The Appearance of Lord Caitanya

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was also known as Visvambhara (“Lord of the universe”), appeared in Bengal, India, 489 years ago and taught love of Krsna. The Vedic scriptures, such as the Vedas, Upanisads, Vedanta-sutra and especiallyBhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, all reveal Krsna to be the Supreme Truth and the dearmost friend of every living being. Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita “Give up all other forms of religion and surrender to Me. I shall then protect you.” Lord Caitanya, therefore, urged everyone He met, “Surrender to Krsna. 

His holy name is the only shelter.”

Because thousands of years had passed since Krsna’s appearance on earth and because people had not fully understood Krsna from Bhagavad-gita, Lord Caitanya, as Krsna’s dearmost servant, showed everyone exactly how to render loving service to Krsna, just according to Krsna’s own words as revealed in Vedic literature. These Vedic writings were compiled 5,000 years ago, but when Lord Caitanya came He created a great revival of love for Krsna. Most importantly, Lord Caitanya delivered the chanting of Krsna’s holy names: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Sri Krsna Caitanya, as He was also called, did not invent the chanting of Hare Krsna; He took it directly from the Vedic scriptures. The Brhan-naradiya Purana says: harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam/ kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha: “Chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name! In the Kali-yuga [the Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy] there is no other way, no other way, no other way.” The Kalisantarana Upanisad also says that these sixteen words in thirty-two syllables Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare

Gaura-purnima – A Talk by Giriraj Swami

March 6, 1999 Sri Sri Panca-tattva Temple Laguna Beach, California

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared on the full-moon day of the month of Phalguna in Sri Navadvipa-dhama in western Bengal. He manifested His pastimes on earth for forty-eight years. For the first twenty-four years, in Navadvipa, He played the role of a child, then of a youth, and then of a married man; for the next six years He traveled throughout India and preached; and for the final eighteen years He resided in Jagannatha Puri. Every year at the time of caturmasya, the four months of the rainy season, devotees from Bengal used to come to Puri to associate personally with the Lord and to observe the Ratha-yatra ceremony. And the Lord would always reciprocate with the devotees who came to meet Him.

For three years two devotees named Ramananda Vasu and Satyaraja Khan submitted a question at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and each year Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave the same reply. The question was “What is our duty, and what is the method of spiritual advancement for ordinary people like us?” And each year Lord Caitanya gave the same answer: “Continuously chant the holy names of Krsna and serve the devotees of Krsna.”

Then Satyaraja would ask, “Who is a devotee of Krsna, and how do we recognize him?” Each year Lord Caitanya gave a slightly different answer. The first year He replied, “One who chants the holy name of Krsna once is a devotee.” The next year He responded, “One who continuously chants the holy name of Krsna is a devotee.” And the year after, He said, “One whose mere presence inspires others to chant is a devotee.”

Srila Prabhupada explains that each year, Lord Caitanya described a devotee on a more advanced platform of Krsna consciousness. The first year Lord Caitanya described the neophyte devotee who is just beginning to chant the holy name. The next year He described the advanced devotee who is accustomed to chanting the holy name and takes pleasure in it. And the year after that He described the perfect devotee whose mere presence inspires others to chant.

Who Is Lord Chaitanya?

The first in a special series of articles commemorating the five-hundredth anniversary of the appearance of Lord Chaitanya. By His life and teachings. He inaugurated the Krishna consciousness movement.

As we begin to celebrate the five-hundredth anniversary of the appearance of Sri Krishna Chaitanya (in March 1986), many people who have never heard the name Chaitanya (and perhaps even some who have never heard the name Krishna) will ask, “Who is Krishna Chaitanya, and what is His significance?”

If we turn to academic sources for an answer, we will find considerable historical data. A New History of India, by Stanley Wolpert, states, “In Bengal the most popular of all bhakti Hindu preachers was the teacher Chaitanya.” In A History of Indian Philosophy, the respected Surendranath Dasgupta writes, “The religious life of Chaitanya unfolds unique psychological symptoms of devotion which are perhaps unparalleled in … history… .” And the Encyclopaedia Brittannica refers to Lord Chaitanya’s “profound and continuing effect on the religious sentiments of his Bengali countrymen.” The Brittanica also states that Lord Chaitanya propagated “the community celebration [sankirtana] of Krishna as the most powerful means of bringing about the proper bhakti attitude.”

From the historical records about Lord Chaitanya, we certainly see a picture of a God-conscious saint who appeared in India during the sixteenth century. But we have to seek further—into the devotional Vedic literature—to understand the full, spiritual significance of Lord Chaitanya and the bhakti movement that He inaugurated.

