Vasanta Pancami, observed February 13th, from ‘Ananda Vrindavana-campu’ by Srila Kavi Karnapura. 

The Holi festival is celebrated in Vraja from the Vasanta Pancami until a few days after Phalguna Purnima (Gaura Purnima). During this time Nanda Maharaja gives Krishna and Balarama leave from cow-herding to play Holi, so that they can throw coloured dyes and water at each other and at all the other Vrajavasis. 

On the Vasanta Pancami day Srimati Radharani and Her sakhis are attacked with coloured powder by the gopas as they are on their way to Nandisvara to cook for Krishna in the morning. In the haze of abir and gulal (types of coloured powder) that flies up from this colourful attack, Sri Krishna secretly embraces and kisses Srimati Radharani, but Lalita proudly pulls Her away from Him and safely brings Her to Nandishvara where they can peacefully go to their daily duty of cooking Krishna’s breakfast. 

Days later Paurnamasi announces: “Tomorrow is Maghi purnima (the full moon day in Magha) and the husband of any gopi who worships Vasanta Madana (the spring god of love — who is actually Krishna) at the foot of an Asoka tree on this day will gain a lot of wealth and many cows!” Hearing this, the older gopis allowed their daughters-in-law to do the puja. 

Today, February 14, Saint Valentine’s Day, I was struck when Srila Prabhupada, at the conclusion of his class on Sri Isopanisad, spoke about love—the love that Krishna wants and the love that will satisfy us:

“Any religion—it doesn’t matter whether Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion—if you are developing love of God, then you are perfect in your religion. . . . And what kind of love? Ahaituki: without any cause. ‘O Lord, I love You, God, because You supply me so many nice things. You are order-supplier.’ No, not that sort of love. Without any exchange. That is taught by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, that ‘Whatever You do . . .’ Aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam. ‘Either You trample me under Your feet or You embrace me—what You like. You make me brokenhearted by my not seeing You—that doesn’t matter. Still You are my worshipable Lord.’ That is love. . . . That sort of love Krishna wants. Therefore He was so much fond of the gopis. In the gopis’ love there was no question of business propaganda: ‘Give me this, then I love You.’ No. That is pure love. . . . If you want to love God, there is nothing throughout the whole world which can check you. Simply you have to develop your eagerness: ‘Krishna, I want You.’ That’s all. Then there is no question of checking. In any condition you’ll increase your love, increase your love. . . . If you can develop your love for God, or Krishna, without being checked, without any cause, then you will feel fully satisfied.”

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Devotee youth and young adults from across Florida participated in the annual Gasparilla Parade held in Tampa, Florida, on January 20th, bringing the mercy of Lord Jagannath to the third-largest parade in the United States. According to the city of Tampa, the Gasparilla Parade welcomes a crowd of around 300,000 every year to celebrate the […]

The post Devotee Youth Participate in Third Largest Parade in the US appeared first on ISKCON News.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TEXT 1

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 138

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 139

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 140

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 141

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 142

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 143

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

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENT

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

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

TEXT 186

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 189

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 190

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

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENT

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

TEXT 191

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

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENT

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

TEXT 192

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

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENT

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

TEXT 193

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

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

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

COMMENT

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

PURPORT (continued)

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

COMMENT

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

PURPORT (continued)

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

COMMENT

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

PURPORT (concluded)

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

COMMENT

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

TEXT 194

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

TRANSLATION

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

TEXT 195

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

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

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

TEXT 196

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

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENT

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

TEXT 197

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

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENT

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

PURPORT

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

COMMENT

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

PURPORT (concluded)

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

COMMENT

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

TEXT 198

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

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENT

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

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

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

PURPORT

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

COMMENT

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

PURPORT (concluded)

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

COMMENT

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

TEXT 199

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

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

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

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

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

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

COMMENT

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

TEXT 200

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

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

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

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

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

COMMENT

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

We pray for his mercy.

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

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

This month, on February 29, all Gaudiya Vaishnavas worldwide will celebrate the most auspicious 150th Appearance Anniversary of the Founder-Acharya of the Gaudiya Math, and spiritual master of ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: His Divine Grace Ashtotarashata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada.

We cannot imagine our eternal good fortune for having come in touch with the movement created by Srila Saraswati Thakur over one century ago, for without him we would have never come in touch with our most merciful Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his followers. And those who come after will carry the same parampara torch of prema bhakti as freely delivered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to generations hereafter.

The purpose of this article is not for extensive glorification and appreciation of Srila Saraswati Thakur. That will be done on his Vyasa-puja day celebrations in ISKCON and Gaudiya Math temples throughout the world. Our purpose here is to inform the reader of the related celebrations at ISKCON Mayapur, and which will precede the historic opening of the Nrsimhadeva Wing in the TOVP on March 2, to be offered to Srila Saraswati Thakur and Srila Prabhupada at that time for their divine pleasure.

The Grand 150th Vyasa-puja celebration on February 29 is being organized by the Saraswata Gaudiya Vaishnava Association, an initiative of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust that strives to bring together Sarasvata Gaudiya Vaishnavas, regardless of their institutional affiliations, for the pleasure of Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada.

The festival will consist of glorifications of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati by ISKCON leaders and members of the Saraswata Gaudiya Vaishnava Association, pushpanjali, maha arati, kirtan and a feast in honor of His Divine Grace. However, a major event will be the offering of a unique exhibit named, Revolutionary Acharya Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada by the Kolkata-based Bhaktivedanta Research Center.

