Planet ISKCON

Answer Podcast

The post Why did Vyasadeva give Vedic rituals instead of just giving bhakti, as Prabhupada did? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, who appeared in this Kali-yuga to inaugurate the Yuga dharma for this age – Sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared at Sridhama Mayapura, in the city of Navadvipa in Bengal, on the Phalguni Purnima evening in the year 1486 AD. His father, Sri Jagannatha Mishra, a learned brahmana from the district of Sylhet, came to Navadvipa as a student. 

He lived on the banks of the Ganges with his wife Srimati Sachidevi, the daughter of Srila Nilambara Chakravarti, a great learned scholar of Navadvipa. Their youngest son, who was named Vishvambhara, later became known as Nimai Pandita and then, after accepting the renounced order of life, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

The wonderful pastimes performed by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the city of Navadvipa and in Jagannatha Puri are recorded by His biographers. The early life of the Lord is most fascinatingly expressed by the author of Chaitanya-bhagavata (Sri Vrndavana Dasa Thakura), and as far as the teachings are concerned, they are more vividly explained in the Chaitanya-Caritamrita (by Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Gosvami).

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The post How Lord Chaitanya thwarted Kali’s attacks – Based on Kavi Karnapura’s Chaitanya Chandrodya Nataka appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Sydney, Australia]

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The post Krishna consciousness is to feel the presence of Krishna in his absence appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

How to celebrate Gaura Purnima in London ?
The greatest day of the year, Gaura Purnima

The greatest yajna in Kaliyuga , Sankirtan

The appearance day of the greatest Avatara , Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhhu

Distributed by the greatest guru , Srila Prabhupada

Performed on the greatest street in the world , Oxford Street During the busiest time of the day , 1pm Gauranga!!!

“So now we have got very great responsibility to spread this message all over the world, and in London you have got now a good chance to preach in the most important city of the world.”Srila Prabhupada letter to Yamuna 3/07/1969

Enjoy the movie , made by Narada dasi

Your servant Parasuram das

Play or download audio.
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Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Dr Suresh Gupta

Edited by: Sharan Shetty

Question: Isn’t it useless to share spirituality with people who have no spiritual interest?

Answer: There are three broad categories: (i) deep seekers of spirituality (ii) open to spirituality (iii) not interested in spirituality.

Let us discuss first category, where people are seriously looking for spirituality. There are some senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada who actually left their home in search for God and travelled across the world. They were very seriously seeking God. However, most of us may not have gone out searching for God. At least I did not, rather God’s devotees came searching for me.
In the second category, there are large number of people who do not think they are searching for spirituality simply because they do not know, what is spirituality. These people may have particular conception about spirituality and based on that they may feel that spirituality is not for them especially in today’s world. These people may be open to spirituality but at the moment they are not interested because they do not really know about spirituality.

The third category of people are just not interested in spirituality.

Number of people is very small in the first category, reasonable in second category, but huge in the third category. Therefore, with respect to the third category, all we can do is we give them some agyaat sukriti (unknowingly acquired spiritual credits). We can do this by giving them some prasad or spiritual books which they can keep with them and probably read. This way we can help start their spiritual journey with some baby steps. If we push them too much, they will be alienated.

We cannot push people too much if they are not interested. We can only open the doors for them which lead to spirituality. However, sometimes what happens is, we open the doors and if they refuse to come in then we bang the door in their face saying, “You are a materialist, you will go to hell and suffer”. We should not do this.
At the end of our interaction, if the person does not become interested in bhakti, he should at least feel that he met a nice person. Such appreciation itself is also good for them. Thus, for most people in third category even if we just give them a positive perception of Krishna bhakti, that is also good enough.

For those in the second category, His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj in one of his lectures has said that the beauty of a preacher is in finding out what the obstacles between a soul and Krishna are and how to remove those obstacles. It is not just about giving a lecture or plainly asking people to come to the temple but maturely addressing the barriers coming in their way of bhakti. It could be due to cultural reasons that they do not feel comfortable with some bhakti practices. It could also be due to some intellectual misconceptions. Or due to some practical requirements in their lives and many other things.

Most of our outreach will be for people in the second category.

When dealing with these three categories of people we can follow the instructions given in Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.46,

prema maitri krpa upeksah
yah karoti sa madhyamah

It says, those who are envious keep a distance from them, those who are innocent show mercy to them and those who are devotees make friends or be friendly with them.
Some people we meet are already spiritually rewarded. It is because they are continuing from their previous life. We may find few people like these as well.
How do we know whether somebody is from second or third category? When we invite people and if they constantly keep saying “no” then we may have to let them go. However, if these people say “no” but they open up and provide a reason, then we can try to address their concern. If they are open to having their conceptions examined, then we can help them to come to a better understanding.

End of transcription.

