Websites from the ISKCON Universe
It was a great honor for ISKCON Gurugram to be the first host for an International Cultural Exchange trip of about 50 Russian students and six teachers. The event was organized by St. Xavier's School, Gurugram.
Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja comes in the Gaudiya Vaisnava disciplic succession after Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. He was a renounced ascetic, fully engaged in chanting the holy names of Krishna and meditating on the pastimes of Krishna. For some time, he made his residence at Surya-kunda in Vraja-dhama, near the temple of Suryadeva, where Srimati Radharani used to come and worship the sun-god—or, I should say, where She used to come to meet Krishna on the pretext of coming to worship the sun-god.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who comes in the disciplic succession after Jagannatha dasa Babaji, accepted Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja as his main guru, his siksa-guru. Once, some of Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disciples in Vraja approached the Thakura and complained that although they had come to Vraja to live like Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, fully absorbed in chanting the holy names and meditating on Sri Sri Radha-Krishna’s astakaliya-lila, Babaji Maharaja had refused to instruct them in such topics and had instead engaged them in cultivating tulasi plants, flowers, and vegetables to offer to the Lord. And they requested Bhaktivinoda Thakura to appeal to their guru maharaja to instruct them in the esoteric practices of Krishna consciousness.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura told the disciples, “Actually, your Gurudeva’s instructions are right for you. Because you still have anarthas, for you to try to sit and try to do nirjana-bhajana [solitary worship] and practice asta-kaliya-lila-smarana [meditation on the Lord’s eightfold daily pastimes] would be artificial, and you would just become degraded. So you should follow his instructions with full faith and work hard in Krishna’s service. Then, in time, you may be able to chant the holy names purely.”
Eventually, Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja moved to Mayapur, where he lived by the banks of the Ganges, fully absorbed in chanting the holy names. He had the greatest reverence for the holy land of Navadvipa. Although he was so renounced and so absorbed in Krishna consciousness, as his reputation spread, gentlemen would come to him and give him donations. Once, Babaji Maharaja asked one of his servants to take the donations he had received, which he kept in an old burlap bag, and purchase a large pot of rasagullas. All the devotees were surprised, because Jagannatha dasa Babaji was so renounced and lived so simply; he would eat only the simplest rice and dal. Anyway, the servant brought the sweets, and Jagannatha dasa Babaji offered them to his Deities and then distributed them to the cows and dogs in the dhama. He said that the creatures of the dhama were elevated souls and worthy of service.
Later, Babaji Maharaja would not honor prasada until he had shared it with ten newborn puppies. He would wait until they came, and because in his old age his eyelids drooped over his eyes and prevented him from seeing, he would count them with his hands. And only after they had begun to eat would he also partake. He would say, “They are puppies of the dhama. They are not ordinary living entities.” He had so much faith in and affection for the dhama.
He had less affection for Mayavadi impersonalists. He used to say, “Let the dogs come in for darsana, but the impersonalists—kick them out!”
Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji lived to a very old age. Some Vaishnavas say he was just waiting for Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to come—someone to whom he could impart his special knowledge and realization, for the benefit of humanity. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura requested to be transferred from his post in Orissa to Bengal so he could be near Navadvipa-dhama. And eventually, he was posted at Krishnanagar, near Navadvipa.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura did extensive research to determine the actual birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He studied old maps, consulted the local people, and visited the different places. Eventually he found a mound where many tulasi trees were growing. He got the intuition that this was the actual birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, but he wanted his intuition to be confirmed. At the time, Jagannatha dasa Babaji was the most renowned Vaishnava, and he was Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s siksa-guru. So, Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disciples brought him to the place with the mound and tulasi plants. He was so old—over a hundred and forty years old, some say—that his disciples had to carry him in a basket. The disciples brought him, but they didn’t tell him when they came to the site that Bhaktivinoda Thakura had determined was the birthplace. Still, when Babaji Maharaja arrived there, he spontaneously jumped out of his basket and began to dance in ecstasy, singing the holy names. Thus he confirmed the location of Mahaprabhu’s birthplace.
Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s bhajana-kutira and samadhi are there in Navadvipa-dhama, in Koladvipa. Devotees who perform Navadvipa-parikrama visit there and get his mercy. We also pray to him for his mercy, that we may be instrumental in fulfilling the desires of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and the other acharyas in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu coming to us through Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.
Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja ki jaya!
Srila Prabhpada ki jaya!
[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disappearance day, February 20, 2004, Carpinteria, California]
Krsnatarian: Do you want to know who is Krsna? In this video I have given a basic introduction to my channel and why it starts with Krsna.
These recipes are universal and anyone can take benefit from them. This website will help you create simple and exotic meals to treat your near and dear ones.
15.180 magazines distributed in 2019. 80-100 VOLUNTEERS Pack the Back To Godhead magazine for postage. Volunteers share their appreciations:“Yesterday my wife and I went to the temple to help with the packing of Back to Godhead magazines. After packing we had lunch with the devotees. I shared with Shireen that the service was so therapeutic and I relished every moment. She felt the same.” Babs“After the packing, he told me that he felt so peaceful and blissful, he wants to learn more about the basics of Krishna Consciousness so that he could try and practice nicely.”
Krishna’s devotees are beyond all material designations (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam class in Iskcon Mayapur, Speaker: HH Devamrita Swami.
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With the raising of Garuda and Hanuman flags, 48th Gaura Purnima festival is inaugurated in a colorful flag hoisting ceremony, held at Srila Prabhupada Park, in front of Lotus building. HH Gopal Krishna Goswami , HH Loknath Goswami, HH Jayapataka Swami , who were participating in the festival since its inception, spoke on the importance […]
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Nice lady from Egypt receives an Arabic “Bhagavad Gita as it is” and “Perfection of yoga” from Jaya Rama prabhu in NYC. In every town and village. Jay Srila Prabhupada!
Grand Opening of the TOVP Pujari Floor (5 min. video)
Sadbhuja Das: I would just like to share this wonderful video clip of the Pujari floor opening shot and edited by Prananath Das. Please have a look, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Disciples, well-wishers, community devotees, godbrothers of HH Gour Govinda Swami came together to glorify Maharaj on the occasssion of disappearance day festival, held at Community hall at Sri Mayapur dhama. Among the countless moons of devotees of Lord Caitanya, HH Gour Govinda Swami shines as a bright moon and continues to illuminate the lives of […]
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TOVP: The wonderful detail going into Jaya-Vijaya! (Album of photos)
Everyone is attracted to Krishna (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam class by H.G. Pancha Gauda Prabhu in ISKCON Vrindavan.
Krishna consciousness is the only remedy (video)
Lecture by H.H.Niranjana Swami in ISKCON Ottawa.
Narada Das (Nathan Hartley) appeared on the BBC’s regional Bristol radio station to share a spiritual message of equality with 135,000 listeners on February 20th, quoting the Bhagavad-gita and Srila Prabhupada.
The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium has just reached a major milestone with the grand opening on February 13th of its massive 100,000 square-foot pujari seva facility to serve Sri Sri Radha Madhava.
Today we shall read a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Four, Chapter Twenty-four: “Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Siva.”
As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh: Lord Shiva is the greatest Vaishnava, and why he is so is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is considered the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic scriptures. The glories of Lord Shiva are described in many Bhagavatam chapters, and if we were to discuss all of them, it would take many days. So we are just going to focus on one verse from one chapter of one series of chapters about the glories of Lord Shiva as the greatest Vaishnava. Leading up to where we are in today’s verse, the Pracetas, who were all royal princes, had been doing severe austerities when Lord Shiva came to them to offer them some benediction. And the benediction they requested was to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. So Lord Shiva was very pleased with their request. They did not ask him for some material boon; they asked for the highest purpose of life, which is eternal service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which takes one beyond the material world of birth, death, disease, and old age.
In this verse, 30, Lord Shiva expresses his appreciation for the Pracetas as Vaishnavas, devotees of Lord Vishnu, and he also explains why Vaishnavas appreciate him.
