Dervish

Nitya Lila Pravistha Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajak Acharya-varya Astottara Satta Sri Srimad Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Maharaj ki jaya!

Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 2 TEXT 18: TEXT tato jagan-mangalam acyutamsam samahitam sura-sutena devi dadhara sarvatmakam atma-bhutam kastha yathananda-karam manastah SYNONYMS tatah--thereafter; jagat-mangalam--auspiciousness for all living entities in all the universes of the creation; acyuta-amsam--the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never bereft of the six opulences, all of which are present in all His plenary expansions; samahitam--fully transferred; sura-sutena--by Vasudeva, the son of Surasena; devi--Devaki-devi; dadhara--carried; sarva-atmakam--the Supreme Soul of everyone; atma-bhutam--the cause of all causes; kastha--the east; yatha--just as; ananda-karam--the blissful (moon); manastah--being placed within the mind. TRANSLATION Thereafter, accompanied by plenary expansions, the fully opulent Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-auspicious for the entire universe, was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki. Devaki, having thus been initiated by Vasudeva, became beautiful by carrying Lord Krsna, the original consciousness for everyone, the cause of all causes, within the core of her heart, just as the east becomes beautiful by carrying the rising moon. PURPORT As indicated here by the word manastah, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was transferred from the core of Vasudeva's mind or heart to the core of the heart of Devaki. We should note carefully that the Lord was transferred to Devaki not by the ordinary way for a human being, but by diksa, initiation. Thus the importance of initiation is mentioned here. Unless one is initiated by the right person, who always carries within his heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot acquire the power to carry the Supreme Godhead within the core of one's own heart. The word acyutamsam is used because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is Sad-aisvarya-purna, full in the opulences of wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, beauty and renunciation. The Supreme Godhead is never separated from His personal opulences. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.39), ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan: the Lord is always situated with all His plenary expansions, such as Rama, Nrsimha and Varaha. Therefore the word acyutamsam is specifically used here, signifying that the Lord is always present with His plenary expansions and opulences. There is no need to think of the Lord artificially as yogis do. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah (Bhag. 12.13.1). Yogis meditate upon the Supreme person within the mind. For a devotee, however, the Lord is present, and His presence need only be awakened through initiation by a bona fide spiritual master. The Lord did not need to live within the womb of Devaki, for His presence within the core of her heart was sufficient to carry Him. One is here forbidden to think that Krsna was begotten by Vasudeva within the womb of Devaki and that she carried the child within her womb. When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart, he appeared just like the glowing sun, whose shining rays are always unbearable and scorching to the common man. The form of the Lord situated in the pure, unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the original form of Krsna. The appearance of the form of Krsna anywhere, and specifically within the heart, is called dhama. Dhama refers not only to Krsna's form, but to His name, His form, His quality and His paraphernalia. Everything becomes manifest simultaneously. Thus the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full potencies was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki, exactly as the setting sun's rays are transferred to the full moon rising in the east. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, entered the body of Devaki from the body of Vasudeva. He was beyond the conditions of the ordinary living entity. When Krsna is there, it is to be understood that all His plenary expansions, such as Narayana, and incarnations like Lord Nrsimha and Varaha, are with Him, and they are not subject to the conditions of material existence. In this way, Devaki became the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second and the cause of all creation. Devaki became the residence of the Absolute Truth, but because she was within the house of Kamsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire, or like misused education. When fire is covered by the walls of a pot or is kept in a jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot be very much appreciated. Similarly, misused knowledge, which does not benefit the people in general, is not very much appreciated. So Devaki was kept within the prison walls of Kamsa's palace, and no one could see her transcendental beauty, which resulted from her conceiving the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Commenting upon this verse, Sri Viraraghava Acarya writes, vasudeva-devaki jatharayor hrdayayor bhagavatah sambandhah. The Supreme Lord's entrance into the womb of Devaki from the heart of Vasudeva was a heart-to-heart relationship. -- He is Achintya, inconceivable.

I would say let this Vaishnava come forward and present his theory with proper documentation, and some sincere explanation as to why Srila Prabhupad said this is our mother language and none precede it. So far you are presenting hypothetical theories that are controversial without content. If you are sincere and serious about this point, it would be good to see this content.

CC Adi Lila 1.4 anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah "May that Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant spiritual knowledge of the mellow taste of His service."

Above: Kali-Gandaki River Not trying to be funny, either /images/graemlins/wink.gif When I'm ready to worship Sila's, this is where I'll be going. I hope you find yours soon, prabhu. Usually some devotee will have many Silas and give you on, or maybe that devotee will have to go on a long trip, and will need another to take care of the Sila /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ok, so what if I told you that the scholar propagating this theory was a Vaishnava. Would your opinion of him or his theory change? Oooh! I know this game! It's called "What's Inside The Box?"! Either that, or "Monty Hall". OK OK, he's a VAISHNAVA, and doesn't believe Sanskrit is the mother language. HMMMMM ... OK ... is it a man who wears a sari, by any chance???? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Notice how this troublemaker only comes to make short, provocative remarks. "I know someone who says Sanskrit isn't the mother language" then "This person is a Vaishnava!" This isn't a philosophical discussion that "Guest" is trying to start. He's trying to start a game of none other than ...

