Planet ISKCON

Today is very auspicious for many reasons. One reason is that today is Candana-yatra. It is also Sri Madhavendra Puri’s appearance day. So, I thought to read about Sri Madhavendra Puri’s pure devotional service and how he brought candana for the Deity of Gopala and ultimately offered it to the Deity of Gopinatha, who is not different from Gopala.

jaya jaya sri caitanya jaya nityananda
jaya advaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

We read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter 4, “Sri Madhavendra Puri’s Devotional Service”:

In his Amrita-pravaha-bhasya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gives the following summary of the Fourth Chapter:

One night while in Govardhana, Madhavendra Puri dreamed that the Gopala Deity was within the forest. The next morning, he invited his neighborhood friends to accompany him to excavate the Deity from the jungle. He then established the Deity of Sri Gopalaji on top of Govardhana Hill with great pomp. Gopala was worshiped, and the Annakuta festival was observed. This festival was known everywhere, and many people from the neighboring villages came to join. One night the Gopala Deity again appeared to Madhavendra Puri in a dream and asked him to go to Jagannatha Puri to collect some sandalwood pulp and smear it on the body of the Deity. Having received this order, Madhavendra Puri immediately started for Orissa. Traveling through Bengal, he reached Remuna village and there received a pot of condensed milk (ksira) offered to the Deity of Gopinathaji. This pot of condensed milk was stolen by Gopinatha and delivered to Madhavendra Puri. Since then, the Gopinatha Deity has been known as Ksira-cora-gopinatha, the Deity who stole the pot of condensed milk. After reaching Jagannatha Puri, Madhavendra Puri received permission from the King to take one “mana” of sandalwood and eight ounces of camphor. Aided by two men, he brought these things to Remuna. Again he saw in a dream that Gopala at Govardhana Hill desired that very sandalwood to be turned into pulp mixed with camphor and smeared over the body of Gopinathaji. Understanding that that would satisfy the Gopala Deity at Govardhana, Madhavendra Puri executed the order and returned to Jagannatha Puri.

TEXT 1

yasmai datum corayan ksira-bhandam
gopinathah ksira-corabhidho ’bhut
sri-gopalah pradurasid vasah san
yat-premna tam madhavendram nato ’smi

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Madhavendra Puri, who was given a pot of sweet rice stolen by Sri Gopinatha, celebrated thereafter as ksira-cora. Being pleased by Madhavendra Puri’s love, Sri Gopala, the Deity at Govardhana, appeared to the public vision.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Bhaktivinoda Thakura annotates that this Gopala Deity was originally installed by Vajra, the great-grandson of Krsna. Madhavendra Puri rediscovered Gopala and established Him on top of Govardhana Hill. This Gopala Deity is still situated at Nathadvara and is under the management of descendants of Vallabhacarya. The worship of the Deity is very luxurious, and one who goes there can purchase varieties of prasadam by paying a small price.

TEXT 2

jaya jaya gauracandra jaya nityananda
jayadvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

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

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

Now we will skip to Remuna, where Madhavendra Puri received the pot of condensed milk stolen by the Deity Gopinatha. Madhavendra Puri was afraid that when news of the event spread, everyone would want to see him and appreciate him. So he thought he should not remain there any longer but should leave immediately for Jagannatha Puri.

TEXT 143–146

cali’ cali’ aila puri sri-nilacala
jagannatha dekhi’ haila premete vihvala

Walking and walking, Madhavendra Puri finally reached Jagannatha Puri, which is also known as Nilacala. There he saw Lord Jagannatha and was overwhelmed with loving ecstasy.

When Madhavendra Puri was overwhelmed in the ecstasy of love of Godhead, he sometimes stood up and sometimes fell to the ground. Sometimes he laughed, danced and sang. In this way he enjoyed transcendental bliss by seeing the Jagannatha Deity.

When Madhavendra Puri came to Jagannatha Puri, people were aware of his transcendental reputation. Therefore crowds of people came and offered him all sorts of respect in devotion.

Even though one may not like it, reputation, as ordained by providence, comes to him. Indeed, one’s transcendental reputation is known throughout the entire world.

TEXT 147

pratisthara bhaye puri gela palana
krsna-preme pratistha cale sange gadana

Being afraid of his reputation [pratistha], Madhavendra Puri fled from Remuna. But the reputation brought by love of Godhead is so sublime that it goes along with the devotee, as if following him.

COMMENT

“Being afraid of his reputation [pratistha], Madhavendra Puri fled from Remuna. But the reputation brought by love of Godhead is so sublime that it goes along with the devotee, as if following him.” Actually, Chanakya Pandit makes the same statement, which Srila Prabhupada sometimes quoted: “A rich man is famous only in his own place, but a learned man—a pure devotee—is famous all over the world.” Someone may be a rich man in India, but if he goes to America he’s nobody. A rich man from America wouldn’t be a complete nobody in India, because the beggars would see that he’s a foreigner and this would give him importance. But a rich man is really known and served and worshipped only in his own place, whereas a learned man is known and served and worshipped throughout the world. Just like Srila Prabhupada: wherever he went, he was loved and served and worshipped.

Madhavendra Puri was a great devotee. When the Deity stole condensed milk for him in Remuna, he thought people would come and honor him, so to avoid them he went to Jagannatha Puri. But when he arrived in Puri, people knew that the great devotee Madhavendra Puri had come, so they came to honor him. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami states, “Being afraid of his reputation [pratistha], Madhavendra Puri fled from Remuna. But the reputation brought by love of Godhead is so sublime that it goes along with the devotee, as if following him.”

PURPORT

Almost all the conditioned souls within the material world are envious. Jealous people generally turn against one who automatically attains some reputation.  Consequently, when a devotee is fit to receive worldly reputation, he is envied by many people. This is quite natural. When a person, out of humility, does not desire fame, people generally think him quite humble and consequently give him all kinds of fame. Actually a Vaisnava does not hanker after fame or a great reputation. Madhavendra Puri, the king of Vaisnavas, bore his reputation, but he wanted to keep himself outside the vision of the general populace. He wanted to cover his real identity as a great devotee of the Lord, but when people saw him overwhelmed in ecstasy in love of Godhead, they naturally gave credit to him. Actually a first-class reputation is due Madhavendra Puri because he was a most confidential devotee of the Lord. Sometimes a sahajiya presents himself as being void of desires for reputation (pratistha) in order to become famous as a humble man. Such people cannot actually attain the platform of celebrated Vaisnavas.

COMMENT

Once when Srila Prabhupada was in Los Angeles, my parents came to visit. I was there, and so many people—old and young, male and female—were also there with Srila Prabhupada on his morning walk in a park, and he was dealing with each and every person in such a way that everyone was pleased, even though they were so different. For example, my mother was fifty-five or so years of age, but Srila Prabhupada told her, “Mrs. Teton, you look so young.” And she was very pleased. Everyone was pleased. At the end of the walk we came to where the cars were parked. Perhaps Karandhar Prabhu had arranged a Rolls Royce for Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada knew the heart of everyone, and even otherwise he might have seen my father glancing at the car. (I’m referring to the principle of enviousness—not that my father was envious.) So, he and my father and some devotees were standing around the Rolls Royce, and Srila Prabhupada said to my father, “You should come and ride with me.” “No, no. I cannot.” “No, no, you should come and ride with me.” Then, very humbly and in a very shy way, Srila Prabhupada said, “Actually, my disciples got this for me.” My father immediately said, “No, no. You deserve it.” So if by chance there was any envy, Srila Prabhupada acted quickly and expertly to dispel it. Afterwards, Srila Prabhupada’s servant Hari Sauri Prabhu commented to him, “Srila Prabhupada, everyone likes you so much.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, because I like everyone.”

TEXT 148

yadyapi udvega haila palaite mana
thakurera candana-sadhana ha-ila bandhana

Madhavendra Puri wanted to leave Jagannatha Puri because the people were honoring him as a great devotee; however, this threatened to hinder his collecting sandalwood for the Gopala Deity.

COMMENT

Madhavendra Puri came to Jagannatha Puri for service, but when he got there he found fame, which he did not like. So he wanted to run away from Puri to escape the reputation there. But if he had run away, he would not have been able to do his service to the Deity of Gopala. So he gave more importance to Gopala’s service than to his own likes or dislikes. This is the quality of a pure devotee. The pure devotee does whatever is favorable for the service of the master, even if it is not favorable for his own personal happiness. And, of course, in serving the master and giving happiness to the master, he enjoys the greatest happiness.

TEXT 149–151

Sri Madhavendra Puri told all the servants of Lord Jagannatha and all the great devotees there the story of the appearance of Sri Gopala.

When all the devotees at Jagannatha Puri heard that the Gopala Deity wanted sandalwood, in great pleasure they all endeavored to collect it.

Those who were acquainted with government officers met with them and begged for camphor and sandalwood, which they collected.

PURPORT

It appears that malayaja-candana (sandalwood) and camphor were used for the Jagannatha Deity. The camphor was used in His aratrika, and the sandalwood was used to smear His body. Both these items were under government control; therefore the devotees had to meet with the government officials. Informing them of all the details, they attained permission to take the sandalwood and camphor outside Jagannatha Puri.

TEXT 152

eka vipra, eka sevaka, candana vahite
puri-gosanira sange dila sambala-sahite

 One brahmana and one servant were given to Madhavendra Puri just to carry the sandalwood. He was also given the necessary traveling expenses.

COMMENT

Madhavendra Puri had no material assets. He would not even ask for food. He would just chant the holy name, and whatever food Krishna sent he would accept. He himself had nothing. But when the people of Puri saw his exalted devotional position, they automatically offered to collect candana and camphor, get permission from the government, and even give him money for expenses on the way.

TEXT 153–157

To get past the toll collectors along the way, Madhavendra Puri was supplied with the necessary release papers from government officers. The papers were placed in his hand.

In this way Madhavendra Puri started for Vrndavana with the burden of sandalwood, and after some days he again reached the village of Remuna and the Gopinatha temple there.

When Madhavendra Puri reached the temple of Gopinatha, he offered his respectful obeisances many times at the lotus feet of the Lord. In the ecstasy of love, he began to dance and sing without cessation.

When the priest of Gopinatha saw Madhavendra Puri again, he offered all respects to him and, giving him the sweet rice prasadam, made him eat.

Madhavendra Puri took rest that night in the temple, but toward the end of the night he had another dream.

TEXT 158

gopala asiya kahe,—suna he madhava
karpura-candana ami pailama saba

Madhavendra Puri dreamed that Gopala came before him and said, “O Madhavendra Puri, I have already received all the sandalwood and camphor.

TEXT 159

karpura-sahita ghasi’ e-saba candana
gopinathera ange nitya karaha lepana

“Now just grind all the sandalwood together with the camphor and then smear the pulp on the body of Gopinatha daily until it is finished.

TEXT 160

 gopinatha amara se eka-i anga haya
inhake candana dile habe mora tapa-ksaya

 “There is no difference between My body and Gopinatha’s body. They are one and the same. Therefore if you smear the sandalwood pulp on the body of Gopinatha, you will naturally also smear it on My body. Thus the temperature of My body will be reduced.”

PURPORT

Gopala was situated in Vrndavana, which was far from Remuna. In those days, one had to pass through provinces governed by the Mohammedans, who sometimes hindered travelers. Considering the trouble of His devotee, Lord Gopala, the greatest well-wisher of His devotees, ordered Madhavendra Puri to smear the sandalwood pulp on the body of Gopinatha, which was nondifferent from the body of Gopala. In this way the Lord relieved Madhavendra Puri from trouble and inconvenience.

COMMENT

The devotee always wants to serve the Lord—without any personal consideration. But the Lord also reciprocates and wants to help the devotee. Madhavendra Puri was ready to carry the sandalwood and camphor all the way from Jagannatha Puri to Vrindavan, on foot, in the heat of summer, to please Gopala. And Gopala was pleased by Madhavendra Puri’s pure, devotional service attitude and felt compassion for him. He didn’t want him to take the trouble to carry the sandalwood all the way from Jagannatha Puri to Vrindavan by foot in the heat. So He appeared to Madhavendra Puri in a dream and told him to “smear the sandalwood pulp mixed with camphor on the Deity of Gopinatha, and because the Deity of Gopinatha and I are the same I will feel relieved.”

TEXT 161–168

dvidha na bhaviha, na kariha kichu mane
visvasa kari’ candana deha amara vacane

 “You should not hesitate to act according to My order. Believing in Me, just do what is needed.”

After giving these instructions, Gopala disappeared, and Madhavendra Puri awoke. He immediately called for all the servants of Gopinatha, and they came before him.

Madhavendra Puri said, “Smear the body of Gopinatha with this camphor and sandalwood I have brought for Gopala in Vrndavana. Do this regularly every day.

“If the sandalwood pulp is smeared over the body of Gopinatha, then Gopala will be cooled. After all, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely independent; His order is all-powerful.”

The servants of Gopinatha became very pleased to hear that in the summer all the sandalwood pulp would be used to anoint the body of Gopinatha.

