krsna

So what's your particular take on Lord Krsna? The most up-to-date cutting edge Personality in all the worlds: Krsna. Krsna is IT (Isvara Transcendence). Srila Prabhupada put Krsna where there was no Krsna. He makes Krsna understandable for the common man of Kali-yuga --me. Krsna is always everywhere but I fail to see Him everywhere always. Krsna manifests perfectly in all the times,places and circumstances imaginable. Krsna is perfectly perfect and perfection personified. I bow down to Sri Krsna for He is the cynosure of all existance. All Glories to Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna is in Krsnaloka with all the most perfected associates -- and where the hell am I ? Yes in hell !

Commentary by Srila Jiva Goswami to the First Verse of Brahma Samhita: Within my heart I worship the splendour of Lord Krishna's transcendental form. I desire that by Lord Krishna's mercy I will be able to explain the verses of Brahma-samhita. Although the Brahma-samhita is a very difficult book, the commentaries of the sages have made it easy to understand. My words follow their explanations. Although the Brahma-samhita contains one hundred chapters, because this chapter briefly describes Lord Krishna's transcendental form, it is the best. The same transcendental sweetness the pure-hearted devotees sees in Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vaisnava-sastras is also present in the Brahma-samhita. For this reason my heart is now happy. After due reflection, in this book I have lightly touched on the same topics more elaborately explained in my Sri Krishna-sandarbha. Krishna: Srimad Bhagavatam (1.3.28) explains: "All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead.” Brahma-samhita begins with a similar declaration of the supremacy of Lord Krishna. In this verse the Supreme Personality of Godhead is specifically identified as Lord Krishna. As the name Lord Krishna is spoken first in the passage beginning "Krishnavatarotsava" and other statements of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami and other great souls, as the name of Krishna is given first in the statement "krsnaya vasudevaya devaki-nandanaya" of the Sama Upanisad, as the name of Krishna is given first in Garga Muni's revelation of the Lord's holy names, and as the example "payasa kumbham purayati" is also given, in the same way this verse of Brahma-samhita gives the name Krishna first because the form of Lord Krishna is the origin of all other forms of Godhead. That Krishna is the most important name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained in the Padma Purana, Prabhasa-khanda, where, in a conversation between Narada and Kusadhvaja, the following words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are repeated: "O Arjuna, of all My holy names, Krishna is the most important." The importance of the name Krishna is also confirmed in the Brahmanda Purana, Sri Krishnastottara-sata-nama-stotra, where Lord Krishna says: "The pious results derived from chanting the thousand names of Lord Vishnu three times can be attained by only one repetition of the holy name of Krishna." In the first verse of Brahma-samhita the name "Govinda" is also given. This name is given to Lord Krishna because He is the master of the spiritual surabhi cows. Because Lord Krishna is all-powerful, the first verse of Brahma-samhita describes Him as "isvara". Lord Krishna is also described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.8.13 and 15). "Your son Krishna appears as an incarnations in every millennium. In the past He assumed three different colours: white, red, and yellow, and now He has appeared in a blackish colour." "From this son of yours there are many forms and names according to His transcendental qualities and activities. These are known to me, but people in general do not understand them." In these verses the word "asya" (of Him) refers to Lord Krishna "anuyugam means "in every millennium", "tanuh" means "the forms of various incarnations", "grhnatah" means "manifests", "varnas trayah" means "the colours beginning with white", an d "asan" means "manifested. In these verses Garga Muni says, "In Satya yuga and other yugas the Lord appeared in a white form and forms of other colours, but now (idanim) He has appeared in His original form, the form of Lord Krishna (krsnatam gatah). Because Lord Krishna is the original, the best form of the Personality of Godhead, the name Krishna is the most important of His names, and the other forms of Godhead (bahuni rupani) are manifested from the original form, Krishna. That the transcendental qualities of the name Krishna make it the most important of God's names is confirmed in the following statement of Vaishnava literature: "The word "krs" is the attractive feature of the Lord's existence and "na" means spiritual pleasure. when the verb "krs" is added to the affix "na", it becomes Krishna, which indicates the Absolute Truth. In this way the name Krishna is described. The verse of Vaishnava literature does not accept any other name as the most important name of God. In the Astadasaksara-mantra-vyakhya of both the Upasana Tantra and the Gautamiya Tantra the followin g similar verse may be seen: "The word "krs" means 'eternal transcendental existence" and 'na' means "spiritual pleasure". When the verb "krs" is added to the affix "na", it becomes Krishna, which indicates the eternally blissful Absolute Truth." The word "bhu" comes from the verb "bhu", which may mean "to be" or "to attract". In the quotation from Vaishnava literature the word is interpreted to mean "attraction" and in the quote from Gautamiya Tantra, "bhu" is interpreted to mean "ex istence". The word "bhu" may thus be interpreted to mean "existence", but in this case it may not be interpreted to mean "movement" or "generalness". The primary meaning is "attraction". The secondary meaning is "existence". The meanings "movement" and "generalness" cannot be accepted here. The word "nirvrtti" means "bliss". The phrase "tayor aikyam" means "when the two syllables are placed together into a word". "Param brahma" means "the substance that is the greatest of all". In the phrase "krsna ity abhidhiyate" an alternate reading replaces the word "abhidhiyate" with "iryate" (is named). Aside from these varied considerations, the primary meaning of the two syllables Krishna is that "krs" means "attraction" and "na" means "transcendental bliss". The word "krs" meaning "attracting" should be understood to mean " that which attracts", just as in the adage "ayur ghrtam" (ghee is long life) ghee is equated with long life because eating foods cooked in ghee makes one long-lived. Various explanations of the word "param brahma" are given in the scriptures. For example, the Vishnu Purana declares: "The wise know that the word "param brahma" means 'He who is the greatest' and 'He who nourishes and protects all living entities'". The Gautamiya Tantra also gives the following explanation of the word "param brahma": "The word 'krs' means 'eternal transcendental existence' and 'na' means 'spiritual pleasure'. These two syllables, meaning eternal existence and spiritual pleasure, are joined to become the word 'Krishna', the name of the param brahma." The advaitavadis (monists) think the phrase "satta-svanandayor yogat" in this verse means "distinction such as eternal existence and transcendental bliss lose their separateness and become one in the impersonal absolute." Because the words " sat" and "ananda" have different meanings, and because, even if these two words are taken to be synonyms, their repetition in a sentence is meaningless (as if we were to repeat the word "vrksa" and "taru", which both mean "tree" within a single sentence), the conclusion of the impersonalists must be false. The word "sat" (eternal) is used here to mean "the Supreme Eternal, who is the source of all other eternals". This is described in these words of the Sruti-sastra: "O noble student, in the beginning only the eternal existed." The verse from the Gautamiya Tantra may be explained in the following way. The first half of the verse describes Lord Krishna, who is all-attractive and full of transcendental bliss. The second half of the first states that because Lord Krishna is blissful and all- attractive He delights all living entities. For this reason the scriptures declare: "Because they find transcendental bliss in Him, the devotees have fallen in love with Sri Krishna." In this way the word Krishna should be understood to mean "He who is full of transcendental bliss, and whose handsome form and transcendental qualities attract all living entities." For this reason popular usage interprets the word "devakinandana" to mean "He who pleases Devaki." Sri Krishna's delighting everyone may be seen in the following statement of the Vasudeva Upanisad: "Lord Krishna, the son of Devaki delights everyone". "Lord Krishna is independently perfect, eternally changeless, and the origin of all transcendental bliss." For these reasons the popular explanation of the word Devakinandana (He who pleases Devaki) should be accepted and not rejected in favour of the views of pedantic grammarians. This is confirmed by the following statement of great scholars: "When popular usage interprets a word in a way very appropriate to the object it describes, that interpretation should be accepted. When scientific etymology interprets a word in a way not appropriate to the object described, that meaning should not be accepted." That Sri Krishna is the Supreme Brahman is affirmed in the words of Srimad-Bhagavatam: "The form of the Supreme Brahman is the humanlike form of Sri Krishna." In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.32) is also said: "How greatly fortunate are Nanda Maharaja, the cowherd men and all the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi! There is no limit to their fortune because the Absolute Truth, the source of transcendental bliss, the eternal Supreme Brahma, has become their friend." In the Vishnu Purana it is said: "The Supreme Brahman, who has a humanlike form and who bears the name Krishna, has descended to this world." In the Bhagavad-gita (14.27) Lord Krishna declares: "I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman." In the Gopala-tapani Upanishad it is said: "The cowherd boy Krishna is the Supreme Brahman." Isvara: Now let us return to the first verse of Brahma-samhita. Now that we have explained the word "Krishna", we will proceed to the word "isvara". "Isvara" means "the supreme controller of everyone". This is seen in the following description of th e word Krishna in the Gautamiya Tantra: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, controls (krs) all moving and unmoving beings. Therefore He is name 'Krishna'". In this verse the word "kala" means "controller". It is derived from the verb "kal", which means "to control". That Sri Krishna is the supreme controller is also confirmed by the following words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.2.21): "Lord Sri Krishna is the Lord of all kinds of threes and is independently supreme by achievement of all kinds of fortune. He is worshipped by the eternal maintainers of the creation, who offer Him the paraphernalia of worship by touching their millions of helmets to His feet." In Bhagavad-gita (10.42) Lord Krishna declares: "With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." In the Gopala-tapani Upanishad it is said: "Sri Krishna is the worshipable and all-pervading supreme controller." Parama: Now that the word "isvara" has been explained, we will describe the word "parama". "Para" means "supreme" and "ma" means "mother". The "para-mas" therefore are the goddesses of fortune who are Lord Krishna's internal potencies. They are desc ribed in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.59.43). "Full of transcendental bliss, Lord Krishna enjoyed pastimes with the beautiful gopis, who were all goddesses of fortune." In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.47.60) it is also said: "When Lord Sri Krishna was dancing with the gopis in the rasa-lila, the gopis were embraced by the arms of the Lord. This transcendental favour was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or the other consorts in the spiritual world. Indeed, never was such a thing even imagined by the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets whose bodily lustre and aroma resemble the lotus flower. And what to speak of worldly women who are very beautiful according to material estimation." In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.33.6) it is also said: "Although the son of Devaki, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is also the reservoir of all kinds of beauty, when He is among the gopis He nonetheless becomes more beautiful, for He resembles a marakata jewel surrounded by gold and other jewels." In the Brahma-samhita (56) it is said: "In Svetadvipa the Laksmis in their unalloyed spiritual essence practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Krishna as their only lover." In the Gopala-tapani Upanishad it is said: “Lord Krishna is worshipped by the goddess of fortune." Adi: Sri Krishna is described as "adi" (the origin of all). This is explained in the following words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.72.15): "Hearing that Jarasandha had not been defeated, Maharaja Yudhisthira began to think of a plan to defeat him. At that time Lord Hari, who is the origin of all, spoke the plan that had already been formulated by Uddhava." "The word "hari" refers to Sri Krishna, who is the origin of all." That Sri Krishna is the Supreme and the origin of all is declared in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam: "I offer my respectful obeisances to Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the origin of all." Anadi: Then again, Sri Krishna is not "adi" but "anadi" (He who has no origin). This is described in Gopala-tapani Upanishad, which declares: "Sri Krishna is the chief eternal among many eternals." Sarva-karana-karanam: Next, the word "sarva-karana-karanam" means "the prime cause of all causes". This means that He is the creator of the universes and the origin of the purusa-avatara. This is described in Srimad- Bhagavatam (10.85.31) where Devaki tells Lord Krishna: "O Lord of the universe, O original Supreme Person, by a portion of a portion of a portion of Yourself You create, maintain and destroy the material universes. Now I take shelter of You." Sridhara Swami comments on this verse in these words: "The first portion mentioned here is the purusa-avatara. A portion of Him is the illusory potency maya. A portion of maya is the modes of nature. By a portion of the modes of nature th e universes are created, maintained and destroyed. "tva" means 'of You' and 'gatim gata' means 'I take shelter'." That Sri Krishna is the origin of the purusa-avatara is also described in the following prayer of Lord Brahma (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.14): "O Lord Krishna, Narayana refers to one whose abode is in the water born from Nara (Garbhodakasayi Vishnu) and that Narayana is Your plenary portion." The word Narayana is also explained in these words: "Manifested from Lord Garbhodakasayi Vishnu (Nara), the inert material elements are called 'nara'. