Today is Bhadra-purnima. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.13) states, “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” As explained in the purport, “One should place Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne because it is the king of all literature. On the full-moon day of the month of Bhadra, the sun, which is compared to this king of literatures, is present in the constellation Leo and looks as if raised up on a royal throne. (According to astrology, the sun is said to be exalted in the sign of Leo). Thus one may unreservedly worship Srimad-Bhagavatam, the supreme divine scripture.”

In Krsna-lila-stava (412–416), Srila Sanatana Gosvami prays, “O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O nectar churned form the ocean of all the Vedic scriptures, O most prominent transcendental fruit of all the Vedas, O You who are enriched with the jewels of all spiritual philosophical conclusions, O you who grant spiritual vision to all the people of the world, O life-breath of the Vaisnava devotees, O Lord, You are the sun which has arisen to dispel the darkness of the Kali-yuga. You are actually Lord Krsna, who has returned among us.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, I offer respectful obeisances unto You. By reading You one attains transcendental bliss, for Your syllables rain pure love of God upon the reader. You are always to be served by everyone, for You are an incarnation of Lord Krsna.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O my only friend, O my companion, O my teacher, O my great wealth, O my deliverer, O my good fortune, O my bliss, I offer respectful obeisances unto you.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O giver of saintliness to the unsaintly, O uplifter of the very fallen, please do not ever leave me. Please become manifested upon my heart and my throat, accompanied by pure love of Krsna.”

Bhadra-purnima is also the date on which Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa. When asked, “Are you going to America?” he replied, “No, Srimad-Bhagavatam is going to America—I am going with it.”

Sri Bhadra-purnima ki jaya!
Srimad-Bhagavatam ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Today is the disappearance day of Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura, so we shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter Eleven, “The Passing of Haridasa Thakura”:

“The summary of this chapter is given by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya as follows. In this chapter Brahma Haridasa Thakura gave up his body with the consent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and how the Lord Himself personally performed the funeral ceremony and carried the body to the sea. He personally entombed the body, covered it with sand, and erected a platform on the site. After taking a bath in the sea, He personally begged prasada of Jagannatha from shopkeepers and distributed prasada to the assembled devotees.”

TEXT 1

namami haridasam tam
  caitanyam tam ca tat-prabhum
samsthitam api yan-murtim
  svanke krtva nanarta yah

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Haridasa Thakura and his master, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who danced with the body of Haridasa Thakura on His lap.

TEXTS 2–9

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya dayamaya
jayadvaita-priya nityananda-priya jaya

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is very merciful and who is very dear to Advaita Acarya and Lord Nityananda!

jaya srinivasesvara haridasa-natha
jaya gadadhara-priya svarupa-prana-natha

All glories to the master of Srinivasa Thakura! All glories to the master of Haridasa Thakura! All glories to the dear master of Gadadhara Pandita! All glories to the master of the life of Svarupa Damodara!

jaya kasi-priya jagadananda-pranesvara
jaya rupa-sanatana-raghunathesvara

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya, who is very dear to Kasi Misra! He is the Lord of the life of Jagadananda and the Lord of Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.

jaya gaura-deha krsna svayam bhagavan
krpa kari’ deha’ prabhu, nija-pada-dana

All glories to the transcendental form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! My dear Lord, kindly give me shelter at Your lotus feet by Your causeless mercy.

jaya nityananda-candra jaya caitanyera prana
tomara caranaravinde bhakti deha’ dana

All glories to Lord Nityananda, who is the life and soul of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! My dear Lord, kindly give me engagement in devotional service at Your lotus feet.

jaya jayadvaita-candra caitanyera arya
sva-carane bhakti deha’ jayadvaitacarya

All glories to Advaita Acarya, who is treated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as superior due to His age and respectability! Please give me engagement in devotional service at Your lotus feet.

jaya gaura-bhakta-gana,—gaura yanra prana
saba bhakta mili’ more bhakti deha’ dana

All glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for the Lord is their life and soul! All of you, kindly bestow devotional service upon me.

jaya rupa, sanatana, jiva, raghunatha
raghunatha, gopala,—chaya mora natha

All glories to Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Jiva Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana! They are all my masters.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami is reciting the names of Lord Chaitanya and His associates—both His expansions and His servants. Just by reciting the names of the devotees, one becomes purified and enlivened in devotional service.

Once, in 1969, hooligans attacked the Boston temple in the middle of the night. They broke in the front door and with chains and knives and sticks they started to beat the devotees. Eventually we managed to call the police. Although the hooligans tried to run away, the police caught some of them, and ultimately the matter went to court.

In the temple at that time was a very nice, simple, humble devotee named Nanda-kisora Prabhu. Nanda-kisora had never been in court before and had hardly ever spoken in public, so he was bashful. The lawyer for the hooligans tried to make the case that we were followers of some weird cult. He was extremely aggressive, and Nanda-kisora didn’t really know what to say or do. The lawyer began by asking, “Who was present on the night of the crime? Who was sleeping with you in the temple?” So Nanda-kisora started to list the names of the devotees. He said, “Satsvarupa was there, Murari was there, Madan Mohan was there . . .” and by reciting the names of the devotees, which were also names of the Lord, all of his apprehensions and fears and hesitation went away and he became completely enlivened and ready to speak. The lawyer for the hooligans tried to bewilder Nanda-kisora, and he began with the definition of Krishna from some dictionary or book, that Krishna was “the Hindu god of love and fertility.” After Nanda-kisora had chanted the names of the devotees, he felt quite empowered. So he said to the judge, “Your Honor, may I quote my authority?” When the judge assented, Nanda-kisora quoted the Brahma-samhita, “Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda vigrahah/ anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam: Krishna who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, and He is the prime cause of all causes.” And in the end, we won the case.

Here Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami does the same thing. He recites the names of the devotees in order to invoke auspiciousness and get blessings for the work of narrating the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 10

e-saba prasade likhi caitanya-lila-guna
yaiche taiche likhi, kari apana pavana

I am writing this narration of the pastimes and attributes of the Lord by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. I do not know how to write properly, but I am purifying myself by writing this description.

TEXT 16

eka-dina govinda maha-prasada lana
haridase dite gela anandita hana

One day Govinda, the personal servant of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, went in great jubilation to deliver the remnants of Lord Jagannatha’s food to Haridasa Thakura.

TEXT 17

dekhe,—haridasa thakura kariyache sayana
manda manda kariteche sankhya-sankirtana

When Govinda came to Haridasa, he saw that Haridasa Thakura was lying on his back and chanting his rounds very slowly.

TEXT 18

govinda kahe,—“utha asi’ karaha bhojana”
haridasa kahe,—“aji karimu langhana”

“Please rise and take your maha-prasada,” Govinda said. Haridasa Thakura replied, “Today I shall observe fasting.

TEXT 19

“sankhya-kirtana pure nahi, ke-mate khaiba?
maha-prasada aniyacha, ke-mate upeksiba?”

“I have not finished chanting my regular number of rounds. How, then, can I eat? But you have brought maha-prasada, and how can I neglect it?”

TEXT 20

eta bali’ maha-prasada karila vandana
eka ranca lana tara karila bhaksana

TRANSLATION

Saying this, he offered prayers to the maha-prasada, took a little portion, and ate it.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Maha-prasada is nondifferent from Krsna. Therefore, instead of eating maha-prasada, one should honor it. It is said here, karila vandana, “he offered prayers.” When taking maha-prasada, one should not consider the food ordinary preparations. Prasada means favor. One should consider maha-prasada a favor of Krsna. As stated by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, krsna bada dayamaya karibare jihva jaya svaprasada-anna dila bhai. Krsna is very kind. In this material world we are all very attached to tasting various types of food. Therefore, Krsna eats many nice varieties of food and offers the food back to the devotees, so that not only are one’s demands for various tastes satisfied, but by eating prasada he makes advancement in spiritual life. Therefore we should never consider ordinary food on an equal level with maha-prasada.

COMMENT

Maha-prasada is nondifferent from Krishna, and therefore we honor it; we don’t eat it. But sometimes devotees do get in the mood of eating it. Once, in Juhu, two devotees had a big fight and both ran to Srila Prabhupada, each to complain about the other. Srila Prabhupada heard from both sides and then delivered his judgment: the reason for all the fighting was that both devotees were eating too much maha-prasada. Because of eating too much opulent food, they were becoming passionate and fighting with each other. He said that we should take all the maha-prasada from the Deities’ plates and mix it all together so that someone wouldn’t feel that he or she was sitting down to a delicious meal, but actually recognize that it was the Lord’s mercy and honor it and appreciate it as the Lord’s mercy, not as various types of tasty preparations.