We should consult the biographies of Lord Chaitanya, especially the Chaitanya-bhagavata, by Vrindavana dasa Thakura, and the Chaitanya-charitamrita, by Krishnadasa Kaviraja. Both of these

Sri Siksastakam

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most recent incarnation of Krsna. He appeared

500 years ago in Bengal and in the form of Krsna’s devotee in the mood of Srimati Radharani. He left only 8 slokas (verses) of his instructions in writing, and they describe the glories of the Holy Names of the Lord and the mood one must have to chant and to be a devotee.

cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha–davagni-nirvapanam shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritaswadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam

Glory to the Sri-Krsna-Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktis tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah etadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragaha

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

trinad api sunichena taror api sahishnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige,

Sri Krishna Chaitanya (Gauranga) Mahaprabhu – Appearance

‘Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts.’

by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura:

“This account originally appeared in a short work by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura entitled, ‘Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts.'(dated 20th August 1896.)”

This was taken from “Prologue” to “Teachings of Lord Caitanya”(A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 1974. pages xiii-xxii.)

Who better could we find to include here than the pure unalloyed devotee, and foremost scholar in Vaisnava circles Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to perform this task.

He starts his essay; “Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phalguna (1407 Sakadba), answering to the 18th of February 1486 of the Christian Era. The moon was eclipsed at the time of His birth, and the people of Nadia were then engaged, as was usual on such occasions, in bathing in the Bhagirathi with loud cheers of Haribol. His father, Jagannatha Misra, a poor ‘brahmana’ of the Vedic order, and His mother, Saci-devi, a model good woman, both descended from ‘brahmana’ stock originally residing in Sylhet. Mahaprabhu was a beautiful child, and the ladies of the town came to see Him with presents. His mother’s father, Pandita Nilambara Cakravarti, a renowned astrologer, foretold that the child would be a great personage in time; and he, therefore, gave him the name Visvambhara. The ladies of the neighbourhood styled him Gaurahari on account of His golden complexion, and His mother called Him Nimai on account of the ‘nimba’ tree near which He was born. Beautiful as the lad was, everyone heartily loved to see Him every day. As He grew up He became a whimsical and frolicsome lad. After His fifth year, He was admitted into a pathasala where He picked up Bengali in a very short time.

“Most of His contemporary biographers have mentioned certain anecdotes regarding Caitanya which are simple records of His early miracles. It is said that when He was an infant in His mother’s arms He wept continually, and when the neighbouring ladies cried ‘Haribol’ He used to stop. Thus there was a continuation of utterance of ‘Haribol’ in the house, foreshewing the future mission of the hero. It has also been stated that when His mother gave Him sweetmeats to eat, He ate clay instead of the food. His mother, asking for the reason, He stated that as every sweetmeat was nothing but clay

The Hidden Incarnation

Who is the incarnation that the  Vedic scriptures do not openly talk about?

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu-Is He an Incarnation?

In this Kali-yuga the incarnation is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is stated in the Shastra, krishna-varnam, Krishna varnayati: “He is simply chanting ‘Krishna,’ although He is Krishna Himself.” Krishnam-varnam tvisakrishnam. Therefore He has hidden Himself. His bodily color is more Krishna, but golden. Krishna has got four colors: Suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krishnatam gatah. So Krishna has another color: pita. Pita-varna-gaurah. That is Lord Caitanya. Therefore tvisa akrishna: “Bodily complexion, not Krishna.” Sangopangastra-parsadam: Followed by many devotees. – Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.3, Los Angeles, December 31, 1973

The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krishna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Radha and Krishna are one in Their identity, previously They separated Themselves. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Sri Krishna Caitanya.- Cc. adi 1.5

Why Hidden?

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He’s channa. Channa means “covered.” Lord Caitanya is a covered avatara, or incarnation, of the Supreme Lord because He appeared as a devotee. In the Kali-yuga He does not appear directly like other incarnations, such as Narsimhadeva, Vamanadeva, or Lord Ramachandra. He appears as a devotee. Why? Because He is the most magnanimous avatara. People are so foolish that they could not understand Krishna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to give mercy to the fallen souls, who are so foolish that they cannot

The Greed of the Lord

By Gour Govinda Swami

Bhubaneswar, India, March 17, 1992 – The Appearance Day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

WE SHOULD KNOW the cause for the appearance of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Lord Caitanya. There are two causes: external and internal. The external cause is to teach Kali-yuga dharma, the religion for Kali-yuga, the Age of Quarrel. That religion ishari-sankirtana, the chanting of the holy name.

kali-yuga dharma haya hari-sankirtana

etad arthe avatirna sri sacinandana
 Sacinandana, Lord Caitanya, the father of hari-sankirtana, appears for this purpose to teach the chanting of the holy name. 

