sudhaya

Hare Krsna. Just nice to read both, I don't want to be a fanatic, who praises only one devotee, thats why I post these here. There is no other motive for these posts. Besides Srila Prabhupada considered BR Sridhara Maharaja his siska Guru, so I am pleasing somewhat Prabhupada more, by doing this ..

My opinion tactics. Show the world pictures of Toture, Bush says Oh we shall see it never happens again, Bush looks for a moment like the good guy, while others look bad, cause Bush didn't know right? Don't make me sick. I wonder what else these sudras will think up, for power. Good V Evil. All comes down to one thing, lack of KC.

Letter to: Dinesh -- Tittenhurst 31 October, 1969 69-10-31 My Dear Dinesh, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated October 21, 1969 along with a contribution of $25. I have already acknowledged receipt of your new record. *Regarding the disciplic succession coming from Arjuna, disciplic succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially. <font color="red"> Disciplic succession means to accept the disciplic conclusion. </font color> Arjuna was a disciple of Krishna and Brahma was also a disciple of Krishna. Thus there is no disagreement between the conclusions of Brahma and Arjuna. Vyasadeva is in the disciplic succession of Brahma. The teachings to Arjuna was recorded by Vyasadeva verbatim. So according to the axiomatic truth, things equal to one another are equal to each other. We are not exactly directly from Vyasadeva, but our Gurudeva is a representative of Vyasadeva. Because Vyasadeva and Arjuna are of equal status, being students of Krishna, therefore we are in the disciplic succession of Arjuna. Things equal to the same thing are equal to one another. Regarding your second question about Sanjaya, he was a student of Vyasadeva, and by the mercy of Vyasadeva he was able to receive the message of the conversation of Krishna-Arjuna. Thus Sanjaya was able to speak to Dhrtarastra about the conversation on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. **Regarding your final question, the marginal potency means internal potency. But because the marginal potency sometimes comes within the external position, therefore, in spite of its being internal potency it is turned to marginal potency. This is stated in Visnu Purana: Any potency of Krishna is spiritual energy, but due to varieties of actions a section is called marginal potency or external potency. Please offer my blessings to your good wife, Krishna Devi, and daughter, Visnu Arati. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami -------- * Theist Prabhuji has that as his signature, after reading it more and more, you can derive so many meaning from it, but looking at it, to my understanding it means basically to accept it, thats it. ** /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hare Krsna My mistake. I'm just sick of these dictators, they are the legs of society, no idea what they are doing, we have no idea what they are going to do next. When in Gods name will the Varna system come back. Godless society we live in today.

There are 2 Ekadasi's in a month, if you feel the need to fast further, make it so you split up the days, so you will fast in a nice way. 4 times a month. Jaya Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna All this is happened seems to me, to make USA seem humane, by Bush apologising, he I'm sure knew what went on, they are killing people in Iraq, yet when it comes to torture etc, everybody is up in arms, you could say it similar to animal killing.

Hare Krsna Why are Kirtans not done so much in western world, in the streets, I read somewhere its 'not the right time' why is that, ? Are we waiting for somebody?!