TEXT 21

ara dina mahaprabhu tanra thani aila
“sustha hao, haridasa”—bali’ tanre puchila

The next day, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Haridasa’s place and inquired from him, “Haridasa, are you well?”

TEXT 22

namaskara kari’ tenho kaila nivedana
“sarira sustha haya mora, asustha buddhi-mana”

Haridasa offered his obeisances to the Lord and replied, “My body is all right, but my mind and intelligence are not well.”

TEXT 23

prabhu kahe,—“kon vyadhi, kaha ta’ nirnaya?”
tenho kahe,—“sankhya-kirtana na puraya”

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu further inquired from Haridasa, “Can you ascertain what your disease is?” Haridasa Thakura replied, “My disease is that I cannot complete my rounds.”

PURPORT

If one cannot complete the fixed number of rounds he is assigned, he should be considered to be in a diseased condition of spiritual life. Srila Haridasa Thakura is called namacarya. Of course, we cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura, but everyone must chant a prescribed number of rounds. In our Krsna consciousness movement we have fixed sixteen rounds as the minimum so that the Westerners will not feel burdened. These sixteen rounds must be chanted, and chanted loudly, so that one can hear himself and others.

COMMENT

The association of devotees is very important, and we can benefit from their watchful glance; they can help us keep up to standard. So, Srila Prabhupada says that one should chant loudly, for oneself and others.”

Haridasa Thakura says that his disease is that he cannot complete his rounds. Sometimes we may think that we have so much important service, we don’t have time to finish our rounds. And of course there are emergencies. Maybe on a particular day we cannot finish. But then, as Srila Prabhupada instructed, we should make up the rounds later. Once, an American boy joined our party when we were at the Ardha-kumbha-mela in 1971. From there we went to Gorakhpur, and in Gorakhpur the boy asked Srila Prabhupada, “If all service is absolute, why do we have to chant sixteen rounds?” Elsewhere in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Srila Prabhupada explains that the basic principle of vaidhi-bhakti is to always remember Krishna and never forget Him, and that although we have so many other duties in relation to Krishna, in order to actually remember Krishna and never forget Him we must chant sixteen rounds every day. If we do not chant sixteen rounds, we may forget Krishna, even though we are engaged in activities that are meant for Krishna. But the boy asked Srila Prabhupada, “If all service is absolute, why do we have to chant sixteen rounds?” There was some discussion, and the boy didn’t really accept Srila Prabhupada’s answer. Again he raised the question. Finally Srila Prabhupada became very grave and said, “Why do you have to chant sixteen rounds? Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead wants you to. You can sleep the rest of the day. This is a special prerogative for you. But you must finish sixteen rounds.”

The idea, of course, is not that we should sleep all day, but that we should chant sixteen rounds. Srila Prabhupada is making the point that we shouldn’t allow other services to eclipse chanting. The emphasis here is on chanting sixteen rounds. Even if you don’t do any other service but just chant sixteen rounds, Srila Prabhupada says, “I will be satisfied; Krishna will be satisfied.” But if you work day and night doing various services but don’t chant sixteen rounds, Krishna and Krishna’s representatives may not be pleased.

TEXT 24

prabhu kahe,—“vrddha ha-ila ‘sankhya’ alpa kara
siddha-deha tumi, sadhane agraha kene kara?

TRANSLATION

“Now that you have become old,” the Lord said, “you may reduce the number of rounds you chant daily. You are already liberated, and therefore you need not follow the regulative principles very strictly.

PURPORT

Unless one has come to the platform of spontaneous love of God, he must follow the regulative principles. Haridasa Thakura was the living example of how to follow the regulative principles. Similarly, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was also such a living example. In the Sad-gosvamy-astaka it is stated, sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih kalavasani-krtau. The Gosvamis, especially Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, strictly followed all the regulative principles. The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra loud enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds.

COMMENT

Some years ago one of the leaders who left the movement tried to change this formula and said, “You don’t have to chant loudly; you can chant silently within the mind.” He also said, “You don’t have to chant a fixed number of rounds, but you just chant for a certain period of time.” But here Srila Prabhupada states very clearly that we must chant loudly so that we and even others can hear, and that we must chant a fixed number of rounds. It’s very simple. But we have to be simple and follow it. As Srila Prabhupada remarked, Krishna consciousness is “simple for the simple but difficult for the crooked.”

TEXT 25

“loka nistarite ei tomara ‘avatara’
namera mahima loke karila pracara

TRANSLATION

“Your role in this incarnation is to deliver the people in general. You have sufficiently preached the glories of the holy name in this world.”

PURPORT

Haridasa Thakura is known as namacarya because it is he who preached the glories of chanting hari-nama, the holy name of God. By using the words tomara avatara (“your incarnation”), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that Haridasa Thakura is the incarnation of Lord Brahma. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that advanced devotees help the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His mission and that such devotees or personal associates incarnate by the will of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord incarnates by His own will, and, by His will, competent devotees also incarnate to help Him in His mission. Haridasa Thakura is thus the incarnation of Lord Brahma, and other devotees are likewise incarnations who help in the prosecution of the Lord’s mission.

COMMENT

Here Lord Chaitanya is saying, “You incarnated for a particular purpose, which was to preach the glories of the holy name, and you have preached the glories of the holy name sufficiently. So you need not follow so strictly now. Because you are old, you are not able to follow strictly.” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura instructed Srila Prabhupada to preach Krishna consciousness in the English language, especially in the Western world. But after some time, Srila Prabhupada returned to India with some disciples and began to concentrate his efforts here. One disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “Your guru maharaja ordered you to preach in the West, but now you seem to be spending more time in India. Can you please explain?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, my guru maharaja did order me, and I have done that. Now I want to do this.” So, after fulfilling one instruction from the spiritual master, or one mission, a disciple may proceed to the next.

TEXT 26

ebe alpa sankhya kari’ kara sankirtana”
haridasa kahe,—“suna mora satya nivedana

The Lord concluded, “Now, therefore, please reduce the fixed number of times you chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.” Haridasa Thakura replied, “Kindly hear my real plea.

TEXT 27

“hina-jati janma mora nindya-kalevara
hina-karme rata muni adhama pamara

“I was born in an inferior family, and my body is most abominable. I always engage in low work. Therefore, I am the lowest, most condemned of men.

TEXT 28

“adrsya, asprsya more angikara kaila
raurava ha-ite kadi’ more vaikunthe cadaila

“I am unseeable and untouchable, but You have accepted me as Your servant. This means that You have delivered me from a hellish condition and raised me to the Vaikuntha platform.

TEXT 29

“svatantra isvara tumi hao icchamaya
jagat nacao, yare yaiche iccha haya

“My dear Lord, You are the fully independent Personality of Godhead. You act by Your own free will. You cause the whole world to dance and act as You like.

TEXT 30

“aneka nacaila more prasada kariya
viprera sraddha-patra khainu ‘mleccha’ hana

TRANSLATION

“My dear Lord, by Your mercy You have made me dance in many ways. For example, I was offered the sraddha-patra, which should have been offered to first-class brahmanas. I ate from it even though I was born in a family of meat-eaters.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in his Anubhasya, quotes from the Visnu-smrti in reference to the sraddha-patra.

brahmanapasada hy ete
  kathitah pankti-dusakah
etan vivarjayed yatnat
  sraddha-karmani panditah

According to this verse, if one is born in a brahmana family but does not behave according to brahminical standards, he should not be offered the sraddha-patra, which is prasada offered to the forefathers. Advaita Acarya offered the sraddha-patra to Haridasa Thakura, not to a brahmana who had been born in a brahmana family. Although Haridasa Thakura was born in the family of meat-eaters, because he was an advanced devotee he was shown more respect than a first-class brahmana.

TEXT 31

“eka vancha haya mora bahu dina haite
lila samvaribe tumi—laya mora citte

“I have had one desire for a very long time. I think that quite soon, my Lord, You will bring to a close Your pastimes within this material world.

