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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

[granthraj] Approaching the Authority

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
 
 When the asuras Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu took birth in the material world, there was disturbing situation of darkness everywhere and seeing that the demigods became very fearful and approached Lord Brahma for help. Maitreya Muni narrates this pastime to Sri Vidura as follows in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 3.17.1
 
maitreya uvaaca
nishamyaatma bhuvaa geetam / kaaranam shankayojjhitaah
tatah sarve nyavartanta / tridivaaya divaukasah
 
"Sri Maitreya said: The demigods, the inhabitants of the higher planets, were freed from all fear upon hearing the cause of the darkness explained by Brahma, who was born from Vishu. Thus they all returned to their respective planets."
 
 Unusual situations and uncertainities in life leads to fear. When we are accustomed to a particular situation, and if there is some disturbance or change in that situation, we tend to become fearful. How to overcome fear? In his wonderful purport to the above verse, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada very nicely explains how fear element is also present in demigods. He says, "The difference between the demigods and ordinary human beings is that the demigods approach authority, whereas the inhabitants of this earth defy authority. If people would only approach the authority, then every adverse condition in this universe could be rectified. Arjuna was also disturbed on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, but he approached the authority, Krishna, and his problem was solved. The conclusive instruction of this incident is that we may be disturbed by some material condition, but if we approach the authority who can actually explain the matter, then our problem is solved. The demigods approached Brahma for the meaning of the disturbance, and after hearing from him they were satisfied and returned home peacefully."
 
 We find that in the whole of Mahabharata, whenever there was any difficult situation, the Pandavas always approached Krishna and elders like Bhishma, Vidura, Dhaumya etc for advice. However in case of Kauravas and Dhrtarashtra we find that they never sought elders for advice. Even when the elders like Bhishma, Vidura compassionately gave them advice, with good intentions, they failed to make the best use of the advice. Instead they rejected the advice and insulted the elders. As a result they not only had to pay the huge price of losing everything in the battle of Kurukshetra, but they also had to lead a whole life of fear and anxiety. So whenever we are placed in difficult situation, we should not hesitate to approach the authority (Guru and elders) for help. If we don't take their help, we are sure to be doomed in anxieties.
 
In conclusion let us remember the golden words of His Divine Grace in his unparallelled purport to Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.9.12 - "As long as a person is fully in cooperation with the wishes of the Lord, guided by the bona fide brahmanas and Vaishnavas and strictly following religious principles, one has no cause for despondency, however trying the circumstances of life."
 
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sudarshana devi dasi.
--
Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com


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Mayapur photos - Nityananda Appearance Day 2012

Courtesy# Vrindavan Lila Devi Dasi, Mayapur

--
Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com


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You don't need a horoscope or a microscope to see the mess that you're in - George Harrison

Awaiting on you all

By George Harrison

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsMvd4ko_6w&feature=related 

You don't need no love in
You don't need no bed pan
You don't need a horoscope or a microscope
The see the mess that you're in
If you open up your heart
You will know what I mean
We've been polluted so long
Now here's a way for you to get clean

By chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
Chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see

You don't need no passport
And you don't need no visas
You don't need to designate or to emigrate
Before you can see Jesus
If you open up your heart
You'll see he's right there
Always was and will be
He'll relieve you of your cares

By chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
Chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see

You don't need no church house
And you don't need no Temple
You don't need no rosary beads or them books to read
To see that you have fallen
If you open up your heart
You will know what I mean
We've been kept down so long
Someone's thinking that we're all green

And while the Pope owns 51% of General Motors
And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
By chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
--
Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com


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A Pure Heart

 
 

Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

 
 

via GLORIOUS KRISHNA by Jyoti & Vidya on 2/16/12

Prabhu: Hare Krishna Maharaja. So I would like to ask one question.
Sometimes we see our authority. How to overlook their mistake like for
example in our system I don't eat too much sweet and then the authority
says, "Take sweet..." This is just one example there are certain mistakes
when the authority makes but how to overlook it and have faith in that
authority? It can be anything like small things but then the juniors see
this, that you are not doing and you are supposed to do - small, small
things but how to have faith and overlook this types of mistakes in your
authority? Hare Krishna.

HH Romapada Swami: Several things. One thing is the big picture. By that I
mean seeing the overall example, character and standard of the leader. If
there is this but then there is this what is the nature and character of
that person? Don't just look at the spot in the moon but look at the light
of the moon. Saying the same thing in a slightly different way - is this
person a strict follower of the instructions in a broad sense? If so, they
will become purified. So the respect goes to the process of bhakti and the
bhakti that is carried in the heart of that person.

Having said that, going to the other side, there should be some
discrimination. We should know what is what. So if there was some - the
expression that you used was "small, small". So, small small. But in the
proper perspective, the discrepancy is very small - small, small - not big,
big - small, small. On that basis, I am discriminating individual and I
look at the big picture. I see the consistent behaviour of this individual.
Because it is small small, the process of bhakti will address it; but if it
is big, big then the process of discrimination is required and active - do
not abandon it, do not switch it off. Is some pattern of consistent
deviation? Discriminate.