Madhavendra Puri said, “These two assistants will regularly grind the sandalwood, and you should also get two other people to help. I shall pay their salary.”

In this way Gopinathaji was supplied ground sandalwood pulp daily. The servants of Gopinatha were very pleased with this.

In this way the sandalwood pulp was smeared over the body of Gopinatha until the whole stock was finished. Madhavendra Puri stayed there until that time.

TEXT 169

grisma-kala-ante punah nilacale gela
nilacale caturmasya anande rahila

At the end of summer Madhavendra Puri returned to Jagannatha Puri, where he remained with great pleasure during the whole period of Caturmasya.

PURPORT

The Caturmasya period begins in the month of Asadha (June-July) from the day of Ekadasi called Sayana-ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon.

COMMENT

In Maharashtra many people go to Pandharpur to celebrate Asadhi-ekadasi, and they do kirtan on the way, chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, or Jaya Jaya Rama Krishna Hari. With great jubilation, they walk in dindi parties until they reach Pandharpur. Then they do parikrama, take darshan of Vitthala, and hear the ISKCON devotees chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. And if they are lucky enough they will purchase some of Srila Prabhupada’s books and take some prasada.

PURPORT (concluded)

The Caturmasya period begins in the month of Asadha (June-July) from the day of Ekadasi called Sayana-ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon. The period ends in the month of Karttika (October-November) on the Ekadasi day known as Utthana-ekadasi in the fortnight of the waxing moon. This four-month period is known as Caturmasya. Some Vaisnavas also observe it from the full-moon day of Asadha until the full-moon day of Karttika. That is also a period of four months. This period, calculated by the lunar months, is called Caturmasya, but others also observe Caturmasya according to the solar month from Sravana to Karttika. The whole period, either lunar or solar, takes place during the rainy season. Caturmasya should be observed by all sections of the population. It does not matter whether one is a grhastha or a sannyasi. The observance is obligatory for all asramas. The real purpose behind the vow taken during these four months is to minimize the quantity of sense gratification. This is not very difficult. In the month of Sravana one should not eat spinach, in the month of Bhadra one should not eat yogurt, and in the month of Asvina one should not drink milk. One should not eat fish or other non-vegetarian food during the month of Karttika. A non-vegetarian diet means fish and meat. Similarly, masura dhal and urad dhal are also considered non-vegetarian. These two dhals contain a great amount of protein, and food rich in protein is considered non-vegetarian. On the whole, during the four-month period of Caturmasya, one should practice giving up all food intended for sense enjoyment.

COMMENT

The story we just read was spoken by Lord Chaitanya when He visited Remuna on the way from Bengal to Jagannatha Puri in Orissa. He told the story of Madhavendra Puri to all the devotees with Him, including Nityananda Prabhu.

Now we shall read a short summary of the glories of Madhavendra Puri and pray for his mercy to bless us with the tiniest fraction of his devotion to Krishna:

TEXT 170

sri-mukhe madhava-purira amrta-carita
bhakta-gane sunana prabhu kare asvadita

Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally praised the nectarean characteristics of Madhavendra Puri, and while He related all this to the devotees, He personally relished it.

COMMENT

Devotees take pleasure in speaking and hearing the glories of other devotees. And Lord Chaitanya set the example. He personally relished remembering and discussing the glories of Madhavendra Puri.

TEXT 171

prabhu kahe,—nityananda, karaha vicara
puri-sama bhagyavan jagate nahi ara

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Nityananda Prabhu to judge whether there was anyone within the world as fortunate as Madhavendra Puri.

TEXT 172

dugdha-dana-chale krsna yanre dekha dila
tina-bare svapne asi’ yanre ajna kaila

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Madhavendra Puri was so fortunate that Krsna personally appeared before him on the plea of delivering milk. Three times the Lord gave orders to Madhavendra Puri in dreams.”

COMMENT

What were the three orders the Lord gave Madhavendra Puri? First, at Govardhana, Gopala appeared in Madhavendra Puri’s dream and told him, “I’m hidden in the bushes; please take Me out and install Me on top of Govardhana Hill.”

The second time was also at Govardhana. The Deity appeared to Madhavendra Puri and told him, “I’m feeling very hot. Please bring sandalwood pulp to cool Me.”

And the third time was at Remuna, where Gopala appeared to Madhavendra Puri and told him, “The Deity of Gopinatha and I are the same, so you can smear the sandalwood on the body of Gopinatha and I will feel relieved.”

TEXT 173

yanra preme vasa hana prakata ha-ila
seva angikara kari’ jagata tarila

“Being obliged because of the loving affairs of Madhavendra Puri, Lord Krsna Himself appeared as the Gopala Deity, and, accepting his service, He liberated the whole world.

COMMENT

In other words, the Deity of Gopala was so obliged by Madhavendra Puri’s service that He appeared to Madhavendra Puri just to accept it. And thus the Deity of Gopala delivered the whole world. Even now, an expansion of the Gopala Deity is here in this temple, and He is delivering the world.

TEXT 174

yanra lagi’ gopinatha ksira kaila curi
ataeva nama haila ‘ksira-cora’ kari’

“On account of Madhavendra Puri, Lord Gopinatha stole the pot of sweet rice. Thus He became famous as Ksira-cora [the thief who stole the sweet rice].

COMMENT

Generally, stealing is considered bad. And definitely, stealing is bad. But here we see that the Deity stole. Is the Deity at fault? No. God is absolute, Krishna is absolute, so whatever He does is good. God is good, so whatever Krishna does is all-good, absolutely. Even in Vrindavan, Krishna used to steal butter and yogurt. Of course, the residents of Vrindavan did not think of Krishna as the Lord. They thought of Him as the son of Yasoda and Nanda. The elderly gopis complained to Mother Yasoda, “Your son comes to our houses and does mischief. Sometimes He steals butter and yogurt, and He feeds them to His friends and to monkeys. Sometimes He pinches the babies and makes them cry. Sometimes He passes urine on the floor. What kind of a boy is this? And what kind of a mother are you? You’re not controlling Him. He is becoming a nuisance, and He’ll be spoiled. You should control Him. Keep Him with you and don’t let Him go into other people’s houses and make trouble.”

Mother Yasoda also did not think that Krishna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. She thought, “He is my son, and I’m His mother, and if I don’t take care He will be spoiled.” So she took it very seriously and kept Krishna at home. But after some time the elderly gopis came and complained, “Krishna is not coming to our houses anymore. He’s not coming to tease our children or steal our butter, and we’re so unhappy.”

This is the absolute nature of Krishna: whatever He does is all pleasing to everyone. Even His stealing gives pleasure. If someone in the ashram steals something, we won’t feel pleasure. In fact, we will want to beat him with a stick and chase him out the door. Our stealing doesn’t give pleasure, because we are conditioned souls in the duality of material nature. So we should not steal. Even Rupa Gosvami has advised devotees to be straightforward in ordinary dealings and to act in the mode of goodness, in the way of brahmans, whose first quality is satyam, truthfulness. But Krishna is on the absolute platform. When He steals, people take pleasure and glorify Him as Makhana-cora, or Ksira-cora, because His stealing and our stealing are not on the same level. We should not imitate. People may think, “Krishna stole; I will also steal.” Whatever Krishna does is all-good, absolutely. But we in the material world who are trying to become devotees (and even those who actually are devotees) act according to religious principles. And according to religious principles, one should not steal, one should not lie, and so on.

We should follow. That is our duty. And Krishna’s duty is to give pleasure to His devotees by any means. And sometimes, to give pleasure to His devotees, He steals. But there is another lesson for us: we should not stock or hoard things. When Srila Prabhupada first had the devotees print BTG in large quantities in America, he said, “Don’t keep the magazines stocked. Distribute them. Otherwise, if you keep them stocked, Krishna may come and steal them, just like the gopis used to keep butter and yogurt and Krishna used to come and steal. So if you keep the transcendental literature stocked, Krishna may come and steal it.”

Krishna’s pastimes can be understood on many levels and in many ways, and we should be sure to understand them properly from Srila Prabhupada. Now Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains the reciprocation between Madhavendra Puri and Gopala.

TEXT 176

mleccha-dese karpura-candana anite janjala
puri duhkha pabe iha janiya gopala

“In the provinces of India governed by the Mohammedans, there was much inconvenience in traveling with sandalwood and camphor. Because of this, Madhavendra Puri might have gotten into trouble. This became known to the Gopala Deity.

TEXT 177

maha-daya-maya prabhu—bhakata-vatsala
candana pari’ bhakta-srama karila saphala

“The Lord is very merciful and attached to His devotees, so when Gopinatha was covered with sandalwood pulp, Madhavendra Puri’s labor became successful.”

TEXT 178

purira prema-parakastha karaha vicara
alaukika prema citte lage camatkara

Caitanya Mahaprabhu placed the standard of Madhavendra Puri’s intense love before Nityananda Prabhu for judgment. “All his loving activities are uncommon,” Caitanya Mahaprabhu said. “Indeed, one is struck with wonder to hear of his activities.”

PURPORT

When the living entity feels spiritual separation from Krsna (krsna-viraha), he has achieved the prime success of life.

COMMENT

Here Srila Prabhupada is deeply analyzing what is the actual wonder of Sri Madhavendra Puri’s devotional ecstasy.

PURPORT (continued)

When one becomes disinterested in material things, he is simply experiencing the other side of attraction for material things.

COMMENT

Attachment and aversion. In material life we feel attracted to material things. We want to possess them and enjoy them. And when we try to possess and enjoy them, we suffer. On a morning walk in Juhu, Srila Prabhupada spoke about money, and he said that getting money is a problem, keeping the money is a problem, and when you lose the money, that is also a problem. At every stage there is simply trouble. So when someone has experienced all the troubles of material life, he may think, “Why shall I bother for all these things? Let me renounce. Let me leave.” But that is not bhakti. That is just the other side of attachment. “First I wanted to get it, and now I want to leave it. I wanted to get it to become happy, but when I actually got it I didn’t become happy. I had more trouble. So let me leave it.” But the basic principle is one’s personal happiness. The karmi’s idea is to enjoy, but instead of enjoying he suffers. And the idea of the jnani, impersonalist, is that by trying to enjoy he suffered, so now he won’t try to enjoy anymore so he won’t have to suffer anymore. Then: zero. When he was a karmi he wanted plus—enjoyment—but instead of plus he got minus—suffering. Now he thinks, “I don’t want minus. Though I wanted plus, I got minus instead, so now I want zero, because at least zero is better than minus.”

So, both the karmis and jnanis are selfish. And:

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami—sakali ‘asanta’
krsna-bhakta—niskama, ataeva ‘santa’

“Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jnanis desire liberation, and yogis desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful. Because a devotee of Lord Krsna is desireless, only he is peaceful.” (Cc Madhya 19.149)

Thus the real glory of Madhavendra Puri, as described by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu here, is not his renunciation, but rather his intense love for Krishna in the mood of separation.

PURPORT (continued)

When one becomes disinterested in material things, he is simply experiencing the other side of attraction for material things. However, feeling separation from Krsna and engaging in the service of the Lord to fulfill His mission constitute the best example of love of Krsna.

COMMENT

Someone might say that the devotee is crying in separation, the devotee is suffering. But actually he is not suffering; he is enjoying transcendental ecstasy on the spiritual platform. Someone may see that the devotee is laboring—going to Jagannatha Puri, meeting the government officers, getting permits, getting the sandalwood and camphor, carrying everything with him by foot—and think, “Oh, he is laboring, he is suffering.” But he is not suffering. He is enjoying transcendental ecstasy on the spiritual platform, because the central point is Krishna.

PURPORT (concluded)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to point out this intense love of Krsna exhibited by Madhavendra Puri. All Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s devotees later followed in the footsteps of Madhavendra Puri, serving the Lord without personal considerations.

COMMENT

This is the standard of the followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who follow Sri Madhavendra Puri: they serve the Lord without any personal considerations.

TEXT 186

pragadha-premera ei svabhava-acara
nija-duhkha-vighnadira na kare vicara

“This is the natural result of intense love of Godhead. The devotee does not consider personal inconveniences or impediments. In all circumstances he wants to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

It is natural for those who have developed intense love for Krsna not to care for personal inconvenience and impediments. Such devotees are simply determined to execute the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His representative, the spiritual master. In all circumstances, even amidst the greatest dangers, they undeviatingly carry on with the greatest determination. This definitely proves the intense love of the servitor.

COMMENT

Their love is shown by their being undeviating and unfaltering in serving the order of the spiritual master in the face of all difficulties—not by a show of tears.

