Some sixty years prior to Mahaprabhu’s own advent, Advaita Acharya had already begun chanting Krishna’s names in the streets with devotees and discussing scriptures on devotional service to Krishna.

Advaita Acharya’s name indicates that He is nondifferent—Advaita—from Krishna, and spiritual master—acharya—because He taught devotional service to Krishna.

Advaita Acharya lived in Shantipura and Mayapura, in what is now West Bengal, and was the head of the Vaishnava community of Nadia.

Brampton, Ontario

Day With Families

Nimai picked me up. We left for Brampton to see Pavan at his home. That makes two families joined together, and me.

A Chinese meal was on the menu, all cooked by Pavan and all offered to Krishna to become prasadam; blessed by the best. We chanted. We studied. It was the beginning of the Gita, made interactive through Zoom with a group from Niagara Falls.

Why was there a need for another rendition of the Gita when other renditions were already there? The introduction of Bhagavad-gita As It Is poses the question. It came from an American woman. Prabhupada’s response in the very text explained that most renditions failed to carry the spirit of the great book, which is actually a dialogue. In our studies with the group from The Falls, we hope to capture that spirit, which is one of surrendering love.

Speaking of dialogue, outside our study, the two families and I dreamed of summer plans. Perhaps a trip to Pelee Island for a weekend of water fun and bhakti. How about vegan marshmallows cooked over the beach campfire? And the next morning, after a good sleep, we arise, swim, chant, and indulge in discussion on the Bhagavatam.

We’ve done it before. We’ll do it again. When covid clears, we’ll do things again.

May the Source be with you!

2 km

Brampton, Ontario

Working on the Feet and Teeth

It may sound familiar to you. You’re at the dental clinic for a cleaning of the teeth and before you get in the chair the very friendly assistant starts talking.

I was just hanging my coat in the cubical when she started the conversation with a question. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Well, one thing is I’ll be going to Hamilton, to Hess Village, the trendy part of the city, to conduct some mantrameditation.”

“Oh, is that what you do?” She was curious seeing my monk’s attire.

“I’m a teacher of bhakti yoga.” By now I’m reclining in the dental chair and she continues to be nice.

“I’ve done yoga. It really makes you feel good. But haven’t done it for a while. Do you travel a lot?” By this time I’ve been given the usual protective dark glasses to wear. Then, just before her fingers enter my mouth, I answer.

“I’m usually in India by now.”

“That’s interesting.” She says, but I can’t say too much more. She’s busy looking at my teeth and has begun the cleaning process. When I get a second I blurt out, “I do travel on foot. I did Canada four times.”

She’s impressed and continues to work at the plaque on my teeth so, again, I can’t say much more. At a breathing moment I slip in, “I’ve also done the States and a few other countries.” Back into the mouth she goes.

“That’s quite the feat!” she remarks.

And at the first opportunity I say, “A feat with the feet.”

May the Source be with you!

2 km

Today is Advaita Saptami, By his mercy, Lord Caitanya came. We always remember him prior to any nama yajna or any festival. By his appearance, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda appeared. Today is a very sacred day. Advaita Gosai is very merciful. By his mercy, one can get the mercy of Gauranga and Nityananda. It […]

The post Only By His Mercy – Sri Advaita Acharya Appearance 2022 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Today is Advaita Saptami, By his mercy, Lord Caitanya came. We always remember him prior to any nama yajna or any festival. By his appearance, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda appeared. Today is a very sacred day. Advaita Gosai is very merciful. By his mercy, one can get the mercy of Gauranga and Nityananda. It […]

The post Only By His Mercy – Sri Advaita Acharya Appearance 2022 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

“One should learn how to associate with the devotees of the Lord by gathering with them to chant the glories of the Lord. This process is most purifying. As devotees thus develop their loving friendship, they feel mutual happiness and satisfaction. And by thus encouraging one another they are able to give up material sense gratification, which is the cause of all suffering. The devotees of the Lord constantly discuss the glories of the Personality of Godhead among themselves. Thus, they constantly remember the Lord and remind one another of His qualities and pastimes. In this way, by their devotion to the principles of bhakti-yoga, the devotees please the Personality of Godhead, who takes away from them everything inauspicious. Being purified of all impediments, the devotees awaken to pure love of Godhead, and thus, even within this world, their spiritualized bodies exhibit symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, such as standing of the bodily hairs on end.” SB 11.3.30-31 Continue reading "Some Thoughts on Disciples in ISKCON
→ Dandavats"

We are gathered here to celebrate the appearance day of Sri Advaita Acharya. Advaita Acharya is an incarnation of Maha-vishnu. In terms of pastimes, He appeared before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and so was considered an elder by Mahaprabhu. He was actually older than Lord Chaitanya’s own father.

Advaita Acharya, although Vishnu Himself, was in the mood of a Vaishnava. As a Vaishnava, He felt compassion for the fallen conditioned souls who were suffering without Krishna consciousness. Although previously Navadvipa had been a great center of devotion, it had deteriorated into a center of dry learning. Thus, Advaita Acharya felt compassion for the fallen souls of the age, so engrossed in material affairs, devoid of devotional service to Krishna. In the mood of a humble Vaishnava, although He was Vishnu Himself, He felt that He was not capable of delivering the fallen souls. He believed that only Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself could preach the yuga-dharma of hari-nama-sankirtana and deliver them.

Advaita Acharya Prabhu was an ideal householder. He had read in the scriptures that the Lord sells Himself to a devotee who offers Him a tulasi leaf and a palmful of water. As a grihastha brahman, He worshipped a salagrama-sila at home. Therefore, He specifically began to worship Salagrama with Ganges water and tulasi leaves with the aim of bringing about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s descent.

The Caitanya-caritamrta describes Sri Advaita Acharya’s appeal to Lord Krishna to appear again on earth. He cried with such intensity that the sound traveled throughout the entire universe and ultimately reached Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Because of the loud cries of Sri Advaita Acharya, Mahaprabhu did indeed descend, appearing in Navadvipa on the full moon night of Phalguna (February–March). Thus the Lord came at the request of Advaita Acharya, His pure devotee, to reclaim the fallen souls.

What was the method by which He reclaimed them? The method was hari-nama-sankirtana, the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. And so, in response to Advaita Acharya’s cries, the Lord appeared in Navadvipa on the full moon night of the Phalguna month, during a lunar eclipse, while millions of Hindus were bathing in the Ganges loudly chanting the holy names. Later, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself practiced sankirtana in Navadvipa-dhama, and after adopting the renounced order of life (sannyasa), He left Navadvipa and traveled throughout India. Wherever He went, He chanted the holy names and induced others to chant the holy names as well.