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate resting place (ayana) of these material elements (nara), He is known as Narayana." These words, then, mean "O Lord, Narayana is a portion of Your body." That Sri Krishna is the origin of the purusa-avatara, a portion of whom creates, maintains and destroys the universes is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (10.42), where Lord Krishna declares: "With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." By all of this the proper explanation of the word Krishna is given. By the two syllables "krs" and "na" the blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead is described. By the word "isvara" and other words Lord Krishna's transcendental potencies are described. He is declared to be the Supreme, who has no rival, who is the prime cause of all causes, and who is the master of His internal potencies. His potencies are described in these words of the Sruti-sastra: "The Supreme Brahman is full of transcendental bliss." In the Sruti-sastra it is also said: "Who can find transcendental bliss if he does not find it in the Supreme Personality of Godhead?" In the Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.8) it is said: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not possess bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity. There is no difference between His body and His soul. He is absolute. All His senses are transcendental. any one of His senses can perform the action of any other sense. Therefore, no one is greater than Him or equal to Him. His potencies are multifarious, and thus His deeds are automatically performed as a natural sequence." Sac-cid-ananda-vigraha: At this point someone may raise the following objection: "If Krishna is all-attractive and filled with supreme transcendental bliss, then must He not be formless? After all, forms do not contain transcendental bliss." To this objection the following reply may be given: Yes. That is true. Material forms do not contain transcendental bliss. However, Lord Krishna's wonderful form is filled with perfect transcendental bliss. This is described in the first ve rse of Brahma-samhita in the word "sac-cid-ananda-vigraha" (He has an eternal, blissful spiritual body). This truth is also confirmed in the following words of Srimad- Bhagavatam (10.14.22): "O Krishna, Your eternal transcendental form is full of knowledge and bliss." In the Gopala-tapani Upanishad and the Hayasirsa-pancaratra it is said: "I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Krishna, whose transcendental form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss, and who rescues His devotees from distress." In the Brahmanda Purana, Astottara-sata-nama-stotra, it is said: "Lord Krishna's transcendental form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss. Lord Krishna delights the residents of Nanda Maharaja's land of Vraja." Sat: In these verses the word "sat" should be understood to mean "eternal and unchanging". That Lord Krishna's form is eternal and unchanging is confirmed by the following words of the demigods in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.26): "O Lord Krishna, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone. Being present in the three phases of cosmic manifestation: creation, maintenance and annihilation, You are the Supreme Truth." In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.3.25) Devaki explains: "After millions of years, at the time of cosmic annihilation, when everything, manifested and unmanifested is annihilated by the force of time, the five gross elements enter into the subtle conception, and the manifested categories enter into the unmanifested substance. At that time, You alone remain, and You are known as Ananta Sesa-naga." In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.3.27), Devaki also declares: "No one in this material world has become free from the four principles of birth, death, old age and disease, even by fleeing to various planets. But now that You have appeared, My Lord, death is fleeing in fear of You, and the living entities, having obtained shelter at Your lotus feet by Your mercy, are sleeping in full mental peace." In the scriptures it is also said: "O Lord Krishna, in the beginning You alone were manifest." Lord Brahma also declares: "In the end only the Supreme Brahman, who is free from all dualities, remains." In Bhagavad-gita (14.27) Lord Krishna declares: "And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable, and eternal, and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness." In the Bhagavad-gita (15.18) Lord Krishna also declares: "Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in he Vedas as that Supreme Person." In the Gopala-tapani Upanishad it is said: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always free from the material transformations of birth, death, old age, and disease. He is eternal and unchanging. He cannot be cut to pieces or killed by anyone. He stays in Vrndavana. He stays amon g the cows. He protects the cows. He stays among the cowherd people." In the Gopala-tapani Upanishad it is also said: "Death fears Lord Krishna." In this verse the word "saurya" means "the land of Vrndavana". "Surya" means "the sun-god", "sauri" means "the Yamuna river, who is the daughter of the sun-god", and "saurya" means "the land of Vrndavana, through which the Yamuna flows." Cit: In this first verse of Brahma-samhita the word "cit" refers to Lord Krishna's spiritual form, which He reveals to others when He wishes." This form is described by Lord Brahma in these words (Srimad- Bhagavatam 10.1.4.23): "You are the Supreme soul, Absolute Truth, and the Supreme original person. You are the Supreme, one without a second. You are the source of the original brahmajyoti." This form of Krishna is also described in these word of Gopala-tapani Upanisad: "It is Krishna who in the beginning instructed Brahma in Vedic knowledge and who disseminated Vedic knowledge in the past. They who aspire to become liberated surrender to Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead who gives transcendental knowle dge to His devotees." In the Sruti-sastra it is said: "With material eyes one cannot see the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." In the Svetasvatara Upanishad it is said: "By His own will the Supreme Personality of Godhead reveals Himself to whomever He chooses." Ananda: Next we will discuss the explanation that Lord Krishna's transcendental body is full of bliss (ananda). Lord Krishna's form is full of bliss because His limbs are the abode of the boundless love. That Sri Krishna is the blissful Supreme Personali ty of Godhead is explained in the questions and answers of Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.49- 58. It is also explained in these words of Maharaja Vasudeva (Srimad- Bhagavatam 10.3.13): "My Lord, You are the blissful Supreme Person, beyond material existence, and You are the Supersoul. Your form can be perceived by transcendental knowledge, by which You can be understood as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I now underst and Your position perfectly." In the Sruti-sastra it is also said: "The form of the supreme Personality of Godhead is full of bliss." In this way it is proved that Lord Krishna has a perfect, eternal, blissful, spiritual body, he does not have a material body like that of a conditioned soul. This is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.55) where Srila Sukadeva Gosvami says: "You should know Krishna as the original soul of all atmas (living entities). For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this with the strength of His own intern al potency." This verse states that by Lord Krishna's mercy He manifests pastimes like those of an ordinary human being who has a material body. The word "mayaya" in this verse may be taken to mean "by His mercy". The Visva-prakasa dictionary declares: "The word 'maya' may mean either 'illusion' or 'mercy'." Govinda: Lord Krishna enjoys many different pastimes in His transcendental form. Sometimes He accepts the role of a king in the Vrsni dynasty, and sometimes He becomes Govinda, the protector of the surabhi cows. This is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.11.25): "O Krishna, O friend of Arjuna, O chief among the descendants of Vrsni, You are the destroyer of those political parties that are disturbing elements on this earth. Your prowess never deteriorates. You are the proprietor of the transcendental abode, and Your most sacred glories, which are sung by Vrndavana's cowherd men and women and their servants, bestow all auspiciousness just by being heard. O Lord, please protect Your devotees." By His own wish the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests His worshipable form of Govinda and enjoys specific transcendental pastimes with specific eternal associates. The Govinda feature of the Lord will be glorified in Brahma-samhita be ginning with text 29. Govinda is also described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.27.20-23), where, in the beginning of Govinda-abhiseka, the surabhi cow prayed: "O Lord of the universe, You are our king, our Indra." When the abhiseka was completed, Srimad-Bhagavatam explains: "Then the surabhi cows gave the Lord the name Govinda." After narrating these pastimes, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami prayed: "May Lord Govinda, the king of the surabhi cows, be pleased with us." Although Lord Krishna is the master and shelter of everyone, He is especially the master of the surabhi cows. For this reason the name Govinda should not be taken lightly. The importance of the cows is described in these words of the Go-sukta : "Vedic yajnas are performed to worship the cows. The demigods rise out of respect for the cows. The four Vedas, six Vedangas, and the pada method of recitation are all manifested from the cows." Lord Krishna is thus the master of the surabhi cows, who are liberated souls descended to this world from the Goloka Vrindavana planet in the spiritual sky. Lord Brahma also worships the Govinda feature of the Lord, as Brahma himself declares i n these words of the Gopala-tapani Upanishad (1.38): "By offering prayers in the company of the Maruts and other demigods, I always please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Govinda, whose form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss, and who sits beneath a kalpa-vrksa tree." The glorious surabhi cows and other residents of Vrindavana are also glorified in these words spoken by Brahma (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.34). "My dear Lord, I am most humbly praying at Your lotus feet for You to please give me any sort of birth within this Vrindavana forest so that I may be able to be favoured by the dust of the feet of some of the devotees of Vrndavana. Even if I am given the chance to grow just as the humble grass in this land, that will be a glorious birth for me. But if I am not so fortunate to take birth within the forest of Vrndavana, I beg to be allowed to take birth outside the immediate area of Vrindavana so that when the devotees go out they will walk over me. Even that would be a great fortune for me. I am just aspiring for a birth in which I will be smeared by the dust of the devotees' feet. I can see that everyone here is simply full of Kr sna consciousness. They do not know anything but Mukunda. All the Vedas are indeed searching after the lotus feet of Krishna." Lord Krishna is also known as Nandanandana (the son of Maharaja Nanda). This feature of the Lord is described in these words (Srimad- Bhagavatam 10.14.1) of Brahma: "My dear Lord, You are the only worshipful Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead. Therefore I am offering my humble obeisances and prayers just to please You. Your bodily features are of the colour of clouds filled with water. You are glittering with silver electric flashes emanating from Your yellow garments. Let me offer my respectful repeated obeisances unto the son of Maharaja Nanda who is standing before me with conchshell earrings and peacock feather on His head. His face is beautiful. He is wearing a helmet, garlanded by forest flowers, and He stands with a morsel of food in His hand. He is decorated with cane, flute, and a bugle made o buffalo horn. He stands before me with small lotus feet." In this way Govinda and the other transcendental names of the Lord are explained. To conclude this description of Lord Krishna as the "isvara" (controller) and "paramesvara" (supreme controller), we will now quote the Gautamiya Tantra's explanation of the dvadasaksara- mantra: "In the dvadasaksara-mantra the word gopi means 'material nature' and 'jana' means 'the original feature of the mahat-tattva'. The word 'vallabha' means 'the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the shelter of both material nature and the mahat-tattva, who is full of transcendental bliss, who is effulgent, and who, because He is the original creator of everything and because He is all-pervading within the material creation, is known as 'isvara' (the controller). "Another interpretation is that the word 'gopi' means 'the material nature' and 'jana' means 'the Lord's Vishnu-tattva expansions'. The word 'vallabha' means 'dear to them both' and it refers to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all causes and effects and who is glorified in the Vedas. "Another interpretation is that the word 'gopijana' means 'the gopis, who attained spiritual perfection after many births.' Lord Krishna is thus their husband. In this way Lord Krishna, who is the son of Nanda Maharaja, and who delights the thr ee worlds, is described." In these verse the word "prakrti" means "the potency named Maya, who creates the material universes." The word "tattva-samuhaka" means "the original feature of the mahat-tattva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is referred to by the w ords "anayor asrayah" and "sandranandam param jyotih" is described as "vallabhah". The word "prakrtih" (used in the second verse) means the Maha-Lakshmi potency, who is manifested from the Supreme Lord's own form, who is beyond the touch of the mater ial energy, and who appears in the spiritual world of Vaikuntha.Amsa-mandalam" means "the Lord's three primary Vishnu expansions beginning with Lord Sankarsana." The phrase "aneka-janma-siddhanam" refers to the beginningless cycle of births described by Lord Krishna in these words of Bhagavad-gita (4.5): "Many births both you and I have passed, O Arjuna." In this last interpretation the word "vallabha" should be understood to mean "Lord Krishna, the son of Maharaja Nanda". Maharaja Nanda's fatherhood of Lord Krishna is thus explained. Garga Muni told Maharaja Nanda (Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.8.14): "For many reasons, this beautiful son of yours sometimes appeared previously as the son of Vasudeva." Because He appeared in Vasudeva's heart, Lord Krishna is also the son of Maharaja Vasudeva. This is described in the following words (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.2.16): "The Supreme Personality of Godhead entered the mind of Vasudeva in full opulence." Lord Krishna is also the son of Vraja's king because at the same moment when He appeared before Vasudeva, Lord Krishna also appeared before Nanda Maharaja. This fact is described in many scriptures. Therefore the parental love Nanda Maharaja bears for Lord Krishna is very appropriate. Lord Krishna was born as the son of Vasudeva and the son of Nanda at the same moment just as Lord Varaha simultaneously was manifested on Varahaloka and as the son of Brahma. Maharaja Nanda's love for Krishna was pure and unmixed, but Maharaja Vasudeva's love was mixed with knowledge of his son's divinity and transcendental opulence. Therefore the explanation in Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.8.14 is appropriate. In this way Lord Krishna is seen in the twelve syllable mantra.

