|
09-07-2008, 01:28 PM
|
#1 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 3,972
|
Sri Radha appears…
 September 7, 2008...12:13 pm Sri Radha appears… Jump to Comments   The story continues with Putana, the witch employed by Kamsa flying over various lands, kidnapping children to devour. As she flew over the Vindhya mountains, the priest of the Vindhyas chanted a mantra that frightened her, and in doing so, she dropped one of the children, a baby girl.   Srimati Radharani’s Lotus Feet
For those wondering… Sri Vishakha was discovered, floating on Yamuna by Jatila, Srimati Radharani’s mother-in-law. The child that Putana dropped while flying over the Vindya mountains was discovered by King Bhishmaka. She was Sri Rukmini devi. In due course of His pastimes, Lord Krsna first married Srimati Radharani in the forest of Bhandiravana. Later on, He kidnapped Sri Rukmini devi whilst she was surrounded by vying suitors at her svayamvara. And Goddess Durga’s prophecy to Kamsa indeed came true… When Nanda Maharaja consulted Garga Muni regarding Lord Krsna’s horoscope, the sage replied that the happiest day of Krsna’s life would be the day Srimati Radharani appeared in Vraja- Sri Radhashtami!
All glories to the appearance of the Supreme Goddess of Fortune Srimati Radharani!
All glories to the Beloved of Sri Gopivallabha!
Note: Portions of the following post were adapted from http://www.shriradharaman.com/, and the original source of this account is the play “Sri Lalita Madhava” by Sri Rupa Goswami.
__________________
|
|
|
|
11-15-2008, 01:45 AM
|
#2 |
|
Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 295
|
Wow.... |
|
|
|
|
12-04-2008, 02:30 PM
|
#3 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,146
|
Bhaktajan seeks to show that “Devi’s” existence required finding an appropriate Husband lest adi-purusha would be re-miss; fortunately the standard has been established by MahaVishnu for all mankind to emulate in the stroy below[also ie: Svayambhuva Manu's daughter Devahuti --after thoroughly searching--found Kardama-muni which made way for Kapila etc etc etc]: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::
How to find a good Husband for a Devi? or
(Maybe Devi is the root of God’s Existance?) [ PREFACE: . . . Neither the merit one receives by taking a bath in the sacred place of pilgrimage known as Sankhoddhara, where the Lord killed the Sankhasura demon, nor the merit one receives upon seeing Lord Gadadhara directly is equal to one sixteenth of the merit one obtains by fasting on Ekadasi. It is said that by giving charity on a Monday when the moon is full, one obtains a hundred thousand times the results of ordinary charity. O winner of wealth, one who gives charity on the day of the sankranti (equinox) attains four hundred thousand times the ordinary result. Yet simply by fasting on Ekadasi one obtains all these pious results, as well as whatever pious results one gets at Kurukshetra during an eclipse of the sun or moon. Furthermore, the faithful soul who observes complete fasting on Ekadasi achieves a hundred times more merit than one who performs an Asvamedha-yajna (horse sacrifice). One who observes Ekadasi just once earns ten times more merit than a person who gives a thousand cows in charity to a brahmana learned in the Vedas. A person who feeds just one brahmacari earns ten times more merit than one who feeds ten good brahmanas in his own house. But a thousand times more merit than is earned by feeding a brahmacari is achieved by donating land to the needy and respectable brahmana, and a thousand time more than that is earned by giving away a virgin girl in marriage to a young, well-educated, responsible man. Ten times more beneficial than this is educating children properly on the spiritual path, without expecting any reward in return. Ten times better than this, however, is giving food grains to the hungry. Indeed, giving charity to those in need is the best of all, and there never has been or ever will be a better charity than this. O son of Kunti, all the forefathers and demigods in heaven become very satisfied when one gives food grains in charity. But the merit one obtains by observing a complete fast on Ekadasi cannot be measured. O Arjuna, best of all Kurus, the powerful effect of this merit is inconceivable even to the demigods, and half this merit is attained by one who eats only supper on Ekadasi. One should therefore observe fasting on Lord Hari's day either by eating only once at midday, abstaining from grains and beans; or by fasting completely. The processes of staying in places of pilgrimage, giving charity, and performing fire sacrifices may boast only as long as Ekadasi has not arrived. Therefore anyone afraid of the miseries of material existence should observe Ekadasi. . . . excerpted from the Bhavisya-uttara Purana. ] :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Why Ekadasi is the most