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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

Srila Prabhupada replied, “Don’t surrender to me either. I may also cheat you. Surrender to Krsna.”



By Giriraj Swami - on Srila Prabhupada disappearance day

(Adapted from a talk given in Houston, November 1, 2008)

We have gathered at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada on the auspicious occasion of his disappearance festival. When we were with His Divine Grace in Surat on his guru maharaja's disappearance day, he remarked that on the absolute platform there is no difference between the appearance and disappearance of the spiritual master—just like the sunrise and sunset, both are beautiful.

Srila Prabhupada always glorified Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he instructed everyone to take shelter of Krsna. Many people who came in touch with Srila Prabhupada were struck by this fact. George Harrison, for example, said that so many svamis and gurus tell their followers to surrender to them but that Srila Prabhupada always said, "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; you should surrender to Him."

Once, a new devotee approached Srila Prabhupada and said, "Srila Prabhupada, I can trust you; I can surrender to you. But I can't trust your representatives. I can't surrender to them, because I fear they may cheat me." And Srila Prabhupada replied, "Don't surrender to me either. I may also cheat you. Surrender to Krsna."

aho baki yam stana-kala-kutam
jighamsayapayayad apy asadhvi
lebhe gatim dhatry-ucitam tato 'nyam
kam va dayalum saranam vrajema

"Alas, how shall I take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of mother to a she-demon [Putana] although she was unfaithful and she prepared deadly poison to be sucked from her breast?" (SB 3.2.23)

In the beginning of devotional service an aspirant may think that he is a devotee, but as he makes progress he comes to realize that actually he is not a devotee. It is paradoxical: the neophyte thinks, "I am a devotee," and the advanced devotee thinks, "I am not a devotee." When we hear of Krsna's mercy upon Putana, who was a demon, we may think, "Well, it is wonderful that He was so merciful to Putana, but at least I am not a demon; I am a devotee." Yet although we are aspiring devotees—I don't say that we are not devotees, but at least we can say that we are aspiring devotees—we do have some qualities in common with Putana.

One quality mentioned is jighamsaya—she acted out of envy. We are in the material world out of envy of Krsna. We don't want to accept Him as the supreme enjoyer; we want to enjoy independent of Him. That means we are envious of Him, and it is actually envy that keeps us in the material world. Only one who is completely liberated and pure can be free from envy. Srinivasa Acarya glorifies the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana, dhiradhira-jana-priyau: they are dear both to the gentle and to the ruffians. Dhira means one who is sober, who does not identify with the body but knows that he is the soul within (dhiras tatra na muhyati). He is dhira—sober, gentle, undisturbed. And adhira is the opposite—one who identifies with the body, or, as in the translation of this verse, a ruffian. So, the Six Gosvamis are popular with both the gentle and the ruffians. They are pleasing to everyone because they are not envious of anyone, and thus they are worshipable. Dhiradhira-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pujitau. They are nonenvious (nirmatsarau) and thus worshipable (pujitau). Srila Prabhupada explains that one who is nonenvious is worshipable because one can be nonenvious only if he is a pure devotee. Anyone other than a pure devotee must still be affected by envy. Our natural position is to serve Krsna (jivera 'svarupa' haya—krsnera 'nitya-dasa'). If we act as anything other than an eternal servant of Krsna, it means that we have not fully realized our actual position and that our original envy of Krsna, which brought us into the material world, is still, to some degree, lingering.

After starting his mission in New York and San Francisco, Srila Prabhupada suffered a stroke, and after all efforts to recover in America had failed, he decided to return to India to recoup his health. Before his departure, he visited the San Francisco temple. No one had expected him, in his condition, to speak, but he asked for the microphone. He spoke about his mission, how under the order of his spiritual master he had brought Lord Caitanya's movement to America and how Krsna had kindly sent so many sincere souls. He told the devotees, "I have a few children in India from my family days, but you are my real children. Now I am going to India for a little while."

