Balarama Purnima

Balarama Purnima
The Apperance Day of Lord Balarama

We share with you some Balarama Nectar to honor His Apperance Day. By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The foremost manifestation of Kṛṣṇa is Saṅkarṣaṇa, who is known as Ananta. He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to the appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa, this original Saṅkarṣaṇa will appear as Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa in His transcendental pastimes. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.24)

Śrī Baladeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. He is equal in supremacy to the Supreme Godhead, yet wherever Kṛṣṇa appears, Śrī Baladeva appears as His brother, sometimes elder and sometimes younger. When Kṛṣṇa appears, all His plenary expansions and other incarnations appear with Him. This is elaborately explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. This time, Baladeva would appear before Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa’s elder brother. (Purport)

“One devotee described the personal beauty of Baladeva as follows “Let me take shelter of the lotus feet of Balarāma, whose beauty is enhanced by the earrings touching His cheeks. His face is decorated with tilaka made from kastūrī [musk], and His broad chest is decorated with a garland of guñjā [small conchshells]. His complexion is as white as an autumn cloud, He wears garments of blue color, and His voice is very grave. His arms are very long, touching His thighs, and He has shown His great strength by killing the Pralamba demon. Let me take shelter of this chivalrous Balarāma.” (Nectar of Devotion Chapter 41)

Once when Krishna, Balarama and the cowherd boys were walking through the forests of Vrndavana Krishna spoke the following affectionate words to His brother:

My dear brother, You are the supreme worshipable Godhead. Just see how the peacocks are dancing before You in great ecstasy. The deer, whose behavior is just like that of the gopis, are welcoming You with the same affection. And the cuckoos who are residing in this forest are welcoming You with their joyful, sweet cries because they consider that Your appearance in their home is so auspicious. Even though they are trees and animals, these residents of Vrndavana are glorifying You. They are prepared to welcome You to the best of their ability, as is the practice of great souls in receiving another great soul at home. As for the land, it is so pious and fortunate because the footprints of Your lotus feet are marking its body.
(Krishna Book Ch. 15 “The Killing of Dhenukasura”)

“Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are not two different Personalities of Godhead. God is one without a second, but He expands Himself in many forms without their being separate from one another. They are all plenary expansions. The immediate expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa is Baladeva, and Brahmā, born from the lotus flower from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is an expansion of Baladeva. This indicates that Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva are not subjected to the regulations of the universe; on the contrary, the whole universe is under Their subjugation. They appeared at the request of Brahmā to liberate the burden of the world, and They relieved the world by many superhuman activities so that everyone became happy and prosperous. Without the grace of the Lord, no one can become happy and prosperous. Because the happiness of the family of the Lord’s devotees depends on the happiness of the Lord…” (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.1.26 Purport)

Sri Rupa Goswami

Sri Rupa Goswami
By Gauridasa Pandita Prabhu

Today is the disapperance day of Sri Rupa Goswami and Gauridasa Pandita

Sri Rupa Goswami

Gaudiya Vaisnava’s, Devotees today and in the future are known as Rupanugas, followers of Sri Rupa Gosvami. Every devotee should aspire to become a servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Sri Rupa Gosvami. Sri Narottama Dasa Thakura sings, sri-rupa-manjari-pada, se more sampada, sei mor bhajana pujana: “The feet of Sri Rupa-manjari (Rupa Gosvami’s eternal form as Sri Radha’s maidservant in Vraja) are my only wealth. They are the only object of my service and worship.”

Srila Rupa Goswami was an incarnation of Rupa Manjari, the most important of the eight confidential maidservants of Srimati Radharani in the spiritual world. It is said that without taking shelter of Srila Rupa Goswami one cannot enter into the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya, and without taking shelter of Rupa Manjari one cannot enter into the confidential loving pastimes of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.