PURPORT (continued)

As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, tat te ’nukampam su-samiksamanah: those who seriously desire to get free from the clutches of material existence, who have developed intense love for Krsna, are worthy candidates for going back home, back to Godhead. An intense lover of Krsna does not care for any number of material discomforts, scarcity, impediments or unhappiness. It is said that when one sees apparent unhappiness or distress in a perfect Vaisnava, it is not at all unhappiness for him; rather, it is transcendental bliss.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Jadurani was perhaps the first artist in ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada used to give her photos as subjects to paint. Once, she looked at one and commented, “Oh, Srila Prabhupada, you look so sad in this picture!” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “That was a moment of ecstasy.” Thus it is said that “when one sees apparent unhappiness or distress in a perfect Vaishnava, it is not at all unhappiness for him. Rather, it is transcendental bliss.”

Once, in New York, the devotees arranged a big program for Srila Prabhupada. Although they had very little money, they rented an expensive hall, but in the end hardly two or three people came. The devotees might have felt discouraged, but Srila Prabhupada said, “Don’t be discouraged. We have prepared a big feast to distribute to the guests, and if guests come we will distribute the prasada and be happy, and if they don’t come we will eat the prasada and be happy. So in every case we are happy.”

PURPORT (concluded)

In the Siksastaka, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also instructed, aslisya va pada-ratam. The intense lover of Krsna is never deviated from his service, despite all difficulties and impediments brought before him.

Sri Madhavendra Puri Prabhu ki jaya!
Sri Gopalaji ki jaya!
Sri Gopinathaji ki jaya!
Sri Candana-yatra ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Sri Madhavendra Puri’s appearance day, May 4, 1995, Chowpatty, Bombay]

Can a video save a dead river? It may sound far-fetched, but miracles happen through public awareness—especially when Krishna Himself notices the sincere devotion of his bhaktas.

We shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Five, Chapter Eighteen: “The Residents of Jambudvipa Offer Prayers,” from the series of prayers recited by Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva. Text 8 is a very important prayer, or mantra, and in it many words are repeated twice. When something is repeated twice, it gives great emphasis. For example, one might say, “It is a terrible, terrible thing.” The repetition of “terrible” is for emphasis.

TEXT 8

om namo bhagavate narasimhaya namas tejas-tejase avir-avirbhava vajra-nakha vajra-damstra karmasayan randhaya randhaya tamo grasa grasa om svaha; abhayam abhayam atmani bhuyistha om ksraum.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possess nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world.

TEXT 9

svasty astu visvasya khalah prasidatam
   dhyayantu bhutani sivam mitho dhiya
manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje
   avesyatam no matir apy ahaituki

TRANSLATION

May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krsna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The following verse describes a Vaisnava:

vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca
   krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo
   vaisnavebhyo namo namah

Just like a desire tree, a Vaisnava can fulfill all the desires of anyone who takes shelter of his lotus feet. Prahlada Maharaja is a typical Vaisnava. He prays not for himself, but for all living entities—the gentle, the envious, and the mischievous. He always thought of the welfare of mischievous persons like his father, Hiranyakasipu. Prahlada Maharaja did not ask for anything for himself; rather, he prayed for the Lord to excuse his demoniac father. This is the attitude of a Vaisnava, who always thinks of the welfare of the entire universe.

Srimad-Bhagavatam and bhagavata-dharma are meant for persons who are completely free of envy (parama-nirmatsaranam). Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays in this verse, khalah prasidatam: “May all the envious persons be pacified.” The material world is full of envious persons, but if one frees himself of envy, he becomes liberal in his social dealings and can think of others’ welfare. Anyone who takes up Krsna consciousness and engages himself completely in the service of the Lord cleanses his mind of all envy (manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje). Therefore we should pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva to sit in our hearts. We should pray, bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimhah: “Let Lord Nrsimhadeva sit in the core of my heart, killing all my bad propensities. Let my mind become clean so that I may peacefully worship the Lord and bring peace to the entire world.”

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given us a very fine purport in this regard. Whenever one offers a prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one always requests some benediction from Him. Even pure (niskama) devotees pray for some benediction, as instructed by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastaka:

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
   patitam mam visame bhavambudhau
krpaya tava pada-pankaja-
   sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

“O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krsna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick Me up from the ocean of death and place Me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” In another prayer Lord Caitanya says, mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi: “Life after life, kindly let Me have unalloyed love and devotion at Your Lordship’s lotus feet.” When Prahlada Maharaja chants om namo bhagavate narasimhaya, he prays for a benediction from the Lord, but because he is also an exalted Vaisnava, he wants nothing for his personal sense gratification. The first desire expressed in his prayer is svasty astu visvasya: “Let there be good fortune throughout the entire universe.” Prahlada Maharaja thus requested the Lord to be merciful to everyone, including his father, a most envious person. According to Canakya Pandita, there are two kinds of envious living entities: one is a snake, and the other is the man like Hiranyakasipu, who is by nature envious of everyone, even of his father or son. Hiranyakasipu was envious of his little son Prahlada, but Prahlada Maharaja asked a benediction for the benefit of his father. Hiranyakasipu was very envious of devotees, but Prahlada wished that his father and other demons like him would give up their envious nature by the grace of the Lord and stop harassing the devotees (khalah prasidatam). The difficulty is that the khala (envious living entity) is rarely pacified. One kind of khala, the snake, can be pacified simply by mantras or by the action of a particular herb (mantrausadhi-vasah sarpah khalakena nivaryate). An envious person, however, cannot be pacified by any means. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays that all envious persons may undergo a change of heart and think of the welfare of others.

If the Krsna consciousness movement spreads all over the world, and if by the grace of Krsna everyone accepts it, the thinking of envious people will change. Everyone will think of the welfare of others. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays, sivam mitho dhiya. In material activities, everyone is envious of others, but in Krsna consciousness, no one is envious of anyone else; everyone thinks of the welfare of others. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays that everyone’s mind may become gentle by being fixed at the lotus feet of Krsna (bhajatad adhoksaje). As indicated elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam (sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh) and as advised by Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (18.65), man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah, one should constantly think of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. Then one’s mind will certainly be cleansed (ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc Antya 20.12]). Materialists always think of sense gratification, but Prahlada Maharaja prays that the Lord’s mercy will change their minds and they will stop thinking of sense gratification. If they think of Krsna always, everything will be all right. Some people argue that if everyone thought of Krsna in that way, the whole universe would be vacated because everyone would go back home, back to Godhead. However, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that this is impossible because the living entities are innumerable. If one set of living entities is actually delivered by the Krsna consciousness movement, another set will fill the entire universe.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca
   krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo
   vaisnavebhyo namo namah

Srila Prabhupada quoted this verse in the purport because it describes a Vaishnava and because Prahlada Maharaja, who recited the prayers that we are reading and discussing, is an excellent example of a Vaishnava.

Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahlada, was a great demon, and he performed such severe austerities that the entire universe became disturbed. Eventually, Lord Brahma went to Hiranyakasipu personally to ask him what benediction he wanted, so that he would cease his austerities and stop the disturbance within the universe. Hiranyakasipu asked for the benediction to become immortal, but Lord Brahma replied, “I myself am not immortal.” So Hiranyakasipu asked for various boons that he thought would indirectly make him immortal. He asked that he not be killed inside a building or outside; that he not be killed in the day or at night; that he not be killed on the land or in the sky; that he not be killed by any human being or animal, demigod or demon, or any other creature; that he not be killed by any weapon. He asked for such benedictions that he thought would make him immortal and give him absolute supremacy in the universe. And Lord Brahma agreed to all of the requests: “So be it.”

In due course, Hiranyakasipu had a son named Prahlada, and Prahlada was a devotee. Earlier, the Lord in the form of Varahadeva had killed Hiranyakasipu’s brother Hiranyaksa, and Hiranyakasipu was determined to avenge his brother’s death—he actually thought that he could kill Vishnu. He knew that Vishnu had appeared as Varaha and killed Hiranyaksa. Later, Diti, the mother of Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu, desired a son who would kill Indra, because she thought that Indra, with the help of Vishnu, was responsible for the death of her sons.

We know from scripture—sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya—that Vishnu is God. So we might consider, “How could anyone imagine that they could kill God?” But if God came into this room and we didn’t recognize Him by the features that are described in the scriptures, we wouldn’t know that He was God, because God looks like a human being. As the Bible says, “God created man in His own image.” God has arms and legs and hands and feet and eyes and ears and a nose and mouth and all the different bodily features we have. His body looks like ours. What distinguishes Him from us is that He has immeasurable potencies. For example, the president of the United States looks like a human being like the rest of us, but he has immense powers (more than some might like). If he wants, he can order the army to invade a country or send the police to arrest a citizen. He looks like us, but we don’t have that power. We might want to do certain things, but we don’t have the power. He has the power. Still, he looks like one of us.

When someone performs great austerities, he can get great powers. Even demons, if they perform the required austerities, can become very powerful and attain various mystic perfections. So although Lord Vishnu has all power and mystic potency, demons can also get powers. And Hiranyakasipu thought that by his austerities and the powers he derived from them and the benedictions he got from Lord Brahma, he could become immortal and conquer the universe. He had created a great disturbance in the universe by performing severe austerities; now he did so by waging war against the demigods and conquering their territories.

Although he was a demon, Hiranyakasipu had natural affection for his son, and he wanted him to be like his father, a great materialist, and had him educated accordingly. He engaged teachers to instruct the boy to be expert in politics and diplomacy. And as parents sometimes ask their children, “What did you learn in school today? What is your favorite subject?” Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada, “What is the best thing you have learned?” He thought Prahlada would say something cute, something sweet. But Prahlada gave the worst answer imaginable to Hiranyakasipu. He said, “The best thing I have learned is sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam/ arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam”—to hear about and glorify Vishnu. Vishnu, whom Hiranyakasipu considered to be his worst enemy. So Hiranyakasipu became furious, and when nothing else worked, he decided to kill Prahlada. He applied the logic that if a part of your body becomes infected, the disease may spread throughout the body and kill you, so even though it is part of your body, you have to amputate it, for the sake of the rest of the body. He thought, “Although Prahlada is my son, he has been infected by the disease of Vaishnavism and we have to cut him out before the disease spreads and finishes us.”

Hiranyakasipu tried to kill Prahlada in so many ways. He had conquered the demigods, and he occupied the throne of King Indra and ruled over the inhabitants of all the other planets. Except for Brahma and Shiva, all the demigods were engaged in his service, offering him obeisances and praise. He was so powerful. But he could not kill Prahlada. He had horrible demons try to pierce Prahlada’s body with tridents. He threw Prahlada beneath the feet of elephants and in the midst of venomous snakes. But no matter what he did, he could not kill him. He hurled him from a mountain top, gave him poison, starved him, and threw heavy stones on him to crush him. Nothing worked—nothing affected Prahlada in the least. Hiranyakasipu was astonished. He had triumphed over the armies of the demigods, but he could not subdue his five-year-old son.

Finally, after all his efforts had failed, Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada, “From where do you get your power? You know that when I am angry all the planets of the three worlds, along with their rulers, tremble. But you have no fear, and you have exceeded my power to control you. From where do you get your strength?” And Prahlada replied, “I get my strength from the same source as you, from the source of all strength—from God.” Now, that really infuriated Hiranyakasipu, because he thought that he was the source of his own power. That is the demoniac mentality. We think we are the doers—kartaham iti manyate. We think, isvaro ’ham aham bhogi siddho ’ham balavan sukhi: “I am the controller. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect and powerful and happy.” That is the demoniac tendency. Hiranyakasipu didn’t want to hear that he got his power from someone else—least of all from the person to whom Prahlada referred: the unlimited Supreme Lord.

Thus Hiranyakasipu became even more infuriated and more defiant. He said to Prahlada, “If this God of yours is everywhere, why is He not present before me in this pillar? I am going to kill you now, and let us see this God of yours protect you!” Filled with rage, Hiranyakasipu rose from his throne, took up his sword, and with great anger struck his fist against the column. And out of the pillar emerged the wonderful form of Nrsimhadeva. Nrsimha Bhagavan ki jaya!

Nrsimhadeva is unique. He is neither a man nor an animal but has a form that is half lion and half man. And His appearance fulfilled all the conditions of Lord Brahma. He isn’t a demigod or human being or animal—He isn’t any creature. Ultimately He picked up Hiranyakasipu and placed him on His lap and with His long, sharp nails ripped apart his chest. Hiranyakasipu was extraordinarily powerful, and his chest could withstand the thunderbolt of Indra. No one could pierce his body. He was so powerful. One could throw arrows and all types of weapons at him, and they would bounce off him like nothing. So it was no mean feat to tear open his chest. Yet Nrsimhadeva ripped open his chest with His nails, tore out his heart, and thus killed this great demon.

We glorify Lord Nrsimha daily with the prayer (a line of which Srila Prabhupada quoted in his purport):

ito nrsimhah parato nrsimho
   yato yato yami tato nrsimhah
bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimho
   nrsimham adim saranam prapadye

Ito nrsimhah means “Nrsimha is here”; parato nrsimho means “Nrismha is also there.” Yato yato yami tato nrsimhah: “Wherever I go, there is Nrsimha.” Bahir nrsimho: “Nrimsha is outside”; hrdaye nrsimho: “Nrsimha is in my heart.” Nrsimham adim saranam prapadye: “I surrender to Lord Nrsimha, the origin of all and the supreme shelter.” He is everywhere.