TEXT 32

“sei lila prabhu more kabhu na dekhaiba
apanara age mora sarira padiba

“I wish that You not show me this closing chapter of Your pastimes. Before that time comes, kindly let my body fall down in Your presence.

TEXT 33

“hrdaye dharimu tomara kamala carana
nayane dekhimu tomara canda vadana

“I wish to catch Your lotuslike feet upon my heart and see Your moonlike face.

TEXT 34

“jihvaya uccarimu tomara ‘krsna-caitanya’-nama
ei-mata mora iccha,—chadimu parana

“With my tongue I shall chant Your holy name, ‘Sri Krsna Caitanya!’ That is my desire. Kindly let me give up my body in this way.

TEXT 35

“mora ei iccha yadi tomara prasade haya
ei nivedana mora kara, dayamaya

“O most merciful Lord, if by Your mercy it is possible, kindly grant my desire.

TEXT 36

“ei nica deha mora paduka tava age
ei vancha-siddhi mora tomatei lage”

“Let this lowborn body fall down before You. You can make possible this perfection of all my desires.”

TEXT 37

prabhu kahe,—“haridasa, ye tumi magibe
krsna krpamaya taha avasya karibe

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “My dear Haridasa, Krsna is so merciful that He must execute whatever you want.

TEXT 38

“kintu amara ye kichu sukha, saba toma lana
tomara yogya nahe,—yabe amare chadiya”

“But whatever happiness is Mine is all due to your association. It is not fitting for you to go away and leave Me behind.”

TEXT 39

carane dhari’ kahe haridasa,—“na kariha ‘maya’
avasya mo-adhame, prabhu, kara ei ‘daya’

Catching the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Haridasa Thakura said, “My Lord, do not create an illusion! Although I am so fallen, You must certainly show me this mercy!

TEXT 40

“mora siromani kata kata mahasaya
tomara lilara sahaya koti-bhakta haya

“My Lord, there are many respectable personalities, millions of devotees, who are fit to sit on my head. They are all helpful in Your pastimes.

TEXT 41

“ama-hena yadi eka kita mari’ gela
eka pipilika maile prthvira kahan hani haila?

“My Lord, if an insignificant insect like me dies, what is the loss? If an ant dies, where is the loss to the material world?

TEXT 42

“‘bhakata-vatsala’ prabhu, tumi, mui ‘bhaktabhasa’
avasya purabe, prabhu, mora ei asa”

“My Lord, You are always affectionate to Your devotees. I am just an imitation devotee, but nevertheless I wish that You fulfill my desire. That is my expectation.”

COMMENT

We can see how humble Haridasa Thakura is. He feels himself to be fallen, less than other devotees. In fact, he does not even consider himself to be a devotee. He refers to himself as bhaktabhasa, an “imitation devotee.” Thus he demonstrates the qualities necessary to chant the holy name constantly:

trnad api su-nicena
  taror iva sahisnuna
amanina mana-dena
  kirtaniyah sada harih

“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.” (Siksastaka 3) And he did chant the holy name constantly—at least three lakh names (one hundred ninety-six rounds) daily.

TEXT 43

madhyahna karite prabhu calila apane
isvara dekhiya kali dibena darasane

Because He had to perform His noon duties, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu got up to leave, but it was settled that the following day, after He saw Lord Jagannatha, He would return to visit Haridasa Thakura.

TEXTS 44–65

After embracing him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left to perform His noon duties and went to the sea to take His bath.

The next morning, after visiting the Jagannatha temple, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, accompanied by all His other devotees, came hastily to see Haridasa Thakura.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the other devotees came before Haridasa Thakura, who offered his respects to the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all the Vaisnavas.

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, “My dear Haridasa, what is the news?” Haridasa Thakura replied, “My Lord, whatever mercy You can bestow upon me.”

Upon hearing this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately began great congregational chanting in the courtyard. Vakresvara Pandita was the chief dancer.

Headed by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu surrounded Haridasa Thakura and began congregational chanting.

In front of all the great devotees like Ramananda Raya and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to describe the holy attributes of Haridasa Thakura.

As He described the transcendental attributes of Haridasa Thakura, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu seemed to possess five mouths. The more He described, the more His great happiness increased.

After hearing of the transcendental qualities of Haridasa Thakura, all the devotees present were struck with wonder. They all offered their respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura.

Haridasa Thakura made Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sit down in front of him, and then he fixed his eyes, like two bumblebees, on the lotus face of the Lord.

He held the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu on his heart and then took the dust of the feet of all the devotees present and put it on his head.

He began to chant the holy name of Sri Krsna Caitanya again and again. As he drank the sweetness of the face of the Lord, tears constantly glided down from his eyes.

While chanting the holy name of Sri Krsna Caitanya, he gave up his air of life and left his body.

Seeing the wonderful death of Haridasa Thakura by his own will, which was just like a great mystic yogi’s, everyone remembered the passing away of Bhisma.

There was a tumultuous noise as they all chanted the holy names “Hari” and “Krsna.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became overwhelmed with ecstatic love.

The Lord raised the body of Haridasa Thakura and placed it on His lap. Then He began to dance in the courtyard in great ecstatic love.

Because of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic love, all the devotees were helpless, and in ecstatic love they also began to dance and chant congregationally.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced for some time, and then Svarupa Damodara Gosvami informed Him of other rituals for the body of Haridasa Thakura.

The body of Haridasa Thakura was then raised onto a carrier that resembled an airship and taken to the sea, accompanied by congregational chanting.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced in front of the procession, and Vakresvara Pandita, along with the other devotees, chanted and danced behind Him.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bathed the body of Haridasa Thakura in the sea and then declared, “From this day on, this sea has become a great pilgrimage site.”

Everyone drank the water that had touched the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura, and then they smeared remnants of Lord Jagannatha’s sandalwood pulp over Haridasa Thakura’s body.

COMMENT

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu placed the divine form of Haridasa Thakura in samadhi in the earth, covered it with a mound of sand, and on top of the mound planted a tulasi tree. Then He went into the marketplace and begged maha-prasada for the devotees. When He began to distribute the prasada himself, however, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami advised Him, “My Lord, this is not a proper service for You. You sit down and take prasada with the devotees. Until You take prasada nobody else will honor it.” And then Svarupa Damodara Gosvami distributed the prasada with a few other confidential devotees.

TEXT 89

bhojana kariya sabe kaila acamana
sabare paraila prabhu malya-candana

After all the devotees finished accepting prasada and had washed their hands and mouths, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decorated each of them with a flower garland and sandalwood pulp.

TEXT 90

premavista hana prabhu karena vara-dana
suni’ bhakta-ganera judaya manas-kama

Overwhelmed with ecstatic love, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu offered a benediction to all the devotees, which all the devotees heard with great satisfaction.

TEXTS 91–93

“haridasera vijayotsava ye kaila darsana
ye ihan nrtya kaila, ye kaila kirtana

 “ye tanre valuka dite karila gamana
tara madhye mahotsave ye kaila bhojana

 “acire ha-ibe ta-sabara ‘krsna-prapti’
haridasa-darasane haya aiche ‘sakti’

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave this benediction: “Anyone who has seen the festival of Sri Haridasa Thakura’s passing away, anyone who has chanted and danced here, anyone who has offered sand on the body of Haridasa Thakura, and anyone who has joined this festival to partake of the prasada will achieve the favor of Krsna very soon. There is such wonderful power in seeing Haridasa Thakura.

TEXT 94

“krpa kari’ krsna more diyachila sanga
svatantra krsnera iccha,—kaila sanga-bhanga

“Being merciful upon Me, Krsna gave Me the association of Haridasa Thakura. Being independent in His desires, He has now broken that association.

TEXT 95

“haridasera iccha yabe ha-ila calite
amara sakati tanre narila rakhite

“When Haridasa Thakura wanted to leave this material world, it was not within My power to detain him.

TEXT 96

“iccha-matre kaila nija-prana niskramana
purve yena suniyachi bhismera marana

“Simply by his will, Haridasa Thakura could give up his life and go away, exactly like Bhisma, who previously died simply by his own desire, as we have heard from sastra.

TEXT 97

“haridasa achila prthivira ‘siromani’
taha vina ratna-sunya ha-ila medini

“Haridasa Thakura was the crown jewel on the head of this world; without him, this world is now bereft of its valuable jewel.”