The post Isn’t it useless to share spirituality with people who have no spiritual interest? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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→ Dandavats"

Today we are celebrating the appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna, who descended in the age of Kali in the role of a devotee. He appeared on what we now call Gaura-purnima, in the evening of the full moon day in the month of Phalguna. At the time, there was a lunar eclipse, and as was the tradition, as recommended in scripture, Hindus immersed themselves in the Ganges and chanted the holy names. Eclipses are considered inauspicious, and to counteract the inauspiciousness, strict followers of the Vedic scriptures stand in a sacred body of water—a river, a kunda or lake, or the sea—and chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So, from the very beginning Lord Chaitanya was surrounded by the chanting of Hare Krishna, and He induced people to chant Hare Krishna more and more.

Advaita Acharya and Haridasa Thakura danced in ecstasy. On the plea of giving charity to brahmans on the occasion of the eclipse, Advaita Acharya and others distributed various gifts. All the devotees were jubilant, and they danced, performed sankirtana, and gave charity. The whole world was full of auspiciousness, and everyone was filled with transcendental bliss.

nadiya-udayagiri, purnacandra gaurahari,
   krpa kari’ ha-ila udaya
papa-tamah haila nasa, tri-jagatera ullasa,
   jagabhari’ hari-dhvani haya

“Thus by His causeless mercy the full moon, Gaurahari, rose in the district of Nadia, which is compared to Udayagiri, where the sun first becomes visible. His rising in the sky dissipated the darkness of sinful life, and thus the three worlds became joyful and chanted the holy name of the Lord.” (Cc Adi 13.98)

When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a baby, sometimes He would cry and the elders would try to pacify Him in different ways, as people do when a baby cries. They would try to comfort Him, distract Him, and please Him, but nothing worked. Soon they discovered that if they chanted the holy name of Krishna, He would become peaceful and stop crying. So whenever he would cry, they would chant, and He would immediately become happy. His appearance inspired chanting, and His activities thereafter inspired more chanting.

sei-kale nijalaya, uthiya advaita raya,
  nrtya kare anandita-mane
haridase lana sange, hunkara-kirtana-range
  kene nace, keha nahi jane

“At that time Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu, in His own house at Santipura, was dancing in a pleasing mood. Taking Haridasa Thakura with Him, He danced and loudly chanted Hare Krsna. But why they were dancing, no one could understand.” (Cc Adi 13.99)

By His divine will, Krishna arranged for His associates from Goloka Vrindavan to come to earth to join Him in His pastimes as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Some associates played the parts of elders, and they took birth before He did. Advaita Acharya and Haridasa Thakura were elders, and they themselves were friends. In fact, Advaita Acharya is Maha-vishnu, and Thakura Haridasa is Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma is a disciple and direct servant of Maha-vishnu. So, it is natural that they became close.

When the news spread that Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata had given birth to a baby boy, all sorts of respectable brahman gentlemen and ladies came with gifts and blessed the newborn child. Even the wives of the demigods came, disguised as the wives of brahmans, and presented various gifts. The day after the purnima there was a great celebration at Jagannatha Misra’s home. That day is observed today as the festival of Jagannatha Misra, because to celebrate the birth of his son he received various visitors and well-wishers and gave presentations to them all. And in the end, they all feasted.

We shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Thirteen, “The Advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,” beginning with the chapter summary:

“The thirteenth chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta describes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance. . . .

“A learned brahmana named Upendra Misra, who resided in the district of Srihatta, was the father of Jagannatha Misra, who came to Navadvipa to study under the direction of Nilambara Cakravarti and then settled there after marrying Nilambara Cakravarti’s daughter, Sacidevi. Sri Sacidevi gave birth to eight children, all daughters, who died one after another immediately after birth. After her ninth pregnancy she gave birth to a son, who was named Visvarupa. Then, in 1407 Saka Era (A.D. 1486), on the full-moon evening of the month of Phalguna, during the constellation of Simha (Leo) on the horizon, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as the son of Sri Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra. After hearing of the birth of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, learned scholars and brahmanas, bringing many gifts, came to see the newly born baby. Nilambara Cakravarti, who was a great astrologer, immediately prepared a horoscope, and by astrological calculation he saw that the child was a great personality. This chapter describes the symptoms of this great personality.”

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We can see the resemblance between the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya and those of Lord Krishna. In Mathura, Lord Krishna’s parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, first had six sons, all of whom were killed by Kamsa. Their seventh child was Balarama, but by the arrangement of Yogamaya, under Krishna’s direction, Balarama was transferred from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini in Vrindavan. Thus Devaki appeared to have had a miscarriage.

The eighth child was Krishna. Vasudeva did not want Kamsa to kill—or try to kill— Krishna, and by Yogamaya’s influence all the guards in Kamsa’s prison fell asleep and all the locked doors opened. Vasudeva then carried baby Krishna across the Yamuna to Gokula. There he found that Yasoda had given birth to a baby girl, but she was so exhausted from the labor of childbirth that she didn’t know if she had given birth to a son or a daughter. Vasudeva placed baby Krishna on Yasoda’s bed, picked up her daughter, and carried her back to Kamsa’s prison in Mathura.