Sri Brahma Samhita: Text One isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam TRANSLATION Krishna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes. PURPORT (by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati) Krishna is the exalted Supreme entity having His eternal name, eternal form, eternal attribution and eternal pastimes. The very name "Krishna" implies His love-attracting designation, expressing by His eternal nomenclature the acme of entity. His eternal beautiful heavenly blue-tinged body glowing with the intensity of ever-existing knowledge has a nude in both His hands. As His inconceivable spiritual energy is all-extending, still He maintains His all-charming medium size by His qualifying spiritual instrumentals. His all-accommodating supreme subjectivity is nicely manifested in His eternal form. The concentrated all time presence, uncovered knowledge and inebriating felicity have their beauty in Him. The mundane manifestive portion of His own Self is known as all-pervading Paramatma, Isvara (Superior Lord) or Vishnu (All-fostering). Hence it is evident that Krishna is sole Supreme Godhead. His unrivaled or unique spiritual body of super excellent charm is eternally unveiled with innumerable spiritual instrumentals (senses) and unreckonable attributes keeping their signifying location properly, adjusting at the same time by His inconceivable conciliative powers. This beautiful spiritual figure is identical with Krishna and the spiritual entity of Krishna is identical with His own figure. The very intensely blended entity of eternal presence of felicitous cognition is the charming targeted holding or transcendental icon. It follows that the conception of the indistinguishable formless magnitude (Brahman) which is an indolent, lax, presentment of cognitive bliss is merely a penumbra of intensely blended glow of the three concomitants, viz., the blissful, the substantive and the cognitive. This transcendental manifestive icon Krishna in His original face is primordial background of magnitudinal infinite Brahman and of the all-pervasive oversoul. Krishna as truly visioned in His variegated pastimes, such as owner of transcendental cows, chief of cowherds, consort of milk-maids, ruler of the terrestrial abode Gokula and object of worship by transcendental residents of Goloka beauties, is Govinda. He is the root cause of all causes who are the predominating and predominated agents of the universe. The glance of His projected fractional portion in the sacred originating water viz., the personal oversoul or Paramatma, gives rise to a secondary potency--nature who creates this mundane universe. This oversoul's intermediate energy brings forth the individual souls analogously to the emanated rays of the sun. This book is a treatise of Krishna; so the preamble is enacted by chanting His name in the beginning.

Srila Jiva Goswami The son of Sri Vallabha and nephew of Sri Sanatana, Sri Rupa, all of whom were employed in the service of the Badsa Hussain Shah. Having been rewarded richly by the Badsa for their devices, their household life was very opulent. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to Ramakeli, Sri Jiva was blessed by having darsana of His worshipable lord, though he was just a baby at the time. Mahaprabhu indicated him to be a great future scholar in the Gaudiya sampradaya. Though he was only a child, Sri Jiva would meditate on Sri Caitanya constantly. Later on, when his father and uncles renounced their family life in order to be with Mahaprabhu, the only child, Sri Jiva, was left with his mother in the family palace at Fateyabad. Jiva missed them greatly and whenever he would remember his father and uncles, or Sri Caitanya he would lose consciousness and fall to the ground. As he got a little older, Sri Jiva took up the worship of the Deities of Sri-Sri Rama-Krishna. He would carefully decorate Them and offer bhoga and aroti, serving Them with his full attention. Even in his play, whatever games he played were connected with Sri Krishna's pastimes. While studying under the local panditas he became proficient in grammar, poetry and rhetoric. His teachers noted his great intellect. When Sri Jiva learned that his father had passed away on the banks of the Ganga, he was completely unsettled. Family members and friends tried to console him but to little avail. Family life had become the source of his utter sadness. Someone suggested to Jiva to go to Navadwipa and see Lord Nityananda, so he set out for Navadwipa with a group of pilgrims. Everyone at Navadwipa was very happy to meet the nephew of Sri Rupa and Sanatana. Sri Jiva spent some days with Nityananda Prabhu, touring the nine islands of Navadwipa, in order to visit the holy places of the Lord's pastimes there. Then, as ordered by Nityananda Prabhu, he set out for Kasi (Varanasi) . At Kasi he studied Vedanta under Sri Madhusudana Vacaspati, a disciple of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. The conclusions of Vedanta contained in Srimad-Bhagavatam that were expounded by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya in Puri had been in turn taught by the Bhattacarya to Madhusudana Vacaspati, who established a school at Kasi. From here Sri Jiva set out for Sri Vrindavana where he received shelter at the lotus feet of his two uncles. Sri Rupa and Sanatana. Jiva stayed with Sri Rupa, who began to teach him Srimad-Bhagavatam. After initiating him with the divine mantra, Rupa engaged him in the service of Sri Sri Radha-Damodara. Seeing that Jiva had quickly become conversant with the conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Rupa engaged him in proof-reading his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. At this time Sri Jiva compiled a commentary on Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu called Durgama-sangamani. Sri Sanatana Goswami compiled Sri Vaisnava-tosani, a commentary on the tenth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which he gave to Sri Jiva for proof-reading. Under the order of Sri Sanatana, Sri Jiva compiled a commentary on that named Laghu Vaisnava-tosani. His writings, along with those of Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana, Sri Gopal Bhatta, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta, Sri Raghunatha Dasa, Sri Krsna Dasa, Sri Kasisvar Pandita, and Sri Madhu Pandita, completely captivated the learned men of that time. It was the beginning of a golden age at Vrindavana. Sri Jiva regularly brought water for Sri Rupa and Sanatana's bath. He massaged their heads with oil, cleaned their asrama, worship the Deity, cooked and corrected manuscripts. After the passing away of Sri Rupa and Sanatana, Sri Jiva continued the tradition that they had inaugurated. Once Sri Jiva travelled to Agra to debate with the Rajputs concerning the glories of Yamuna and Ganga rivers. He established that the Yamuna is more glorious than the Ganga as the Ganga emanates from Krishna's lotus feet whereas the Yamuna is His own consort. At this the Moghul emperor was very much satisfied and wanted to present him something. Sri Jiva replied that he would accept some blank papers. So the emperor presented Jiva some stained paper. (At that time paper was very rare and most manuscripts were usually composed on leaves.) There is also a legend that once, when a moghul emperor (possibly Akbar) wanted to confer something on the Goswamis of Vrindavana, they requested a farman (emperor's order) that no living beings would be killed within Vraja. As a result of this no king would come to hunt there anymore. The disciple of Lokanatha Goswami, Narottama Dasa Thakura Mahasaya, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami's disciple Srinivasa Acarya Prabhu, and the disciple of Hrdaya Caitanya Prabhu, Sri Syamananda Prabhu, were greatly favoured by Srila Jiva Goswami. Under his tutelage they studied all the literatures of the Goswamis. Later he sent them to preach this knowledge in Bengal. Srila Jiva Goswami composed many literatures, amongst them: Harinamamrta-vyakarana, Sutra-malika, Rasamrta-sesa, Gopala- virudavali ,Sri-Madhava-mahotsava, Sri-Sankalpa-kalpavrksa, Brahma-Samhita-tika, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-tika (Durgama-sangamani), Ujjvala-nilamani-tika (Locana-rocani), Gopala-campu, Sat-sandharbha (Tattva-sandarbha, Bhagavata-sandarbha, Paramatma sandarbha, Krsna-sandarbha, Bhakti-sandharbha, Priti-sandarbha) Srimad-Bhagavata-tika (Krama-sandarbha), Laghu-vaisnava-tosani (Tenth Canto Bhagavatam commentary), Sarva-sambadina (commentary on Sat-sandarbha), Gopala-tapani-tika (Sri-Suhkha-bodhini), Padma-puranastha-yogasara-stotra-tika, Gayatri-vyakhya-vivrti (A commentary on the Gayatri mantra as described in the Agni Purana, chapters 216–7), Radha-Krsnarcana-candrika, Dhatu-sangraha, Bhavartha-sucaka-campu. Srila Jiva Goswami passed away in 1618 in Vrindavana.

