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Bhakti Yoga-Devotional Service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna

Bhakti Yoga-Devotional Service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna
Gopis performing Devotional Service to the Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krishna

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Prove if God exists by logic

University Student:Can you prove if God exists by logic???

Srila Prabhupada:Material nature is the mother. Living entities are the children. Therefore there must be a father. The father is God

Yours
Dinesh
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Yoga is simply a show when it's intention is Bhoga

Without mind control and sense control, self realization is simply a show. No path of real self realization can give success if one still holds on to sensual pleasure.

Therefore in the initial stages, the beginners are also expected to be well versed in the philosophy to strengthen the intelligence in order to fix the mind on the process with the power of intelligence. The philosophy of Sankhya helps us to understand our real position with respect to the material manifestation and The Lord.

Different sages have different numbers as we see in the 11th canto of Bhagavatham, but the essence is the same in the Sankhya. Some say 24, others 25, while some other sages say 27 which includes 3 modes of material nature.
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A cloud is compared to a qualified person because it pours rain and gives sustenance to many people


During the rainy season, lightning appears in one group of clouds and then immediately in another group of clouds. This phenomenon is compared to a lusty woman who does not fix her mind on one man. A cloud is compared to a qualified person because it pours rain and gives sustenance to many people; a man who is qualified similarly gives sustenance to many living creatures, such as family members or many workers in business. Unfortunately, his whole life can be disturbed by a wife who divorces him. 

When the husband is disturbed, the whole family is ruined, the children are dispersed, or the business is closed, and everything is affected. It is therefore recommended that a woman desiring to advance in Krsna consciousness peacefully live with a husband and that the couple should not separate under any condition. The husband and wife should control sex indulgence and concentrate their minds on Krsna consciousness so their life may be successful.

After all, in the material world a man requires a woman, and a woman requires a man. When they are combined, they should live peacefully in Krsna consciousness and should not be restless, like the lightning, flashing from one group of clouds to another. - Light of Bhagavata, Srila Prabhupada.


--
Yours
Dinesh

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Nothing less, nothing more but only what you deserve!!!




Even though this world is full of resources, you will get only what you are destined for!!! Nothing less, nothing more but only what you deserve!!! This is no joke... It's all karma of an endless cycle of birth and death life after life. 


These material bodies are like machines and the souls are seated in these machines based on their karma. The Lord is rotating the bodies of these souls. So sometimes we come here as man and other times as woman and the cycle goes on for various reasons like femists, anti-feminists etc.


Yours
Dinesh

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Accepting Ourselves and In Turn Others

Accepting Ourselves and In Turn Others


March 29, 2010



How we can help improve our devotee relationships? 


What we do with others should be what we do with ourselves. Or, what we do with ourselves will be what we do with other people. As we move along, our life may bump into another person's life, and by associating together for some time we will come to know more about them…We may not know the circumstances of life of someone who is coming from a different culture and upbringing, which explains why they are carrying on in certain ways. The ways they are carrying on are exhibiting their spirituality or shortcoming that makes the present make-up of that person.

Now, how do we address ourselves in our relationships with those persons? That depends on how we address ourselves. In all religions of the world there are teachings about how we should be accepting of others, or how we should address ourselves to others' shortcomings…We do not have to like the behavior, but then, it is the soul that we are to love. This teaching to see the person as spirit soul is very clear in Bhagavad Gita. But how do we live that teaching? How do we live seeing spirit soul, particularly in the devotee community? These devotees are trying to tread a path that will take them to Krishna, even though they have these shortcomings and bad stuff which we may not like. So, continue to extend the feeling of love towards the soul in a non-judgmental way. As we may struggle with certain things, others may also be struggling with some things.

We should feel towards that person the way we would want others to feel towards us. There is a famous saying, "Do unto others as you would expect others do unto you". Similarly, there is another saying, "Do not judge the other person, lest ye be judged". Behave in such a manner to all other persons in a way that you would want them to behave towards you and to your shortcomings, whether they are judging you or not. We can start with forgiveness, because we wish that others forgive us and not judge us. And, treat the other person with dignity, whether they behave with dignity or not. Then their good qualities will come out and other bad stuff will diminish, just because you treated them with dignity…Because, within the body is a spirit soul who is part and parcel of Krishna. So there is this intrinsic worth, although they are hurting themselves again and again.