purifying of all days Excerpted from the Bhavisya-uttara Purana: Lord Sri Krishna: “I will tell you why Ekadasi is the most purifying of all days. In the Satya-Yuga there once lived an amazingly fearsome demon called Mura. Always very angry, he terrified all the demigods, defeating even Indra, the king of heaven; Vivasvan, the sun-god; the eight Vasus; Lord Brahma; Vayu. the wind-god; and Agni, the fire-god. With his terrible power he brought them all under his control. "'Lord Indra then approached Lord Shiva and said, "We have all fallen from our planets and are now wandering helplessly on the earth. O lord, how can we find relief from this affliction? What will be the fate of us demigods?' "'Lord Shiva replied, "O best of the demigods, go to that place where Lord Vishnu, the rider of Garuda, resides. He is Jagannatha, the master of all the universes and their shelter as well. He is devoted to protecting all souls surrendered to Him.'" "Lord Krishna continued, 'O Arjuna, winner of wealth, after Lord Indra heard these words of Lord Shiva's, he proceeded with all the demigods to the place where Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the universe, the protector of all souls, was resting. Seeing the Lord sleeping upon the water, the demigods joined their palms and, led by Indra, recite the following prayers: "'"O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all obeisances to You. O Lord of lords, O You who are praised by the foremost demigods, O enemy of all demons, O lotus-eyed Lord, O Madhusudana (killer of the Madhu demon), please protect us. Afraid of the demon Mura, we demigods have come to take shelter of You. O Jagannatha, You are the doer of everything and the creator of everything. You are the mother and the father of all universes. You are the creator, the maintainer, and the destroyer of all. You are the supreme helper of all the demigods, and You alone can bring peace to them. You alone are the earth, the sky, and the universal benefactor. "'"You are Shiva, Brahma, and also Vishnu, the maintainer of the three worlds. You are the gods of the sun, moon, and fire. You are the clarified butter, the oblation, the sacred fire, the mantras, the rituals, the priests, and the silent chanting of japa. You are the sacrifice itself, its sponsor, and the enjoyer of its results, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nothing within these three worlds, whether moveable or immovable, can exist independent of You. O Supreme Lord, Lord of lords, You are the protector of those who take shelter of You. O supreme mystic, O shelter of the fearful, please rescue and protect us. We demigods have been defeated by the demons and have thus fallen from the heavenly realm. Deprived of our positions, O Lord of the universe, we are now wandering about this earthly planet."' "Lord Krsna continued, 'Having heard Indra and the other demigods speak these words, Sri Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, replied, "What demon possesses such great powers of delusion that he has been able to defeat all the demigods? What is his name, and where does he live? Where does he get his strength and shelter? Tell Me everything, O Indra, and do not fear." "'Lord Indra replied, "O Supreme Godhead, O Lord of lords, O You who vanquish the fear in Your pure devotees' hearts, O You who are so kind to your faithful servants, there was once a powerful demon of the Brahma dynasty whose name was Nadijangha. he was extraordinarily fearsome and wholly dedicated to destroying the demigods, and he begot an infamous son named Mura. |
|
|
|
|
12-04-2008, 02:30 PM
|
#4 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,146
|
"'"Mura's great capital city is Chandravati. From that base the terribly evil and powerful Mura demon has conquered the whole world and brought all the demigods under his control, driving them out of their heavenly kingdom. He has assumed the roles of Indra, the king of heaven; Agni, the fire-god; Yama, the lord of death; Vayu, the wind-god; Isha, or Lord Shiva; Soma, the moon-god; Nairrti, the lord of the directions; and Pasi, or Varuna, the water-god. He has also begun emanating light in the role of the sun-god and has turned himself into the clouds as well. It is impossible for the demigods to defeat him. O Lord Vishnu, please kill tis demon and make the demigods victorious." "'Hearing these words from Indra, Lord Janardana became very angry and said, "O powerful demigods, all together you may now advance on Mura's capital city of ffice:smarttags" /> "'When Mura saw the demigods, that foremost of demons started roaring very loudly in the company of countless thousands of other demons, who were all holding brilliantly shining weapons. The mighty-armed demons struck the demigods, who began abandoning the battlefield and fleeing in the ten directions. Seeing the Supreme Lord Hrsikesha, the master of the senses, present