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In Bhagavath Gita, Lord Krishna shows Arjuna -Virata Purusa form & Viswaroopa form. At that time, Arjuna sees Karna, Bhisma, Drona , Duryodhana etc... caught in mouth of krsna & getting squashed. Krishna has decided Karna is a evil one & needed to be eliminated. So God (Krishna) decided to eliminate him, why should we give respect to a evil character meant to be eliminated by krishna. By supporting Karna, we make a sin of insulting Lord Krishnas decision to eliminate him. Moreover, all the people in this thread judged karnas character as displayed in "TV Serials & Movies", but i dont know how many people have read original "Vyasa Mahabharata". In original "Vyasa-Mahabharata", even from childhood, Karna is shown as a friend of duryodhana & they both made plans to kill bheema. Also Karna is shown as a pupil in "Gurukulam" along with pandavas & kauravas. So Karna wasnt deprived any rights. Also many people think Karna became friend to duryodhana just becase he honored him by making king. thats funny. Karna since from childhood was a friend to the monster because karna too is a evil one. Karna knew that he is a Lord Surya and he felt proud for that. He never repented for that. Many times, Lord Surya & Lord krishna gave opportunity to recorrect himself, but they were in vain. Karna decided to be evil always. Also Karna wasnt able to lift the bow during Draupadi Swamyamvara. It is a lie that Karna lifted it & Draupadi insulted him. Remember, Draupadi is a true Krsna devotee, so devotees dont insult anyone. Also Lord krishna didnt pleaded to Karna to give away his dharma as charity to him so that he will be killed. Its a myth. Karna was killed in a way that he deserved. All these are clearly specified in "Original Vyasa-Mahabaharata". Thanks to unauthorised versions of Mahabharata, Tv Serials & movies, people started thinking karna as a noble soul. Truth is karna was a evil monster just like his evil friend duryodhana. Also in TV serials, the "Banasura incident of Bhagavatham" is shown in a inverted way telling that Lord shiva stopped the sudarshana chakra of krsna to protect Banasura. They also show that Narada praising Shiva for stopping Sudharasana chakra. Its a great joke i have ever seen. Those who read "Bhagavatham" knows the true banasura incident. In "Bhagavatham" it is Lord Shiva & Narada worship Lord Krishna. So people done believe wahtever shown in TV serials, Movies & unauthrised copies of the great epic -"Mahabharata". Praise Pandavas. Surrender to Lord Krishna. Hate the kauravas.

Read Bhagavath Gita and try to learn its essence with help of a genuine guru. u will automatically understand. If u re unable to do that, please remember "Lord Raghavendra" with whole of ur heart. Lord Raghavendra will show you a path.

Following quotes relating to Jesus in Bhavisya purana. Jesus is identifed as "Isa" here. [shalivahan, ruler over the Aryans, grandson of Vikramaditya, occupied the throne of his father. He vanquished the attacking hordes of Chinese, Parthians, Scythians and Bactrians. He drew a border between the Arians and the Mleacha (meat eaters), and ordered the latter to withdraw to the other side of India.] ekadaa tu shakadhisho himatungari samaayayau hunadeshasya madhye vai giristhan purusam shubhano dadarsha balaram raajaa "One day, Shalivahan, the chief of the Sakyas, went into the Himalayas. There, in the middle of the Land of the Hun, the powerful king saw an auspicious man who was situated on a mountain. His complexion was fair and he wore white garments." [NOTE: Hun is Hunadesh, near Manasa / Kailash Mountain in W. Tibet; also known as Lasadakh, part of the Kushan empire.] ko bharam niti tam praaha su hovacha mudanvitah iishaa purtagm maam viddhi kumaarigarbha sambhavam "The king asked, 'Who are you sir?' 'You should know that I am Isha Putra, a Son of God,' he replied blissfully, 'and am born of a virgin.' [NOTE: Jesus refers to himself as "a" son of God or one of many; not "the" son of God or the only one God could ever create.] mleccha dharmasya vaktaram satyavata paraayanam iti srutva nrpa praaha dharmah ko bhavato matah "I am the expounder of the religion of the Mlecchas (meat-eaters) and I strictly adhere to the Absolute Truth.' Hearing this the king enquired, 'What are religious principles according to your opinion?' shruto vaaca maharaja prapte satyasya amkshaye nirmaaryaade mlechadesh mahiso 'ham samaagatah "Hearing this questions of Salivahara, Isha putra said, 'O king, I came from a foreign land where there are no rules or regulations and and evil knows no bounds. When the destruction of truth occurred, I, Masiha the prophet, came to the country of degraded people. Through me the sinners and delinquents suffered, and I also suffered at their hands. Finding that fearful irreligious condition of the barbarians spreading from Mleccha-Desha, I have taken to prophethood'. mlecchasa sthaapito dharmo mayaa tacchrnu bhuupate maanasam nirmalam krtva malam dehe subhaasbham naiganam apamasthaya japeta nirmalam param nyayena satyavacasaa manasyai kena manavah dhyayena pujayedisham suurya-mandala-samsthitam acaloyam prabhuh sakshat- athaa suuryacalah sada "'Please hear O king which religious principles I have established among the mlecchas. The living entity is subject to good and bad contaminations. The mind should be purified and the body by taking recourse of proper conduct and performance of japa, chant the holy names to attain the highest purity. Just as the immovable sun attracts, from all directions, the elements of all living beings, God as firm as the sun, Who is fixed and all-attractive, attracts the hearts of all living creatures. Thus by following rules, speaking truthful words, justice, mental harmony, unity of spirit and meditation, O descendant of Manu, in the center of that light one will find their way to Isa, and should serve and worship Him as that immoveable Lord'." [NOTE: Christ again uses the word "Isa" here. Whether it is spelled Issa or Isa, it is the same. We should notice he first makes a distinction between that of Isa (God), and the Isa-Masih or one who came to preach about God. As mentioned on my other web pages below, Isa is a name for Krishna that means the "Supreme Being" or "Supreme God." However, Isa das and Isa-Messiah both denote "servant" of God. Different language, same meaning. isha muurtirt-dradi praptaa nityashuddha sivamkari ishamasihah iti ca mama nama pratishthitam "Having placed the eternally pure, auspicious form of Isa, the Supreme Lord and giver of happiness, forever within my heart, O protector of the earth planet, I preached these principles through the Mlecchas' own faith, and thus my name became the Isa-Masih.' [NOTE: Christ refers to the "Form" (murti) of God as Isa, so it again indicates Jesus believed in Deity worship, most likely as long as such worship was performed by sincere, honest, qualified priests/brahmana's.] iti shrutra sa bhuupale natraa tam mlecchapujaam sthaapayaamaasa tam tutra mlecchasthaane hi daarune "After hearing these words and paying obeisances to that person who is worshipped by the mlecca's, the king humbly requested him to stay there in that most miserable land of Mlecchas." svaraajyam praaptavaan raajaa hayamedhan cikirat rajyam krtva sa sasthyabdam svarga lokamu paayayau "King Salivahara, after leaving his kingdom performed an asvamedha yajna and after ruling for sixty years, went to heaven. Now please hear what happened when the king went to svargaloka." (Bhavishya Purana 19:20-33.) Thus ends the second chapter entitled, "The Age Of Salivahara" of the story of Kali Yuga of the Caturyuga Khanda also called pratisarga-parva of the wonderful Bhavishya Maha Purana, 3191 Kaukikia Era or 115 A.D, ~ Srila Vyasa dev - literary incarnation of Lord Krishna. The question often arises, "If Jesus was pure, why did he put so much attention on healing the material body or even on 'material' truth or 'material' justice, etc?" To this, the answer is above in Christ's own words, but to sum it up: it was a step by step process. First he taught them to be clean in body which next lead to soul. Then there were different rules, like thou shalt not kill and the other commandments, keeping them on the human being platform (as the 4 regulative principles by Srila Prabhupada are to keep us on the human being level). Next, Jesus taught them prayer/japa and to think often of God or meditation. If all this was followed, his disciples could eventually understand the concept of God as light (the impersonal brahmajyoti). From there, they would find "in the center" of that light: Isa/ Krishna. (Reminds me of the story of the Four Kumaras who were impersonalists but it lead them to ultimately discovered the higher Personal form of Krishna.) Then Christ's disciples would finally be able to Isa , both in the heart (as Paramatma) and through the all attractive Deity (form) "Isa" or Lord Shri Krishna, where they would find happiness that never leaves but stays within forever, thus spiritual happiness. Therefore, through his process, Christ's disciples could become elevated from material status of sudras to the highest transcendental position of Vaisnava!