As soon as the baby girl was placed in the prison room with Vasudeva and Devaki, she began to cry, and Kamsa concluded that Devaki had given birth to a daughter. Earlier, on the occasion of Devaki’s wedding, Kamsa had heard a voice from the sky (akasa-vani) telling him that the eighth son of Devaki would kill him. This child was a girl, but Kamsa was such a demon, surrounded by such demonic advisors, that he thought, “Let me not take any chances.” He snatched the baby to dash her on a rock and kill her as he had killed the other six children, but she slipped from his hands and flew into the sky, manifesting her form as the goddess Durga, and said, “You fool! The person who will kill you has already taken birth somewhere else.”

This is a striking statement—“the person who will kill you has already taken birth elsewhere”—because from the account so far, Krishna had taken birth in Kamsa’s prison in Mathura. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, as quoted by Srila Prabhupada, cites evidence from within Srimad-Bhagavatam and from other Puranas, such as the Hari-vamsa, that Yasoda gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The girl was an expansion of Yogamaya, and the boy was the original Krishna. When Vasudeva carried Vasudeva Krishna to Gokula, the Vasudeva Krishna entered into the original Krishna, and Vasudeva carried the baby girl back to Mathura.

Here in caitanya-lila we find that Sacidevi gave birth to eight daughters and that all of them died. Then finally she gave birth to a son, Visvarupa. Visvarupa left home at an early age and took sannyasa, and so for all material purposes he was dead. Srila Prabhupada said that sannyasa means civil death. The day on which Visvarupa took sannyasa is called Visvarupa-mahotsava—the same day on which Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa some four hundred years later.

In any case, it was a great occasion that Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra had given birth to a boy, and all the devotees from the area, such as Advaita Acharya and his wife Sita and Srivasa Thakura and his wife Malini, came and brought gifts and offered blessings to the new child.

TEXT 100

dekhi’ uparaga hasi’, sighra ganga-ghate asi’
 anande karila ganga-snana
pana uparaga-chale, apanara mano-bale,
 brahmanere dila nana dana

TRANSLATION

Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, both Advaita Acarya and Haridasa Thakura immediately went to the bank of the Ganges and bathed in the Ganges in great jubilation. Taking advantage of the occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita Acarya, by His own mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the brahmanas.

PURPORT

It is the custom of Hindus to give in charity to the poor as much as possible during the time of a lunar or solar eclipse. Advaita Acarya, therefore, taking advantage of the eclipse, distributed many varieties of charity to the brahmanas. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a statement in the Tenth Canto, Third Chapter, Verse Eleven that when Krsna took His birth, Vasudeva immediately took advantage of this moment and distributed ten thousand cows to the brahmanas. It is customary among Hindus that at the time a child is born, especially a male child, the parents distribute great charity in jubilation. Advaita Acarya was actually interested in distributing charity because of Lord Caitanya’s birth at the time of the lunar eclipse. People could not understand, however, why Advaita Acarya was giving such a great variety of things in charity. He did so not because of the lunar eclipse but because of the Lord’s taking birth at that moment. He distributed charity exactly as Vasudeva did at the time of Lord Krsna’s appearance.

COMMENT

In Vedic culture householders observe all auspicious ceremonies by giving in charity. They are happy, and they know they are happy by the grace of the Lord and the devotees. And in their happiness they want to give charity and receive more blessings. When the children become adults and observe their own birth anniversaries, they also give charity. One friend of the Juhu temple who was very strict about Vedic traditions did not like that we celebrated birthdays by giving presents to the birthday boy or girl. He said, “Birthday means the birthday person gives charity.” And he didn’t like birthday cakes either. He said, “You should distribute sandesa, rasagulla, or gulabjamun. Those are real sweets.”

TEXT 101

jagat anandamaya, dekhi’ mane sa-vismaya,
 tharethore kahe haridasa
tomara aichana ranga, mora mana parasanna,
 dekhi—kichu karye ache bhasa

TRANSLATION

When he saw that the whole world was jubilant, Haridasa Thakura, his mind astonished, directly and indirectly expressed himself to Advaita Acarya: “Your dancing and distributing charity are very pleasing to me. I can understand that there is some special purpose in these actions.”

TEXT 102

acaryaratna, srivasa, haila mane sukhollasa
  yai’ snana kaila ganga-jale
anande vihvala mana, kare hari-sankirtana
  nana dana kaila mano-bale

TRANSLATION

Acaryaratna [Candrasekhara] and Srivasa Thakura were overwhelmed with joy, and immediately they went to the bank of the Ganges to take bath in the water of the Ganges. Their minds full of happiness, they chanted the Hare Krsna mantra and gave charity by mental strength.