We also sing:

namas te nara-simhaya
   prahladahlada-dayine
hiranyakasipor vaksah-
   sila-tanka-nakhalaye

Sila-tanka-nakhalaye. Sila means “stone,” as in saligrama-sila; nakha means “fingernails”; and tanka means “chisel.” If you want to break a hard stone, you have to chisel it. And Lord Nrsimha’s nails were like chisels that cut the chest of Hiranyakasipu—his stonelike heart and chest.

Hiranyakasipu thought that he could become immortal by his own power and intelligence. But his intelligence was not as great as that of Lord Nrsimha, who kept all of Brahma’s boons intact and still was able to kill the demon. Nrsimhadeva assumed this wonderful form—adbhuta means “wonderful”—that was half man and half lion. He sat at the threshold of the palace, which wasn’t inside or outside. He appeared at twilight, which was neither day nor night. And He killed Hiranyakasipu on His lap—not in the sky or on the land. And not with any weapon but with His nails. He kept all the benedictions intact and still killed him.

Srila Prabhupada explains that however intelligent we are, Krishna is always more intelligent. Mother Yasoda tried to bind Krishna with ropes, but no matter how many ropes she tied together, He was always two fingers bigger; she was always just a little short. In the same way, if we try to compete with God—try to outwit God, try to cheat God—we will always fall short. Srila Prabhupada says, “Hiranyakasipu was thinking only of the atomic bomb, how to protect himself from the bomb, but he forgot about the nails.” He made so many arrangements to protect himself, but he neglected to consider the nails. So the conclusion should be “If you can’t fight Him, join Him.” Nrsimham adim saranam prapadye. Just surrender to Nrsimhadeva. Don’t try to compete with Him or fight with Him. That is the background of Prahlada’s prayers.

After Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu, He asked Prahlada to accept some benediction, but Prahlada was a pure devotee—he didn’t want any material benediction. In today’s verse we find the word ahaituki: without any motive. Prahlada had no material motive, so when Lord Nrsimhadeva asked him to accept some benediction, he refused. He said, “Why are You trying to tempt me with material allurements? If I were to desire material benefit in exchange for devotional service, I wouldn’t be a servant. I would be like a businessman who wants profit in exchange for service. Lord, I am Your eternal servant, and You are my eternal master. We have no other relationship.” Prahlada asked only that there be no material desires within his heart.

But Nrsimhadeva insisted that Prahlada accept some benediction, and in the end Prahlada agreed: “If You really want me to ask something of You, then I ask that You purify my father.” This shows the exemplary character of Prahlada, who, as Srila Prabhupada said, is a typical Vaishnava. A Vaishnava is the friend of everyone, of all living entities (suhrdah sarva-dehinam). He never becomes the enemy of his enemy. He remains ever the friend of everyone—even his enemies. So even though Hiranyakasipu was so envious—even of his own son—that he tried in so many ways to kill him, Prahlada remained true to his character as a Vaishnava. He thought of his father’s welfare, and he wished his father well.

In this prayer to Lord Nrsimha, Prahlada is praying for his father and for all envious people, that they may be pacified. Khalah prasidatam: “May all envious persons be pacified.” As Srila Prabhupada notes, almost everyone is envious. In fact, we come into this material world because we are envious of Krishna. That is why we are here. Thus Srila Prabhupada says, “Almost everyone.” The only exceptions are pure devotees. Everyone else has some envy. It is like saying, “Almost everyone in the prison is a criminal.” Yes, in principle, all the prisoners are criminals. There may be some staff members who are not, who are there to minister to the inmates, but the prisoners themselves are criminals. So, other than the devotees who are working for the welfare of the fallen souls, everyone is envious. And no one is spared their envy. Hiranyakasipu was envious of his five-year-old son, a pure devotee. Diti was envious of her nephew Indra. She wanted to kill him, or get him killed. No one is spared.

If we want to get out of the bondage of material existence, we have to become free from envy. And how do we become free from envy? By the process of Krishna consciousness. And that is Prahlada’s prayer: bhajatad adhoksaje. Bhaja means to worship and serve. The word bhakti comes from the verbal root bhaj: to serve with devotion. Serve whom? Adhoksaja: Krishna, who is beyond material sense perception. Hiranyakasipu couldn’t see Vishnu; the Lord was beyond his sense perception. It was only when He chose to appear to him by emerging from the pillar as Nrsimhadeva that Hiranyakasipu could see Him. Otherwise, only pure devotees can see Krishna—no one else. He is beyond the perception of the materially contaminated senses, mind, and intelligence of the conditioned souls.

The process is Krishna consciousness (bhajatad adhoksaje), and as Prahlada has explained, we engage in devotional service in Krishna consciousness by sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam: hearing and chanting about Vishnu and remembering Him. As Srila Prabhupada quoted from the Siksastaka, ceto-darpana-marjanam: sankirtana, the chanting of the holy names of the Lord, cleanses the heart. That is the process. And when the heart is cleansed we become peaceful and calm (bhadram).

This process is described in two important verses from the second chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
   punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
   vidhunoti suhrt satam

“Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (SB 1.2.17)

 Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah. When we hear krsna-katha, all the abhadrani—all the material desires, all the disturbances within the heart—are cleansed by the Lord Himself, who is sitting within the heart as the well-wishing friend of the truthful devotee (vidhunoti suhrt satam).

And the transcendental sound itself is Krishna. Krishna enters the ear in the form of transcendental sound, and when we are hearing properly, the sound will enter the heart and cleanse it. Krishna in the form of transcendental sound will cleanse the dirty things in the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam).

The next verse explains further:

nasta-prayesv abhadresu
   nityam bhagavata-sevaya
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
   bhaktir bhavati naisthiki

“By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.” (SB 1.2.18)

Bhagavata-sevaya: by serving the person Bhagavata or by serving the book Bhagavata, all that is troublesome to the heart—the same word, abhadrani (abhadra, nasta-prayesv abhadresu)—all that is troublesome, all that is disturbing to the heart, becomes destroyed almost to nil at this stage. So when Prahlada prays that envious persons be pacified (bhadram), he is praying that all the abhadra, the disturbing things, the material desires within the heart, be removed. And the way they can be removed is by Krishna consciousness, by absorbing the mind in Krishna. That process is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita (man-mana bhava mad-bhakto) and in Srimad-Bhagavatam (sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh)—to absorb the mind in Krishna. That is Krishna consciousness, and that will cleanse the heart and make us calm and peaceful. Then, instead of being envious of others and wanting to exploit and dominate them, we will think of their welfare. We want to help them and encourage them in Krishna consciousness.

Our main process, specially given to us in Kali-yuga by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is sankirtana, the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. But we have to do it in such a way that our minds are absorbed. That is Prahlada’s prayer, that our minds be absorbed in Krishna. So when we chant, we want to hear—we want our minds to be absorbed in the sound of Lord Krishna’s holy name. But when we try practically, what do we find? Is our mind peaceful? Is it absorbed in Krishna’s holy name? Or is it wandering here and there, thinking of different things to control and enjoy, which suggests the mentality described in the Bhagavad-gita and ascribed to demons: isvaro ’ham aham bhogi—“I am the controller; I am the enjoyer”? When we analyze the thoughts we have even while we are chanting—while we are supposed to be chanting and hearing—we find that the underlying principles are “I am the enjoyer; I am the controller.” We are chanting, but we are distracted, thinking, “Oh, I have to do this. I have to do that.” What does that imply? That I think I am the controller. “I have to control all these things. I can’t hear Krishna’s name. I have to control all these things.” And why do we want to control them? Though we may also want to control for Krishna’s service, the tendency is to control for sense gratification. We want to control people and events in certain ways as to make our lives more pleasurable. We want to make arrangements to make our lives more pleasant.

This demoniac tendency that we discussed in relation to Hiranyakasipu is there in us too. As our godbrother Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu often quotes, “We have seen the enemy, and he is us.” We are the enemy. It is not out there. We are the enemy—our own bad propensities, our own uncontrolled minds and senses. The problem is not out there. It is right here inside us.

So we have to work hard. We have to endeavor to chant and hear with attention, with feeling. Whenever the mind wanders, we have to bring it back to the sound of Lord Krishna’s holy name. And that is a difficult job. In fact, it is futile exercise on our own strength alone. We need help. We need mercy. We need mercy from Krishna. And Prahlada is helping us. We should be praying, but he is leading us in the prayer. In Text 8 he prayed to Lord Nrsimhadeva in the heart, “Kindly vanquish my demonlike desires. Just as You destroyed Hiranyakasipu, kindly destroy my demonlike desires, kill my bad propensities, and sit on the throne of my heart.”

So, we do both: we make our own effort, and we pray for mercy. And when the Lord sees that we are making an honest effort, He is inclined to give His mercy. We don’t just sit back and do nothing and pray for mercy. We have to make an effort. But at the same time, we understand that by our effort alone we cannot be successful; we need the Lord’s help. And when the Lord sees our genuine, sincere, tireless effort, He will be merciful. We mentioned Mother Yasoda. She couldn’t bind Krishna with all the ropes in Vraja, but when Krishna saw her tireless effort to bind Him, He felt compassion for her and allowed her to bind Him. Our acharyas explain that that gap of two fingers by which the ropes were always too short can be covered (1) by our endeavor, our hard labor (parisrama), and (2) by Krishna’s mercy (krsna-krpa). These two elements can cover that distance and make our efforts successful—by Krishna’s grace.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, as quoted by Prabhupada in the purport, explains that whenever a devotee offers a prayer to the Lord, he asks for some benediction. Om namo bhagavate narasimhaya is a prayer, and implicit in the prayer is a request for a benediction. But a devotee will not ask for a material benediction like Hiranyakasipu’s: “Let me become immortal so I can conquer the universe and make everyone my servant.” He will ask for a benediction related to devotional service. And that is not wrong. He just won’t ask for something for his sense gratification; he will ask for something for Krishna consciousness—for his own Krishna consciousness and for the Krishna consciousness of others.

We find the example in the Siksastaka (5):

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
   patitam mam visame bhavambudhau
krpaya tava pada-pankaja-
   sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

“O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krsna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into this horrible ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.”

This is a very significant verse. Ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram: “I am Your eternal servant.” We are Krishna’s servants—specifically Krishna’s, the son of Nanda. Nanda-tanuja is an intimate term. Tanu means “body” and ja means “born.” Although the Lord is aja, unborn, for the sake of His pastimes in Vrindavan, He appears as nanda-tanuja, He who was “born from the body of Nanda.” It is very intimate. “Yet although I am Your servant [kinkaram], somehow or the other I have fallen into this terrible ocean of birth and death [patitam mam visame bhavambudhau].” Bhava means “to exist” or “to come into being and then to cease to exist.” And visame Prabhupada translates as “horrible.” Literally, visa means “poison.” This material existence is like an ocean of poison. And within this ocean are ferocious aquatics like sharks, who are ready to devour us. These deadly creatures are compared to lust, anger, and greed—always ready to devour us, to finish us. And there are waves in the ocean, terrible waves that are compared to false hopes and anxieties. They are always tossing us around. And there are strong winds—gales and storms—which are compared to bad association. The ocean is bad enough, but it becomes even worse when we are subjected to bad association. Such association acts like strong winds that push us in the wrong direction and may cause us to fall over. And while we are floundering in the ocean, drowning in the sea, we may come across some small pieces of wood and think, “Oh, here is a little piece of wood. Let me grab onto it.” Those insignificant pieces of wood are compared to the processes of karma, jnana, yoga, and so on. They can’t save us.

The only thing that can save us is mercy (tava krpa). Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who uttered these verses called the Siksastaka, prays, “By Your mercy, please pick Me up from this horrible ocean of birth and death and place Me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” It is divine mercy that can save us. And He prays to be an atom at the lotus feet of Krishna. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarks that this indicates that we are all originally part and parcel of Krishna. Dhuli means “dust.” Pada-dhuli: “dust of the lotus feet.” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu prays, “Please be causelessly merciful to Me. Consider Me, Your eternal servant, a particle of dust at Your lotus feet.”

Someone might question, “Is it proper for a devotee who has taken shelter of the holy name of Krishna to discuss the miseries of material existence?” Well, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu does. So it is not wrong to discuss the miseries of material existence, and it is not wrong to pray for mercy to be reestablished in one’s constitutional relationship with Krishna. Those are things devotees do. And that should be our mood when we chant: that the holy name is Krishna and that we want to reestablish our lost relationship with Him. Thus we want to reestablish our relationship with the holy name—Krishna as the holy name. And our chanting is personal reciprocation with the holy name. When our mind wanders and all these anarthas come up, as they are prone to do, we pray for mercy: “Please save me. I think I am God, the controller, the enjoyer. Please save me from these anarthas.” That is one side of the prayer. The other side is, “Please engage me in Your service. Please accept me as Your eternal servant. Please consider me an atom at Your lotus feet, a particle of dust at Your lotus feet.”