Originally, after Lord Chaitanya took sannyasa, He wanted to make His residence in Vrindavan. His mother, however, could not bear the thought that He would be so far away. So, in deference to His mother’s will, He made His headquarters in Jagannatha Puri, which is not so far from Navadvipa. Every year, devotees would travel from Navadvipa to Puri to attend the Ratha-yatra festival and have the association of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus, they would go back and forth between Navadvipa and Puri and bring news to Mother Sachi about Lord Chaitanya.

Still, Lord Chaitanya had an ardent desire to visit Vrindavan, and so He left by foot from Puri to travel to Vrindavan-dhama. On the way, He stopped in a place called Ramakeli, the capital of the Muslim despot Nawab Hussein Shah. There the prime minister and the finance minister of the Nawab, who later became known as Srila Sanatana Gosvami and Srila Rupa Gosvami, came to meet Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in disguise.

At the time, thousands of devotees were following Lord Chaitanya, and Lord Chaitanya inaugurated the hari-nama-sankirtana in Ramakeli just outside the area of the Nawab’s palace. The devotees chanted and danced day and night for many days. They totally forgot about eating, sleeping, and other bodily demands. They were simply absorbed in the ecstasy of hari-nama-sankirtana.

But after some time, a few of the devotees began to think of the Nawab, realizing that they were just outside the doorsteps of his palace. The Nawab, Hussein Shah, was a terrible tyrant. He killed people like anything. And he used intimidation to compel Rupa and Sanatana to serve him, threatening that if they didn’t accept his proposal to act as his ministers or secretaries, he would wreak havoc on the Hindu community and kill thousands. Some of the devotees began to become anxious that they were doing such loud hari-nama-sankirtana so close to the Nawab’s palace: “What if he takes notice of us and becomes enraged? He could kill us all!”

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as the omniscient Lord, could understand the anxiety of these devotees. So He stopped the kirtan and told them, “Although I am acting as a devotee, actually I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and because I am the Supreme Lord, no one can harm Me or My movement.” He explained that His movement of hari-nama-sankirtana was destined to spread to every town and village of every country of the world: prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama, sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama. (Cb Antya 4.126)

During the time of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His mission spread throughout India. But with the passage of time, even in India it became weak. Unauthorized groups who claimed to be His followers but who did not actually understand or follow His principles arose and became prominent. The situation got worse and worse until, in the 1800s, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura appeared. He separated Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s true followers from the pseudo-followers and identified at least thirteen deviant groups (apasampradayas). He re-established the true idea of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He also discovered the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Mayapur-dhama, and with his followers he located many different sites associated with the Lord’s pastimes, including the residence of Sri Advaita Acharya in Mayapur. Advaita Acharya actually had two residences—one in Mayapur-dhama itself and one about twenty miles away in Shantipur.

Although Lord Chaitanya had predicted that the holy name would be chanted and preached in every town and village of the world, even learned devotees could not imagine how such a phenomenon could come to pass. Still, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura predicted that very soon somebody would come to fulfill the prediction of Lord Chaitanya. And, as we know, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada did emerge from the followers of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to fulfill the desire and prediction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Yet this entire arrangement, from one point of view, was created simply to fulfill the desire of Sri Advaita Acharya. Sri Advaita Acharya was the one who so intensely desired that the Lord should come and deliver the fallen souls, especially through hari-nama-sankirtana, that Lord Chaitanya did appear. And now, more than five hundred years later, we are gathered here in Camarillo, California, chanting the holy names of Krishna. This is possible only because Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu desired so intensely that we would be able to do so and thus be delivered from the bondage of material existence and imbued with the ecstasy of devotional service.

The sixteen words of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—contain all spiritual truths. Realized devotees have actually seen the entire pastimes of Radha and Krishna within the maha-mantra. Srila Jiva Gosvami wrote a poem describing various pastimes of Radha and Krishna that transpire in the course of chanting one round of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discussed the import of each word of the maha-mantra and each pair of words (Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, etc.). There are eight pairs of names that combine to make the sixteen words, and Bhaktivinoda Thakura explained how each pair corresponds to one verse of the Siksastaka prayer of Lord Chaitanya. Further, he wrote an entire chapter on each verse of the Siksastaka.

So, although superficially the Hare Krishna maha-mantra appears to be a simple combination of three different words arranged in a combination of sixteen, actually it contains the entire spiritual world. And as we go deeper and deeper in chanting the maha-mantra, we come closer and closer to entering into the spiritual world and the pastimes of Radha and Krishna. Thus, what Lord Chaitanya came to give by the intense desire of Sri Advaita Acharya, although it appears to be very simple—just an arrangement of sixteen words—is actually deeply profound and unlimitedly vast. It is the entire spiritual world, in comparison with which the whole material world is just a fraction.

The whole process is inconceivable. We know the story of Mother Yasoda and baby Krishna. On Krishna’s birthday, Balarama and the cowherd boys accused Krishna of having eaten some dirt, and Balarama and other sons of the gopas complained to Mother Yasoda. But Krishna denied that He had eaten any dirt. To the contrary, He accused Balarama and the other friends of being angry with Him from Their play and wanting to get Him into trouble. He said, “If you have any doubts, Mother, you can look into My mouth and see if there is any dirt.” So, Krishna opened His mouth, and Mother Yasoda looked inside. And in Krishna’s mouth she saw the entire universe, the whole cosmic manifestation. She saw all moving and nonmoving entities and all directions. She saw past, present, and future. She saw the material elements and the three qualities of nature. She even saw herself and Sri Vrindavan-dhama, and she became completely bewildered.

Mother Yasoda saw the entire cosmic manifestation in the mouth of Krishna, while Krishna Himself appeared just like a small child that she could hold in her arms. In the same way, the entire spiritual world is contained within the two syllables Krs and na, because the two syllables Krs-na are Krishna Himself, the origin of everything. That is actually the invaluable gift of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu upon the fallen souls, given to us due to the desire of Sri Advaita Acharya.

Sri Advaita Acharya is very merciful. Advaita means “nondifferent.” He is Advaita because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord (advaitam harinadvaitad). And He is Acharya because He preaches the cult of devotion (acaryam bhakti-samsanat).

We are followers of Advaita Acharya. He is one of the acharyas in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Actually, He was initiated by Sri Madhavendra Puri and therefore is in the same generation of spiritual masters as Sri Isvara Puri, the spiritual master of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. Nevertheless, in one sense we can say Sri Advaita Acharya is in the line of Lord Chaitanya because He considered Himself to be His servant.