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good article: What Would Krishna Drink? Rethinking Milk in India http://www.satyamag.com/nov04/iyer.html

Yes, this is the bottom line ,not weather or not milk comes from slaughtered cows (although best to avoid) but ultimately if Krsna accepts this milk as a devotional offering.Take this Maha Prasad to your heart's content. We must have faith in the sublime glories of Maha prasad or be udderly(moooooooo) condemned. The Glories of Mahaprasad from CC Antya-Lila: TEXT 96 TEXT 'sukrti-labhya phela-lava'----balena bara-bara isvara-sevaka puche,----'ki artha ihara'? SYNONYMS sukrti--by great fortune; labhya--obtainable; phela-lava--a particle of the remnants; balena--says; bara-bara--again and again; isvara-sevaka--the servants of Jagannatha; puche--inquire; ki--what; artha--the meaning; ihara--of this. TRANSLATION The Lord said again and again, "Only by great fortune may one come by a particle of the remnants of food offered to the Lord." The servants of the Jagannatha temple inquired, "What is the meaning of this?" PURPORT The remnants of Krsna's food are mixed with His saliva. In the Mahabharata and the Skanda Purana it is stated: maha-prasade govinde nama-brahmani vaisnave svalpa-punyavatam rajan visvaso naiva jayate "Persons who are not very highly elevated in pious activities cannot believe in the remnants of food [prasada] of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, nor in Govinda, the holy name of the Lord, nor in the Vaisnavas." TEXT 97 TEXT prabhu kahe,----"ei ye dila krsnadharamrta brahmadi-durlabha ei nindaye 'amrta' SYNONYMS prabhu kahe--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said; ei--this; ye--which; dila--you have given; krsna--of Lord Krsna; adhara-amrta--nectar from the lips; brahma-adi--by the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma; durlabha--difficult to obtain; ei--this; nindaye--defeats; amrta--nectar. TRANSLATION Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "These are remnants of food that Krsna has eaten and thus turned to nectar with His lips. It surpasses heavenly nectar, and even such demigods as Lord Brahma find it difficult to obtain. TEXT 98 TEXT krsnera ye bhukta-sesa, tara 'phela'-nama tara eka 'lava' ye paya, sei bhagyavan SYNONYMS krsnera--of Lord Krsna; ye--whatever; bhukta-sesa--remnants of food; tara--of that; phela-nama--the name is phela; tara--of that; eka--one; lava--fragment; ye--one who; paya--gets; sei--he; bhagyavan--fortunate. TRANSLATION "Remnants left by Krsna are called phela. Anyone who obtains even a small portion must be considered very fortunate. TEXT 99 TEXT samanya bhagya haite tara prapti nahi haya krsnera yante purna-krpa, sei taha paya SYNONYMS samanya--ordinary; bhagya--fortune; haite--from; tara--of that; prapti--attainment; nahi--not; haya--there is; krsnera--of Lord Krsna; yante--unto whom; purna-krpa--full mercy; sei--he; taha--that; paya--can get. TRANSLATION "One who is only ordinarily fortunate cannot obtain such mercy. Only persons who have the full mercy of Krsna can receive such remnants. TEXT 100 TEXT 'sukrti'-sabde kahe 'krsna-krpa-hetu punya' sei yanra haya, 'phela' paya sei dhanya" SYNONYMS sukrti--sukrti (pious activities); sabde--the word; kahe--is to be understood; krsna-krpa--the mercy of Krsna; hetu--because of; punya--pious activities; sei--he; yanra--of whom; haya--there is; phela--the remnants of food; paya--gets; sei--he; dhanya--very glorious. TRANSLATION "The word 'sukrti' refers to pious activities performed by the mercy of Krsna. One who is fortunate enough to obtain such mercy receives the remnants of the Lord's food and thus becomes glorious."