And we have another example from Sri Siksastaka (4):

na dhanam na janam na sundarim
  kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare
   bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

“O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife, or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.”

Ahaituki. Again the word ahaituki: “causeless, without any motive for personal gain of any sort.” Pure devotional service is anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Anyabhilasita-sunyam: without any ulterior motive. Jnana-karmady-anavrtam: not covered by karma, jnana, or any other process. In His Siksastaka, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu prays in the mood of pure devotion: na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam. Dhanam means “wealth.” Janam means “followers.” Sundarim means “beautiful women, beautiful wife.” And kavitam means “poetry” or “the flowery words of the Vedas.” Sometimes sundarim is placed with kavitam to mean “beautiful poetry.” Some people think they can realize God through poetry, music, or art, and they are attached to such subtle, almost heavenly pleasures. They say they can experience God through hearing a symphony, for instance. So sundarim kavitam: beautiful poetry. And when sundarim is considered with janam, then beautiful women, beautiful wife, children, relatives, and friends are included in janam. And all of these gains are achieved by pious material activities—in other words, karma. So, when He says na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam, He means that He doesn’t want anything that can be achieved by karma. And when He says mama janmani janmanisvare, that birth after birth He wants to be engaged in pure devotional service, He tells us that He does not want even liberation, which is the goal of jnana. In other words, He is not praying for the results of karma or jnana but is asking only for pure devotional service. Such is a pure devotee. And that is what we should be praying for.

But Prahlada is asking not just for himself. He is praying for all living entities. And the same principle applies: we pray, but we also have to work. It is not enough to sit back and pray, “Please deliver all the living entities in the universe” while we keep busy in eating and sleeping, or even chanting for our own personal benefit. We also have to work for the deliverance of the fallen souls. And that combination of endeavor and prayer will be effective. We find later, in Prahlada’s prayers to Nrsimhadeva in the Seventh Canto (SB 7.9.44):

prayena deva munayah sva-vimukti-kama
   maunam caranti vijane na parartha-nisthah
naitan vihaya krpanan vimumuksa eko
   nanyam tvad asya saranam bhramato ’nupasye

“O my Lord, I see that most saintly persons are interested only in their own deliverance. Not caring for the big cities and towns, they roam in solitary places with vows of silence. They are not interested in delivering others. As for me, however, I do not wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these poor fools and rascals. I know that without Krsna consciousness, without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish to bring them back to shelter at Your lotus feet.”

Prahlada does not have to be concerned about his own liberation, because, as a pure devotee, he is already liberated. Wherever he is, he can always immerse himself in the nectarean ocean of the Lord’s holy names and glories, and feel transcendental bliss. He explains, “For myself I have no anxiety, but I do have one concern. My lamentation (soce) is that people are suffering without Krishna consciousness, and so I am always making plans how to engage them in devotional service.”

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas
   tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah
soce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyartha-
   maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan

“O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. I am quite satisfied to chant Your holy name, because whenever I chant I immediately merge in an ocean of transcendental bliss. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies, and countries. I am simply lamenting for them and devising various plans to deliver them from the clutches of maya.” (SB 7.9.43)

Prahlada Maharaja is one of our acharyas—one of the twelve mahajanas—and he is teaching us by his example. He is thinking how he can deliver the fallen souls, how he can induce the fallen souls to take to Krishna consciousness. At the same time, he is praying to his worshipable Deity, Lord Nrsimhadeva, to be merciful to them and deliver them, because he knows that on his own he can’t deliver them—and that on their own they can’t deliver themselves. So, to preach we need the Lord’s mercy. And to practice Krishna consciousness we also need the Lord’s mercy. At every stage, we need the Lord’s mercy. And at the same time, we have to make our own efforts.

In conclusion, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura raises the question, “What if Prahlada Maharaja’s prayer is accepted and everyone becomes Krishna conscious? They all will leave the material universe and go back to Godhead, so what will happen to the universe?”

At the Ardha-kumbha-mela in 1971, I had a rare opportunity to be with Srila Prabhupada in his tent when he was giving darshan, meeting visitors in the afternoon. A man asked him, “What if everyone becomes a devotee—how will the world go on?” And Prabhupada asked me to answer. I don’t remember exactly what I said, maybe something about how will the prison go on if all the prisoners are reformed and released, but I was very attentive to what Prabhupada said after I made my attempt. He replied, “It is like asking, ‘What if everyone becomes rich? Who will be the chauffeur?’ Everyone wants to be rich. You can’t argue, ‘What if everyone becomes rich?’ to say that people not try to become rich.” And he continued, “The problem is not that too many people will become Krishna conscious; the problem is that not enough will become Krishna conscious. Do you think that is a problem—that too many people will become Krishna conscious? That is not the problem. The problem is that not enough will become Krishna conscious.”

One of our godsisters, Jahnava devi dasi, in this mood of thinking of the welfare of every living entity, once asked Srila Prabhupada, “When we chant, should we think of the welfare of all living entities?” And Prabhupada replied, “Oh, you can think of all living entities? You just think of Lord Chaitanya, and He will think of all living entities.” We may desire the welfare of all living entities, but it is not in our capacity to think of all living entities. Even in a family of four, it is hard to think of the welfare of all four at once. So, we can’t think of all living entities. But we can think of Lord Chaitanya, and He will think of all living entities. We can pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva, and He will think of all living entities. And we can pray to be a little particle of dust in Their service—a small instrument in Their mission—by Their divine grace.

Hare Krishna.

Nrsimha Bhagavan ki jaya!
Prahlada Maharaja ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Nrsimha-caturdasi, April 30, 2007, Dallas]

Lord Narasimha is the fourth incarnation of Lord Maha Vishnu who incarnated to kill the demon Hiranyakashipu and save his devotee Prahlada. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Lord Maha Vishnu in his avatar as Varaha killed the demon Hiranyakshya.

Hiranyakshya’s brother Hiranyakashipu, angered by this, gained mystical powers from Lord Brahma by undergoing many years of austerity and penance so that he could take revenge on Lord Vishnu. Pleased by this, Lord Brahma gave him the boon that Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by any human, God or animal or during the day or night or on the threshold of a courtyard or on the earth or space or using any weapon.

So after getting the boon Hiranyakashipu returned to his kingdom and began to trouble the demigods. He also declared himself as God and ordered all to worship him. When his son Prahlada told him that Vishnu is the only God and could not accept his father as God, he tried to kill Prahlada. The servants threw Prahlada from the top of mountains and into the sea but could not kill him. Snakes and fire also could not harm him.

Hiranyakashipu asked Prahlada whether Vishnu is present in a pillar and took his mace to hit it. Lord Vishnu emerged from the pillar in his incarnation as Lord Narasimha with the head of a lion and body of a man.

The demon king hit Narasimha with his mace but Lord Narasimha brushed it aside swiftly. It was twilight and Narasimha caught hold of Hiranyakashipu. He sat on the threshold of the court room, placed the body of the demon on his thighs, and pierced his nails into the body of the demon and broke open his stomach, killing him.

On May 5th we witnessed the grand completion of the Nrsimhadeva Maha Yajna for the protection of ISKCON, the devotees and the gurus, as well as for the benefit of all humanity.

All the names of the 15,000+ Yajnamans, participants, who sent in their names were read during the Maha Yajna and the appropriate prayers and mantras were recited before the fire to Lord Nrsimhadeva for the protection of each devotee and their family. The sacred Nrsimha Raksha Sutra protective wrist thread offered in the yajna will be sent to every devotee as soon as the postal services become operative.

Ambarisa and Braja Vilasa wish to thank all the devotees for participating in this spiritually potent event and hope you have a blissful Nrsimha Caturdasi celebration. All glories to Sri Nrsimhadeva and Prahlad Maharaja.

If you would like to also participate in the #GivingTOVP & TOVP Care Matching Fundraiser, please follow the links below. This fundraising event is to raise funds for the completion of Lord Nrsimha’s temple wing and altar by 2021, and support ISKCON Mayapur during the India lockdown. Ambarisa prabhu will match $150,000 for the TOVP and 10% of the online collection for ISKCON Mayapur. One donation supports both projects.

#GivingTOVP & TOVP Care Matching Fundraiser

U.S.A. – https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2036619 (no fees – debit or cc card also)
Canada – https://paypal.com/ca/fundraiser/charity/3440882 (no fees – debit or cc also)
India – https://rzp.io/l/DYfw6ex ( debit/credit, Netbanking, Wallet, UPI)
U.K. – https://www.paypal.me/TOVPUK (debit or cc also)
Europe – https://www.paypal.me/TOVPEU (debit or cc also)

All other countries please go to: https://m.tovp.org/givingtovp

If you need assistance with making a donation contact us at: fundraising@tovp.org

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-srngam
dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhrngam
keshava dhrta-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare

“O Keshava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasp- like demon Hiranyakashipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands.”

The post The Nrsimha Maha Yajna – May 5, 2020 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

No matter how one turns, no matter where we go, whatever we do, we will always be in relationship with Krsna.

Kadamba Kanana Swami, Siksastakam Prayers – Bhakti Center, New York City, 8 March 2020

A class on the Siksastakam prayers in the Bhakti Center, New York City on the 8 March 2020. Watch the video below or visit Youtube.

The article " No matter how one turns… " was published on KKSBlog.

Final Day of the #GivingTOVP & TOVP Care Fundraiser

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-srngam
dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhrngam
keshava dhrta-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare

“O Keshava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasp- like demon Hiranyakashipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands.”

The world is currently going through an unprecedented and historic ordeal against what some have called, the ‘invisible enemy’. Some have even gone so far as to literally refer to it as a modern ‘asura’ terrorizing the world. Whatever the case may be, this material world is a place of misery and ‘danger at every step’.

“For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint. Param padam, or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.”

Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.48

The example of Prahlad Maharaja stands out as probably the greatest in human history of a devotee being harassed to the utmost by a demon. And on account of his pure devotion he was protected by Lord Nrsimhadeva from afflictions we could not even imagine undergoing, from being boiled in oil, thrown off a cliff, dropped in the middle of the ocean, poisoned, attacked by snakes, pierced with swords and tridents, etc. Our current struggles pale in the face of his life-threatening challenges. Yet he did not budge an inch from his pure love for the Lord, Who thus appeared to annihilate the great demon Hiranyakasipu.

With the above in mind we want to remind all devotees and supporters of the TOVP that Mayapur Nrsimha at our ISKCON World Headquarters is extremely powerful and merciful to all the devotees of the samkirtana movement who have pledged their lives to the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Having adopted the mood of Lord Gauranga and Sridhama Mayapur, audharya (mercy), He protects and uplifts His devotees who face the harassment of all kinds of demoniac forces throughout the world in Kali-yuga as they mercifully distribute love for Sri Krishna, the avatari.

On May 5th we will be performing a Nrsimha Maha Yajna for the protection of ISKCON, the devotees, and the gurus, and the following day, Nrsimha Caturdasi, an abhisheka of the Lord. We encourage every devotee to use this poignant time to take shelter of Lord Nrsimha, to chant extra rounds of japa, to pray like Prahlad Maharaja for the Lord’s service, and to worship His lotus feet so that all auspiciousness will manifest in the world for all devotees and humanity in general to counteract the evil influence now rampant.

This Nrsimha Caturdasi we also want to remind every ISKCON devotee that OUR Lord Nrsimhadeva in Mayapur is going to be re-located to His long-awaited new home in the TOVP in 2022. In lieu of the opening of the Pujari Floor this year, our Phase Two plan is to complete the entire Nrsimha wing and altar by 2021. Thousands of devotees have already participated in the #GivingTOVP & TOVP Care 10 Day Matching Fundraiser for this purpose to raise funds for Lord Nrsimha’s temple wing and altar, and to also support ISKCON Mayapur during the India lock-down. Ambarisa prabhu is matching $150,000 for the TOVP and 10% of the online collection for ISKCON Mayapur. We are grateful to all those devotees who have participated in this fundraiser thus far and to all those who continue to make their pledge payments during these challenging times.

With the approach of Nrsimha Caturdasi in a few days we hope those who have not yet contributed to this service to Lord Nrsimha will give their might, large or small. We pray for His protection daily, now let’s reciprocate in love and gratefulness by offering our merciful Protector a beautiful, opulent new home in the TOVP. Here are some links to make your donation:

U.S.A. – https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2036619 (no fees – debit or cc card also)
Canada – https://paypal.com/ca/fundraiser/charity/3440882 (no fees – debit or cc also)
India – https://rzp.io/l/DYfw6ex ( debit/credit, Netbanking, Wallet, UPI)
U.K. – https://www.paypal.me/TOVPUK (debit or cc also)
Europe – https://www.paypal.me/TOVPEU (debit or cc also)

All other countries please go to: https://m.tovp.org/givingtovp

If you need assistance with making a donation contact us at: fundraising@tovp.org

We conclude with this wonderful talk by Srila Prabhupada during an initiation ceremony in 1969 wherein he talks about how to cure the “Hong Kong Flu of Maya”:

I Have Brought This Medicine for Killing This Hong Kong flu of Maya

“Infected or disinfected. So in the material world we are all infected. This is the disinfecting process, simply remembering Kṛṣṇa, yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣam. So this initiation is to teach how to remember always Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa. This Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, as soon as we hear, we immediately remember Kṛṣṇa, His speech in the Bhagavad-gītā, His form, His name, His quality, His pastimes. Everything comes. So we have to practice that. Then we remain always uncontaminated. And if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then there is chance of… Just like in the medical science, if there is some epidemic disease, they give some vaccination. I think in Los Angeles you gave me some vaccination? (chuckles) What is that, flus?

