05 Aug 2020
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Rudra-gita, Shiva, Uncategorized
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, benedictions, hymn of liberation, Lord Siva, Pracetas, prayers composed by lord siva, Rudra-gita, Shiva, Siva, Srimad Bhagavatam, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu
The Supreme Lord (Viṣṇu) says: “Those who will offer Me the prayers composed by Lord Śiva, both in the morning and in the evening, will be given benedictions by Me. In this way they can both fulfill their desires and attain good intelligence.” (SB 4.30.10)
Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Śiva
Lord Śiva said to the Pracetās:
“Just execute your kingly duties with a pure heart and chant the prayer I have recited, fixing your mind on the lotus feet of the Lord. That will bring you all good fortune.” (p. 405)
The Rudra-gītā is Lord Śiva’s song to the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu) and is known as the hymn of liberation. These prayers, which are contained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.33-74, are presented by Lord Śiva to the sons (Pracetās) of King Prācīnabarhi for reaching the ultimate spiritual perfection.
The Supreme Lord (Viṣṇu) says: “Those who will offer Me the prayers composed by Lord Śiva, both in the morning and in the evening, will be given benedictions by Me. In this way they can both fulfill their desires and attain good intelligence.” (SB 4.30.10)
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22 Dec 2015
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
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24 Feb 2015
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.
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17 Oct 2014
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada's Books, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhaktivedanta purports, brahmajyoti effulgence, Brhaspati, conditioned soul, intelligent man, Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Maharaja Pariksit, material world, pure devotional service, SB 2.3, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, Srimad Bhagavatam, threshold of death, Vedas
click on image to enlarge
As we continue to update our (one of our other sites) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by posting a chapter at a time, of that great literary work by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, we will continue to share the progress with our readers here at The Hare Krishna Movement.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Canto 2, Chapter Three
Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart
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04 May 2014
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)
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20 Jan 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Devotional Service, Mayavadi, Spiritual Life, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta
Tags: austerity, Demigod Gaṇeśa, fruitive activity, goddess durga, goddess kali, goddess of fortune, impersonal Brahman, It Is Not All One and the Same, Kṛṣṇa, Lord Ramacandra, Lord Siva, mystic yoga, speculative knowledge
click on image to enlarge
“One Can Understand Me As I Am, Only By Devotional Service”
It Is Not All One and the Same
…Lord Kṛṣṇa told the gopīs, ‘The means of attaining My favor is loving service unto Me, and fortunately you are all thus engaged. Those living beings who render service unto Me are eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world and attain eternal life with knowledge and bliss.’
The fulfillment of human life is summarized in this verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.82.44).
And in the Bhagavad-gita
…Lord Krsna told Arjuna, “One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.”
Impersonalists cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore it is not possible for them to enter into the spiritual kingdom of God and return home, back to Godhead. Actually one attains different results by different means. It is not that all achievements are one and the same.
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28 Jul 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Shiva, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, autumn season, blossoming petals of the lotus flower, darkness in the heart, effulgence, Krishna's lotus feet, Lord Siva, lotus feet, pada, padma, SB 4.25.52, Shiva, Srimad Bhagavatam, yasya deve para bhaktir
click on image to slightly enlarge
My dear Lord, Your two lotus feet are so beautiful that they appear like two blossoming petals of the lotus flower which grows during the autumn season. Indeed, the nails of Your lotus feet emanate such a great effulgence that they immediately dissipate all the darkness in the heart of a conditioned soul. My dear Lord, kindly show me that form of Yours which always dissipates all kinds of darkness in the heart of a devotee. My dear Lord, You are the supreme spiritual master of everyone; therefore all conditioned souls covered with the darkness of ignorance can be enlightened by You as the spiritual master.
Srimad Bhagavatam
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Canto Four, Chapter 25, Verse 52
Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Siva
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15 Jul 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Lectures, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bhagavata, Book Bhagavata, Devotee Bhagavata, Krishna, Lord Siva, maya, Parvati, prabhupada, Pradyumna, SB 1.2.18, Siva Purana
click on image to enlarge
…So Krsna and maya are side by side. As soon as you forget Krsna, or as soon as you want to utilize Krsna for your sense gratification, it is immediately maya, darkness. And as soon as you want to serve Krsna, immediately it is light. So if we keep ourself on this side, light side, always serving Krsna, then there is no possibility of our being in contact with maya.
“The Choice; Krishna Or Maya”
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.18
August 21, 1972, Los Angeles
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
nasta-prayesv abhadresu
nityam bhagavata-sevaya
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
bhaktir bhavati naisthiki
[SB 1.2.18]
Translation: “By regularly hearing the Bhagavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.”
Prabhupada: So here it is said bhagavata-sevaya, not bhagavan-sevaya. Bhagavan is Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and bhagavata means in relation with Bhagavan, who has got relationship with Bhagavan. So here it is recommended bhagavata-sevaya, not bhagavan-sevaya. The idea is that you cannot approach Bhagavan, God, directly. That is not possible. First of all, you have to serve bhagavata, the devotee bhagavata.
