Vaishnav Calendar:February 2017

*Nityanada Triyodasi*

Vaishnava Calendar FEBRUARY 2017

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faith begins from the tongue

Citsukhananda: When we were first coming to this movement, Srila Prabhupada, we opened Bhagavad-gita. Myself, I read. I said, "I don't understand this." So I began to clean the floor, wash the dishes, cut the vegetables...

Prabhupada: Yes, very good.

Citsukhananda: And then by your...

Prabhupada: Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau [Brs. 1.2.234]. By service only. You can understand God simply by service. There is no other way. And the faith begins from the tongue. You see? Therefore it is advised that you chant and take prasada. Then faith will come. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. It begins... The faith begins from the tongue. "Why?" People will be surprised. "Faith must begin from the mind, from the eyes, and why it is said tongue?" They do not know. That is also faith, that "Simply engaging tongue in the service of the Lord, I shall understand." So this is also blind faith. But actually it is happening. Chant Hare Krsna and take{iul prasadam. That's all.

 Morning Walk -- July 21, 1975, San Francisco

What is the difficulty for Kṛṣṇa?

Girirāja: Everything. So is it the same living soul, Arjuna, in each universe, or a different living being may be taking that position?

Prabhupāda: Take it for granted, different. What is the wrong there? After all, everyone is Kṛṣṇa's expansion. Ānanda cinmāyā-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ [Bs. 5.37]. We are also expansion. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. But still, we have got individuality. Kṛṣṇa proved it—I explained that in Vṛndāvana when everything was stolen by Brahmā. Again another batch of cows and calves and cowherds boys. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Immediately. What is the difficulty for Kṛṣṇa? Is it clear or not? You wanted to clarify. Is it clear or not?

Satsvarūpa: Yes, you said the answer is that it's different persons, not just one Arjuna, not just one Yaśodā.

Prabhupāda: Just like I have got hundred branches. Each branch I have got a set of my sitting room, of my books and everything. And wherever I go I see the same place. If it is possible for an ordinary man to have a hundred sets of the same thing, why not for Kṛṣṇa?

Girirāja: So in each branch you have a different cook, different president, different treasurer...

Prabhupāda: But the set is there, what I want. The set is there.

Girirāja: Yes. Now in the case of Jaya and Vijaya, who fell down and took the role of demons, after three births as demons, they were supposed to go back to the spiritual world. So after the three births in this universe, were the same pastimes going on in other universes.?

Prabhupāda: Yes, why not? Whenever Kṛṣṇa desires that He is to fight with somebody, another must prepare himself for fighting, becomes His enemy. Because in the Vaikuṇṭha world there is no chance of fighting, therefore He sends His devotees to become His enemy and there He fights.

Girirāja: So other living entities would play the part of Rāvaṇa in other universes?

Prabhupāda: Why not? Or any other way.

Mahāṁsa: We cannot actually conceive of all these things.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa being the reservoir of all pleasure, so the pleasure of fighting is there. So He can exhibit anywhere. [break] That is the understanding of Kṛṣṇa. As soon as we limit Kṛṣṇa like one of us, or little bigger than me, then I become doctor frog. (aside:) Don't come near. Why don't you tell them? [break]

 Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay

Ekādaśī means fasting and chanting

Prabhupāda: No. Ekādaśī means that, fasting and chanting.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes I'm wondering, because our men have to go out on book distribution.

Prabhupāda: No, no. That is also preaching work. For that purpose you can stop this, but generally, one who has no preaching work, he can chant.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Extra.

Prabhupāda: Extra.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I see. (end)

Morning Walk -- February 11, 1976, Māyāpura

Devotee's highest position

A devotee's highest position is in preaching all over the world the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the devotees are actually the representatives of the Supreme Lord, and as such they travel all over the world directly as Nārāyaṇa because they carry Nārāyaṇa within their hearts and preach His glories.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.16

"So you are pāmara."

Indian man: [break] ...my weekly visits, that Jyoti Swami showed me that incident at Japan(?), and he asked me, "Have you seen...?"

Prabhupāda: Doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. Doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. Makṣikā bhramarā icchanti...(?) Maksikā, these ordinary flies, they find out where is sore, and the bhramarā, he finds out where is honey. Similarly, doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. And the Bhaktivedanta Swami is doing preaching all over the world—that has not come to his eyes. He has come to the Japanese incident. He has come.

Indian man: Yes, I told him there might be some, in a big organization, such a...

Prabhupāda: No, why did you not say, "You are such a pamara that this thing has come to your notice and not other thing"?

Indian man: That I told him. For that he began to say, "No, no, you read my literature. You'll be.... We don't have any envy." I took that also with me, and he gave me.... Next time, when I went, after reading, I said, "How many mistakes are there? Not even a single dot is mistake in other literature, and still you say this literature? And what is new therein? Nothing new."

Prabhupāda: Just try to understand that whatever it may be, what is the mentality of these rascals, that "The good things do not come to your notice." If something is bad, "Oh, here is..." You see. Pāmarāḥ doṣam icchanti guṇam icchanti paṇḍitāḥ. Saj-janā guṇam icchanti doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. That means they are not even a Vaiṣṇava. You see? 