-- From a lecture by HH Romapada Swami on 'Self Acceptance and Self Improvement Part 1', during the Christmas Weekend Seminar on 'Seeming Paradox or Contradictions' delivered on December 2009, in Chicago, US.


Yours
Dinesh

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Discipline by Love

Loving Relationships 

Discipline by Love

March 8, 2010

Discipline is not a word that most people like, because it sounds harsh. However, there is also a loving kind of discipline, wherein discipline means making oneself obedient to something that will elevate one in a spiritual sense. In Srila Prabhupada's words, "there is no disciple without discipline". It is kind of self-evident. How can one be a disciple without being disciplined? So, discipline is a voluntary function, one in which we submit to the instruction or the understanding that is being imparted.

The classic example of this is Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmini. Pradyumna had an ideal attitude of servitude unto his father, Krishna. When Pradyumna wanted something, if Krishna did not want that, Pradyumna would decide to give up his desire for that something. And, the other way around: When Pradyuma did not want to do something but Krishna wanted it, then Pradyumna would do it. So, it was discipline or obedience out of love...In this world, there is no real love because love means without any condition. Similarly, discipline is without any condition and is out of love.

Narada as a small boy was brought to that kind of discipline. Discipline is by love and not by a stick...The qualification to receive is discipline. In order to have a loving relationship with someone, we have to receive the love that they are extending. Acknowledge and feel it. Without receiving, we cannot be in a loving relationship. In this case, Narada as a student was receiving from the Bhakivedantas. In our case, how are we to receive from a spiritual teacher or a spiritual master? Suta Goswami and Srila Prabhupada are giving us the formula in this verse. Three things are required - "without being self-controlled, without being disciplined and without being fully obedient, no one can become successful in following the instructions of the spiritual master, and without doing so, no one is able to go back to Godhead." That is just the beginning and the mature stage is love...So, if we want the mature fruit, we need to take to this process.

-- From a lecture by HH Romapada Swami on 'Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.24', delivered on July 2009, in California, US.


Yours
Dinesh

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Curse of restless travel

Daksha when he found Narada muni giving Sannyasa to his sons, he became angry and cursed Narada muni that you would never get to stay in one place. Daksha said his sons should first enjoy the life and then get the realization that it's miserable to do sense gratication. But it's for less intelligent people who will accept things only after experience. Sense gratification naturally brings miseries and giving up that later after experiencing is not for intelligent class of people. Intelligent people accept simply by hearing and seeing others experiencing.


Narada muni accepted it happily. The same curse was transferred by the parents of American boys and girls to Srila Prabhupada also when he made many young boys in ISKCON as sannyasis.


And before Prabhupada left the planet he also ordered HH.Jayapataka Swami to take the curse for himself to preach the message of Lord Caitanya and assist the mission of Srila Prabhupada. Maharaja says that he can't stay in any place for more than a few days as a result of this curse.


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Kardam Muni's yogic power, planned material enjoyment, liberation

A yogi can multiply himself into 8 or 9 different persons but because his consciousness is one he can feel the same emotions that other expansions are going through. For instance if one expansion is undergoing painful experience, all the other 8 persons will also experience the pain. This is the limitation of the individual souls but Krishna is unlimited and has unlimited number of forms and he can simultaneously be present in different forms and not be affected by the emotions of other forms. 

Kardama muni multiplies himself 9 times to satisfy his wife devahuti as her desires to enjoy sex life increased when Kardama muni took her to a tour around the Universe. Nowadays which man can do such wonderful things? It is also mentioned that the lusty desire of woman is 9 times more than that of a man and so Kardama muni expanded himself 9 times to please his wife. However we cannot imitate Kardama muni because his lifetime was different and he was on a different yuga where he had lot of austerities as well. He never did any enjoyment with his wife outside of the religious principles. 