TEXT 30
atha bhagavata yuyam
priyah stha bhagavan yatha
na mad bhagavatanam ca
preyan anyo ’sti karhicit
TRANSLATION
You are all devotees of the Lord, and as such I appreciate that you are as respectable as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. I know in this way that the devotees also respect me and that I am dear to them. Thus no one can be as dear to the devotees as I am.
PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada
It is said, vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh: Lord Siva is the best of all devotees. Therefore all devotees of Lord Krishna are also devotees of Lord Siva.
COMMENT by Giriraj Swami
In the Padma Purana, Lord Shiva tells his wife, aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param: Of all types of worship, the worship of Vishnu is the highest. Tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarcanam: but even higher than the worship of Vishnu is the worship of Vishnu’s devotees. So, in that context we worship devotees, we worship the spiritual master, and we worship Vaishnavas, including Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva has another aspect, which is of a demigod, a deva, whom people approach for material boons, like they approach Ganesh, Durga, and others. But we are not discussing Shiva in that inferior aspect—it is the same Shiva, but he plays the part of a demigod for those whose intelligence is a little bewildered or small.
PURPORT (continued)
In Vrndavana there is Lord Siva’s temple called Gopisvara. The gopis used to worship not only Lord Siva but Katyayani, or Durga, as well, but their aim was to attain the favor of Lord Krsna. A devotee of Lord Krsna does not disrespect Lord Siva, but worships Lord Siva as the most exalted devotee of Lord Krsna. Consequently whenever a devotee worships Lord Siva, he prays to Lord Siva to achieve the favor of Krsna, and he does not request material profit. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.20) it is said that generally people worship demigods for some material profit. Kamais tais tair hrta jnanah. Driven by material lust, they worship demigods, but a devotee never does so, for he is never driven by material lust. That is the difference between a devotee’s respect for Lord Siva and an asura’s respect for him.
COMMENT
Asura means “demon.”
PURPORT (continued)
The asura worships Lord Siva, takes some benediction from him, misuses the benediction, and ultimately is killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who awards him liberation.
COMMENT
One example is Ravana. Ravana was a devotee of Shiva, and by the blessings of Lord Shiva he attained immense wealth and power, but he became so maddened with material desires and so intoxicated by his material opulence that he dared to kidnap Mother Sita, and in the end he was killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Lord Ramachandra.
So, we should be very careful not to approach Lord Shiva for material benefit, which is actually demonic. It is demonic because it means that we want to take God’s property—everything is God’s property—and enjoy it for ourselves, in competition with God. Sita is Lakshmi, and Lakshmi is meant to be engaged in the service of Narayana. Demons like Ravana want to take Lakshmi from Narayana and exploit her for their own sense gratification. So, we don’t want to be like Ravana, but rather, we want to be like Hanuman, who rescued Lakshmi (Sita) from the clutches of Ravana and returned her to Rama.
PURPORT (continued)
Because Lord Siva is a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he loves all the devotees of the Supreme Lord.
COMMENT
This is a very important characteristic of a true devotee: he loves all the other devotees. So in a way, we can assess our spiritual position by how much respect and appreciation and affection we have for the other devotees.
PURPORT (continued)
Lord Siva told the Pracetas that because they were devotees of the Lord, he loved them very much. Lord Siva was kind and merciful not only to the Pracetas; anyone who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very dear to Lord Siva. Not only are the devotees dear to Lord Siva, but he respects them as much as he respects the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, devotees of the Supreme Lord also worship Lord Siva as the most dear devotee of Lord Krsna.
COMMENT
This is a very important point.
PURPORT (continued)
They do not worship him as a separate Personality of Godhead. It is stated in the list of nama-aparadhas that it is an offense to think that the chanting of the name of Hari and the chanting of Hara, or Siva, are the same. The devotees must always know that Lord Visnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that Lord Siva is His devotee.
COMMENT
One of the first of the ten offenses against the holy name is to consider the names of the demigods such as Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma to be equal to or independent of the holy name of Lord Vishnu. As a devotee of Vishnu, Lord Shiva is respected, but he is not to be mistaken to be equal to or independent of Lord Vishnu.