ei kaye bhagavate sarva-tattva-sarakirtana-nimitta gauracandra-avatarakali-yuga sarva-dharma hari-sankirtanasarva prakacilena caitanya-narayanakali-yuge sankirtana-dharma palibareavatirna hoila prabhu sarva-parikare
 This is a quotation from Caitanya-Bhagavata. Lord Caitanya comes in Kali-yuga, especially the present Kali-yuga, with His abode and all His associates and paraphernalia. He offers and distributes the chief result of hari-nama-sankirtana Krsna-prema, love of God freely, indiscriminately.

brahmar durlabha prema saba kare yache
patita pamara nahi bache 
Even Brahma cannot easily get such prema, such love for God, but Lord Caitanya gives it to the most degraded, most sinful persons, such as Jagai and Madhai. Therefore He is known as Prema Purusottama, the Personality of Godhead who gives love of Godhead.

Five thousand years ago Krsna came in His own personal form. In His pastimes at Kuruksetra He taught the Bhagavad-gita through Arjuna to all mankind, giving confidential, more confidential, and

The Special Kindness of Lord Caitanya

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of the Supreme Lord, appeared in India in the fifteenth century. His mission was to freely distribute pure love of God to everyone without considering who was qualified or unqualified. He predicted that the whole world would one day hear the chanting of the Lord’s holy names. The first of the following three narratives is excerpted from Srila Prabhupada’s introduction to Srimad-Bhagavatam. The final two are taken from his English translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, an extensive account of Lord Caitanya’s life and teachings.

Delivering the Drunken Brothers

When Lord Caitanya was preaching in the town of Navadvipa, two of His closest associates, Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura, approached a noisy crowd on the main road. They learned from passers-by that two brothers, Jagai and Madhai, were once again causing a disturbance in a drunken condition. These two brothers had been born in a respectable brahmana family, but due to bad association they had become debauchees of the worst type. Not only were they drunkards, but they were also meat-eaters, woman hunters and thieves.

Nityananda Prabhu decided that these two fallen souls must be the first to be delivered by Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement. If they were delivered from their sinful ways, the good name of Lord Caitanya would be still more glorified. Thinking in this way, Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura pushed through the crowd and asked the two brothers to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.

This enraged Jagai and Madhai. The two drunks attacked Nityananda and Haridasa with filthy language, and chased them for a considerable distance. Later, when Lord Caitanya heard of the

Alone with the Holy Names.

Mahatma das: I happily and enthusiastically welcome the holy names every japa session.I easily chant my prescribed number of rounds with focus and attention.When I chant, I chant.I get to chant, I want to chant, and I love to chant.I treat the maha-mantra as Radha and Krsna, fully present in sound.I receive and feel Krsna’s presence, mercy and love in His holy names.I chant in full awareness that the holy name is my greatest treasure.I chant to please Radha and Krsna, not to gain anything material.I am out of my mind and in my heart, fully present to the holy names as I chant my rounds.I fully honour my sacred relationship with the holy names during japa.I chant to be accepted by Krsna, and to repair my broken relationship with Him.I chant from my heart, feelingly praying to come closer to Krsna.I meditate on the meaning of the names as I chant.I turn off my world and turn on Krsna’s world when I chant my rounds.I chant with no other motive than to render pure devotional service.My beads are my connection with Krsna and my ticket back to Godhead.I am totally dependent on guru and Krsna to chant quality japa.I organize my life to make japa the most important activity of my day.I relish chanting the holy names.

Vedic Evidence that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Lord

The appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu fulfilled each of the prophecies given here.

In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krsna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krsna Himself
~ Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32

In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyasa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees
~Mahabharata, Dana-dharma-parva, Chapter 189 (Visnu-sahasra-nama)

I shall appear in the holy land of Navadvipa as the son of Sacidevi
~Krsna-yamala-tantra

In the Age of Kali, when the sankirtana movement is inaugurated, I shall descend as the son of Sacidevi
~Vayu Purana

Sometimes I personally appear on the surface of the world in the garb of a devotee. Specifically, I appear as the son of Saci in Kali-yuga to start the sankirtana movement
~Brahma-yamala-tantra

The Supreme Person, Sri Krsna Himself, who is the life of Sri Radharani and is the Lord of the universe in creation, maintenance, and annihilation, appears as Gaura, O Mahesvari
~Ananta-samhita

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the supreme enjoyer, whose form is transcendental,

Preaching in the Workplace

Some devotees think, that because they are devotees, they must preach instantly to whomever they meet. Perhaps if we had the required force of purity, we could effect changes in people’s hearts on first contact. The reality is however, that not everyone has the required sukrti to appreciate our words; we have to create it for them.

