Spiritual strength and inspiration!

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 02:44 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Australia, October 2011) Please spend time in the temple, because you will find spiritual strength and inspiration there!

Morning is for auspiciousness Posted: 23 Oct 2011 02:27 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Australia, October 2011) If we read Lord Krishna's daily activities in the Bhagavatam or the Krishna book (of when He was in Dwarika) then we would find out by reading that Krishna would avoid inauspicious influences in the morning. Krishna would try to see only auspicious things – like a cow, or hear only auspicious things. He would mediate and give to charity in the morning. The whole idea was that the morning was reserved for auspiciousness. How different is the worldly lifestyle, where people drink a cup of coffee and place it on the top of the newspaper, which is on the table – like that and possibly smoke at the same time! Or maybe have some breakfast at the other corner of the paper, and in between the horrible news! So they have un-offered foodstuff and get sinful reactions in what they eat, and throw some intoxication on top…………….and meanwhile pollute the mind with the newspaper…………..and that's normal and all over in India…..that's everywhere. So that is their morning. But for the devotee it is different. In the morning there is auspicious sound vibration, and in that way by hearing auspicious sounds, by reciting, by chanting every morning we are purified! And this is required because that will give us the strength to deal with the three modes of material nature!

KKSblog.com - Spiritual strength and inspiration!

The Supreme Lord is all pervading,existing everywhere,acting as a
witness for all our activities. In this world an object can be at one
place at a certain point of time but it cant be at two places at the
same time. But the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is simultaneously present
in the Spiritual world as well as in the material world as a single
person. This aspect of the Lord can be understood only by devotees of
the Lord performing pure Devotional Service to Him.
To understand an object x,we need to study the features of the object.
Similarly to understand the Supreme we should also know the qualities
of the Lord.

In this way the devotees are never lose Krishna and Krishna never
loses His devotees. Krishna sees all our activities. He is within our
soul as well as outside the soul. There's no place where He's not
present.
When mother Yashoda,heard the complaints from Krsna's friends,she
decided to punish Him for His good.And so she asked Krsna if he had
eaten sand. Krsna lied and mother Yashoda, asked Him to open His
mouth. Krsna could not refuse opening His mouth because she would
scold.
When He opened the mouth,the Aishwarya shakti automatically worked to
show the whole Universe within His mouth. Even though Krsna can be
very affectionate with His devotees,He can also show His powers at
times and He doesnt have to even think about arranging all these.His
energies themselves are potent to carry out the pastimes.

So in this way,the Lord showed all that is outside within His mouth.
But mother Yashoda could also see all the planets,sun,mountains and
finally she herself seeing into the mouth of Krsna. How does The whole
Universe can be inside Krsna and How mother Yashoda could bear all
that when Krsna had all the universes within His mouth.This is
difficult to understand for the conditioned souls.But this is the
biggest difference between the soul and the Supreme Lord&this is why
the Lord is worshipable&the goal.

Arjuna was also shown the universal form but He lost the friendship
mood for a while after seeing the universal form&started offering His
respects. But mother Yashoda did not get affected to think that Krsna is Supreme Lord,because it will not allow her to enjoy the loving relation toKrsna. She thought that some demons are troubling or she is dreaming Universe to be in Krsna's mouth.

Notes from HH.Bhanu Swami Lecture SB&BG, Sunday Feast Chennai, 23rd, October 2011
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Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com

Out&In there's no place where You are not in!

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• The body is a temple
• Krishna owns everything!
• Being active

The body is a temple Posted: 20 Oct 2011 04:01 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Australia, October 2011) When we are marking the body with tilak in twelve different places, it is said that the meaning of the tilak is that the body is a temple. It is not only that the body is a temple – we are actually installing deities: "Om Keśavāya namaḥ," And in twelve directions we are installing twelve deities of Visnu. So literally, the body is a temple, when we are wearing tilak. So what auspiciousness is this movement offering to us? Therefore, early in the morning when we rise we put tilak on. Even if we get up late, and we have five minutes only before we go to work, we can wear tilak for five minutes – that is auspicious. In other words we must try to fix ourselves in this new identity!

