Monthly Archives: February 2019

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by Damaghosa dasa

Pop Quiz answers

February 25, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

1. Who is in charge of the fire element in this Universe??

SB 4.1.60-The predominating deity of fire begot in his wife, Svāhā, three children, named Pāvaka, Pavamāna and Śuci, who exist by eating the oblations offered to the fire of sacrifice.
PURPORT-After describing the descendants of the thirteen wives of Dharma, who were all daughters of Dakṣa, Maitreya now describes the fourteenth daughter of Dakṣa, Svāhā, and her three sons. Oblations offered in the sacrificial fire are meant for the demigods, and on behalf of the demigods the three sons of Agni and Svāhā, namely Pāvaka, Pavamāna and Śuci, accept the oblations.
SB 4.1.61-From those three sons another forty-five descendants were generated, who are also fire-gods. The total number of fire-gods is therefore forty-nine, including the fathers and the grandfather.
PURPORT-The grandfather is Agni, and the sons are Pāvaka, Pavamāna and Śuci. Counting these four, plus forty-five grandsons, there are altogether forty-nine different fire-gods.

2. How did Srila Prabhupada want us to clean in Sri Radha’s the kitchen?
 
April 22 1976Melbourne
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I remember when I first went to Vṛndāvana and I saw in the villages how they were using dirt and charcoal to clean their pots and pans…
Prabhupāda: Yes, they use it.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I thought the…. It was my condition…. I have never seen before. I thought, “What is this? They are making their pots and pans dirty?” Because, you know, we’re so accustomed to detergents and soaps, and you have to have so many things to clean.
Prabhupāda: That is not also properly clean.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No.
Prabhupāda: The down side of the pan remains black. But if you take some dirt and rub it nicely, it become glisten.
Hari-śauri: Dirt is very first-class for cleaning.
Prabhupāda: Utensils for cooking purpose must be very, very clean. The…. If the black portion remains, in India they will not touch.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Even on the bottom?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: On the outside?
Prabhupāda: They’ll not touch: “Oh, it is still dirty.” But our going on. What can be done?Where there is no cleanliness, little rubbed with soap, that is sufficient. What can be done? But that is not cleanliness. If there is a black spot on the…, it has to…. It will immediately be cleaned. My mother used to see every utensil, whether there is any spot. The maidservant had to surrender. Examine. Then it is no spot. Then it is finished. Otherwise she has to do again.Everything should be neat and clean. The kitchen should be very neat and clean, washed twice daily, opened nicely and smeared with water and gobar. And if you see the kitchen, immediately you’ll feel comfortable. It is very cleanly prepared, then offered to the Deity. Then you take. Automatically your mind becomes cleansed. [break]
 
3. Who can actually deliver us from this material world?
 
August 5 1966 NY-
Just like a person who is, I mean, tightly bound-up, hands and feet. Suppose we are sitting here, some people, twenty-five gentlemen, ladies, and all our hands are tightly bound-up by some rope, and if I want to make you free, although my hand is also tightly bound-up, is it possible? No. At least my hand should be free. Then I can open, I can untie, your bindings by the rope. So unless one is free man… And what is that freedom? One who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is free man. And nobody is free man.
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14]
Everyone is under the spell of material influence. Nobody’s free.
And one who is, who has surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa, one who has taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness, māyā has nothing to do. Māyā cannot touch.

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by Damaghosa dasa

A Pop Quiz

February 24, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

1. Who is in charge of the fire element in this Universe??

2. How did Srila Prabhupada want us to clean in the kitchen?
3. Who can actually deliver us from this material world?
Hare Krsna–answers to come soon….

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by Damaghosa dasa

If our senses impure we cannot understand Krsna, nor will we understand what we read without Arcana-SP

February 23, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Hare Krsna-If one at all, desires to understand the Supreme Lord, then we must take the good advice given by His  bona fide representative, Srila Prabhupada

April 16 1974 Bombay lecture—the senses are our problem-if impure they cannot understand Krsna

Everyone becomes a servant of the senses just beginning from the tongue. They eat anything and everything. Therefore they cannot control others senses also. This is the experience of big, big yogis. Therefore in the yoga practice, yama-niyama… In the yoga practice also, it is forbidden, not to allow the tongue to eat anything and everything, no. That is not possible. Similarly, we also ask our devotees not to allow your tongue to touch anything except kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Tongue’s two business: eating, tasting something, and vibrating sound. So if we can control the tongue not to touch anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, and if we do not allow the tongue to talk anything except Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then you become the greatest yogi. The greatest yogi. Simply two things. Of course, we have to eat. That’s a fact. Without eating, we cannot exist. So eat. We have got so many nice things, offered to Kṛṣṇa. We offer to Kṛṣṇa all nice things.

As Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, kṛṣṇa baṛo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay, swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he was a gṛhastha, practical. He experienced. He said, śarīra abidyā-jāl: “This body, material body, is a network of ignorance.” Śarīra abidyā-jāl. Just like a network. If you are put into a net and bound up and thrown into the ocean, then what is your condition of life, just imagine. Similarly, we, pure souls, we have been put into this network of material body, and we are thrown into the ocean of nescience. This is our position, struggle for existence. How to get out of the network? How to get out of the ocean? This is… Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg. 15.7]. This is our position.