One of Srila Prabhupada's early disciples from San Francisco suddenly entered the room. The devotees knew that he wanted to leave Krsna consciousness, that he hadn't taken his initiation vows seriously, and that he wanted to move on—he didn't want a spiritual master any more. The other devotees tried to discourage him, but he had persisted. Now they were incredulous: how could he do such a thing on the night before Swamiji's departure?
The devotee, Ravindra-svarupa*, fell to the floor to offer obeisances, but he didn't rise up. Instead, he began crawling on his hands and knees toward Prabhupada. This dramatic encounter is vividly described in Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta: "Ravindra usually had a cavalier manner, enhanced by a handsome face, long tousled hair, and a beard. But now he was wretched and sobbing and crazy. He crawled towards Prabhupada, who sat but two steps off the floor on the simple redwood dais. Prabhupada looked at him with compassion: 'Come here, my boy.' Ravindra crawled up the steps and placed his bushy head on Prabhupada's lap. Moved, the devotees watched as Prabhupada stroked Ravindra's head and the boy cried and cried.

" 'What's wrong, my son? You don't have to be so unhappy.'
"Ravindra bawled out, 'I want . . . ,' he sobbed, 'aah . . . to . . . aah . . . reach God directly! Without anyone in between!'

"Prabhupada continued to pat and stroke the boy's head: 'No, you continue to stay with us if possible. Don't be a crazy fellow.' Ravindra's weeping subsided, and Prabhupada continued, speaking both to Ravindra and to the emotion-struck group in the room. 'I am an old man,' he said. 'I may die at any moment. But please, you all carry on this sankirtana movement. You have to become humble and tolerant. As Lord Caitanya says, be as humble as a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree. You must have enthusiasm and patience to push on this Krsna conscious philosophy.'
"Suddenly Ravindra's tears were gone. He jumped up, dejectedly stood, hesitating for a moment, and then hurried out the door, banging it behind him.

"Ravindra-svarupa's dramatic exit from Krsna consciousness shocked the devotees. Prabhupada sat still and continued speaking to them gravely, asking them to stick together and push on the movement, for their own benefit and for others. Whatever they had learned, he said, they should repeat.
"They realized, perhaps for the first time, that they were part of a preaching mission, a movement. They . . . had a loving obligation to Swamiji and Krsna."

Although that disciple's exhibition might have been extreme, in principle he is no different from many of us. We also don't want anyone between us and Krsna. We don't want to surrender; we want to be Krsna. But by Prabhupada's mercy we have been engaged in devotional service and are undertaking the process of purification—chanting the holy names, hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, associating with devotees, worshiping the Deity, and as far as possible residing in Mathura, Vrndavana, Mayapur, or any temple of Gaura-Nitai or Radha-Krsna.

Putana was asadhvi, unfaithful. And she pretended to be something that she was not. She was actually a demon, but by her mystic powers she presented herself as a very beautiful woman. When she entered the village of Gokula she appeared so beautiful and effulgent that people thought that Laksmi, the goddess of fortune herself, had come. So when she entered the house of Nanda Maharaja and Yasodamayi, no one stopped her. She was so beautiful and effulgent that they thought she was some higher being. Actually, she was a she-demon, and she came to kill Krsna.
Of course, it is not entirely wrong to present oneself as something that one is not. Sometimes, for social reasons, we must, but internally we should remain faithful. The problem is that internally sometimes we become unfaithful (asadhvi). We want to surrender—we decide to surrender—but then we take back our surrender. It happens all the time. We surrender—decide to surrender—and then withdraw our surrender. We are not sure whether we should surrender. We are not sure whether the process will work, whether we will get the result. We are not sure whether we will be successful in our attempt. We are not sure whether Krsna will take care of us. We are not sure our desires will be fulfilled.
Ultimately, it comes to faith (sraddha), upon which all progress depends.

'sraddha'-sabde—visvasa kahe sudrdha niscaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

"Sraddha is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Krsna one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service." (Cc Madhya 22.62)

Even in Srila Prabhupada's presence devotees did not always understand him. Most of the people who joined Srila Prabhupada were young, in their late teens or early twenties, and it was years before any of them left his or her body. The first I recall was Jaya Gopala dasa, who lost his life in an automobile accident. His young wife was distraught, and Srila Prabhupada assured her that Jaya Gopala had gone back to Godhead and that she would join him. A godbrother commented that Srila Prabhupada had said that just to encourage her.