So, He is acharya—Advaita Acharya. Not only did He induce Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to descend to deliver the fallen souls through the holy name, but He also set the example how one can be acharya. Even as a grihastha, He was an acharya. Most people, especially in Kali-yuga, marry and become householders. Therefore, the example of Sri Advaita Acharya is most important for us. In some ways, His example may be even more relevant for most people in Kali-yuga than the example of Lord Chaitanya, who renounced family life at an early age, or that of Nityananda Prabhu, who as an avadhuta was beyond all material categories.

Thus, we all have been blessed by the mercy of Advaita Acharya, directly and indirectly. We should take advantage of His mercy and of the mercy He caused to descend from the spiritual world for us. We should serve Him with great love and affection.

maha-visnur jagat-karta
  mayaya yah srjaty adah
tasyavatara evayam
  advaitacarya isvarah

“Lord Advaita Acarya is the incarnation of Maha-Visnu, whose main function is to create the cosmic world through the actions of maya.

advaitam harinadvaitad
  acaryam bhakti-samsanat
bhaktavataram isam tam
  advaitacaryam asraye

“Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He is called Advaita, and because He propagates the cult of devotion, He is called Acarya. He is the Lord and the incarnation of the Lord’s devotee. Therefore I take shelter of Him.” (Cc Adi 1.12, 13)

Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Some of Lord Chaitanya’s devotees went and stayed with Him in Jagannatha Puri. So why not Advaita Acharya?

Giriraj Swami: Advaita Acharya was a grihastha, so He remained in Bengal. But when the other devotees would travel from Bengal to Orissa to join in the Ratha-yatra festival and spend the four months known as Chaturmasya with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri, He would accompany them. But then He would go back. It was really just the renunciates who were able to join Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Some of them were married previously but joined later. Advaita Acharya, however, as far as we know, remained based in Bengal.

Actually, all the members of the Pancha-tattva more or less concealed their glories. It was only later that the devotees gradually realized their positions.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Sri Advaita Acharya’s appearance day, February 8, 2003, Camarillo, California]

Raghunatha Dasa was born around 1416 Shaka (1494 AD) in the town of Saptagram in Hooghly district of West Bengal. He was the only son of his father Govardhana Majumdar a wealthy landlord of the area.

Govardhana Majumdar’s elder brother was Hiranya Majumdar who had no male progeny. Hence Raghunatha Dasa was the sole inheritor of the vast fortune the brothers had accumulated.

Both his father and uncle were devoted to Lord Chaitanya and revered Advaita Acharya. This was because of the influence of their family priest Balarama Acharya. When Raghunatha was still a young boy, Balarama Acharya hosted the great Acharya of the Holy Name, Haridasa Thakura at his village Candapura, which was within the jurisdiction of Saptagrama.

Raghunatha used to visit Haridasa Thakura every day. Being naturally compassionate, Haridasa Thakura showered his mercy on the young Raghunatha. It was due to this mercy that Raghunatha later attained the shelter of Lord Chaitanya.

Raghunatha got his first opportunity to see Lord Chaitanya when the Lord, after accepting sannyasa, came to Shantipura and stayed at the residence of Advaita Acharya. Since Govardhana and Hiranaya Majumdar always served Advaita Acharya with great faith and devotion, he was naturally inclined to give His mercy to their boy Raghunatha. Thus, He gave the remnants of the Lord’s food to Raghunatha for as long as the Lord stayed at Shantipura. After staying in Shantipura for some time, the Lord departed for Jagannatha Puri.

Raghunatha Dasa stayed in Puri for 16 years till Lord Chaitanya and His chief confidante Svarupa Damodara disappeared from worldly vision. When this happened Raghunatha Dasa unable to bear their separation, left Puri to commit suicide in Vrindavan. There he met Srila Rupa and Sanatana Goswami who convinced him to serve Lord Chaitanya by relating His Puri pastimes to them.

Sri Raghunatha Dasa Goswami resided at Radha Kund and was responsible for getting Radha and Shyam Kund enlarged and finished with steps for devotees to take holy dips there.

In the Gaura Gannodesha Dipika, Sri Raghunatha Dasa Goswami is revealed to be a Manjari called Rasa Manjari. Other names for this Manjari are Rati Manjari and Bhanumati.

Hare Krishna!

Please accept our humble obeisances!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

Date: 6th Feb 2022

Day: Sunday

Time: 11 am to 12 noon

Topic: "Meditation in Krsna Consciousness"

Speaker: H.G. Dravida das

Link to join the class from your desktop or laptop:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9150790510?pwd=Wk5GYXVRMkJmdk84MzZJRXBKYUgwUT09 

 H.G. Dravida das

A disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Dravida dasa joined ISKCON in 1973 and has served as an editor and proof-reader for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust for over 45 years. From 1983 to 1989 he was part of the team that completed Srila Prabhupada’s magnum opus: a commentated English translation of India's jewel of Vedic wisdom, the 18,000-verse Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). He also helped produce the revised editions of Srila Prabhupada’s Isopanisad, Krsna Book, Caitanya-Caritamrta, and Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and he is part of the team that produces Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja book every year. In addition to his editing work, he teaches Bhakti Yoga classes at ISKCON’s San Diego temple and other centres in North America.

Throughout all this immersion in transcendental literature, Dravida Dasa developed a love of the Sanskrit language, and especially the elaborate verses of the Bhagavatam and other works of bhakti literature.

His devotion and expertise in chanting form a marvellous combination. He has a been Brahmacari throughout his devotional career.

ISKCON Scarborough

3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,

Scarborough, Ontario,

Canada, M1V4C7

Website: www.iskconscarborough.org

Email:

iskconscarborough@hotmail.com

scarboroughiskcon@gmail.com

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 4 February 2022, Radhadesh, Belgium, Zoom Disciple Meeting)

We are building a relationship with Vrndavana, and as we know, Vrndavana is all about devotional service. Whether you are engaging in hearing and chanting or whether you are doing another service in Vrndavana, it is ultimately all about service in the dhama. Service is the way to penetrate into Vrndavana. So, when we go to Vrndavana, we start making a connection, and then we go again and again where we meditate on Vrndavana. This way, our connection to Vrndavana grows deeper and so does our desire to be in Vrndavana. In this way, it is a lifetime relationship which has to evolve, and this happens through our service.

You can watch the full zoom disciple meeting on our YouTube channel or by clicking the below link:

The article " Relationship with Vrndavana " was published on KKSBlog.

No one can speak with more authority and inspiration about Sri Sri Radha Madhava than their first full-time pujari, Sriman Jananivas prabhu. Along with his twin brother Pankajanghri prabhu, they served the Deities of ISKCON Mayapur without any break, thus setting the high standard for worship of Their Lordships. Jananivas even vowed never to leave the boundary of ISKCON Mayapur. However, for Their service to build the TOVP he went on several tours to raise funds.