Krishna owns everything! Posted: 20 Oct 2011 03:43 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Australia,October 2011) Everything in this world belongs to Krishna, including our bodies, our children and all of our possessions. Therefore, everything is meant to be used for Krishna. Of course, we ourselves also need to live – we need a residence for shelter, we need to eat and so on, but we are doing that all on behalf of Krishna: "yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ" (Bg3.13). One should only eat 'yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ'- remnants that has been offered to the Lord! Only that which is left over from 'yajña', no other things a devotee will take! It is said that otherwise one will get involved in sinful reactions! Because whatever is the consciousness of the cook, will affect whatever he has eaten and subsequently it will affect our consciousness. Thus new material desires will be born! Therefore, we are careful in our eating, that in our house is Krishna's house! In that house we are only doing things that are favourable to Krishna!

Being active Posted: 20 Oct 2011 10:27 AM PDT … It was the marathon and there was one devotee, whose name was Purusottama, he was so fired up that he would start sleep walking and in his sleep he started to distribute books! So he would shake you while you was sleeping and try to sell you a book! And the only way to go back to sleep right away was to buy it! You can understand…he won the marathon! There's no way to compete with somebody like that. But he got the mercy by being active. So devotional service is active, it's not passive. It's not just passively looking at how to receive the mercy. We become active and the more active one becomes the more mercy. And the more one becomes absorbed, then the smaller the material world becomes… (Kadamba Kanana aharaja, October 2011, Melbourne, Australia)

KKSblog.com - The body is a temple

Bhagavad-gita As It Is | Part [BG.11.40] 

(Purport to 11.54 continued) 

One who has unflinching devotion for the Supreme Lord and is directed by the spiritual master, in whom he has similar unflinching faith, can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revelation. One cannot understand Krishna by mental speculation. For one who does not take personal training under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to understand Krishna. The word tu is specifically used here to indicate that no other process can be used, can be recommended, or can be successful in understanding Krishna.

 

The personal forms of Krishna, the two-handed form and the four-handed, are completely different from the temporary universal form shown to Arjuna. The four-handed form of Narayana and the two-handed form of Krishna are eternal and transcendental, whereas the universal form exhibited to Arjuna is temporary. The very word sudurdarsam, meaning "difficult to see," suggests that no one had seen that universal form. It also suggests that amongst the devotees there was no necessity of showing it. That form was exhibited by Krishna at the request of Arjuna so that in the future, when one represents himself as an incarnation of God, people can ask to see his universal form.

 

The word na, used repeatedly in the previous verse, indicates that one should not be very much proud of such credentials as an academic education in Vedic literature. One must take to the devotional service of Krishna. Only then can one attempt to write commentaries on Bhagavad-gita.

Krishna changes from the universal form to the four-handed form of Narayana and then to His own natural form of two hands. This indicates that the four-handed forms and other forms mentioned in Vedic literature are all emanations of the original two-handed Krishna. He is the origin of all emanations. Krishna is distinct even from these forms, what to speak of the impersonal conception. As far as the four-handed forms of Krishna are concerned, it is stated clearly that even the most identical four-handed form of Krishna (which is known as Maha-Vishnu, who is lying on the cosmic ocean and from whose breathing so many innumerable universes are passing out and entering) is also an expansion of the Supreme Lord. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.48),

 

yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya
jivanti loma-vila-ja jagad-anda-nathah
vishnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-visesho
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

 

"The Maha-Vishnu, into whom all the innumerable universes enter and from whom they come forth again simply by His breathing process, is a plenary expansion of Krishna. Therefore I worship Govinda, Krishna, the cause of all causes." Therefore one should conclusively worship the personal form of Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead who has eternal bliss and knowledge. He is the source of all forms of Vishnu, He is the source of all forms of incarnation, and He is the original Supreme Personality, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita.

Translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
 


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

The Supreme Personality of Godhead can be seen only by His own revelation [BG.11.40]

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Stricter than strict Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Helsinki, Finland, 2011) Vedic culture is sometimes very rigid in following rules and regulations. Especially nowadays, they do not even know why. The main reason why many Hindus are becoming Christians is because their elders are enforcing all these things, and they can't say why. It's like stricter than strict………because India has been ruled by the smarta-brahmanas for a very long time. The smarta-brahmanas are particularly into following all rules and regulations. They have imposed upon society with so many rules and regulations. So everyone is just following someone: " No…no…. no, you cannot drink like this! No…no…no you cannot do it at all!" So there is excessive stress on following rules and regulations, in India due to thousands of years of smarta-brahmanas. So this excessive attachment to rules and regulations that is existing in India. But on the other hand, in the vaisnava culture, we are also careful of maya. So there is strictness…..strictness is needed, because we are afraid of maya….so we are strict. So it is difficult to understand exactly the borderline….it takes time to understand in depth the distinction between vaisnava culture and vedic culture.