Hare Krsna, I have not included the Sanskrit verses, for now, Hope thats ok. Haribol! -------- 12. Dusta Mana Vaisnava Ke?-"Who is a Real Vaisnava?" by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura 1) O wicked mind! What kind of Vaisnava do you think you are? Your pretentious show of chanting Lord Hari's holy name in a solitary place is only for the sake of attaining the false prestige of a worldly reputation-it is nothing but pure hypocrisy. 2) Such materialistic prestige is as disgusting as the stool of a hog. Do you not know that it is only a mere illusion cast by the potency of Maya? What is the value of contemplating day and night your plans for enjoying wealth and women? All these things are only temporary. 3) When you claim wealth as your own, it creates in you ever-increasing desires for material enjoyment. Your riches should be used for serving Madhava, the Lord of all wealth. Neither is it your proper place to indulge in lust for women, whose only true proprietor is Lord Yadava. 4) The demon Ravana (lust-incarnate) fought with Lord Ramachandra (love-incarnate) in order to gain the tree of worldly reputation-but that oasis turned out to be but a mirage cast in the desert wasteland of the Lord's illusory material potency. Please cultivate fixed determination to attain only the steady and solid platform whereupon a Vaisnava ever stands. If you neglect worshiping the Lord from this position, then you will ultimately attain a hellish existence. 5) Why do you needlessly suffer the torment of blaspheming the devotees of Lord Hari, attempting to achieve their eminence, thereby only proving your own fruitless foolishness? The desire for spiritual eminence is easily fulfilled when one becomes a devotee of the Lord, for eternal fame automatically follows the heels of a Vaisnava. And that fame is never to be considered a temporary worldly opulence. 6) The relationship between a devotee and Lord Hari is devoid of even a trace of worldly illusion; it has nothing to do with the materialistic cheating propensity. The prestige of so-called popularity in the material realm is compared to a treacherous dog-eating witch, and the attempt to live in solitude to supposedly engage in unalloyed bhajan is compared to an entangling network of distraction. Please know that anyone striving in either of these ways verily lives in the hell of Maya's illusion. 7) "I shall give up chanting the Lord's name publicly in kirtan and retire to solitude, thus smearing myself with worldly honor." Dear mind, what is the good of seeking such so-called glory? I will always remind you that the great soul Madhavendra Puri never deceived himself in that regard by committing theft in his own storehouse of perception the way you do. 8) Your cheap reputation is equal to the stool of a hog. An ordinary ambitious man like you can never be equated with a devotee of Madhavendra Puri's eminence. Under the sway of envy, you have drowned yourself in the filthy waters of material enjoyment after having abandoned the excellent perfection of congregational kirtan. 9) Truly, O wicked mind, the glories of so-called solitary worship are propagated only by false yogis using unscrupulous means to deceive others. To save yourself from these pitfalls, please contemplate the instructions that the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu kindly gave us while addressing Srila Sanatana Goswami with the utmost care. 10) Do not forget for a moment the two most valuable concepts that He taught: 1) the principle of dry, apparent renunciation as opposed to real, appropriate renunciation; and 2) the principle of a soul being trapped in the bondage of matter as opposed to a soul who is liberated. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that these conflicting concepts are on the same level. Please remember this while engaging yourself in chanting the Lord's holy names as loud as you possibly can. 11) One is truly a Vaisnava who has given up the habit of falling victim to the ferocious tigress of wealth, beauty, and fame. Such a soul is factually detached from material life, and is known as a pure devotee. Someone with this consciousness of detachment has thereby become victorious over the mundane world of birth and death. 12) One is indeed detached who moderately partakes of worldly things that are deemed necessary for living in devotional service; a devotee acting in that manner does not fall prey to the disease of material infatuation. Thus devoid of selfish attachment, and endowed with the ability to see things in relation to the Lord, all sense objects are then directly perceived as being Lord Madhava Himself. 13) This is the standard of befitting renunciation, and one who realizes this is most fortunate indeed. Everything involved in such a devotee's life represents Lord Hari's personal spiritual opulence as manifest in the world of matter. On the other hand, one who engages in chanting the Lord's name with hopes of enhancing his own material reputation finds that all his activities and paraphernalia represent only the riches of hypocrisy. 14) O mind, please reject the company of two types of persons-those desiring impersonal liberation from the material world, and those who desire to enjoy the pleasure of material sense objects. Both of these are equally non-devotees. The things that are used in relation to Lord Krsna are objects belonging directly to the transcendental realm, and thus having nothing to do with matter they cannot be either owned or forsaken by persons interested in mundane enjoyment or renunciation. 15) An impersonal philospher is opposed to thinking of Krsna as an object of devotion, and thus being puffed up with the false pride of imaginary liberation he dares to criticize the true devotees of the Lord. O mind, you are the servant of the Vaisnavas, and you should always hope for attaining devotion. Why then do you make such a loud commotion by calling to me and trying to prove the supposed supremacy of your practice of solitary worship? 16) One who falsely gives up things that could actually be used in the Lord's service proudly calls himself a 'renunciate,' but unfortunately he can never become a Vaisnava by such an attitude. Abandoning his servitorship to the lotus feet of Lord Hari, and resigning himself to his solitary home-whatever is gained by that exercise can only be the worthless treasure of deception. 17) Ever engage yourself in the service of Sri Radha, and keep aloof from the vicious snake of materialistic sense gratification. The glory of participating in the Lord's kirtan is not meant to bolster anyone's ambitions for personal recognition. O mind, why then have you abandoned the identity of being Radha's eternal servant in favor of retiring to a solitary place to practice the cheating process of so-called bhajan? 18) The most valuable treasures amongst the Lord's preachers are the eternal personalities residing in Vraja-dham. They never occupy themselves with begging for worthless material reputation, which is cherished only by the living dead. The Vraja-vasis are truly infused with life, and therefore they preach in order to give life to the walking corpses of the mundane world. All the songs that the Vraja-vasis sing about the glories of Lord Krsna are devoid of any tinge of desire for fame. 19) This humble servant of Radha and Her beloved Krsna always hopes for kirtan, and he begs all to loudly sing the names of Lord Hari. The transcendental power of congregational chanting automatically awakens remembrance of the Lord and His divine pastimes in relation to one's own eternal spiritual form. Only at that time does it become possible to go off to a solitary place and engage in the confidential worship of Their Lordships. Vaishnavism, Real and Apparent..]* [NOTE: Portions of this rendering were taken from the English paraphrase quoted by Sirla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in his own English essay entitled