Hare Krishna Maha-mantra Srila Prabhupada once announced, "The chanting of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra." (1) One smart devotee then inquired whether we should therefore chant rounds of the Panca-tattva mantra to which Srila Prabhupada replied, "No — because Lord Caitanya's instruction was to chant Hare Krishna." Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is a very simple mantra consisting of only three words: Hare, Krishna, and Rama. Hare means unto Mother Hara (i.e. Lord Krishna's personal pleasure potency, Srimati Radharani). Krishna means the all-attractive Lord. Rama means the source of all enjoyment. When we chant Hare Krishna we are praying: "O energy of the Lord (Hare), O Lord (Krishna and Rama) please engage me in Your service!" Maha-mantra means it is the Great Mantra Of Deliverance. Lord Caitanya and the Vedas both recommend this process: hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare iti sodasakam namnam kali-kalmasa-nasanam natah parataropayah sarva-vedesu drsyate The sixteen words of the Hare Krishna mantra are especially meant for counteracting the contaminating influence of the age of Kali. After searching through all the Vedic literature, one cannot find a better method. Footnote (1) There are offenses to be considered in chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, but there are no such considerations in chanting the names of Gaura-Nityananda. Therefore, if one chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra but his life is still full of sinful activities, it will be very difficult for him to achieve the platform of loving service to the Lord. But if in spite of being an offender one chants the holy names of Gaura-Nityananda, he is very quickly freed from the reactions to his offenses. Therefore, one should first approach Lord Caitanya and Nityananda, or worship Guru-Gauranga, and then come to the stage of worshiping Radha-Krishna. One should first take shelter of Gaura-Nityananda in order to reach, ultimately, Radha-Krishna. … It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord Krishna and Gaurasundara are both identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than the other. Considering the position of the people of this age, however, the chanting of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most magnanimous incarnation and His mercy is very easily achieved. Therefore one must first take shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting Sri-Krishna-Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhara Srivasadi Gaura Bhakta-Vrnda. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 8.31 purport)