TEXT 98

‘jaya jaya haridasa’ bali’ kara hari-dhvani”
eta bali’ mahaprabhu nacena apani

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then told everyone, “Say ‘All glories to Haridasa Thakura!’ and chant the holy name of Hari.” Saying this, He personally began to dance.

TEXT 99

sabe gaya,—“jaya jaya haridasa
namera mahima yenha karila prakasa”

Everyone began to chant, “All glories to Haridasa Thakura, who revealed the importance of chanting the holy name of the Lord!”

TEXT 100

tabe mahaprabhu saba bhakte vidaya dila
harsa-visade prabhu visrama karila

Thereafter, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bade farewell to all the devotees, and He Himself, with mixed feelings of happiness and distress, took rest.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada has explained the mixed feelings of happiness and distress that one experiences when a Vaishnava leaves: we feel happy because we know the Vaishnava has gone to Krishna, and we feel distress because we will miss the devotee’s association.

TEXT 101

ei ta’ kahilun haridasera vijaya
yahara sravane krsne drdha-bhakti haya

TRANSLATION

Thus I have spoken about the victorious passing away of Haridasa Thakura. Anyone who hears this narration will certainly fix his mind firmly in devotional service to Krsna.

PURPORT

At Purusottama-ksetra, or Jagannatha Puri, there is a temple of Tota-gopinatha. If one goes from there to the sea, he can discover the tomb of Haridasa Thakura still existing. Every year on the date of Ananta-caturdasi there is a festival to commemorate the passing away of Haridasa Thakura. At the same place, three Deities of Nityananda, Krsna Caitanya, and Advaita Prabhu were established about one hundred years ago. Near this temple and the tomb of Haridasa Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura constructed a small house called the Bhakti-kuti. In the Bengali year 1329, the Purusottama-matha, a branch of the Gaudiya Matha, was established there.

COMMENT

The same house has now come to ISKCON.

PURPORT (concluded)

In the Bhakti-ratnakara it is stated:

srinivasa sighra samudrera kule gela
haridasa-thakurera samadhi dekhila

bhumite padiya kaila pranati vistara
bhagavata-gana sri-samadhi-sannidhane
srinivase sthira kaila sasneha-vacane

punah srinivasa sri-samadhi pranamiya
ye vilapa kaila, ta sunile drave hiya

“Srinivasa Thakura quickly ran to the seashore. When he saw the tomb of Haridasa Thakura, he immediately fell down offering prayers and almost fainted. The devotees present there pacified him with very sweet and affectionate words, and Srinivasa again offered his obeisances to the tomb. Hearing of the separation that Srinivasa expressed in his lamentation at the tomb of Haridasa Thakura makes one’s heart melt.”

TEXT 102

caitanyera bhakta-vatsalya ihatei jani
bhakta-vancha purna kaila nyasi-siromani

From the incident of Haridasa Thakura’s passing away and the great care Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took in commemorating it, one can understand just how affectionate He is toward His devotees. Although He is the topmost of all sannyasis, He fully satisfied the desire of Haridasa Thakura.

COMMENT

Lord Chaitanya is described here as nyasi-siromani, the topmost of all sannyasis. Sannyasis are supposed to be detached and neutral in every situation. But although Lord Chaitanya was the topmost of all sannyasis, still He fulfilled the desire of Haridasa Thakura. He was not indifferent. His affection for His devotee prevailed.

TEXT 103

sesa-kale dila tanre darsana-sparsana
tanre kole kari’ kaila apane nartana

At the last stage of Haridasa Thakura’s life, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him His company and allowed him to touch Him. Thereafter, He took the body of Thakura Haridasa on His lap and personally danced with it.

TEXT 104

apane sri-haste krpaya tanre valu dila
apane prasada magi’ mahotsava kaila

Out of His causeless mercy the Lord personally covered the body of Haridasa Thakura with sand and personally begged alms from the shopkeepers. Then He conducted a great festival to celebrate the passing away of Haridasa Thakura.

TEXT 105

maha-bhagavata haridasa-parama-vidvan
e saubhagya lagi’ age karila prayana

Haridasa Thakura was not only the topmost devotee of the Lord but also a great and learned scholar. It was his great fortune that he passed away before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

COMMENT

Although Haridasa Thakura chanted the holy name day and night, he also found time to read and hear scripture, and he discoursed on the glories of the holy name with reference to scripture. And although he was fully absorbed in chanting the holy name, he was affectionate to the devotees and always tried to help them. Even now he will help us if we sincerely approach him and beg him to assist us in our efforts to serve Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and to chant the holy names of Krishna. As Thakura Bhaktivinoda wrote of him:

He reasons ill who tells that Vaishnavas die
When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaishnavas die to live, and living try
To spread the holy name around.

Haridasa Thakura was compassionate to all living entities. He was full of love for the holy name and for his worshipable Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. When the Muslim rulers threatened him with death if he did not renounce chanting the name of the “Hindu god” Krishna, Haridasa replied:

khanda khanda hai deha yaya yadi prana
tabu ami vadane na chadi hari-nama

“Even if my body is cut into pieces and I lose my life, I will never give up chanting Lord Krishna’s holy name.” (Cb Adi 16.94) Haridasa Thakura’s determination, even in the face of the worst adversity, should serve as an example and inspiration for us all.

At the end, Haridasa Thakura begged for the mercy to depart before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in the Lord’s presence, and the affectionate Lord most kindly fulfilled his desire.

Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura ki jaya!
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Haridasa Thakura’s disappearance day, September 26, 1996, Juhu, Bombay]

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 08/12/2018

Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes cow protection, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Founder-Acharya.

Participating Directors: Anuttama, Chaitanya Mangala (chair), Jamuna Jivani (board secretary), Makara, Olivia, Ranaka, and Vraja.

Participating Advisors: Bhima and Kripamaya.

1. Ranaka’s Monthly Report

Lalita Gopi:

• and Anandavidya are currently milking eight cows: Jamuna, Malati, Surabhi, Sita, Anjali, Sriya, Subhadra, and Lakshmi. They are producing approximately 30 gal per day.
• kept the barn looking nice, inside and out (cut grass and removed trash).
• distributed a large number of New Vrindaban t-shirts to the devotees and employees at the temple that ECO-V sponsored.
• Anandavidya is transforming the extra milk into 15 lb of butter and 15 gal of yogurt on a weekly basis. He also produced one 8” diameter x 3.5” high wheel of Monterey Jack cheese.
• Anandavidya participated in the ECO-V booth during Ratha Yatra in Wheeling, answering questions and speaking with many festival participants.
• There are four calves residing at the barn: Lalita, Gaurangi, Gopi-Katyayani, and Jaya Sri.
• There are four cows residing at Nandagram and the Valley Barn who are expecting within the next month: Parvati, Jaya Radhe, Vamsika, and Usha.
• Jitendra served both morning and evening in the barn for an entire month. Also, Rama has just moved to New Vrindaban and is helping with the cows.
• Kids’ Camp visited the barn and the children made butter, milked the cows, and fed bananas to the cows. This was facilitated by Lalita Gopi and Anandavidya with funding and supplies from ECO-V.
• The Temple Barn had a busy month of near constant guest facilitation.

Ray:

• has been harvesting hay. Pippalada is also assisting with raking and moving hay into the barn.
• harvested and stacked 385 800-pound round bales in the barn for storage, in addition to the 220 bales from last year.
• has been bush-hogging pastures in Bahulaban, Nandagram and the Valley Barn, as well as mowing the large open spaces at the Community Garden.
• installed a new roof on the Nandagram bullpen shed with the help of Rama.

Logan:

• finished painting the Valley Barn board fences, along with general barn clean-up duties. He is leaving to return to college and hopes to return next summer.

Caitanya Bhagavat – at Nandagram & Bahulaban:

• completed the bull paddock and pasture project at Nandagram.
• finished the barn area for Madhu, giving him water and shade.
• moved the oxen to a new pasture.
• installed new gates at the back of north Nandagram pasture.
• is having a single yoke made.
• has been cleaning up at the Bahulaban barn with the help of Rama.
• has been mowing and weed-whacking at the Nandagram farm and Bahulaban.
• has been handling the daily cow care and farm maintenance, including a cow check for the 17 cows at Bahulaban and the 18 cows at Nandagram.
• Tejo installed a new water tank system which services the cow barns and the Field House at Nandagram.