Haribol, Was wondering if it's safe to wear Tulsi neck beads in Iran. Do the secret authorities know what that means, and then take you to the torture chamber? What about sikha? If you have sikha is that a problem too? What about going to the beach and having a sacred thread, would that also be a problem? If anyone knows, thanks.

Good point, that is a pretty scary thought (choking hazard). When is a good age to introduce kunti mala to children, then?

I'm looking for a Bhagavad Gita As It Is in Farsi. I think there is one devotee in ISKCON who distributes these, but I lost his e-mail address. Does anyone have contact information? Thanks!

Haribol, Over the years, I've been reading a lot of western Vaishnav publications, and I notice there are several devotees in the US Military. They're all in ISKCON, so you may want to make an inquiry with them, and they will put you into contact with their devotees in the military. In the meantime, experiment with the beads that you loop around your neck 3 times, and loop only one or two times, maybe you'll find a compromise. When I'm wearing a dress shirt, I find that if I button it all the way, my beads are concealed (I don't do this often, but there seldom comes a time I feel the need). If you are not required to wear just one type of shirt, you may want to try that too.

CC Madhya Lila 22.54 Sadhu sanga sadhu sanga sarva sastra kaya Lava matra sadhu sanga sarva siddhi haya Even one moment's association with Krsna's pure devotee can give one all success. Institutions come and go. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave us the Gaudiya Saraswat sampradaya. He created the Gaudiya Math for this and while he was on earth, it was very powerful. When he left, it splintered into many pieces. Srila Prabhupad made ISKCON, and while he was here, it became bigger, more locations worldwide -- stronger in every way. After he left the planet, the growth ceased. It is not the institution that empowers an aspiring devotee, it is Sri Guru. Sri Gurvastakam Sloka 8 yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi dhyayan stuvams tasya yashas trisandhyam vande guroh sri-charanaravindam "By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Krsna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master." Do not think of the institution so much as the Guru. Find the guru that enthuses you the most, and take shelter of him. The guru is your primary concern in this regard. The institution is merely secondary. Right now you're on a journey for spirituality. Your destination is the Guru. He resides in the institution, the house. After many years, the Guru may leave this world, and people will fight over the house. Who owns this house? This is when you may want to humbly take your leave of the house, the institution.

Hare Krsna! "My question revolves around HOW can this information be so accurate and is the information ever requested or looked into by your spiritual master?" Vedic Astrology is an ancient science. Look in your local newspaper. It talks about Libra, Gemini, Taurus, etc. 12 different groups, 12 different destinies. If only life were so simple ... In Chinese astrology, everyone born in a certain year has a common destiny. But in Vedic astrology, birth month, birth date, birth year, birth time, birth place, the positions of the stars are ALL brought together in a complex mosaic. The information helps mainly your material life, but touches into spiritual life. Your guru will most likely never make such an inquiry. If you are single, and tell your guru you want to get married, he may request you do a compatibility test with your fiancee via vedic astrology to see if the marriage will be auspicious or not. If the Guru is the true embodiment of the words spoken in Sri Gurvastakam bhajan, then he is Krsna's dearest servant. He does not need astrology to know you. He knows you better than you know you. Trust in Gurudev.

If you want to find stories like this, you can try search engine phrases like Prabhupada pastimes or memories, or if you want Govinda dasi stories about Prabhupada exclusively, then "Govinda dasi" Prabhupada in the search box. If you have the resources, try to watch the Prabhupada memories videos. I was lucky enough to watch a few when visiting devotees.

google cache! /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Govinda dasi's website is still cached in google's search engine, so if you have other pastimes you like from there, you can use google.com to get them. Just press "cache" button when you find the page listing.

Story # 10 - Soap suds and duds Once in New Jersey, Srila Prabhupada called me into his room and asked me very nicely whether I was washing clothes in hot, soapy water. He said that normally so much soap is not needed, but because he was getting oil massages it was necessary to wash them with soap and hot water to cleanse them properly. He was very gentle and kind and loving, not harsh or reprimanding at all. He also then asked me about my clothing, whether or not I had other clothes. Since as an artist I still wear jeans. Saris had not been introduced as of yet. He commented, "I do not like these Western pants wearing with all parts exposed. Better for ladies to wear long dresses or saris as they do in India". I nodded and decided to find out about saris, since all I owned was jeans, and of course later we began always wearing saris and long dresses rather than pants. Thank you, Srila Prabhupada, for caring so much about us that you taught us how to dress, how to eat, even how to brush our teeth. You are the perfect father, so that even now when I can remember you in all my daily activities; and another time you commented on my short hair, recently clipped just over my ears and said: "I do not like this bob tail. You should wear your hair long like Jadurani's in a bunch in the back. Jadurani's hair was pulled in back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. So from that day I let my hair grow and wear it as you requested. Another time you suggested I tied my hair in a knot - for catching Krsna. You explained that the brahmacari ties his sikha in a knot and in India, ladies also tie their bunch of hairs in a knot and always think of catching Krsna in that knot. That is the meaning of the sikha knot and also of the ladies' tradition of gathering their hair in a knot. Thank you, Srila Prabhupada, that you are such a perfect father that you taught us how to look, how to dress and how to live. You are our eternal father. Thank you.