Then there is my position. Let me never abandon my position of being servant
of the servant of the servant. In that position, from that perspective, what
are my options? Big, big. What do I do? Examine different options. We can
list some of them.

*       You can approach the person
*       You can approach the person's authority in the mood of the servant.
Not in the mood of something else.
*       Depending upon place where you live, another option is to approach
an ombudsman. Braja Bihari probably had some seminar during the ILS where he
presented the model of Ombudsman. Ombuds means something like a village
elder - a neutral mature person, who you go to in confidence. You disclose
"Something is wrong, my heart is disturbed. I don't want to be offensive
but..." If the deviation is not small small, but big big, and it is
consistent, then approach the Ombudsman. "Something needs attention. I don't
know what to do."  The village elder or the ombuds person will advise you to
keep your heart pure. Don't meditate on contamination or faults. Address the
situation through the Ombudsman - if it is not just small small, but big
big.

Does that help?


One other thing. I want to share with you the second writing of Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur that I read as I was becoming a devotee.
First I received my first Back to Godhead Magazine, which contained an
article by Bhaktisiddhanta in it. I couldn't even pronounce the title!
"The Bhagavat: Its Ontology, Morphology and Something-ology." Then I read
the article. The text was powerful, and the experience of reading it was
likewise powerful. Every tenth word I had to look up in the dictionary! My
appreciation of the article was not because it was technical. The purity
was powerful. Three hours later, after I completed reading the article, I
felt that I had just been transported to another place. Not because it was
technical or high. It was pure. I was transported by Bhaktisiddhanta
Saraswati Thakur's purity to another place, a spiritual place. It was a
profound experience! So I had  from then on a very deep affection and
appreciation for this yet-unknown personality, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
Thakur, this luminary who I did not yet know, either who he was or anything.

Fast forward in time.  I became a new bhakta in the Boston temple. One week
after that Guru Dasa comes to visit the temple. He had just come from India
and had with him a stack of books. I asked him if I could look at that stack
of books, because I liked books. Guru das said OK. Right on top of the stack
of books was a book by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur! So I opened up the
book. I read in the foreword page. Although this event took place so long
ago, it is deeply embedded in my consciousness and has guided my spiritual
life since then. In the foreword, Bhaktisiddhanta wrote: "A vaisnava never
finds fault in others, for by so doing he is simply indicating that his own
heart is honeycombed with those same faults. Rather a Vaisnava is one who
always looks within. He makes his own heart pure, first and foremost. This
is a vaisnava." Wow! Powerful instruction! This is a most helpful
instruction to help you with the situation you described in your question.
First step is to make your own heart pure. When your heart is indeed pure,
then by prompting from Supersoul so many nice instructions you received from
Vaisnavas over a period of time will arise in your heart. You will then know
better how to address yourself in the situation you just mentioned, from a
position of a pure heart. Then you can truly act as a servant of the other
person - not only doing the right thing, but in the right consciousness.
First things first. Make the heart pure. That is a nice principle
Blog: www.gloriouskrishna.blogspot.com

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

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Form of Krishna

 
 

Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

 
 

via GLORIOUS KRISHNA by Jyoti & Vidya on 2/16/12



Nārada Muni continued: The Lord's face is perpetually very beautiful and pleasing in attitude. To the devotees who see Him, He appears never to be displeased, and He is always prepared to award benedictions to them. His eyes, His nicely decorated eyebrows, His raised nose and His broad forehead are all very beautiful. He is more beautiful than all the demigods.The Lord's form is always youthful. Every limb and every part of His body is properly formed, free from defect. His eyes and lips are pinkish like the rising sun. He is always prepared to give shelter to the surrendered soul, and anyone so fortunate as to look upon Him feels all satisfaction. The Lord is always worthy to be the master of the surrendered soul, for He is the ocean of mercy.

PURPORT
Everyone has to surrender to someone superior. That is always the nature of our living condition. At the present moment we are trying to surrender to someone — either to society or to our nation, family, state or government. The surrendering process already exists, but it is never perfect because the person or institution unto whom we surrender is imperfect, and our surrender, having so many ulterior motives, is also imperfect. As such, in the material world no one is worthy to accept anyone's surrender, nor does anyone fully surrender to anyone else unless obliged to do so. But here the surrendering process is voluntary, and the Lord is worthy to accept the surrender. This surrender by the living entity occurs automatically as soon as he sees the beautiful youthful nature of the Lord.

The description given by Nārada Muni is not imaginary. The form of the Lord is understood by the paramparā system. Māyāvādī philosophers say that we have to imagine the form of the Lord, but here Nārada Muni does not say that. Rather, he gives the description of the Lord from authoritative sources. He is himself an authority, and he is able to go to Vaikuṇṭhaloka and see the Lord personally; therefore his description of the bodily features of the Lord is not imagination. Sometimes we give instructions to our students about the bodily features of the Lord, and they paint Him. Their paintings are not imaginary. The description is given through disciplic succession, just like that given by Nārada Muni, who sees the Lord and describes His bodily features. Therefore, such descriptions should be accepted, and if they are painted, that is not imaginative painting.

>>> SB 4.8.44-45
Blog: www.gloriouskrishna.blogspot.com

 
 

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