Then I came across a book called His Divine Grace, by Danavir Goswami. Looking through it I saw a photo of Jaya Gopala, with the caption: "Srila Prabhupada stated that Jaya Gopala was not ready to go back to Godhead but that Krsna made an exception and took him back anyway." That is causeless mercy—Prabhupada's mercy. Krsna has no interest in anything of the material world. He is interested only in devotees. And it is only because of the mercy of a devotee that Krsna takes interest in someone who is not yet truly a devotee. Why else would Krsna make an exception for us—other than Prabhupada's mercy? Otherwise, who is Jaya Gopala dasa—or any of us—to Krsna? It is because of our connection with Srila Prabhupada that we have any standing in Krsna's eyes.
Of course, Krsna is the Supersoul. He is in the heart of every living entity as the witness and overseer. And He loves the living entities and accompanies them wherever they go. But He is neutral. He lets them act to fulfill their desires. He doesn't interfere. However, when a devotee intervenes, Krsna takes special interest. One who has received a devotee's mercy gets Krsna's mercy, and that is true of all of us, your followers, now. Otherwise, why should we be engaged in devotional service? We are just conditioned souls who have come into the material world to enjoy, in imitation of Krsna. Why should we even be in Krsna's temple? We are here by Srila Prabhupada's mercy, and thus we are making the effort to purify our hearts, hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam and chanting the holy names, and become true devotees.

Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami told me a nice story—a realization or thought that he had had. It relates to Srila Prabhupada's mercy and leads to the conclusion kam va dayalum saranam vrajema: "How shall I take shelter of one more merciful?" In other words, "He is so merciful; how can I find anyone more merciful? How can I take shelter of anyone else?"
Sometimes it happens that Srila Prabhupada's followers meet saintly persons outside of ISKCON. One year, Satsvarupa Maharaja went to Jagannatha Puri, during the holy month of Purusottama, to spend some time with one such sadhu. But while there, Satsvarupa Maharaja felt uncomfortable; he didn't feel at home in that association. He felt that Srila Prabhupada had created ISKCON to be his home and that he could feel at home only in ISKCON—nowhere else.

Then he went a step further. He imagined a time when he would leave his body and come to the precincts of Krsnaloka and the gatekeeper would ask him, "Who are you?" He suddenly became fearful, thinking that he was taking a gamble by turning himself into a siksa disciple of that sadhu rather than remaining an exclusive disciple of Srila Prabhupada. He wasn't sure exactly what his relationship with that sadhu was or how that sadhu would relate to Krsna on his behalf.

Then he imagined a different sequence. In this one, when the gatekeeper asked, "Who are you?" he would reply, "I am Satsvarupa dasa, a disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada." Then he imagined the gatekeeper going to Srila Prabhupada and asking, "Satsvarupa has come to the gate—What should we do?" And he imagined that Srila Prabhupada would say, "Satsvarupa? My Satsvarupa? Call him immediately."
To me, this provides a striking picture of Srila Prabhupada and his mercy, and it serves to answer the rhetorical question "How shall I take shelter of one more merciful than he?" For us, there is no one more merciful. There is no need to take shelter of anyone else, and there will be no gain if we leave him to take shelter of anyone else.
Two years ago I had the good fortune to meet Srila Prabhupada's disciple Narayani dasi again. I hadn't seen her for many years, and then at a japa workshop here, I met her, and she told me a story that she had heard. Srila Prabhupada was giving a talk in which he said that in order to go back home, back to Godhead, one must be cent percent pure, cent percent free of material desires and attachments. When Prabhupada saw that the devotees were discouraged, he said, "All right, 90%." Still they were dejected. Then he said, "All right, 80%." Still they were crestfallen. Then he said, "All right, 75%—but not less."

After the talk, Srila Prabhupada commented, "If you just hold on to my lotus feet, I will take you back to Godhead. I have the key to the back door."

Once, I heard that Srila Prabhupada had said, "Your qualification is that I give an instruction . . ." I thought the rest of the sentence would be "and you follow it," but the statement was "Your qualification is that I give you an instruction and you try to follow it." Not even that we follow it—just that we try to follow it.
(Of course, we must try sincerely and seriously, by all means, with all of our energy and resources.)