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Srila Thakur Bhaktivinoda Published by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in "The Harmonist", December 1931, vol. XXIX No.6 We avail of the opportunity offered by the Anniversary Celebrations of the advent of Thakuraa Bhaktivinoda to reflect on the right method of obtaining those benefits that have been made accessible to humanity by the grace of this great devotee of Krsna. Thakura Bhaktivinoda has been specifically kind to those unfortunate persons who are engrossed in mental speculation of all kinds. This is the prevalent malady of the present Age. The other acaryas who appeared before Thakura Bhaktivinoda did not address their discourses so directly to the empiric thinkers. They had been more merciful to those who are naturally disposed to listen to discourses on the Absolute without being dissuaded by the specious arguments of avowed opponents of Godhead. Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda has taken the trouble of meeting the perverse arguments of mental speculationists by the superior transcendental logic of the Absolute Truth. It is thus possible for the average modern readers to profit by the perusal of his writings. That day is not far distant when the priceless volumes penned by Thakura Bhaktivinoda will be reverently translated, by the recipients of his grace, into all the languages of the world. The writings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda provide the golden bridge by which the mental speculationist can safely cross the raging waters of fruitless empiric controversies that trouble the peace of those who choose to trust in their guidance for finding the Truth. As soon as the sympathetic reader is in a position to appreciate the sterling quality of Thakura Bhaktivinoda's philosophy the entire vista of the revealed literatures of the world will automatically open out to his reclaimed vision. There have, however, already arisen serious misunderstandings regarding the proper interpretation of the life and teachings of Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda. Those who suppose they understand the meaning of his message without securing the guiding grace of the Acarya are disposed to unduly favour the methods of empiric study of his writings. There are persons who have got by heart almost everything that he wrote without being able to catch the least particle of his meaning. Such study cannot benefit those who are not prepared to act up to the instructions lucidly conveyed by his words. There is no honest chance of missing the warnings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda. Those, therefore, who are misled by the perusal of his writings are led astray by their own obstinate perversity in sticking to the empiric course which they prefer to cherish against his explicit warnings. Let these unfortunate persons look more carefully into their own hearts for the cause of their misfortunes. The personal service of the pure devotee is essential for understanding the spiritual meaning of the words of Thakura Bhaktivinoda. The Editor of this Journal, originally started by Thakura Bhaktivinoda, has been trying to draw the attention of all followers of Thakura Bhaktivinoda to this all-important point of his teachings. It is not necessary to try to place ourselves on a footing of equality with Thakura Bhaktivinoda. We are not likely to benefit by any mechanical imitation of any practices of Thakura Bhaktivinoda on the opportunist principle that they may be convenient for us to adopt. The Guru is not an erring mortal whose activities can be understood by the fallible reason of unreclaimed humanity. There is an eternally impassable line of demarcation between the Saviour and the saved. Those who are really saved can alone know this.Thakura Bhaktivinoda belongs to the category of the spiritual world-teachers who eternally occupy the superior position. The present Editor has all along felt it his paramount duty to try to clear up the meaning of the life and teachings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda by the method of submissive listening to the Transcendental Sound from the lips of the pure devotee. The Guru who realises the transcendental meaning of all sounds, is in a position to serve the Absolute by the direction of the Absolute conveyed through every sound. The Transcendental Sound is Godhead, the mundane sound is non-Godhead. All sound has got these opposite aptitudes. All sound reveals its Divine face to the devotee and only presents its deluding aspect to the empiric pedant. The devotee talks apparently the same language as the deluded empiric pedant who had got by heart the vocabulary of the Scriptures. But notwithstanding apparent identity of performance, the one has no access to the reality while the other is absolutely free from all delusion. Those who repeat the teachings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda from memory do not necessarily understand the meaning of the words they mechanically repeat. Those who can pass an empiric examination regarding the contents of his writings are not necessarily also self-realised souls. They may not at all know the real meaning of the words they have learnt by the method of empiric study.Take for example the Name "Krsna". Every reader of Thakura Bhaktivinoda's works must be aware that the Name manifests Himself on the lips of His serving devotees although He is inaccessible to our mundane senses. It is one thing to pass the examination by reproducing this true conclusion from the writings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda and quite another matter to realise the Nature of the Holy Name of Krsna by the process conveyed by the words. Thakura Bhaktivinoda did not want us to go to the clever mechanical reciter of the mundane sound for obtaining access to the Transcendental Name of Krsna. Such a person may be fully equipped with all the written arguments in explanation of the nature of the Divine Name. But if we listen to all these arguments from the dead source the words will only increase our delusion. The very same words coming from the lips of the devotee will have the diametrically opposite effect. Our empiric judgment can never grasp the difference between the two performances. The devotee is always right. The non-devotee in the shape of the empiric pedant is always and necessarily wrong. In the one case there is always present the Substantive Truth and nothing but the Substantive Truth. In the other case there is present the apparent or misleading hypothesis and nothing but un-truth. The wording may have the same external appearance in both cases. The identical verses of the Scriptures may be recited by the devotee and the non-devotee, may be apparently misquoted by the non-devotee but the corresponding values of the two processes remain always categorically different. The devotee is right even when he apparently misquotes, the non-devotee is wrong even when he quotes correctly the very words, chapter and verse of the Scriptures. It is not empiric wisdom that is the object of quest of the devotee. Those who read the scriptures for gathering empiric wisdom will be pursuing the wild goose chase. There are not a few dupes of their empiric Scriptural erudition. These dupes have their admiring under-dupes. But the mutual admiration society of dupes does not escape, by the mere weight of their number, the misfortunes due to the deliberate pursuit of the wrong course in accordance with the suggestions of our lower selves. What are the Scriptures? They are nothing but the record by the pure devotees of the Divine Message appearing on the lips of the pure devotees. The Message conveyed by the devotees is the same in all ages. The words of the devotees are ever identical with the Scriptures. Any meaning of the Scriptures that belittles the function of the devotee who is the original communicant of the Divine Message contradicts its own claim to be heard. Those who think that the Sanskrit language in its lexicographical sense is the language of the Divinity are as deluded as those who hold that the Divine Message is communicable through any other spoken dialects. All languages simultaneously express and hide the Absolute. The mundane face of all languages hides the Truth. The Transcendental face of all sound expresses nothing but the Absolute. The pure devotee is the speaker of the Transcendental language. The Transcendental Sound makes His appearance on the lips of His pure devotee. This is the direct, unambiguous appearance of Divinity. On the lips of non-devotees the Absolute always appears in His deluding aspect. To the pure devotee the Absolute reveals Himself under all circumstances. To the conditioned soul, if he is disposed to listen in a truly submissive spirit, the language of the pure devotee can alone impart the knowledge of the Absolute. The conditioned soul mistakes the deluding for the real aspect when he chooses to lend his ear to the non-devotee. This is the reason why the conditioned soul is warned to avoid all association with non-devotees. Thakura Bhaktivinoda is acknowledged by all his sincere followers as possessing the above powers of the pure devotee of Godhead. His words have to be received from the lips of a pure devotee. If his words are listened from the lips of a non-devotee they will certainly deceive. If his works are studied in the light of one's own worldly experience their meaning will refuse to disclose itself to such readers. His works belong to the class of the eternal revealed literature of the world and must be approached for their right understanding through their exposition by the pure devotee. If no help from the pure devotee is sought the works of Thakura Bhaktivinoda will be grossly misunderstood by their readers. The attentive reader of those works will find that he is always directed to throw himself upon the mercy of the pure devotee if he is not to remain unwarrantably self-satisfied by the deluding results of his wrong method of study. The writings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda are valuable because they demolish all empiric objections against accepting the only method of approaching the Absolute in the right way. They cannot and were never intended to give access to the Absolute without help from the pure devotee of Krsna. They direct the sincere enquirer of the Truth, as all the revealed scriptures do, to the pure devotee of Krsna to learn about Him by submitting to listen with an open mind to the Transcendental Sound appearing on His lips. Before we open any of the books penned by Thakura Bhaktivinoda we should do well to reflect a little on the attitude, with which as the indispensable pre-requisite, to approach its study. It is by neglecting to remember this fundamental principle that the empiric pedants find themselves so hopelessly puzzled in their vain endeavour to reconcile the statements of the different texts of the Scriptures. The same difficulty is already in process of overtaking many of the so-called followers of Thakura Bhaktivinoda and for the same reason. The person to whom the Acarya is pleased to transmit his power is alone in a position to convey the Divine Message. This constitutes the underlying principle of the line of succession of the spiritual teachers. The Acarya thus authorised has no other duty than that of delivering intact the message received from all his predecessors. There is no difference between the pronouncements of one Acarya and another. All of them are perfect mediums for the appearance of the Divinity in the Form of the Transcendental Name Who is identical with His Form, Quality, Activity and Paraphernalia. The Divinity is Absolute Knowledge. Absolute Knowledge has the character of indivisible Unity. One particle of the Absolute Knowledge is capable of revealing all the potency of the Divinity. Those who want to understand the contents of the volumes penned by the piece-meal acquisitive method applicable to deluding knowledge available to the mind on the mundane plane, are bound to be self-deceived. Those who are sincere seekers of the Truth are alone eligible to find Him, in and through the proper method of His quest. In order to be put on the track of the Absolute, listening to the words of the pure devotee is absolutely necessary. The spoken word of the Absolute is the Absolute. It is only the Absolute Who can give Himself away to the constituents of His power. The Absolute appears to the listening ear of the conditioned soul in the form of the Name on the lips of the sadhu. This is the key to the whole position. The words of Thakura Bhaktivinoda direct the empiric pedant to discard his wrong method and inclination on the threshold of the real quest of the Absolute. If the pedant still chooses to carry his errors into the Realm of the Absolute Truth he only marches by a deceptive bye-path into the regions of darker ignorance by his arrogant study of the scriptures. The method offered by Thakura Bhaktivinoda is identical with the object of the quest. The method is not really grasped except by the grace of the pure devotee. The arguments, indeed, are these. But they can only corroborate, but can never be a substitute for, the word from the living source of the Truth who is no other than the pure devotee of Krsna, the concrete Personal Absolute. Thakura Bhaktivinoda's greatest gift to the world consists in this; that he has brought about the appearance of those pure devotees who are, at present, carrying on the movement of unalloyed devotion to the Feet of Shree Krsna by their own wholetime spiritual service of the Divinity. The purity of the soul is only analogously describable by the resources of the mundane language. The highest ideal of empiric morality is no better than the grossest wickedness to the Transcendental perfect purity of the bonafide devotee of the Absolute. The word 'morality' itself is a mischievous misnomer when it is applied to any quality of the conditioned soul. The hypocritical contentment with a negative attitude is part and parcel of the principle of undiluted immorality. Those who pretend to recognise the Divine Mission of Thakura Bhaktivinoda without aspiring to the unconditional service of those pure souls who really follow the teachings of the Thakura by the method enjoined by the scriptures and explained by Thakura Bhaktivinoda in a way that is so eminently suited to the requirements of the sophisticated mentality of the present Age, only deceive themselves and their willing victims by their hypocritical professions and performances. These persons must not be confounded with the bona-fide members of the flock. Thakura Bhaktivinoda has predicted the consummation of religious unity of the world by the appearance of the only universal church which bears the eternal designation of the Brahma Sampradaya. He has given mankind the blessed assurance that all Theistic churches will shortly merge in the one eternal spiritual community by the grace of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya. The spiritual community is not circumscribed by the conditions of time and space, race and nationality. Mankind had been looking forward to this far-off Divine Event through the Long Ages. Thakura Bhaktivinoda has made the conception available in its practicable spiritual form to the open minded empiricist who is prepared to undergo the process of enlightenment. The key stone of the Arch has been laid which will afford the needed shelter to all awakened animation under its ample encircling arms. Those who would thoughtlessly allow their hollow pride of race, pseudo-knowledge or pseudo-virtue to stand in the way of this long hoped for consummation, would have to thank only themselves for not being incorporated in the spiritual society of all pure souls. These plain words need not be misrepresented, by arrogant persons who are full of the vanity of empiric ignorance, as the pronouncements of aggressive sectarianism. The aggressive pronouncement of the concrete Truth is the crying necessity of the moment for silencing the aggressive propaganda of specific untruths that is being carried on all over the world by the preachers of empiric contrivances for the amelioration of the hard lot of conditioned souls. The empiric propaganda clothes itself in the language of negative abstraction for deluding those who are engrossed in the selfish pursuit of worldly enjoyment. But there is a positive and concrete function of the pure soul which should not be perversely confounded with any utilitarian form of worldly activity. Mankind stands in need of that positive spiritual function of which the hypocritical impersonalists are in absolute ignorance. The positive function of the soul harmonises the claims of extreme selfishness with those of extreme self-abnegation in the society of pure souls even in this mundane world. In its concrete realisable form the function is perfectly inaccessible to the empiric understanding. Its imperfect and misleading conception alone is available by the study of the Scriptures to the conditioned soul that is not helped by the causeless grace of the pure devotees of Godhead.

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I want this Krsna Con. and not material Con. Krsna is not a myth. Krsna is the last limit of Truth, Beauty and Love. But we know Him not because of our bad karma. So let Krsna Himself take away all our Bad Karma. ---------- KRSNa consciousness is the purest life, and it protects all human beings from gliding down to hell to take birth in a family of dogs or hogs. -----------------

Every one who is cognizant of the true nature of Krsna is alone fit to instruct another in the knowledge of Krsna. The Divine paraphernalia are the gurus of all individual souls. In this sense all the six divine categories are identical with the guru. It can be so by reason of the fact that on the plane of the Absolute there is no separative difference. On that perfectly wholesome plane there is distinction without difference. But there is also the distinctive function of the guru, which must be considered as also simultaneously distinct from that of any of the other categories. One who neglects to see the special favor of the guru and to enter into the relation of discipleship with the spiritual guide will miss entry to the spiritual plane. Nityananda is the Primary Manifestive Constituent of the Divinity. Nityananda alone possesses the distinctive function of the guru. In Nityananda the function is embodied. Nityananda is the servant-God. He serves Sri Gaurasundar by the distinctive method of reverential servitude. He is identical with Sri Balarama of Krsna-lila. Sri Balarama is not the chum of Krsna, but His respected elder brother. It is intimate relationship characterized by becoming reserved on one side and of respectful deference on the other. Individual souls are under the direction of Nityananda. They receive their service of Sri Gaurasundar, i.e. of Krsna, at his hands. Nityananda is not a jiva. He is Divinity. He is the ultimate source of the jiva. The jiva is a potency of Nityananda. No jiva can be the medium of the service of the Absolute to another jiva . The Absolute alone may communicate His service to the separable constituents of Himself. This is the real nature of the function of the guru.

Go for it ,bro "Tear It Down,for God's Sake !" /images/graemlins/cool.gif

Here's a good article that I found by google-ing : ARE YOU SINCERE? Are you covering up your true self with wax? By Louise R. Hunnisett Picking out a good-quality clay pot wasn't an easy task for a housewife in ancient times. Dishonest tradesmen would disguise their inferior pots by covering the cracks and blemishes with wax before selling them. On the outside, a pot would look perfect, and the housewife often wouldn't find out just how flawed it was until she tried using it. As soon as she poured in hot water, the wax would melt and the pot would begin leaking. Honest tradesmen began labeling their good-quality pottery with the words sin cere, literally meaning "without wax." Any housewife who bought a pot sin cere knew that the clay would be solid the whole way through. Sin cere-without wax -is the root of our English words sincere and sincerity. We no longer connect this word to wax, but the reasons behind the root of the word can shed a lot of light onto its true meaning. Sincerity vs. insincerity According to our modern definition, "sincere" implies an absence of deceit, pretense or hypocrisy, and an adherence to the simple, unembellished truth. Sincerity is usually thought of in the context of our words. For example, we might evaluate a compliment as being sincere or insincere, depending on the motive behind the mere words. Insincerity often involves telling people what you think they want to hear in an attempt to make them think better of you, rather than giving genuine encouragement and praise. Flattery given to boost someone's confidence is viewed as an acceptable form of dishonesty. However, although the motive seems good, such insincerity will do little to benefit anyone. The highest compliment you can pay a person is sincerity, which simply means telling the truth. This doesn't mean being rude. We can still give our honest opinions tactfully. Although the truth may be harder for others to accept, it will be of far greater benefit in the long run. Sincerity and character Sincerity produces growth both in ourselves and in others. It is the foundation of strong interpersonal relationships. To build strong bonds with someone, we must express our true feelings and show our real selves. If we wax over our faults to appear to be what we think others would like to see, we will only promote further mistrust when the wax eventually melts and our insincerity is shown. On the other hand, if we are sincere ourselves, we will encourage honesty and sincerity in others. Sincerity involves being the same in actual character as in outward appearance. It means being solid the whole way through, just as genuine clay pots were solid through to the inside. Insincerity to others is unfair. Insincerity to self is even more dangerous. If we wax over our faults to hide them from others, we could become blind to them ourselves. We can compare our character to one of those ancient clay pots. How much of it is hidden from view by wax? And what kind of character is it? There is little point in waxing ourselves for the benefit of others. If we are sincere, we will reveal ourselves for what we really are. That can be hard at times. It's certainly humbling when another person sees our weaknesses but we cannot work on these weaknesses unless they are visible. It has been said, "Sincerity is impossible unless it pervades the whole being, and the pretense of it saps the very foundation of our character." We must be sincere through and through. If a pot is perfect except for one little hole that has been filled with wax, then the whole pot is useless. As soon as hot water is poured in, the hole will immediately show. God's Holy Spirit is like this hot water. We can ask God to pour his Spirit into us to melt the wax that we have built up. Then we will be able to see ourselves for what we really are. The cracks will be fully visible. Once we see these cracks in our character, we can start working on repairing them. Only when all the wax has been completely removed can we say that we truly are sin cere.