Srila Prabhupada personally commented on their service:

“Only the Deity program is going nicely,” he remarked. Referring to the two English identical-twin brothers who are the head pujaris, Prabhupada declared, “The two brothers Pankajanghri and Jananivasa – there is no comparison. Everyone should know, there is no complaint.”

A TRANSCENDENTAL DIARY VOL. 1 – 2/18/76, Mayapur

In this video he gives some glimpses into Their history since 1971. For more details, please read these articles:

Chota Radha Madhava Come to Mayapur
The Many Meanings and Forms of Radha Madhava

This year celebrates Jananivasa’s 50th anniversary as ISKCON Mayapur Head Pujari, and also commemorates chota Radha Madhava’s 50th anniversary in Mayapur. Both historic occasions will be observed during the Radha Madhava Golden Jubilee Festival from March 2 – 5.

These four days will be packed with ecstatic activities for all present (and viewable live on Mayapur TV), including kirtans, talks by senior devotees and leaders, dramas, dances, and a truly amazing abhisheka ceremony that will include ten types of abhishekas for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madhava.

Devotees can take advantage of this auspicious celebration by sponsoring an abhisheka for Sri Sri Radha Madhava or a Radha Madhava Brick that will be inscribed with your name and placed under Their altar.

Visit the Radha Madhava Golden Jubilee Festival page for more details and sponsor an abhisheka or brick TODAY!

The photos below are of Jananivas and Pankajanghri in the 1970’s.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
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Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

Vasantha Panchami Feb 6th, 2022 …Of course spring is a season universally liked because it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees blossom and flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons, and it is […]

The post …And of Seasons I am Flower-bearing Spring appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Podcast:

Video:

If you or someone you know have the requirements for the jobs listed below and would like to be a part of the Bhakti Center Team, please reach out to Brajarani at brajarani@bhakticenter.org

Program Manager – works with the Program Director to ensure smooth functioning of all aspects of Programming, specifically in relation to planning, strategy, teacher communications, and continuous program development and improvement. Location: New York City

Marketing Manager – Reporting to the Program Director, the Marketing Manager communicates the message of Bhakti Center programming through a clear and holistic marketing strategy. Location: New York City

Community Care Coordinator – develops and oversees Care initiatives that help our community feel connected, inspired, nourished, and supported in their spiritual life. Location: New York City

For additional paid and volunteer opportunities please visit us @ https://bhakticenter.org/join-our-team-3/

The post Join the Bhakti Center Team appeared first on ISKCON News.

Many speak about the importance of cow protection. Srila Prabhupada explains how cows are important for a progressive society, helping human beings to ascend to the mode of goodness. Once in Mayapur Srila Prabhupada commented how just having a few cows and letting them roam around in the property would bring auspiciousness. Cows are very calm and docile animals, to spend time with cows, brushing or feeding them is a perfect medicine to stress and depression. The milk they provide helps one to improve his health and develop the fine brain tissues needed to understand spiritual subjects. Bulls are very strong animals who can be used to plow the earth and produce grains. Before tractors were invented, bulls literally feed human society. Even the dung produced by them is useful, being simultaneously a perfect fuel and perfect fertilizer. We read in the Vedas that humanity prospered for thousands of years in a sustainable way by this symbiosis between humans and bovines. When we consider that God himself chooses to spend His time as a cowherd boy, things become even more clear.

Taking all of this into considerations, projects of cow protection, where devotees could take care of cows and live by selling ahinsa milk and other milk products seem to be a no-brainer. However, as easy as it may seem, we don’t see many successful projects of cow protection around. Many can’t maintain themselves at all, and most of the goshalas that are somehow successful are actually maintained by donations, and not by the milk produced by the cows. Why it’s so?

The problem is that the milk industry presents a huge obstacle. In modern milk farms, cows are managed in an almost industrial way, envisioning the highest possible profits. All the bulls that take birth, as well as the old cows that can’t give more milk are sold, and therefore they need to feed and take care of only the cows that are producing. This industrial approach makes the milk they produce very cheap. In most countries one can buy a little of milk for around one dollar — sometimes milk is cheaper than bottled water!

It’s not possible for any project of cow protection to be nearly as productive as a commercial farm. Not only the animals are treated in a much more ethical way, but they need to take care of not only all the cows who are not giving milk but also of all the bulls. In general, only one-quarter of the animals in a goshala will be cows producing milk. For each cow that is currently giving milk, the goshala will typically also have to take care of an older cow and also two bulls.

In the past, before the invention of tractors, the bulls would be engaged in plowing the fields and pulling carts, and therefore they would be very useful. Nowadays, however, tractors and other vehicles are used and thus the bulls are basically unemployed. This is not only bad for the bulls, who become bored and irritated for not being able to use their strength but is also economically bad for the goshala, that end’s-up paying for tractors and other machines instead of engaging the bulls they already have. It’s however difficult to escape this situation since to use bulls it’s necessary a lot of manual labor and a lot of knowledge of animal husbandry, a skill that is rarely available nowadays.

Going back to the milk, these challenges make the production of ahinsa milk much more expensive than regular milk. In general, ahinsa milk will always cost between two and four times the price of regular milk, if not more. On top of that, there may be costs of packing and transportation to the point of sale. In the case of temples and groups in large cities, this can add quite a lot, since the distance from the farm may be quite considerable.

The main problem, according to devotees involved in projects of cow protection I have been talking to, is exactly that most are not willing to pay for the full cost of the milk. The goshalas are thus forced to sell the milk close to the regular market price, and thus are always operating at a loss. Before programs of cow protection can prosper, it’s fundamental that a base of devotees and sympathizers willing to pay the real price for ahinsa milk is formed. When such a commercial demand exists, goshalas will become a sustainable model, and they will be able to flourish.

A rough calculation is that a fair price for a litter of ahinsa milk will be around 3 to 5 dollars. A kilo of ghee will be around 50 dollars, and a kilo of panner (low-fat, made from the milk left from the ghee production) will be around 10 dollars (these prices will vary slightly according to the country and the currency, but one can expect something on this order of magnitude). We can see that these prices are quite high, but this is what ahinsa milk actually cost to be produced. The question is: are we willing to pay the price? If not, there is not much point in discussing cow protection.

Read more from Caitanya Chandra Das at  Path of Bhakti.

