Today we celebrate Govardhana-puga, when Krishna exhibited His transcendental pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill to protect the inhabitants of Vrndavan.
…The sacrifice known as Govardhana Pūjā is observed in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Lord Caitanya has recommended that since Kṛṣṇa is worshipable, so His land, Vṛndāvana and Govardhana Hill, are also worshipable. To confirm this statement, Lord Kṛṣṇa said that Govardhana Pūjā is as good as worship of Him. From that day, the Govardhana Pūjā has been still going on and is known as Annakūṭa. In all the temples of Vṛndāvana or outside of Vṛndāvana, huge quantities of food are prepared in this ceremony and are very sumptuously distributed to the general population. Sometimes the food is thrown to the crowds, and they enjoy collecting it off the ground. From these instances, we can understand that prasādam offered to Kṛṣṇa never becomes polluted or contaminated, even if it is thrown on the ground. The people, therefore, collect it and eat with great satisfaction. (from Kṛṣṇa, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, chapter 24)
On this auspicious day, we like to read from KRSNA Book, and I have included the entire 25th chapter emtitled, “Devastating Rainfall in Vrndavana”.
When we were in India for the 50th Anniversary of the Krishna Balarama Mandir, I saw this beautiful painting of Krishna, Balarama and Mother Yasoda. I know it is not the best image…as the glass was reflecting the sunlight…but there was something about this painting that captured my imagination and just pulled me into the pastime.
“O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for liberation, nor eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon. My only prayer is that Your childhood pastimes may constantly appear in my mind. O Lord, I do not even want to know Your feature of Paramatma. I simply wish that Your childhood pastimes may ever be enacted in my heart.” (verse 4 from the Sri Damodarastaka)
This month of Kartika or the month of Damodara, has always been very dear. It is probably because Radha Damodara were the first worshipable Radha Krishna deities I had the good fortune to serve. When I joined the Hare Krishna movement, I was assigned to the Radha Damodara Traveling Sankirtan Party (RDTSP). I traveled with the bus party for the first year of my devotional career, and when the bus party broke up, I was re-assigned to the Gita Nagari farm, where I was engaged for some time as a carpenter building the new temple for the Radha Damodara deities who reside there. I guess we always remember our first love. -V
Worship of Sri Sri Radha-Damodara
Radharani is especially keen to hear Krishna’s pastimes, but She is particularly attracted to the Damodara pastime. Charmed by Damodara’s mood of surrender in agreeing to be bound by Mother Yasoda’s love, Sri Radha longs to have that same exchange with Krishna. She desires to express such intense love for Krishna that He will also agree to be bound by Her love. Appreciating this mood of Mother Yasoda to enhance Her own feelings for Krishna, She resolves to experience this same reciprocation of love.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.20 Purport) Radha-Damodara thus refers to Radharani’s mood of intense attraction for this pastime between Damodara and Mother Yasoda.
Neither Lord Brahma, nor Lord Siva, nor even the goddess of fortune, who is always the better half of the Supreme Lord, can obtain from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the deliverer from this material world, such mercy as recieved by mother Yasoda. (Srimad Bhagavan 10.9.20)
All the gopī friends of Yaśodā and Rohiṇī enjoyed the naughty childish activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. In order to enjoy further transcendental bliss, they all assembled and went to mother Yaśodā to lodge complaints against the restless boys. When Kṛṣṇa was sitting before mother Yaśodā, all the elderly gopīs began to lodge complaints against Him so that Kṛṣṇa could hear. They said, “Dear Yaśodā, why don’t you restrict your naughty Kṛṣṇa? He comes to our houses along with Balarāma every morning and evening, and before the milking of the cows They let loose the calves, and the calves drink all the milk of the cows. So when we go to milk the cows, we find no milk, and we have to return with empty pots. If we warn Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma about doing this, They simply smile charmingly. We cannot do anything. Also, your Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma find great pleasure in stealing our stock of yogurt and butter from wherever we keep it. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are caught stealing the yogurt and butter, They say, ’Why do you charge Us with stealing? Do you think that butter and yogurt are in scarcity in Our house?’ Sometimes They steal butter, yogurt and milk and distribute them to the monkeys. When the monkeys are well fed and do not take any more, then your boys chide, ’This milk and butter and yogurt are useless–even the monkeys won’t take it.’ And They break the pots and throw them hither and thither. If we keep our stock of yogurt, butter and milk in a solitary dark place, your Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma find it in the darkness by the glaring effulgence of the ornaments and jewels on Their bodies. If by chance They cannot find the hidden butter and yogurt, They go to our little babies and pinch their bodies so that they cry, and then They go away. If we keep our stock of butter and yogurt high on the ceiling, hanging on a swing, although it is beyond Their reach, They arrange to reach it by piling all kinds of wooden crates over the grinding machine. And if They cannot reach, They make a hole in the pot. We think therefore that you better take all the jeweled ornaments from the bodies of your children.”