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

Being in the workplace alongside the same faces, day in, and day out, can present challenges for a devotee keen on preaching. Simply letting everyone there know one is a devotee, who always has a superior say on any issue, will more likely cause others to think we are highly opinionated, and indifferent, who have lost the ability to socialise properly. This will lessen, or even destroy any chance of developing the required sukrti for them, to hear Lord Chaitanya’s messages.

Due to numerous reasons, most devotees and congregation members have to adapt to life at the workplace, which is like a second home away from home. While at work, devotees may bemoan their fate for being unable to preach unrestrictedly, and may also think their situation a big step down, or a demotion in life. The challenge of mixing with non-devotees, and earning a living from ‘mundane’ work, really is a blessing to help keep us Krishna conscious.

Distributing books on the street, or door to door, are more or less forthright preaching activities, which work on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis. People understand our motives and their choice to accept or reject, lasts as long as the encounter. In the workplace, or similar setting, this is not always possible. Other forms of preaching are required, which may not produce immediate results, but will pay handsome spiritual dividends later on. Patience is required for this.

Non-verbal preaching.

We need to understand that mostly, when people talk about things other than religion or politics

Krishna’s mercy that sent me to a children’s prison

“I am glad to see that my Thursday lectures have brought some changes in the mind of the young offenders. If the lectures are continued I am sure to turn these offenders into saintly characters.”

1962, Letter to Sri Puri, Superintendent, Tihar Prison

We all know that Krsna’s birthplace was a prison cell. Not many of us, however, know that before Srila Prabhupada left for the West, Srila Prabhupadaa brought Krishna’s message to the Tihar prison, Asia’s largest prison based out of Delhi, in the 1960s. Little did I realize that my own journey of transformation would start from a prison, albeit one for children.

By the year 2012, I had had a journey that many materialists would envy to have. Rising from a very humble beginning, I rose fast in the material world with my resume marked with global education and a 7-year corporate stint that concluded at a senior management position with an Indian multinational. This journey continued further when I left the corporate world and co-founded a leadership training organization wherein I had the opportunity to train over 3000+ young minds.

All was going fine (materially) and then came Krsna in my life starting with Srila Prabhupada’s Gita. I was not even half way done collecting the nectar of Gita that Krsna revealed his mercy further. Unsurprisingly, as he reveals “Yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih” (SB 10.88.8), I was showered with a series of material hardships – both personal and professional – in proportion I was never prepared to cope up with. Thankfully, He was there in the literary form to guide me along with Srila Prabhupada’s commentary. How I reached to accepting this conclusion is another story, but I soon concluded that I now want to only please Krsna in this life and lives ahead. Though this realization came too soon, I was neither sufficiently connected with devotees

Honoring the Pure Devotee

As the latest headlines and news reports from around the world become more disturbing for us all, it’s quite natural to wonder just where the joy of life has gone for so many people. The pressing threats of world war, terrorist attacks and a host of other menacing perils hang ominously above our heads as we go about our daily activities, hoping against hope that somehow everything will work out all right. Yet deep in our hearts we know that something might happen at a moment’s notice which can potentially destroy everything. Our precious lives — and the lives of our loved ones — hang in the balance. In reality, most of us don’t have much of a safety net except for a vague sense of faith that life will go on. If truth be told, we live on a wing and a prayer.

This constant state of insecurity may appear to be something new as a result of our so-called material advancement which has ushered in a new era replete with multiple means of mass destruction. But according to the Vedic scriptures, this is an age-old dilemma for humankind. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, spoke the following words 5,000 years ago:

abrahma-bhuvanal lokah
punar avartino’rjuna
mam upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (B.G. 8.16)

In this simple yet potent verse, we are confronted with both the problem and the solution to our material miseries and anxieties. According to Krishna, the Supreme Lord (and therefore the supreme authority), the very nature of this world is insecure because there is no permanent shelter here. Who can deny that life is constantly changing — for better or worse — no matter how much we struggle to make it stand still? As the old saying goes, “Time waits for no man.”

Krishna informs us that not only is this lifetime transitory, but there are more lifetimes, and they

The Temple of Jagannath at Puri

BY SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKUR

The history of the establishment of the great temple in Puri, and the hypocrisy of temple priests as opposed to sincere devotional worship in pure love of God. Written by the Thakur in English, 1871.

There is not a Hindu who has not heard the name of this temple. The old and the young, the male and the female, the Rajah and the ryot, and the weak and the stout, all visit this temple out of a religious curiosity. Three hundred and one miles south-west of the Vice-Regal palace at Calcutta, stands this famous temple close to the seashore affording an object for a telescopic observation to the new-comer on broad the ship bound for Bengal. It stands on a platform measuring 20 cubits in height from the level of water. The platform itself is 375 cubits by 400 cubits made of huge stone cemented with a mortar composed of lime and sand. The temple itself is 92 cubits in height of a structure purely Indian. The pilgrims sees its towering head from the distance of 7 miles where the shrewd Panda takes a rupee from him by showing him the holy Chakra.