So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says this body is the network of ignorance, simply sense gratification. “I shall eat this. I shall eat that. I shall hear this. I shall…” The ear is engaged in hearing nice cinema songs, and the tongue is engaged, going to the restaurant, so many so-called palatable dishes. Similarly, other senses, they are engaged. So the… According to bhakti-yoga system, the first control is recommended to the tongue. That is said, that ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.136].

Now, we receive knowledge through the indriyas, but if the indriyas are impure—senses, they are impure—they cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi, na… Beginning. Because beginning is śravaṇam. Bhakti-mārga begins by hearing.

Now, what is śravaṇam? Chanting. If there is chanting or there is some speaking, then we can hear. That is recommended by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that simply hear. There are many places, recommended, that “Hear.” So but it is said, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. These present blunt senses, material senses, cannot receive even this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. They say, “This is nuisance.” …

Therefore it is said, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. The blunt senses, material senses, they cannot receive. Nāmādi. Not only name, they cannot see Lord Kṛṣṇa’s form. Because hearing and seeing and smelling and tasting and touching… We have got so many senses. So These senses being materially contaminated, it cannot hear what is Kṛṣṇa’s holy name. Ataḥ (śrī) kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. Then how to understand Kṛṣṇa? That is recommended. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. You have to engage your tongue first of all in the service of the Lord. The Kṛṣṇa realization begins from the tongue.

How? Now you simply make it a vow that “I shall not talk anything except glorifying the Lord.” Then you become perfect. Very simple method. Simply you have to make this determination, that “I shall not talk anything which is not about Kṛṣṇa, and I shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa.” So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching these two things specifically. We are distributing little prasādam. If we get opportunity, we can give sumptuous prasādam. We are doing that in all other centers throughout the whole world. By eating, simply by eating, one can be beloved. It doesn’t require if he simply eats Kṛṣṇa prasādam. It is so nice method. So jihvādau. And hearing. This is recommended here, that ātma-saṁyama-yogāgnau. Ātmā, you have to make a determination, ātma-saṁyama, that “I shall not allow this tongue to take anything in the restaurant. But I can simply allow the tongue… “If you do this, then you become gosvāmī. That is called gosvāmī. Because we are all godāsa. Go means senses.

So actually we are all servants of our senses. The whole activities of the material world means everyone is acting as the servant of his senses, that’s all. This is the material world. Everyone is working. Everyone is working so hard. So when one becomes intelligent, then he understands that “What I am doing? I am thinking that I am master, I am proprietor, I am the head of the family, but what I am doing actually? I am acting as servant of my senses, my son’s senses, my wife’s senses, my daughter’s senses, my servant’s senses. That’s all.” If you speak something wrong even to your servant, the servant will resign, and you will be in trouble. Therefore you have to serve his senses so that he may not be angry. This is our position. So we are simply serving senses, but we are thinking, “I am master.” This is called illusion.

So jñāna-dīpite, when you actually come to the sense of your knowledge, then you come to this conclusion that “What I am? What is my mastership? I am simply serving the senses, different senses.” Even in the outward… [break] …what is the taste of that knowledge. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. What is that? Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: [Bg. 7.19] “After many, many births, spoiling the life and spoiling the time by satisfying the senses…” Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. So long you will go on satisfying these senses, either your senses—that is centralized senses—or expanded senses, the senses of your family, senses of your society, senses of your country, nationality, these are all sense gratification process, simply extending. It begins centralized, my senses, then my son’s senses, then my grandson’s senses, then my country’s senses, then… It is sense gratification, that’s all. There is no other business.

So when one becomes enlightened, he offers himself to Kṛṣṇa. There is a verse like this. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ: “My Lord, I have spoiled my time in this way, becoming the godāsa or the servant of the senses.” Kāmādīnām, kāma krodha lobha moha mātsarya. Therefore it is called, kāmādīnāṁ kati na. “I have tried to satisfy them to my utmost.” Kati na katidhā. “What I have not done for them? Still, they are not satisfied. Neither they are merciful.” Teṣāṁ jātā mayi na karuṇā na trapā. Na tṛpta.“They are neither satisfied; neither they are merciful, never.”