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Iskcon Guru Tattva Siddhanta

Iskcon Guru Tattva Siddhanta
By Madhavananda Das
December 27, 1998 (VNN) 2746

(The following is a series of quotes from Srila Prabhupada relevant to the ISKCON guru issue. The quotes are presented in a logical order which addresses the entire issue point by point. Let us hear the perfected words of our beloved spiritual master.)

There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple’s spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions. (Adi 1.47)

“…in order to receive the real message of Srimad Bhagavatam one should approach the current link, or spiritual master in the chain of disciplic succession.” (S.B. 2.9.7)

“…disciplic succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially. Disciplic succession means to accept the disciplic conclusion. (Letter Dinesh 10/31/69)

In other words, the spiritual master awakens the sleeping living entity to his original consciousness so that he can worship Lord Visnu. This is the purpose of diksa, or initiation. Initiation means receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness. (Madhya 9.61)

Diksa actually means initiating a disciple with transcendental knowledge by which he becomes freed from all material contamination. (Madhya 4.110)

Initiation or no initiation, first thing is knowledge. (break) …knowledge. Initiation is formality. Just like you go to a school for knowledge, and admission is formality. That is not very important thing. (Conv. 10/16/76)

In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully, so if there is anything which you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop.(Letter Baharupa 11/22/74)

Everyone of you must regularly read our books at least twice, in the morning and evening, and automatically all questions will be answered. (Letter Ranadhir 1/24/70)

“I shall remain your personal guidance, physically present or not physically, as I am getting personal guidance from my Guru Maharaja.” (Conv. 7/14/77)

Generally a spiritual master who constantly instructs a disciple in spiritual science becomes his initiating spiritual master later on.” (Adi 1.35)

Sometimes a diksa-guru is not present always. Therefore one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa-guru. (Lec 7/4/77 Honolulu)

You simply say, “Krsna said four things: man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. ‘Just always think of Me.’ Krsna said. ‘And just become My devotee. Just worship Me and offer obeisances.’ Kindly do these things.” So if you can induce one person to do these four things, you become guru. Is there any difficulty? (Conv. 2/8/76 Paris)

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Srila Prabhupada is the Diksa Guru for ISKCON

Vani Seva
By Ananda devi dasi
May 12 2009, UK

“In the absence of physical presentation of the Spiritual Master, the vaniseva is more important. My Spiritual Master Saraswati Goswami, may appear to be physically not present but still I try to serve His Instruction, I never feel separated from Him” (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, August 22, 1970)

After the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada His instructions remained the same, they didn’t change. Therefore Srila Prabhupada is the Diksa Guru and His ISKCON-specific instructions and the process of Diksa remains the same. A disciple who has had no chance of serving the Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada, when He was in His Vapuh, can still follow His Vani, instructions, and fully benefit from this association and advance in devotional service.

The Officiating Acarya process is not a replacement system for the Disciplic Succession, nor is it an initiating system, either. Srila Prabhupada is the Initiator Guru whether there is an Officiating Acarya system in place or not, whether or not the July 9th Letter is implemented or not. Devotees that join ISKCON can only be initiated by Srila Prabhupada because He is the Diksa Guru for ISKCON, period.

In Srimad Bhagavatam 4.28.47 we read:

“The disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. This is called the association of Vani. Physical presence is called Vapuh. As long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciple should serve the physical body of the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual master.”

Srila Prabhupada makes it crystal clear that after the disappearance of the Spiritual Master, the disciple follows the instructions of the Spiritual Master. The Spiritual Master left His instructions in the form of Books, verbal instructions, letters, tapes, videos, all these are instructions from the Spiritual Master,Vani.

After the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada His instructions remained the same, they didn’t change. Therefore Srila Prabhupada is the Diksa Guru and His ISKCON-specific instructions and the process of Diksa remains the same. A disciple who has had no chance of serving the Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada, when He was in His Vapuh, can still follow His Vani, instructions, and fully benefit from this association and advance in devotional service.

In Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 1.35 we read:

“It is imperative that one accepts a spiritual master if he at all desires to gain the favor of the Lord. The service of the Spiritual Master is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve Him by remembering His instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual masters instructions and the spiritual master Himself. In His absence,therefore,His words of direction should be the pride of the disciple.”

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The Book Bhāgavata and the Devotee Bhāgavata

The message of the Book Bhagavata is received from the devotee Bhagavata, Srila Prabhupada, and under His guidance the devotee is able to progress in devotional service. By such sincere association the disciple is able to receive transcendental knowledge very easily.

Srimad Bhagavatam
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 3 Divinity and Divine Service

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

Here is the remedy for eliminating all inauspicious things within the heart which are considered to be obstacles in the path of self-realization. The remedy is the association of the Bhāgavatas. There are two types of Bhāgavatas, namely the book Bhāgavata and the devotee Bhāgavata. Both the Bhāgavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them can be good enough to eliminate the obstacles. A devotee Bhāgavata is as good as the book Bhāgavata because the devotee Bhāgavata leads his life in terms of the book Bhāgavata and the book Bhāgavata is full of information about the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhāgavatas. Bhāgavata book and person are identical.

The devotee Bhāgavata is a direct representative of Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead. So by pleasing the devotee Bhāgavata one can receive the benefit of the book Bhāgavata. Human reason fails to understand how by serving the devotee Bhāgavata or the book Bhāgavata one gets gradual promotion on the path of devotion. But actually these are facts explained by Śrīla Nāradadeva, who happened to be a maidservant’s son in his previous life. The maidservant was engaged in the menial service of the sages, and thus he also came into contact with them. And simply by associating with them and accepting the remnants of foodstuff left by the sages, the son of the maidservant got the chance to become the great devotee and personality Śrīla Nāradadeva. These are the miraculous effects of the association of Bhāgavatas. And to understand these effects practically, it should be noted that by such sincere association of the Bhāgavatas one is sure to receive transcendental knowledge very easily, with the result that he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord. The more progress is made in devotional service under the guidance of the Bhāgavatas, the more one becomes fixed in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The messages of the book Bhāgavata, therefore, have to be received from the devotee Bhāgavata, and the combination of these two Bhāgavatas will help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on.

The Potency of Ratha-yatra

The Potency of Ratha-yatra
By: Compiled by Yashoda Nandan Das (USA)

Our Hare Krishna movement is standing on three principal things: chanting, dancing, and eating prasadam.

Excerpts from the teaching of Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada: Melbourne, Tokyo, and many other places. And India also, in Calcutta also. So this festival, taking part in these festivals means a step forward for our self-realization. Rathe ca vamanamarstva punar janma na vidyate. Simply by seeing the Lord on the chariot, one makes advancement for stopping the repetition of birth and death.

So I am very glad that you have taken so much trouble to come here. Now will you chant Hare Krishna mantra along with the devotees and take part in honoring the prasadam? The prasadam is also one of the programs. Our Hare Krishna movement is standing on three principal things: chanting, dancing, and eating prasadam. It is not very difficult. It is very enjoyable to chant, dance, and take prasadam. And if you like, you can hear a little philosophy of this movement. Or even if you do not understand the philosophy, even you do not read the books, simply if you take part in these three things, chanting, dancing, and taking part in eating the prasadam, your life will gradually progress in spiritual advancement of life. And if you continue this, then some day will come, even in this life it may come, that you will understand what is Krishna. And as soon as you understand Krishna, then after leaving this body you go back to home, back to Godhead, directly (?). This is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Those who have read Bhagavad-gita… Lord Krishna says,

janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]

Simply by understanding Krishna, Krishna’s appearance, Krishna’s disappearance, Krishna’s activities. This Rathayatra is one of the activities of Krishna. Therefore to take part in the Rathayatra festival means to associate with Krishna directly. So in this way, if we associate with Krishna’s name, Krishna’s pastimes, Krishna’s qualities, Krishna’s form, then, gradually, we transcend this material existence Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. If we simply try to understand about Krishna’s movement, then the result is, Krishna says, tyaktva deham: we have to give up this body. But if we give up this body after being elevated into Krishna consciousness, then Krishna says, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Then, after giving up this body, you haven’t got to accept another material body. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Then where shall I go? Krishna says, mam eti: “He comes to Me.