This temple was erected by Raja Ananga Bhimbdeb about 800 years ago in place of another one, then in state of dilapidation. In old accounts we find this temple styled Niladri or the blue hill. From this it appears that the former temple which was probably raised by the emigrating Rajah Indradiumna was a blue or dark coloured one. Otherwise we cannot account for the name Nilachala unless we take it for granted that the name was after the Nilgiri Hills, a small range which runs through this Province from one end to the other.

The Utkalakhanda in the Puranas, the Niladri Mahodadhi, and the Matla Panjee (an account

Real Independence

During our residence on this planet, humanity has experienced many horrors- slavery, apartheid, concentration camps and many other nasty histories. Many countries celebrate independence from foreign subjugation, which were in many cases far from peaceful. Thus we can see what can go wrong when we become dependent on selfish leaders- Exploitation. Exploitation may be gross or subtle. People fear exploitation, but in general, we find exploitation everywhere. Some people are exploited and these same people may in turn exploit others. This reveals the innate desire for the conditioned soul to lord over material nature and of course other living entities. This is the flipside of our desire for independence. So we find people who are being exploited desiring freedom and we find the exploiters desiring to exert their independence over others. This is how society has been in our recent history and it will probably continue if we do not change our attitude. This is the reality of the Material World.

Since we have heard, seen or experienced exploitation, we may have reservations about authority. The Ultimate Authority is God but of course we are hesitant to accept theistic ideologies or philosophies because we fear exploitation by these people in the name of God.

However this should not dissuade the true seeker from the search of the Truth. If we see a man who is blind due to cataracts, it is ludicrous to recommend removal of the affected eyes. The prudent advice is to simply remove the cataracts, allowing the blind man to see. There may be pseudo spiritualists, but the there are real spiritualists too. In order to really understand any knowledge, it is necessary to learn it from one who is proficient in it. In the spiritual sphere this acquisition of spiritual knowledge from true spiritualists is essential for our divine eyes to see, since our gross senses have no entrance in the transcendental reality.

The desire for freedom or independence remains ingrained within us. It may not be a physical

The Story of Cyavana Muni

By Radhanath Swami

(SB 11.10.17)

Translation

Although the performer of fruitive activities desires perpetual happiness, it is clearly observed that materialistic workers are often unhappy and only occasionally satisfied, thus proving that they are not independent or in control of their destiny. When a person is always under the superior control of another, how can he expect any valuable results from his own fruitive actions?

Purport

Although materialistic persons reject Kṛṣṇa consciousness and instead pursue temporary sense gratification, even that sense gratification is often beyond their reach. If a person could really control his destiny, why would he create problems for himself? No intelligent person would impose death, old age or disease upon himself or his loved ones. One should recognize that these unwanted miseries are forced upon one by a higher power. Since we are all obviously under superior control, the atheistic philosophy advising one to simply perform fruitive activities and create a happy life is most imperfect.

Due to the influence of time, happiness and misery are created. When a woman becomes pregnant, her husband, relatives and friends eagerly await the birth of the child. As time passes and the child is born, everyone feels great happiness. But as the child grows into old age and eventually dies, that same passage of time is a cause of suffering. Ignorant persons vainly seek help from scientists who work feverishly and fruitlessly in their laboratories to stop death. In modern times, inventions have been created to eliminate the inconveniences of life, but the maintenance and production of such conveniences has proven to be unbearably inconvenient for hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. Only the most foolish person will propose that there is no superior controller and that one can achieve favorable results by expert

Krishna’s Kind Solution: Train Calves, Don’t Eat Them!

Bir Krishna the calf loves coconut fudge, and Sita the teamstress knows it. Her pockets bulge with the sweet as she and Bir walk to the training ring. Today the calf will learn his first call: “Get up!”

The earth is soft from the recent rain. Sita carries a lash and leads Bir with a rope tied to a blue halter. The calf bounds through a cluster of gnats, then slows as they come to the ring. What’s this?

The gate opens, and Bir walks in to explore. He treads the edge and sniffs the white hardwood boards. The ring is twenty- four feet in diameter. Hoofprints stud the grass and mud, the signatures of oxen training. The calf’s eyes blink and widen at his new surroundings. Sita wants to reassure her charge. She strokes his head behind the ears. “Good boy, Bir.”

Time to teach the call. Sita walks to the center of the ring and lets the rope slacken. She raises the lash and taps Bir on the rump (“Get up!”), goading him forward. She follows him closely, indicating with her body he should keep going. When he stops, another tap. “Get up!”