Srimad Ananda Tîrtha Srimad Ananda Tîrtha, also known as Sukha Tîrtha, Pûrnabodha, and Pûrnapragnya, is the founder of the doctrine of Tattvavâda. He is the last of the great Achâryas of Vedanta, and is also the 22nd commentator on the ûBrahma-Stra <brahma_suutra.html> of Veda Vyâsa. His doctrine asserts, as has already been noted âelsewhere <../shstra/prameya.html>, that the differences are eternally real, and that hence there is more than one absolute real, and that Hari (Vishnu) is the only entity praised in the Shrutis and their adjuncts. Thus, he always identifies the Brahman of the Upanishads <../shaastra/upanishad.html> with Vishnu, and forcefully argues against the dichotomy of Shrutis (tattvâvedaka / atattvâvedaka) as claimed by ââSri Shankarchrya <http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/sankara-life.html>, saying that such arbitration of apaurusheya scripture is unacceptable both logically and spiritually. He also emphasizes that it is important to understand and specifically reject other schools' precepts, and hence devotes much time to nitpicking analyses and denunciations of other doctrines. Srimad Ananda Tîrtha is commonly identified with Madhva, the third avatâra of Mukhya PrâNa, the god of life, as given in the âûBaLitth Skta <AnandaT_2.html> of the Rg Veda. The first two avatâra-s are as Hanumân and Bhîmasena, and the third is Madhva, who came down to Earth as a sanyâsî, in order to avoid decimating the forces of evil (as he had done on the previous two occasions, and as he would have done again -- upsetting the flow of Kali Yuga in the process -- if he were not a sannyâsî). Srimad Ananda Tîrtha himself makes the claim to being Madhva in several instances, one of which is in the Vishnu-tattva-vinirnaya verse given on the cover page of this section. It was recognized in his own time, and it has been documented, that he had all two-and-thirty shubha-lakshaNa-s that define a rju-tâttvika-yogî, including the prescribed height of six-and-ninety inches ("shaNNavati angulo.apetam") quoted in the âââMahbhrata-Ttparya-Nirnaya <../sources/mbtn>. However, he is firmly set against the notion of accepting doctrines because they come from prophets or claimed gods -- he refuses to accept that it is possible to derive a meaningful spiritual system based on any but the apowrusheya texts (the Vedas/Upanishads/Shrutis) and their adjuncts (the Iti-hâsas, PurâNas, etc.). He also dismisses claims that only part of the Vedas are useful, and claims that even the so-called karma-kâNDa portions of them are only meant to worship Hari. The earliest and most authentic biography of Srimad Ananda Tîrtha is the Sumadhva-Vijaya, a.k.a. Madhva Vijaya, by NârâyaNa Pandita, the son of his close disciple Trivikrama Pandita. There are other English biographies by C. M. Padmanabhachar, C. N. Krishnasvami Ayyar, S. Subbarao, and C. R. Krishnarao, among others, but these are not truly independent efforts, since they draw very deeply upon NârâyaNa Pandita's work. Madhva was known as Vâsudeva, as a child, and was born in response to a prayer by some brâhmana-s of the Bhâgavata sampradâya, as a result of which Vishnu, who Himself does not incarnate during Kali Yuga, ordered His chief aide Mukhya PrâNa a.k.a. Vâyu to go to Earth, and rescue the mumukshu-s from the unrelenting deluge of the illusionist schools. Therefore, Vâyu was born in Pâjaka-kshetra, near Udupi <udupi.html> (in modern Karnataka state), to Madhya-geha Bhatta. Even as a child, he was extraordinary in every respect, and repeatedly astounded his teachers, and performed several miracles, a notable one being when he freed his father from the clutches of a loan shark, by giving him a handful of tamarind seeds which satisfied the latter completely. He also killed the demon MaNimanta, who attacked him in the form of a snake, by crushing the snake's head under his toe. At the age of eight or thereabouts, he announced to his parents his intention to take up sanyâsa, and on noting their distress at this pronouncement, promised to wait until another son was born to them. Finally, at the age of eleven, upon the birth of a younger brother (who many years later joined his order as Vishnu Tîrtha) he was ordained into sanyâsa, whence he was given the name Ananda Tîrtha by his guru Achyutapreksha Tîrtha, a.k.a. Achyuta-pragnya Tîrtha. Soon afterward, when his guru attempted to educate him, he astounded the former by his knowledge. It is said that when his guru tried to teach him the noted Advaita text IshhTa-Siddhi, he pointed out, to Achyutapreksha Tîrtha's amazement, that there were 30 errors in the very first line of that work, where its author Vimuktâtman pays obeisance to himself by saying something like: "The only truth is the soul's empirical knowledge. In the presence of this truth the world appears to be an illusory play. The essential soul manifests itself as I, you and everything..." It was this profound knowledge of all subjects that earned him the title of "PûrNa-pragnya," for "the one of complete wisdom." The initially discomfited but finally greatly pleased Achyutapreksha Tîrtha soon gave up trying to educate the master, and himself made a full conversion to Tattvavâda, under the name Purushottama Tîrtha. Srimad Ananda Tîrtha is known for his skill at debate and repartee, which were amply evident when he roundly trounced all opponents who dared take him on. One early convert to his school was Shobhana Bhatta; after losing to Madhva in debate, he accepted the latter as his Guru, and was given sanyâsa under the name âîPadmanbha Trtha <../scholars/PadmanabhaT.html>. Two other noted opponents whom PûrNapragnya defeated in debate and converted to ardent devotees, were Trivikrama Pandita, and Shyâma Shâstri -- the latter accepted sanyâsa as îNarahari Trtha <../scholars/NarahariT.html>. Madhva made two trips to Badarikâshrama, the abode of BâdarâyaNa a.k.a. Veda Vyâsa, and on the first, obtained the imprimatur of BâdarâyaNa Himself for his Bhâshya on the Bhagavad Gita, when the latter made the correction "vakshyâmi leshataH" ("I state infinitesimally"), in place of "vakshyâmi shaktitaH" ("I state as best as I can"). He also founded the Krishna temple <udupi/krishna_mutt.html> at Udupi <udupi>, when he rescued by his spiritual power a ship in distress on the high seas, and got from its captain the apparently useless gift of a large mound of gopi-chandana mud that had been used as the ship's ballast, and which broke open to reveal the long-concealed icons of Krishna, Durga, and Balarâma. This is believed to be the occasion when he composed the âDvdasha Stotra <dvaadasha.html>, a set of twelve stotra-s in praise of Vishnu that is collectively counted as one of his seven-and-thirty works. There are many notable incidents on record involving Srimad Ananda Tîrtha, and it is futile to hope that a short piece like this one can capture even the essence of his mission correctly. However, in brief, two of them are the ones where he lifted and displaced a boulder weighing tons that was obstructing some construction; an inscription ("Anandatîrthena eka-hastena sthâpitâ shilâ") made on the boulder at the time attests to the event to this day. On another occasion, he led some disciples to a spot where he showed them the long-buried weapons of the PâNDavas, including the great mace he had wielded to telling effect as the mighty Bhîmasena. (Look here <b_support.html> for some more notable events.) Visual evidence, if one may call it that, of Srimad Ananda Tîrtha being Madhva, the avatâra of Vâyu, was obtained by Trivikrama Pandita when the latter had the great fortune to observe the three forms of Vâyu worship simultaneously -- Hanumân worshipping Râma, Bhîmasena worshipping Krishna, and Ananda Tîrtha worshipping Vyâsa. On that occasion, Trivikrama Pandita composed the âHari-Vyu Stuti <http://www.dvaita.net/pdf/vAyu_stuti_new.pdf>, also called just Vâyu Stuti ("shrimadvishhNvaN^ghrinishhThâ atiguNa gurutama shrimadânandatîrtha ..."). Madhva himself validated the Vâyu Stuti by adding the mangalâcharaNa shloka-s, called Narasimha- nakha stuti <../stotra/nakha_stuti.html> ("pântvasmân.h puruhûta vairi balavan.h ..."), to be chanted in the beginning and at the end of the Vâyu Stuti. This very short work of just two shloka-s is counted as one of his thirty-seven grantha-s. Srimad Ananda Tîrtha disappeared from amidst an audience, after giving a lecture on the Aitareya Upanishad, on the ninth day of the shukla paksha in the month of Magha in 1317, and now is permanently in Badarikâshrama, where he serves his master Bâdarâyana in person.