Hare Krishna, I think the following excerpt by Srila Prabhupada is very nice as it explains maya's business : If one takes to Krsna consciousness, in the beginning there will be many disturbances caused by Maya;, the material energy of illusion. Maya will test us to see how firmly we are fixed in Krsna consciousness. Because she is also an agent of Krsna, she does not allow anyone the freedom to disturb Krsna. Therefore she tests very rigidly to see whether we have taken to Krsna consciousness to disturb Krsna or are actually serious. That is Maya's business. So in the beginning there will be tests by Maya and we shall feel so many disturbances while making progress in Krsna consciousness. But if we follow the rules and regulations and chant regularly as prescribed, then we shall remain steady. If we neglect these principles, Maya will capture us immediately. Maya is always ready. We are in the ocean, and at any moment we may be disturbed. Therefore one who is not disturbed at all is called paramahamasa. ---- Teachings of Queen Kunti, Ch.3 page 8

Why have you come here to the Hare Krsna temple? Have you come to serve Krsna or rather have you come to disturb Him with all your mundane desires for name,fame and adoration? Have you really prayed from the core or bottom of your heart for Krsna's mercy or are you play-acting(pantomine perhaps or merely moving the lips but in the heart is stony cold)? Yep, take a sledge hammer and crack your self (mind.intelligence and false ego) open once and for all to actually see your REAL motive. Your Ulterior motive !? What's making you tick? WHAT IS DRIVING YOU ONWARDS IN YOUR PURSUIT FOR THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH ,my dear Prabhu ? Only you can really answer these questions.

A DIVINE LIFE (PART 2) SRI BARSHABHANAVIDEVI DAYITA DAS A LETTER FROM BHAKTIVINODA In the meantime Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was very concerned that pure Vaisnavism was being overshadowed by many other wrong concepts and also by imitators. He felt that among all his sons and disciples, Srila Saraswati Thakura was the most qualified person to preach pure Vaisnavism; he had more enthusiasm, courage, and qualification than anyone else. Therefore, Thakura Mahasaya wrote him a letter: Saraswati! People of this world who are proud of their own aristocratic birth cannot attain real aristocracy. Therefore they attack the pure Vaisnavas, saying, "They have taken birth in low class families because of their sins." Thus they commit offenses. The solution to this problem is to establish the order of Daivi-Varnasrama Dharma--something you have started doing; you should know that to be the real service to the Vaisnavas. Because pure devotional conclusions are not being preached, all kinds of superstitions and bad concepts are being called devotion by such pseudo-sampradayas assahajiya andatibari. Please always crush these anti-devotional concepts by preaching pure devotional conclusions and by setting an example through your personal conduct. Please make great effort so you can start the parikrama [circumambulation] of Sridam Navadwip as soon as possible. It is by those actions that everyone in this world will receive Krsna-bhakti [devotional love for the Lord]. Please try very hard to make sure that the service to Sri Mayapur will become a permanent thing and will become brighter and brighter every day. The real service to Sri Mayapur can be done by acquiring printing presses, distributing devotional books, and preaching congregational chanting (not reclusive bhajan). Please do not neglect to serve Sri Mayapur or to preach for the sake of your own reclusive bhajan. When I am not present any more, please take great care to serve Sri Mayapur Dham which is so dear to you. This is my special instruction to you. People who are like animals can never attain devotion; therefore, never take their suggestions. But don't let them know this, directly or indirectly. I had a special desire to preach the significance of such books asSrimad Bhagavatam, Sat Sandarbha, andVedanta Darsan. You have to accept that responsibility. Sri Mayapur will prosper if you establish an educational institution there. Never make any effort to collect knowledge or money for your own enjoyment. Only to serve the Lord will you collect these things. Never engage in bad association, either for money or for some self-interest. All the Vaisnava devotees who were in contact with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Saraswati Thakura knew that the relationship between them was not mundane, like that between an ordinary father and son. Their relationship with each other was completely transcendental, like that between Guru and disciple, as is evident in this letter. Srila Saraswati Thakura became more enthused now to preach pure Vaisnavism. Apart from delivering hari-kathaand leading congregational chanting, he also started collecting facts about the four Vaisnava sampradayas(branches of disciplic lineage). He started writing and publishing articles about Vaisnava acharyasin Sajjan Tosani. In 1906, one gentleman called Sri Rohini Kumar Ghosh came to visit Srila Saraswati Thakura. He was the nephew of a High Court judge, Sri Chandra Madhav Ghosh of Barishal. Rohini Babu gave up his home life to have a devotional life in Navadwip. He found a guru from the Baul apasampradaya(one of the pseudo-Vaisnava groups) and started residing in his asrama.One afternoon he came to Srila Saraswati Thakura and heard some invaluable devotional instructions from him. Rohini Babu was deeply touched by this discussion, and when he came back to the asramathat night, it was all he could think about. Without taking his meal, he went to bed. That night, he had a dream in which that Baul Guru and his female companion came as tigers to attack him, but Srila Saraswati Thakura came to rescue him from this danger. The next morning when Rohini Babu was awakened by the sunlight streaming through his window, he immediately left that asramaand set off for Mayapur to beg Srila Saraswati Thakura for shelter at his lotus feet. He was the first disciple of Srila Prabhupada (Srila Saraswati Thakura was thus addressed by his disciples).

Our spiritual preceptor said we should write because he cared for us as living spirit souls on the jouney back to Godhead. He knew that if we didn't write or express ourselves we'd become dry,stale and morose. So Chant and be happy (and write or post). /images/graemlins/grin.gif Our duty is to Krsna ,first and foremost.Everthing else can wait. Let the milk boil over... /images/graemlins/blush.gif Let Him be the focus of our attention.Krsna!Krsna!Krsna! He is Istha-deva, the One and Only worshipable Sri God. We can call He Visnu or Bhagavan, but in our eyes He is Sri Krsna , the cowherd boy of Vraja, beloved of Yasoda Mata and the gopis , especially Srimati Radharani. Hey Man, Krsna is THE Coolest! O.K.(K. stands for Krsna) /images/graemlins/cool.gif Krsna das

sri sri gandharvika- giridharibhyam namah Sri Caitanya Math, Sridham Mayapur August 5, 1926 My dear --- Having received your lengthy letter from the 21st day of the month of Asarh, I acquainted myself with your report. At that time I resided in Puri, in the Jagannatha-vallabha Math. Then I spent several days in Sri Bhuvanesvar and Cuttack, after which I moved to the Gaudiya Math. Today it has been some 10 to 12 days since I came here. I understand that you were taking care of the Math in Varanasi by yourself, and that led you to writing such a letter. krame krame paya loka bhava-sindhu-kula - "By and by you will be able to cross the ocean of material existence." [Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Raghunatha dasa, CC Madhya 16.237] Everything auspicious comes through becoming hopeful and serving Krsna, serving devotees and chanting the holy name with great eagerness. If we always exert all kinds of endeavor for Krsna, we cannot be covered by various temptations of maya. Always engage in hearing and chanting, read the books of mahajanas and the Gaudiya literature, and if you thus acquire the siddhanta, your lethargy shall not stay. Whenever there are devotees somewhere, talk with them about the Lord, and you will be able to realize how elevated worshiping Him is and at the same time how fallen and insignificant you are. You know that, sarvottama apnake hin kori' mane - "Although a pure devotee's standard is above all, he still considers himself to be in the lowest stage of life." [CC Madhya 23.26] Wish the best fortune on all your servants; that will make our worship stronger. Although service to Krsna, service to devotees and chanting the holy name are three different activities, still the purpose of all three of them is one. nama sankirtanera dvara krsna o karsna-seva hoy vaisnavera seva korile krsna kirtana o krsna-seva hoy krsna-seva korilei nama-sankirtana vaisnava-seva hoy tahara pramana ei - "sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam" Through nama-sankirtana one serves both Krsna and devotees, while serving Vaisnavas one performs both kirtana and service to Krsna, and in serving Krsna both nama-sankirtana and service to Vaisnavas are included. The proof of that is this quotation: sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam - "Worshiping Vasudeva is enacted on the platform of pure goodness." [sB 4.3.23] The recitation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta is a service to Krsna as well as chanting the holy name. The same is accomplished by reciting the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the assembly of devotees. The Deity worship also includes these three kinds of duties. They are also nicely executed by singing devotional songs. Learn from the ancient histories about the propitiousness of devotional service, in other words, know how favorable situations developed from unfavorable worldly interests. An unfavorable misfortune is made favorable by devotional service after some time. All objects in the whole manifested world are ingredients for serving Krsna. The intelligence turning away from service has a disastrous effect on our inclinations, engaging the objects for our enjoyment. As soon as we see, by awakening of transcendental knowledge, how everything in the world has its relationship with Krsna, we cannot be consumed by the poisonous fruits of fame. Cancala jivana-srota pravahiya, kaler sagare dhae - "This flickering life is slowly drifting away, flowing onward into the ocean of time." [bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sri Kalyana Kalpa-taru, part 3, song 4] With this knowledge it is necessary to become permanently attached to the Lord's service. Thus it is my duty to willingly and happily accept whatever pleases Krsna. If Krsna feels happy when neglecting me, which makes me sad, then it is to be welcomed by me. Tomara sevaya, duhkha hoya jato, sei to' parama sukha - "All the troubles encountered in Your service shall be the cause of great happiness," [bhaktivinoda Thakura, Saranagati, part 2, song 8] - that is Vaisnava realization, that you try to follow. When we free ourselves, by serving Krsna, of all anarthas, it brings about the everlastingly auspicious result for us. The former behavior of Bilvamangala Thakura, talking of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, quibbling of Prakasananda - all of these anarthas eventually turned into Krsna's service. Therefore do not mind your previous anarthas at all. The present anarthas will have no power, if you take advantage of the power of hearing and chanting. Our life lasts a few days only, therefore endeavor sincerely to serve the Lord before death comes. Following mahajanas is the only bridge leading to our good fortune. Consider the verse aham tarisyami duranta-param - "I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Krsna. This was approved by the previous acaryas, who were fixed in firm devotion to the Lord, Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." [sB 11.23.57] I have read your letter to Sri Bhaktivilasa Thakura, and he expressed his satisfaction. As the result of my previous misbehavior, I am sometimes well and sometimes my state turns bad. When I think I am OK, then I lose my interest in Krsna, and consequently I consider myself better than devotees, whom I consider inferior. Thus Krsna, having judged my condition, keeps me in various kinds of distress, painful discomfort and problems. At that time I try to understand the meaning of the verse tat te 'nukampam - "My dear Lord, one who constantly waits for Your causeless mercy to be bestowed upon him and who goes on suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds, offering You respectful obeisances from the core of his heart, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim." [sB 10.14.8] People of the world, permanently maddened by pleasures independent of Krsna, want to quarrel with others. When I am busy serving Krsna, the whole world attacks me. I hope you are well. your ever well-wisher, [nityasirbadok; literally "one who blesses eternally"] Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja Sri Mayapura Padmanabha 15, 429 Gaurabda [1915 AD] My dear - I have received your letter dated Padmanabha 5. Due to the lack of time, I feared writing an extensive letter, but I can see how the delay prolongs, so I write in short. I was very happy to learn that you have come to the understanding that everything is auspicious when the holy name of Krsna is chanted with perseverance. Do not become slack in your chanting the holy name when material thoughts are coming at the time of chanting. Gradually, as a secondary result of chanting the holy name, such useless thoughts will be naturally removed, you do not have to be occupied with that. The result cannot be there right in the beginning. With the rise of great pleasure in Krsna's name, the allurement of material thoughts will diminish. How would the material thoughts look like without an eager acceptance of the holy name? Foreign sugar or mixed ghee is impure, our native unadulterated sugar and unmixed ghee is pure. But both pure and impure things are material substances. If one does not offer things with feelings in his heart, the Lord will not accept any thing, be it pure or impure. What is required is to perform service without offenses. If one serves sri-nama, the holy name, with his body, mind and words, then sri-nami, the possessor of the holy name, will reveal His all-auspicious form. I hope your worship is going on nicely. your ever well-wisher, Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati ____________________