You go on serving your family. Nobody will give you relief. If you say that “Now I have done so much for you. Give me relief.” First of all I do not want to be relieve also. That is also another disease. You see? You will be surprised. It is my practical experience. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, before starting, I wrote one letter to Mahatma Gandhi: “Mahatma Gandhi, you have got position. People accept you as a very pious man. Now you have got your sva-rājya, and you are very fond of Bhagavad-gītā. Let us preach Bhagavad-gītā.” I wrote this letter. Unfortunately, a few days after, he was killed. So this is the position. All big, big leaders, they do not want to take relief from this sense gratification business. No. This is the…

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by Damaghosa dasa

How a liberated soul’s body is controlled by the Lord Himself and not material nature

February 20, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

How a liberated soul’s body is controlled by the Lord Himself and not material nature
SB3.33.27-Situated in eternal trance and freed from illusion impelled by the modes of material nature, she forgot her material body, just as one forgets his different bodies in a dream.
PURPORT-A great Vaiṣṇava said that he who has no remembrance of his body is not bound to material existence. As long as we are conscious of our bodily existence, it is to be understood that we are living conditionally, under the three modes of material nature. When one forgets his bodily existence, his conditional, material life is over. This forgetfulness is actually possible when we engage our senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In the conditional state, one engages his senses as a member of a family or as a member of a society or country. But when one forgets all such membership in material circumstances and realizes that he is an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord, that is actual forgetfulness of material existence.
This forgetfulness actually occurs when one renders service unto the Lord. A devotee no longer works with the body for sense gratification with family, society, country, humanity and so on. He simply works for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
A devotee always merges in transcendental happiness, and therefore he has no experience of material distresses. This transcendental happiness is called eternal bliss. According to the opinion of devotees, constant remembrance of the Supreme Lord is called samādhi, or trance. If one is constantly in trance, there is no possibility of his being attacked or even touched by the modes of material nature. As soon as one is freed from the contamination of the three material modes, he no longer has to take birth to transmigrate from one form to another in this material world.
SB 3.33.29-Because she was always absorbed in the thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, she was not aware that her hair was sometimes loosened or her garments were disarrayed.
PURPORT-In this verse the word daiva-guptam, “protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” is very significant. Once one surrenders unto the service of the Supreme Lord, the Lord takes charge of the maintenance of the devotee’s body, and there is no need of anxiety for its protection. It is said in the Second Chapter, Second Canto, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that afully surrendered soul has no anxiety about the maintenance of his body. The Supreme Lord takes care of the maintenance of innumerable species of bodies; therefore, one who fully engages in His service will not go unprotected by the Supreme Lord. Devahūti was naturally unmindful of the protection of her body, which was being taken care of by the Supreme Person.

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by Damaghosa dasa

Srila Prabhupada explains about the doubting disciple

February 19, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

1.) SB3.33.10-The Personality of Godhead said: My dear mother, the path of self-realization which I have already instructed to you is very easy. You can execute this system without difficulty, and by following it you shall very soon be liberated, even within your present body.
PURPORT-Devotional service is so perfect that simply by following the rules and regulations and executing them under the direction of the spiritual master, one is liberated, as it is said herein, from the clutches of māyā, even in this body. In other yogic processes, or in empiric philosophical speculation, one is never certain whether or not he is at the perfectional stage. But in the discharge of devotional service, if one has unflinching faith in the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master and follows the rules and regulations, he is sure to be liberated, even within this present body. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, has also confirmed this. Īhā yasya harer dāsye: regardless of where he is situated, anyone whose only aim is to serve the Supreme Lord under the direction of the spiritual master is called jīvan-mukta, or one who is liberated even with his material body. Sometimes doubts arise in the minds of neophytes about whether or not the spiritual master is liberated, and sometimes neophytes are doubtful about the bodily affairs of the spiritual master. The point of liberation, however, is not to see the bodily symptoms of the spiritual master. One has to see the spiritual symptoms of the spiritual master. Jīvan-mukta means that even though one is in the material body (there are still some material necessities, since the body is material), because one is fully situated in the service of the Lord, he should be understood to be liberated.
Liberation entails being situated in one’s own position. That is the definition in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: muktir. .. svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. The svarūpa, or actual identity of the living entity, is described by Lord Caitanya. Jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya—kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’: [Cc. Madhya 20.108] the real identity of the living entity is that he is eternally a servitor of the Supreme Lord. If someone is one-hundred-percent engaged in the service of the Lord, he is to be understood as liberated. One must understand whether or not he is liberated by his activities in devotional service, not by other symptoms.

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by Yasoda nandana dasa

Sunday-the App of Lord Nityananda Prabhu

February 16, 2019 in Articles by Yasoda nandana dasa

Lord Nityananda

Sri Nityananda Trayodasi

Appearance of Sri Nityananda Prabhu

Nityananda Appearance day

Lord Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Lotus feet

Lord Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s Lotus feet

HAPPY NITYANANDA TRAYODASI!

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the eBook Navadvip Dham Mahatmya  By Srila Bhaktivinode

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Srila Prabhupada describes the glories of Lord Nityananda Prabhu.