There are two kinds of bhagavata: book bhagavata and devotee bhagavata. So in the Siva Purana, there was a question by Parvati to Lord Siva. Lord Siva and Parvati, husband and wife. Parvati means the material nature. Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga [Bs. 5.44]. Durga-devi. Durga-devi is in charge of this material world. It is called durga, durga, just like fort. And the superintendent of this fort is Durga. You cannot go out of this fort; you are imprisoned. So such Durga-devi, who is so powerful energy — she can create, annihilate, maintain, srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana — she is always sitting by the side of her husband, Lord Siva, and questioning about spiritual enquiries. Just see. Such powerful deity is also ignorant about spiritual life. So the husband, Lord Siva, is Vaisnava, and she’s always asking, and sitting down underneath a bael tree. She can create so many universes, but for her, no building; only underneath a tree.
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02 Apr 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Krishna Consciousness, Teachings of Queen Kunti
Tags: asamaurdhva, Devaki, Hrsikesa, King Kamsa, Krsna, kuntidevi, Lord Brahma, Lord Krsna, Lord Siva, Nanda Maharaja, Queen Kunti, Vasudeva
…Of course, the world is full of dangers. But Kuntīdevī says, “Because Devakī is Your devotee, You saved her from the distresses imposed upon her by her envious brother.”
…For sense gratification we have fallen into this material condition and are suffering in different varieties of life. Because this is the material world, even Kṛṣṇa’s mother was put into suffering. Devakī was so advanced that she became the mother of Kṛṣṇa, but still she was put into difficulties by her own brother, Kaṁsa. That is the nature of this material world. The living entities in this world are so jealous that if one’s personal interest is hampered, one will immediately be ready to give trouble to others, even to one’s nearest relatives.
“A person who acts in the service of Kṛṣṇa with his body, mind, intelligence, and words is a liberated person, even within the material world.”
Teachings of Queen Kunti
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 6
The Master of the Senses
yathā hṛṣīkeśa khalena devakī
kaṁsena ruddhāticiraṁ śucārpitā
vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho
tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṇāt
O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaṁsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.
—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.23
Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa and sister of King Kaṁsa, was put into prison along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devakī’s eighth son (Kṛṣṇa). The King killed all the sons of Devakī who were born before Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa escaped the danger of child-slaughter because He was transferred to the house of Nanda Mahārāja, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s foster father. Kuntīdevī, along with her children, was also saved from a series of dangers. But Kuntīdevī was shown far more favor because Lord Kṛṣṇa did not save the other children of Devakī, whereas He saved the children of Kuntīdevī. This was done because Devakī’s husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntīdevī was a widow and there was none to help her except Kṛṣṇa. The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa bestows more favor upon a devotee who is in greater dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the devotee.
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20 Feb 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Shiva, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Lord Siva, Maha Shivaratri, SB 4.4.14, Shiva, Sivaratri, Srimad Bhagavatam
Today is Maha Shivaratri or Shivaratri, so we are posting one nice verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam in glorification of Lord Siva.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Four, Text 14
yad dvy-akṣaraṁ nāma gireritaṁ nṛṇāṁ
sakṛt prasaṅgād agham āśu hanti tat
pavitra-kīrtiṁ tam alaṅghya-śāsanaṁ
bhavān aho dveṣṭi śivaṁ śivetaraḥ
yat—which; dvi-akṣaram—consisting of two letters; nāma—named; girā īritam—merely being pronounced by the tongue; nṛṇām—persons; sakṛt—once; prasaṅgāt—from the heart; agham—sinful activities; āśu—immediately; hanti—destroys; tat—that; pavitra-kīrtim—whose fame is pure; tam—him; alaṅghya-śāsanam—whose order is never neglected; bhavān—you; aho—oh; dveṣṭi—envy; śivam—Lord Śiva; śiva-itaraḥ—who are inauspicious.
TRANSLATION
Satī continued: My dear father, you are committing the greatest offense by envying Lord Śiva, whose very name, consisting of two syllables, śi and va, purifies one of all sinful activities. His order is never neglected. Lord Śiva is always pure, and no one but you envies him.
PURPORT
Since Lord Śiva is the greatest soul among the living entities within this material world, his name, Śiva, is very auspicious for persons who identify the body with the soul. If such persons take shelter of Lord Śiva, gradually they will understand that they are not the material body but are spirit soul. Śiva means maṅgala, or auspicious. Within the body the soul is auspicious. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: “I am Brahman.” This realization is auspicious. As long as one does not realize his identity as the soul, whatever he does is inauspicious. Śiva means “auspicious,” and devotees of Lord Śiva gradually come to the platform of spiritual identification, but that is not all. Auspicious life begins from the point of spiritual identification. But there are still more duties—one has to understand one’s relationship with the Supreme Soul.
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