Vaiṣṇava means paramo nirmatsarāṇām [SB 1.1.2]. Even one has got some fault, a Vaiṣṇava does not see that. He takes the good qualities. But they are not even Vaiṣṇava. Yes. Doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. The mission of Gau..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is being preaching all over the.... That does not come to their.... Some Japanese paper has written something—it has come immediately. Doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. That fool, that he's a.... Here is a pāmara, and he's a lowest of the mankind. You can say that "Why this thing has come prominent to your eyes and not the other thing?"

Indian man: No, I did say in my own way, though I did not quote this, that "You are a pāmara." I said, "Why..."

Prabhupāda: Yes, you can say now, that "That day I forgot to say that you are a pāmara. So I have come to say that you are a pāmara." (laughter) "I forgot it. Excuse me, I forgot it. So you are pāmara."

Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami and The Appearance of Sri Radha-Raman

After Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's disappearance Gopala Bhatta Gosvami felt intence separation from the Lord. To relieve his devotee, the Lord instructed Gopala Bhatta in a dream :"If you want my darsan then make a trip to Nepal".

In Nepal, Gopala Bhatta bathed in the famous Kali-Gandaki River. Upon dipping his waterpot in the river, he was surprised to see several Shaligrama Shilas enter his pot. He dropped the shilas back into the river, but the shilas re-entered his pot when he refilled it.

After emptying and refilling his waterpot for the third time, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami found twelve Shaligrama shilas sitting there. Thinking this must be the Lords mercy, he kept all the shilas and returned to Vrndavana.

Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami used to worship twelve Shaligram silas. Wherever he would go he would bring them with him in a piece of cloth tied at the corner. One day a wealthy man (Seth) came to Vrndavana and offered Gopala Bhatta a variety of clothing and ornaments for his Shaligrams. Being very impressed with the Gosvami he wanted his darshan and to render some service which he presented in the form of some valuable cloths and ornaments. However, Gopala Bhatta couldn't use these for his round-shaped Shaligrams, so he advised the donor to give the Deity decorations to someone else, but the Seth insisted. Gopala Bhatta kept the cloths and ornaments with his shilas. While Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was absorbed in remembering how the half-man, half-lion form of the Supreme Lord had manifested from the pillar in Hiranyakasipu's palace, he prayed in transcendental lamentation to the Lord: "Oh my Lord, you are very merciful and always fulfill the desires of your devotees. I wish to serve you in your form, having arms and legs and blissful smiling face, with lotus eyes.... If I had a Deity then I would be able to decorate Him so nicely with these clothes and ornaments."

In the evening after offering some bhoga and arotika to his Shalagram shilas, Gopala Bhatta put them to rest, covering them with a wicker basket. Late in the night, Gopala Bhatta took a little rest and then, in the early morning went to take bath in the Yamuna river. Returning from his bath, he uncovered the Shalagramas in order to render the puja for Them, and saw amongst Them a Deity of Krishna playing the flute. There were now eleven shilas and this Deity. The "Damodara shila", had manifested as the beautiful three-fold bending form of tri-bhangananda-krishna. Floating in the ocean of ecstasy, he fell to the ground in order to offer his dandavats and then recited various prayers and hymns. This wonderful event of the appearance day of RadhaRaman happened on the day after Sri Nrisimha Chaturdasi, and is celebrated on that day accordingly. That day they offer 500 liters of milk for the Lord's pleasure and many other sweets and different things. The RadhaRaman temple has the highest standard of Deity worship in all of Vraj.

When Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis as well as many other devotees received news of this miraculous event they came running to see the Lord. Gazing on the Lord's transcendental form, which bewildered all the living entities of the many various planets, they all bathed Him with their tears. This Deity whom the Gosvamis named, "Sri Radha-raman Deva" made His appearance on the full moon day of Vaisakha in the year 1542. Except for Vrindadevi, Sri Radha-Ramanaji is the only one of the original Deities of Vrindavana who never left to go to Jaipur. Sri Sri Radha-raman-ji is still being worshipped in Vrindavana near Nidhuban kunj in the compound of the temple.

The Deity is called Radha-raman although physically there is no apparent Deity of Radha there. As one can see from the picture at the top of this page, that to the right of the picture (to Ramanji's left) is a place setting for Srimati Radhika. In this way the pujaris worship Sri Radha and Ramanji together.

Measure the activities

"There are many disciples of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, but to judge who is actually his disciple, to divide the useful from the useless, one must measure the activities of such disciples in executing the will of the spiritual master."

- Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 12.12 Purport

"Cut off family connection and enter into Kṛṣṇa's family"

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to cut off family connection and enter into Kṛṣṇa's family,not void. We are not impersonalists or voidists. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they are impersonalists. They think, "Kṛṣṇa is person. Kṛṣṇa's activities are all personal. So this is also māyā." Because they are Nirviśeṣavādī, their ultimate goal is nirviśeṣa-brahman. So anything personal, they cannot accept it. And the Buddhist philosophy is to zero, śūnyavādi. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi. The whole world is now corrupted with these two kinds of philosophies: nirviśeṣa-śūnyavāda, impersonalism and voidism. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy is not voidism, not impersonalism. Vaiṣṇava philosophy means to know the Absolute Truth as person. Impersonal realization of the Absolute Truth is partial knowledge. It is not complete, because the Absolute Truth is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Vigraha means form. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.

 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.43 -- Māyāpura, October 23, 1974

"They are Vaikuntha children"

These children are given to us by Krishna, they are Vaisnavas and we must be very careful to protect them. These are not ordinary children, they are Vaikuntha children, and we are very fortunate we can give them chance to advance further in Krishna Consciousness. That is very great responsibility, do not neglect it or be confused. Your duty is very clear.

Letter to: Arundhati — Amsterdam 30 July, 1972

Why we observe The Ekādaśī

The Ekādaśī, why we observe? To become pure. Brahmacarya tapasya, austerity, penance, celibacy, keeping the mind always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, keeping the body always cleansed—these things will help us to keep us in goodness.

 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.8 -- Seattle, October 21, 1968

Just like Ekādaśī day—there is no eating sumptuously. Simply you take little fruits and flowers. Try to avoid that also. You don't take even water. That is really ekādaśī. But because we cannot do it—in the Kali-yuga the time is different—therefore we are allowed to take little fruit and milk, which is called anukalpa. These are different methods of tapasya.

 Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 7, 1971

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes we have heard that ekādaśī is a inauspicious alignment of the planets and therefore one has to counteract this inauspiciousness by more chanting.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) No, no. It is the most auspicious. And chanting is more effective. [break] Yes.

 Morning Walk -- July 5, 1975, Chicago

"One who has got intelligence, he has got power."

buddhir yasya balaṁ tasya

nirbuddhes tu kuto balam

paśya siṁho madonmataḥ

śaśakena nipātitaḥ

There is a story that a lion was killed by a rabbit. Śaśakena nipātitaḥ. Why? Now, buddhir yasya balaṁ tasya: "One who has got intelligence, he has got power." A lion is very mighty, ferocious animal, and a śaśaka, a ordinary rabbit, he killed a lion. How? Now the lion was disturbing all animals, so all the animals held a meeting and called the lion: "Sir, you do not try to kill us all, hunting after everyone. We shall go voluntarily every day, one of us. So you don't create disturbance. Let us become peaceful." So lion agreed, "All right, if you voluntarily come, I will sleep, and if you enter in my mouth..." So this was the agreement. There was the turn of one rabbit. So he planned something. So he went to the lion a little late. 

So lion was very angry that "Why you have come late? I am very hungry, and you did not come." (laughter) So the rabbit said, "Sir, there was a danger in the way." "What is that?" "There is another lion, and he wanted to kill me and eat, so I protested, 'No, sir, you cannot kill me. (laughter) I am destined to be killed by such and such lion, so you cannot do it.' " 

So he was very much pleased: "Where is that lion?" "Please come. I will show you." So he took him near one well. So he... The rabbit said, "He is living within this." (laughter) The lion immediately... "Come on. Make a how!' " So there was vibration, still higher sound, and he saw his photo, yes, shadow. So he thought it, "Yes, there is lion." He immediately jumped over him. (devotees laugh) Finished. So how the lion was killed by the rabbit? Now, buddhir yasya balaṁ tasya: "One who has got intelligence, he has got power."

 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.44 -- Los Angeles, June 10, 1976

"I never said that"

So when I started this movement, somehow or other, I tried to fix up the mind of these boys in Kṛṣṇa. In the beginning I never said that "You have to do this. You have to do that." But somehow or other, they are very nice boys, so they fixed up their mind in Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting. Kṛṣṇa and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa—the same thing. Therefore we... Our process is to chant, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31], chant Hare Kṛṣṇa always. Then the mind becomes... Chant and hear. Yena tena prakāreṇa. Then everything will be complete. 

It is so... As we are fallen at the present moment in this age, the remedy is also very effective. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya paraṁ vrajet [SB 12.3.51]. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya nitya-muktaḥ paraṁ vrajet. 

This is the special advantage of this Kali-yuga, because people are so fallen that it is very difficult to raise them to the standard of spiritual understanding by the prescribed method. Prescribed method means tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena niyamena tyāgena [SB 6.1.13]. It is very difficult. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us His blessings, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31].

 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975

New Year Morning Sankirtan and Shobha Yatra in Jaipur

Gita Marathon Prize Distribution on New Year's Eve

On 31st December, New Year's eve Hare Krishna Community organized a prize distribution ceremony for the Gita Marathon 2016. In this marathon the devotees distributed 16,385 books with great energy and enthusiasm.

Sankirtan

Book Distribution Experiences

Prize Distribution to Top Book Distribution Teams and Leading Book Distributors

Prasadam Distribution