The Gopishvara Mandir (temple) is a very ancient temple which houses Lord Siva in his form of Gopishvara, who appears as a large Shiva Lingam, brown in color during the daytime, and at night, Gopishvara is dressed in sari and appears in his female feature as a gopi. In the morning, many devotees come to the Gopishvara Mandir to take Gopishvara Mahadev’s darshan, some bathing him with either milk or water, others coming to offer worship, and others coming to offer food and/or prayers Lord Krishna’s great grandson Vrajranabha was the person to install this Shiva Lingam. Five thousand years ago when Krishna wanted to engage in His Maha Rasalila, Lord Shiva and his wife, Parvati Devi, very much wanted to see this event. Mother Parvati was allowed to enter the arena of the Rasalila, but as Lord Shiva tried to enter, he was told that he could not come due to the fact that he was possessed of a male body. It was explained by the gopi Vrinda (after whom Vrindavan is named) that no male except for Krsna was allowed to enter into this Rasa arena. Lord Shiva feeling so much distressed being denied access into the arena, began to cry very intensely. Seeing His heart’s remorse, Vrindadevi felt great compassion and decided she would enable Lord Shiva to enter into the arena of the Rasa Lila. Vrindadevi told Mahadev to go to Manasarovar to take bath and explained that if he did so, he would be able to enter into the Rasa arena. Following the instruction of Vrindadevi, Lord Shiva after coming out from the water had attained a female form. He then went to the arena of the Rasalila where Krsna upon seeing this new gopi, called “her” Gopishvara. At this, Srimati Radharani became upset. “Why is it you are calling this particular gopi by this name. I am Gopishvara.” Krishna then explained the situation and Srimati Radharani became most happy. Krishna then designated the duty to Gopishvara Mahadev that he should remain always at the entrance of the Rasalila in the position of a guardian, that he would allow entrance into the Rasalila arena only those persons qualified to enter. Since that day, Gopishvara Mahadev keeps this service to Krishna and His beloved gopis. Gopishvara is the guardian of the Rasalila and the guardian of Vrindavan. Anyone who comes to Vrindavan must first come to Gopishvara to beg his permission and get his mercy to enter into Vrindavan. It is said that the Vraja gopis themselves installed the Shiva linga of Gopishvara and worshipped him for the fulfillment of their desires. Of this worship, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada said, “The gopis worshipped Lord Shiva in Vrindavan, and the Lord is still staying there as Gopishvara. The gopis, however, prayed that Lord Shiva bless them by giving them Lord Krishna as their husband.”

Rupa Gosvami explains in his Laghu Bhagavatamrita: 26 Siva -- Siva appears in eleven forms and eight forms. Generally he has ten arms and five heads, with three eyes on each head. 27 The scriptures explain that, as Brahma is, so Siva is sometimes a jiva soul and sometimes an amsa-avatara like Lord Sesa. 28 Because He is an incarnation of the Personality of Godhead, He is generally beyond the modes of material nature. However, because he is touched by the mode of ignorance, He is thought to be affected by it. This is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.88.3): "Lord Siva is always associated with the three modes of nature." 29 He is described in Brahma-samhita (5.45): "Just as milk is transformed into curd by the actions of acids, but yet the effect curd is neither the same as, nor different from, its cause, viz., milk, so I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whom the state of Sambu is a transformation for the performance of the work of destruction." 30 Sometimes He is born from Brahma's forehead and other times from Visnu's forehead. At the kalpa's end He is born from Lord Sankarsana as the fire of time. 31 Siva's form named Sadasiva, who is a direct expansion of the Personality of Godhead, is the cause of all causes, is free from the slightest scent of the mode of ignorance, and resides in Sivaloka, is described in the Vayu Purana and other scriptures. 32 He, is the original form of Lord Siva, is described in Brahma-samhita (5.8): "Rama-devi, the spiritual (cit) potency, beloved consort of the Supreme Lord, is the regulatrix of all entities. The divine plenary portion of Krsna creates the mundane world. At creation there appears a divine halo of the nature of His own subjective portion (svamsa). This halo is divine Sambhu (Sadasiva), the masculine symbol or manifested emblem of the Supreme Lord. This halo is the dim twilight reflection of the supreme eternal effulgence. This masculine symbol is the subjective portion of divinity who functions as progenitor of the mundane world, subject to the supreme regulatrix (niyati). The conceiving potency in regard to mundane creation makes her appearance out of the supreme regulatrix. She is Maya, the limited, non-absolute (apara) potency, the symbol of mundane feminine productivity. The intercourse of these two brings forth the faculty of perverted cognition, the reflection of the seed of the procreative desire of the Supreme Lord."

Shri Mahadeva protects the Holy Dham of Braja, and every wise pilgrim must go to offer his respect and homage unto him. Shri Mahadeva presides in Vraja as Gopishvara in Vrindavan, Bhuteshvara in Mathura, Nandishvara at Nandagrama, Kameshvara at Kamyavana, Cakaleshvara at Govardhan and Kundeshvara at Radha Kund. Prior to parikrama of Radha Kund we offer our respects to Kundeshvara Mahadeva, and prior to entering Vamsi Vat we pray for the blessing of Gopishvara Mahadeva, who guards the arena of the sacred circle dance. Every Vaishnava in the Holy Dham prays for the kind blessing of Shri Mahadeva. Visvanatha writes in his Sankalpa Kalpadruma (103): vRndAvanavani-pate! jaya soma soma-maule sanaka-sanandana-sanAtana-nAradeDya gopIzvara! vraja-vilAsi-yugAGghri-padme prema prayaccha nirupAdhi namo namaste "O gatekeeper of Vrindavana! O Soma, all glories to you! O you whose forehead is decorated with the moon, and who is worshipable for the sages headed by Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Narada! O Gopisvara! Desiring that you bestow upon me prema for the lotus feet of Shri Shri Radha-Madhava who perform joyous pastimes in Vraja-dhama, I offer pranamas unto you time and again!" All those who are averse to Lord Shiva, the Gopiswara will never enter the Divine Vrajadhama. They will be (rerouted) sent to Vishnu's abode, Vaikuntha or Dwaraka. So devotees who want to associate Radha-Krishna must worship Lord Shiva as Gopiswara. Only ignorant, unrealized fool claims that Gopi is a demigod. How can demigods have even access into Goloka Vrindavana, the Divine abode? Gopis are direct expansions of Radharani and it is explained by Ramananda Raya's talks with Sriman Mahaprabhu. Another point, Vishnu couldnot become Gopiswara nor he could enter Vrindavana nor participated in Maharasa lila. His consort Mahalakshmi too was not granted entrance into Maha Rasa lila of the Gopis and Radha-Krishna. Even though she did penance for thousands of years, she could only receive the status of queen Rukmini of Dwaraka. Of course devotees have a choice to go to Vrindavana or Vaikuntha. Just as no one can enter the door of Lord Rama without the permission of Hanumanji, no one can enter the Divine Vrindavan without the permission of the Divine Dhama's door-keeper, Gopiswara Bhagavan Shankar. So the devotees should think twice about creating their sanskaras of blasphemy and its consequent effects on their devotion.