The exhibit will showcase the life of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, from his appearance to his disappearance. It takes one through his rise to becoming a world acharya and preacher, the innumerable contributions he made to modern Gaudiya Vaishnavism, his extensive travels, the installation of the footprints of Mahaprabhu in eight locations, his theistic spiritual exhibitions held in various places of India, his prolific writing and publishing of innumerable books and articles, culminating in the opening of 64 maths throughout India.

On display will be original publications, rare photos, newspaper articles about the Gaudiya Math, handwritten manuscripts and documents and much more. This will be a memorable tribute to the life of the Founder-Acharya of the Gaudiya Math, to whom we are all eternally grateful.

We pray for his mercy that he will bless our endeavors in his continued service of preaching the message of Godhead throughout the world, and specifically through the completion of this landmark project of ISKCON, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. We consider this project to be one of his major limbs for the dissemination of the unique and most rare gift of Krishna consciousness, as distributed freely by Sriman Mahaprabhu for the benefit of the universe.

We wish to also remind the reader of the events celebrating the opening of the TOVP Nrsimhadeva Wing following the 150th Vyasa-puja of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, on March 1 – 2. Below is the entire schedule of the three days from January 29 – March 2 in an online form that is readable, downloadable and shareable. The entire program will be broadcast live on Mayapur TV:

Sri Nrsimhadeva Vaibhavotsava Announcement and Schedule

For more information about the Bhaktivedanta Research Center, visit their website at: https://brcglobal.org/.

Rare photos of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur

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The Supreme Lord Visnu has three different Saktis: Sri, Bhu, and Nila. Sri Vishnupriya is the internal potency known as Bhu-sakti. She appeared in Gaura-lila to assist Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with his mission of spreading the holy name of Krsna.

Vishnupriya Devi appeared in a very high brahmin family. There is mention of her father’s family. Her grandfather was Sri Durgadasa Misra. His elder son was Sri Sanatana Misra and the younger son was Sri Kalidasa Misra. Sanatana Misra’s daughter was Srimati Vishnupriya Devi.

In Sri Gauraganaddesa dipika it is written about Sri Sanatana Misra –

Sri sanatanamisrohayam pura satrajito nrpah,
Vishnupriya jaganmata yatbhrkanya svarupini.

Formerly, (in Krsnalila in Dvapara age) the King Satrajit, became Sri Sanatana Misra in the Kali Age. The mother of the universe Sri Vishnupriya was his daughter.

As was the case in 2022, the GBC met online regularly in 2023 to discuss matters of global importance and voted on proposals right up to the end of the year. The file [linked below] includes proposals voted on during the 2023 Annual General Meeting, those passed throughout the year, and those passed at the […]

The post 2023 GBC Resolutions Released appeared first on ISKCON News.

Podcast:

The New Varshana devotees weren’t able to arrange the annual Holi festival, firstly because of the COVID, and last year there was a cyclone that flooded many parts of Auckland. However, this year was a grand success with over 10,000 people attending.

The Prime Minister accepted our invitation to be a VIP but unfortunately couldn’t make it because of another last minute obligation, but one of his ministers who is also the local MP came. There were multiple prasadam and book stalls and kirtan and dance went all afternoon.

It was great to be back at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple (New Varshana) Auckland. The deities were exquisite, as always, and the paddocks, flower gardens and fruit trees were looking wonderful.

The number of students at the school has expanded and two new school buildings were being finished off to accommodate them. Also, there’s another couple of units going into the grhastha area for new residents. Every night I was going to home programs.

By Hari Lila Das

For many years, Sridham Mayapur has had only a very basic medical facility. This has been a long-standing matter of concern both for residents and visiting devotees. However, this will no longer be the case, considering the focus and attention Mayapur management has provided since the post-COVID time, towards developing a robust healthcare infrastructure in Mayapur.

From a humble and basic clinic, today the Mayapur Community Hospital has developed into a well-equipped hospital with all basic amenities like general OPD, 10-bed In-patient facility, 24-hour emergency, 24-hour pharmacy, 24-hour ambulance, diagnostic lab, digital X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, etc.

The project is also attracting devotee doctors and nurses serving with dedication and love. The hospital team is expanding their services with more and more visiting specialists as well. With these expanded services there is already an immediate and visible impact on both the local population and the pilgrims. Our services are also well appreciated by the local Gaudiya Math sannyasis and brahmacharis. Naturally, the hospital services are becoming an important factor in helping to fulfil this instruction of Srila Prabhupada to unite the larger Gaudiya Vaisnava family in Mayapur.

The project is poised to take a major leap with the upcoming 100-bed multi-specialty hospital under development. The building construction is rapidly progressing. The facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.

Along with the 100-bed multi-speciality hospital, there are ongoing plans for having a palliative care centre, a natural birthing centre, a nursing training college and an ayurvedic hospital as part of the healthcare development. All these facilities will be developed in phases in the next 5 years’ time. Mayapur management has allocated 5 acres of prime land on the main road close to the temple for the entire development.

These developments will encourage more and more devotees to come and live in Mayapur. Sridham Mayapur will also become a hub for medical tourism where devotees from all over the world can come to get a wholesome treatment to heal the body and soul.

Naturally, these developments will have a huge positive impact on the overall well-being of the whole region. This will also open new career opportunities to resident devotees and the local dham vasis resulting in regional development. As the TOVP opens, the development of healthcare facilities in Mayapur is poised to play an important supportive role in the growing community and surging numbers of pilgrims and visitors.

You can learn more about the project and various ways to assist from the hospital website – www.mayapur.hospital

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