TEXT 103

ei mata bhakta-tati, yanra yei dese sthiti,
  tahan tahan pana mano-bale
nace, kare sankirtana, anande vihvala mana,
  dana kare grahanera chale

TRANSLATION

In this way all the devotees, wherever they were situated, in every city and every country, danced, performed sankirtana, and gave charity by mental strength on the plea of the lunar eclipse, their minds overwhelmed with joy.

TEXT 104

brahmana-sajjana-nari, nana-dravye thali bhari’
  aila sabe yautuka la-iya
yena kanca-sona-dyuti, dekhi’ balakera murti,
  asirvada kare sukha pana

TRANSLATION

All sorts of respectable brahmana gentlemen and ladies, carrying plates filled with various gifts, came with their presentations. Seeing the newborn child, whose form resembled natural glaring gold, all of them with happiness offered their blessings.

TEXT 105

savitri, gauri, sarasvati, saci, rambha, arundhati
  ara yata deva-narigana
nana-dravye patra bhari’, brahmanira vesa dhari’,
  asi’ sabe kare darasana

TRANSLATION

Dressing themselves as the wives of brahmanas, all the celestial ladies, including the wives of Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Nrsimhadeva, King Indra, and Vasistha Muni, along with Rambha, a dancing girl of heaven, came there with varieties of gifts.

PURPORT

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a newly born baby, He was visited by the neighboring ladies, most of whom were the wives of respectable brahmanas. In the dress of brahmanas’ wives, celestial ladies like the wives of Lord Brahma and Lord Siva also came to see the newborn child. Ordinary people saw them as neighborhood respectable brahmana ladies, but actually they were all celestial ladies dressed in that way.

COMMENT

Savitri is the wife of Lord Brahma, Gauri is the wife of Lord Shiva, Sarasvati here is mentioned as the wife of Lord Nrsimhadeva, and Saci is the wife of King Indra. They all disguised themselves as brahman ladies, looking like ladies of the neighborhood, and came to offer respects to the newborn baby.

TEXT 106

antarikse deva-gana, gandharva, siddha, carana,
  stuti-nrtya kare vadya-gita
nartaka, vadaka, bhata, navadvipe yara nata,
  sabe asi’ nace pana prita

TRANSLATION

In outer space all the demigods, including the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka, and Caranaloka, offered their prayers and danced with musical songs and the beating of drums. Similarly, in Navadvipa city all the professional dancers, musicians, and blessers gathered together, dancing in great jubilation.

COMMENT

Bhata means “professional blessing-givers.”

PURPORT

As there are professional singers, dancers, and reciters of prayers in the heavenly planets, so in India still there are professional dancers, givers of blessings, and singers, all of whom assemble together during householder ceremonies, especially marriages and birth ceremonies. These professional men earn their livelihood by taking charity on such occasions from the homes of the Hindus. Eunuchs also take advantage of such ceremonies to receive charity. That is their means of livelihood. Such men never become servants or engage themselves in agriculture or business occupations; they simply take charity from neighborhood friends to maintain themselves peacefully. The bhatas are a class of brahmanas who go to such ceremonies to offer blessings by composing poems with references to the Vedic scriptures.

COMMENT

Vedic culture is very beautiful and highly elevated. Even now in India the culture is there, though not as much as before. When I was in Bombay last December, I visited an old friend, a very nice devotee, who was related to the Birlas. And it just so happened that there was an engagement ceremony in the Birla family, from the mother’s side. Sri Brijratan Mohatta had married Seth R. D. Birla’s daughter, and their son’s daughter was becoming engaged. So, I went to the engagement reception, and there I met a bhajana singer named Purushottam Das Jalota. When I first went to India in 1970, he was very popular. He would sing bhajanas in aristocratic Hindus’ homes and give lessons in voice and harmonium. As he grew older, his son, as happens, became his apprentice and also began to sing bhajanas and play harmonium. So, we invited his son, Anup, who was relatively unknown then, to perform at our auditorium in Juhu.

At the engagement reception Purushottam approached me. He was about eighty-seven then and was wearing a traditional Hindu jacket and cap. After we spoke for some time, he made an indication and said, “Anup is there” and tried to call him—I think for me to bless and encourage his son—but because his voice was not so loud, Anup could not hear him. I said, “That’s all right. I’ll go and see him.”

Anup remembered his first performance in the ISKCON auditorium. I didn’t usually attend such performances, but somehow that evening toward the end of the performance, I had felt drawn into the auditorium. I had found a seat toward the back and sat down. The whole atmosphere had been surcharged—I can’t explain it—and he had sung with such devotion that his words and voice had entered people’s minds and hearts. It had been a very special performance, and the devotees had recorded it and produced an audio cassette shat they would distribute on sankirtana—and it had become a hit. Many people would ask for Anup Jalota’s tape.