Some years ago, an Austrian scholar came to India and became a sannyasi in the impersonalist Shankara line, accepting the name Agehananda Bharati. And there was a piece by him in the Illustrated Weekly of India, a popular weekly magazine like Life used to be in America. The editor then was Khushwant Singh, and from the editorial policy of the weekly, he seemed to be a demon. “Demon” doesn’t mean having ten heads and twenty arms. Demons can also look like you and me. But they are considered demons because they are against the supremacy of the Lord. So, this Khushwant Singh published an article by Bharati in which Dr. Bharati gave his account of his debate with our Hridayananda dasa, in which he had claimed that Lord Shiva was supreme and advocated the chanting of Lord Shiva’s name.
I could understand that the idea of the article was to make both Bharati and us look foolish—religious fanatics fighting like children over nothing: “Krishna is supreme.” “No, Shiva is supreme.” “You should chant Hare Krishna.” “No, you should chant Shiva Shiva.” So, I wrote Srila Prabhupada what the editor had done, and Srila Prabhupada agreed: “Yes, Giriraj is right. Bharati is a fool, but Singh is a demon.”
PURPORT (concluded)
The devotees must always know that Lord Visnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that Lord Siva is His devotee. A devotee should be offered respect on the level of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and sometimes even more respect. Indeed, Lord Rama, the Personality of Godhead Himself, sometimes worshiped Lord Siva. If a devotee is worshiped by the Lord, why should a devotee not be worshiped by other devotees on the same level with the Lord? This is the conclusion. From this verse it appears that Lord Siva blesses the asuras simply for the sake of formality. Actually he loves one who is devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
COMMENT
When Lord Ramachandra was in South India, He worshipped Lord Shiva at Rameswaram, and of course, Lord Shiva worships Lord Rama. So, this apparently contradictory behavior has given rise to speculation that Shiva is supreme. Who is supreme: is Shiva supreme, or is Rama supreme? But Lord Rama’s worship of Lord Shiva is not because Lord Shiva is greater than Him; it’s because the Personality of Godhead likes to worship His devotees. For example, when Sudama Vipra visited Lord Krishna in Dvaraka, Krishna Dvarakadhisa worshipped Sudama Brahmana. Dvarakadhisa personally washed the feet of Sudama Brahmana, and Rukmini, the goddess of fortune herself, was fanning him like a menial servant. But it doesn’t mean that Sudama Vipra is supreme; it just means that the Lord is so kind and affectionate to His devotees that He takes pleasure in worshipping and serving them. So that was the case of Lord Rama with Lord Shiva in Rameswaram.
When I was in Madras, meeting important people in the city, many of them recommended that I meet a well-known religious figure named Mr. Ramakrishna. So I did. And I spoke as Krishna speaks in the Bhagavad-gita, as Sukadeva Gosvami speaks in Srimad-Bhagavatam, and as we heard Srila Prabhupada speak, that Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ramakrishna became very agitated, claiming that Shiva was supreme. Now, in a way Shiva is supreme in the material world, because he is the demigod in charge of the mode of ignorance (tamo-guna), and most of the material world is in the mode of ignorance. So there is some truth to that statement, but not in any absolute sense. So, I was saying that Krishna is the supreme and giving evidence from the scripture, and he was getting more and more agitated, and with him becoming agitated, I also became agitated, and he was raising his voice, and I was raising my voice, and finally we both realized we were not getting anywhere and should just stop.
So we stopped, and I left the meeting, which had been quite unpalatable. But I kept meeting people who told me, “Oh, you have to meet Mr. Ramakrishna? He is such a religious man. He’ll like what you are doing.” So, after a few weeks of hearing this, I thought, “Well, maybe I should try again. Maybe that was just bad luck.” I phoned him, and he immediately agreed. I imagined that people were also telling him,” Oh, you should meet the Hare Krishna devotee. They are doing such good work. You’ll really like them.”