When we go back home to the spiritual world we have to be very clear about our goal of seeing Krishna and serving Him. Otherwise on our way Home we might get bewildered as we see various planets where there are higher levels of comfort and sensual pleasures. Some planets will have beautiful men and damsels and others will have many yogis who are expert in doing mystical things. When we see them we  should not get disturbed. Because Devahuti was seeing the heavenly realms, he sex desire got agitated and increased. So it's a trap for us when we enter into a very comfortable environment in the material world. Kardama muni had very well organized plan of how much he can enjoy for sometime and how then he has to give up the attachment to sensual pleasures after enjoying with the wife for sometime. He had his austerities which backed him even when he was enjoying the material sense gratification. But what is our position, if we think like enjoying for sometime and come back to devotional service later we might easily get side tracked because we dont have austerities or time like Kardama muni. 

Kardama muni's time is in heavenly realm and our time is very very limited 60-70 earthly years. Chances are there that we might totally get lost if we try to imitate kardama muni. He was enjoying for many many years with his wife and which passed like a second. But after that he planned to stop and then go for liberation. They had many daughters. But they carefully planned to get a son, subsequently. Both husband and wife were alert and then prayed to Lord Vishnu to get a son. Kapila dev, the Lord Himself came to deliver both Devahuti and Kardama muni. Since Devahuti didnt receive knowledge from Kardama muni she was praying to the Lord to get knowledge and Lord Kapila dev satisfied her desires.



--
Yours
Dinesh

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Not everyone has to undertake the married life to understand it's difficulties and pain

Daksha was not happy with Narada Muni's preaching to make all of Dakhsa's sons to renounced order of life at a young age, because the general understanding is a man and woman having desires to enjoy their senses will undergo lot of difficulties in their Grihastha life and eventually they themselves will understand the nature of problems that arise out of sense gratification. For instance, a woman after undergoing the labour pain during child birth will naturally think about giving up the enjoyment of sex life. But even Daksha would never have thought that the modern world people have other alternative ways of having the same enjoyment without actually giving child birth. 

The point is however Narada muni gave them the realized knowledge with which the sons of Daksha were already convinced of the nature of the enjoyment of the material world and so they didnt have any doubt about it and they were perfectly realized souls.

Daksha is trying to get progenies to populate the Universe but he is tired of narada's preaching which makes all the sons celibates. FInally Daksha goes and begets daughters in which case narada muni couldnt do anything.

--
Yours
Dinesh

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No reason to feel alone!


No reason to feel alone!

02 Jul 2014 by  Leave a Comment

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 May 2014, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Caitanya Caritamrta Adi-Lila 8.31)

Lord caitanyaOur position is that we cannot see Krsna; we forget him all the time and don’t see him, and then we think,‘Oh, Krsna, why have you left me alone?!’ Come on! The day you came to the material world, Krsna came with you in the heart as paramatma. He never left us alone, not for a moment; he is always with us, seated on the lotus in the heart.

In the concluding words of the Caitanya Caritamrta –  I like those concluding words – you can read them in the last book of Antya-lila, Srila Prabhupada describes that Krsna is actually personally seated in the heart of his devotee – and he is not alone! Krsna is there in all his various forms and expansions, so it is getting pretty crowded there!

Imagine all the Deities are packed together in the heart. And Prabhupada says, ‘That is not all: Krsna is even present there in the form of the spiritual master and in that way,’ he said, ‘my spiritual master is always present, is always with me.’ Isn’t that nice? I find that so powerful, that final statement in the end.  In that way, we can see that we are never alone as Lord Caitanya is with us every moment


--
Yours
Dinesh

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The lonely vaisnava


The lonely vaisnava

01 Jul 2014 by  5 Comments

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 June 2014, Stockholm, Sweden, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.5.14)

unhappy2I used to think, before I came to Krsna consciousness, that now I would join a movement of very like-minded people and that I would feel very intimate friendship. Then, I was shocked to see that that person who I kind of detested for his views, he also had joined! (laughing)

I thought, “How is this possible? Not this guy! How is it possible that he became a devotee!?” Well, because of the universal nature of Krsna consciousness, people of all kinds, from all walks of life, even from opposing world views, can join the Krsna conscious movement and therefore it is not always easy to have that kind of intimate friendship with everyone. We do not!