on the battlefield, the furious demons rushed toward Him with various weapons in their hands. As they charged the Lord, who holds a sword, disk, and club, He immediately pierced all their limbs with His sharp, poisonous arrows. thus many hundred of demons died by the Lord's hand. "'At last the chief demon, Mura, began fighting with the Lord. Mura used his mystic power to render useless whatever weapons the Supreme Lord Hrsikesa unleashed. Indeed, to the demon the weapons felt just like flowers striking him. When the Lord could not defeat the demon even with various kinds of weapons - whether those that are thrown or those that are held - He began fighting with His bare hands, which were as strong as iron-studded clubs. The Lord wrestled with Mura for one thousand celestial years and then, apparently fatigued, left for Badarikashrama. There Lord Yogeshvara, the greatest of all yogis, the Lord of the universe, entered a very beautiful cave named Himavati to rest. O Dhananjaya, winner of wealth, that cave was ninety-six miles in diameter and had only one entrance. I went there out of fear, and also to sleep. There is no doubt about this, O son of Pandu, for the great fight made me very tired. the demon followed Me into that cave and, seeing Me asleep, started thinking within his heart, "Today I will kill this slayer of all demons, Hari." "'While the wicked-minded Mura was making plans in this way, from My body there manifested a young girl who had a very bright complexion. O son of Pandu, Mura saw that she was equipped with various brilliant weapons and was ready to fight. Challenged by that female to do battle, Mura prepared himself and then fought with her, but he became very astonished when he saw that she fought him without cessation. The king of the demons then said, "Who has created this angry, fearsome girl who is fighting me so powerfully, just like a thunderbolt falling upon me?' After saying this, the demon continued to fight with the girl. "'Suddenly that effulgent goddess shattered all of Mura's weapons and in a moment deprived him of his chariot. He ran toward her to attacker with his bare hands, but when she saw him coming she angrily cut off his head. Thus the demon at once fell to the ground and went to the abode of Yamaraja. The rest of the Lord's enemies, out of fear and helplessness, entered the subterranean Patala region. "'Then the Supreme Lord woke up and saw the dead demo before Him, as well as the maiden bowing down to him with joined palms. His face expressing His astonishment, the Lord of the universe said, "Who has killed this vicious demon? He easily defeated all the demigods, Gandharvas, and even Indra himself, along with Indra's companions, the Maruts, and he also defeated the Nagas (snakes), the rulers of the lower planets. He even defeated Me, making Me hide in this cave out of fear. Who is it that has so mercifully protected Me after I ran from the battlefield and went to sleep in this cave?" "'The maiden said, "It is I who have killed this demon after appearing from Your transcendental body. Indeed, O Lord Hari, when he saw You sleeping he wanted to kill You. Understanding the intention of this thorn in the side of the three worlds, I killed the evil rascal and this freed all the demigods from fear. I am Your great maha-sakti, Your internal potency, who strikes fear into the hearts of all Your enemies. I have killed this universally terrifying demon to protect the three worlds. Please tell me why You are surprised to see that this demon has been killed, O Lord." "'The Supreme Personality of Godhead said, "O sinless one, I am very satisfied to see that it is you who have killed this king of the demons. In this way you have made the demigods happy, prosperous, and full of bliss. Because you have given pleasure to all the demigods in the three worlds, I am very pleased with you. Ask any boon you may desire, O auspicious one. I will give it to you without a doubt, though it be very rare among the demigods." ""The maiden said, "O Lord, if You are pleased with me and wish to give me a boon, then give me the power to deliver from the greatest sins that person who fasts of this day. I wish that half the pious credit obtained by one who fasts will accrue to one who eats only in the evening (abstaining from grains and beans), and that half of this pious credit will be earned by one who eats only at midday. Also, may one who strictly observes a complete fast on my appearance day, with controlled senses, go to the abode of Lord Vishnu for one billion kalpas after he has enjoyed all kinds of pleasures in this world. This is the boon I desire to attain by Your mercy, my Lord, O Lord Janardana, whether a person observes complete fasting, eats only in the evening, or eats only at midday, please grant him a religious attitude, wealth, and at last liberation." "'The Supreme Personality of Godhead said, "O most auspicious