In Rāḍhadeśa, the part of Bengal where the Ganges is not visible, Nityānanda Prabhu, Gaṅgādāsa Paṇḍita, Murāri Gupta and Mukunda took birth
Purport
Here rāḍha-deśe refers to the village of the name Ekacakrā in the district of Birbhum, next to Burdwan. After the Burdwan railway station there is another branch line, which is called the Loop Line of the eastern railway, and there is a railway station of the name Mallārapura. Eight miles east of this railway station Ekacakrā Village is still situated. Ekacakrā Village extends north and south for an area of about eight miles. Other villages, namely Vīracandra-pura and Vīrabhadra-pura, are situated within the area of the village of Ekacakrā. In honor of the holy name of Vīrabhadra Gosvāmī, these places are renowned as Vīracandra-pura and Vīrabhadra-pura.
In the Bengali year 1331 (A.D. 1924) a thunderbolt struck the temple of Ekacakrā-grāma. Therefore the temple is now in a broken state. Before this, there were no such accidents in that quarter. Within the temple there is a Deity of Śrī Kṛṣṇa established by Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. The name of the Deity is Baṅkima Rāya or Bāṅkā Rāya.
On the right side of Baṅkima Rāya is a Deity of Jāhnavā, and on His left side is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The priests of the temple describe that Lord Nityānanda Prabhu entered within the body of Baṅkima Rāya and that the Deity of Jāhnavā-mātā was therefore later placed on the right side of Baṅkima Rāya. Afterwards, many other Deities were installed within the temple. On another throne within the temple are Deities of Muralīdhara and Rādhā-Mādhava. On another throne are Deities of Manomohana, Vṛndāvana-candra and Gaura-Nitāi. But Baṅkima Rāya is the Deity originally installed by Nityānanda Prabhu.
On the eastern side of the temple is a ghāṭa known as Kadamba-khaṇḍī on the bank of the Yamunā, and it is said that the Deity of Baṅkima Rāya was floating in the water and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu picked Him up and then installed Him in the temple. Thereafter, in a place known as Bhaḍḍāpura, in the village of Vīracandra-pura, about half a mile west, in a place underneath a nima tree, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was found. For this reason, the Rādhārāṇī of Baṅkima Rāya was known as Bhaḍḍāpurera Ṭhākurāṇī, the mistress of Bhaḍḍāpura. On another throne, on the right side of Baṅkima Rāya, is a Deity of Yogamāyā.
Now the temple and temple corridor rest on a high plinth, and on a concrete structure in front of the temple is a meeting hall. It is also said that on the northern side of the temple there was a Deity of Lord Śiva named Bhāṇḍīśvara and that the father of Nityānanda Prabhu, Hāḍāi Paṇḍita, used to worship that Deity. At present, however, the Bhāṇḍīśvara Deity is missing, and in his place a Jagannātha Svāmī Deity has been installed. Lord Nityānanda Prabhu did not factually construct any temples. The temple was constructed at the time of Vīrabhadra Prabhu. In the Bengali year 1298 (A.D. 1891), the temple being in a dilapidated condition, a brahmacārī of the name Śivānanda Svāmī repaired it.
In this temple there is an arrangement to offer foodstuffs to the Deity on the basis of seventeen seers of rice and necessary vegetables. The present priestly order of the temple belongs to the family of Gopījana-vallabhānanda, one of the branches of Nityānanda Prabhu. There is a land settlement in the name of the temple, and income from this land finances the expenditures for the temple. There are three parties of priestlygosvāmīs who take charge of the temple management, one after another. A few steps onward from the temple is a place known as Viśrāmatalā, where it is said that Nityānanda Prabhu in His childhood used to enjoy sporting with His boyfriends by enacting the rāsa-līlā and various other pastimes of Vṛndāvana.
Near the temple is a place named Āmalītalā, which is so named because of a big tamarind tree there. According to a party named the Neḍādi-sampradāya, Vīrabhadra Prabhu, with the assistance of twelve hundred Neḍās, dug a great lake of the name Śvetagaṅgā. Outside of the temple are tombs of the Gosvāmīs, and there is a small river known as the Mauḍeśvara, which is called the water of Yamunā. Within half a mile from this small river is the birthplace of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. It appears that there was a big meeting hall in front of the temple, but later it became dilapidated. It is now covered by banyan trees. Later on, a temple was constructed within which Gaura-Nityānanda Deities are existing. The temple was constructed by the late Prasannakumāra Kārapharmā. A tablet was installed in his memory in the Bengali year 1323 (A.D. 1916), in the month of Vaiśākha (April-May).
The place where Nityānanda Prabhu appeared is called Garbhavāsa. There is an allotment of about forty-three bighās (fourteen acres) of land to continue the worship in a temple there. The Mahārāja of Dinājapura donated twenty bighās (6.5 acres) of land in this connection. It is said that near the place known as Garbhavāsa, Hāḍāi Paṇḍitaconducted a primary school. The priests of this place, listed in a genealogical table, were as follows: (1) Śrī Rāghavacandra, (2) Jagadānanda dāsa, (3) Kṛṣṇadāsa, (4) Nityānanda dāsa, (5) Rāmadāsa, (6) Vrajamohana dāsa, (7) Kānāi dāsa, (8) Gauradāsa, (9) Śivānanda dāsa and (10) Haridāsa. Kṛṣṇadāsa belonged to the Ciḍiyā-kuñja at Vṛndāvana. The date of his disappearance is Kṛṣṇa-janmāṣṭamī. Ciḍiyā-kuñja is a place now managed by thegosvāmīs of Śiṅgāra-ghāṭa in Vṛndāvana. They are also known as belonging to the Nityānanda family, most probably on the basis of their relationship with Kṛṣṇadāsa.
Near Garbhavāsa is a place called Bakulatalā, where Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and His boyfriends used to take part in sporting activities known as jhāla-jhapeṭā. There is abakula tree there that is wonderful because all its branches and subbranches look like the hoods of serpents. It has been suggested that by the desire of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Anantadeva manifested Himself in that way. The tree is very old. It is said that formerly it had two trunks, but later on, when the playmates of Nityānanda Prabhu felt inconvenience in jumping from the branches of one trunk to those of the nother, Nityānanda Prabhu, by His mercy, merged the two trunksinto one.
Another place nearby is named Hāṅṭugāḍā. It is said that Lord Nityānanda Prabhu brought all the holy places there. Therefore the people in the surrounding villages go there instead of to the Ganges to take bath. It is named Hāṅṭugāḍā because Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu used to perform the dadhi-ciḍā festival of distributing chipped rice with yogurt prasāda there and He took the prasāda kneeling down. A sanctified lake in this place is always full of water throughout the year. A great fair is held there during Goṣṭhāṣṭamī, and there is another big fair on the birthday of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā it is described that Halāyudha, Baladeva, Viśvarūpa and Saṅkarṣaṇa appeared as Nityānanda Avadhūta.
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (1975 Edition) Adi-Lila 13.61 – The Advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu)
After this function at the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Nityānanda Prabhu appeared, and when He met with Lord Caitanya He got the opportunity to see Him in His six-armed form.
Purport
The form of Ṣaḍ-bhuja, the six-armed Lord Gaurasundara, is a representation of three incarnations. The form of Śrī Rāmacandra is symbolized by a bow and arrow, the form of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is symbolized by a stick and flute like those generally held by a cowherd boy, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is symbolized by a sannyāsa-daṇḍa and kamaṇḍalu, or waterpot.Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu was born in the village of Ekacakra in the district of Birbhum as the son of Padmāvatī and Hāḍāi Paṇḍita. In His childhood He played like Balarāma. When He was growing up, a sannyāsī came to the house of Hāḍāi Paṇḍita, begging to have thepaṇḍita’s son as his brahmacārī assistant. Hāḍāi Paṇḍita immediately agreed and delivered his son to him, although the separation was greatly shocking, so much so that Hāḍāi lost his life after the separation. Nityānanda Prabhu traveled on many pilgrimages with the sannyāsī. It is said that for many days He lived at Mathurā with him, and at that time He heard about Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes in Navadvīpa. Therefore He came down to Bengal to see the Lord. When Lord Nityānanda came to Navadvīpa, He was a guest at the house of Nandana Ācārya. Understanding that Nityānanda Prabhu had arrived, Lord Caitanya sent His devotees to Him, and thus there was a meeting between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu.
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (1975 Edition) Adi-lila 17.12 – The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Youth)
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The Meaning of the Auspicious Marks on the Lotus Feet of Lord Nityananda Prabhu