Hayagrīva: Hong Kong flu.

Prabhupāda: Ah. Hong Kong flu. Yes. So everyone took that vaccination. So our Hayagrīva prabhu took me also. “All right, let us have.” (laughter) So there was no attack. Fortunately, there was no attack. So similarly, this world is Hong Kong flu. (laughter) Māyā is always ready to attack. Always. So we have to take this injunction, this antivaccine, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi’. That song, Jīv Jāgo, Jīv Jāgo. “I have brought this medicine for killing this Hong Kong flu of māyā.”

Prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva by Shani (Saturn)

Shani said:

By the mercy of the dust of Your lotus feet which destroy a multitude of sins, grant infinite auspiciousness to Your devotee who always worships Your lotus feet with devotion. O Lord Nṛsiṁha, please bestow upon me Your merciful side-long glance.

Your lotus feet are worshipped by Goddess Lakṣmī, even though She is fickle by nature (cancala) and by Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva whose feet are worthy of worship with devotion. O Lord Nṛsiṁha, please bestow upon me Your merciful side-long glance.

By contemplating or meditating upon Your appearance, which is expounded in the Vedas extensively, the best of the saints are liberated from the three-fold miseries and from all misfortunes. O Lord Nṛsiṁha, please bestow upon me Your merciful side-long glance.

By the word of His devotee named Prahlāda, Lord Hari, who is generous and kind, appeared from a pillar and by placing Hiraṇyakaśipu on His thighs split open his stomach with His nails. O Lord Nṛsiṁha, please bestow upon me Your merciful side-long glance.

You protected your own devotee Prahlāda from a raging fire, the deep ocean, from falling from a tall mountain peak, poison, a mad elephant and the fangs of poisonous serpents. You are omnipresent and supremely generous. O Lord Nṛsiṁha, please bestow upon me Your merciful side-long glance.

By meditating upon He whose great form is devoid of imperfections, the best of the saints attained liberation from the ocean of materialistic attachments and obtained unmitigated salvation. O Lord Nṛsiṁha, please bestow upon me Your merciful side-long glance.

By meditating upon He whose form is fearsome, all peace, happiness and prosperity can be obtained, all sins can be obliterated, the fear arising from evil spirits, fevers and unfavorable planetary positions can be removed, O Lord Nṛsiṁha, please bestow upon me Your merciful side-long glance.

Your transcendental fame is sung gloriously in all the divine assemblies of Śiva, Brahmā and Indra etc. and whose power is steadfast in wiping out all impurities, O Lord Nṛsiṁha, please bestow upon me Your merciful side-long glance.

On listening to the heartfelt prayer composed by Śanideva in the assembly of Lord Brahmā, Lord Hari who is ever compassionate to His devotees, spoke to Śanideva as follows.

Śrī Nṛsiṁha said:

O Śani, I am pleased with your devotion. Whatever you desire that will benefit the world, ask for that kind of boon and I will grant it.

Śrī Śanideva replied:

O Lord Nṛsiṁha, O reservoir of compassion, please be kind to me. O Lord of all gods, let my week-day (Saturday) be Your favorite day. O Purifier of all the worlds, may You fulfill the desires of all those who listen to or read this great prayer to You composed by me.”

Śrī Nṛsiṁha said:

O Śani, let it be so! By virtue of My being the universal protector (Rakṣobhuvana), I fulfill the desires of all My devotees. Please listen to My words let there be no fear of the twelfth and eighth birth positions (and implicitly any unfavorable birth positions) and consequent troubles from you for anyone who reads or listens to this prayer to Me composed by you.

Then Śanideva replied to Lord Narahari that he would follow the Lord’s instructions. Then the joyful saints and sages present there (in Brahma’s assembly) responded with cries of, ‘jaya, jaya!’”.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa told Dharmarāja, “Whoever listens to or recites this conversation between Śanideva and Lord Nṛsiṁha in the form of this prayer of devotion will definitely have all desires fulfilled and will always rejoice.”

Thus ends the prayers offered to the universal protector Śrī Nṛsiṁha by the great soul Śani.

The post Nrsimha Caturdasi, May 6 – The All Auspicious Appearance Day of Our Divine Protector appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Jananivas and Braja Vilasa prabhus speak about how devotees can participate in the 2020 Nrsimha Maha Yajna and Japa Yajna on May 5, 2020 for the protection of ISKCON, the devotees, and the gurus, and the welfare of the entire human race.

To become a Yajnaman, participant in this yajna, and have your name read to Lord Nrsimha, and to receive a special Nrsimha Raksha Sutra protection wrist thread, follow the directions below to register on the TOVP App:

New App Users

To download the TOVP App select one of the following links:

• TOVP APP iOS – apple.co/2lgtrCw
• TOVP APP Android – bit.ly/2mIWM93

Once you complete the registration process click on the App Menu at the top left corner of the page (three small lines). Under NEWS you will see the option to register for the Nrsimha Maha Yajna. Please fill out and provide all the details requested on the Registration Form.

Existing App Users

Open your TOVP App. You may be requested to update the App upon opening. Once that is done click on the App Menu at the top left corner of the page (three small lines). Under NEWS you will see the option to register for the Nrsimha Maha Yajna. Please fill out and provide all the details requested on the Registration Form.

Hare Krishna and please be safe and healthy. We pray to the Lord for His blessings upon you and hope to be of some small service to you and your family through this Maha Yajna event.

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The post TOVP Nrsimha Maha Yajna And Japa Yajna – May 5, 2020 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

I have been a late bloomer my whole life, and yet time sometimes comes to my aid to teach me lessons that only are understood years later. A 19 ½ as a young brahmacari, we learned that “sleep was death” and was a waste of time, so if Prabhupada recommended 6 hours for those in the mood of goodness, then surely we should lessen that.

Thus, we experimented pushing the envelope back to 5½ to 5 hours etc. For a while, when I was a pujari in the old San Francisco, Valentia Street, temple, in the early 70’s, I was doing 4 hours a night, going to bed at around 11 and rising in time to wake the Deities at 3:30 a.m.

Somehow, I functioned, though I was always nodding out, since I thought taking rest during the day was “maya.” Sitting for chanting japa or class, or cleaning the Deity room floor, meant I would be in and out of sleeping, except when taking prasad. I used to chant my rounds on the roof of the building next door which we rented for storage and parking, and I am amazed I didn’t fall off, since I used to pace on the concrete border edge! Krishna protected me then and so many times in my life!

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I have been a late bloomer my whole life, and yet time sometimes comes to my aid to teach me lessons that only are understood years later. A 19 ½ as a young brahmacari, we learned that “sleep was death” and was a waste of time, so if Prabhupada recommended 6 hours for those in the mood of goodness, then surely we should lessen that.

Thus, we experimented pushing the envelope back to 5½ to 5 hours etc. For a while, when I was a pujari in the old San Francisco, Valentia Street, temple, in the early 70’s, I was doing 4 hours a night, going to bed at around 11 and rising in time to wake the Deities at 3:30 a.m.

Somehow, I functioned, though I was always nodding out, since I thought taking rest during the day was “maya.” Sitting for chanting japa or class, or cleaning the Deity room floor, meant I would be in and out of sleeping, except when taking prasad. I used to chant my rounds on the roof of the building next door which we rented for storage and parking, and I am amazed I didn’t fall off, since I used to pace on the concrete border edge! Krishna protected me then and so many times in my life!

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Sri Nityananda’s two wives, Sri Vasudha and Sri Jahnava Devi, are expansions of Lord Balarama’s eternal consorts Varuni and Revati.

Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda offers this prayer to Jahnava Mata in Kalyana-kalpa-taru: 

“Oh Jahnava Devi! By the power of your divine qualities, be merciful to this servant of yours. Dispel this illusion which torments me. And relieve me of material existence. Let me take shelter at your lotus feet. 

You are Nityananda-sakti, the divine energy of Lord Nityananda Himself. You are the guru of Krishna bhakti. Be merciful to me and grant me the shade of your lotus feet, which are like a desire tree. 

You have delivered countless abominable sinners. Please deliver me in the same way. Today, praying for your mercy, this lowly sinner falls at your holy feet.”

It is said that Shri Jahnava Devi left this world by entering the Deity of Gopinatha in Vrndavana. 

We offer our prayers for the well-being of all those affected by the pandemic. We pray for those souls who have passed away, and for their family members and friends. We also pray for those currently ill and their loved ones. And, we pray for those millions of people who suffer from the financial impact of the coronavirus and who worry for the safety of their families.

Kirtan Space, an online educational effort that started in 2016, has been revamped and will offer a free ten-week foundational kirtan course on Youtube starting May 25^th. “During this time, when you may be not working and may be stuck at home, is a good opportunity to learn a new instrument,” says director Balaram Nityananda Das.  

"Your merry rides have been thwarted, / Your house has been fenced, / Amazing you are, O mind, / You still don’t wish to be cleansed..."

Devotees from the Five Truths Pancha Tattva Center in Omsk, Siberia organized a Srimad-Bhagavatam online marathon, in which the translations of all 18,000 verses were recited over ten days, from April 10^th to 19^th. The marathon, which aimed to inspire devotees and benefit the world during the current dark times under a global pandemic, was entitled Spiritual Victory in Seven Days.

Altruism is defined as having a disinterested and selfless concern for the wellbeing of others. The Bhagavad Gita 16.1-3 describes the same, daya bhutesv aloluptvam or being without greed and having mercy towards others. Putting this concern into action not only aids those in difficulty but also eases your own.

" At my best of times, at my worst of times / I have always turned to and received the comfort and reassurance / of Mother Nature."

Answer Podcast

The post When a pauper and a millionaire both have human bodies, how is their happiness different and destined by their bodies? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The film portrays a pilgrimage, starting at the Bay of Bengal where the Ganges enters the sea (Ganga Sagar), to Gangotri and Gomukh in the Himalayan Mountains where the Ganges appears. Director & Producer: Gunnar Raimann (Bhaktivaibhava Swami) | Genre: Documentary | Produced In: 2005 |

By Bhakti Chaitanya Swami.

Born in 1941, Hansadutta grew up in New York City and joined ISKCON in 1967, becoming initiated by Srila Prabhupada in May of that year. Under Prabhupada’s direction, he helped to spread the Hare Krishna movement by preaching and opening many centers in Canada, USA, Europe, and Asia.

On April 11, under the direction of Braja Vilasa prabhu, TOVP Director of Development, a daily Nrsimha Yajna was inaugurated by the TOVP Care initiative for the protection and blessings of devotees worldwide, and the benefit of humanity in general. To date over 10,000 devotee names have been received and are read daily during the yajna. This will continue unabated until May 5th when a Nrsimha Maha Yajna and Japa Yajna will be performed. The video and photos in this article are from the yajna on April 23rd.

Concerning the Nrsimha Maha Yajna and Japa Yajna, we hope that every devotee worldwide will participate by providing their names by registering through the TOVP App (directions below). Participants anywhere in the world will also be mailed a special Nrsimha Raksha Sutra protective wrist thread offered to Lord Nrsimha. These will be mailed out as soon as the India lock-down is lifted and shipping services are available.

Below are directions for registering on the TOVP App:

New App Users

To download the TOVP App select one of the following links:

• TOVP APP iOS – apple.co/2lgtrCw
• TOVP APP Android – bit.ly/2mIWM93

Once you complete the registration process click on the App Menu at the top left corner of the page (three small lines). Under NEWS you will see the option to register for the Nrsimha Maha Yajna. Please fill out and provide all the details requested on the Registration Form.

Existing App Users

Open your TOVP App. You may be requested to update the App upon opening. Once that is done click on the App Menu at the top left corner of the page (three small lines). Under NEWS you will see the option to register for the Nrsimha Maha Yajna. Please fill out and provide all the details requested on the Registration Form.

Hare Krishna and please be safe and healthy. We pray to the Lord for His blessings upon you and hope to be of some small service to you and your family through this Maha Yajna event.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

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The post Daily Nrsimhadeva Protection Yajna – Overview appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Answer Podcast

Trancription
प्रश्न: जीवन में अनेक उलझनों के बीच हम भगवान के प्रति अपनी श्रद्धा को कैसे बनाए रख सकते हैं?