When I met Anup at the reception, he said that when he had entered the auditorium he had not been sure whether or not he would pursue a career as a singer. He had prayed, “Lord Krishna, I am Yours. Whatever You want You can do. If You want me to pursue this career, You can make me a success. If You don’t, that’s all right—whatever You wish.” And he remarked that it was because of his performance in the ISKCON auditorium and the recording of it that he had become a success as a singer. (I knew that was the case, but I didn’t want to say it. But he also knew it, and he said it—and it was true.)

That culture and that mood of devotion, of surrender, of dependence on the Lord are becoming rare—but they are still there.

Now we return to the description of Jagannatha Misra’s festival:

TEXT 107

keba ase keba yaya, keba nace keba gaya,
  sambhalite nare kara bola
khandileka duhkha-soka, pramoda-purita loka,
  misra haila anande vihvals

TRANSLATION

No one could understand who was coming and who was going, who was dancing and who was singing. Nor could they understand one another’s language. Yet all unhappiness and lamentation were immediately dissipated, and people became all-jubilant. Thus Jagannatha Misra was also overwhelmed with joy.

TEXT 108

acaryaratna, srivasa, jagannatha-misra-pasa,
  asi’ tanre kare savadhana
karaila jatakarma, ye achila vidhi-dharma,
  tabe misra kare nana dana

TRANSLATION

Candrasekhara Acarya and Srivasa Thakura both came to Jagannatha Misra and drew his attention in various ways. They performed the ritualistic ceremonies prescribed at the time of birth according to religious principles. Jagannatha Misra also gave varieties of charity.

TEXT 109

yautuka paila yata, ghare va achila kata,
  saba dhana vipre dila dana
yata nartaka, gayana, bhata, akincana jana,
  dhana diya kaila sabara mana

TRANSLATION

Whatever riches Jagannatha Misra collected in the form of gifts and presentations, and whatever he had in his house, he distributed among the brahmanas, professional singers, dancers, bhatas, and the poor. He honored them all by giving them riches in charity.

TEXT 110

srivasera brahmani, nama tanra ‘malini’,
  acaryaratnera patni-sange
sindura, haridra, taila, kha-i, kala, narikela,
  diya puje narigana range

TRANSLATION

The wife of Srivasa Thakura, whose name was Malini, accompanied by the wife of Candrasekhara [Acaryaratna] and other ladies, came there in great happiness to worship the baby with paraphernalia such as vermilion, turmeric, oil, fused rice, bananas, and coconuts.

PURPORT

Vermilion, kha-i (fused rice), bananas, coconuts, and turmeric mixed with oil are all auspicious gifts for such a ceremony. As there is puffed rice, so there is another preparation of rice called kha-i, or fused rice, which, along with bananas, is taken as a very auspicious presentation. Also, turmeric mixed with oil and vermilion makes an auspicious ointment that is smeared over the body of a newborn baby or a person who is going to marry. These are all auspicious activities in family affairs. We see that five hundred years ago at the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu all these ceremonies were performed rigidly, but at present such ritualistic performances hardly ever take place. Generally a pregnant mother is sent to the hospital, and as soon as her child is born he is washed with an antiseptic, and this concludes everything.

COMMENT

The parents and other elders did whatever they could to ensure the wellbeing of the child in all respects. They knew that the purpose of the child’s life was to serve and please God and that the child’s success in all respects depended on the mercy of God and His devotees.

TEXT 111

advaita-acarya-bharya, jagat-pujita arya,
  nama tanra ‘sita thakurani’
acaryera ajna pana, gela upahara lana,
  dekhite balaka-siromani

TRANSLATION

One day shortly after Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born, Advaita Acarya’s wife, Sitadevi, who is worshipable by the whole world, took her husband’s permission and went to see that topmost child with all kinds of gifts and presentations

PURPORT

It appears that Advaita Acarya had two different houses, one at Santipura and one at Navadvipa. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born, Advaita Acarya was residing not at His Navadvipa house but at His Santipura house. Therefore, as formerly explained (text 99), from Advaita’s old paternal house (nijalaya) in Santipura, Sita came to Navadvipa to present gifts to the newborn child, Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 112

suvarnera kadi-ba-uli, rajatamudra-pasuli,
  suvarnera angada, kankana
du-bahute divya sankha, rajatera malabanka,
  svarna-mudrara nana haragana

TRANSLATION

She brought different kinds of golden ornaments, including armlets, necklaces, anklets, and bangles for the hands.

TEXT 113

vyaghra-nakha hema-jadi, kati-pattasutra-dori
  hasta-padera yata abharana
citra-varna patta-sadi, buni photo pattapadi,
  svarna-raupya-mudra bahu-dhana

TRANSLATION

There were also tiger nails set in gold, waist decorations of silk and lace, ornaments for the hands and legs, nicely printed silken saris, and a child’s garment, also made of silk. Many other riches, including gold and silver coins, were also presented to the child.