Making a commitment Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:18 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Helsinki, Finland, 2011) A vaisnava must be honest even if that honesty is to his own disadvantage – he should not sacrifice it. He should publicly just maintain his honesty, and like that a vaisnava should stand for integrity. In the beginning devotional service is based on what you do, and as time is continuing it's not just what you are doing but also who you are, that is becoming important………more and more it becomes who you are! That we have to become saintly personalities! It starts with commitments…………you have to make commitments. We have to start making commitments to certain things: 'Ok I am making a commitment to rise early, whether I am tired or not; I am making a commitment to be truthful; I am making a commitment to be tolerant; I am making a commitment to be clean.' So gradually by making all these commitments, we are making a change, and in that way we are building our integrity!

KKSblog.com - Stricter than strict

Radha Madhava Collection

Sri Sri Prema Bhakti Candrika

Narottam Das Thakur

Once a high ranking government official (Judge) stayed in Ambika Kalna in West Bengal for a few days to perform some duties. At that time Siddha Sri Bhagavan das Babaji Maharaja was still manifest in this world. Having heard about Siddha Baba's glories from the local residents, the judge went at once to see him. When Siddha Baba saw him coming he asked why he had come, and the judge said,  "Baba! Tell me how to prema bhakti can be achieved!"

Siddha Baba immediately said, "Prema bhakti can be purchased for only two anas (a very small amount of money in colonial India at that time)!"

When the judge heard these words of Siddha Baba he was a little shaken and said, "Baba! Why are you joking with me?"

Siddha Baba replied with determination, "It's not a joke– for two anas you can buy Srila Narottama Thakura Mahasaya's Prema Bhakti Candrika in Calcutta's Bata-tala. Always read this and you will attain prema bhakti."

This is actually a true story.  And the judge completely took the words of Siddha Baba seriously and purchased a copy of Prema Bhakti Candrika. By the strength of Siddha Baba's order and because of his service to Sri Prema Bhakti Candrika which he constantly recited, he had a complete change of heart. The judge lost all interest in his job and began to stay at home reading Prema Bhakti Candrika with love and attachment. Because he gave up his job his so-called family members lost interest in him and he also became disinterested in them and his home. He began to wander and beg alms to feed himself all the while lovingly reading Prema Bhakti Candrika and offering everything to Sri Krishna. Everyone thought he was insane because of his sudden and drastic change of behavior, but he actually became siddha himself and achieved Krishna-prema through the recitation of Prema Bhakti Candrika on the order of Siddha Bhagavan Das Babaji.

Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev questioned his guru, Nityananda Vamsh Prabhupad Yogendranath Goswami about the sastras. His guru told him that of all the sastras four are sufficient for acheiving the goal of Krishna-prema and Prema Bhakti Candrika was one of the four books on the list. The very first shloka I ever heard from the lips of my gurudeva was from Sri Prema Bhakti Candrika. He had just given me diksha and was explaining to me the immense power of chanting  (Bhaja) Nitai Gaura Radhey Shyam (Japa) Hare Krishna Hare Ram and told me that I would experience many wonders while chanting it and I should keep those wonders to myself. It's easy to guess which verse he quoted:

Apana bhajana kathA, nA kohibo yathA tathA
ihAte hoibo sAvadhAna (119)

"I will be cautious and not reveal my bhajana realisations here and there. "

Among the many teachings and recommendations of Sri Jagadbandhu Sundar Prabhu he advised the one should put the entire Prema Bhakti Candrika to memory. That is how precious he found the teachings of Thakur Mahasaya to be.

So the importance of Sri Sri Prema Bhakti Candrika cannot be overestimated. In fact, some very good arguments can be made that this is the single most valuable grantha for the sadhakas of the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition.

The painting of Sri Thakur Mahasay came from Sripat Gambhila. This is the birthplace of his dear disciple Sri Ganganarayan Chakravarty. Gambhila is also the place where Thakur Mahasay ended his manifest lila while entering the Ganges.

narottama boDo duHkI, nAtha! more koro sukhI,
tomAra bhajana saGkIrtane
antarAya nAhi yAy, ei to parama bhaya,
nivedana kori anukSaNa (39)

"Narottama is greatly unhappy. O Natha! Make me happy by allowing me to perform bhajan and do sankirtan of your Names! The greatest fear I have is that my bad habits and material attachments will not leave me, so I pray to You at every moment for your mercy."