उत्तर: एक मानव होने के नाते हम सब सीमित हैं। ऐसा समझना भूल होगी कि भक्ति का अभ्यास हमें हमारी मानवीय सीमाओं से परे ले जा सकता है। जीवन में विपत्तियों के बीच व्याकुल होना स्वाभाविक है। जब श्रील प्रभुपाद दिल्ली की सड़कों पर पत्रिकाएँ बाँट रहे थे, तब एक गाय ने उन्हें टक्कर मार दी। श्रील प्रभुपाद उस प्रहार से सड़क पर गिर पड़े। उनकी सारी पत्रिकाएँ तितर-बितर हो गईं। उन्होंने उठने का प्रयास किया किन्तु उठ नहीं पाए। वहाँ दिल्ली की सड़क पर पड़े-पड़े उनके मन में विचार आया – मेरे साथ ऐसा क्यों हो रहा है?

श्रील प्रभुपाद ने अपने एक तात्पर्य में लिखा है – एक भक्त विचलित हो सकता है किन्तु निराश नहीं। विचलित अर्थात् यह न समझ पाना कि क्या करें क्या न करें। निराश अर्थात् कुछ भी करने का उत्साह न होना। हम सभी का जीवन अनिश्चितताओं से भरा है। भले ही हमारी मंशा श्रीकृष्ण की सेवा करने की हो, किन्तु कभी-कभी यह स्पष्ट नहीं हो पाता है कि श्रीकृष्ण की सेवा कैसे करें।

विचलित होने और निराश होने के बीच के अंतर को समझना महत्वपूर्ण है। हर किसी के जीवन में उलझनें आती हैं क्योंकि जीवन सामा्न्यतः जटिल है। एक मानव होने के नाते हम सीमित हैं अर्थात् हम पतनशील हैं। हम श्रीकृष्ण की भाँति अनंत और अच्युत नहीं हैं। हम सीमित हैं अतः निश्चित रूप से जीवन में कभी न कभी विचलित होंगे। हम निराश तब होते हैं जब जीवन की जटिलताओं के कारण आशा खो बैठते हैं और अंततः पलायन कर जाते हैं। आध्यात्मिकता हमें श्रीकृष्ण की भाँति अच्युत नहीं बनाती। आध्यात्मिकता हमारी निकृष्ट प्रकृति – काम, क्रोध, लोभ, मोह, मद, मत्सर्य – से ऊपर उठने में हमारी सहायता करती है ताकि भीतर से शुद्ध होने पर हम अपनी उलझनों को निराशा में परिवर्तित न होने दें।

जब जीवन में हमारे सामने कोई उलझन अथवा संकट आए, जब हम किसी मार्ग पर चलें और अचानक अंधेरा छा जाए, तो ऐसे समय में यह मंत्र याद रखें – “छोटे-छोटे सरल कदम”। हम स्वयं से पूछें – मैं अभी क्या कर सकता हूं? मैं अभी, इस समय, श्रीकृष्ण की कोई छोटी-मोटी सेवा कैसे कर सकता हूँ। जीवन में बड़े लक्ष्यों के निर्धारण के लिए स्थिरता की आवश्यकता होती है। जब हम उलझनों से घिरे होते हैं जब हम बड़े-बड़े लक्ष्यों के बारे में ठीक से नहीं सोच पाते हैं। ऐसे समय में जब सब कुछ हमारे विपरीत जा रहा हो, हमें तात्कालिक परिस्थिति पर ध्यान देने की सबसे अधिक आवश्यकता है।

जब परिस्थितियाँ अत्यधिक कठिन हो जाऐं, तो हमें बस उतना ही आगे का सोचना चाहिए जिसे हम ठीक से नियंत्रित कर सकें। मैं अगले एक घंटे, एक दिन, एक सप्ताह के लिए “सर्वश्रेष्ठ” कैसे बन सकता हूं? “सर्वश्रेष्ठ” अर्थात् मैं चिड़चिड़ा नहीं हूँ, किसी पर चिल्ला नहीं रहा हूँ, स्वयं को कोस नहीं रहा हूँ आदि। यदि हम अपने व्यवहार को एक घंटे, एक दिन, एक सप्ताह के लिए नियंत्रित कर सकते हैं, तो हम स्वयं की सराहना करें, हमें आत्मबल देने के लिए श्रीकृष्ण का धन्यवाद करें और फिर एक बार अगले एक घंटे, एक दिन, एक सप्ताह के लिए स्वयं पर नियंत्रण करने का प्रयास करें। जब जीवन में निराशा घेर ले तो हमें स्वयं का उत्साहवर्धन करना चाहिए। हमें अपने भीतर सकारात्मकता और एक उद्देश्य की भावना पैदा करने के लिए जो भी करना पड़े उसका प्रयास करना चाहिए। “छोटे-छोटे सरल कदम” उठाने से, भले ही हमारा जीवन पुनः प्रकाशवान न हो किन्तु हमारी सेवा करने की भावना – मैं अभी श्रीकृष्ण की सेवा कैसे कर सकता हूँ, मैं अभी कौन से छोटे-छोटे कदम उठा सकता हूँ – हमारे लिए एक छोटे से दीपक की भाँति बन जाएगी। यह छोटा सा दीपक हमें एक कदम आगे का मार्ग दिखाएगा। अंतत: हम पाऐंगे कि इस प्रकार छोटे-छोटे कदमों के कारण हम चलते भी रहेंगे और कठिन समय में भी प्रगति करते रहेंगे।

जीवन की जटिलताऐं हमें विचलित करेंगी, किन्तु हमें निराश होने की आवश्यकता नहीं है। हम निराशा से बच सकते हैं यदि हम अपनी सेवा करने की भावना पर ध्यान बनाऐं रखें । हम बस छोटे-छोटे सरल कदम उठाऐं, और इससे धीरे-धीरे अंतर आने लगेगा। यदि हम श्रीकृष्ण की सेवा करते रहें, तो श्रीकृष्ण हमारी कठिनाइयों को दूर करने में सहायता करेंगे। हमारे कर्म हमें जिस भी कठिनाई मेें डालेंगे, अपने प्रयास और श्रीकृष्ण की कृपा से ही हम उससे बाहर निकल पाऐंगे।

End of transcription.

The Passing of Arca Vigraha Devi Dasi
by Daivi Sakti Devi Dasi

Arca Vigraha Devi Dasi joined ISKCON in 1985. She was a successful artist who was disillusioned with material life and wanted an alternative. For a long time she searched for the truth, and she was finally satisfied when she met Srila Prabhupada’s devotees in South Africa.

She discussed philosophy with them and considered how to dovetail her art career in Krishna’s service. Thus she began working on a series of charcoal drawings which included passages from Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita depicting the qualities and activities of Kali-yuga. She graphically portrayed the ills of deviating from the four regulative principles to show the truth about Kali-yuga.

Then one devotee returning from Vrindavan showed her some exquisite photographs of all the holy places. She fell in love with Vrindavan and during Kartik of 1986 made her first visit, which left an indelible impression on her mind.

Owing to her artistic talent, she was always requested to paint deities, but she was not allowed to until she received initiation from His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja in 1987.  He named her Arca Vigraha Devi Dasi, indicating she was the servant of the deity form of the Lord. She was deeply thrilled upon receiving second initiation, as now she could paint installed deities. This gave great meaning to her life, and soon she painted all the major deities in South Africa and Mauritius. When she returned to Vrindavan, she was asked to paint the deities there, including Srila Prabhupada in his samadhi.

Six months after initiation, she learned she had cancer. She underwent an operation, took radiation treatment, and got some temporary relief. She then bought a piece of land in Raman Reti near the temple, where she intended to build a house for her spiritual master. She began to travel back and forth between South Africa and Vrindavan, bringing earnings from art sales to build the house. During this time she performed a variety of services, though her health deteriorated.

In 1991, on the appearance day of Lord Nrsimhadeva, she realized the cancer had returned—this time in her lymph gland. When she told her spiritual master, he advised her, “Sell up everything. Just run to Vrindavan and let Srimati Radharani take over.” She then returned here with her godsister Kuntidevi to assist her.

Her guru maharaja told her to increase bhajana and japa, to read as much as possible, and to serve in the holy dhama. She did that and continued painting, but as time went on, the cancer in her shoulder and neck began to impair her movements. That spring she was confined to bed; thus she could no longer attend the temple program. So she increased hearing and reading about Krishna’s pastimes, which became more and more enthralling.

Whenever she got a burst of energy, she would sit up in bed and work on designs for two carved marble panels in Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi. Meditating on Srila Prabhupada made her closer to him than ever before. She found great solace in hearing about his final years and how he had served right up to the last moment.

While Arca Vigraha prepared to leave her body in the association of devotees in Vrindavan, we asked her to share her realizations with us.

How do you overcome the extreme pain?

What helps me transcend the pain is kirtan. B. B. Govinda Maharaja does kirtan here. He sings to me, and I become extremely blissful. I can transcend the pain when I’m hearing that. Other devotees also do bhajana here, and of course the readings of various literatures is really helpful.

I remember all the love and help I’ve received from the devotees. It’s as though they’ve taken me step-by-step out of this material world. I’m eternally indebted to them for all the support they’ve given me. I have never known such selfless love as this. My impending death has forced all of us to look into ourselves and become more selfless. Srila Prabhupada said, “Don’t think this is not going to happen to you.” We all know that finally we’ll have to go through this. I just happen to be the first in line right now. It is tolerable because we know where we are going.

What realizations are you getting about where you are going? Any glimpse from the saintly persons who come to see you?

Yes. I have a glimpse from them. I meditate on what they tell me, and it sounds very encouraging. I won’t take birth in the material world again. But I really accept whatever Krishna wants me to do as long as I can serve Him and Srimati Radharani. That’s really all that I would like. I know I won’t go through this again. All I want to do is to serve in a healthy body again.

Are you able to maintain your chanting?

Yes, I can chant, but it takes a bit longer and I can’t always do so aloud. I have to whisper, but I’m able to do it. I chant sixteen rounds a day and more when I can. But I don’t count any more. It’s tiring to count it now.

You’re hearing and preparing to go back to Godhead like Maharaja Pariksit did. What is the message you have for other devotees who will be in your position later?

One big realization is the importance of remembering the name of Krishna. We have always been told to remember Krishna and never forget Him. With everything that happens to us in this situation, Krishna is saying, “Drop this attachment. Clean up all attachments and desires and remember Me only.”

All mortal beings will either leave us or die. It’s only Krishna who will never let us down. He is the only one we can rely on. The more suffering you go through, the more you realize it. We have to be completely pure to serve Him, and that’s what He wants. I don’t resent what I’m going through. Hearing Krishna’s pastimes is endearing Him to me much more. He’s so charming that I just want to serve Him.

Anyone who finds himself in this position must take great courage. Only this philosophy will answer the questions of life. We are so fortunate to know where we are going. Whatever Krishna is arranging for you, just have great faith. Hear His pastimes, for that will make you appreciate. It will give you a little glimpse, a little taste of the love we should develop for Him. Never let that faith go or you’ll become despondent, you’ll get depressed.

Devotees’ association is the best thing at a time like this. I couldn’t do without it. I’m getting a lot of mercy, and I hope I will not let them down.

Is there a particular example in Srimad-Bhagavatam that encourages you?

Grandfather Bhismadeva and how he left his body on the bed of arrows. A devotee can either laugh or cry about death. If you lament, then somehow you’ll have to keep going through the same test until you give up the lamentation.

But if you can see the beneficial side of it, you can mine every jewel out of the experience and attain an exalted consciousness. One doesn’t lament if he has a positive attitude towards suffering. You see clearly that Krishna is forcing you to surrender everything for your own benefit.

The only thing that holds us back is desires in the heart that don’t correlate with what He wishes for us. He wants us to come back to Him. We have to understand exactly what He wants us to do. We have to surrender everything. We have to have a clean slate; otherwise we can’t go back.

We know that suffering is temporary and that we are not the body. If you don’t eat for a while, your body begins to dissolve. It’s like a vision in front of you; it just dissolves away. How can you be the body if it so radically changes like this?

Where does our independence lie?

Krishna gives us a choice. If we understand what He wants and that He is the controller, we will have enough faith to surrender to Him. He knows what’s best for us. The important thing is to have complete faith in Him. Whatever He does to us we should accept with full faith. This is the key to becoming completely peaceful. Nothing can be done to change anything.

 At one point you were seeking relief in hospitals. Were you trying to get out of Krishna’s clutches then, or were you depending on Him?

I was depending on Krishna at that time. I was looking for a way to extend my ability to do service. The question arises, “Do you want to heal yourself or not?” But it is not up to us. We have to understand that everyone must die sooner or later.

In the beginning it looked like I could stand off the cancer for a number of years. But at other times it would flare up and it appeared like my stay in this body would be finished in a couple of days, weeks, or months. It was like being on a roller coaster.