PURPORT

From the gifts presented by Sita Thakurani, Advaita Acarya’s wife, it appears that Advaita Acarya was at that time a very rich man. Although brahmanas are not the rich men of society, Advaita Acarya, being the leader of the brahmanas in Santipura, was considerably well-to-do. Therefore He presented many ornaments to the baby, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But Kamalakanta Visvasa’s asking for three hundred rupees from the King of Jagannatha Puri, Maharaja Prataparudra, on the plea that Advaita Acarya was in debt for that amount, indicates that such a rich man, who could present many valuable ornaments, saris, etc., thought it difficult to repay three hundred rupees. Therefore the value of a rupee at that time was many thousands of times what it is now. At present, no one feels difficulty over a debt of three hundred rupees, nor can an ordinary man accumulate such valuable ornaments to present to a friend’s son. Probably the value of three hundred rupees at that time was equal to the present value of thirty thousand rupees.

COMMENT

And the present value of thirty thousand rupees now is probably three hundred thousand rupees—or more.

TEXT 114–116

Riding in a palanquin covered with cloth and accompanied by maidservants, Sita Thakurani came to the house of Jagannatha Misra, bringing with her many auspicious articles such as fresh grass, paddy, gorocana, turmeric, kunkuma and sandalwood. All these presentations filled a large basket.

When Sita Thakurani came to the house of Sacidevi, bringing with her many kinds of eatables, dresses, and other gifts, she was astonished to see the newborn child, for she appreciated that except for a difference in color, the child was directly Krsna of Gokula Himself.

Seeing the transcendental bodily effulgence of the child, each of His nicely constructed limbs full of auspicious signs and resembling a form of gold, Sita Thakurani was very pleased, and because of her maternal affection, she felt as if her heart were melting.

TEXT 117

durva, dhanya, dila sirse, kaila bahu asise,
  cirajivi hao dui bhai
dakini-sankhini haite, sanka upajila cite,
  dare nama thuila ‘nimai’

TRANSLATION

She blessed the newborn child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, “May You be blessed with a long duration of life.” But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimai.

PURPORT

Dakini and Sankhini are two companions of Lord Siva and his wife who are supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree. At least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one’s house. On very large roads in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there are hundreds and thousands of nima trees. Nima wood is so antiseptic that the Ayurvedic science uses it to cure leprosy. Medical scientists have extracted the active principle of the nima tree, which is called margosic acid. Nima is used for many purposes, especially to brush the teeth. In Indian villages ninety percent of the people use nima twigs for this purpose. Because of all the antiseptic effects of the nima tree and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima tree, Sita Thakurani gave the Lord the name Nimai. Later in His youth He was celebrated as Nimai Pandita, and in the neighborhood villages He was called by that name, although His real name was Visvambhara.

COMMENT

Visvambhara means “one who maintains the universe.” Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 9.7) describes how Lord Chaitanya appreciated that name:

prabhu kahe, ami ‘visvambhara’ nama dhari
nama sarthaka haya, yadi preme visva bhari

“Lord Caitanya thought, ‘My name is Visvambhara, “one who maintains the entire universe.” Its meaning will be actualized if I can fill the whole universe with love of Godhead.’ ”

In my youth, my dentist was a family friend who had served in the American Army in India during World War II, and as he worked on my teeth he would tell me about his experiences. He remarked that he would often see Indians squatting along the roads brushing their teeth with twigs. As part of his work, he would treat Indians too, and he said that when he looked into their mouths he was astonished to find the most beautiful white teeth he had ever seen—and without any cavities. And all these people did was brush their teeth with twigs!

TEXT 118

putramata-snanadine, dila vastra vibhusane,
  putra-saha misrere sammani’
saci-misrera puja lana, manete harisa hana,
  ghare aila sita thakurani

TRANSLATION

On the day the mother and son bathed and left the maternity home, Sita Thakurani gave them all kinds of ornaments and garments and then also honored Jagannatha Misra. Then Sita Thakurani, being honored by mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, was greatly happy within her mind, and thus she returned home.