In our japa retreats we emphasize chanting with attention, without offense. We encourage devotees to pronounce each syllable distinctly and hear each syllable attentively. To chant inattentively is an offense. So, I thought of my initiation letter—Srila Prabhupada sent it to me in Boston from Los Angeles—in which he instructed me to avoid the ten offenses. And I thought, "Oh, my God, that was practically the first instruction I got from Srila Prabhupada—the one I got when I was initiated—and now, thirty-six years later, I still haven't been able to follow it, which is another offense: to disobey the orders of the spiritual master." So I thought, "I am just drowning in offenses." And then I thought, "I better reread that letter, to try to get some strength and inspiration." I reread it, and there was the instruction: "You should avoid the ten offenses as far as possible." Srila Prabhupada was so merciful—he knew that I couldn't avoid them completely. So he saved me from the offense of disobeying his order, by writing "as far as possible."
So that is our qualification, according to Srila Prabhupada. And that is our hope. If we sincerely try to follow his instructions strictly—if we just hold on to his lotus feet—he will do the rest. He will take us back home, back to Godhead.

Hare Krsna.

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Your heart is always the resting place of Lord Govinda, and Lord Govinda says, "The Vaisavas are in My heart."

Song Name: Ei Baro Karuna Koro

Official Name: Vaisnave Vijnapati Song 2

Author: Narottama Dasa Thakura

Book Name: Prarthana

Language: Bengali

 

LYRICS:

(1)
ei-bāro karuṇā koro vaiṣṇava gosāi
patita-pāvana tomā bine keho nāi

 

(2)
jāhāra nikaṭe gele pāpa dūre jāy
emona doyāla prabhu kebā kothā pāy

 

(3)
gańgāra paraśa hoile paścate pāvan
darśane pavitra koro-ei tomāra guṇ

 

(4)
hari-sthāne aparādhe tāre hari-nām
tomā sthāne aparādhe nāhi paritrāṇ

 

(5)
tomāra hṛdoye sadā govinda-viśrām
govinda kohena-mora vaiṣṇava parāṇ

 

(6)
prati-janme kori āśā caraṇera dhūli
narottame koro doyā āpanāra boli'

 

TRANSLATION

1) O Vaisnava Gosvami, please be merciful to me now. There is no one except you who can purify the fallen souls.

 

2) Where does anyone find such a merciful personality by whose mere audience all sins go far away?

 

3) After bathing in the waters of the sacred Ganges many times, one becomes purified, but just by the sight of you, the fallen souls are purified. This is your great power.

 

4) The holy name delivers one who has committed an offense to Lord Hari, but if one commits an offense to you, there is no means of deliverance.

 

5) Your heart is always the resting place of Lord Govinda, and Lord Govinda says, "The Vaisavas are in My heart."

 

6) I desire the dust of your holy feet in every birth I may take. Please consider Narottama yours, and be kind upon him.

 

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


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Soul is a spiritual spark many, many times more illuminating, dazzling, and powerful than the sun, moon, or electricity


Thought-a-Week

 

The bestial civilization of eating, sleeping, fearing, and sense gratifying has misled modern

 man into forgetting how powerful a soul he has...The soul is a spiritual spark many,

 many times more illuminating, dazzling, and powerful than the sun, moon, or electricity. 

Human life is spoiled when man does not realize his real identity with his soul.

 

--His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 5.22, purport




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


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By associating with material desires one after another, I was following the general populace by falling into a blind well full of snakes.


Krsna Kirtana Songs est. 2001                                                                                                                                                     www.kksongs.org


Home à Song Lyrics à K

Song Name: Krsna Tava Punya Habe Bhai

Official Name: Bhagavan Krsner Pada Padme Prarthana

Author: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Book Name: Jaladuta Diary 1965

Language: Bengali

 

LYRICS:

(refrain)
kṛṣṇa taba puṇya habe bhāi
e-puṇya koribe jabe rādhārāṇī sukhī habe
dhruva ati boli tomā tāi

 

(1)
śrī-siddhānta saraswatī śacī-suta priya ati
kṛṣṇa-sebāya jāra tula nāi
sei se mohānta-guru jagater madhe uru
kṛṣṇa-bhakti deya ṭhāi ṭhāi

