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vanamali

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Everything posted by vanamali

  1. from my point of view: Lord Rama is the example of the perfect man in matters of romance. He thought a man should only have one wife, and that of course was Maa Lakshmi- Seeta Lord Krishna is the example of the perfect God in matters of romance. He never said no to anyone who was seeking his love and grace, even if the devotees numbered in the thousands. This is why Lord Krishna seems so accessible. No matter how unqualified you are (16,000 odd princess kidnapped by Narakasura and thus doomed to a life without marriage and of disdain by society and their families.- Even so they were accepted by Lord Krishna because of their love.)
  2. Krishna is black like a rainbearing cloud- the rain he bears is his love and grace which he waits to shower on His devotees when they surrender to Him Krishna is black like a bumblebee, the beloved of the flower which seems, when buzzing, to be saying that he is much sweeter than the flower from which he takes pollen.
  3. On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings - oh, happy chance! I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest. In darkness and secure, By the secret ladder, disguised - oh, happy chance! In darkness and in concealment, My house being now at rest. In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me, Nor I beheld aught, Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart. This light guided me More surely than the light of noonday To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me- A place where none appeared. Oh, night that guided me, Oh, night more lovely than the dawn, Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved! Upon my flowery breast, Kept wholly for himself alone, There he stayed sleeping, and I caressed him, And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze. The breeze blew from the turret As I parted his locks; With his gentle hand he wounded my neck And caused all my senses to be suspended. I remained, lost in oblivion; My face I reclined on the Beloved. All ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies. En una Noche oscura Con ansias en amores inflamada -¡Oh dichosa ventura!- Salí sin ser notada, Estando ya mi casa sosegada. A oscuras, y segura Por la secreta escala disfrazada -¡Oh dichosa ventura!- A oscuras y en celada, Estando ya mi casa sosegada. En la noche dichosa En secreto, que nadie me veía, Ni yo miraba cosa, Sin otra luz y guía Sin la que en el corazón ardía. Aquesta me guiaba Más cierto que la luz del mediodía, A donde me esperaba -Quien yo bien me sabía- En parte donde nadie parecía. ¡Oh noche que guiaste! ¡Oh noche amable más que el alborada! Oh noche que juntaste Amado con amada, Amada en el Amado transformada. En mi pecho florido, Que entero para él solo se guardaba, Allí quedó dormido, Y yo le regalaba, Y el ventalle de cedros aire daba. El aire de la almena, Cuando ya sus cabellos esparcía, Con su mano serena En mi cuello hería, Y todos mis sentidos suspendía. Quedéme y olvidéme, El rostro recliné sobre el Amado, Cesó todo, y dejéme, Dejando me cuidado Entre las azucenas olvidado.
  4. Sri Srinivasa Govinda Sri Venkatesha Govinda Govinda Hari Govinda Gokul Nandana Govinda
  5. first of all through the devotion of the painter- he/she makes the eyes lotus-petal shaped, fine dress, brilliant colors. secondly- the god emanates bliss through the eyes. The expression of peace/bliss looks very beautiful third- Mother Teresa may not be a beauty queen, but still she looks very beautiful. Kindness, gentle mannerisms, and the knowledge of her goodness make her very attractive. Same with Hanumanji or other animal-looking god or Maa Kali who is fearsome or Lord Shiva with matted locks. Their goodness shines through. Any way you look at it- let's say the man makes the suit, not the other way round.
  6. Ghantasala Venkateshwara Rao's recording of Bhagavad Gita is good. In Sanskrit with Telugu commentary. You can go to this website to listen for free: http://www.telugufm.com/modules/music/devotional.aspx (or try on musicindiaonline.com which also has alot of annamacharya sankeertanas. Unnikrishnan's recordings are good.)