Some devotees never get beyond colleagues. We do have some friends also, in this movement. With colleagues, it can get very impersonal and very distant with virtually no affection; and therefore we can feel alone, especially if we have not deeply developed our relationship with Krsna. If we have deeply developed our relationship to Krsna, then there we find a satisfaction that nourishes us even when we are alone with people. Then once one is nourished in that relationship, one has to bring it back down to the social platform and begin to develop real relationships with people. But without first going up to Krsna – and first up to Krsna means developing a relationship of attachment to Krsna, intimate interaction with Krsna and always feeling that he is interacting with you – without that, we are on the normal social platform! Then we will only be able to deal with people who are kind of like-minded, and others remain strangers even when they chant Hare Krsna. Then we are a movement of strangers with a few friends because how many people can you relate to, anyway?

Srila-Prabhupada3When we go up in attachment to Krsna and really interact with Krsna closely at every moment, and we bring that down into our relationships with others, then we can become like Prabhupada! He had that capacity. He was not limited by his social background and he could be completely relevant to hippies in America although they were culturally so different and in such a different stage of life and so on… Prabhupada was so relevant and that is what I am talking about because he went to the root of the things. Yes, unless we have that, we will just still be alone because we will just still associate on the level of like-mindedness and the normal social dynamics will still apply. That is what I see and it is all over the world. Loneliness is becoming an issue in our movement…




--
Yours
Dinesh

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Friendship is important

Friendship is important

27 Jan 2014 by  1 Comment

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, June 2011, Stockholm, Sweden, Lecture)

yellow-rose-waterI think that the only thing that can really bond us together is friendship. Just common acceptance of Krsna as the Supreme Lord will bring us together from time to time – we will come together at the temple and festivals – but friendship will take us so much further. Because it is in friendship, real friendship, that we are going to stimulate each other so much more than by just being colleagues!

I have often given this example of how we can be together like colleagues. We are all devotees of Krsna and we are all colleagues. We are all devotees in the same temple, we are all colleagues. We are all chanting Hare Krsna, we are all colleagues. We are all dancing in the kirtan party as colleagues. But when there is no friendship, it is not enough.

If there is friendship, then friendship is different. Friendship is like a family spirit. When your colleague is not performing well, it disturbs your work, and you say, “Get it together! You know, they’ll throw you out of here one of these days if you don’t get it together.”

That is what you say to a colleague but to a family member, you say, “When in the world are you ever going to get it together? But we can’t throw you out because you’re part of the family.”

That is different. That is friendship and in that friendship there is trust. We know we are going to be accepted. We don’t have to have a masquerade where everyone acts out to be a pure devotee in a Hare Krsna community. We can just be more honest. If there is friendship, we can just be who we are and still be accepted. In that way, we can get some real human support which is what we need!


--
Yours
Dinesh

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Creating friendships

Creating friendships

03 Jul 2014 by  1 Comment

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11 April 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Lecture at House Program)

KKS_friendshipIn a small temple, with predominately congregational devotees – that means devotees who are maintaining a life outside the temple and who have limited time and energy – I think we should appreciate the time spent together and maintain relationships. Because especially in a congregational gathering, more than ever, we need friendship. You know, it is like if you have a little military army living in a temple and all are on a mission. Even if there is no such friendship, still all are together in the same mission. But when you do not have that kind of driving energy then the only reason to come together is for friendship. So that is a big challenge but I think that is the key.

Like, we are here tonight, at somebody’s house and that is very nice, that is how it should be. If devotees have not been in your house for a while then you must start thinking about it and arrange for them to come. Even if your house is small, it does not matter – squeeze in somehow or other – because bonding is important. So we need to stay close and in an congregational setting, friendship is a big element, if you want to be with people. If you do not really want to be with them then you are not going to be with them. In the temple, whether you want to be together or not, you have to be for mangala aarti. But in a congregation, if you do not want to be together then why would you be? You only go to programs that you want to.

In friendship, you have to conquer people, do something to win them over. You have to do something that touches their heart, and then we have real friendships. Friendship can never be taken for granted and it is not cheap, but that is what we need. I guess, you can say big things about friendship but you can also make it very simple. In one way, a very simple approach is to not give each other a hard time – sort of, make it easy for each other and it counts for everybody, even at home! You know, friendship begins at home, if we just sort of try and make it easy for each other, that would help.