Om Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

SRIVAISHNAVISM - A CONSCISE STUDY - PART II The Three realities There are three realities or tattvas (tattvatraya), according to Visistadvaita philosophy. These are: Cit (all living beings) Acit (inanimate) or prakriti and Isvara (the Supreme Lord) CIT Cit or sentient being or soul, is the name given to millions of Jivas. Each jiva or soul, is different from a body it inhabits, the sense organs, mind, vital airs(pranas); it is eternal , self-manifest, indestructible and is blissful by nature. Each soul of jiva acquires a body (a clothing as it were) made out of the evolutes of Prakriti given to it by the Ultimate Reality, God, in keeping with its past karma, inside each jiva dwells Isvara who supports the jiva. Knowledge is a quality which characterises the jiva in all states of existence of the human body, wakefulness, dream-perception, deep-sleep and transcendental stage. Thus, it never loses its identity and is forever clothed in and inseparable from the knowledge which is in-born in it. This knowledge is called "Dharma-Bhuta-Jnana" or "attributive consciousness", it is self-luminous. But being in association with perishable and decaying Prakrti, the soul goes through the cycle of births and deaths; when it is in the womb or is born, its knowledge expands or contracts in proportion to its merits or demerits. At some point of time, with the grace of Supreme Lord, and by adopting Bhakthi Yoga or Saranagati, the soul will extricate itself from this transmigratory existence and attain Moksha.(Sri Vaikuntham), or the Supreme Abode. While attaining the state of liberation, its knowledge expands larger and becomes almost equal to the knowledge of the Supreme Reality. Isvara or Paramatman who resides inside the jivas is unmoved by the jivas experiences or actions and is a silent spectator thereof. There are three types of jivas : Nityas - the ever - free souls Muktas - the liberated jivas (from samsara) Baddhas - the bound who live in NITYAS Nityas or Nityasuries, as they are also called, are eternal souls; these are ever-liberated souls like Ananta, Garuda, Visvaksena(Commander-in-Chief) etc. respectively, the great serpent, Adisesa which is the bed of Lord Vishnu, the divine eagle which is His Vehicle and the Commander-in-chief of divine forces and the foremost. In the Rahasyatrayasara, the Nityas manifest their essential nature without any beginning, and they are totally dependent on the Lord. Further there is no mutual difference between their respective states of continuous existence in time. The service they render to the Lord, though also different, forms a continuous stream. Nityas have no cycle of births and deaths. Except when the Lord assigns them some functions, for a specific purpose , in the mundane universe like when Ananta or Adisesa took avataras as Lakshmana along with Sri Rama and as Balarama along with Sri Krsna, Visvaksena and Garuda assumed the advent of Nammalvar and Perialwar respectively, they do not take birth in this mortal world. Muktas Muktas are those jivas who were initially involved in samsara, or the cycle of birth and death, and subsequently, by the grace of God, broke this chain of samsara by following Bhakthi-marga(loving devotion) or Saranagati (whole-hearted surrender) and have reached Sri Vaikuntham. The Muktas are those realized souls who have attained their essential nature in a manifest condition, and whose self-realisation will last eternally. The only difference between one Mukta and other is his having realised himself earlier or later. Muktas are engaged in a specific kind of service in a manner directed by the Lord for his delectation in the supreme abode (Paramapada) also blissful by nature and live in a state of supreme satisfaction. Baddhas The Baddhas are bound souls (human beings, animals, etc) who continue to be entangled in the cycle of transmigration and unable to realize themselves through the effect of their previous actions. The baddha-jivas can also become Muktas by the Grace of God and through the performance of Bhakthi yoga or through the act of Prapatti. After liberation they join the ranks of Muktas and reside in Sri Vaikuntham serving the Lord in a capacity that the Lord himself orders/confers upon them. Such a service (kainkarya) to Lord Visnu and Goddess Lakshmi. His consort is the summum bonum of human existence, according to Sri Ramanuja's system. ACIT Acit or Prakrti primarily means primordial matter and consists 24 evolutes according to Sankya philosophy. This evolution is depicted in the following chart. The total evolutes, including the first three are 24 in number. The whole world of matter and the bodies for souls are evolved out of Prakrti under the Will of God. ISVARA The third reality is Isvara, the ultimate unchanging reality who creates the universe consisting of jiva (souls) and the evolutes of Prakrti (matter) and has them under His control. He creates this material world from acit or prakrti for the benefit of jivas (souls). On Isvara depend the existence of the other realities, for they constitute His body in myriad forms. Being impartial, He gives each jiva a body in accordance with its past karma. He does not interfere with the jivas going through with their Karma and getting involved in the cycle of samsara. But He bestows his grace on the jivas at an appropriate time when the jivas will yearn for salvation and take recourse to Bhakti marga or prapatti (total surrender) He has an infinite number of virtues, among which sadgunya or bhaga is the main : Strength, Knowledge, Lordship, Valour, Energy and Splendour, Goodness, spontaneous love and similar qualities make him accessible to all. This action-oriented world consisting of jivas and prakrti-(Souls and matter) is Isvara lilavibhuti, where He exhibits His above mentioned innumerable qualities for which He has no opportunity in His Nitya-Vibhuti or Sri Vaikuntham Isvara is full of Suddhasattva and there is no admixture of rajas, not to speak of tamas at all, in His form. At all times and in all circumstances, Isvara is associated with His consort Goddess Sri or Lakshmi( on His right chest) and hence He is referred to as &#8216;Sriyahpatih&#8217;. As He is the supporter of jiva and prakrti and also resides in them, He exists everywhere. He is also called Sriman Narayana or Lord Vishnu or Parabrahman or Paramatman. At the time of cosmic dissolution (Paralaya) which occurs at the end of Kalpa or four yugas, Acit and Cit are withdrawn by Him in his form and exist in a subtle state, possessing none of the qualities which makes them objects of experience or cognising objects. From this subtle state, creation evolves by the will of Isvara; and subtle matter (acit) reemerges as gross matter or prakrti.