The post The Economics of Cow Protection appeared first on ISKCON News.

sri-sanatana-misro’yad pura satrajito napa
vinˆupriya jagan-mata yat-kanya bhu-svarupiˆi

He who was King Satrajit in Krishna lila was Sanatan Mishra in Chaitanya lila.
The mother of the universe, the incarnation of the Lord’s bhu-sakti,
is his daughter Vishnupriya. (Gaura-gaˆoddesa-dipika 47)

Krishna married Satyabhama, the daughter of King Satrajit and a Yadu princess. In Gaura lila, this same Satrajit became Sanatan Mishra and she became Vishnupriya Devi. All manifestations of Vishnu tattva have three energies, known as Sri, Bhu and Nila (or Lila).

Lakshmipriya Devi is the sri-sakti of Mahaprabhu in his majestic Gaura-Narayan attitude; Vishnupriya is his bhu-sakti and Nabadwip Dham is his lila-sakti. Srila Gadadhara Pandit Goswami is the sakti of Gaura-Krishna, or Mahaprabhu in the mood of Krishna.

Knowledge is of two kinds, apara vidya or material knowledge, and para vidya, or transcendental knowledge. Vishnupriya Devi is the personification of transcendental knowledge. Devotees worship her on her appearance day on the sukla pa cami of the month of Magh.

Vishnupriya Devi’s grandfather was Durga Das Mishra. Some people believe that Durga Das was Vishnupriya’s father. In the Prema-vilasa, the family of Durga Das Mishra’s descendants through Yadavacharya is known as Vishnupriya’s parivara.

From her early childhood, Vishnupriya Devi was always devoted to her parents and to Vishnu, taking her bath in the Ganges three times daily. She regularly saw mother Sachi there, paying obeisances and being blessed by her. In this way, Sachi already knew Vishnupriya’s good qualities, and so was happy to agree to accept her as a wife for her son.

Buddhimanta Khan was a rich and wise friend of Nimai’s family who volunteered to bear the entire expense of his marriage. Once it had been decided that Vishnupriya and Vishvambhara would be married, an auspicious day and moment were fixed for the ceremony. With great pomp, the adhivasa rituals were carried out on the eve of the marriage.

The Lord arrived at Sanatan Mishra’s house in a palanquin at dusk and Gaura and Vishnupriya’s wedding ceremony was performed according to both scriptural and popular traditions. On the following day, Vishnupriya joined her new husband on the palanquin and returned with him to his house. 

When Mahaprabhu left home to go to Katwa and take sannyas, he was only 24 years old. Lochan Das Thakur has described Vishnupriya’s terrible feelings of separation in the days that followed his departure in the Chaitanya Mangala.

Every day Srinivas would come to see her. He observed her daily activities, which are beyond description. She had completely renounced sleep, and if ever she closed her eyes, it would be while lying on the bare ground. Her bodily luster, which had formerly glowed more brilliantly than gold, had become dull and she was as thin as the waning moon on its fourteenth day.

She set aside grains of rice to count the Holy Names she chanted, and would cook only this rice and offer it to her Lord. Of this amount, she would only eat a small portion. No one understood how she could remain alive.

Sri Vamsivadana Thakur and Ishan Thakur were blessed by the service of taking care of Vishnupriya Devi and Sachi Devi after Mahaprabhu took sannyas.

Today is the appearance day of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and many other acharyas and associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was born in a very aristocratic family in Bengal. His father and uncle, Govardhana and Hiranya Mazumdar, were wealthy landlords, or zamindars; they were almost like kings in opulence. But although Raghunatha dasa was their only heir, he had no attraction for material opulence and enjoyment.

The Mazumdars’ family priest was Yadunandana Acharya, a disciple of Advaita Acharya. From the time Raghunatha dasa was a small boy, Yadunandana Acharya and Balarama Acharya, another friend of the Mazumdar family, would call him to sit on their laps. They would instruct him to chant Hare Krishna and tell him about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So, from a very young age Raghunatha dasa developed the desire to join Sri Chaitanya. Namacharya Haridasa Thakura also visited Raghunatha dasa’s family, and he too was merciful to Raghunatha dasa.

One day, Raghunatha dasa left home and went to meet Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. “I want to join You,” he told the Lord. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “No. Don’t act like a crazy fellow. You should return home and be a good son, an expert businessman, and a proper husband, and then, when the time comes, the Lord Himself will arrange for you to become free from the bondage of family life.”

Lord Chaitanya used the term markata-vairagya. Markata means “monkey,” and vairagya means “renunciation.” Monkeys appear to be very renounced, because they live in the jungle, have no clothes or possessions, and eat only fruits and berries. But each monkey has two dozen girlfriends. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was instructing Raghunatha dasa, “Don’t be a monkey renunciant, making a show of renunciation when you still have material desires. Return home and act outwardly as an ordinary young man. And inwardly, develop your Krishna consciousness. Be detached internally and perform your external duties.”

So, on Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s order, Raghunatha dasa returned home. But within his heart he wanted to join Mahaprabhu. Raghunatha dasa’s parents were very worried that Raghunatha dasa, their only son, might leave home. So they kept guards at the gate to make sure he did not run away. One day, Raghunatha dasa got the idea to meet Nityananda Prabhu at Panihati. Once there, being extremely humble, he offered his obeisances from a distance. Lord Nityananda, being very merciful and humorous, said to Raghunatha, “You are just like a thief, staying at a distance. But now that I have captured you, I will punish you. You must make a festival for My associates and Me and feed us all chipped rice, yogurt, bananas, and milk.”

Raghunatha dasa bought all the cida (chipped rice), dadhi (yogurt), dugdha (milk), and fruits and sweets that were available in the market. Preparations were made using chipped rice, yogurt, milk, sugar, and bananas, and there were mangoes, sweets, and other items. Nityananda Prabhu and all the other devotees were very pleased.

When merchants heard about the festival, they came to Panihati to sell their goods. Raghunatha dasa bought all their dadhi, dugdha, bananas, and other items, made them sit down, and fed them the same items he had just purchased. Soon there were so many people that there was no place to sit. People began to sit on the bank of the Ganges, and when all of the space by the Ganges was occupied, they stood in the water and ate their cida-dadhi. At the end of the festival, Nityananda Prabhu was so pleased with Raghunatha dasa that He gave him a blessing.

We shall now read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter Six: “The Meeting of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.”

TEXT 1

 krpa-gunair yah kugrhandha-kupad
   uddhrtya bhangya raghunatha-dasam
nyasya svarupe vidadhe ’ntar-angam
   sri-krsna-caitanyam amum prapadye

TRANSLATION

With the ropes of His causeless mercy, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu employed a trick to deliver Raghunatha dasa Gosvami from the blind well of contemptible family life. He made Raghunatha dasa Gosvami one of His personal associates, placing him under the charge of Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. I offer my obeisances unto Him.

