Amazing Radharamana Darshan

Posted by dinesh

Today's Thought: Amazing Radharamana Darshan

--uploaded from Sri Vrindavana Dhama, India
6 October 2010--Today we were blessed with the most amazing darshan of the Radharamana deity in Vrindavan. This deity appeared in a very amazing way. The story goes like this:
Once in 1542, on Lord Narasimhadeva's appearance day a rich business man made an offering of clothes, crowns, and jewelry to Gopal Bhatta Goswami, who lamented that as he was worshipping a saligrama-sila ( which is round just like a stone), he could not utilize such articles like the other Goswamis were in dressing their Deities. Lamenting in this way, the Goswami took rest. Early the next morning, when he came to bathe his saligrama-silas, he discovered that one of the silas had transformed itself into the most beautiful Deity of Krishna, who had manifested Himself out of love, just to receive worship from Gopal Bhatta Goswami. Radharamana means "one who gives pleasure to Radha", and is one of the many names of Krishna.

The altar is too far away from the darshan area of the temple room for one to get a good shot even with a telephoto lens. But the pujari kindly took my camera and went very close to Radharamana to take this sublime picture of the most beautiful Lord who manifested Himself from a stone just to please His pure devotee.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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Dharma Prashna

Posted by dinesh

Dharma Prashna

Main article: Yaksha Prashna

Dharma: What is heavier than earth, higher than heavens, faster than the wind and more numerous than straws?

Yudhishthira: One's mother is heavier than the earth; one's father is higher than the mountains. The mind is faster than wind and our worries are more numerous than straws.

Dharma: Who is the friend of a traveler? Who is the friend of one who is ill and one who is dying?

Yudhishthira: The friend of a traveler is his companion. The physician is the friend of one who is sick and a dying man's friend is charity.

Dharma: What is that which, when renounced, makes one lovable? What is that which is renounced makes happy and wealthy?

Yudhishthira: Pride, if renounced makes one lovable; by renouncing desire one becomes wealthy; and to renounce avarice is to obtain happiness.

Dharma: What enemy is invincible? What constitutes an incurable disease? What sort of man is noble and what sort is ignoble?

Yudhishthira: Anger is the invincible enemy. Covetousness constitutes a disease that is incurable. He is noble who desires the well-being of all creatures, and he is ignoble who is without mercy.

Dharma: Who is truly happy? What is the greatest wonder? What is the path? And what is the news?

Yudhishthira: He who has no debts is truly happy. Day after day countless people die. Yet the living wish to live forever. O Lord, what can be a greater wonder? Argument leads to no certain conclusion, the Srutis are different from one another; there is not even one Rishi whose opinion can be accepted by all; the truth about Dharma and duty is hid in caves of our heart: therefore, that alone is the path along which the great have trod. This world full of ignorance is like a pan. The sun is fire, the days and nights are fuel. The months and the seasons constitute the wooden ladle. Time is the cook that is cooking all creatures in that pan (with such aids); this is the news.

(Source: KM Ganguly Mahabharata Translation )

--
Yours
Dinesh

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The fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.

Posted by dinesh

Krishna.com eBook Club | Bhagavad-gita As It Is | Part [BG.CH4.44]

----------------------------

Chapter 4

Transcendental Knowledge

TEXT 37:

yathaidhamsi samiddho 'gnir

bhasma-sat kurute 'rjuna

jnanagnih sarva-karmani

bhasma-sat kurute tatha

TRANSLATION:

As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.

PURPORT:

Perfect knowledge of self and Superself and of their relationship is compared herein to fire. This fire not only burns up all reactions to impious activities, but also all reactions to pious activities, turning them to ashes. There are many stages of reaction: reaction in the making, reaction fructifying, reaction already achieved, and reaction a priori. But knowledge of the constitutional position of the living entity burns everything to ashes. When one is in complete knowledge, all reactions, both a priori and a posteriori, are consumed. In the Vedas (Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad 4.4.22) it is stated, ubhe uhaivaisha ete taraty amritah sadhv-asadhuni: "One overcomes both the pious and impious reactions of work."