Devotee: Maharaj, does that not defeat the high thinking society ideal?

It depends on what you call easy. I did not mean that we should lose the purity but we should accommodate each other a lot and be sensitive to each other’s needs, that is what I meant. Making it easy for each other means that we should think of everybody’s needs, and not just of our own, then that creates friendship. So we try to think of the needs of others.


--
Yours
Dinesh

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The vigilant eye of the vaisnavas

The vigilant eye of the vaisnavas

10 Dec 2011 by  

(Kadamba Kanana Swami Govinda Valley, Austrailia, 2011) Lecture – S.B.3.25.27

When a community makes a commitment, that's when the community can support each other in that way, and that is needed. It doesn't matter what shape that community exists but that is one function of sadhu sanga. We often think that the association of devotees is meant for inspiration. It's like:

"I need devotee's association to feel inspired and whenever I am with the devotees then I am so inspired".

But we see in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, where a situation occurring, where Vallabhacharya came to visit Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and was Vallabhacharya proud of his learning (he was a great scholar) and said that he had written a commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam. He mentioned that he was not in agreement with Śrīdhara Svāmī who was the original Bhagavatam commentator. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had no appreciation for that, because he had Śrīdhara Svāmī at a highest regard. Threfore, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not want to hear the commentary of. Vallabhacharya. So when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu didn't want to hear, then no body wanted to hear – not a single devotee was ready to hear and Vallabhacharya would go around saying:

"Please, listen to my commentary, since you will find it very interesting".

"No, sorry……I have no time….I really have to go".

Everybody would make excuses and some said:

"No way!"

And some were blunt, but one devotee was very soft by nature, namely Gadādhara. Gadādhara was one of these soft natured person and Vallabhacharya had just cornered him and overpowered him with his energy by saying:

"You will hear my commentary".

Gadādhara said:

"No, please!"

" Yes! You will!"

And he took his right hand and started reading to Gadādhara who was thinking:

"Oh, my god what will happen now? Lord Caitanya will surely understand, because he knows my heart and that I don't want to hear it. But the devotees will never tolerate that I heard the commentary, because they are not so tolerant".

So that particular passage is interesting because that shows another aspect of devotee association, and shows the intolerance of the devotees. Or what is sometimes referred to as peer pressure….or you could say something like the village mentality. Now we are living in the village and if you act different in the village then the whole village is down on you! So everyone is living in fear of the villagers.

So the devotee community is something like that…it's like living in a village, and we are a bit worried about being seen by the neighbours because they know that you're going to cop it. Those dynamics are actually healthy – we need a bit of that…..we need a bit of the vigilant eye of the vaisnavas, so to keep us from becoming degraded, since the tendency to glide down is very strong…..very strong!


--
Yours
Dinesh

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Taking real shelter of the vaisnavas

Taking real shelter of the vaisnavas

10 Jun 2008 by  

H.H. Kadamba Kanana Swami, 13/03/2007,Nectar of Instruction, text 4

So it’s not that a devotee is alone with Krishna, but rather the devotee becomes very close and intimate with the vaisnavas, much more so than generally is the case in the material relationships that exists in this world, where everyone has his privacy, where everyone has his fence, where everyone has his privacy circles, his limits, his borders and ‘Sorry, I don’t know you, so you cannot talk to me’ kind of mood. Book distributors – they ignore that; they step right through these privacy lines. The people are shocked, “This can’t be happening! This is not possible!”  It shocks them. Among the vaisnavas we see that relationships are meant to be of a different nature; they are meant to be close and intimate, but may not be so in our present spiritual Movement because we are not prema bhaktas. But if we could be, if we would be devotees on the level of prema, then really such open, positive, non-envious exchange could be there.

Now in our present state we are associating in the material world and we are all at different levels of advancement. Srila Prabhupada sometimes said that our movement ISKCON is like a hospital and actually all are patients – some are in a better condition than the others and they are helping the others, but somehow or other it is a hospital full of patients where patients help patients, because devotees at different levels of advancement may help. Of course nitya-siddha devotees are of a different nature, or sadhana-siddha. Those who are siddha-bhakta devotees, who are fully at the platform of perfection, alright, they may not be considered as patients but otherwise patients are helping patients and therefore we can not expect our relationships to be completely fully developed. So we should not be disappointed when the relationships amongst vaisnavas are not one of real complete love and trust. When we see in our Movement not yet that full love and trust is realized, then we should not think it is just because we have socially failed. Rather it is that simply the spiritual world has not fully manifested amongst us.