There was a hill named Trikuta. It was famed for its beauty and was surrounded on all sides by an ocean of milk. The creepers which grew on the hill were incandescent like gold and silver and the quarters would glow because of the light from the hill. It was a hundred yojanas in extent. Conchs were there in plenty and precious stones as well. From a height, the earth, dark in colour, the sea white and milky and the hill green in colour with the trees and shrubs and creepers together gave the effect of an emerald set in silver. It was a beautiful hill. Wild animals were there and sweet music from the nests of birds would mingle with the roar of lions and tigers that lived in the caves. The fragrance of the air which had been perfumed by the many sweet-scented flowers would draw divine beings to spend their time there. It became the playground of many of the divine beings. Siddhas, Charanas and Gandharvas would go there very often and spend their time in the caves and valleys which glowed with the lustre of the many precious gems embedded in the rocks. In that hill was a garden named Rituman. It was crowded with flowering trees of every kind:--- Mandara, Parijata, Ashoka, Champaka, Chuta, and fruit trees like pomegranate and mango. There were tall trees which touched the skies, Devadaru and Sala trees. The garden belonged to Varuna. There was also a beautiful lake in that hill. It was a very large lake and on its face floated blue, white and red lotuses. The makaranda from them was so profuse that there could always be heard the humming of summer bees which were hovering around the flowers. Water birds like the crane and the swan were always found there and the fish and the tortoises inside the water could be seen clearly since the water was so pellucid. The banks of the lake had flowering shrubs like the jasmine, the kunda and the jaji: punnaga, and Kuravaka and the creeper Madhavi. The scent there was so overpowering that one felt faint. In that hill dwelt an immense elephant with his entire herd. He would wander at will and his herd would always be with him. His favourite pastime was to uproot the bamboo groves. The tender sprouts from the canes were the favourite food of the elephants and they would wander at will in the forest. The elephant was so wild and so powerful that even wild animals like the lion and tiger and wild boar and bulls would run from the spot where the elephant stood. Once during summer, after a long march with his companions, the elephant was feeling very tired and extremely thirsty. From a distance he smelled the perfume which was part of the lake and he went fast towards the lake. His herd came with him and soon they reached the lake and entered it. It was refreshing to bathe in the lake and to drink the sweet water. Once their thirst was quenched they did not feel like coming out of the lake. They spent a long time playing in the clear water and making it muddy and full of mire. The master elephant would take water in his trunk and pour it over the backs of the small ones and the she-elephants. Like a man absorbed in the pleasures of Samsara takes no heed of the fact that his life is getting shorter day by day, the elephant paid no heed to the passage of time. All unaware of the danger lurking in the waters he went on playing, like a samsari who does not see that it is a trap to catch him and bind him for ever. Instigated by Fate, a crocodile which had been living in the lake for a long time grasped the leg of the elephant in its mighty jaws. The unexpected pain made the elephant wince and he tried to shake off the crocodile. But it was not possible. Try as he might, the elephant found it impossible to get out of the clutches of the crocodile. His companions tried to help him but it was all in vain. The grip of the crocodile was too strong and the elephant, strong as he was, was not strong enough to shake off the crocodile. The tussle went on for a long time, for years. Even the devas were present to see this mighty duel between the lord of the forest and the king of the rivers. Slowly but very steadily the strength of the elephant was ebbing away. The crocodile was winning; he found himself growing stronger and more powerful. The elephant finally realised that it was, for him, a losing fight and that soon his life would also leave his body. At that moment he began to see everything in the proper perspective. He pondered for a long while and told himself: "I am in great trouble and these, my dependants are unable to extricate me from my predicament. I have realised that no one can help me now in this dire calamity which has befallen me. But still, I have one hope. I can surrender to the Lord who is the refuge of even gods like Brahma. He is sure to protect me from the dread serpent called Yama who is trying to frighten me. If He is with me, death himself will flee from me since he is afraid of the Lord. I will pray to the Lord." He composed his mind and his thoughts, and set them steadily on Narayana and began his song of praise. He said: "Salutations to you, Lord of lords.You are the Ancient; the Purusha and the Prakriti born of Purusha. You are the light which illumines the intellect of humans. This entire universe is established in you. It was born of you and it has no existence apart from you. After creating it, you, at the time of the deluge, withdraw it into yourself. You are the light beyond the sources of all light. "You stand at the edge of the sea of darkness, of Tamas which is all that is found at the end of Pralaya and you bring new life into the new creation which is born of the old. The cycle is unending and you are the cause behind the cosmos. It is to have a vision of you that rishis spend millions of years absorbed in meditation. You have no birth: no Karma to perform: no names nor any qualities to distinguish you from the others. And yet out of your Maya you create forms for yourself and these have names and qualities ascribed to them. "The formlessness of you is forgotten by those who see you take up a form for the good of the world. You are beyond the reach of the senses, the mind, the emotions, the intellect. Still though you are beyond comprehension there are some who have realised you by becoming one with you. "You are the seer, the Drastha, for the functioning of the Indriyas and their different individual behaviour. You are the cause of everything but nothing has caused you since you are Ancient: eternal: everlasting: without a beginning and so, without an end. There is no limit to you since you are Infinite. "You are unaffected by the gunas and their interplay and, as a result, those who succumb to the Maya caused by the gunas are not able realise the truth about you. Even as the glow from the sun and the fire erupt from it, glow for a while and are lost in the source itself, even so, your glory emanates from you. This stream of gunas, this mind, intellect, senses, and the bodies which enjoy these are all born out of you: and in the end are again lost only in you. They have no seperate entity. Famed as you are to be beyond the gunas, still,you have been known to be the personification of compassion as far as beings like me are concerned: beings who surrender themselves entirely to you are sure to be cured of their ignorance, their Avidya and will be made to have a vision of the Truth that is you. "This birth of mine which is full of Avidya inside as well as outside, this elephant's form and mind is of no use to me. I have no desire to live anymore. I want that Moksha which will not be destroyed by the passage of time. Punya which is acquired is rewarded by a length of time in heaven. When that Punya gets exhausted man is again thrown back to the world of sin. I want a Moksha different from this. I want to be cured of Avidya. I am a Mumukshu and I salute you who is the cause of this Universe: who pervades everything: and yet, who is apart from all that you have created: who is the Ultimate Truth. Yogis see you in their hearts since their Karmas and the results of their Karmas have all been burned in the flame of self-knowledge. The greatness that is you is hidden from foolish beings like me because our thinking is clouded by the sense of "I" and "MINE" I surrender myself to that Infinite Power, Truth, Light that is you. The devas and Brahma and all the others were listening to the words of the elephant. The praise was for the Purusha and each one them knew that he was not fit for the words of praise which were used by the animal. Narayana was touched by the plight of the elephant and assuming the form Hari, appeared before him on the shores of the lake. Garuda was carrying Him. In his hand glowed the Sudarshana Chakra. Looking on him the elephant raised his trunk which held a lotus and said: "Lord! Narayana! I salute you." Narayana was overcome with compassion for the poor elephant and his plight. He entered the lake, killed the crocodile with His Sudarshana and pulled the elephant out of the lake. To the leg of the elephant was still clinging the dead form of the crocodile with its mouth gaping open. All the denizens of the heavens were watching in awe. They stood around the Lord and the elephant, exhausted by the fight which had lasted all these years, was standing with its trunk still raised aloft. With infinite love the Lord accepted the lotus which was held in the trunk and the elephant was happy. GLOSSARY: Avidya: Spiritual ignorance. Because of one's Avidya one does not realise the Truth about the Brahman which alone exists. Drastha: A seer: one who sees mentally Indriya: An organ of sense Karma: Action, work, deed. Fate, the certain consequence of acts done in a former life Maha Pralaya: The Great Dissolution --the total annihilation of the Universe at the end of the life of Brahma when all the worlds with their inhabitants, the gods, saints,- including Brahma himself are all annihilated. Maya: In Vedantic philosophy, it is unreality: the illusion by virtue of which one considers the unreal Universe as really existent and, as distinct fron the Supreme Spirit Moksha: Final emancipation, deliverance of the soul from recurring births and transmigration: the last of the four ends of human existence: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha Mumukshu: One who desires Mukti(Liberation) Punya: Good work, meritorious act. Purusha: The Supreme Being: the Soul of the Universe Tamas: Literally, darkness. In Vedanta, it is one of the three qualities or constituents of everything in nature, the other two being Sattva and Rajas

Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya

Om Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Jai Hanuman

The Panca-tattva mantra Jaya Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhara Srivasadi Gaura-bhakta-vrinda Before chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one must first take shelter of Gaura-Nitai, and Their principal associartes, by reciting the Panca-tattva mantra. This frees one from the reactions of his offenses while chanting Hare Krishna because Lord Caitanya is the most magnanimous incarnation of the Lord and His mercy is easily achieved. Panca = Five; Tattva = Truths; "The Absolute Truth in five features".

Darshan The Language of the Eyes by Sukulina Devi When we go to the Mandir our eyes meet the powerful, eternal gaze of Bhagavan Narayan. This is taking darshan. Darshan means &#8220;auspicious sight&#8221; of the divine. Since Narayan is present in His image, beholding His murti (deity) is an act of worship and through the eyes we gain His blessings. God gives darshan and the devotees take darshan. What does this mean? What is given and what is taken? The Divine presents Itself to be seen and devotees &#8220;receive&#8221; the darshan. Not only does the worshiper see the Deity, but the Deity sees the worshiper as well. The contact between devotee and Deity is exchanged through the eyes. This is the &#8220;language of the eyes&#8221;. Seeing is also a kind of touching. In looking at God&#8217;s image we reach out for the Divine. We pray to the Divine and hope that as the dearmost friend in our heart, God has heard our prayers. God&#8217;s darshan is a window into Vaikuntha and thus we get a glimpse of the spiritual realm. Bhagavan Narayan and Shri Lakshmi Devi are the embodiment of all opulence, therefore, They are all attractive. We hope that what catches the eye may capture the heart.