k How Vaishnavas worship Lord Shiva by Nirguna dasi Vaishnavas and Vrajavasis celebrate by seeking Lord Shiva's blessings and worship him in his form as a gopi at the ancient temple of Gopishwara in Vrindavan. "It is said, vaishnavanam yatha sambhu: Lord Shiva is the best of devotees of Lord Krishna. In Vrindavan there is Lord Shiva's temple called Gopishwara. The gopis used to worship not only Lord Shiva but Katyayani (Durga) as well, but their aim was to attain the favour of Lord Krishna. A devotee of Lord Krishna does not disrespect Lord Shiva, but worships Lord Shiva as the most exalted devotee of Lord Krishna. Consequently, whenever a devotee worships Lord Shiva he prays to Lord Shiva to achieve the favour of Krishna and he does not request material profit." (Purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 4. 24.30.) Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur offered these prayers wriiten for Gopishwara Mahadev when he visited the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneshwar on June 22nd, 1922: Vrindavanvani-pate jaya soma soma maule sanandana-sanatana-naradeya gopishvara vraja-vilasi-yuganghri-padme prema prayaccha nirupadhi namo namas te "O Shiva, O gatekeeper of Vrindavan! O you who are accompanied by Uma (Parvati)! O you who carry the moon in your hair! O lord worshiped by Sananda-kumar, Sanat-Kumar and Narada Muni! O Gopishwar, the worshipable deity of the gopis! Desiring that you bestow upon me love for the divine couple, Sri Sri Radha Madhava, who perform joyous pastimes in Vraja, I offer my obeisances unto you again and again." (Srila Vishwanatha Chakravarti's Sri Sankalpa-kalpadrum, cited in vol. 7 of Sri Krishna Kathamritam) It is related that Lord Shiva desiring to witness the Rasa Lila is stopped from crossing the Yamuna by goddess Vrinda. Shiva protests this refusal of entry, saying he is a great devotee of Krishna and should be allowed to participate in His most wonderful pastime with the Gopis. Vrinda devi's rejoinder is firm: "Krishna is the only male in the rasa-lila." Lord Shiva, not to be outdone, submerges himself in Yamunadevi, non-different from love of Krishna, and emerges as a gopi. Now qualified as feminine, he gains an exclusive inside view into the Rasa play of Krishna and the gopis. The other Gods, including Brahma, may only witness and shower flowers from outside the realm of Vamsivata on Yamuna shore. The Deity of Gopishwar Mahadev, worshipped in a small temple near Vamsivata, is a lingam -- one of four important Shiva-linga shrines in Vraja. Each night the lingam is transformed as he assumes the semblance of a gopi's face, replete with nose ring and other feminine ornaments in a most colourful attire The ensemble is different every day of the year. Lord Shiva resides forever in Vrindavan as Gopishwara Mahadeva, the dearest devotee of Krishna, and thus participates in all the Lord's unending Lila. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

anartha thakara kale jada lila bhoge na anartha thakara kale suddha nama chade na "While still contaminated with anarthas, one should never try to enjoy materialistic pastimes. As long as these impediments remain, one should never give up trying to purely chant the holy name of Krishna." anartha thakara kale rasa gana kore na anartha thakara kale siddhi labdha bole na "While still contaminated with anarthas, one should never sing songs about the Lord's confidential pastimes. After these impediments are purified (anartha-nivritti), one never speaks of the holy name of Krishna as if it were a mundane sound vibration." anartha nivritte kale rupe jada dekhe na anartha nivritte kale gune jada bujhe na "After the anarthas are removed, material attributes are no longer seen in the transcendental forms of Krishna. When such impediments are removed, material attrubutes are no longer perceived in His pure qualities." anartha nivritte kale jada lila seve na rupanuga guru deva sisya himsa kore na "After the unwanted impediments are removed, one never serves mundane pastimes. The true spiritual masters in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami, who are known as rupanuga guru-deva, never abuse their own disciples in any way." guru tyalji jade asa kabhyu bhakta kore na mahajana pathe dosa kabhu guru deya na "The true disciple never rejects the spiritual master because of their own desires for material enjoyment. The genuine spiritual master never finds fault with devotional path shown the great devotees (mahajanas)." guru mahajana vakye bheda kabhu haya na sadhanera pathe kanta sad guru deya na "There can never be any difference between the explanations of the bonafide spiritual master and the teachings of the great devotees (mahajanas). The pure spiritual master never puts thorn-like deterrents on the path of one's execution of practical devotional service (sadhana)." adikara avicara rupanuga kore na anartha anvita dase rasa siksa deya na "The followers of Srila Rupa Goswami are never neglectful in assessing any one's spiritual qualifications. The followers of Srila Rupa Goswami never instruct a servant who is engrossed in material impediments about the science of intimate devotional mellows." bhagavata padya bole ku vyakhya to kore na loka samgragera tare krama patha chade na "The true devotees of the Lord never reite the verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam and offer bogus interpretations. For the sake of attracting larger numbers of followers, true devotees never abondon the correct systematic practices of devotional service. " na uthiya vrksopari phala dhari tane na rupanuga krama patha vilopa to kare na "One should never climb into a tree, grasp the unripe fruits and forcibly pull them off. Similarly, the followers of Srila Rupa Goswami never abolish the initial systematic process of devotional service." anarthake artha boli ku pathete laya na prakrta sahaja mata aprakrta bole na "One should never mistakenly call material obstacles "useful for devotional service", thereby following the wrong path. One should never say that the mundane opinions of the prakrta-sahajiyas (cheap materialistic impostors) are aprakrta (transcendental). " anartha na gele sisya jata rati bole na anartha visita sisye rasa tattva bole na "The disciple is never said to have developed deep devotional attachment (rati) as long as impediments (anarthas) are not removed. The disciple who is still contaminated with these impediments is never taught the science of intimate devotional mellows (rasa-tattva)." asakta komala sraddhe rasa katha bole na anadhikarire rase adhikara deya na "A devotee should never speak on the topics of devotional mellows to one who has weak, pliable faith. A devotee should never attempt to bestow the qualification for rasa upon one who is unqualified to receive it." vaidha bhakta jane kaabhu raganuga jane na komala sraddhake kabhu rasika to jane na "Devotees who are still on the platform of following regulated scriptural injunctions (vaidha-bhaktas) cannot yet understand anything about the exalted stage of the raganugas, practitioners of spontaneous devotional service. Those who possess weak faith cannot yet understand the realm of the rasikas, relaters of pure transcendental mellows." svalpa sraddha jane kabhu jata rati mane na svalpa sraddha jane rasa upadesa kore na "Those who possess little faith are never recognized as being highly developed in loving devotional attachment. Those who possess little faith are never to be instructed in topics concerning transcendental mellows." jata rati prauda sraddha sanga tyaga kore na komala sraddhere kabhu rasa diya seve na "When spiritual attachment (rati) is manifest, one never leaves the company of those endowed with advanced faith. If immature devotees with pliable faith are presented with a devotional mellow, they will never be able to properly serve it." krsnare sevana lagi jada rase mise na rasodaya kona jive sisya bhddhi kore na "One should never mix their activities with the contaminated moods of materialistic mellows for the purpose of service of Krishna. After rasa has factually awakened, one never indulges in the mentality of regarding any other soul as disciple." rasika bhakata raja kabhu sisya kore na rasika janera sisya ei bhava chade na "The highest devotee, who is like a king among the rasikas expert in relishing devotional mellows, never thinks that he has disciples. The student of such a rasika, however, never give up the mood of being the disciples of this exalted devotee." saddhana chadile bhava udaya to haya na raganuga janile i dadhana to chade na "If the preliminary practices of devotional service (sadhana) are neglected, then the awakening of ecstatic emotions (bhava) can never occur. Even one who has attained realization of spontaneous devotional service (raganuga-bhakti) should never give up practicing their regulative principles of devotional service. " bhava na hoile kabhu rasodaya haya na age rasodaya pare ratyudaya haya na "Without first experiencing bhava, the ecstatic emotions of divine love, rasa can never arise. The realization of rasa never occurs before the development of rati, spiritual attachment." age ratyudaya pare sraddhodaya haya na rasabhista labhi pare sadhana to haya na "One should never think that rati is awakened first, then sraddha develops later. Nor should one think that after one attains the state of being thoroughly soaked with rasa, then the need for practicing sadhana vanishes." samafrira amilane sthayi bhava haya na sthayi bhava vyatireke rase sthiti haya na "In the absence of the necessary constituent elements of the bhakti process (such as anartha-nivritti, nistha, ruci, etc.), one can never become fixed up in their own eternal sthayi-bhava ( one of the five principal mellows). In the absence of sthayi bhava and its necessary elements, one can never become situated in their eternal rasa." bhoge nama jade sraddha cit prakasa kore na name sraddha na hoile jada bhddhi chade na "Those whose mends are absorbed in the spirit of enjoyment of matter, and who possess materialistic faith, can never experience the revelation of pure spiritual consciousness. Without absolute faith in the Lord's holy name, one's mundane mentality can never be cast off." jada buddhi na chakile nama krpa kore na nama krpa na korile lila suna jaya na "One who is reluctant to give up their materialistic mentality will never receive the mercy of the pure holy name of Lord Krishna. Without first receiving the mercy of the holy name, one should never listen to recitations of Krishna's confidential pastimes." namake janile jada kama dura haya na rupake mjanile jada kama dura haya na "One who thinks that the holy name of Krishna is mundane can never become free from lust. One who thinks that the transcendental from of Krishna is mundane can never become free from lust." gunake bujhile jada kama dura haya na lilake purile jada kama dura haya na "One who thinks that the divine qualities of Krishna are mundane can never become free from lust. One who thinks that the eternal pastimes of Krishna are mundane can never become free from lust." name jada vyavadhane rupodaya haya na name jada vyavadhane gunodaya haya na jada bhoga vyavadhane lilodaya haya na "If one's consciousness is blocked by material conceptions, then Krishna's pure transcendental form can never be realized by chanting the holy name. If one's consciousness is blocked by material conceptions, then Krishna's pure transcendental qualities can never be realized by chanting the holy name. If one's consciousness is blocked by the enjoyment of material objects, then Krishna's pure transcendental pastimes can never be realized." araradha vyavadhane rasa labha haya na aparadha vyavadhane nama kabhu haya na "Due to the blockage of offenses (aparadha), one can never attain the flow of pure transcendental mellows. Due to the blockage of offenses, one can never experience the pure holy name of the Lord." vyavahita lila ganekama dura haya na aparadha vyavadhane siddha deha paya na "One who is covered by offenses may sing the pastimes of the Lord, but this will never do away with the lust burning in his heart. By the blockage of offenses, one's eternal spiritual body (siddha-deha) will never be attained." sevopakarana karne na sunile haya na jadopakarana dehe lila sona jaya na "If one does not hear the proper details of the devotional science [from the disciple successions], then genuine service to the Lord can never be performed. One absorbed in the various material ingredients of the bodily concept of life will never be able to hear of the Lord's transcendental pastimes. " sevaya unmukha hale jada katha haya na natuva cin maya katha kabhu sruta haya na "When one is enthusiastic for constantly rendering unalloyed devotional service, there is never any possibility for becoming detracted by idle talks related to the mundane world. Otherwise, if one is not enthusiastic, then confidential topics about the all-conscious spiritual world should never be heard."