TEXT 138

tabe raghunathe prabhu nikate bolaila
tanra mathe pada dhari’ kahite lagila

TRANSLATION

Then, after the conclusion of the festival, Nityananda Prabhu called Raghunatha dasa near Him, placed His lotus feet upon Raghunatha dasa’s head, and began to speak.

TEXT 139

“tumi ye karaila ei pulina-bhojana
tomaya krpa kari’ gaura kaila agamana

TRANSLATION

“My dear Raghunatha dasa,” He said, “since you arranged the feast on the bank of the Ganges, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came here just to show you His mercy.

TEXT 140

“krpa kari’ kaila cida-dugdha bhojana
nrtya dekhi’ ratrye kaila prasada bhaksana

TRANSLATION

“By His causeless mercy He ate the chipped rice and milk. Then, after seeing the dancing of the devotees at night, He took His supper.

TEXT 141

“toma uddharite gaura aila apane
chutila tomara yata vighnadi-bandhane

TRANSLATION

“Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gaurahari, came here personally to deliver you. Now rest assured that all the impediments meant for your bondage are gone.

TEXT 142

“svarupera sthane toma karibe samarpane
‘antaranga’ bhrtya bali’ rakhibe carane

TRANSLATION

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will accept you and place you under the charge of His secretary, Svarupa Damodara. You will thus become one of the most confidential internal servants and will attain shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 143

“niscinta hana yaha apana-bhavana
acire nirvighne pabe caitanya-carana”

TRANSLATION

“Being assured of all this, return to your own home. Very soon, without impediments, you will attain the shelter of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

COMMENT

As directed by Nityananda Prabhu, Raghunatha dasa returned home. Having lost all interest in family affairs, however, he no longer stayed in the inner section of the house, but moved to the outer courtyard. Late one night, the Mazumdars’ family priest and Raghunatha’s spiritual master, Yadunandana Acharya, came to Raghunatha and told him that a disciple who was supposed to worship the Deity had left his service, and he asked Raghunatha to induce that disciple to return. So Raghunatha dasa left the house with Yadunandana Acharya. The watchmen were asleep, and nobody had any fear, because they thought that Raghunatha had gone with Yadunandana Acharya to do some work and would soon return. On their way, Raghunatha dasa told his spiritual master, “I will go to that disciple and induce him to return to his service, so do not be in anxiety. You may return to your place.”

Yadunandana Acharya went home, and Raghunatha dasa thought that now he had the opportunity to escape. After he went to the disciple and sent him to do his service, Raghunatha proceeded toward Jagannatha Puri—not on the public road, because he knew that as soon as his family realized that he was gone, they would send people to catch him and bring him back—but along the interior paths. For twelve days he walked from Bengal to Puri, and on only three of them was he able to eat anything. But he did not mind, because he was absorbed in thoughts of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—that finally he would be able to join Him in Puri. Raghunatha dasa’s parents sent ten men to find him and bring him back, but they could not trace him.

TEXT 186

bhaksana apeksa nahi, samasta divasa gamana
ksudha nahi badhe, caitanya-carana-praptye mana

TRANSLATION

Not caring about eating, he traveled all day. Hunger was not an impediment, for his mind was concentrated upon obtaining the shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 189

svarupadi-saha gosani achena vasiya
hena-kale raghunatha milila asiya

TRANSLATION

When Raghunatha dasa met Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord was sitting with His companions, headed by Svarupa Damodara.

TEXT 190

anganete dure rahi’ karena pranipata
mukunda-datta kahe,—“ei aila raghunatha”

TRANSLATION

Staying at a distant place in the courtyard, he fell down to offer obeisances. Then Mukunda Datta said, “Here is Raghunatha.”

COMMENT

Mukunda Datta had been present when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had sent Raghunatha dasa back home, so he was surprised: “Oh, the same boy has come again. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu advised him to remain at home, so how has he come?”

TEXT 191

prabhu kahena,—“aisa,” tenho dharila carana
uthi’ prabhu krpaya tanre kaila alingana

TRANSLATION

As soon as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard these words [“Here is Raghunatha”], He immediately welcomed Raghunatha dasa. “Come here,” He said. Raghunatha dasa then clasped the lotus feet of the Lord, but the Lord stood up and embraced him out of His causeless mercy.

COMMENT

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting with His most confidential associates, headed by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, and they were discussing topics of Krishna. But as soon as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard “Raghunatha has come,” His mind was drawn to him. He left everything and stood up and embraced him.

TEXT 192

svarupadi saba bhaktera carana vandila
prabhu-krpa dekhi’ sabe alingana kaila

TRANSLATION

Raghunatha dasa offered prayers at the lotus feet of all the devotees, headed by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. Seeing the special mercy Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had bestowed upon Raghunatha dasa, they also embraced him.

COMMENT

Raghunatha dasa saw not only Chaitanya Mahaprabhu but also all of Mahaprabhu’s confidential associates. And he offered obeisances at their lotus feet. And seeing how Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was merciful to Raghunatha dasa and had embraced him, they all did the same.

TEXT 193

prabhu kahe,—“krsna-krpa balistha saba haite
tomare kadila visaya-vistha-garta haite”

TRANSLATION

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “The mercy of Lord Krsna is stronger than anything else. Therefore the Lord has delivered you from the ditch of materialistic life, which is like a hole into which people pass stool.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

According to the law of karma, everyone is destined to suffer or enjoy according to a certain material standard, but the mercy of Lord Krsna is so powerful that the Lord can change all the reactions of one’s past karma, or fruitive activities.

COMMENT

According to our karma, we have to enjoy or suffer. But the Lord’s mercy is so strong that He can free us from any amount of suffering or material enjoyment. He can free us from all karma, whether punya (pious) or papa (sinful). He can lift us out of our material condition and place us on the spiritual platform, where there is no material enjoyment or suffering—only service.

PURPORT (continued)

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu specifically drew attention to the mercy of Lord Krsna. That mercy is more powerful than anything else, for it had saved Raghunatha dasa from the strong bondage of materialistic life, which the Lord compared to a hole where people pass stool.