SRIVAISHNAVISM - A CONCISE SUDY - PART I INTRODUCTION Srivaishnavism aims at God-realisation within the framework of our normal wordly activities. The term Vaishnavism denotes the system developed by Sri Ramanuja where Vishnu & his consort Godess Sri(Lakshmi) are accepted as Supreme Being. Godess Lakshmi is the mother of the entire creation, being the consort of Lord Vishnu. Being inseparable from Him(Nityanapetam Sriyam), she acts as the mediatrix(purushakara) between man & God . She is also reckoned to be an Acharya or teacher in this tradition. This system of Sri Ramanuja is also therefore known as Sri Sampradaya. It is for reasons such as these that the system of Sri Ramanuja is called Srivaishnavism. Sri Ramanuja is the systematiser of Srivaishnavism as it is followed today. Srivaishnavism is as old as Vedas. In the introductory verse of Sri Bhasya(the commentary on Brahma Sutras), Sri Ramanuja traces this philosophy to the Upanishads. It is believed that sage Vyasa, Bhodayana, Guhadeva & others have brought out this philosophy but their writings are not available except for the references by Sri Ramanuja. Srivaishnavism denotes the religious aspect whereas Visitadvaita refers to the philosophy followed by this school. In this school, the first teacher is the Lord Narayana himself & his student was his consort Godess Lakshmi who communicated the same to the commander-in-chief Visvaksena. From him it was handed over to a series of teachers headed by Sathakopa(Nammalwar). Then came the lineage of Acharyas led by Sri Nathamuni who was bestowed upon with knowledge by Sri Nammalwar. His grandson Yamunacharya(Alavandhar) was next to follow with his disciple Sri Ramnuja & series of Acharyas like Sri Kuresa, Sri Nadadur Alvan, Sri Kidambi Accan, Tirukkurugaippiran Pillan who were followed by a hierarchy of Acharyas as listed in the Guruparampara. The Sanskrit verse by Kurattalvan establishes link between the mortals and Sriman Narayana "Lakshminatha Samrambham nathayamunamadhyamam, asmadacharya-paryantham vande guruparamaparam" The Alwars or Saints were more emotional in nature than metaphysical. They were the great devotees of Lord Vishnu(Nityas or Lords attendants) who left behind the knowledge of the absolute by propagating Visistadvaita in their songs(which is the collection of 4000 hymns popularly known as Divya Prabhandham). To succeed the Alwars were the Acharyas who were orthodox Brahmanas well versed in Sanskrit & Tamil. Apart from preaching & establishing Visitadvaita they also laid down the rules for the proper observance of festivals, fasts, vows & customs. These acharayas date back to days of Alwars with Nathamuni(824-924 AD) being the first of them. The reference to the Guruparamparai would list the succeding Acharyas with due mention to Sri Ramanuja(1017 - 1137 AD) who is referred to as the Paramacharya. It is well known that Sri Ramanuja synthesised and explained the various truths contained in the Brahmasutras in accordance to the spirit of the Vedas, Upanishads, Agamas, Itihasas, Puranas and the Divys Prabhandas. For this reason he is deemed to be the foremost propounder of the Visistadvaitha school which is therefore called "Ramanuja Darshanam', even though the philosophy was expounded during the times of his ancesstors like Sri Nathamuni and Sri Alavandhar. Sri Ramanuja with a vision then appointed seventy four Simhasanadhipathis (Heads) to carry the message of Visistadvaita SriVaishnavam philosophy - Visistadvaita Any account of the history of Srivaishnavism should be deemed incomplete without a description of its philosophical tenets. It is now understood that this philosophy is much older than Sri Ramanuja, who only systematized it. This philosophy of Visitadvaitha is also referred to as "Ubahya Vedanta" since it accepts both the Sanskrit Prasthanatraya & Tamil Prabhandham. In SriVaishnavam, appearing as an ordinary God in the Rg Veda, the earliest of Vedas and as one of the several deities, Lord Vishnu attained pre-eminence and came to be recognised as the Supreme Being by the time if the Itihasas and the Puranas. This transformation of Lord Vishnu to be the Supreme can be traced in the following way : Rg Veda : In the Rg Veda, Agni(fire) is glorified first and Indra is designated as the King of Godsand praised in the maximum number of hymns. Vishnu, Rudra, Varuna, Vayu and others occupy next positions in the Vediv pantheon of deities. Lord Vishnu is described as a young and powerful God helping Indra in his many wars against the Asuras and evil forces. The following epithets testify to His importance : His highest abode is said to be fixed "like an eye in the sky" and always seen by the wise Nitya-Suries(Tad Visnoh paramam padam, sada pasyanti surayah) There is a spring of honey in his abode(Vishnoh pade parame madhva utsah) He measured the entire universe with three great strides(Idam Visnuh Vicakrame, tredha nidadhe padam, samudhamsya pamsure) Although not expressed in so many words, the above statements signify, according to scholars, the supremacy of Lord Vishnu; for the spring of Honey is nothing but divine nectar or Amritha, which indicates that Vishnu&#8217;s abode is the place of immortality and His place is fixed(dhruva). Yajur Veda : In the Krishan Yajurveda, Vishnu is described as the creator, protector and destroyer of everything in this universe. He is said to protect the sacrifices which came to occupy an important place in the ancient Bharata(India). In the Sukla Yajurveda, he is said to preside over the sacrifices. "Lord Vishnu has his abode in the orb of the Sun" says the Veda. Vishnu&#8217;s lifting of the earth as a Great Boar(Varaha Avataram) is referred to here : "Kolavaraha monrai Nilam Kotidai Konda Yandai". It is also stated that all other Gods like Agni, Vayu remain alert and discharge their duties due to the fear of Lord Vishnu "Bhisa asmad Vatah pavate bhisodeti Suryah bhisasmad Agnisca Indrasca Mrtyur-dhavati Pancama iti" The Purusa Sukta: Here there is a description of a cosmic purusa, who by performing a sacrifice, became the cosmos itself. His consorts are Godess Hri(Bhudevi) and Godess Sri(Sridevi). "Tat Purusasya Visvam ajaanamagre, Hrischa te lakshmischa patnayau" The Brahmanas: In the Aitareya Bhahmana, it is said that Agni is the lowest and Vishnu is highest among Gods :Agnir avamo devatanam Vishnuh Paramah. The Satapatha Brahmana refers to a Divinity called "Narayana" who perfromed a sacrifice for five days and nights and became great. The Taittiriya Aranyaka contains a reference to Lord Narasimha and Lord Vamana, the two important avataras of Lord Vishnu. The Upanishads: The Upanishads(the final portion of the Vedas) contains references such as "Only Narayana existed in the beginning of the creation, neither Brahma or Shiva existed then". The Ithihasas (Epics): The Ramayana : The first of the two epics, Ramayana contains many references to Sri Rama, the hero of the epic being none other than Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Being, who has his abode in Sri Vaikuntha. Lord Vishnu incarnated as Sri Rama, after heeding to the appeals of the celestials to destroy the demon King Ravana who was harassing the entire universe by his misdeeds and wild strength. Though born of human parents and thinking and behaving like a human being(atmanam manusam manye Ramam Dasarathatmajam "I consider myself a man, son of Dasaratha), Sri Rama(avatara of Vishnu) established the supremacy of Lord Vishnu by the following actions" In the duel between Vishnu and Siva, as narrated by Parasurama, the former made the latter motionless by a mere &#8216;humkara&#8217;(frowning). He sends Jatayu, the Vulture King to the supreme heaven and says "My friend, I permit you to go to the Upper regions("gaccha lokan anuttaman") He pierces seven huge Sala trees with a single arrow, and with his toe tosses the hillock-like skeletal remains of demon Dundubhi, and also fells Vali, the victor of Ravana himself with just one arrow. He grants Moksha to Sabari, the tribal women who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu who retained her life only for a glimpse of Him in his avatara as Sri Rama. The Mahabharata : The second epic, Mahabharata has several instances where the supremacy of Lord Vishnu in his avatara as Sri Krishna is established. Sri Krishna is born to Devaki, in His celestial form with four arms, Conch, Disc, et al and later on only, assumes the human form. The soul of Sisupala, whose head was severed by Sri Krishna, enters the person of Sri Krishna, in the presence of all assembled kings. Sri Krishna shows His cosmic form in the court of Dhritarasthra, when evil Duryodhana and his cohorts decide to bind Sri Krishna with a rope; the entire assembly with the exception of Bhimshma, Vidura and few others faint at this sight. Sri Krishna saves Draupadi from being dishonoured, by giving his "Akshaya Vastra" when she was being disrobed by Dushyasana. Sri Krishna shows His cosmic form to Arjuna in the battle field; expounds "Bhagavad Gita"(the essence of Upanishads) to him. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna declares himself as the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of the entire universe. In particular, in Chapter X & XI, Sri Krishna shows that the entire universe is but a fraction of His unbounded splendour and that everything amanates from Him and merges in His cosmic from. Sri Krishna declares unequivocally that He is the goal of all existance and advises Souls to surrender to Him(Chapter XVIII.66). This is the summum bonum of all teachings and is called "Charmasloka" in the Srivaishnava Sampradayam Sarva Dharmaan Parityajya Maam Ekam Sharanam Vraja, Aham tva Sarva Papebyo Moksha Isyaami maa Sucha" The Puranas: The Vishnu Purana: Sri Parasara, the author of the Vishnu purana establishes that Vishnu is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of this universe. This purana also states that all these activities are His play(Lila or Krida) and Vishnu is superior to the other Gods of the Trinity; Brahma and Shiva. The Bhagavata Purana: In Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Krishna is declared to be Purna-Avatara- "Krishnastu Bhagavan Swayam", while the earlier Avataras are treated as Vibhava Avataras. He is said to possess all the six supreme qualities of perfection, "Bhaga" such as Jnana(Supreme Knowledge), Sakti(Supreme Potency), Bala(Supreme Strength), Aisvarya(Supreme Lordship), Virya(Supreme Virility) and Tejas(Supreme Splendour). As a avatara of Lord Vishnu, Sri Krishna establishes the twin qualities of Paratva.(transcendental character or Supremacy) and Saulabhya(easy accessibility) to a remarkable degree. Much more than in Ramayana, Bhagavatam contains numerous episodes testifying to Sri Vishnu&#8217;s Supremacy. Viz. Divine adventurous stories of Dhruva, Prahlada, Gajendra, Krishna&#8217;s sport with Gopi&#8217;s at Brindavan, the slaying of demoness Putana, Sakatasura, poisonous serpent Kaliya, Demon-King Kamsa, Emperor Naraka and others. SRI and Vaishnavam philosophy - the link of this school with Sri his consort Sri is regarded as the Mother of the Universe, also acts as a mediatrix(purushakara as referred in Sri Pillai Lokacharya&#8217;s Srivachanabhusanam) between man and God bringing man close to God and thirdly she is mentioned as the teacher(acharya) in the transmission of this tradition. This school of thought recently systematised by Sri Ramanuja Godess Sri occupies a important place. In the Vishnu Purana, the author Sri Parasara glorifies Lord Vishnu who is the Supreme being always associated with Sri or Lakshmi as mutually inseparable, Whatever form the Lord may take, Sri joins him is a suitable form. In the Ramayana, Laksmi becomes Sita; in days of Sri Krishna avatara(Dwapara Yuga), Sri becomes Rukmini as understood in the couplet below : "raghavatve abhavat sita, rukmini krishna janmani anyesu ca avataresu visnoresanapayini" According to tradition, Sri has several connotations: Srnati (nikhilan dosan) She removes all sins. Srinati (ca gunair jagat) She nourishes the world by her virtues. Sriyate (ca akhilair nityam) She is resorted to by all beings forever. Srayate (paramampadam) She stays in the Highest abode. Srnoti She hears the petitions. Sravayati She makes the Lord hear. In the Purusha Sukta, Lakshmi(Sri) and Bhudevi(Hri) are described as two consorts of Lord Vishnu "Hrishcha te Lakshmischa Patnyau..." In the Sri Suktha, she is described as Godess of plenty, Charm and golden complexion, seated in the Lord&#8217;s Chest, hearing the cries od humanity, having a charitable disposition and keeping the Lord always in good humour to forgive the sins of men. In the Chatuhsloki, a hymn composed by Yamunacharya(Sri Alavandhar), describes Sri as Godess of plenty, prosperity, compassion and supreme authority, all other Gods & Godesses as subordinate to Her, She stays in the Vaikuntha (Nitya-Vibhuti) along with Her Lord Vishnu, She is so great that even She Herself or the Lord does not know Her greatness in full. Without Her grace, none can aspire for any welfare in any of the world. She as an Acharya can even grant liberation through Her grace. Many other Acharyas have sung hymns in praise of Lakshmi - Sriistava by Sri Kuresa, Sri Gunaratnakosa by Sri Parasara Bhattar and more. In the Saranagathi Gadya, Sri Ramanuja refers to Lakshmi as follows : Akhila Jaganmaataram - Mother of the whole world Asaranyasaranyam - Refuge of all the helpless Nityanapayinim - Never separated from the Lord Asankheya-Kalyana Gunaganam - Possessor of innumerable auspicious qualities It is to Her that Sri Ramanuja makes Saranagathi(Surrender) first requesting Her to bless him in his effforts to perform Saranagathi at the feet of the Lord, thus confirming Her role as the Purusakara(Meidatrix). Sri Sita, who is none other than Godess Lakshmi, intercedes with Sri Rama and saves Kakasura (the deamon crow) from sure death even though the latter had grievously hurt her. Another instance is that when Hanuman wanted to kill the Raksasis who were tormenting and torturing Sri Sita in Ravana&#8217;s Asokavana, Sri Sita pleads to Hanuman and protects them from Hanuman&#8217;s wrath, She tells Hanuman that "a noble person must be kind even to the most abominable sinners, there is none in this world who does not err (na Kascin-naparadhyati)".