---------------------------

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

Yours
Dinesh

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'lost my caste and still hungry'

Posted by dinesh

Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

'lost my caste and still hungry'

via KKS Blog by noreply@blogger.com (aatish) on 10/4/10

The material world is bringing it's frustration. The material energy brings us to the point of frustration because no matter what you have and what you do - still not happy!

The old example of the brahmana who was hungry and went begging – and even went begging from a muslim – it meant that he would lose his caste, at that time.

Then the muslim gave him something to eat and … it was not enough, it was only little and then he ate it and then he lamented:
'lost my caste and still hungry!'

So this is the nature, we lost our caste, gave up our principles , broke all the rules, acted in sinful ways – hiding it from others but we did it simply because of the desire for happiness was so strong…

But inspite of breaking all the rules, doing all these hidden sinful activities, still not happy. Lost our caste and still hungry. That is the case, we are still hungry!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 5th October 2010)

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‘What if I give up my material securities?’

Posted by dinesh

Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

‘What if I give up my material securities?’

via KKS Blog by noreply@blogger.com (aatish) on 10/4/10

Transcribed by Yamuna Devi Dasi
Kadamba Kanana Swami,
Croatia 2010)

Faith comes from association.
Faith comes from mercy.

That is where it comes from.
One can not get faith in devotional service from material frustration, that's not possible. Everyone is little bit frustrated in world. Material frustration is there. Your job, the marriage, this,that, everything,life -
Little bit of frustration is there because in the material world we can dream THIS BIG and reality ….it is always a little smaller!

But in the spiritual world we dream this big and the reality goes beyond the dream!

That is what we see from Dhruva Maharaj. So, that's encouraging by hearing such kind things.

From Srimad Bhagavatam we hear about what happened to many devotees and what they attained. We can see that it's very good! Like Dhruva Maharaj, he got more then he desired.
So, that can give us hope...

Because, otherwise we think:
'Well imagine I will give up everything, all my material desires… and then I still don't get the ecstasy. Then I don't have anything!'

'Then I don't have my material pleasure anymore and I also don't have the spiritual ecstasy.'
'Then I am just in nowhere land.' - Sometimes they have between some countries: nowhere land.
So, what to do? What to do?
We are afraid that:
'What if I give up my material securities?'

I have little example of the man who was working on the roof and suddenly he was sliding down and just going down - but at the last minute he manage to grab the edge of the roof.

Hanging on the edge:
'I've got saved'

But because he has not done eny exercises for a long time his belly was also grown! And when he tried to pull himself up, he did could not do it.
He did a little bit, but he couldn't put his leg to the roof. And suddenly he realized, I am hanging here on the edge of the roof and how long do I have?

One minute?

Two minutes?

In that moment he said:
"Oh my God, my God, please save me!"

Then the voice from behind:
"Do you need my help?"

•"Who are You?"

•-"I am God!"

•- "O God please save me."

•-"Alright, just let go of the roof and I'll catch you."

• "aaaaaa, can't You catch me first?!"

So, this is a very good point, because it shows a difference between kanista and madyam.

Kanista, well, it's ok, it's all good and well:

'But I know, what I have here, material things it's not perfect. I know it's not going to make me completely happy. So, I want Krsna consciousness, but having them still, I'm going to be happier than without them. I want to have all these things for now and then when I get the higher Krsna consciousness taste and ecstasy, then I'll give them up - Just like that!'

Then you throw your I-phone and your I-pod, and your 57 pairs of shoes!

Yes, then it is easy
So, how do we get there, to this point?

Well, it begins by serving the Vaisnavas.

Because faith comes from those who have faith and if we serve those who have faith we will get more faith.

But it's not going to be I just keep on serving and serving and one day automatically I'll wake up and I feel:
'Yes, now I want to give up everything!' and in other words: 'Everything will happen without a fight'

NO! It will not happen without a fight.

There is the fight. One must, actually, say:
'No, I am going to give it up.'
We have to say goodbye to some things!

Transcribed by Yamuna Devi Dasi
Kadamba Kanana Swami,
Croatia 2010)