 

(2)
tāra icchā balavān pāścātyete ṭhān ṭhān
hoy jāte gaurāńger nām
pṛthivīte nagarādi āsamudra nada nadī
sakalei bole kṛṣṇa rāma

 

(3)
tāhale ānanda hoy tabe hoy digvijay
caitanyer kṛpā atiśay
māyā duṣṭa jata duḥkhī jagate sabāi sukhī
vaiṣṇaver icchā pūrṇa hoy

 

(4)
se kārja je koribāre ājñā jadi dilo more
jogya nahi ati dīna hīna
tāi se tomāra kṛpā māgitechi anurūpā
āji tumi sabār pravīṇa

 

(5)
tomāra se śakti pele guru-sebāya bastu mile
jībana sārthak jadi hoy
sei se sevā paile tāhale sukhī hale
taba sańga bhāgyate miloy

 

(6)
evaḿ janaḿ nipatitaḿ prabhavāhikūpe
kāmābhikāmam anu yaḥ prapatan prasańgāt
kṛtvātmasāt surarṣiṇā bhagavan gṛhītaḥ
so 'haḿ kathaḿ nu visṛje tava bhṛtya-sevām

 

(7)
tumi mor cira sāthī bhuliyā māyār lāthi
khāiyāchi janma-janmāntare
āji punaḥ e sujoga jadi hoy jogāyoga
tabe pāri tuńhe milibāre

 

(8)
tomāra milane bhāi ābār se sukha pāi
gocārane ghuri din bhor
kata bane chuṭāchuṭi bane khāi luṭāluṭi
sei din kabe habe mor

 

(9)
āji se suvidhā hala tomāra smaraṇa bhela
baro āśā ḍākilām tāi
āmi tomāra nitya-dāsa tāi kori eta āśa
tumi binā anya gati nāi


TRANSLATION
Refrain: O, brothers, (o brother) The Supreme Lord Krsna will bestow virtue upon you -- but He will do this only when Srimati Radharani first becomes pleased with you. This I surely declare to you.

1) Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who is very dear to Lord Gauranga, the son of mother Saci, is unparalleled in his service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. He is that great saintly spiritual master, most magnanimous within this universe, who bestows devotion to Krsna in various places throughout the world.

2) His desire is very powerful, and thus he is causing the Holy Name of Lord Gauranga to spread throughout all the countries of the Western World. In all the cities, towns, and villages on the earth, extending to all the oceans, rivers, and streams, everyone may chant the names of Krsna and Rama.

3) Thus all directions will be conquered by a flood of transcendental ecstasy flowing with the excessive mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When all the miserable living entities that have been corrupted by maya become happy, then the Vaisnava's desire is fulfilled.

4) Although my Guru Maharaja ordered me to accomplish this mission, I am unworthy to do it, being very fallen and incompetent. That being the case, O Lord Krsna, Your mercy is today arising in a befitting manner to make me become worthy, for You are the wisest of all.

5) If You bestow Your divine power, then one attains the factual substance which is service to the spiritual master - and life becomes successful. If that service is obtained, then one becomes truly satisfied, and ultimately received Your association due to good fortune.

6) (As stated by Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva in the Srimad Bhagavatam,7.9.28:)
"Thus, by associating with material desires one after another, I was following the general populace by falling into a blind well full of snakes. My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead! Then the great sage Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple, and instructed me how to achieve the transcendental position similar to his own. How could I ever leave the service of your servant?"

7) O Lord Krsna, You are my eternal companion. Forgetting You, I have suffered the kicking of maya birth after birth. If today the chance to meet You occurs again, then surely I will be able to rejoin You.

8) O my dear brother! In Your company I will experience great joy once again. Wandering about the pastures and fields, I will pass the entire day with You in tending the cows. Joking with You and frolicking throughout so many forests of Vraja, I will enjoy pastimes of stealing and eating one another's lunch. When, oh when will that day be mine?

9) Today that remembrance of being with You came to me in a very nice way. Feeling great longing I called out for You, O Lord Krsna! Only because I am Your eternal servant do I desire Your association so much. Except for You, I have no other refuge.