The image of Sri Narottam Das Thakur was the courtesy of Nityananda Janmasthan from Dhimahi 2007

The Moonlight of Loving Devotion

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 15.7

mamaivāḿśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

SYNONYMS

mama — My; eva — certainly; aḿśaḥ — fragmental particle; jīva-loke — in the world of conditional life; jīva-bhūtaḥ — the conditioned living entity; sanātanaḥ — eternal; manaḥ — with the mind; ṣaṣṭhāni — the six; indriyāṇi — senses; prakṛti — in material nature; sthāni — situated; karṣati — is struggling hard.

TRANSLATION

The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.

PURPORT

In this verse the identity of the living being is clearly given. The living entity is the fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord — eternally. It is not that he assumes individuality in his conditional life and in his liberated state becomes one with the Supreme Lord. He is eternally fragmented. It is clearly said, sanātanaḥ. According to the Vedic version, the Supreme Lord manifests and expands Himself in innumerable expansions, of which the primary expansions are called viṣṇu-tattva and the secondary expansions are called the living entities. In other words, the viṣṇu-tattva is the personal expansion, and the living entities are the separated expansions. By His personal expansion, He is manifested in various forms like Lord Rāma, Nṛsiḿhadeva, Viṣṇumūrti and all the predominating Deities in the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The separated expansions, the living entities, are eternally servitors. The personal expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the individual identities of the Godhead, are always present. Similarly, the separated expansions of living entities have their identities. As fragmental parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, the living entities also have fragmental portions of His qualities, of which independence is one. Every living entity, as an individual soul, has his personal individuality and a minute form of independence. By misuse of that independence one becomes a conditioned soul, and by proper use of independence he is always liberated. In either case, he is qualitatively eternal, as the Supreme Lord is. In his liberated state he is freed from this material condition, and he is under the engagement of transcendental service unto the Lord; in his conditioned life he is dominated by the material modes of nature, and he forgets the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As a result, he has to struggle very hard to maintain his existence in the material world.

The living entities, not only human beings and the cats and dogs, but even the greater controllers of the material world — Brahmā, Lord Śiva and even Viṣṇu — are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. They are all eternal, not temporary manifestations. The word karṣati ("struggling" or "grappling hard") is very significant. The conditioned soul is bound up, as though shackled by iron chains. He is bound up by the false ego, and the mind is the chief agent which is driving him in this material existence. When the mind is in the mode of goodness, his activities are good; when the mind is in the mode of passion, his activities are troublesome; and when the mind is in the mode of ignorance, he travels in the lower species of life. It is clear, however, in this verse, that the conditioned soul is covered by the material body, with the mind and the senses, and when he is liberated this material covering perishes, but his spiritual body manifests itself in its individual capacity. The following information is there in the Mādhyandināyana-śruti: sa vā eṣa brahma-niṣṭha idaḿ śarīraḿ martyam atisṛjya brahmābhisampadya brahmaṇā paśyati brahmaṇā śṛṇoti brahmaṇaivedaḿ sarvam anubhavati. It is stated here that when a living entity gives up this material embodiment and enters into the spiritual world, he revives his spiritual body, and in his spiritual body he can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. He can hear and speak to Him face to face, and he can understand the Supreme Personality as He is. From smṛti also it is understood, vasanti yatra puruṣāḥ sarve vaikuṇṭha-mūrtayaḥ: in the spiritual planets everyone lives in bodies featured like the Supreme Personality of Godhead's. As far as bodily construction is concerned, there is no difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the expansions of viṣṇu-mūrti. In other words, at liberation the living entity gets a spiritual body by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The words mamaivāḿśaḥ ("fragmental parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord") are also very significant. The fragmental portion of the Supreme Lord is not like some material broken part. We have already understood in the Second Chapter that the spirit cannot be cut into pieces. This fragment is not materially conceived. It is not like matter, which can be cut into pieces and joined together again. That conception is not applicable here, because the Sanskrit word sanātana ("eternal") is used. The fragmental portion is eternal. It is also stated in the beginning of the Second Chapter that in each and every individual body the fragmental portion of the Supreme Lord is present (dehino 'smin yathā dehe). That fragmental portion, when liberated from the bodily entanglement, revives its original spiritual body in the spiritual sky in a spiritual planet and enjoys association with the Supreme Lord. It is, however, understood here that the living entity, being the fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, is qualitatively one with the Lord, just as the parts and parcels of gold are also gold.