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by Damaghosa dasa

We all should follow Srila Prabhupada’s example

February 16, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Hare Krsna-Below We will find some very interesting points about personal behavior for a Vaisnava which are definitely applicable to all of us in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy.

Jan 7 1976
My dear Bhakta Ralph
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you letter, undated.
There is no reason why you cannot associate with any of my disciples, providing that they adhere to our principles. As long as Siddha Svarupa Maharaja and Tusta Krishna Maharaja act as sannyasis, ie. dress in dhoti, keep shave headed with sikha, follow strictly the rules and regulations and preach from my books, I have no objection. Sometimes there will be a little misunderstanding between Godbrothers, that is even going on amongst liberated souls. What is important is that everyone must engage in Krishna’s service under the direction of the spiritual master.
I hope this meets you well. Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
 
72-08-26 letter
My Dear Gaurasundara,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 20, 1972, and I am quite surprised to read it. This does not sound like you. All along I have been discouraged in every way by my Godbrothers, but still I have stuck to my duty, keeping my Spiritual Master always in front. Because there is some fighting or bickering amongst us, that does not mean that I should go away. If I have understood the order of my Spiritual Master rightly, then I must perform my duty under any circumstances and never one think of going away under disgust. I have appointed you to be my GBC representative in South America because I think that you are very much responsible and capable to do it, and I am very fond of you and your good wife Govinda dasi for helping me all along. So do not be disturbed or worried by some small thing, rumor, or misunderstanding. There is no plot amongst our so-called big men against you or Siddha-swarup Ananda. That is childish.
Where have you got this idea to retire and simply translate books? That is not in our line. My Spiritual Master has given me the instruction to spread this movement all over the world and you are my good disciples, are helping me do this. Without your good help I could not have done anything, so practically you can take all the credit for spreading this Krsna Consciousness movement and fulfilling the prophecy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If there is some incident and I claim that no one is cooperating with me or no one will work with me, that is my defect, not theirs. The Vaisnava devotee must think like this. We should not find fault with others and criticize and go away, that is not the Vaisnava way.Better we should always be willing to offer all respects to others and consider them as our superiors always.
Meanwhile, hoping this meets you in good health.