PURPORT

On the fifth day from the birth of a child, as also on the ninth day, the mother bathes either in the Ganges or in another sacred place. This is called niskramana, or the ceremony of coming out of the maternity home. Nowadays the maternity home is a hospital, but formerly in every respectable house one room was set aside as a maternity home where children would take birth, and on the ninth day after the birth of a child the mother would come into the regular rooms in the ceremony called niskramana. Of the ten purificatory processes, niskramana is one. Formerly, especially in Bengal, the higher castes observed four months after the birth of a child as a quarantine. At the end of the fourth month, the mother could see the sun rise. Later the higher castes, namely the brahmanas, ksatriyas, and vaisyas, observed only twenty-one days as a quarantine, whereas the sudras had to observe thirty days. For the sections of society known as kartabhaja and satima, the mother of the child was immediately purified after the quarantine by the throwing of hari-nuta, small pieces of sweetmeat, in sankirtana. Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, with the newborn child, were honored by Sita Thakurani. Similarly, while Sita Thakurani was returning home, she was also honored by Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra. That was the system in respectable families of Bengal.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada was also born in a separate house, under a jackfruit tree, that belonged to his mother’s parents. Last November His Holiness Radhanath Swami and I visited that place in south Calcutta, saw the tree under which Srila Prabhupada was born, and visited the Radha-Krishna temple that his mother frequented, and we imagined how she and the rest of the family must have prayed for the welfare of the new child, whom they named Abhay Charan, “one who is fearless, having taken shelter at Lord Krishna’s lotus feet.”

TEXT 119

aiche saci-jagannatha, putra pana laksminatha,
  purna ha-ila sakala vanchita
dhana-dhanye bhare ghara, lokamanya kalevara,
  dine dine haya anandita

TRANSLATION

In this way mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, having obtained a son who was the husband of the goddess of fortune, had all their desires fulfilled. Their house was always filled with riches and grains. As they saw the beloved body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, day after day their pleasure increased.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore everyone offered respects to Him. Even the denizens of heaven used to come in the dress of ordinary men to offer their respect to the Lord. His father and mother, Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi, seeing the honor of their transcendental son, also became very pleased within their hearts.

TEXT 120

misra—vaisnava, santa, alampata, suddha, danta,
  dhana-bhoge nahi abhimana
putrera prabhave yata, dhana asi’ mile, tata,
  visnu-prite dvije dena dana

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra was an ideal Vaisnava. He was peaceful, restrained in sense gratification, pure, and controlled. Therefore he had no desire to enjoy material opulence. Whatever money came because of the influence of his transcendental son, he gave it in charity to the brahmanas for the satisfaction of Visnu.

TEXT 121

lagna gani’ harsamati, nilambara cakravarti,
  gupte kichu kahila misrere
mahapurusera cihna, lagne ange bhinna bhinna,
  dekhi,—ei taribe samsare

TRANSLATION

After calculating the birth moment of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nilambara Cakravarti privately said to Jagannatha Misra that he saw all the different symptoms of a great personality in both the body and birth moment of the child. Thus he understood that in the future this child would deliver all the three worlds.

COMMENT

Although Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had all the signs of a great personality and was in fact the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His father, Jagannatha Misra, considered Him to be simply his son.

As a child, Lord Chaitanya was quite naughty, and Jagannatha Misra would often chide Him and instruct Him in proper behavior. One night Jagannatha Misra had a dream in which a brahman told him, “You do not know anything about your son. Because you think Him to be your son, you rebuke and chastise Him.” Jagannatha Misra replied, “He may be a demigod, a mystic yogi, or a great saint, but whatever He may be, I know Him only as my son, and it is my duty to teach Him religion and morality. Otherwise, how will He learn? Even if He is Lord Narayana Himself, it is the duty of the father to instruct the son.” Even in his dreams, Jagannatha Misra was absorbed in the mellow of pure parental affection.

In his youth, Lord Chaitanya asked an astrologer to tell Him who He was in His past life. Through calculation and meditation, the astrologer saw the brilliantly effulgent form of the Lord as the resting place of the Vaikuntha planets. Struck with wonder, he said, “In Your previous birth You were the shelter of all creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all opulence. And You are the same Personality of Godhead now.” Lord Chaitanya smiled and said, “I think you do not know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a cowherd boy. I was born in a family of cowherd men and gave protection to the cows and calves, and because of these pious activities, I have now become the son of a brahman.”

TEXT 122

aiche prabhu saci-ghare, krpaya kaila avatare,
  yei iha karaye sravana
gaura-prabhu dayamaya, tanre hayena sadaya,
  sei paya tanhara carana

TRANSLATION

In this way Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of His causeless mercy, made His advent in the house of Sacidevi. Lord Caitanya is very merciful to anyone who hears this narration of His birth, and thus such a person attains the lotus feet of the Lord.

TEXT 123

paiya manusa janma, ye na sune gaura-guna,
  hena janma tara vyartha haila
paiya amrtadhuni, piye visa-garta-pani,
  janmiya se kene nahi maila

TRANSLATION

Anyone who attains a human body but does not take to the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is baffled in his opportunity. Amrtadhuni is a flowing river of the nectar of devotional service. If after getting a human body one drinks the water in a poison pit of material happiness instead of the water of such a river, it would be better for him not to have lived, but to have died long ago.