So, I went to his home again, and I was very careful and cautious, and he was very careful and cautious. But eventually we came to the same point: who is supreme? He was saying Shiva, and I was saying Krishna, and he was getting angrier, and I was getting angrier. But then I got an inspiration within my heart and said, “Look, I’m just a student, but my teacher, my guru, Srila Prabhupada, is coming to Madras soon. So instead of our discussing, why don’t you discuss with him?” He was very happy with that idea, because he got out of the argument and was going to have a chance to meet Srila Prabhupada.
When Srila Prabhupada came, I invited Mr. Ramakrishna to meet him. He told Srila Prabhupada, “I have been discussing with your disciple Giriraj, and we’ve been arguing over who is supreme—Krishna or Shiva. So, who is supreme?” And Srila Prabhupada was so intelligent that he didn’t answer the question directly; he didn’t get into that controversy. He said, “There are two words: bhakti, or seva, and puja. In puja the worshipper wants to get some result from his worship, but in bhakti the devotee wants only to please the Deity, Krishna, and wants nothing in return. Generally people approach Shiva in the mood of puja, whereas people approach Krishna in the mood of bhakti.” Mr. Ramakrishna responded, “Well, isn’t it possible that one could approach Lord Shiva in the mood of bhakti?” Prabhupada said, “It is possible. Just like someone could go to a liquor shop and have some other purpose besides purchasing liquor. But generally if someone goes to a liquor shop, it is understood that he is going to buy liquor.” Then Mr. Ramakrishna said, “But what if someone did worship Lord Shiva in the mood of bhakti?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Then it is all right.” In that case, the worship of Shiva would be as good as the worship of Krishna, because Shiva, if approached in that way, he will act as a siksa-guru, as he acted for the Pracetas, and he will guide you how to approach Krishna—and then there’s no dichotomy, no contradiction. So, that should be our mood.
Why is Shiva considered the greatest Vaishnava? One reason, perhaps the main reason, is that he is so merciful. That is the nature of a true Vaishnava—para-dukha-dukhi: he feels sorrow for the sorrow of others, and he wants to relieve their suffering. One very vivid example described in Srimad-Bhagavatam is when the demigods and demons were furiously churning the ocean of milk and a terrible poison was produced and that poison was increasing in volume—it was threatening to become like an ocean that would fill the whole universe and kill all the living entities in the entire universe—so the demigods approached Lord Narayana, and He advised them to approach Lord Shiva, which they did, along with Lord Narayana.
Of course, Lord Narayana could have saved the situation Himself, but He chose not to, because the Lord likes to give credit to His devotees. That is the Lord’s kindness and affection toward His devotees. Lord Shiva is always benevolent toward all living entities, and when he saw that they were disturbed by the poison, which was spreading everywhere, he was very compassionate. So he consulted his wife Bhavani: “Just see how all these living entities have been placed in danger because of the poison produced from the churning of the ocean of milk. It is my duty to give protection and safety to living entities. It is the duty of the master to protect his suffering dependents. People in general are always engaged in animosity toward one another, but devotees, even at the risk of their lives, try to save them. When one performs benevolent activities for others, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari is pleased, along with all other living creatures. So, let me drink this poison, for all the living entities may thus become happy.” Srimad-Bhagavatam (8.7.41–45) states, “After informing Bhavani in this way, Lord Siva began to drink the poison, and Bhavani, who knew perfectly well the capabilities of Lord Siva, gave him her permission to do so. Thereafter, Lord Siva, who is dedicated to auspicious, benevolent work for humanity, compassionately took the whole quantity of poison in his palm and drank it. As if in defamation, the poison born from the ocean of milk manifested its potency by marking Lord Siva’s neck with a bluish line. That line, however, is now accepted as an ornament of the lord. It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart. Upon hearing of this act, everyone, including Bhavani, Lord Brahma, Lord Visnu, and the people in general, very highly praised this deed performed by Lord Siva, who is worshiped by the demigods and who bestows benedictions upon the people.”
