Durga | The Hare Krishna Movement

Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopī Girls

05 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, books by Srila Prabhupada, Durga, gopis of vrndavana, Krsna Book, Siva, unmarried gopis, Vedic civilization

Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter 22

I love the KRSNA Book. It was the first book I ever received by Srila Prabhupada, and was handed to me by a very compassionate Hare Krishna devotee at the Chicago Ohara Airport way back in 1972. Love all the stories and especially like the following one we share with you today.

Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopī Girls

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King Prthu’s Appearance and Coronation

22 Dec 2015 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, King Prthu, Srimad Bhagavatam Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Agni, Arci, demigod, demigod of air, demigod of fire, dharma, Durga, Indra, King Prthu, Lord Siva, Maharaja Prthu, Vayu, Visvakarma, Yamaraja

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Canto Four, Chapter 15

King Pṛthu’s Appearance and Coronation

What is the Position of Lord Shiva?

24 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Conversation with Srila Prabhupada, Demigod, Shiva Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Dayananda, demigods, devotee, Difference between Shiva and Vishnu, Durga, Krishna, Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Vishnu, Madhudvisa das, Parvati, prabhupada, sati

What is the Position of Lord Shiva?
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(excerpted from Bhagavad-gita class, Dec. 11, 1967)

Madhudvisa: Prabhupāda? What is the position of Lord Shiva?

Prabhupāda: Lord Shiva is a demigod, but he is higher than all other demigods. He’s higher than Lord Brahmā also. But he’s not the Supreme Lord. Just like there are different gradations. That is not difficult to understand. In society also, there are different gradations. Similarly, the living entities, there are different gradations. Some of the living entities are situated in higher planets, some of them are situated in lower planets and some of them are situated in high-grade life and some in low-grade life. So the demigods are also living entities, but they are enjoying better standard of life due to their acts of piety. But Lord Shiva is not amongst the living entities. He’s above the living entities but he is counted as one of the demigods. But his position is better than Lord Brahmā even. Brahmā is said to be the highest living entity within the universe, and Lord Shiva’s position is higher than that of Lord Brahmā.

Bhagavad-gītā Lecture

26 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Lectures Tags: A.C. Bhaktiveanta Swami Prabhupada, asuras, Draupada, draupadi's vastra-harana, Durga, Lecture by Srila Prabhupada, Lecture on Bhagavad gita, papam, pious acitivity, punyam, sinful activities

I have always liked this story of the dis-robing of Draupadi, and how she was saved by Krsna supplying endless heaps of sari. The following lecture by Srila Prabhupada is a very nice description of the contest between good and evil, or pious or impious activities.

Prabhupāda: So pāpam eva. Pāpam means sinful activities, and puṇyam is pious. So people should consider in every activity, whether it is pāpam or puṇyam, whether it is virtuous or sinful activities. But the asuras, they do not know. Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca na vidur asurā janāḥ [Bg. 16.7]. Those who are asuras, they do not care what is sinful or what is right. “I like it; I must do it.” This is asura. There is no reference to the authorities, whether the action which I am going to do, whether it is pious or impious…

…”Now she is our property. We can do whatever we like with. Arjuna has lost his wife.” So he advised that “Make her naked in this assembly.” To become naked in the, so many people, that is a great insult for woman. So actually, they tried to insult. Not tried, it was fact. But Kṛṣṇa saved. You know, Draupadi’s vastra-haraṇa. She was tried to become naked, but these people could not make her naked. The sārī was supplied by Kṛṣṇa, one after another, one after another, heaps of sārī. Then they become fed up, gave up that business, that “She cannot be made naked.” (from Bhagavad-gita 1.36 Lecture)

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The Goddess Durga

04 May 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Demigod, Durga, Srimad Bhagavatam Tags: A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhuada, Bg 9.10, Durga, goddess Parvati, Krishna, Krsna, Lord Siva, material nature, Siva, the goddess durga

This morning, the above picture of the Goddess Durga crossed my desk, so I thought I would do a short post on Her. After some research in Srila Prabhupada’s books it is described: “Following the orders of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the goddess Durgā creates, maintains and annihilates…Because the goddess Durgā satisfies Kṛṣṇa, we should therefore offer respects to goddess Durgā.” As devotees there is no need to worship the demigods, but because the demigods are also servants of Lord Krishna, we offer them our respect.