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

Due to conditioned life, My eternal fragmental parts are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind-BG#15.7

• Just focus on Krishna!
• To avoid too much endeavour
• Poor!
• Harinam Part 2 ISKCON Melbourne 2011 – Video

Just focus on Krishna! Posted: 18 Oct 2011 02:44 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Helsinki, Finland, 2011) It is said that from all of the service, the chanting of Hare Krishna is the first and foremost – it's the most important. Of course, we may not always experience it like that. Somebody may just love cooking and they may feel like: "Cooking is my life and soul! That's what I love to do. I also chant my rounds but I'm always thinking about cooking, and that's just my nature." That's also there, but if you just cook – that's not good enough. Cooking has to be accompanied by chanting! The book distributor may think about: "Books….books….books". But there has to be a time when he has to stop thinking about book distribution, and when he has to think about chanting. Because during chanting it is not good to think of one's service! It's better to put everything out of the mind and try to just focus on Krishna!

To avoid too much endeavour Posted: 18 Oct 2011 02:28 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Helsinki, Finland, 2011) Srila Prabhupada said: "Krishna Consciousness means we should always be satisfied and happy – not  that we try to do some impossible work, become over burdened and then  because we are not happy by so much trouble, that we lose all the enthusiasm  altogether, and give up all hope. No, too much endeavour should be avoided. By all means we much reserve our spiritual status – that is the point. Not that we are mad after big buildings, many devotees life members and this and that. No, these are only ways to engage the devotees, so they may  apply the principles of devotional living to some kind of work for practical  realization of these principles. It's not the result of the work we want. If we only sincerely preach to one person a day, that is sufficient. Never mind big big programs. So my request to you is that you do not be bothered by these things. Krishna doesn't like to see his sincere devotees suffer or become frustrated  or depressed. He will not stand by idly at such a case. He has some plan for you and always think in that way, and very soon He will provide everything to your heart's desire!" This is obviously a letter written to a devotee who had the nature  to create too much stress and to take on too much service.  But it is something to keep in mind and it's not that he was  the only one. Many devotees have tried to do too much!

Poor! Posted: 18 Oct 2011 07:49 AM PDT If you come to the temple once a week….poor! Poor- spiritually poor! It's a poor lifestyle. You are a poor man! You don't get much spiritual  wealth. Only once a week? I mean is that all? Poor! We must seek out devotees all the time. We must be eager to be with devotees. Even if it is at a distance, somehow or other we must be there all  the time as much as possible. That is eagerness. (Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, October 2011, Sydney, Australia)

Harinam Part 2 ISKCON Melbourne 2011 – Video Posted: 18 Oct 2011 12:46 AM PDT Here is another video of the wonderful harinam through the streets of Melbourne in October. Enjoy the video. If you cant  see the video then visit youtube.

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

KKSblog.com - Just focus on Krishna!

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Chanting at different pace Posted: 17 Oct 2011 03:06 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Helsinki, Finland, 2011) I was in the forest in Germany with two people, of whom one was saying: 'It was impossible to chant'. And the other one was explaining how it took him six years to get to sixteen rounds….little by little. They were perfect for each other. I could have never preached to this person in the same way as he could, because I didn't take six years, since when I started to chanted I thought one round meant that you go up and down (with the japa bead), from the way they were explaining to me. It sounded as though one round meant that you have to go one way and then back the other way, which counts as one round. So I chanted 32 rounds! It took a few days before I realised: "What is wrong with me? I cannot finish these rounds!" But he had taken six years to gradually step by step get up to sixteen rounds. He was explaining it to the other boy who felt very encouraged by it! So there are different people that need to go at a different pace

More Helsinki Lectures! Posted: 17 Oct 2011 01:48 PM PDT Below is a link to the morning program given by Kadamba Kanana Swami earlier this year in Helsinki, Finland. Enjoy the nectar!! Helsinki – Morning Program

KKSblog.com - Chanting at different pace