This section of the Bhagavatam made me think of many devotees, but especially of Srila Prabhupada, who took such a tremendous risk, leaving India and crossing the ocean at the age of seventy, and having two heart attacks on the way, but still, in that mood of compassion, wanting to relieve people of their suffering in the highest way and in the most permanent way, by giving them Krishna consciousness. In fact, Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.7.39 describes him perfectly: “People in general, being bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are always engaged in animosity toward one another. But devotees, even at the risk of their own temporary lives, try to save them.” He took that risk, and therefore he has that quality that makes Lord Shiva the greatest Vaishnava—the quality of compassion, of being ready to sacrifice all personal comforts and security for the sake of others.
So, Lord Shiva took that huge ocean of poison and drank it. And it stayed within his throat and turned his throat a bluish black color, which from a certain point of view could be considered a blemish, but actually devotees worship that coloration of Lord Shiva’s throat because it was a manifestation of his great compassion for the living entities. And because of the coloration of his throat, Shiva became known as Nilakantha, “blue throated.”
That quality of compassion makes Lord Shiva the greatest Vaishnava, and that quality is something that we are all meant to develop. This is what we can learn from Lord Shiva, how to be ready to take any risk, make any sacrifice, for the sake of doing good for others, relieving them of their fears and anxieties and sufferings.
Another manifestation of Lord Shiva’s mercy is the way he looks. Shiva is actually an expansion of Vishnu. The Brahma-samhita (5.45) explains that just as milk in contact with some acid turns into yogurt and the yogurt is the same as the milk but also different from the milk, similarly Lord Vishnu, when He comes in contact with the material nature, becomes transformed into Lord Shiva who is the same as Vishnu but also not the same as Vishnu. The milk can become yogurt, but yogurt cannot become milk.
ksiram yatha dadhi vikara-visesa-yogat
sanjayate na tu tatah prthag asti hetoh
yah sambhutam api tatha samupaiti karyad
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
“Milk changes into yogurt when mixed with a yogurt culture, but actually it is constitutionally nothing but milk. Similarly, Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, assumes the form of Lord Siva [Sambhu] for the special purpose of material transactions. I offer my obeisances at His lotus feet.”
Lord Shiva is beyond the modes of material nature, but out of his mercy he dresses as we see, with snakes and with ashes from the crematorium. He looks quite ghastly, but he does that out of mercy to people in the mode of ignorance who are attracted to those things. He doesn’t have to dress like that or appear like that, but he does it so they’ll feel comfortable. “Like attracts like.”
I think of our wonderful godbrother Sridhar Swami. Once, on an airplane flight, I met one of his best friends from his earlier life, and his friend told me that in their youth on the weekends they would get drunk and for fun they would punch each other and fight. And Sridhar Swami himself told me that when he first met the devotees in Berkeley, California, they had a table with books and incense and pictures and posters. So, there was a poster of Krishna, and Sridhar Swami—then John Colcleugh—who had really long hair, said to the devotee at the book table, “Who’s that?” The devotee replied, “That’s God—Krishna.” “Oh yeah, that’s God? Well, what if I take that picture and tear it into pieces, what would you do?” And the devotee said, “I think I’d have to kill you.” And when Sridhar Swami heard that, he was very impressed. “Okay. These are the type of people I can mix with.”
Lord Shiva takes on his ghastly appearance out of mercy, so that people who are attracted to those lower modes will feel comfortable with him. And he gradually elevates them, and his ultimate desire is that they should become devotees of Krishna.
So we offer Lord Shiva our respects as a Vaishnava, and we pray to him to help us attain the favor of Krishna, which we can do by imbibing his quality of mercy and compassion, of being ready to make any sacrifice for the sake of helping others, which can be expressed in the best way by making sacrifices to help others come to Krishna consciousness, like Srila Prabhupada did.
As I said, we could discuss the glories of Lord Shiva for days, but we have time constraints. Still, we could take one or two questions.
Devotee: What about Lord Shiva in his form when he is not yet . . . what’s . . .
Giriraj Swami: Oh, yes, there is Sadashiva. He exists beyond the material world, but he is not exactly the same as Vishnu, though he is an expansion of Vishnu. There are so many expansions of Vishnu. He also has an expansion called Sadashiva. And Advaita Acharya, who we say is an incarnation of Maha-Vishnu, is also said to be an incarnation of Sadashiva. And he too was full of compassion for the fallen souls.