The sikha is a sign of spiritual surrender. Devotee men will shave all hair, except that on the BRAHMARANDHRA, or the crown of the head. One cute explanation is that Krsna pulls you out of the sea of nescience with this sikha. The clinical explanation is to protect the most sensitive nerve center on the top of the head known as Brahma ranthram from any abnormal vibrations.

As Srila Prabhupad says, Sanskrit is the mother language. An alleged mother language to Sanskrit is not at all considered by us. Various scientists and historians have their various theories -- Aryan invasion theory, this one you mentioned, etc. They are merely theories, and respectfully, we disagree. -- Prabhupad Interview Excerpt Los Angles, February 1, 1968 Interviewer: Is it necessary to know of the Indian language when you join? Because I noticed that when your... Prabhupada: This is not Indian name. This is Sanskrit name. Interviewer: It's what? Prabhupada: Sanskrit. Sanskrit is a language which is mother of all languages. Sanskrit, S-a-n-s-k-r-i-t, Sanskrit language. So this is the original language of this..., not only of this planet. In other planets also, this language is spoken. So the names are in Sanskrit. They do not belong to any community or any section. It is universal. We have no information. Just like this word, Krishna. It is universally known: "all-attractive." The exact English translation is "all-attractive." So there cannot be any proper nomenclature for God than this "all-attractive." Unless God is all-attractive, how He can be God? This is the perfect nomenclature. Similarly, anything Sanskritically named, that is all perfect. Yes. Interviewer: I think that's all the questions I had. I can't think of any more. Let me think. (end)

One simple thing we need to keep in mind is that while the Acharyas were humble, they are not to be bullied, even if the scorpion like personalities try. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur had to deal with Mayavadas, Cast Brahmanas, and the like, and yet even through his humility, he could refute their bad points. Srila Prabhupad had a worldwide mission, and nobody could push him around. I think humility as a mundane trait in its most tamasic levels can make one prone to bullying, but coupled with proper spiritual development, it could lead one to be humble, yet an indomitable spirit /images/graemlins/smile.gif

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Anything that is not a dead animal, or an intoxicant. There are actually foods besides dead bodies! http://kurma.net/books/tri.html

Harer Nama Harer Nama Harer Nama Eva Kevalam Kalau Nasty eva Nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha "In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." It is said emphatically three times "there is no other way". The 4 principles are like pillars. They alone cannot make up the process, but it's a beginning, to build upon. If you build without this foundation, it will be due for crumbling. All the acts prohibited in the four regulative principles lead to a life bereft of true spirituality.

Haribol, You want proof of the discourse between Krishna and Arjuna and the Battle of Kurukshetra? Some people who go to Kurukshetra in India feel very intense upon coming there, I've heard you're immediately overcome by some feeling that something very important occured in that very spot. What about the bible? Do you believe in Jesus? What did you require to believe in Jesus and the bible? Did your Christian upbringing infuse you with that belief, did you derive it from historians' testimony, or did a trip to Jerusalem do it? I was enchanted by the Bhagavad Gita. I did not believe in it immediately and surrender, but it was devotee sanga and sadhu sanga which gradually cemented this belief. Vancha Kalpa Tarubyas Ca Krpa Sindhu Bya eva ca Patitanam pavanebhyo Vaishnavebhyo Namo Namaha It's ultimately a matter of faith. Every religion has some element that may seem outlandish by scientific and historical standards. There are some great devotees here that have other perspectives, and I'm sure they will be able to provide an even greater insight than me /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Haribol, it's great you are going to a temple for the first time /images/graemlins/smile.gif Wearing a gopi dress or any kind of sari for that matter is not a strict requirement, especially if you're a newcomer. The important thing is that you come and are sincere and learn about this bhakti process. I am by no means discouraging you from wearing a gopi dress, but clothes should not be as big a focus at this time as the essense of worship; kirtan, etc. When I first started out, I was very gung ho about dhotis, and was very absorbed with these external trappings, especially since I did not learn how to properly wear one until some kind devotees took the time to show me. I got much more out of programs when I wasn't so concerned about clothes. If you can't find a diagram, I'm sure some matajis will be very happy to help. If you haven't met many devotees yet, you'll find the vast majority to be humble and very helpful among other good things /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I think this is a serious problem which needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. A group should be formed if necessary, and we can all chip in.