A few times and Bir has made the connection between the tap and the call. “Good boy, Bir. Come here …” The calf walks over to Sita, who kneels and holds up a piece of fudge. A crumb falls on the kerchief crowning her hair, flaxen from the sun. A flick and a lick and Bir has it, his lotus eyes beaming. They are making a pact, animal and human, sealed in mud and trust.

At three months, Bir is the youngest calf at Gita-nagari, the Hare Krishna farm community in central Pennsylvania. Unlike his brethren in modern “factory farms,” Bir will never suffer the “veal-crate fate.” Every year, more than one million male calves are born into darkness, and kept there, chained round the neck in a stall so tiny they can neither stand up nor turn around. To keep their flesh pale and tender, they are denied sunlight, exercise, and even solid food. Their liquid diet of

Naive Literalism

In each of its twelve cantos, Srimad-Bhagavatam, the “flawless ripened fruit of all Vedic scriptures,” tells of miracles and mysticism, of the esoteric and extraterrestrial. We hear a cow, bull, elephant, monkey, and bird speaking deep philosophy. We learn of the four-headed creator who sits atop a lotus flower, of a magnificent aerial mansion, and of a five-year-old who pushes down half the earth with his toe and makes demigods suffocate. We learn of people giving birth to tens of thousands of children, of people with a thousand heads or arms, of an ocean of milk that is churned by demigods and demons using a snake for a rope. We are also given detailed information about this extraordinary universe we live in. For example, from the Fifth Canto (16.16–17):

“On the lower slopes of Mandara Mountain is a mango tree named Devacuta. It is 1,100 yojanas [8,800 feet] high. Mangoes as big as mountain peaks and as sweet as nectar fall from the top of this tree for the enjoyment of the denizens of heaven. When all those solid fruits fall from such a height, they break, and the sweet, fragrant juice within them flows out and becomes increasingly more fragrant as it mixes with other scents. That juice cascades from the mountain in waterfalls and becomes a river called Arunoda, which flows pleasantly through the eastern side of Ilavrta.”

What is a pragmatic, logical, scientific mind to do with such information? Shall we see the whole body of work as mythology? Or glean its essential spiritual truths and leave aside the fantastic aspects as entertainment used to convey those truths? Or shall we suspend our disbelief and

Give Yourself A Break Before You Break Down

Imagine a person working on a computer that has viruses. He is busy typing, but the computer is hung. A computer expert informs him, “Sir, you need to install an anti-virus.” He responds curtly, “Don’t disturb me; I am busy.” The expert points out, “But Sir, your computer is not working; so all your work will be fruitless without the anti-virus” He retorts, “I will not be affected by your pessimism.”

Could we be like this thoughtlessly busy person? The Vedic texts explain that we are spiritual beings; our physical body is like the hardware and the mind the software. Often our mind gets infected by the viruses of irritation, depression, frustration, worry, hatred, envy, anger. When these negative thoughts take control of our mind, they make our system practically dysfunctional. Just as viruses prevent the user from accessing his own computer, these emotions block us from accessing our own intelligence. Just as a virus-infected computer produces hardly any worthwhile result, no matter how much the user types on it, a negatively infected mind can hardly do any clear thinking and effective functioning, no matter how much the person works.

These mental viruses infect us when we let ourselves become overwhelmed by excessive material desires for either the gross pleasures like smoking and drinking or the subtle gratifications of the ego. When we forget our spiritual identity and glory as beloved children of the Supreme Lord, we start thinking of such unnecessary material desires as necessary, resulting in a variety of negative emotions. All negative emotions are just permutations and combinations of six primal negative drives, namely lust, anger, greed, envy, pride and illusion. In Sanskrit, these are called as anarthas. An means not and artha means value or meaning. So anartha refers to that which is

How to understand God (Krishna) ?

Sometimes people say that they want to see God, or that God is not perceivable. And this is confirmed in the Vedic scripture, but with additional points of instruction on how we can perceive the Supreme Being. The Svetasvatara Upanishad (4.20) explains “His form of beauty is imperceptible to mundane senses. No one can see Him with material eyes. Only those who realize, through deep pure-hearted meditation, this Supreme Personality, who resides in everyone’s heart, can attain liberation.”

Krishna lila or His pastimes are eternally going on in the spiritual world, whereas they appear to be happening only at certain points in time within the material energy. However, one who has purified his or her consciousness can still witness these activities even while in the material body. This can especially happen at the holy places (dhamas) where the spiritual and material energies overlap, and where the spiritual world appears with this material domain. Such places include Vrindavana, Mathura, Jagannatha Puri, Dwaraka, etc. And when the Lord is pleased with your service, He can reveal Himself to you. In this way, many greatly elevated and pure devotees of Krishna have been able to have personal darshan of the Lord and witness His pastimes even while in the material body. Then they may leave instructions for the rest of us to follow so that we can do the same. This is verification that the process of devotion, bhakti-yoga, works.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.29) continues with this point. “My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, one can understand the greatness of Your Personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years.”