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I do not remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Krsna.

Letter to: Tamala Krsna
Los Angeles
21 June, 1970

Paris
My Dear Tamala,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 18th June, 1970, sent by Special Delivery Air Mail.

Krsna philosophy is understood as it is stated in the Vedas:

Yasya deve para bhakti yatha deve tatha gurau
tasya ete kathitha hi artha prakasante mahatmanah

“One who has got unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord and similar faith in his Spiritual Master to him only the imports of Vedic knowledge become revealed.”

A Spiritual Master is always liberated. In any condition of His life He should not be mistaken as ordinary human being. This position of a Spiritual Master is achieved by three processes. One is called sadhana siddha. That means one who is liberated by executing the regulative principle of devotional service. Another is krpa siddha, one who is liberated by the mercy of Krsna or His devotee. And another is nitya siddha who is never forgetful of Krsna throughout his whole life. These are the three features of the perfection of life.

So far Narada Muni is concerned, in His previous life He was a maidservant’s son, but by the mercy of the devotees He later on became siddha and next life He appeared as Narada with complete freedom to move anywhere by the grace of the Lord. So even though He was in his previous life a maidservant’s son there was no impediment in the achievement of His perfect spiritual life. Similarly any living entity who is conditioned can achieve the perfectional stage of life by the above mentioned processes and the vivid example is Narada Muni.

So I do not know why you have asked about my previous life. Whether I was subjected to the laws of material nature? So, even though accepting that I was subjected to the laws of material nature, does it hamper in my becoming Spiritual Master? What is your opinion? From the life of Narada Muni it is distinct that although He was a conditioned soul in His previous life, there was no impediment of His becoming the Spiritual Master. This law is applicable not only to the Spiritual Master, but to every living entity.

There are thousands of examples explained in our books that the conditioned soul is never affected with the material body. It is said in the Vedas asamga ayam purusa which means the living entity is always unaffected with matter. Another example is given that the reflection of the moon on water appears to be moving, but actually the moon is not moving, it is fixed up. So any living entity is like that. His reflection on the material body appears to be changing, but the spirit soul is fixed up, therefore this movement is called illusion.

Liberation means liberation from this changing condition.

So far I am concerned, I cannot say what I was in my previous life, but one great astrologer calculated that I was previously a physician and my life was sinless. Besides that, to corroborate the statement of Bhagavad-gita “sucinam srimatam gehe yogabhrasta samyayate” [Bg. 6.41] which means an unfinished yogi takes birth in rich family or born of a suci or pious father. By the grace of Krsna I got these two opportunities in the present life to be born of a pious father and brought up in one of the richest, aristocratic families of Calcutta (Kasinath Mullick). The Radha Krsna Deity in this family called me to meet Him, and therefore last time when I was in Calcutta, I stayed in that temple along with my American disciples. Although I had immense opportunities to indulge in the four principles of sinful life because I was connected with a very aristocratic family, Krsna always saved me, and throughout my whole life I do not know what is illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating or gambling. So far my present life is concerned, I do not remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Krsna.

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How to be linked up with Srila Prabhupada


How to be linked up with Srila Prabhupada
Posted by Hansadutta das on October 22, 2010

A devotee in Texas wrote in, asking what to do, how to be properly connected with Srila Prabhupada. He is certainly not the only one. There are many devotees like him all over the world, so I hope this helps others who likewise want to understand their situation in relationship to Prabhupada.