PURPORT

In this connection Srimat Prabodhananda Sarasvati has composed the following verses in his Caitanya-candramrta (37, 36, 34):

acaitanyam idam visvam yadi caitanyam isvaram
na viduh sarva-sastra-jna hy api bhramyanti te janah

“This material world is without Krsna consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna consciousness personified. Therefore if a very learned scholar or scientist does not understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, certainly he is wandering uselessly in this world.”

prasarita-maha-prema-piyusa-rasa-sagare
caitanya-candre prakate yo dino dina eva sah

“A person who does not take advantage of the nectar of devotional service overflowing during the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult is certainly the poorest of the poor.”

avatirne gaura-candre vistirne prema-sagare
suprakasita-ratnaughe yo dino dina eva sah

“The advent of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is just like an expanding ocean of nectar. One who does not collect the valuable jewels within this ocean is certainly the poorest of the poor.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.19, 20, 23) states:

sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih
  samstutah purusah pasuh
na yat-karna-pathopeto
  jatu nama gadagrajah

bile batorukrama-vikraman ye
  na srnvatah karna-pute narasya
jihvasati dardurikeva suta
  na copagayaty urugaya-gathah

jivan chavo bhagavatanghri-renum
  na jatu martyo ’bhilabheta yas tu
sri-visnu-padya manujas tulasyah
  svasan chavo yas tu na veda gandham

“A person who has no connection with Krsna consciousness may be a very great personality in so-called human society, but actually he is no better than a great animal. Such big animals are generally praised by other animals like dogs, hogs, camels, and asses. A person who does not lend his aural reception to hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be considered to have earholes like holes in a field. Although that person has a tongue, it is like the tongue of a frog, which unnecessarily creates a disturbance by croaking, inviting the snake of death. Similarly, a person who neither takes advantage of the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees nor smells the tulasi leaves offered to the lotus feet of the Lord must be considered dead even though he is supposedly working.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.1.4 states:

nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanad
  bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-’bhiramat
ka uttamasloka-gunanuvadat
  puman virajyeta vina pasu-ghnat

“Who but the animal-killer or the killer of the soul will not care to hear glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Such glorification is enjoyed by persons liberated from the contamination of this material world.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.23.56 says, na tirtha-pada-sevayai jivann api mrto hi sah: “Although a person is apparently living, if he does not serve the lotus feet of great devotees he is to be considered a dead body.”

COMMENT

By the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and that of His devotees, especially Srila Prabhupada, we have been given real life—the chance to live in Krishna consciousness

TEXT 124

sri-caitanya-nityananda, acarya advaitacandra,
  svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa
inha-sabara sri-carana, sire vandi nija-dhana,
  janma-lila gaila krsnadasa

TRANSLATION

Taking on my head as my own property the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Acarya Advaitacandra, Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami, and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, I, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, have thus described the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Gaura-purnima, March 22, 2008, Dallas]

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 04 August 2018, Vrindavan, India, Bhagavad-gita 4.9)

In The Nectar of Devotion there is a reference to ‘sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā,’ that we must make devotional service more dense. One of the symptoms of bhava is avyartha-kālatvam (Cc. Madhya 23.18-19) –   not to waste a moment. In theCaitanya-caritamrtait is said that while the associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu were taking prasadam they were chanting the holy name in between bites. So they were not wasting a moment; their devotional service was very dense.

It is also said that devotional service must be ahaituky apratihatā – it must be uninterrupted and unmotivated (SB 1.2.6). But our devotional service is interrupted, “That was hard work; now I can take some rest.”

One hour later, “Okay, a little more devotional service.”

A little later, “Oh, now I can take a break. Now I can play with my phone.” Somehow or the other we are constantly interrupting our service.Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “If we want to overcome this then we have to increase our chanting as an attempt to make this service more dense. Or we should increase our preaching.” We see from Srila Prabhupada’s example that the emphasis is more on preaching than on bhajan; he was constantly preaching at every moment. That is what it means to make it more dense – to somehow increase our engagement by hearing and chanting, in the nine processes of devotional service and in preaching Krsna consciousness. Then that breakthrough will come by deep attachment.

It is said that whatever fruits of love of God we have got, when we distribute them then we will get more than we had before. So we can increase our daivi-sampad, our spiritual wealth, and then the inspiration will increase. That is our process – to somehow or the other increase. It is interesting that in a material field any work that you do in the beginning is difficult and you have to work hard. But after a while you become very expert and then your work requires less effort. But in spiritual life it is the opposite. As time goes on it takes more effort. In the beginning we may not make such an effort, but in time the eagerness increases for more; sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā, we have to make it more dense. 

The article " To increase our inspiration " was published on KKSBlog.

HH Jayapataka Swami  has been instrumental in organising this festival for over 25 years! 50,000 devotees honoured Prasadam. Read on for the lecture given by Maharaj “Lord Caitanya said this arrangement was not possible for a human being. He must be an incarnation of Mahesh. As a matter of fact, Advaita Gosai is the incarnation […]

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Santhipur Festival 2019 (Album of photos)
50,000 devotees honored Prasadam!