lady, what you have requested is granted. All My devotees in this world will surely fast on your day, and thus they will become famous throughout the three worlds and finally come and stay with me in My abode. Because you, My transcendental potency, have appeared on the eleventh day of the waning moon, let your name by Ekadasi. If a person fasts on Ekadasi, I will burn up all his sins and bestow upon him My transcendental abode. "'"These are the days of the waxing and waning moon that are most dear to Me: Tritiya (the third day), Ashthami (the eighth day), Navami (the ninth day), Chaturdasi (the fourteenth day), and especially Ekadasi (the eleventh day). "'"The merit one attains by fasting on Ekadasi is greater than that achieved by observing any other kind of fast or by going to a place of pilgrimage, and even greater than that achieved by giving charity to brahmanas. I tell you most emphatically that this is true." "'Having thus given the maiden His benediction, the Supreme Lord suddenly disappeared. From that time onward the Ekadasi day became most meritorious and famous all over the universe. O Arjuna, if a person strictly observes Ekadasi, I kill all his enemies and grant him the highest destination. Indeed, if a person observes this great Ekadasi fast in any of the prescribed way, I remove all obstacles to his spiritual progress and grant him the perfection of life. "'Thus, O son of Prtha, I have described to you the origin of Ekadasi. This one day removes all sins eternally. Indeed, it is the most meritorious day for destroying all kinds of sins, and it has appeared in order to benefit everyone in the universe by bestowing all varieties of perfection. This was excerpted from Utpanna Ekadasi [from the Bhavisya-uttara Purana] as found in the celebrated book, "Ekadasi: The Day of Lord Hari" 1986. pages 13 - 22. HH Krishna Balaram Swami. Bhaktivedanta Institute Press. |
|
|
|
|
12-04-2008, 04:18 PM
|
#5 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 104
|
Quote:
Real nice. |
|
|
|
|
|
12-04-2008, 05:06 PM
|
#6 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,146
|
Originally Posted by Deathless: Women aren't people. They are property on the same level as money, food, land, and cows. Real nice. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I presume you are speaking with distain? Do you remeber Jessica Lynch? --She's not alone.  Maybe the good goveners of places like West Virginia know what women in their constituency know about what they are going to do with their bumper-crop surplus of recent High-School graduates? Maybe there are no righteous women that you have ever made the acquaintance of? Two things are guaranteed in life: Paying your taxes & Death. Society requires noble men and women to teach our children well --or else working for a living will be a hardship. |
|
|
|
|
12-05-2008, 05:40 AM
|
#7 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Mauritius
Posts: 725
|
Quote:
 Thanks to Sri Hari.  But very few will be able to understand its implications. 
__________________
Jai Sita Ram
Jai Sri Hanuman |
|
|
|
|
|
12-05-2008, 07:28 AM
|
#8 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 123
|
Quote:
 Bhaktajan is indeed blessed. |
|
|
|
|
|
12-07-2008, 08:43 PM
|
#9 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 104
|
Quote:
|
|
|
|
|
|
12-08-2008, 02:24 AM
|
#10 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,146
|
"Bhaktajan seeks to show that “Devi’s” existence required finding an appropriate Husband" DEATHLESS, Your logic is indecipherable. IOW you don't know what you think you are saying --aka inarticulate. 1) Calm down now and see the superiority of the wisdom of the sentiment. 2) Since when is it virtually impossible to find a virgin --in your town? Since when does a women's virginity have NO VALUE? Is not a woman lacking her virginity readily available at a high-Maintanace price? Or is it, at a Low-Maintanace price in your town? "On the same level as some material object?" So being a woman is ABOVE being a material object? Do you mean to say, 'sublime' 3) BTW, my post was not about YOU & YOUR SARCASISM. I was attempting to be sublime and show that scripture aims at cultivating advanced souls --by seeking the best Husband for a daughter. 4) Deathless, slavery was ended with the American Civil war era in most 'civilized countries'. What you are talking about is more akin to, "sexual-stereo-typing" --which, ironically is made void by your respose. 