I should just mention there is one verse in which Lord Shiva tells Parvati, “I am always chanting the name of Rama, and my mind is fully enchanted by the name of Rama. Three names of Rama is equal a thousand names of Vishnu.” Once, Lord Shiva wanted Parvati to join him for honoring prasada and she wouldn’t join him because she had to chant her Vishnu-sahasra-nama, “Thousand Names of Vishnu.” So, he said, “Don’t worry—just chant three names of Rama; that equals a thousand names of Vishnu.”
rama rameti rameti
rame rame manorame
sahasra-namabhis tulyam
rama-nama varanane
“[Lord Siva addressed his wife:] ‘O Varanana, I chant the holy name of Rama, Rama, Rama and thus enjoy this beautiful sound. This holy name of Ramacandra is equal to one thousand holy names of Lord Visnu.’ ” (Padma Purana, 72.335, quoted as Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 9.32)
So, let us chant three names of Rama in the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and we will have chanted a thousand names of Vishnu—Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Hare Krishna.
[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Shiva-ratri, March 2, 2014, New Dvaraka, Los Angeles]
Villa Vrindavana Yoga Center is providing yoga enthusiasts an authentic experience in a spiritual community, as well as a non-judgemental, pressure-free zone where they can decide how deep they want to dive.
By Purushottam Nitai DasSrila Prabhupada explains, “The living being can never possess attributes like Shiva, Vishnu or Lord Krishna. A living being can become godly by developing the seventy-eight-percent transcendental attributes in fullness, but he can never become a God like Shiva, Vishnu or Krishna. He can become a Brahma in due course: - Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.28 purport” Continue reading "The unique position of Lord Shiva
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Hariharan Iyer: The great sage Maitreya continued: Out of his causeless mercy, the exalted personality Lord Śiva, a great devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa, continued to speak to the King's sons, who were standing with folded hands
These photos by Aradhya Gauranga prabhu of the TOVP Pujari Floor illustrate the size, beauty and quality of every aspect of the floor, from the individual rooms to the walkways in-between them, to the chandeliers, pillars and ceiling panels.
[See image gallery at tovp.org]
Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
View us 360° at: www.tovp360.org
App at: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts at: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed at: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Buy from us at: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/
Support us at: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/
The post TOVP Pujari Floor Photo Collection appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
The following photos by Thakur Saranga das show Srila Prabhupada, Lord Nityananda’s Padukas and Sri Sri Radha Madhava on Their tour of the Pujari Floor, during which the rooms were individually offered to Them, as well as ceremonial offerings participated in by ISKCON leaders and Prabhupada disciples.
[See image gallery at tovp.org]
Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
View us 360° at: www.tovp360.org
App at: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts at: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed at: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Buy from us at: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/
Support us at: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/
The post Interior Pujari Floor Opening Ceremony Photos appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
This January, Prefect Maurizio Falco and Deputy Mayor Elena Baio of the Italian city of Piacenza received representatives from the main religions in the area, including ISKCON devotees Raghunath Das (Renato Dacarro) and Pritha Dasi (Paola Rossi).
My sister—19-year old, wheelchair-bound, muscular-dystrophic Madana-mohana-mohini dasi--was the No. 1 female book distributor in Pune, India last December.
“On His return from Gaya, Mahaprabhu came by way of Kumarhatta, the birthplace of His guru, and began to roll on the ground in ecstasy there, as the ground became wet with His tears. Finally He collected some dust from that holy place and bound it in the corner of His upper garment, saying, “This […]
The post Isvara Puri -Disappearance appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Seventy-five seminars were presented during this year’s Iskcon Leadership Sanga.
The Iskcon Leadership Sanga is held in Mayapur every two years and is arranged by a sub-committee of the GBC called the Strategic Planning Team.
This year about eight hundred devotees from around the world attended. The sanga went for seven days and each day devotees came for a morning presentation and then went to one of seventy-five seminars that were presented.