Suchandra’s crew (Monique, Moriah, Madri, Nolin, Ryan, and Shyama):

• harvested for both the Rath Yatra and the ISKCON New Vrindaban open house event.
• harvested around 10 lbs of berries from a blueberry patch.
• cleaned tomatoes at Vidya’s garden due to a blight.
• weeded and harvested at Vidya’s garden.
• planted fall crops of beans, cabbage, squash, beets, lettuce, and spinach.
• picked 350-550 large marigolds per day.
• picked 300-500 small marigolds per day.
• has been setting up sprinklers at the Teaching Garden and Community Garden.
• harvested over 200 lb of potatoes at the Community Garden.
• Madri cleaned and organized the shed area in the Teaching Garden and keeps everything weeded and watered there.
• Ryan and Nolin have been mowing the Community Garden and Teaching Garden.
• Suchandra, Moriah, and Monique harvest and maintain the Community Garden.
• Harvest Totals – Community & Teaching Gardens
  • large marigolds – 5,000 pcss
  • small marigolds – 16,000 pcs
  • lilies – 250 pcs
  • dahlias – 70 pcs
  • zinnias – 400 pcs
  • gladiolas – 30 pcs
  • cucumbers – 650 pcs
  • green beans – 65 lb
  • tomatoes – 15 lb
  • zucchini – 30 pcs
  • basil – 6 batch
  • mint – 6 batch
  • lemon balm – 4 batches
  • green peppers – 3 lb

Lila – at the Nandagram Garden:

• watered and weeded.
• harvested and delivered to the temple kitchen:
  • kale – 18.5 lb
  • hot pepper – 4.5 lb
  • zucchini squash – 10 lb
  • yellow summer squash – 14.5 lb
  • bitter melon – 19 lb
  • green beans – 57 lb
  • cucumbers – 1.5 lb
  • small roma tomatoes – 148 lb
  • basil – .75 lb
  • cherry tomatoes – 2 lb

Radhanath das – at Vidya’s Garden:

• picked hundreds of lilies, bitter melon, peppers, and green beans with Govinda.
• is currently planning a greenhouse at Vidya’s house that would be ready to use for next spring seedling starts.
• is planning the seed order for this fall.
• is reinforcing the garden perimeter with chicken wire fence to keep out rabbits.
• planted the last batch of beans and calendula.
• mowing, weeded, and weed-whacked.
• set up sprinklers in the garden.
• Shyama has picked thousands of marigolds for the temple.
• Total Harvest from Vidya’s Garden by Radhanath, Govinda, and Shyama:
  • large marigolds – 10,000 pcs
  • small marigolds – 4,000 pcs
  • basil – 5 cups
  • sunflowers – 5 pcs
  • green beans – 23.5 lb
  • hot peppers – 30.75 lb
  • green peppers – 26 lb
  • lilies – 604 pcs
  • gladiolus – 72 pcs
  • bitter melon – 99 lb
  • tomatoes – 41 lb

Ranaka:

• helped his son Joshua Rama process the green beans and tomatoes in the ECO-V processing room at the Valley Barn. To date we have processed and frozen 38 gallons of tomatoes and 15.5 gallons of green beans. Pritha Canuto assisted with the green beans.
• ordered another 15 ft3 freezer from Lowes and for storing more produce.
• Erin and family have moved from the Nandagram Garden House to the Nandagram Field House, and Olivia along with her family have moved into the Nandagram Garden house this month.

2. Employee Education and Training

The ECO-V directors have encouraged the idea of offering ECO-V staff opportunities to seek additional education and training in their fields. Annually, ECO-V approves a budget for this purpose. At the next staff meeting, Ranaka will inform the crew there is potential funding available to them if they seek some sort of educational opportunity.

3. Internal Funding Request: $4K for November 2018 Appreciation Plaques & Gifts

WHEREAS: The ECO-V Board wishes to acknowledge the dedication of key community members, as well as offer a token of appreciation to the INV, NVVA, and ECO-V staff and volunteers.

RESOLVED: The Board approves up to $4,000 as a budget for plaques, tote bags and other gift items, to distribute during the November weekend gathering.

4. Upcoming Meetings

The date of the next regular board meeting is September 23, 2018.

The board/staff meeting will be Sunday, October 14, 2018.

The regular October board meeting will be Sunday, October 21, 2018.

The Autumn 2018 weekend gathering is scheduled for November 2 – 4, 2018.

Giriraj Swami read and discussed Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter 11, “The Passing of Srila Haridasa Thakura,” during the Sunday morning class.

09.23.18, Disappearance Pastime of Srila Haridasa Thakura, CC Antya 11, Dallas

“If one cannot complete the fixed number of rounds he is assigned, he should be considered to be in a diseased condition of spiritual life. Srila Haridasa Thakura is called namacarya. Of course, we cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura, but everyone must chant a prescribed number of rounds. In our Krsna consciousness movement we have fixed sixteen rounds as the minimum so that the Westerners will not feel burdened. These sixteen rounds must be chanted, and chanted loudly, so that one can hear himself and others.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 11.23)

The Passing of Srila Haridasa Thakura (Right click to download)

Devotees gathered to remember and glorify His Holiness Gunagrahi Das Goswami.
———————
Devotees remembering Gunagrahi Das Goswami
Giriraj Swami remembering Gunagrahi Das Goswami

“Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura retired to Godrumadvipa, Mayapur, and standing on his veranda there he had a vision of a spiritual city where devotees from all over the world would come together and chant the holy names and worship Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. When I visited there I stood on that veranda and looked across the river and saw Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi dome very prominently. Some devotees were a little critical of the architecture of the samadhi, saying it was not in the traditional Bengali style. But looking across from the balcony, imagining Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura standing there, I thought that he would be very pleased, because his mood and desire was that devotees from all over the world should come to chant Hare Krishna and worship the Supreme Lord Krishna Chaitanya. And that unique style of architecture was the result of devotees coming from all over the world in pursuance of the vision of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.”
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Appearance Day (Right click to download)

Toowoomba is a small city west of Brisbane, Australia. Every year the town celebrates the spring flower festival with a carnival and parade. For the last 5 or 6 years the Bhakti Centre on the Gold Coast has entered Lord Jagannatha’s chariot as one of the floats in the parade.

This year I was able to go along and it was very ecstatic. Generally, festivals in the smaller towns attract bigger crowds than the cities and there was a huge crowd at Toowoomba. Needless to say, everyone appreciated the devotees chanting and dancing in front of Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra devi.

Today marks the anniversary of the birth—the appearance—of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, “the pioneer of the program for benedicting the entire world with Krishna consciousness.” To honor the occasion, I would like to share a short piece I wrote about Srila Bhaktivinoda and Srila Prabhupada. We pray for their continued guidance and mercy.

“Dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who initiated the teachings of Lord Chaitanya in the Western world (McGill University, Canada) in 1896, the year of my birth.” These words are Srila Prabhupada’s dedication to Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, the first book he published after coming to America. They also apply to Prabhupada’s life, which was dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and his own spiritual master—Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s son—Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

Srila Prabhupada furthered many of Thakura Bhaktivinoda’s projects: engaging householders in local preaching initiatives (nama-hatta); establishing the principle that Vaishnavas, even those not born brahmans, are greater than brahmans (and are brahmans too); translating, explaining, and publishing important Vaishnava scriptures for the understanding of the contemporary audience; implementing the vision of a wonderful temple and spiritual city in Mayapur; and, perhaps most significant, fulfilling the desire and prediction that the holy names and teachings of Sri Krishna Chaitanya—Krishna consciousness—be propagated all over the world.

In 1885, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote, “Lord Chaitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men in India. Rather, His main objective was to emancipate all living entities of all countries throughout the entire universe and preach the eternal dharma. Lord Chaitanya states in Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, ‘In every town, country, and village My name will be sung.’ There is no doubt that this unquestionable order will come to pass. . . . Although there is still no pure society of Vaishnavas, Lord Chaitanya’s prophetic words will in a few days come true . . .

“Very soon the unparalleled path of hari-nama-sankirtana will be propagated all over the world. . . . Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German, and American people will take up banners, mridangas, and karatlas and raise kirtan through their streets and towns. When will that day come? Oh, for the day when the Western fair-skinned men, from one side, while chanting ‘Jaya Sacinandana ki jaya!’ will extend their arms and, embracing the devotees of our country coming from another side, treat us with brotherly feelings. When will that day be?”