We are now in the month of Damodara (Kartika). In honor and in celebration of the month of Damodara, we will be focusing our attention on the pastimes of Krishna in Vrndavan. Especially Krishna’s childhood pastimes. The following is the first verse from the Damodarastkam prayer which is sung morning and evening, and it is customary to offer a candle or gee lamp as well to a picture of Lord Krsna and Mother Yasoda.
“To the supreme controller who possesses an eternal form of blissful knowledge, whose glistening earrings swing to and fro, who manifested Himself in Gokula, who stole the butter that the gopis kept hanging from the rafters of their storerooms and who then quickly jumped up and ran in retreat in fear of Mother Yasoda, but was ultimately caught-to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.“ (Sri Damodarastakam verse 1)
Last night was the full moon (purnima), the harvest moon, which marks the month of Kartika, or as I like to say, the month of Damodara. As always during this month, we sing the Damodara prayers (Sri Damodararastaka) daily and light a candle to offer. It is also a good time to read from the KRSNA Book and just delight in the childhood pastimes of Lord Krishna.
Included below are the lyrics and translations from the original “Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas” song book.
Our dear departed friend Padmapani Prabhu, is gone but not forgotten, as he has left us with the beautiful web page The Prabhupada Connection, but he has also, as some of the earlier devotees might remember, left us with this fine publication The Vaisnava Journal. I feel it is an important part of our history, and I wanted to be sure it available to all our readers, so we share all 5 issuses as PDF that you can view or save, by clicking on the links. Hare Krishna!
The Vaisnava Journal
by Padmapani Das
Shortly after Srila Prabhupada physically departed from this world, I joined the Middle East program. Since there were no temples in that part of the world, we simply carried on as we had always done—chanting Hare Krishna and worshiping Srila Prabhupada as our guru and the founder-acarya of ISKCON. But while visiting temples in India and Europe for short breaks, I noticed things were becoming increasingly difficult for devotees and the movement. So when the Middle East program had finished its course after five years, I humbly tried to make a positive contribution towards keeping our movement and the devotees together with Srila Prabhupada in the center. The Vaisnava Journal was created and distributed to ISKCON leaders and devotees worldwide with that objective in mind.
At the time we had Back to Godhead magazine and the ISKCON World Review, but neither of these publications addressed the topical issues of the day which were affecting the stability of Srila Prabhupada’s movement. I saw a great need for open and respectful communication in our society, and by Krishna’s grace, devotees of all persuasions and positions responded favorably. We openly discussed vital issues of concern to our movement and many spirited exchanges resulted. Unfortunately after five issues I was no longer able to support the rising publication and mailing costs on my own, so I had to stop work on the journal. However we now have a record of those discussions and our readers can research the contents online. Please click on the links below to access each issue in PDF format.
The kindness of strangers played a pivotal role in ISKCON’s pre-history.
Last year I had the good fortune to meet Gopal and Sally Agarwal, an elderly couple who played a significant role in ISKCON’s origins. They are forever etched in the devotees’ collective memory as two of the Western world’s earliest recipients of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy. It was the Agarwals who hosted him in the fall of 1965, before ISKCON was even nominally born, giving him shelter, hospitality, friendship, and love. Indeed, for one month their home served as Prabhupada’s earliest refuge outside India.
As Prabhupada acquainted himself with the Agarwal home in Butler, in western Pennsylvania, he saw a typically quiet American town nestled in the hills, a town that has changed little since his brief visit those many years ago.
Throughout the ages, many avataras – divinely inspired teachers and incarnations of God – have appeared in the world, but none has ever distributed spiritual love as freely as the Golden Avatar, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He appeared in Bengal, India, in 1486 and lived for only 48 years, yet began a revolution in spiritual consciousness that has profoundly affected the lives of millions. He taught a practical process that anyone can perform to directly feel the ecstasy of pure love of God.
I ran across this verse and purport while reading from the the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta 1975 Edition Adi-lila Chapter 16, text 15, and it reminded me of the importance of chanting the Hare Krsna Maha-mantra.
The Lord, being satisfied, instructed him about the object of life and the process to attain it. He instructed him that the basic principle of success is to chant the holy name of the Lord [the Hare Krsna maha-mantra].