The Katha Upanishad (1.2.23) also relates “The Supreme Soul can neither be attained by studying the Veda, nor by sharp intelligence, nor by hearing many discourses on the scriptures. However, the Lord reveals His original transcendental form to the soul who embraces Him within the heart as the only Lord and Master. That soul alone can attain Him–the Supreme Soul, the Personality of

Manu in the Bible and the History of Mankind

“The Manu named King Satyavrata formerly saved himself by tying the small boat of the entire world to the horn of the Matsya avatara, the fish incarnation. By the grace of the Matsya avatara, Manu saved himself from the great danger of the flood. May that same fish incarnation save us from the great and fearful danger caused by the son of Tvashta.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam 6.9.23)

A single event of the ancient world has been covered by a number of scriptures—even though some of these old historical texts are not generally considered as Vedic. Elements of the history of Vaivasvata Manu, our current Manu, can be found as the story of “Noah and the Flood” both in the Bible and in theKoran. The great flood is also described in some other scriptures including the Book of Enoch and theBook of Jasher. The inundation is also described in the Sumerian epic poem Gilgamesh. Manu, who is the progenitor of humanity, has made a significant mark on history. Therefore it is natural that he has been discussed in numerous scriptures from different periods throughout millennia. It would appear that the Noah we read about in the Bible is none other than the current Vaivasvata Manu.

The Book of Jasher, which is an apocryphal work (and which is twice mentioned in the Bible) says the following in 4.13-14 about the birth of Manu:

“And the wife of Lemech conceived and bore him a son at that time, at the revolution of the year. And Metushelach called his name Noach, saying, ‘The ground was in his days at rest and free from

Krishna story: Formula to Make Greatest Profit in Life

Once upon a time, a greedy, rich man hired a great mathematician. The rich man wanted the mathematician to find the best way for him to make the greatest profit in everything he did. The rich man was building a huge safe, and his greatest dream was to fill it with gold and jewels.

The mathematician was shut away for months in his study, before finally believing he had found the solution. But he soon found there were some errors in his calculations, and he started all over again.

One night he appeared at the rich man's house, with a big smile on his face: "I found it!" he said, "My calculations are perfect." The rich man was going on a long journey the next day, and didn't have time to listen. He promised the mathematician he would pay him double his wages if he would take charge of the business while he was away, and put the new formulas into practice. Excited by his new discovery, the mathematician was delighted to accept.

When the rich man returned, months later, he found that all of his possessions had gone. Furious, he went to ask for an explanation from the mathematician. The mathematician calmly told him what he had done. He had given everything away to people. The rich man couldn't believe it, but the mathematician

Krishna story: Punya from Cleaning a Tiny Part of Vishnu’s Temple!

A person who is devoted to Vishnu is eternally blessed.

Many years ago, a brahmana named Devamali lived in the land of Raivata.

He was learned in the Vedas, pitiful towards other living beings, and devoted to Vishnu.

But unfortunately, he had many sons, friends and a wife to take care of.

Making a living was difficult and Devamali was constrained to trade in objects that no brahmana should touch. He also interacted with outcasts. He thus committed many sins.

After some years, two sons named Yajnamali and Sumali were born to Devamali.

With great care and perseverance, the father taught the sons how to make money.

By then, Devamali himself had made a lot of money and had accumulated a lot wealth.

One day, he sat down to count his wealth and discovered that he had millions and millions of coins.

He thought to himself, "I had made a lot of money; look at the number of coins I have accumulatd. Unfortunately, I have had to do this through evil means, by means of trading in objects that I should not even have touched. But is it not strange that, despite all my riches, my thirst for more wealth remains

Krishna story: Delivered by Mercy of Sage!

~From Narada Purana

In satya yuga there lived a hunter named Kanika.

He was a robber and stole other people’s property.

He oppressed others and killed hundreds of cows and brahmanas.

He even stole objects from temples.

So myriad were his sins that it would take millions of years to catalogue them all.

One day, the hunter went to the city of Soubira.

There was a temple to Vishnu there and a number of golden pots adorned the top of the temple.

Kanika was delighted to see these golden pots.

He thought that he would be able to steal a lot of gold.

Accordingly, he entered the premises of the temple at night.

A sage named Utanaka was sleeping in the courtyard of the temple.

Kanika decided that the sage was an obstacle to his stealing the golden pots.

He therefore placed his feet on the sage’s chest and prepared to behead him with a sword.

Utanka woke up. "Why are you trying to kill me?" he asked. "I have done you no harm. People only kill those who have done them some harm. It is a sin to punish those who have not committed any

Danger story: Don’t find faults in others!