COMMENT

The bondage of material life is very strong. And usually, the more one is surrounded by material opulence, the harder it is for one to become free. Therefore, persons who are interested in spiritual life or liberation from material existence do not try to increase their material opulence, because their opulence may keep them bound to material existence. Srila Prabhupada himself told the story of how his father had helped him. When Prabhupada was of the age to be married, there were two proposals: one for him to marry a very beautiful girl and one for him to marry a not-so-pretty girl. Srila Prabhupada’s father advised him, “You should rather marry the plain girl, because later, when the time comes for you to leave family life, it will be easier if your wife is not so beautiful.” Srila Prabhupada took the advice, and in the end—as we know—he left everything to serve the order of his guru maharaja and preach Krsna consciousness. In the West there may be even more problems if the wife is beautiful. There used to be a popular song: “If you want to be happy for the rest of your life/ Get an ugly woman to be your wife.” Generally, the more one is surrounded by material opulence, the more one has trouble becoming free. But the mercy of Krishna is so powerful that even though Raghunatha dasa was surrounded by so much opulence (Nityananda Prabhu said that his opulence was like the king of heaven’s), such loving parents, and such a beautiful wife, he had no attachment to any of it. And he left it all to join Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So Sri Chaitanya told him, “The mercy of Krishna is so strong that you could leave your material opulence and come here.” And He compared family life to a hole in which people pass stool.

PURPORT (continued)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave His verdict that those addicted to the materialistic way of life are like worms that are living in stool but cannot give it up. A grha-vrata, one who has decided to live in a comfortable home although it is actually miserable, is in a condemned position. Only the mercy of Krsna can save one from such misery. Without Krsna’s mercy, one cannot get out of the filthy entanglement of materialistic life.

COMMENT

The worm lives in stool, eats the stool, and enjoys life. According to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, materialistic persons who want to enjoy the happiness of family life are like worms who want to enjoy the taste of stool. Of course, pure devotees can also be grihasthas, but here Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is talking about materialistic enjoyment.

PURPORT (concluded)

The poor living entity cannot give up his materialistic position on his own; only when granted the special mercy of Krsna can he give it up. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew very well that Raghunatha dasa was already liberated. Nevertheless He emphasized that Raghunatha dasa’s life of material comfort as a very rich man’s son with a very beautiful wife and many servants to attend him was like a ditch of stool. The Lord thus specifically indicated that ordinary men who are very happy with material comforts and family life are in no better position than worms in stool.

COMMENT

Just see Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s language. But He did not use the same language with everyone. He spoke as He did to Raghunatha dasa because of a special reason, as we shall now read.

TEXT 194

raghunatha mane kahe,—“krsna nahi jani
tava krpa kadila ama,—ei ami mani”

TRANSLATION

[Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had said, “By the mercy of Krsna you have been free from the bondage of household life, which is like a ditch where people pass stool.”] Raghunatha dasa answered within his mind, “I do not know who Krsna is. I simply know that Your mercy, O my Lord, has saved me from my family life.”

TEXT 195

prabhu kahena,—“tomara pita-jyetha dui jane
cakravarti-sambandhe hama ‘aja’ kari’ mane

TRANSLATION

The Lord continued, “Your father and his elder brother [Govardhana and Hiranya Majumadara] are both related as brothers to My grandfather [they were of almost the same age and had friendly relations with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s grandfather], Nilambara Cakravarti. Therefore I consider them My grandfathers.

PURPORT

Nilambara Cakravarti, the grandfather of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, was very intimately related to Raghunatha dasa’s father and uncle. Nilambara Cakravarti used to call them his younger brothers because both of them were very devoted to the brahmanas and were very respectable gentlemen. Similarly, they used to call him Dada Cakravarti, addressing him as an elder brother brahmana. Raghunatha dasa, however, was almost the same age as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Generally a grandchild may joke about his grandfather. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took advantage of the relationship between His grandfather and Raghunatha dasa’s father and uncle to speak in a joking way.

TEXT 196

“cakravartira duhe haya bhratr-rupa dasa
ataeva tare ami kari parihasa

TRANSLATION

“Since your father and his elder brother are younger brothers of Nilambara Cakravarti, I may joke about them in this way.

COMMENT

Sometimes we may want to give an instruction to someone but not want him or her to take offense. So after we give the instruction, which may involve harsh words, we may say that we were just joking. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was saying, “Don’t mind, because your father and uncle were friends of My grandfather, so they are like My grandfathers. I am only joking by comparing them to worms in stool.” But although He was joking, He was also not joking.

TEXT 197

“tomara bapa-jyetha—visaya-vistha-gartera kida
sukha kari’ mane visaya-visera maha-pida

TRANSLATION

“My dear Raghunatha dasa, your father and his elder brother are just like worms in stool in the ditch of material enjoyment, for the great disease of the poison of material enjoyment is what they consider happiness.

COMMENT

In other words, they are in such a diseased condition that the thing that is actually poison—sense gratification—they take as nectar.

PURPORT

When a man is attached to material enjoyment, he is attached to many miserable conditions, but nevertheless he accepts his condemned position as one of happiness.

COMMENT

This is maya, illusion. He is suffering, but he thinks he is enjoying.

PURPORT (concluded)

Sense enjoyment is so strong for such a person that he cannot give it up, exactly as a worm in stool cannot give up the stool. From the spiritual point of view, when a person is too absorbed in material enjoyment, he is exactly like a worm in stool. Although such a position is utterly miserable to the eyes of liberated souls, the materialistic enjoyer is greatly attached to it.

COMMENT

Liberated souls can see that the poor man is in a miserable condition, but the materialistic person is attached to his condition and cannot leave it. Srila Prabhupada had a disciple named Sudama Vipra, who was a rough character, a former member of Hell’s Angels. Once, when Srila Prabhupada arrived at a train station, maybe in Delhi, many people gathered around. The devotees performed kirtan, and Sudama Vipra began to preach. He said that before he came to India, he had thought that India was a very holy, spiritual place where everyone was inclined to spiritual life, and that he had expected to see beautiful mountains, forests, and rivers, and people engaged in spiritual consciousness. But when he had actually come to India, to the cities, he had seen that people were wretched, living in filth, poverty, and misery; he had also seen many lame people, deformed people, and lepers, all suffering. He said, “To the eyes of a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada, all of us look just like those wretched people—poor, filthy, diseased, and miserable in so many ways. A pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada sees all of us like them, and naturally he feels compassion.” And at the end of the talk, Srila Prabhupada remarked, “He has spoken very nicely.” Here Srila Prabhupada says something similar in relation to how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw Raghunatha dasa’s father and uncle, who lived in great material opulence—how such a position is utterly miserable to the eyes of liberated souls but the materialistic enjoyer is greatly attached to it.

TEXT 198

“yadyadi brahmanya kare brahmanera sahaya
‘suddha-vaisnava’ nahe, haye ‘vaisnavera praya’

TRANSLATION

“Although your father and uncle are charitable to brahmanas and greatly help them, they are nevertheless not pure Vaisnavas. However, they are almost like Vaisnavas.