PURPORT
The Krsna consciousness movement is based upon this instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that one must chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra regularly and according to the prescribed principles. We simply ask our Western students to chant at least sixteen rounds a day, but sometimes we find that they fail to chant even these sixteen rounds, and instead they bring many austere books and a worshiping method that diverts their attention in so many ways. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s cult is based upon the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. Lord Caitanya first advised Tapana Misra to fix his mind in this chanting. We, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement, must strictly follow this advice of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Yesterday we had the good fortune to visit Buttler PA, for the 60th aniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA. First we visited the YMCA building where Srila Prabhupada stayed, then we had a Hari-nama in the streets of Buttler on the way to Sally and Gopal Agarwal’s apartment where Srila Prabhupada spent his first nights in America. It was a rather small apartment, and Srila Prabhupada slept on their couch, for the first few nights before moving to a room in the YMCA building. But he made his way back to their apartment each day to cook some lunch prasadam for the family. It was very exciting to pilgrimage to the site where Srila Prabhupada first bathed, cooked, slept, and gave his first Bhagavata discourses in America.
Butler Eagle Magazine, Pennsylvania, September 22 1965
The following first article written about A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s arrival and mission in the West was obtained through work with the Butler Eagle News Paper in Butler, Pa., Prabhupada’s first residence after arriving from India in 1965. Prabhupada’s great desire to preach the mission of Love of God to all in the English speaking countries, started here.
In Fluent English Devotee of Hindu Cult Explains Commission to Visit the West
By Penny Ritts/Butler Eagle, September 22 1965
A slight brown man in faded orange drapes wearing white bathing shoes stepped out of a compact car yesterday and into the Butler YMCA to attend a meeting. He is A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swamiji, a messenger from India to the peoples of the West.
A Hindu by faith, the “learned teacher” has translated biblical literature such as Srimad Bhagavatam into English from ancient Sanskrit. He is now fulfilling a commission from his spiritual master to enlighten English-speaking people regarding their relationship with God.
“My mission is to revive a people’s God-consciousness.” says the Swamiji. “God is the Father of all living beings, in thousands of different forms.” he explains. “Human life is a stage of perfection in evolution: if we miss the message, back we go through the process again.” he believes.
The Swamiji has given himself a month to tell his message to all who will listen. He anticipates many informal meetings, such as a gathering of friends in the Gopal Agarwal home in Stirling Apartments Monday the night of his arrival, for an exchange of ideas regarding his philosophy of life. A simplified version of his theory is that life progresses from aquatic to plant, to reptile to bird, to beast to “beastly” human being and finally, to civilized man. “After this life there is a still better life on other planets,” predicts the visitor. He believes that the highest possible state will be to go to God, or eternal life.
The traveller who left India for the first time Aug. 30 will welcome guest appearances or impromptu discussions with anyone who calls the Agarwal family. He says that he is here to talk. Now 70 years old, the appointed “missionary” to the United States was educated in India where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. He became a disciple in 1933 and received instructions until the death of his leader in 1936. He has severed all family ties, forsaking wife and children and a business in Calcutta to follow his beliefs.
His religion remains Hindu. He does not ask his listeners to change their religious affiliation, but merely to become “better Jews or Christians,” etc.
Bhaktivedanta lives as a monk, and permits no woman to touch his food. On a six-week ocean voyage and at the Agarwal apartment in Butler he prepares his meals in a brass pan with separate levels for steaming rice, vegetables and making “bread” at the same time. He is a strict vegetarian, and is permitted to drink only milk, the “miracle food for babies and old men,” he noted. Even onions, garlic, and eggs are forbidden in his cult.
The Swamiji is equally philosophical about physical discomforts or wars: “It’s man’s nature to fight” he shrugs. “We have to adjust to these things; currents come and go in life just as in an ocean.”
“Life and Milk of Cow” is all-important to the Swamiji’s way of life; all else is artificial, he claims. The government of India does not support the Hindu or Moslem religions, neither does it interfere with their practices, he says. His scholarly work is aided by benefactors when and where he finds them.
His special dress minimizes the importance of raiment; the white mark on his face is a symbol of devotion. The Swamiji renews his faith with daily prayer, chanting and meditation. If Americans would give more attention to their spiritual life, they would be much happier, he says.
Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for the survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. -Albert Einstein
I personally feel it is very important to eat as healthy as possible. That is one of the reasons I plant a garden. Although not everyone has that luxury to plant a garden, still there are so many fresh fruits and vegetables available in every American grocery store, there is ample opportunity to eat a healthy vegetarian diet.