In the caption to Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s photo in Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, Srila Prabhupada described him as “the pioneer of the program for benedicting the entire world with Krishna consciousness,” and he saw himself as the Thakura’s humble servant in that effort, fully dependent on his mercy.

In a conversation in Mayapur in March 1974, Srila Prabhupada, hearing a kirtan party in the background, commented that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had desired that “Europeans and Americans will come, and they will dance here with the chanting, ‘Jaya Sacinandana, Jaya Sacinandana!’ So, that is being done. . . . When they chant and dance, I simply remember Bhaktivinoda Thakura. That’s all. I pray to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, ‘Now they have come to your shelter. Give them protection.’ That’s all. What can I do more? I cannot do anything more.”

So, it is by the mercy of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, coming through parampara, through Srila Prabhupada, that we have been engaged in devotional service to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His devotees, His holy names, His teachings, and His divine dhama—Mayapur.

In 1971, as a young devotee in Calcutta, I approached Srila Prabhupada and offered, “I have been trying to understand what your desire is. And two things seem to please you most: distributing your books and building the big temple in Mayapur.”

Prabhupada’s face lit up, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled. “Yes, you have understood.”

I did not know it then, but that desire for a big temple in Mayapur (and even for profuse book distribution) came from Thakura Bhaktivinoda. He had a vision of an effulgent city with a wonderful temple at its center, in Mayapur. And he wrote,

eka adbhuta mandira ei haibe prakasa
gaurangera nitya-seva haibe vikasa

“An astounding temple will appear and will engage the entire world in the eternal service of Lord Chaitanya.” (Sri Navadvipa-Mahatmya, Parikrama Khanda, Chapter 4)

After my exchange with Srila Prabhupada, he spent several months in Europe and America and then returned to Calcutta with a design for the big temple. And in the meantime, Tamal Krishna Goswami had fulfilled Prabhupada’s longstanding, ardent desire to acquire some land in Mayapur. But there had been flooding in Mayapur, and the flooding there can be very severe. Therefore—although Prabhupada was so enthusiastic about the project and had struggled so hard to get the land in Mayapur and had personally brought the plans for the first building there—still, right when we were at the peak of our enthusiasm, he raised the question “What will happen if the Ganges floods? What will happen to the temple, to the project?”

He suggested that we not build the temple in Mayapur but at Birnagar, Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s birthplace—another indication of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s importance to Prabhupada and for the world. And eventually he brought us back to the conclusion that we should proceed with the project in Mayapur. “If you all build this temple,” he declared, “Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.”

Through his empowered service, Srila Prabhupada has made Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s shelter available to all of us, and now we too are “dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura.” We beg and pray for pure devotional service under their lotus feet and depend fully on their mercy.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Firefighters were called to a blaze at the Hare Krishna Temple site near Aldenham. Several bales of hay were well alight at the Goshala barn. The fire is believed to have begun at around 1pm and firefighters arrived within ten minutes.

About thirty high school students and college freshmen, along with their parents, attended a College and Career Conference at the ISKCON Towaco temple in New Jersey on September 8^th.

Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!

“Bali Maharaja has become the most famous among the demons and nonbelievers, for in spite of being bereft of all material opulences, he is fixed in his devotional service.” (SB 8.22.28)

Purport: In this verse, the words sidann api na muhyati are very important. A devotee is sometimes put into adversity while executing devotional service. In adversity, everyone laments and becomes aggrieved, but by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a devotee, even in the worst condition, can understand that he is going through a severe examination by the Personality of Godhead. Bali Maharaja passed all such examinations, as explained in the following verses.

“Although bereft of his riches, fallen from his original position, defeated and arrested by his enemies, rebuked and deserted by his relatives and friends, although suffering the pain of being bound and although rebuked and cursed by his spiritual master, Bali Maharaja, being fixed in his vow, did not give up his truthfulness. It was certainly with pretention that I spoke about religious principles, but he did not give up religious principles, for he is true to his word.” (SB 8.22.29–30)

Purport: Bali Maharaja passed the severe test put before him by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is further proof of the Lord’s mercy toward His devotee. The Supreme Personality of Godhead sometimes puts a devotee to severe tests that are almost unbearable. One could hardly even live under the conditions forced upon Bali Maharaja. That Bali Maharaja endured all these severe tests and austerities is the mercy of the Supreme Lord. The Lord certainly appreciates the devotee’s forbearance, and it is recorded for the future glorification of the devotee. This was not an ordinary test. As described in this verse, hardly anyone could survive such a test, but for the future glorification of Bali Maharaja, one of the mahajanas, the Supreme Personality of Godhead not only tested him but also gave him the strength to tolerate such adversity. The Lord is so kind to His devotee that when severely testing him the Lord gives him the necessary strength to be tolerant and continue to remain a glorious devotee.

LECTURE

The present verses are spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Originally the Lord appeared as Vamanadeva before Bali Maharaja and asked three steps of land in charity. Bali Maharaja agreed. Vamanadeva expanded himself in size and with one step covered the planet Earth and all of space. With his second step He covered the rest of the universe. Then He arrested Bali Maharaja and said, “You have promised three steps, but you have given only two. You have broken your promise. Now I will arrest you and punish you.” Bali Maharaja accepted the Lord’s action. He did not protest. And ultimately he told the Lord, “Yes, with two steps You have covered the entire universe. Now kindly keep Your third step on my head. Thus I will fulfill my promise to You.” And so Bali Maharaja surrendered his life to Lord Krishna.

Vamanadeva was satisfied with Bali’s surrender, and after various devotees intervened on Bali’s behalf, the Lord had Bali Maharaja released from the ropes of Varuna and told him, “I am going to give you your own planet, Sutala-loka, and I will personally accompany you there and serve as your doorman.” Actually, the Lord never lives anywhere in the material world; He lives only in the spiritual world, Vaikuntha. By accompanying Bali Maharaja to Sutala-loka, the Lord was actually converting the place into Vaikuntha-loka, which is far more opulent, more beautiful, and more desirable than any planet of the material world or all the material worlds combined.

So, by surrendering to Vamanadeva, Bali Maharaja was not the loser; he was the gainer. One who surrenders unto the Lord never loses.

There is a story in the Krsna book about a fruit vendor who came to the house of Nanda Maharaja. As no one was tending to the vendor, baby Krishna thought He would take some grains of rice and exchange them for some fruit. (Previously the system of exchange was barter, not money.) But because baby Krishna’s hands were small and He was not used to holding things, what few grains of rice He kept in them had fallen out by the time he reached the vendor. But the vendor was so enchanted by Krishna’s beauty that she gave Him whatever fruits He could hold. And then, when she turned around, she saw in place of all the fruits she had given to Krishna, her basket was filled with the most valuable gold and jewels and gems. So, the purport is that one who gives to Krishna is not the loser, but the gainer by millions of times.

Srila Prabhupada made the same point about himself. When he was in India, he had five children. But when he surrendered to Krishna—left India and went to America to preach—Krishna gave him five hundred children. With his family in India, there were always so many problems, but in America, in Krishna’s service, there were five hundred children but no problems. As Srila Prabhupada said, “I love them and they love me. And there are no problems.”

Sometimes, because of material attachment, devotees are afraid to surrender something to Krishna, and Krishna, to show special favor to the devotee, will take away the thing to which the devotee is attached. So the devotee ultimately comes to the point of full surrender to the Lord. And here Bali Maharaja is an example. He had conquered the entire universe and was occupying the throne of Indra, the king of heaven. He certainly was not in the mood to give up what he had worked so hard to get, but Lord Vishnu, in the form of Vamanadeva, cheated him. He cheated Bali Maharaja in the sense that when He asked for the three steps, He was very small. Thus Bali Maharaja was surprised: “I could give You a whole planet. Why are You asking only three steps?” But Vamanadeva replied that if He could not be satisfied with three steps, He would not be satisfied with a whole planet, with the three worlds. (Srila Prabhupada said the same thing, especially for brahmacharis—that a brahmachari is satisfied just with three steps of land: a place to lie down at night, a little prasada, and some service.) On the other hand, if someone is greedy and wants more and more, he can never be satisfied, however much he gets. So Vamanadeva’s instruction is very appropriate.