Srila Prabhupada says “guyam…” - experienced devotees explain and an inexperienced devotee learns from him. Guyam means what is hidden, that will be shared once intimate, hidden feelings and experiences are being shared, because a vaisnava has to rise above the platform of duplicity. Duplicity is something required in the material world but from the spiritual plane duplicity is a real problem. It is actually one of the activities that can really block our spiritual advancement and it’s important that a vaisnava is not only truthful in what he says and that he doesn’t speak any lies, but that he’s just truthful about what he is experiencing, because then one can actually take shelter of the vaisnavas. If we are on the platform of pretending, always playing a part for everyone, then we are very alone because we never share our real self with anybody else. So we have to come to the point where we just share wherever we are, whatever we are going through with other vaisnavas, because then we get the shelter of the vaisnavas.

So this (guyam…) is very important because without taking shelter of the vaisnavas, it is not possible.
Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja Maharaja has said, “My path is very difficult, my feet are slipping again and again, therefore with the stick of the mercy of the vaisnavas for my support I can carry on this path.” So, interesting that he is saying, ‘My feet are slipping again and again’, and who can say that he has a perfect track record? This is very rare – never a slip? Never a moment of weakness? Never? That’s very rare! Some may slip again and again. Then ok, there are maybe no gross slips that one is not slipping with the four regulative principles but then we slip in so many other ways: we make so many mistakes on the path, more subtle mistakes, there again we come under the influence of the lower nature. So all these things are taking us away from the path of pure devotion, pure devotional service. So by taking shelter of the vaisnavas, we automatically get our true position in the association of the vaisnavas. If we are trying to act that we are quite advanced and we are not, then we are not getting the proper mercy that we require; we are just cutting ourselves off. So this taking shelter is an essential element.


--
Yours
Dinesh

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Devotee relationships

Devotee relationships

10 Jul 2014 by  1 Comment

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 21 December 2010, Cape Town, South Africa, Lecture at house program)

kingsday 2014The family of vaisnavas is somehow or other our support. Prabhupada made this movement a very personal one. In the beginning, we overlook how important relationships are because we are not used to it. In the material world, when a relationship does not work, you just cut it off and try another one… then another one and another one.

Now I’m not talking just about friendships. So many friends came and went in our lives in the material world but spiritual relationships are very different. Spiritual friendships are different because devotees are very rare. Therefore, devotees are precious and the relationship with the devotee is precious and once broken it is difficult to repair; not like a broken pot that can be glued back together.

Therefore with devotees we cannot just afford the mentality that if it does not work, get rid of this one and get another one! Because the day will come when we will need all the devotees. The day will come when we will very much depend on devotees because the vaisnavas are sustaining us in our spiritual life and without them it becomes so difficult. The day will come when all artificial behavior in our relationships will have to go because that cannot sustain us and time will test us. As they say, “It all comes out in the wash!” It means that sooner or later, it has to get real.

In the beginning, maybe one can have a Shakespearean performance of Krsna consciousness but at one point we need genuine relationships and genuine friendships. This is very important therefore we must be very careful to make sure we avoid unpleasant exchanges between devotees even for the sake of service. Sometimes, it may be necessary that a devotee is not doing it proper and you have to straighten him out.

We sometimes have to chastise but it is an unfortunate thing to do because in the course of it we may break a relationship. That is just one thought that comes to my mind: friendship between vaisnavas. Friendship is not just by declaration, not just Facebook friends or face-value friends, friendship means more.



--
Yours
Dinesh

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SB 1.1.5

Today's sloka 


Haribol

On Jul 9, 2014, at 5:54 AM, Dinesh <dineshkrishna108@gmail.com> wrote:


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Respect attracts respect


Respect to a person is entitled based on various parameters such as age, position, knowledge, experience, qualities/character, seniority. Yudhistra maharaja was paying respects to Gandhari and Dhritarashtra everyday for they are elderly people. Draupadi was a chaste noble Queen. She was treated like a prostitue by disrobing her in the kuru assembly, by such disrespect the kurus ruined themselves. If we give respect to people we also will be respectable naturally, if we fail to do so we will attract disrespect. The whole process of Krishna consciousness is about giving respect to everyone and not expecting respect for the self. Only in such a state of mind can one chant the holy names of The Lord as explained by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.