Vaishnavas make sacrifices for the benefit of others (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam class by HH Radhanath Swami today in Iskcon Mayapur
Answer Podcast
The post When different paths have stark differences how can all paths be valid and how can we explain our path offers something more? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
The Iskcon Leadership Sanga is held in Mayapur every two years and is arranged by a sub-committee of the GBC called the Strategic Planning Team.
This year about eight hundred devotees from around the world attended. The sanga went for seven days and each day devotees came for a morning presentation and then went to one of seventy five seminars that were presented.
Today is the disappearance day of Sri Isvara Puri. He was such a perfect disciple of Sri Madhavendra Puri that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Krishna Himself, was pleased to accept him as his spiritual master. Later, Lord Chaitanya visited Isvara Puri’s birthplace at Kumara-hatta and collected some earth from the birth site, which He kept very carefully and ate a small portion of daily. Thus He showed us how a faithful disciple worships a spiritual master who has faithfully served his spiritual master perfectly.
On this auspicious occasion, we pray that Sri Isvara Puri and his disciple Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will bless us with devotion to the spiritual master.
Hare Krishna.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami
By Mayapur Sasi dasa For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of January 2020. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5
Continue reading "NASN January 2020 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
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For the pleasure of all devotees worldwide we present this amazing updated 360° panoramic CGI image of the completed TOVP Temple Room by Shrisha das of the TOVP 3D Modeling and Visualization Department.
You can manually go around, up or down, and zoom in and back to see the incredibly ornate details of the beautiful altar and floor designs, Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasasana, etc..
TOVP Temple Room 360° Panoramic View
The post Updated TOVP Temple Room 360° Panoramic View appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Hold onto your seat, watch this video, and prepare to be amazed, inspired, delighted and totally enthused by this TOVP 2020 Progress Report by Sadbhuja das.
He will go over the wonderful progress in the areas of Art and Embellishments to the TOVP such as marble work, GRC (Glass Reinforced Concrete) production, GRG (Gypsum Reinforced Concrete) production, cast iron work, murtis, balustrades, tilak symbols, bas-reliefs, elephants and much more. And the grand finale is the Upcoming Works section displaying the future Vayasasana for Srila Prabhupada, Singhasana for the altars, and computerized visuals of the altar, walkways, pillars, and walls of the inner temple hall as well.
You’ll probably want to watch it a few times to let it all soak in. This will be a reality in two short years!
Please share this video with your friends and relatives through email, Facebook, etc. and get the word out: The TOVP is Coming – 2022!
Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
View us 360° at: www.tovp360.org
App at: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts at: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed at: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Buy from us at: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/
Support us at: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/
The post TOVP Progress Report 2020 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Those who are intelligent know that everything is supplied by Krishna. So why not depend on Krishna only? Why so many other attempts? Therefore Krishna says,
vyavasayatmika buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-sakha hy anantas ca
buddhayo ’vyavasayinam
[Gita 2.41]
Vyavasayi means one who knows business particularly. Vyavasaya. Or one who knows confidently, “This is the cause; this is the effect.” Those who know that Krishna is the origin of everything are fixed up in Krishna. Vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha. One. Just depend on Krishna. They who do not know this depend on so many things. Buddhi avyavasayina.
So, if we want to be Krishna conscious, we shall fix up our mind on Krishna. And how to become fixed up—that art will be given to you by the spiritual master. Therefore Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says in connection with the explanation of this verse, vyavasayatmika buddhih means to take the words of the spiritual master as one’s life and soul. That is vyavasaya . . . That is called vyavasayatmika buddhih. Visvanatha Cakravarti says that “Whatever I am ordered by the spiritual master, that is my life and soul. I don’t care for liberation. My only business is to serve my spiritual master.” And in the song we sing, Ye prasade pure sarva asa. Ye prasade means, “By his mercy, all our desires are fulfilled.” Ye prasade pure sarva asa.
So, this is our process, to depend on Krishna. “Depend” does not mean I shall remain idle. Depend means to work according to the direction of the shastra. Sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, tinete kariya aikya [Srila Narottam dasa Thakura].
—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.24, July 14, 1974, Los Angeles
Adult Education At The Temple