COMMENT

Raghunatha dasa’s father and uncle were kind to devotees and brahmans. They used to practically maintain the whole brahman community of Bengal, and they were friendly with such exalted devotees as Balarama Acharya, Yadunandana Acharya, and Haridasa Thakura. But because they still desired to enjoy material life, they are not considered pure devotees, suddha-vaisnavas. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu calls them vaisnavera praya, which means they are “like Vaishnavas,” or “almost Vaishnavas.” Pure devotional service is without any desire other than to serve Krishna (anyabhilasita-sunyam). It is not covered by fruitive work, impersonal speculation, or anything else (jnana-karmady-anavrtam). So, they were not pure devotees. They performed pious deeds and religious activities, but their aim was to enjoy material life.

As devotees, we also may be surrounded by material things, and because of habit we may not be able to serve enthusiastically without them. Srila Prabhupada gave the example of a famous barrister, C. R. Das, who gave up everything to join India’s freedom movement. But he was so used to a high standard of living that he could not do without it—and within one year he died. He could not live as a mendicant. So, if one prematurely tries to renounce his material situation, he may become disturbed—or even die. Thus Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu generally advised, sthane sthitah sruti-gatam: Remain in your position and hear the messages of Krishna from the mouths of pure devotees; then you can gradually advance.

Here, because Raghunatha dasa was a liberated soul, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was speaking to him in a way befitting an advanced Vaishnava—although earlier He had advised him to return home.

PURPORT

As stated by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya [his commentary on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta], some people, usually very rich men, dress like Vaisnavas and give charity to brahmanas. They are also attached to Deity worship, but because of their attachment to material enjoyment, they cannot be pure Vaisnavas. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam. The pure Vaisnava has no desire for material enjoyment. That is the basic qualification of a pure Vaisnava. There are men, especially rich men, who regularly worship the Deity, give charity to brahmanas, and are pious in every respect, but they cannot be pure Vaisnavas. Despite their outward show of Vaisnavism and charity, their inner desire is to enjoy a higher standard of material life.

COMMENT

In the West, we have little experience of persons who actually follow the principles of Vaishnavism but desire to enjoy material facilities. When I first came to India and met such persons, I became somewhat confused. There was one man who owned a textile mill—a follower of Vallabhacharya. He was very pious, very charitable, and he invited me to his house. So, I went to visit him, on Carmichael Road. He had a very nice temple room, and as a follower of Vallabhacharya he worshipped Bala Krishna—there was so much paraphernalia for the worship. He was also one of the trustees of the Vallabhacharya temple in Bombay, so he wanted me to visit the temple, and I accompanied him there. Many grihastha bhaktas were singing bhajanas in the temple, and it was very opulent. I was confused, because they seemed to be following everything—they were vegetarian, followed all the rules and regulations for worshipping the Deity, and gave money in charity—but still there was something different about them. So, I was a bit confused. But now we can understand: although they were religious and charitable, they still had the desire to enjoy material opulence; they were not pure devotees.

PURPORT (concluded)

Raghunatha dasa’s father, Govardhana, and uncle, Hiranya dasa, were both very charitable to brahmanas. Indeed, the brahmanas from the Gaudiya district were practically dependent on them. Thus they were accepted as very pious gentlemen. However, they presented themselves as Vaisnavas to the eyes of people in general, although from a purely spiritual point of view they were ordinary human beings, not pure Vaisnavas. In other words, they were kanistha-adhikaris, for they were ignorant of higher Vaisnava regulative principles. Nevertheless, they could not be called visayis, or blind materialistic enjoyers.

COMMENT

They were not pure devotees, but at the same time they were not blind materialistic enjoyers. They were in-between. So they are called vaisnava-praya, bhakta-praya, or kanistha-adhikari. They were on the material platform, because they wanted material enjoyment, but at the same time they had faith in Krishna and Vaishnavas, and they worshipped Krishna and served Vaishnavas. So they were vaisnava-praya.

TEXT 199

“tathapi visayera svabhava—kare maha-andha
sei karma karaya, yate haya bhava-bandha

TRANSLATION

“Those who are attached to materialistic life and are blind to spiritual life must act in such a way that they are bound to repeated birth and death by the actions and reactions of their activities.

PURPORT

As clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gita (3.9), yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra loko ’yam karma-bandhanah: if one does not act as a pure devotee, whatever acts he performs will produce reactions of fruitive bondage (karma-bandhanah). In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said:

nunam pramattah kurute vikarma
   yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti
na sadhu manye yata atmano ’yam
   asann api klesada asa dehah

“A materialistic person, madly engaged in activities for sense enjoyment, does not know that he is entangling himself in repeated birth and death and that his body, although temporary, is full of miseries.” (SB 5.5.4)

A visayi, a person blindly caught in a web of materialistic life, remains in the cycle of birth and death perpetually. Such a person cannot understand how to execute pure devotional service, and therefore he acts as a karmi, jnani, yogi, or something else, according to his desire, but he does not know that the activities of karma, jnana, and yoga simply bind one to the cycle of birth and death.

COMMENT

In other words, without bhakti no one can be liberated. Not even a yogi or a jnani, what to speak of a karmi, can be liberated without the mercy of a devotee, without the touch of devotional service.

TEXT 200

“hena ‘visaya’ haite krsna uddharila toma’
kahana na yaya krsna-krpara mahima”

TRANSLATION

“By His own free will, Lord Krsna has delivered you from such a condemned materialistic life. Therefore the glories of Lord Krsna’s causeless mercy cannot be expressed.”

PURPORT

In the Brahma-samhita (5.54) it is said, karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam. Lord Krsna is so merciful that He can stop the reactions of karma for His devotee. Everyone—from the small insect called indra-gopa up to Indra, the king of heaven—is bound by the reactions of fruitive activities.

yas tv indra-gopam atha vendram aho sva-karma-
   bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti
karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam
   govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

Everyone, whether an insect or the king of heaven, Indra, is entangled and bound by the actions and reactions of his karma. However, when one becomes a pure devotee, free from material desires and from bondage to karma, jnana, and yoga, one is freed from material actions and reactions by the causeless mercy of Krsna. One cannot express sufficient gratitude to Krsna for being freed from the materialistic way of life.

COMMENT

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is the ideal example for us to follow. When he was a householder, he showed the ideal example of how to live in household life, how to execute one’s duty perfectly and at the same time be detached from material enjoyment and attached to Krishna. Later, after he joined Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he showed the ideal example of renounced life. He hardly ate or slept, and he was always engaged in chanting the holy names, offering obeisances, and other such activities. So, he is a rare example of a devotee who set the ideal standard for both grihasthas and sannyasis.

We pray for his mercy.

Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s appearance day, February 4, 1996, Juhu, Bombay]

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