Prahlad Maharaj was worshipped by Lord Indra by circumambulating his mother when he was in the womb. By age he was small but by the qualities of devotion he was great to be worshipped even by Indra. Merely age doesn't qualify one to become respectable but the qualities.


Yours
Dinesh

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SB 1.1.4

Today's sloka: 



Yours
Dinesh

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A neophyte thinks....

One of the characteristics of a neophyte devotee is that he will think himself as very advanced and it's a challenge to make him understand that he is not. Because it's an obstacle for him to make further progress, he needs to surrender more to Guru giving up his false ego of knowing everything. Otherwise om ajnana timirandasya.. doesn't make sense. I am born in darkness of ignorance and my spiritual master dispelled it with the torch of knowledge- this we have to remember and everyday we have to think that I am a new Bhakta so that we don't build up false prestige and boost our false ego to think that I am so expert and experienced in devotional service myself.


Yours
Dinesh

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Oh Blue Mountain

Ahe Nila saila Lyrics 

Ahe Nila saila Prabala mata barana
Mo arata nalini banaku kala dalana .
Ahe Nila saila ……………..

Gajaraja Chinta kala thai ghora jalena ,
chakra pesi nakra nasi uddharila apana …..
Ahe nila Saila ……………..

Ghora bane mruguni padithila kasana ,
Kede bada bippati ru kariacha tarana …..
Ahe nila Saila ………………

Kuru sabha tale suni Draupadi ra janana ,
Koti vastra dei hele lajya kala barana .
Ahe nila Saila ………………

Ravana ra bhai bibhisana gala sarana ,
Sarana sambhali tanku lanke kala rajana….
Ahe nila Saila ………………

Prahalada pita se je bada dusta daruna ,
Stambha ru bahari taku bidarila takhyana ….
Ahe nila Saila ………………

Kahe salabega hina jadi re mu jabana ,
Sriranha Charana tale karuachi Janana ….
Ahe nila Saila .Ahe nila Saila .

Translation :

Oh Blue Mountain ! Almighty, stimulant elephant, Do chum my afflicted lotus - pond.

The king elephant prayed in the troubled water. Thou saved him killing the crocodile by Sudarshan.

In the dense forest the dove was in cross ward tangle. Thou protected her from such great peril.

Responding Draupadi's destressed cries from Kuru - Darbar Saved her from deadly shame providing millionyard clothes.

Ravan's brother Vibhisan sought Thy shelter. Ensured him security and the throne of Lanka at last.

Thou, emerging from the pillar, tore Hiranyakasipu instantly Father of Prahlad, the cruelest and most wicked.

Thus entreats Salbeg, a Jaban by cast and Seeking shelter under Thy Red - Feet. 

By Bhakta Salabeg 

Trans. by : Ramakanta Rout 


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The King of Sweet is sweet complete