Jagadguru Acharya Madhva.... THE ESSENCE OF TATVA VADA / DVAITA: The key point to be noted and remembered is that Acharya Madhva did not discover or invent anything new. All the major concepts enunciated by him were part of the timeless, eternal vedic religion (sanAtana dharma). He brought back these forgotten concepts into the conciousness of humanity, providing appropriate references. The school of philosophy associated with him has different names. Its ancient name is tattvavAda, but it is more popularly known as Dvaita (the dualistic school). There is a very popular verse, attributed to Sri VyAsa tIrtha, which captures some of the highlights of the Acharya Madhva&#8217;s philosophy: shrIman Madhva Mate harih paratarah Satyam Jagat Tattvato bhedah jeeva ganaah hareh anucharAh, nichochha bhavam gatAh Muktih Naija sukhAnubhUti amalA bhaktishcha tat saadhanam Haixyaadi tritayam pramaanam akhilam Amnaayaika vedyo harih A loose translation of the above would be: ViShNu is the supreme God, The world is real, The five-fold difference between God, living and non-living beings is an eternal fact, All living beings are dependent upon Hari for their existence There is a hierarchy amongst living beings, that is eternal (without beginning or end) Salvation lies in the soul experiencing its intrinsic joy, Salvation can be attained only through pure and unsullied devotion of God means of knowledge are sensory perception, inference and holy scriptures Hari is to be perceived in His nature through the holy scriptures and only through them. In addition to the above points, Acharya made several important contributions to Indian Philosophy. Some of these are: Bimba-pratibimba: God is the object (bimba) and jIvas are His images (pratibimbas)· Sarva-shabda vAchatva: every word, every sound is God&#8217;s name. Jeeva traividya: three-fold classification of jIvas into Satvika (fit for liberation), Nitya-samsAri (happiness mixed with sorrow), tAmasika (fit for eternal damnation) Vishesha: A special characteristic that acts as a distinguishing feature where there is innately no difference. The concept of &#8220;Sakshi&#8221; and its importance. Treating all the Hindu scriptures as an integral entity, unlike others who treat differentiate and discriminate between different portions of scriptures. He showed how seemingly conflicting passages from different scriptures should be interpreted to yield one coherent message. Providing a spiritual and philosophical interpretation of the Rig Veda. As an example, he interpreted forty sUktas to show how it should be done.