Then, after Bali Maharaja agreed to give the three steps, Vamanadeva expanded Himself and became so huge that with just two steps he encompassed the whole universe. Thus He took everything from Bali Maharaja.

Bali Maharaja’s spiritual master had advised him, “Don’t agree. The little boy is actually Vishnu and He has come to cheat you. He will take everything from you. Don’t do it.” But Bali Maharaja remained true to his word, fixed in his religious principles.

Here Vamanadeva says that when He was giving speeches about religious principles, as if He were instructing Bali Maharaja to be charitable and truthful, He was speaking duplicitously. He knew that Bali Maharaja was completely truthful, but He was pretending that Bali was a criminal, an offender who broke his promise, and therefore He was lecturing to him about the value of religious principles. But now Lord Vishnu discloses His heart: He knew that Bali Maharaja was fully surrendered and completely truthful. He was speaking for some other purpose, not for Bali Maharaja.

So, the Lord is very merciful. We are weak. Every living entity, by nature, by constitution, is weak and does not have the strength to pass the tests that the Lord may place before us. We can pass the test only by the Lord’s mercy. And the Lord gave so much mercy to Bali Maharaja that Bali Maharaja was able to pass the most severe test described in the verse.

We too may face various tests. The Lord may take something from us, but we are not alone in our test. The Lord is there to give us sufficient strength and intelligence. But He wants to see our surrender, and when we surrender, the Lord reciprocates and gives us strength. He gives us sufficient strength to bear all trials and tribulations. So the test is for our benefit, to encourage us to surrender.

And the Lord will never give us a test we are not able to pass. He gives us a test He knows we can pass—provided that we surrender. And when we surrender, He gives us the necessary strength and intelligence.

Once we’ve passed the test, the Lord accepts us as His very own, just as Lord Vishnu accepted Bali Maharaja. He actually gave Himself to Bali Maharaja. When Bali Maharaja gave himself and everything he possessed to the Lord, the Lord reciprocated and gave Himself, along with all sorts of material opulence, to Bali Maharaja. And He undertook to reinstate Bali Maharaja as the king of heaven in the future. So although the Lord’s dealings may appear difficult or hard, actually He is merciful and He Himself helps us pass the test He places before us to help us surrender.

As Srila Prabhupada mentions, ordinary persons lament and become aggrieved when they lose something. And as conditioned souls, we all have the tendency to lament and grieve over losses. But Bali Maharaja set the example for all time of how to accept the test of the Lord, how to accept being bereft of position and opulence and all the other things he lost. He set the example for us so we can learn to tolerate externally and internally remain cheerful, fixed in our service to Lord Krishna.

Srimad-Bhagavatam tells us that when Bali Maharaja was arrested and humiliated, he was smiling, cheerful, because he was fixed in his devotional service. Devotees, in the course of serving, preaching, may face many difficulties, and even though externally they may appear to be suffering, internally they are feeling pleasure. Why are they feeling pleasure? Because they know that the Lord is pleased. Their struggle and effort and surrender please the Lord.

The Bhagavatam gives the example that sometimes a man may go far from home to search for wealth for his family and while traveling encounter many difficulties. Sometimes he will travel through the jungle, sometimes through the mountains, but he does not mind. In the end, he knows he will return to his family with some treasure, and thinking of the happiness he will bring to his family, he feels happy. This is priti, affection. One takes pleasure in the happiness of the beloved. And even though one may undergo great difficulties in making the beloved happy, just the knowledge that the beloved is happy or will be happy is enough to make one feel happy oneself.

Srila Jiva Gosvami gives the example that even an ordinary person may undergo great personal difficulties for the sake of his family. He may be in the bodily concept of life, but for the sake of his family he will accept many austerities. For example, a man may leave his wife and children in the village and go to the city to earn for the family. In the big city he has nothing—no money, no place to stay, no food. He will search for some menial job, and from whatever little pay he gets he will take just enough to get some dry bread and chickpeas, some simple food. The rest of his earnings—95 percent—he will send home to his family. He will eat only dry chapatis, but he’s thinking, “Oh, my little boy is drinking milk and growing strong and healthy.” And just thinking of how nicely his son will be growing, he feels happy, although externally he is undergoing austere conditions.

Devotees have the same type of relationship with the Lord. They are ready to undergo any austerity for the sake of giving pleasure to the Lord. And the knowledge that the Lord is pleased is sufficient. They are happy just to know that He is pleased. Just as the traveler takes solace in knowing that he will soon be back with his family, the devotee knows that at the end of this life, after taking so much trouble to serve the mission of the Lord, he will be back with the Lord in the spiritual world. Thus he considers the troubles he endured on the way to be insignificant.

So devotees have no fear because whatever situation they are in, they know they can serve and please the Lord. And they know the situation is temporary. They know that in the end, simply by remaining fixed in devotional service and passing all tests, they will go back home, back to Godhead, and associate with Lord Krishna directly. So the Lord is very kind and merciful. Although He may appear hard and cruel because He is putting the devotee into some difficulty, actually He is kind and merciful. He will help the devotee pass the test. And when the devotee does, when he remains fixed in devotional service despite all difficulties, the Lord will call the devotee, “All right, now you have done enough. Come back home, back to Godhead.”

Srila Prabhupada is the perfect example. He sacrificed everything for the service of the Lord. Sometimes he faced strong opposition, but he fought to the end. He fought and always remained fixed in his service to Krishna and therefore, although externally he underwent great difficulties, he was always relishing loving exchanges with the Lord and his spiritual master.

We should accept whatever situation the Lord ordains for us, tolerate, and continue to serve the Lord with heart and soul. After all, we are in the material world, so what can we do? Tolerate, and go on with our service. The Lord will be pleased with us, and very soon He will take away our miseries and welcome us into His personal association.

As Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.22) states,

tatra bhagavatan dharman
  siksed gurv-atma-daivatah
amayayanuvrttya yais
  tusyed atmatma-do harih

“Accepting the bona fide spiritual master as one’s life and soul and worshipable deity, the disciple should learn from him the process of pure devotional service. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, the soul of all souls, is inclined to give Himself to His pure devotees. Therefore, the disciple should learn from the spiritual master to serve the Lord without duplicity and in such a faithful and favorable way that the Supreme Lord, being satisfied, will offer Himself to the faithful disciple.”

Purport: “According to Srila Sridhara Svami the Lord’s tendency to give Himself to His pure devotee is demonstrated in the case of Bali Maharaja, who sacrificed his universal kingdom for the pleasure of Lord Vamanadeva. Lord Vamana was so pleased by the selfless surrender of Bali Maharaja that the Lord became the doorman in the palace of Bali, who was reinstalled as a great leader in the universe. . . .

“Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has further pointed out that when the Lord bestows His own self upon a pure devotee such a fortunate devotee can actually see the Lord, touch Him, and directly engage in His service.

“According to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, one should never consider one’s spiritual master to be mundane or on an equal level with one’s self. One should see the spiritual master as being always under the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. One should never try to engage the spiritual master in one’s personal service with the mentality of lording it over the spiritual master and attaining through him some material gain. One who is actually advancing will become more and more eager to serve the spiritual master, and thus such a disciple experiences the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.22.28–30, Hare Krishna Land, Juhu, April 27, 1997]

Visakha Devi is very learned in many branches of knowledge, just like her scholarly father. She is a wise counselor and a diplomat in loving affairs, and is very expert at joking.

Radha Krishna Records – quite possibly the only record label owned by a temple – is nearing its tenth anniversary, which will be celebrated in July 2019 during the 50^thanniversary of Sri Sri Radha Londonisvara at the Radha Krishna Temple in London.

Have you heard kirtan leaders say“Chant from the heart!”? What do they mean by this?

Близится день явления Его Божественной Милости Шрилы Бхактивиноды Тхакура, пионера в деле распространения сознания Кришны по всему миру, время великой радости и великого празднования, поскольку без его усилий у нас не было бы движения Харе Кришна и самой благоприятной возможности вернуться обратно к Богу.