The Sweetness of Lord Sri Krishna
Text1

adharam madhuram vadanam madhuram
nayanam madhuram hasitam madhuram
hridayam madhuram gamanam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His lips are sweet, His face is sweet,
His eyes are sweet, His smile is sweet,
His loving heart is sweet, His gait (walk) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text2
vachanam madhuram charitam madhuram
vasanam madhuram valitam madhuram
chalitam madhuram bhramitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His words are sweet, His character is sweet,
His dress (garment) is sweet, His posture is sweet,
His movements are sweet, His wandering (roaming) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text3
venur madhuro renur madhurah
panir madhurah padau madhurau
nrityam madhuram shakhyam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His flute-playing is sweet, His foot-dust is sweet,
His hands are sweet, His feet are sweet,
His dancing is sweet, His friendship is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text4
gitam madhuram pitam madhuram
bhuktam madhuram suptam madhuram
rupam madhuram tilakam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His song is sweet, His drinking is sweet,
His eating is sweet, His sleeping is sweet,
His beautiful form is sweet, His Tilaka (mark on the forehead) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text5
karanam madhuram taranam madhuram
haranam madhuram ramanam madhuram
vamitam madhuram shamitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His deeds (activities) are sweet, His conquest (liberating) is sweet,
His thieving (stealing) is sweet, His love-sports are sweet,
His oblations (offerings) are sweet, His countenance is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text6
gunja madhura mala madhura
yamuna madhura vici madhura
salilam madhuram kamalam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gunja-berry necklace is sweet, His flower garland is sweet,
sweet is the Yamuna river, and sweet are her rippling waves,
her water is sweet, and sweet are the lotus flowers also,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text7
gopi madhura lila madhura
yuktam madhuram muktam madhuram
dhristam madhuram shistam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gopis (cowherd girlfriends) are sweet, His pastimes (plays) are sweet,
His union (meeting him) is sweet, His deliverance (rescue) is sweet,
His sidelong glances are sweet, His courtesy (etiquette) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text8
gopa madhura gavo madhura
yastir madhura shristhir madhura
dalitam madhuram phalitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gopas (cowherd boyfriends) are sweet, His cows are sweet,
His cane (herding-stick) is sweet, His creation is sweet,
His victory (trampling) is sweet, His accomplishment (fruition) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.


|| iti srimad vallabha-acarya viracitam madhurastakam sampurnam ||

|| Thus ends the the eight stanza hymn madhurastakam composed by Sripad Vallabha-acharya ||


Yours
Dinesh

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The King of Sweet is sweet complete


The Sweetness of Lord Sri Krishna
Text1

adharam madhuram vadanam madhuram
nayanam madhuram hasitam madhuram
hridayam madhuram gamanam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His lips are sweet, His face is sweet,
His eyes are sweet, His smile is sweet,
His loving heart is sweet, His gait (walk) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text2
vachanam madhuram charitam madhuram
vasanam madhuram valitam madhuram
chalitam madhuram bhramitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His words are sweet, His character is sweet,
His dress (garment) is sweet, His posture is sweet,
His movements are sweet, His wandering (roaming) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text3
venur madhuro renur madhurah
panir madhurah padau madhurau
nrityam madhuram shakhyam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His flute-playing is sweet, His foot-dust is sweet,
His hands are sweet, His feet are sweet,
His dancing is sweet, His friendship is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text4
gitam madhuram pitam madhuram
bhuktam madhuram suptam madhuram
rupam madhuram tilakam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His song is sweet, His drinking is sweet,
His eating is sweet, His sleeping is sweet,
His beautiful form is sweet, His Tilaka (mark on the forehead) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text5
karanam madhuram taranam madhuram
haranam madhuram ramanam madhuram
vamitam madhuram shamitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His deeds (activities) are sweet, His conquest (liberating) is sweet,
His thieving (stealing) is sweet, His love-sports are sweet,
His oblations (offerings) are sweet, His countenance is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text6
gunja madhura mala madhura
yamuna madhura vici madhura
salilam madhuram kamalam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gunja-berry necklace is sweet, His flower garland is sweet,
sweet is the Yamuna river, and sweet are her rippling waves,
her water is sweet, and sweet are the lotus flowers also,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text7
gopi madhura lila madhura
yuktam madhuram muktam madhuram
dhristam madhuram shistam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gopis (cowherd girlfriends) are sweet, His pastimes (plays) are sweet,
His union (meeting him) is sweet, His deliverance (rescue) is sweet,
His sidelong glances are sweet, His courtesy (etiquette) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

Text8
gopa madhura gavo madhura
yastir madhura shristhir madhura
dalitam madhuram phalitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gopas (cowherd boyfriends) are sweet, His cows are sweet,
His cane (herding-stick) is sweet, His creation is sweet,
His victory (trampling) is sweet, His accomplishment (fruition) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.


|| iti srimad vallabha-acarya viracitam madhurastakam sampurnam ||

|| Thus ends the the eight stanza hymn madhurastakam composed by Sripad Vallabha-acharya ||


Yours
Dinesh

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SRI VENKATESWARA NAMALU

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/F5VhexGIuu8


Yours
Dinesh
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