 

REMARKS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

This is one of the two songs Srila Prabhupada wrote while he was on the Jaladuta in 1965.

 


Yours
Dinesh

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Take time to offer a Lamp in Kartik Month

Take time to offer a Lamp in Kartik Month

Posted: 12 Nov 2012 04:23 PM PST


(Sri Radha Damodarji at Sri Vrindavan)
Just as there is no yuga equal to Satya-yuga, no scripture equal to the Vedas, and no place of pilgrimage equal to the Ganges, so there is no month equal to Kartika. Even unserious persons who execute devotional service according to the regulative principles during the month of Karttika, and within the jurisdiction of Mathura (or Vrindavana) in India, are very easily awarded the Lord's personal service". During the Kartika month millions of devotees worship Damodara Krishna with ghee lamps and devotional bhajans, glorifying His playful childhood pastime of stealing yogurt. (H.H. Mahanidhi Swami)
. 
 "When one offers a lamp during the month of Karttika, his sins in many thousands and millions of births perish in half an eye blink."

"Please hear the glories of offering a lamp during pleasing to Lord Kesava. O King of brahmanas, a person who offers a lamp in this way will not take birth again in this world."
"By offering a lamp during the month of Karttika one attains a pious result ten million times greater than the result obtained by bathing at Kuruksetra during a solar eclipse or by bathing in the river Narmada during a lunar eclipse."
"O Tiger among sages! For a person who thus offers a lamp burning with ghee or sesame oil, what is the use of performing an asvasmedha-yajia? "
"Even if there are no mantras, no pious deeds, and no purity, everything becomes perfect when a person offers a lamp during the month of Karttika."
"A person who during the month of Karttika offers a lamp to Lord Kesava has already performed all yajnas and bathing in all holy rivers. "
"The ancestors say: When someone in our family pleases Lord Kesava by offering to Him a lamp during the month of Karttika, then, by the mercy of the Lord who holds the Sudarsana-cakra in His Hand, we will all attain liberation."
"By offering a lamp during the month of Karttika one burns away a collection of sins as big as Mount Meru or Mount Mandara. Of this there is no doubt."
"A person who offers a lamp during the month of Karttika attains a result that cannot be obtained with even a hundred yajnas or a hundred pilgrimages."
"Even a person addicted to all sins and averse to all pious deeds who somehow offer a lamp during Karttika becomes purified. Of this there is no doubt."
"O Narada, no sin exists anywhere in the three worlds that will not be purified by offering a lamp to Lord Kesava during Karttika."
"A person who offers a lamp to Lord Krishna during Karttika attains the eternal spiritual world where there is no suffering."
"As fire is present in all wood and may be extracted by friction, so piety is always present in the offering of a lamp during the month of Karttika. Of this there is no doubt."
"O King of brahmanas, when someone offers Him a lamp on the full-moon day of the month of Karttika, Lord Krishna, finding that He does not have sufficient money to repay that gift, gives Himself in exchange for that lamp."
"One who offers a steady lamp to Lord Hari during the month of Karttika enjoys pastimes in Lord Hari's splendid spiritual world."
Even one who never performs religious rituals or even the worst sinner will surely be purified by this offering. O Narada, in the three worlds there is no sin that can stand before this Kartika dipa. In fact, by presenting this dipa before Lord Vasudeva, the eternal abode can be reached without obstruction.
"All the results acquired by donating grains during pitri-paksha or by distributing water in the hot months of Jyeshtha or Ashadha are easily gained in the course of Kartika merely by reviving (relighting) a dipa offered by someone else."
All glories to beautiful Lordship Sri Sri Radha Damodarji!
All glories to Kartik Masa!

"In Kartik month, after bathing in the morning, one should worship Lord Damodara. At night, one should light brilliant lamps filled with either ghee or sesame-seed oil, and place them in these places - in the Lord's temple, around the base of tulasi plants, and in the sky. During the month of Kartika, one should eat only vegetarian foodstuffs and Bhagavan's prasad remnants. There should be incessant harinama-kirtana and smarana.The sole activity to be done during the observance of Damodara-vrata is the worship of Sri Sri Radha-Damodara." – Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura 

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