  7. I think people who have the chops to chant so much are there for our inspiration. I don't know if they are better people or not. But I do think that if they are chanting more, they will *become* better people (improve themselves). Don't worry about trying to chant more than someone else, especially if it makes you feel bad or that you are chanting less. That will only fan the ego. Instead take it as a challenge to increase your chanting a little at a time. It's good to see people doing more than us, to help us become even more inspired. Personally I like being around those who are even more drunk on the Divine Name than me, because their fervor of devotion tends to be very contagious. Like hearing bhajans of Meera or Annamayya awakens and inflames devotion within. Same thing with other devotees. On the other hand, if someone is actually bragging about how many rounds they chant, maybe they are a little confused about the purpose of chanting, no? This is my feeling. Please forgive me if I am wrong or have committed any offense. I bow to the lotus feet of <font color="red"> </font color> Sri Krishna. ~Vanamali
  8. It's not good to explain a poem, I think. Anyway, I will do so briefly. It has to do with my own relationship with Lord Krishna. I am feeling strongly the pain of separation from Him right now, and He has been playing some naughty tricks on me lately. It does sound like it could be about Radha or another gopi. I am not trying to put myself on a par with the gopis who are the foremost devotees. But anyway, the God has made me fall in love with Him, and then left me, and in my madness I can do or say anything. Please don't mind.
  9. I was a Christian before I met my husband. I listened to a few of Prema Pandurang's tapes. I read a little of the gita... couple of verses. My husband told me a couple of stories about Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. Then we went to the temple one day... he said "Look at Sri Krishna, isn't he beautiful?" And I looked into Sri Krishna's eyes, and... I was flying! I haven't landed since. That is what God can do. If he wants you, you come to him no matter what. (I'm not saying one religion is better than the other... what I'm saying is, I was happy before, now I am... beyond bliss.) Anyway, maybe that's what happened to your friend, maybe not. But it's possible.
  10. When you say NAMASTE you worship the one to whom you say it... "I bow down to the Divine in you I bow down to Sri Rama in you..."
  11. "In fact, he should not even let his foot touch a wooden doll " Sorry to be rude theistji, but I think we are trying to get out of illusion and not go into more delusion. You wouldn't touch money or a temple murti with your feet because it's "Just paper" or "just stone" Likewise you shouldn't touch dolls or other things with your feet not just because it represents a woman or something like that, but because according to our culture, the feet are dirty and you should not touch anything with your feet besides shoes and ground. Become less "aware" of the material world is not about seeing everything as not existing, but learning to see the Lord everywhere, and thus respecting all people and things. That is my view on the subject!
  12. My husband will definitely shave his, and he doesn't care about what I look like. It doesn't matter to him if I shave it or not. When going to tirupati, if you don't want to shave your head, you can just give one hair from four sides of your head. I think if I still have reservations when I go to tirupati I will just wait till next time to shave it. My mother in law does not shave her head when she goes. Otherwise, going to see the god makes me a little crazy sometimes, so I might just do it. I guess best thing to do is not think about it too much. Just do it or don't do it, not a big deal. Anyway, we will be climbing up the hill (about 3-4 hours climb) to fulfill one vow. Hopefully we will be there for Friday abishekam, really the only time you can see Sri Venkateshwara's eyes, because they take off all the jewellry, including the huge namam, for the bath.
  13. Namaste, I love Hanumanji, the greatest bhakta You better be careful playing him... you know he is Chiranjeevi(immortal), and he will actually physically be in the room while you are acting. No pressure, though. He has no pride to hurt! Good luck. Yatra yatra Raghunaatha kirtanam tatra tatra krita mastakanjalim bhaashpa-vaari paripoorna lochanam marutim namada rakshasa-antakam (In every nook and corner where Lord Raghunath is sung about, he (Hanumanji) is there, with tears flooding from his eyes. Salutations to my Lord Maruthi, He who saw the end of all evil ones!)
  14. AUM Sarveshaam Swastir Bhavatu Sarvesham Shantir Bhavatu; Sarvesham purnam Bhavatu; Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu. AUM Shantih, Shantih, Shantih more or less means... May all be auspicious; May all attain peace; Let there be fullness and contentment all over; May all be blessed. AUM peace, peace, peace. Happy Deepawali to you!