At one point I decided to let it take its natural course. The alternative was chemotherapy, which leads to other problems which can be worse than the disease. It’s too much of a gamble, so I made up my mind not to accept treatment, as I never liked drugs anyway. I thought that Krishna may give me more time to do service. It’s not like you’re working for yourself. But when I realized that the illness was getting worse, I slowly began to surrender. You don’t fight it any more. You reach the stage of accepting death and no longer try to deny it—this is really important. We have denied things for so long, but still they have happened. At the stage of acceptance you begin to say, “OK, whatever Krishna wants.” If He wants you to live, nothing can kill you, and if He wants you to die, nothing can save you. So it’s up to Him anyway.

Which attachment is hardest to give up?

My art—my work for Krishna.

You consider that an attachment?

Yes, a very big one.

What are you aspiring for?

I’m aspiring for radha-dasya-bhava. I want to serve Radharani by painting Her feet, Her eyes, or doing anything in that way, anything that I’m capable of.

Do you meditate on painting Radharani’s feet and hands?

Yes. That is really the thing that helps the most. It takes you out of the bodily concept. It actually helps the pain. You become immersed in the idea of the service, and it’s so enchanting. That’s why it’s so important to hear.

Has painting the deities helped you realize the nondifference between arca-vigraha and the original Radha and Krishna?

Yes. Painting the deities was one of the hardest things to give up. I was completely attached to that. But we have to be practical. I realized that one has to be prepared to share whatever one is doing for Radha and Krishna.

That means allowing others to do the service?

Yes. It used to worry me because I thought I would be able to do this for many years. But when you realize you can’t, you have to surrender. You have to see things positively; otherwise you just become despondent, and there is no future in that. Just as it is hard to live, it’s even more difficult to die.  We can’t die when we want, so we have to become humble in this respect and tolerate.

It seems that I’m not really functioning much, yet Krishna is using me as an instrument, not only to purify me more and more, but to force everyone to face the reality of death. It’s not easy for people to visit me, because it reminds them of what it will be like when their time comes.

We have to learn to be very patient. Even now I think, ”OK, that’s enough. That’s enough!” But I can’t do anything about it. We just have to get more purified. It’s a hard thing, and you get tired of waiting. Still, there is a reason why it’s going on like this. It brings you closer to Krishna. Everything has dissolved in your life and there’s just the one relationship remaining.

You are the most fortunate because you’ve been given this time to prepare.

 Yes. It’s fortunate that you can see where you are. But for those who are able to get more knowledge by living a longer time, it’s very beneficial, because they can see even clearer where they are. It becomes quite exciting to recognize the various stages of bhakti Prabhupada mentions in The Nectar of Devotion.

What stage do you think you are on right now?

I can’t really say, since I haven’t got much knowledge.

You have developed some faith.

Yes, and to me that’s the most important thing.

 Have you got some taste?

I hope I have. I think it’s taste. It seems like it.

You’ve got sadhu-sanga. You are doing all right.

I feel like I am drowning in an ocean of mercy, which is delectable. I’ve been thrown into the deep end—like a crash course, and I’m getting an honorary degree. I don’t know about all the different stages separately. Krishna is accelerating everything, pushing it all into one short space. Whatever it is, I feel gratitude for it. They say it’s not how you come into it; it’s how you leave it.

So what’s your desire for leaving?

I just want to be with the Vaishnavas.

You’re keeping your guru maharaja’s socks on your bed.

Yes. I asked him, “Just do one thing for me.”

Giriraj Swami said, “What?”

“It’s a big endeavor for me to get out of bed, but I’m going to put my chaddar on and put my head on the floor at your feet.” Tamal Krishna Maharaja was here, and he told Giriraj Swami to sit down.

Then I asked him, “Please put your feet on my head.” Then I felt his feet touch my head, and he kept them there for some time. When he took them off I looked at him and said, “Thank you. That’s all I wanted.” And I got back into bed.

Then he couldn’t check it; he had something in his heart. I don’t know, but he had to go and wash his face.

It sounds like these birds outside your window are having kirtan for you.

 Yes, there are hundreds of pigeons, sparrows, and peacocks. It’s nice, because when you hear the pastimes of Radharani and Krishna you can visualize what they do at the different times of the day. They always talk about the birds. The singing of the parrots and peacocks connects you with Them and Vrindavan. It’s all based on sound vibration. It’s times like this that makes it all worthwhile. It’s painful, but it’s all worthwhile.

(Mother Arca Vigraha cast off her body in Vrindavan in the presence of her spiritual master on May 8, 1994.)

[Published in Sri Vrndavana Dhama Newsletter]

Two months before Mother Arca-vigraha left her body, Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Kurma-rupa Dasa wrote her on the letterhead of Sri Vrndavana Dhama Newsletter:

March 12, 1994

Dear Mother Arca Vigraha,

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I consider this act of facing death so bravely your greatest work of art. I know you would rather be applying various colored ointments upon the transcendental forms of Radha-Krishna, but Krishna is engaging you in more intimate service.

As He says in the Bhagavad-gita, “No one is more dear to Me than he who gives this message to the devotees.” Now Krishna has asked you to preach this message to us, and I for one can say that by your doing so you are removing my fear of death. And except for Srila Prabhupada, I do not know anyone who has ever done that.

In this world we are all suffering from fear of death. We sing every morning that Krishna is braja-jana-bhaya-hari—the one who removes fear from the Brajabasis. Now He is engaging you as His agent to do this, and we are all feeling so grateful to you.

I am completely convinced that the interview you granted Daivi Sakti Mata will soon become the most powerful preaching we have published to date.

Please consider if you have any artwork that you would allow us to publish along with your preaching.

Your servant,
Kurma-rupa Dasa

My dear friend, the scent of Kṛṣṇa’s body enchants the entire world. It especially enters the nostrils of women and remains seated there. Thus it captures them and forcibly brings them to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa’s eyes, navel and face, hands and feet are like eight lotus flowers on His body. From those eight lotuses emanates a […]

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Mother Arca-vigraha left this world in Vrindavan in 1994 on Jahnu-saptami, which is Wednesday, April 29, in America, and Thursday, April 30, in India. 

In her last days, Mother Arca-vigraha gave me the inspiration and vision to establish the Bhaktivedanta Hospice in Vrindavan. She had been a prominent artist in South Africa, and she built a house in Vrindavan, in Raman Reti, near the Krishna-Balaram Mandir, to serve as a residence and art studio whenever she visited India. But not long thereafter, she was diagnosed with cancer, and so she sold her lovely home in Johannesburg and settled permanently in Vraja.

She was the first devotee to leave her body in Vrindavan and receive so much attention. Her spiritual qualities attracted many devotees to spend time with her, and her departure became paradigmatic of how to pass away in Krishna consciousness with the support of the Vaishnavas. And she wanted other devotees to have the chance to leave their bodies in the same way, in the spiritual atmosphere of Vrindavan. At the same time, she became acutely aware of the deficiencies in the medical care there. So she wanted us to have what she called a “back-to-Godhead clinic.”

Now, of course, there is more facility for acute care, but then there wasn’t, and no system for palliative care. When during the course of her terminal illness Arca-vigraha got jaundice, there was no proper person to treat her, so Srila Prabhupada’s French disciple Gopaswami Prabhu came. As a medical student, Gopaswami had met Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavan, and Srila Prabhupada had told him that he should complete his studies and become a doctor and take care of our devotees there. Eventually, Gopaswami became so enlivened and inspired in devotional service in the association of devotees that he preferred to dedicate himself fully to the practice of Krishna consciousness and to the service of the divine mission in their association. For many years he rendered valuable service in France; he was the main translator and translated almost all of Srila Prabhupada’s books into French. But in time, years later, he thought of Srila Prabhupada’s earlier instruction, and he became a medical doctor and then earned a certificate in hospice care. So, he treated Arca-vigraha. But the local care was very poor. The local people who came could not do an IV properly, and there was no local lab.

But Arca just loved being in Vrindavan. The plot where she built her house turned out to be next to Sivarama Swami’s and Govinda Swami’s, on a little lane called Radha-Raman Bagicha, off the Parikrama Marg on the way to the Krishna-Balarama tree. It’s the same lane where Balarama Baba has his ashram. She didn’t have AC, but she had air coolers, which run on water, a fan, and khus. And everything in her house was always spotlessly clean and well maintained. From her bed, through her windows, she could see trees, creepers, peacocks, parrots, cows, and calves. Even when she was bedridden, we would open the windows and she would look out and see the trees and vines and flowers, feel the breezes, and smell the aromas.

Because of her spiritual advancement and sublime qualities, Mother Arca-vigraha attracted a lot of people. People were always coming to visit her, and those with special abilities would offer specialized services. One devotee knew massage, and she would come once or twice a week and give Arca massage. Various types of alternative healers from different countries came and offered their services, which Arca graciously and gratefully—and affectionately—accepted. It all sort of just happened.

At the same time, Arca had her personal staff, devotees who were there specifically to serve her, headed by Kuntidevi. They took care of the house and grounds, the medical equipment, the laundry, the purchases, and the regular services of cooking, cleaning, bathing her, dressing her, feeding her, and administering her medication. As the cancer progressed, she got exactly what food she needed—simple foods, then soft food, then purees, then juice, and finally just crushed ice.

On the spiritual side there was constant chanting and hearing. Devotees came to do kirtan or chant japa with her, and many, such as Bhakti Bhrnga Govinda Swami, Tamal Krishna Goswami, Sivarama Swami, and Kesava Bharati Maharaja, would come and read to her. Bhurijana Prabhu came every day. And when there was no chanting or reading, a tape would be playing. Arca also had her altar, with various pictures and Deities. And whatever food she ate was always offered. Indradyumna Swami allowed her to keep his Radha-Krishna Deities, Sri Sri Gandharvika-Giridhari, and every day Govinda Maharaja would bring over his Gaura-Nitai Deities and sometimes his Govardhana sila.

Arca-vigraha reciprocated with her guests perfectly. Mainly she was just eager to hear and speak about Krishna. But depending on who came, she would give them a sympathetic ear, wise counsel, Krishna conscious philosophy, or even practical knowledge. With as much energy as she had, for as long as she could, she extended herself to others. In her last months, she gave art lessons to the gurukula students (who would also come and perform kirtan for her), she painted portraits of Srila Jiva Gosvami and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami for their bhajana-kutiras at Radha-kunda, and she did some artwork for Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi. Whoever you were, whatever your mood, Arca was always there to reciprocate.

And there was always a high level of cooperation. As the director of the Santa Barbara hospice, Serenity House, recently told us, that is what attracts people. Not only the patients are touched by the mood of love and care; the staff and volunteers are too. That very positive mood of care and concern for the patients, for their loved ones, for their guests, and for the other caregivers is very, very appealing.

Often, good relations have much to do with good management, with having the right people in the right places, interacting properly. In any machine, if one of the pieces is out of place, it can cause friction. So we have to take care that we have competent management and leadership.

It is really only since Arca-vigraha’s departure that I have come to learn about hospice care. Before then I did not know what “hospice” meant, and Arca herself never used the word. Her idea, her desire, seemed to have sprung directly from her experience and realization—from her beautiful heart—that she wanted devotees to have the same facility she had.

At one stage we even considered building small cottages so that devotees could feel that they too had their own place in Vrindavan. That was beyond our means, but we do want to do whatever we can to create a congenial, beautiful, spiritual atmosphere. On the site, we have kept all the trees—so many trees—and that is good. Hospices try to offer patients their own private balconies or patios, their own little areas where they can have direct access to the outdoors, to sunlight, fresh air, and nature’s beauty. So we must try our best to create that sense of home in Vraja.

Vision is a subtle thing, comprising many diverse elements. Arca’s vision was for the hospice to afford devotees the same kind of experience that she had. And the Bhaktivedanta Hospice is drawing all those elements together to make that vision a reality—inspired by her, that saintly lady, that great soul, Arca-vigraha devi dasi.

[A Reflection by Giriraj Swami, June 6, 2007, Carpinteria, California]

Recently we sent out the official announcement about the Second Annual #GivingTOVP 10 Day Matching Fundraiser which you can read here. This event starts on April 26 (Akshaya Tritiya) until May 6 (Nrsimha Caturdasi) and is poised to raise over $300,000 to help the completion of Lord Nrsimha’s entire East Wing and altar in the TOVP for the opening ceremony during Gaur Purnima 2021.

In this video His Holiness Sivaram Swami speaks about the importance of this fundraiser for completing the TOVP.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Due to the disastrous effects of the Corona virus pandemic worldwide and the 21 day lock-down in India, ISKCON Mayapur is experiencing a serious financial crisis. On account of this emergency situation, Ambarisa and Braja Vilasa prabhus from the TOVP have decided to help ISKCON Mayapur by creating an extension campaign to the #GivingTOVP Fundraiser called the TOVP Care Emergency Matching Fund Campaign. Ambarisa will match 10 cents for every dollar raised for the #GivingTOVP Fundraiser (online only) and donate it to ISKCON Mayapur.

For more information go ​here​.

Please download and share the #GivingTOVP Fundraiser flyer below.

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