Back in 1972 when I first became a vegetarian, the challenge was learning how to cook vegetarian meals. Therefore I am including the first cookbook that taught me the basics as a free pdf download (just click on link at bottom of post). Wishing you all a happy and healthy life. -V
Srila Prabhupada arrived in the USA on September 17th 1965, after a thirty-five-day sea journey from Calcutta. The following are some prayers he wrote aboard the ship, on that historic journey
“My dear Lord Krishna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.
But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place? Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva [Krishna]. I do not know how they will be able to understand it. But I know that Your causeless mercy can make everything possible, because You are the most expert mystic.How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.
Chanting the Maha Mantra, or the great “chant for deliverance”, is very easy, and can be preformed anywhere, anytime. Srila Prabhupada has said “from your lips to your ears”, it is that easy. It is the kind of yoga (union), or meditation, one can easily practice anywhere, anytime.
Chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the easiest process of meditation. (from purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.53)
No other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy as the chanting of the mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. (BTG #30 1970)
Chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mantra
(appeared as a separate pamphlet in 1967 and reproduced from the article “On Chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra” published in the 1970 Back to Godhead Magazine number 34)
“This simplest method of meditation is recommended for this age. By practical experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this mahā-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum.”
Today we honor the appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. There is one book I have always been meaning to read: “The Seventh Goswami” by Rupa-vilasa dasa. But I did happen to find this book online in a PDF format on the Iskcon Desire Tree webpage. So we are including the Link in our post today.
“The glories of this great personality are limitless, and his achievements are countless. Mere words cannot do justice to his glories. Although Bhaktivinoda Thakura is especially recognised for re-discovering the birth place of Lord Caitanya, he in fact re-discovered and re-established Lord Caitanya’s movement, which was practically lost due to the cultural and religious fanaticism of the British rulers, and the concocted philosophies of deviant sects, who aimed to discredit and contradict the original teachings of the Supreme Lord.“
“Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German and American people will take up banners, mrdangas and karatalas and raise kirtana through their streets and towns. When will that day come? Oh, for the day when the fair-skinned men from their side will raise up the chanting of ‘jaya sacinandana, jaya sacinandana ki jaya’ and join with the Bengali devotees. When will that day be? On such a day they will say, ‘Our dear Brothers, we have taken shelter of the ocean of Lord Caitanya’s Love; kindly embrace us.’ When will that day come? That day will witness the holy transcendental ecstasy of the Vaisnava-dharma to be the only dharma, and all the sects and religions will flow like rivers into the ocean of Vaisnava -dharma. When will that day come?” – Bhaktivinoda Thakura
And then he penned another amazing prediction, which can be applied to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, but also, most certainly, to Srila Prabhupada: “A personality will soon appear to preach the teachings of Lord Caitanya and move unrestrictedly over the whole world with His message.”
This morning I was reminded of something that I heard Srila Prabhupada say in a lecture. He was describing that Krishna Consciousness is very simple, you just need to do four things.Always think of Krishna, become His devotee, offer obeisances, and worship Him.
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me. (Bhagavad-gita 9.34)
This verse is also repeated in the 16th Chapter:
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo ’si me
Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.
In this verse it is clearly indicated that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the only means of being delivered from the clutches of this contaminated material world…Pure devotional service is the highest achievement of human society. (from purport)
Today we are in Toronto celebrating the Appearance day of Srimati Radharani, and the 50st anniversary of Sri Sri Radha Ksira-chora Gopinatha, residing at 243 Avenue Road. We share with you a few words by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The following are just a few of the many quotes from Srila Prabhupada which encourage us to approach Krishna through the mercy of Srimati Radharani, Krishna’s eternal consort. For those of us who feel that there is no hope of making spiritual progress in this lifetime, Srimati Radharani, Who is compassion personified, kindly comes to our rescue if we can humbly invoke Her divine blessings.
“I emphatically say to you, O brothers, you will obtain your good fortune from the Supreme Lord Krishna only when Srimati Radharani becomes pleased with you.”(Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krishna, September 13, 1965)
“So this is our philosophy, to please Krishna through Radharani, and just today is the auspicious day of Radharani appearance. So we should offer puspanjali and pray to Radharani that ‘Radharani, kindly be merciful and tell about me to Your Krishna. To Your Krishna. Krishna is Yours.’ Krishna, Radha-Krishna. Krishna is not independent. Krishna is Radharani’s property. So you have to approach Krishna through Radharani. That is, today is the auspicious day. Worship Radharani very nicely and be happy.” (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, September 5, 1973)
I had to laugh, this came up on my Whats Up App. I followed this with some quotes from Srila Prabhupada on the definition of Paramahamsa.