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by Damaghosa dasa

devotee means the first sign he will be happy-SP

February 12, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Devotee means the first sign will be happy….
April 24 1974 Melbourne

Devotee (3): Often the devotee thinks that he’s more unhappy than the karmīs because he knows he’s unhappy.
Prabhupāda: Then that means he is not a devotee.
Devotee (3): He’s not a devotee.
Prabhupāda: Yes. He’s not devotee. Devotee means the first sign will be happy, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg. 18.54]. If he’s not prasannātmā, he’s a rascal. He has not entered even devotional life. He’s outside. That is the test. Just like Dhruva Mahārāja. When he saw Viṣṇu, he said, “Everything is all right. I don’t want anything.” Svāmin kṛtārtho ‘smi. That is Vaiṣṇava. And if he is still in want or unhappiness, that means he has no spiritual life at all. He is simply making a show.
Guru-kṛpā: Our unhappiness is our lamentation for our past sinful activity, and because we’re not committing any more…

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by Damaghosa dasa

The Transcendental effects of chanting Hare Krsna mantra

February 12, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

“Chant the Holy Names, chant the Holy Names, chant the Holy Names. There is not other way, no other way, no other way to become happy in this age.”  

TLC-18 In the Nārada-pañcarātra it is stated:eṣo vedāḥ ṣaḍ–aṅgāni chandāṁsi vividhāḥ surāḥ sarvam aṣṭākṣarāntaḥsthaṁ yac cānyad api vāṅmayam sarva–vedānta-sārārthaḥ saṁsārārṇava-tāraṇaḥ

“All Vedic rituals, mantras and understanding are compressed into eight words: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare.” 
 
Similarly, in the Kalisantaraṇa Upaniṣad it is stated: hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare iti ṣoḍaśakaṁ nāmnāṁ kali–kalmaṣa–nāśanam nātaḥ parataropāyaḥ
sarva–vedeṣu dṛśyate 
“The sixteen words-Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare-are especially meant for counteracting the contaminations of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali, there is no alternative but the chanting of these sixteen words.”

Lord Caitanya informed Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that when His spiritual master understood Him, he said, “It is the transcendental nature of the holy names  HareKṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare to transport a man into spiritual madness. Anyone who sincerely chants this holy name very soon attains elevation to the platform of love of God and becomes mad after God. This madness arising from love of God is the first perfectional stage for a human being.”

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by Damaghosa dasa

Yes. By nature I am happy. And who is happy, this body or the soul?–SP

February 10, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Hare Krsna-below in a few short sentences Srila Prabhupada explains the whole philosophy of Krsna Consciousness.
 
April 1, 1975
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: If they don’t accept the medicine, then they can’t be cured.
Prabhupāda: Then they must suffer. A man, diseased, and he doesn’t want to take medicine, then where is the…? He must suffer. Where is the cure?
Pañcadraviḍa: They say we are the ones who are diseased. They say, every one of us, we are diseased, not them.
Prabhupāda: Yes. The deaf man thinks all others deaf. (Laughter) That means they are not even human beings. Animals. They do not come to reason, that “Whether we are diseased, or you are diseased. Sit down. Talk.” That also, they are not ready. Then? What we can do with animals?
Pañcadraviḍa: They say we are old-fashioned. They don’t want to bother with us anymore.
Prabhupāda: Hm? Then why do you bother with the problems? Why do you bother with the problems of society? You bother, but you cannot make a solution. All over the world, the newspaper is full, simply throbbing.
Viṣṇujana: Śrīla Prabhupāda, can you make them reasonable? If they’re unreasonable, is there some way to make them reasonable?

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by Damaghosa dasa

That is the solution to the problem of life and death–SP

February 9, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

SB 3.31.47 purport.…While discharging devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one should not be miserly. He should not unnecessarily show that he has renounced this world. Actually, renunciation is not possible. If one renounces his palatial building and goes to a forest, there is actually no renunciation, for the palatial building is the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the forest is also the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If he changes from one property to another, that does not mean that he renounces; he was never the proprietor of either the palace or the forest. Renunciation necessitates renouncing the false understanding that one can lord it over material nature. When one renounces this false attitude and renounces the puffed-up position that he is also God, that is real renunciation. Otherwise, there is no meaning of renunciation. Rūpa Gosvāmī advises that if one renounces anything which could be applied in the service of the Lord and does not use it for that purpose, that is called phalgu-vairāgya, insufficient or false renunciation. Everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore everything can be engaged in the service of the Lord; nothing should be used for one’s sense gratification. That is real renunciation. Nor should one unnecessarily increase the necessities of the body. We should be satisfied with whatever is offered and supplied by Kṛṣṇa without much personal endeavor. We should spend our time executing devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the solution to the problem of life and death.

SB 3.31.48 purport–It is sometimes misunderstood that if one has to associate with persons engaged in devotional service, he will not be able to solve the economic problem. To answer this argument, it is described here that one has to associate with liberated persons not directly, physically, but by understanding, through philosophy and logic, the problems of life. It is stated here, samyag-darśanayā buddhyā: one has to see perfectly, and by intelligence and yogic practice one has to renounce this world. That renunciation can be achieved by the process recommended in the Second Chapter of the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

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by Damaghosa dasa

How many births have we taken and how many more yet to take?