…Durgā—the goddess Pārvatī, the wife of Lord Śiva—is extremely powerful. She can create, maintain and annihilate any number of universes by her sweet will, but she acts under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, not independently. Kṛṣṇa is impartial, but because this is the material world of duality, such relative terms as happiness and distress, curses and favors, are created by the will of the Supreme. Those who are not nārāyaṇa-para, pure devotees, must be disturbed by this duality of the material world, whereas devotees who are simply attached to the service of the Lord are not at all disturbed by it. For example, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was beaten with cane in twenty-two bazaars, but he was never disturbed; instead, he smilingly tolerated the beating. Despite the disturbing dualities of the material world, devotees are not disturbed at all. Because they fix their minds on the lotus feet of the Lord and concentrate on the holy name of the Lord, they do not feel the so-called pains and pleasures caused by the dualities of this material world. (from purport SB 6.17.29)

This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again. (Bg 9.10)

Goddess Durgā

22 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Durga Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, demigods, Durga, durga-devi, external energy of Krishna, goddess durga, Krsna, material enjoyment, saktas, servants of the lord, spiritual salvation, Vaisnavas

This morning I ran across this nice image of the Goddess Durgā. Durgā-devī, is actually the external energy of Kṛṣṇa, the shadow energy of the Lord. People in general worship goddess Durgā, the wife of Lord Śiva, for material prosperity. As devotees of Krishna, we do not worship the demigods or demigoddess’s. As Srila Prabhupada points out;

There is a misconception that there are many Gods. Actually that is not a fact. God is one, but there are many other powerful living entities who are in charge of different departments of administration. They are called demigods. All the demigods are servants who carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead.

Only the less intelligent worship the demigods for their various purposes. The most intelligent worship only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

Sometimes we, the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, are accused of not approving of the worship of demigods….

…Because Kṛṣṇa and His energy appeared simultaneously, people have generally formed two groups—the śāktas and the Vaiṣṇavas—and sometimes there is rivalry between them. Essentially, those who are interested in material enjoyment are śāktas, and those interested in spiritual salvation and attaining the spiritual kingdom are Vaiṣṇavas. Because people are generally interested in material enjoyment, they are interested in worshiping Māyādevī, the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vaiṣṇavas, however, are śuddha-śāktas, or pure bhaktas, because the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra indicates worship of the Supreme Lord’s energy, Harā. A Vaiṣṇava prays to the energy of the Lord for the opportunity to serve the Lord along with His spiritual energy. Thus Vaiṣṇavas all worship such Deities as Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Sītā-Rāma, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa and Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa, whereas durgā-śāktas worship the material energy under different names. ( from purport SB 10.2.11-12)

…But he also points out that we offer all respect to the demigods as they are all servants of the Lord.

Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopī Girls

30 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Gopis, Krsna Consciousness, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Spiritual World Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bank of the Yamuna, disciplic succession, Durga, goddess durga, goddess katyayani, gopi girls, gopis, Katyayani, Krsna, Lord Caitanya, Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopi Girls, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, unmarried girsl, Vrndavana, Yamuna

…The unmarried gopīs used to prepare the deity of goddess Durgā and worship it with candana pulp, garlands, incense lamps and all kinds of presentations-fruits, grains and twigs of plants. After worshiping, it is the custom to pray for some benediction. The unmarried girls used to pray with great devotion to goddess Kātyāyanī, addressing her as follows: “O supreme eternal energy of the Personality of Godhead, O supreme mystic power, O supreme controller of this material world, O goddess, please be kind to us and arrange for our marriage with the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa.”

…Early in the morning, the gopīs used to go to the bank of the Yamunā to take bath. They would assemble together, capturing each other’s hands, and loudly sing of the wonderful pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. It is an old system among Indian girls and women that when they take bath in the river they place their garments on the bank and dip into the water completely naked. The portion of the river where the girls and women take bath was strictly prohibited to any male member, and this is still the system. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, knowing the minds of the unmarried young gopīs, benedicted them with their desired objective. They had prayed for Kṛṣṇa to become their husband, and Kṛṣṇa wanted to fulfill their desires.

Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa

22 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Books by Srila Prabhupada, Krishna Consciousness, The Path of Perfection Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bhakti yoga, Durga, Krishna Consciousness Society, Krsna, lotus feet, O son of Maharaja Nanda, Radha and Krsna, Srila Prabhupada, The Path of Perfection, yoga

Thanks to Sudarshan das for submitting this picture

…We have formed this International Society for Krishna Consciousness in order to teach people what they have forgotten. In this material world, we have forgotten the service of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa; therefore we have become servants of māyā, the senses. Therefore, in this Society we are saying, “You are serving your senses. Now just turn your service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and you will be happy. You have to render service—either to māyā [illusion], the senses, or to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.”

In this world, everyone is serving the senses, but people are not satisfied. No one can be satisfied, because the senses are always demanding more gratification, and this means that we are constantly having to serve the senses. In any case, our position as servant remains the same. It is a question of whether we want to be happy in our service. It is the verdict of Bhagavad-gītā and the other Vedic scriptures that we will never be happy trying to serve our senses, for they are only sources of misery. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu prays to be situated in Kṛṣṇa’s service. He also prays,

ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya

“O son of Mahārāja Nanda [Kṛṣṇa], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” (Śikṣāṣṭaka 5) This is another way of asking Kṛṣṇa to engage us in His service…

The Path of Perfection
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 8

Failure and Success in Yoga

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