'same level as some material object' --We are spirit souls in a material body. Our body perfroms the works of the material field of activities. One must assess their own skills and abilities and sell it to prospective employers in order to make a living and to acheive pleasure(s) too. So, woman in the work force is a testiment to the state of affairs where life is too miserable for only one 'bread-winner' to suffice to 'make-it in life'. Oh if the divorce should rate ever stop rising then women would be free to stay home --instead of struggling to afford the basic needs coveted by vast majority of the common everyday blasé obese consumer. A singing contest rejects 'bad-singers' --THAT IS THE IDEA THAT YOU SHOULD REPLACE WITH WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED. 5) Again, I was attempting to show that Vishnu was obliged to 'find' the best husband for Shakti-Devi [ergo, some one like, oh let's say, Lord Shiva would fit the position]. So by extention, I posted the postulation [derived from the story of the first ekadasi fast: Utpanna Ekadasi] that God may have started as a silent sleeping ''unborn" "unmanifest" state of Brahman --until Shakti was moved to act --and thus “Devi’s” existence required finding an appropriate Husband". This is a sublime act, supported by scripture that aims at cultivating advanced souls --by seeking the best Husband for a daughter. 6) BTW, name a place where prostitution is illegal [FYI, it existed in vedic times] and It will be shown that the black-market pimps operate without ever paying state taxes for 'earned income'. 7) Still don't see my point? What constitutes a "great woman"? Nothing worth any price worth paying? It is without material value? So what do those dating sites list as attractive 'sales pitches'? 8) Get Real. 9) Ok. Maybe there are still plenty of virgins available for any one who gave a darn, about queuing up, in advance for exclusive rights --to something fleeting and purpousless as something like 'virginity'? I guess when it comes to enlightenment --your advise is: Don't place any value on the virginity of society's maidens --since it's a myth and a figment of imagination without any worth? |
|
|
|
|
12-08-2008, 05:19 PM
|
#11 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 104
|
Quote:
This has to be one of the longest posts I've ever seen in reply to such a short post! Can you please summarize this? |
|
|
|
|
|
12-09-2008, 04:12 PM
|
#12 | ||||||
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,146
|
You seem to be making a show of (rightfully) demeaning "CHATTEL". chat⋅tel –noun
.................................................. .............................................. Traditional slavery, often called chattel slavery, is probably the least prevalent of the contemporary forms of slavery. According to the American Anti-Slavery group (http://www.anti-slavery.org), in Mauritania, where slavery was legally abolished in 1980, 90,000 darker-skinned Africans still live as the property of the Muslim Berber communities. Although the Africans in Mauritania converted to Islam more than 100 years ago, and the Qur’an forbids the enslavement of fellow Muslims, in Mauritania race seems to outrank religious doctrine. Such chattel slaves are used for their labor, sex, and breeding, and are exchanged for camels, trucks, guns, or money. Children of chattel slaves remain the property of their master. And even among freed slaves, a tribute is often paid to former masters, who also maintain inheritance rights over freed slaves’ property. .................................................. ........... CHATTEL SLAVERY is closest to the slavery that prevailed in early American history. Chattel slaves are considered their masters’ property — exchanged for things like trucks or money and expected to perform labor and sexual favors. Once of age, their children are expected to do the same. Chattel slavery is typically racially-based; in the North African country of Mauritania, for example, black Africans serve the lighter-skinned Arab-Berber communities. Though slavery was legally abolished there in 1980, today 90,000 slaves continue to serve the Muslim Berber ruling class. Similarly, in the African country of Sudan, Arab northerners are known to raid the villages in the South — killing all the men and taking the women and children to be auctioned off and sold into slavery. .................................................. ......................... The word 'chattel' is akin to the word 'cattle' and in fact both words share a common origin in Medieval Latin and Old French. The word capital comes from the same root. Chattel slavery means that one person has total ownership of another. There are two basic forms of chattel, domestic chattel, with menial household duties and productive chattel, working in the fields or mines. Those closest to the enslaver by virtue of space were the domestics and they were usually accorded a higher status in slave society. But to say higher status is not to say much when the idea of chattel slavery was that the human was not a human but a thing. I do not say that the human was dehumanized because I do not hold that such is possible, but what is possible is to reduce another person in your own mind to the level of a cow, dog, cat, or chair. This is the meaning of chattel. |
||||||
|
|
|