February 8, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

SB 3.31.44–In this way the living entity gets a suitable body with a material mind and senses, according to his fruitive activities. When the reaction of his particular activity comes to an end, that end is called death, and when a particular type of reaction begins, that beginning is called birth.
PURPORT-…We can see that because of different reactionary activities, one man is born in a rich family, and another is born in a poor family, although both of them are born in the same place, at the same moment and in the same atmosphere. One who is carrying pious activity with him is given a chance to take his birth in a rich or pious family, and one who is carrying impious activity is given a chance to take birth in a lower, poor family. The change of body means a change to a different field of activities. Similarly, when the body of the boy changes into that of a youth, the boyish activities change into youthful activities.
It is clear that a particular body is given to the living entity for a particular type of activity. This process is going on perpetually, from a time which is impossible to trace out. Vaiṣṇava poets say, therefore, anādi karama-phale, which means that these actions and reactions of one’s activity cannot be traced, for they may even continue from the last millennium of Brahmā’s birth to the next millennium. We have seen the example in the life of Nārada Muni. In one millennium he was the son of a maidservant, and in the next millennium he became a great sage.
 

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by Damaghosa dasa

How the child can be fully Kṛṣṇa conscious within the womb of the mother without any paraphernalia with which to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness??

February 5, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

SB 3.31.21-Therefore, without being agitated any more, I shall deliver myself from the darkness of nescience with the help of my friend, clear consciousness. Simply by keeping the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu in my mind, I shall be saved from entering into the wombs of many mothers for repeated birth and death.
PURPORT-The miseries of material existence begin from the very day when the spirit soul takes shelter in the ovum and sperm of the mother and father, they continue after he is born from the womb, and then they are further prolonged. We do not know where the suffering ends. It does not end, however, by one’s changing his body. The change of body is taking place at every moment, but that does not mean that we are improving from the fetal condition of life to a more comfortable condition. The best thing is, therefore, to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here it is stated, upasādita-viṣṇu-pādaḥ. This means realization of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One who is intelligent, by the grace of the Lord, and develops Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is successful in his life because simply by keeping himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will be saved from the repetition of birth and death.
The child prays that it is better to remain within the womb of darkness and be constantly absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness than to get out and again fall a victim to the illusory energy. The illusory energy acts within the abdomen as well as outside the abdomen, but the trick is that one should remain Kṛṣṇa conscious, and then the effect of such a horrible condition cannot act unfavorably upon him. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that one’s intelligence is his friend, and the same intelligence can also be his enemy. Here also the same idea is repeated: suhṛdātmanaiva, friendly intelligence. Absorption of intelligence in the personal service of Kṛṣṇa and full consciousness of Kṛṣṇa always are the path of self-realization and liberation. Without being unnecessarily agitated, if we take to the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by constantly chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, the cycle of birth and death can be stopped for good.
It may be questioned herein how the child can be fully Kṛṣṇa conscious within the womb of the mother without any paraphernalia with which to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not necessary to arrange for paraphernalia to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. The child wants to remain within the abdomen of its mother and at the same time wants to become free from the clutches of māyā. One does not need any material arrangement to cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One can cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness anywhere and everywhere, provided he can always think of Kṛṣṇa. The mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, can be chanted even within the abdomen of one’s mother.One can chant while sleeping, while working, while imprisoned in the womb or while outside. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be checked in any circumstance. The conclusion of the child’s prayer is: “Let me remain in this condition; although it is very miserable, it is better not to fall a victim to māyā again by going outside.”

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by Damaghosa dasa

Dogs and their place in the Vedic civilization

February 4, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

dog pissing picture.jpg
                                                 “Dog is untouchable”—SP
Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada who is trying to wash off all our kali yuga DIRT !!
Below you will find 6 very potent statements by Srila Prabhupada regarding the keeping of dogs
and cats in ones home or in his/her life. Some devotee still we find are keeping cats/dogs at their homes along with Deities of Lord Krsna. I heard from one such devotee recently that she finally (after some 40 years) realized it was unclean to keep her dogs in her house along with her deities. After how many years, it took to realize this simple concept? These things are going on, and when you point them out, you become– their enemy…… When you look at the picture above with the dog urinating on a tree with a sign that says no dogs allowed, it “should” make perfectly clear why these animals are not allowed according to Vedic civilization in such close proximaty as human beings.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
————————————-
1) SB 7.14.11 P               Ideal Family Life              63694/530501
Although in modern society the dog is accepted as part of one’s
household paraphernalia, in the Vedic system of household life the dog
is untouchable; as mentioned here, a dog may be maintained with proper
food, but it cannot be allowed to enter one’s house, what to speak of
the bedroom. Outcastes or untouchable candalas should also be provided
with the necessities for life. The word used in this connection is
yatha, which means “as much as deserved.” The outcastes should not be
given money with which to indulge in more than they need, for otherwise they will misuse it.
 