I dont know anything about "Swami Narayana". But i know about Lord Ramanuja & Lord Madwacharya. Lord Ramanuja is incarnation of Lord Adisesha. Lord Madvacharya is incarnation of Lord Hanuman. Hanuman, Adisesha & Garuda are icons of "Vaishnavam". Lord Vishnu had told directly told that worshipping "Lord Ramanuja , Lord Hanuman, Lord Prahlad (Lord Raghavendra), Lord Dhruva (Lord Padharaja)" is equal to worshipping him. So Lord Ramanuja, Lord Madwacharya, Lord Raghavendra & Lord Padharaja are certified "gurus/devotees/avatars". i also know that Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is incarnation of Lord RadhaKrishna. Apart from above gurus, i dont know about anyothers. Pardon me for lesser knowledge.

I am from India. ISKCON is doing well & strong in India. I dont know hows ISKCON going on other parts of the world ? I posted my enquiry regarding status of ISKCON in other parts of the world. Strangely, my post didnt even appear in this thread. If my prev post carried any thing silly or carrying hurting words, i beg pardon to all good souls here to forgive me. I want Lord Krishna to Love me. Hare Krishna

As a Kalki Avatar 'Lord Krishna' will come on a white horse. Great pralaya will come. So stop comparing perons who are nothing to do with divineness with Lord Kalki (Krishna). I think once Swami Prabhupada had told that Mohammed is a Sakteswar Avatar of vishnu. Just all. Nor Swami Prabhupada nor in any puranas tell that mohammed or bush is kalki.

I have put my burden on Lord Madhvacharya & Lord Raghavendra. (two great saints of "Dvaitam") I See Krishna through them. they will guide me.

I used to have vision of God in form of Venkateswara / Ranaganatha / Krishna Deity in my dream. Whenver i enter into trouble, Lord Venkateshwara , Lord Ramanuja & Lord Raghavendra come to my aid by making the problem disappear like a bubble. I beg all devotees to share the miracles happened on their life by Lord Vishnu (Krishna). It will be a nectar to me to read. Hare Krishna. Om Namo Narayana. Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya.

Good !!! I too used to have visions of God in dream. But in my case its different. I am a Vaishnav hindu living at South india. I have visited all big vishnu temples of india (Ex:- Tripathi, Srirangam, Puri, Kashi etc...) So God always used to come in form of deity of Venkateswara / Ranganatha / Krishna .. but i dont ask any questions. I just pray to him. I feel his blessings. Hare krishna. Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya

Because Like Lord Ramanuja Swaminarayan preached a way to attain Lord Narayana. Same can be said to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu & Lord Madwacharya.

Parents are telling me that they will select a pious girl willing to assist ur spiritual life. Also they said you (me)can clarify whether she is pious or not while you (me) meet her. They further that they said put this burden on Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is a vaishnavaite. Im sure Lord Shiva wont disappoint me. ====================================================== Anyway told i went to Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt and Sri Vaadiraja Swamy mutt. I Felt very divine and cool. Many good people came there & everyone piously surrendered to Lord Raghavendra. Lord Hanuman giving darshan above Lord Raghavendra. Lord Krishna giving darshan above Lord Hanuman. Thus Lord RadheKrishna, below Lord Hanuman & below Lord Raghavendra. It was a treat to watch three deities in a single sannidhi. I prayed to all 3 swamys. In Vaadiraja Mutt -> Lord Panchmukha Hanuman, Lord Hyagreeva, Goddess Durga, Bhutha Raja & Lord Vaadiraja can be seen in a same sannidhi. What a treat to eyes & soul. But i was able to concntrate on Lord Hanuman & Lord Vaadiraja. Tomooroww i will be going again to this temple. this time, i will concentrate on Lord Hyagreeva also. JAI GURU SARANAM. HARE KRISHNA.

Yes, SwamiNarayan maybe krishna himself. Lord Ramanuja is Avatar of Lord Balarama. Also Lord Ramanuja is Guru to all true vaishnavatees. Lord Sri Ranganatha (Lord residing at Srirangam) , Lord Varadaraja (Lord residing at Kanchipuram) & Lord Venkateshwara (Lord residing at Tirupathi) have clearly told that Worshipping Lord Ramanuja is equal to worshipping himself (ie., Lord Narayana) and also told that worshipping Lord Ramanuja is superior than worshipping Lord Vishnu itself. we clearly know Lord Ramanuja is guru. So worshipping real gurus like Lord Ramanuja also gives moksha as told by God itself. I think this will apply to SwamiNarayan also. Please dont make any negative comments on Lord Ramanuja or to my views as insulting Lord Ramanuja is a great sin because Lord Ramanuja is "original" authorised Guru of "Sri Vaishnavam". OM NAMO NARAYANA

Om Namo Narayana Hare Krishna you can find it all here. www.srivaishnavam.org www.srivaishnavan.org www.ramanuja.org if u cant able to find some u can enquire to enlightened souls through the websites, they will guide you. May Lord Venkatesha wash my sins & give moksha.