Шрила Бхактивинода Тхакур сделал три главных предсказания, все из которых свершились. «Скоро придет человек, – писал он, – и он будет путешествовать по всему миру, чтобы распространить учение Господа Чайтаньи». Его второе предсказание: «Очень скоро воспевание Харинама санкиртаны распространится по всему миру. О, когда же придет тот день, когда люди из Америки, Англии, Франции, Германии и России возьмут караталы и мриданги и начнут воспевать в своих городах Харе Кришна?» Третье предсказание: «Когда придет тот день, когда светлокожие иностранцы придут в Шри Майяпур-дхаму и присоединятся к бенгальским вайшнавам в воспевании “Джайа Шачинандана, Джайа Шачинандана”. Когда наступит этот день?»

Однажды вечером Шрила Бхактивинода мирно сидел в своем доме в Годрумадвипе, Сурабхи-кундже, и смотрел поверх чистых вод реки Джаланги на Шри Майяпур. Прервавшись от написания произведений о преданном служении, он увидел яркое сияние, которое разливалось во всех направлениях из святой земли Шри Майяпура. Он увидел прекрасный золотой город, духовный город – исполнение мечты всех ачарьев гаудия-вайшнавской традиции – откуда однажды разольется чистая любовь к Богу и наводнит собой весь мир.

Этот «прекрасный золотой город» сейчас проявляется в Шридхаме Майяпуре, самом священном из всех святых мест вселенной. Шрила Бхактивинода сказал:

«Семь священных городов Навадвипы славятся тем, что способны даровать живому существу освобождение. Вот эти города – Айодхья, Матхура, Майяпур, Варанаси, Канчи, Авантипур и Дварака. Но самым возвышенным из них является Майяпур. Шри Махапрабху принес духовный мир Шветадвипы в Майяпур. Когда пройдет четыреста лет со дня явления Шри Чайтаньи Махапрабху, земля Майяпура-Шветадвипы станет важнейшей из всех священных мест. Человек, который живет здесь, автоматически избавляется от всех оскорблений и достигает высот чистого преданного служения».

«Джайва-дхарма», Бхактивинода Тхакур

Давайте же все прервемся от наших дел и подумаем над этими словами Шрилы Бхактивиноды и над важностью строительства предвиденного им «прекрасного золотого города». ХВП является неотъемлемой частью этого исторического пророчества, вместе мы сможем осуществить его и получим огромное благо от такого наивысшего служения. Этот проект так важен, что Шрила Прабхупада решительно заявил:

«Если вы построите этот храм, Шрила Бхактивинода Тхакур лично придет и заберет вас всех обратно к Богу».

Призываем вас в этот особенный день поддержать строительство ХВП, воспользовавшись новой возможностью для служения – спонсированием кирпича Гуру-парампары. Чтобы пожертвовать кирпич Гуру-парампары, на котором будет написано как ваше имя, так и имя вашего гуру, перейдите по ссылке: https://tovp.org/ru/donate/seva-opportunities/

НОВОСТИ ХВП – БУДЬТЕ В КУРСЕ

Посетите ХВП: www.tovp.org
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Подпишитесь на новости ХВП: https://goo.gl/forms/ojJ2WcUUuqWh8bXt1
Поддержите ХВП: www.tovp.org/ru/donate/seva-opportunities/

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The appearance day of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the pioneer of spreading Krishna consciousness throughout the world, is upon us, and it is a time of great celebration and rejoicing, for without his efforts, we would not have the Hare Krishna Movement and the most auspicious opportunity to go back to Godhead.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura made three major predictions which have all come to pass: “A personality will soon appear,” he wrote, “and he will travel all over the world to spread the teachings of Lord Caitanya.” His second prediction: “Very soon the chanting of ‘Harinama sankirtana will be spread all over the world. Oh, when will that day come when people from America, England, France, Germany, Russia will take up karatals and mrdangas and chant Hare Krishna in their towns?” The third prediction: “When will that day come when the fair-skinned foreigners will come to Sri Mayapur-dhama and join with the Bengali Vaisnavas to chant, Jaya Sacinandana, Jaya Sacinandana. When will that day come?“

One evening, Srila Bhaktivinoda was sitting peacefully in his house in Godrumadvipa, Surabhi Kunja, looking toward Sri Mayapur over the clear waters of the Jalangi river. Pausing briefly from his devotional writings, he saw a brilliant effulgence shining out in all directions from the holy land of Sri Mayapur. It was a vision of a wonderful golden city, a spiritual city – the final fulfillment of the dreams of the Vaishnava acaryas – from where the entire world would one day become inundated with pure love of Godhead.

This “wonderful golden city” is now manifesting in Sridhama Mayapur, the most sacred of holy places in the universe. Srila Bhaktivinoda said:

“Of the seven holy places giving salvation – Ayodhya, Mathura, Gaya, Kashi, Kanchi, Avanti and Dwaravati – Sri Mayapur is the most important place of pilgrimage. Sriman Mahaprabhu with His advent made His own Svetadvipa descend here, and after four centuries after the disappearance of Sriman Mahaprabhu this place of pilgrimage Svetadvipa will be superior to all other places of pilgrimage of the world. Living in this place removes all sin and offenses and helps pure devotion to grow.”

Jaiva Dharma – Bhaktivinoda Thakur

Let us all pause to consider the above words of Srila Bhaktivinoda and the importance of building the “wonderful golden city” which he envisioned. The TOVP is an essential part of that prediction and together we can all help fulfill its historic manifestation and benefit immensely from this highest seva. It is such an important project that Srila Prabhupada said emphatically:

“If you all build this temple, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur will personally come and take you all back to Godhead”.

Consider this special occasion to support the TOVP construction by taking advantage of the newest sponsoring option, the Guru Parampara Brick. Click on the link below to sponsor a Guru Parampara Brick today with both your name and your Guru’s name inscribed on it: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

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Support us at: www.tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities

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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.7.17 on the occasion of Vamana-dvadasi.

“In the beginning stage we sort of surrender but then we go back on our surrender. As Bhurijana Prabhu said, ‘They surrender, but then they take it back.’ This is common in Kali-yuga, because the atmosphere is so polluted and so surcharged with nescience that it is easy to be affected. The illusory energy will wear away one’s determination to surrender to Krishna. It is hard to withstand the assaults of Maya. Devotees who work in the material world, especially if they have to work in the association of nondevotees, face a constant barrage from the material nature. It is hard to maintain one’s determination. We can do so only if we have very strong spiritual association, with pure devotees, and strong spiritual practices to counteract the pernicious influence of materialistic people within a materialistic culture that is constantly bombarding us with messages that we should act independently, enjoy our senses to the hilt, and progress materially at all costs.

“We know that there are different stages in devotional service, and we should assess where we are. We should evaluate ourselves at every moment: Are we surrendering more to Krishna or to Maya—to the unsteady mind?”

Appearance Day of  Vamanadeva and Jiva Goswami (Right click to download)

1) My Lord: I submit the following prayer at Your holy feet: I do not pray to You for physical leisure, for learning, wealth, or followers.

2) I do not pray for heaven or salvation. I do not pray for any of these opulences.

3) In whatever birth I take, wherever my karma leads me, let me sing the glories of Your Holy Name birth after birth.

In 1986, just before the annual Gaura Purnima Festival, Sri Inulekha devi and three other sakhis were installed in Sri Dham Mayapur and joined Sri Sri Radha Madhava on the altar.  Indulekha Devi stands next to Visakha Devi, second gopi on Srimati Radharani’s right. Sri Indulekha Devi is one of the eight principle gopis, or […]

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Campakalata Devi– The Expert Debater Campakalata Sakhi is one dayyounger to Srimati Radharani. Her appearance is celebrated a day after Radhastami. Just before the annual Gaura Purnima festival in Mayapur in 1986.Campakalata Devi, along with three other sakhis, was installed and joined Sri Sri Radha Madhava on the altar. She stands next to Lalita Devi, […]

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I fear that not being anchored to you
I will so easily be swept away
Like each tiny flower.

When we function in the world, our desires direct our vision, consciously or subconsciously.

A video by radha Mohan Das.

English subtitles are availble by clicking on the CC button at the right bottom of the video. 

We are delighted to inform you all that the grand Asta Krosa Parikrama (November 16-19th, 2018) is being organized by ISKCON Mayapur to fulfil the desire of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Devotees of Lord Sacinandana Gaurahari will reap the tremendous benefits of participating in the Parikrama of Sri Navadvipa during the most auspicious month of Karthika  […]

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