( Please read this story – it can save you from lot of troubles! )

Once there was a king who distributed food to the brahmanas.

One day, as he was giving out food to the priests, an eagle flew above holding a dead snake in his claws. Out of the mouth of the dead snake fell a drop of poison into the food that the king was distributing.

No one knew or saw that this had happened, so the king continued distributing the food.

The Brahmin who accidentally got the poisoned food from king died, and the king was feeling very said about it.

One of the servants of Yamaraj (the god of death) who has the service to distribute karma to the living beings has a problem. When this incident with the king and the poisoned food happened, however, he did not know who to give the karma to.

After all, it was not the eagle’s fault that it carried the dead snake in its claws (since this was its food), nor was it the dead’s snake fault, nor was it the king’s fault because he did not know that the poison fell into the food.

However, one day, few other brahmanas entered the kingdom in order to meet the king.

A lady was sitting next to the road and they asked her: “Do you know where the king’s palace is and how

The Four Letters Sent by Yamaraja!

 A man by the name of Amrita, living on earth, thought to himself that the one thing he feared most was death.

To avoid death, Amrita practised austerities and concentrated his mind upon Lord Yama, the Lord of Death.

Lord Yama was pleased and granted a vision to Amrita.

Lord Yama said: “My presence is only available to those who are about to die or already dead. Yet I granted you my vision while you are still living, pleased by your penances”.

Amrita said: “I ask this favour of you. If death is inevitable, I ask that if I am to die, then at least send me a letter before death so that I can make proper provision for my family before departure and also prepere myself for my next life with proper sadhana and worship of Krishna”

Lord Yama said, “Sure, I shall certainly do this. But as soon as you get the message, please set about making the preparations.”, and he disappeared.

Many years passed after this. Amritas hair began gradually to turn grey, but he was living a life full of

Yamaraja story: Be on time with your appointment moments with Krishna!

Once there lived a small boy call Ravi who was born in a pious devoted family.

His parents, grand-mother were all sincere devotees of the Lord.

They are very strict in their sadhana and used to regularly worship the Lord, serve prasadam to the devotees etc.

But Ravi was always a bit playful and negligent in his sadhana.

He was always late for offering prayers to the Lord. His grandmother advised him that its not correct to give least priority to the Lord.

But Ravi never bothered to listen to the same.

After some time, he met with and accident and died.

At that time when Yamadutas approached him.

He was very scared to see them and was trying to recollect the moments when he had done prayers with

All About Maha Shivarathri

Maha Shivarathri & Its Significance 

Siva Ratri worship of Lord Siva. Devotees may bathe a Siva-linga in water and panca-gavya (five substances from the cow) and offer Krsna-prasada to Lord Siva. Fasting is optional for Vaisnavas.

Every lunar month on the 13th or 14th day of the dark half of the moon phase there is a Shivaratri but in the Vedic month of Phalgun (February-March) there is a Maha Shivaratri. The ceremony takes place mainly at night, which is observed in the honour of Lord Shiva, who was married to Parvati (Mother Durga) on this day.

Devotees of Lord Shiva generally observe a strict fast on this day and some go to the extent of a nirjal fast i.e. they do not even have a sip of water.

They stay awake the entire night. The Shiva lingam is worshipped throughout the night by washing it every three hours with milk, yogurt, ghee, honey and so forth, whilst chanting of the mantra “Om namah shivaya”, continues. Offering of bael leaves are made to the Lingam. Bael leaves are very sacred (as Tulsi to Lord Vishnu and dhar to Mother Durga are very pleasing to Them) and Lord Shiva becomes pleased with that offering. Many different hymns glorifying Lord Shiva are sung with intense fervour and devotion. Aspirants perform japa of the Panchakshara mantra “ Om namah Shivaya”

He who utters the names of Lord Shiva during Shivaratri with perfect devotion and concentration is freed from all sins that he/she have committed. He/she reaches the abode of Lord Shiva and resides very happily there.

NOTE: the Vaishnavas however worship Lord Shiva on this day in order to receive His blessings to become a better devotee of Lord Krishna (Vishnu) and not to attain residence in the abode of Shiva.

When creation was completed Lord Shiva and Parvati Mata went to live on the top of Mount Kailash.

Parvati asked, “O adorable lord, which of the many rituals observed in your honour pleases you the most.” 

The Lord replied, “the fourteenth night of the new moon in the dark fortnight during the month of Phalgun, is my favorite day. It is called Maha Shivaratri. My devotees give me great joy and happiness bymere fasting than by ceremonial baths and offerings of flower, sweets and incense.”

“The devotee observes strict spiritual discipline in the day and worships me in four different forms