(Note-It is interesting that Prabhupada above  includes the outcastes or untouchables in the same category as dogs-they can be fed, but are not allowed inside the house or close quarters with cleaner human beings-namely the 4 varnas and ashrmas.)
2) 741009SB.MAY                   Lectures                  214710/530501
Canakya Pandita says, candala-vesmani. Candala means untouchable, the
dog-eaters. In the Vedic conception, the dog-eaters are untouchable.
Actually they should be untouchable. Meat-eaters are untouchable.

(Note-this means when a devotee comes in close physical contact with meat eaters, they should  not be allowed to touch your feet and to take bath immediately following any physical contact-this is not fanaticism, but common sense if you want to remain clean)
 

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by Damaghosa dasa

A lesson from Jayadvaita of what NOT to do-taught to us by SP

February 4, 2019 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Hare Krsna-Below is a very nice conversation exchange with Srila Prabhupada whereby Jaydvaita reveals his in-ability to understand what is perfection. He obviously has not understood still up to the present what Prabhupada means, otherwise he would not have without authority changed thousands of the words of his spiritual master. There are also some other points about concocted kirtans and personal relationships with ones spiritual master, another point Jayadvaita still does not understand. The first principle is to obey the guru, which he obviously has not, after which all spiritual knowledge is lost. We should learn from these early examples of what to do and what not to do.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
———————————-
April 8 1975 Mayapur
Jayādvaita: …names of Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master or the ācāryas have chanted them, but sometimes I’ll hear that our devotees will be chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name in different ways that I haven’t heard, in kīrtana.
Prabhupāda: I do not follow what you say.
Jayādvaita: Just like sometimes we’ll hear our men. They’ll be chanting… Like yesterday I heard that someone was chanting, “Nitāi-Gaura, Nitāi-Gaura, Nitāi-Nitāi-Gaura.” Like that, I’ll hear different mantras. Someone is chanting: “Rādhe, Rādhe, Rādhe, Rādhe,” like that, at kīrtana.
Prabhupāda: Well, that is not done by the ācāryas. But there is no harm chanting “Rādhe.” But sometimes it is degraded to make something new, invention. Therefore better to stick to “Hare Kṛṣṇa” and to “Śrī-Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhupāda-Nityānanda.” Otherwise… Just like the sahajiyās, they have invented: “Nitāi-Gaura Rādhe Śyāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Rāma.” These things will come gradually. But they are not approved. They are called chara kīrtana (?), means “concocted kīrtana.” But there is no harm chanting “Rādhe, Nitāi-Gaura.” So better stick to this Pañca-tattva, and mahā-mantra. Just like “Nitāi Gaura Rādhe Śyāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Rāma.” There is “Nitāi-Gaura, Rādhe Śyāma,” but it is not approved. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. We have to follow the mahājana. In Caitanya-caritāmṛta you’ll find “Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya Prabhu-Nityānanda, Śrī-Advaita Gadādhara…,” never “Nitāi Gaura, Rādhe Śyāma.” So why should we do that?
Jayapatāka: The concocter of the “Nitāi Gaura Rādhe Śyāma,” previously he was a follower of Bhaktisiddhānta, but then he was rejected, and then he started his own camp.
Prabhupāda: No, yes, he was meeting Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. So… What is called? Carana dāsa Bābājī.
Satsvarūpa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes during ārati, many bona fide bhajanas are sung, but not much Hare Kṛṣṇa. Is that not a good tendency, that maybe just two or three minutes of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and many other bhajanas?
Prabhupāda: No. We should stick to Hare Kṛṣṇa. Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya Prabhu-Nityānanda, jīva jāgo jīva jāgo…, these are authorized. But Hare Kṛṣṇa is the mahā-mantra. What is sung by mahājana, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, that can be sung. [break]
Jayapatāka: …you say is back to Godhead. But when one is situated in pure, transcendental love of Kṛṣṇa, then that’s, then wherever he may be, that’s back to Godhead. Isn’t it?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jayapatāka: So then we should desire not to go back to Vaikuṇṭha but to go back to…, to be situated in our pure service to Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Pure devotee does not aspire anything, simply to be engaged in loving service of the Lord, wherever it may be. It doesn’t matter. [break]
Jayādvaita: …they know everything and they’re perfect in everything. But sometimes, from our material viewpoint, we see some discrepancies. Just like we think that...
Prabhupāda: Because material viewpoint. The viewpoint is wrong; therefore you find discrepancies.
Jayādvaita: So we should think that we have the defect.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Ācārya is explained, bhakti-saṁsanaḥ: “One who’s preaching the cult of devotional service, he’s ācārya.” Then why should you find any discrepancy?
Jayādvaita: Because we see… For instance, sometimes the ācārya may seem to forget something or not to know something, so from our point of view, if someone has forgotten, that is…
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Then…
Jayādvaita: …an imperfection.
Prabhupāda: That is not the… Then you do not understand. Ācārya is not God, omniscient. He is servant of God. His business is to preach bhakti cult. That is ācārya.
Jayādvaita: And that is the perfection.
Prabhupāda: That is the perfection. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

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