  15. sarvesham SWASTIR bhavatu sarvesham shaantir bhavatu sarvesham poornam bhavatu sarvesham mangalam bhavatu
  16. "Can I chant on my fingers or is this offensive?" karagre vasate lakshmi kara mule saraswathi kara madhye tu govinda prabhate kara darshanam How could counting on such a hand be offensive!?
  17. Hi there! I'm going to Tirupati (getting married there + pilgrimage)and as you probably know one of the possible vows you can take is to get your head shaved, both male and female. I was wondering if any of you ladies have ever done this. I haven't taken this vow as of yet, though I thought I would, but it has become surprisingly hard for me, as it takes such a long time to grow. I feel kind of selfish, but at the same time, I have the feeling that Sri Venkateshwara doesn't need me to do him any favors, and if I were to give to him reluctanly... well that would be contrary to the nature of our general relationship together. Please share with me your experiences so that I may regain my positive attitude! Thanks! ~Vanamali
  18. "The Hinduism practiced in Villages is Polytheistic, because every village has some patron God to worship. However, the Hinduism written in Shastras , Vedas etc is Monotheistic in the true sense." For some people Hinduism is experienced as polytheism, some as monotheism, but really I think the greatest percentage of Hindus are "henotheistic" meaning that they worship/honor many gods, but hold one god as the Supreme Reality/Supreme Lord. (take me for instance, I worship Lakshmi, Hanumanji, Durga Maa, Saraswati, but the true object of my worship and devotion is Sri Krishna.) Does that make sense for you guys?
  19. agre kuruNaam atha paaNDavaanaam duHshaasanenaahRita-vastra-keshaa kriShNA tadaakroshad ananya-naathaa govinda damodara maadhaveti sri krishNa viShNo madhukaitTabhaare bhaktaanukampin bhagavan muraare traayasva maam keshava lokanaatha govinda damodara maadhaveti vikretukaamaa kila gopa-kanya muraari-paadaarpita-citta-vRittiH dadhyaadikam mohavashaad avochad govinda daamodara maadhaveti cakranda gopi nalini-vanaante kRishNena hinaa kusume shayaanaa praphulla-nilotpala-locanaabhaam govinda damodara maadhaveti vRindaavana-stham harim aashu buddhva gopi gataa kaapi vanam nishaayaam tatraapy adRiShTvati-bhayaad avocad govinda daamodara maadhaveti saa nirajaakShim avalokya raadhaam ruroda govinda-viyoga-khinnaam sakhi praphullotpala-locanaabhyaam govinda daamodara maadhaveti vaktum samartho 'pi na vakti kashcid aho janaanaam vyasanaabhimukhyam jihve pibasvaamRitam etad eva govinda daamodara maadhaveti
  20. Pujya Prof.Prema Pandurang After listening to her Muscat, Oman discourses on cassette tapes, I really began to feel a strong love for Sri Krishna. This was the first time I had heard about Him, and her commentary on the Bhagavad Gita impressed me very much. About a year later, she came to our temple here in our town. All I can tell you is, if you ever get the chance to see her speak, don't miss it. She has a better command of English than most native speakers (not surprising, as she was once an English professor at the University of Madras). Here is the link to her website. It has her 2003 schedule. You can also visit her ashram in Tamil Nadu, and she and her foundation are working on a spiritual center/ guest house in Tirupati/Tirumala Devastanam. Here is the link to her website. http://www.geocities.com/nirmal107/index.html
  21. I heard of a group of neo-nazis in the midwest who broke into a Sikh gurudwara and spraypainted swastiks on the walls. I bet when the people came in the next morning were wondering why these people felt the need to break in during the night when they obviously liked them so much. (Kind of like breaking into a Catholic church and spraypainting crosses)
  22. Vasudeva sutam devam Kamsa-Chanoora mardanam Devaki paramaanandam Krishnam vande jagatgurum Mookam karoti vaachalam Panghum langhayate girim Yat kripa tam-aham-vande Paramaananda Maadhavam
  23. yeah, the above post is from me... forgot to log in
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