“We are such lucky souls! Prabhupada was giving class and began to define Paramahamsa and their qualities: swanlike men who are so spiritually exalted that they appear like swans among the ravens and crow-like men. Then he looked at the devotees sitting in front of him and smiled his smile and he said, “And who knows, among you there may be some Paramahamsa’s. And, then he gave an even bigger smile that included all of us and said, “And, the rest of you are just lucky ducks.”
I would like to share a very Special Photo of Srila Prabhupada in the San Francisco temple 1968 signing His name to a set of India published, first canto, Srimad Bhagavatam consisting of three volumes.
There is a backstory that bring back exciting memories to me. When Srila Prabhupada arrived in the USA, He carried with Him 200 sets of these books, which most were sold. The remaining books (assorted volumes) in India were shipped and arrived in the winter of 1966.
In Srila Prabhupada’s Apt. it was me and Brahmananda that unpacked these volumes. They were shipped in thin steel painted black trunks. There were three or four of them and pretty banged-up during shipment. But the books were undamaged. There were only a small number of full sets left, most were 2nd and 3rd volumes of the set. The front-covers were packed separately. And it was my service to carefully put the front jackets on all the books right in front of Srila Prabhupada.
On Janmastami (Lord Krsna’s Appearance Day) my wife and I, towards evening sat down, and watched the beautiful DVD “Darsana Krsna Meditiation”. After a long day of fasting, I was ready to go to sleep, but my wife suggested we watch the Darsana DVD instead. To my surprise it woke me up and I felt very enlivened, and we kept it playing until midnight, when Krsna makes His appearance. Then the next day I pulled out the book and just relished reading the text and reveling in the beautiful photography of the deities. Highly recommended!
The Darshan story
(by Nitya-tripta devi dasi)
I started my devotional service in 1975 at the BBT photo department, also affectionately known by the name of “Photo-Loka” to residents of the New Dvaraka community in Los Angeles. One of my assigned duties was to photograph the Deities with a 4×5 View-Camera. It is not a particularly easy camera to use. It is big and bulky; focusing the image is done on a ground glass at the back of the camera with a magnifying lens, which displays the image upside down and backwards. Exposures have to be taken with a hand held light-meter at the subject, and the light reading is calculated accordingly. And oh yes, there is usually the need of lights with their stands and a substantial tripod to support the camera. We also used this class of camera to photograph all the art-work for the BBT publications due to its fine rendition of detail. Only the best for Krishna!
The pictures I took in those early years in New Dvaraka and other temples were used in books and posters, sent to Srila Prabhupada directly, and used by the pujari island seamstresses to improve the quality of dress standards offered to the Lord. Many devotees, including myself, would talk of a book with magnificent Deity pictures, and we made our own private photo collections. Later on through the years I took pictures on various altars for the Krishna Vision Deity slide shows. Each Deity is different in his own special mood reciprocating with His devotees according to their needs and desires.
The Most Blessed Event: Sri Vyasa-Puja by Vyasasan das
Dear Srila Prabhupada
On this most auspicious day, please accept my humble obeisance’s, and kindly forgive my offenses.
Recently I was writing one article for our Web page The Hare Krishna Movement, and I was recalling how I first became interested in spiritual life, how it was I became a vegetarian, where I received my first book , The KRSNA Book, and how I fell in love with you and became your disciple.
When I saw your picture on the back cover of the KRSNA Book, I knew instantly you were my spiritual master, and had come for me. I had been thinking at the time that I needed a guru, but where was I going to find him. Did I need to travel to India and search out caves, or maybe go to the mountain tops, or sacred rivers and Holy places. No, you came and found me. You sent your disciples, the glorious and compassionate book distributors to Chicago O Hare airport to collect the conditioned souls. I will never forget that moment when the KRSNA Book was placed in my hand. On the cover was the most beautiful picture I had ever seen, the beautiful Radha and Krishna, and when I turned the book over there was an even more beautiful picture, your smiling face.
Although I am and insignificant disciple of your Divine Grace, and full of faults, still I am constantly awaiting your causeless mercy to be bestowed upon me. I have never given up my faith, or my love, nor the hope that someday I may be a worthy disciple. As you know my daily prayers always include the words “please forgive my offenses”, as I am always feeling myself unworthy to be receiving your mercy. Srila Prabhupada you have been the one constant in my entire adult life, my best friend and ever well wisher. And I remain chaste to you, my lord and master, unconditionally.
The Hare Krishna Movement 