Dear Bhakta Ronnie, obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you for your nice letter (letter follows). You have asked, “What exactly is a devotee like me supposed to do? How do I get linked up with Srila Prabhupada?” This is the question that plagues you, right?

Vaikuntanath das, a good friend of mine from NY City in early 1968, was alone with Srila Prabhupada at the Radha Damodar temple in Vrindaban, India. He wanted to ask a question of Prabhupada that had haunted him for a long time. Finally he felt, “This is my chance.” He asked, “Srila Prabhupada, we are distributing millions of books, but in the future when you are not here, how will these people who read your books be INITIATED?” Srila Prabhupada looked at him approvingly and answered, “One who reads my books, he is initiated automatically.”

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Srimad Bhagavatam Compact 30 Vol 1977 Edition

Srimad Bhagavatam Compact 30 Vol 1977 Edition
Cantos 1-9, plus the Original Krsna Book in 3 Volumes comprising the 10th Canto

This 12,000 page, 30 vol. set, comes in High Quality Hard Bound 5×7 size. with over 600 beautiful full color plates.
For a limited time selling at the reduced Wholesale rate of $149.95
No home library is complete without a set.
Get one today at http://www.theharekrishnamovement.com

And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the summum bonum of life, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa personified. We must therefore accept Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the direct representation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. One who can see Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can see also Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in person. They are identical.

Srimad Bhagavatam
Canto 1, Chapter 3, Text 43
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

kṛṣṇe sva-dhāmopagate
dharma-jñānādibhiḥ saha
kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣa
purāṇārko ‘dhunoditaḥ

SYNONYMS
kṛṣṇe—in Kṛṣṇa’s; sva-dhāma—own abode; upagate—having returned; dharma—religion; jñāna—knowledge; ādibhiḥ—combined together; saha—along with; kalau—in the Kali-yuga; naṣṭa-dṛśām—of persons who have lost their sight; eṣaḥ—all these; purāṇa-arkaḥ—the Purāṇa which is brilliant like the sun; adhunā—just now; uditaḥ—has arisen.

This Bhāgavata Purāṇa is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purāṇa.

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Krsna Is the Source of All Incarnations

Lord Vāmanadeva, the Dwarf Incarnation

Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 8: “Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations”
Chapter 18, Text 1-32, Translations & Purports
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Eighteen

Lord Vāmanadeva, the Dwarf Incarnation

TEXT 1

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After Lord Brahmā had thus spoken, glorifying the Supreme Lord’s activities and prowess, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never subject to death like an ordinary living being, appeared from the womb of Aditi. His four hands were decorated with a conchshell, club, lotus and disc, He was dressed in yellow garments, and His eyes appeared like the petals of a blooming lotus.

PURPORT

The word amṛta-bhūḥ is significant in this verse. The Lord sometimes appears like an ordinary child taking birth, but this does not mean that He is subject to birth, death or old age. One must be very intelligent to understand the appearance and activities of the Supreme Lord in His incarnations. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9): janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ. One should try to understand that the Lord’s appearance and disappearance and His activities are all divyam, or transcendental. The Lord has nothing to do with material activities. One who understands the appearance, disappearance and activities of the Lord is immediately liberated. After giving up his body, he never again has to accept a material body, but is transferred to the spiritual world (tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna [Bg. 4.9]).

TEXT 2

The body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, blackish in complexion, was free from all inebrieties. His lotus face, decorated with earrings resembling sharks, appeared very beautiful, and on His bosom was the mark of Śrīvatsa. He wore bangles on His wrists, armlets on His arms, a helmet on His head, a belt on His waist, a sacred thread across His chest, and ankle bells decorating His lotus feet.

TEXT 3

An uncommonly beautiful garland of flowers decorated His bosom, and because the flowers were extremely fragrant, a large group of bees, making their natural humming sounds, invaded them for honey. When the Lord appeared, wearing the Kaustubha gem on His neck, His effulgence vanquished the darkness in the home of the Prajāpati Kaśyapa.

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