Bhagavad-Gita 3.41 --------- by BR Sridhara Maharaja Therefore, O noblest of the Bharatas, by first bringing your own senses under control, <font color="blue">openly deal the death blow to this lust, </font color> the embodiment of sin which ruins both jnana (discriminative knowledge of the self and non-self, as delineated in the scriptures) and vijnana (subsequent realization in divine consciousness). By Srila Prabhupada TRANSLATION Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bharatas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, <font color="blue">and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization. </font color> PURPORT The Lord advised Arjuna to regulate the senses from the very beginning so that he could curb the greatest sinful enemy, lust, which destroys the urge for self-realization, and specifically, knowledge of the self. Jnanam refers to knowledge of self as distinguished from non-self, or, in other words, knowledge that the spirit soul is not the body. Vijnanam refers to specific knowledge of the spirit soul and knowledge of one's constitutional position and his relationship to the Supreme Soul. It is explained thus in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: jnanam parama-guhyam me yad vijnana-samanvitam/sa-rahasyam tad-angam ca grhana gaditam maya: "The knowledge of the self and the Supreme Self is very confidential and mysterious, being veiled by maya, but such knowledge and specific realization can be understood if it is explained by the Lord Himself." Bhagavad-gita gives us that knowledge, specifically knowledge of the self. The living entities are parts and parcels of the Lord, and therefore they are simply meant to serve the Lord. This consciousness is called Krsna consciousness. So, from the very beginning of life one has to learn this Krsna consciousness, and thereby one may become fully Krsna conscious and act accordingly. Lust is only the perverted reflection of the love of God which is natural for every living entity. But if one is educated in Krsna consciousness from the very beginning, that natural love of God cannot deteriorate into lust. When love of God deteriorates into lust, it is very difficult to return to the normal condition. Nonetheless, Krsna consciousness is so powerful that even a late beginner can become a lover of God by following the regulative principles of devotional service. So, from any stage of life, or from the time of understanding its urgency, one can begin regulating the senses in Krsna consciousness, devotional service of the Lord, and turn the lust into love of Godhead--the highest perfectional stage of human life. --------

No I never received formal initiation. I knew I could never keep those vows. -- Now thats what I call a devotee. Truthfull. You are greater candidate for Bhakti, than anybody on this forum, Nitai!

<font color="red"> Sri Ramananda Raya -- Disappearance May 8 2004 </font color> http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/adi/10/134 <font color="red"> TEXT 134</font color> ei panca putra tomara mora priyapatra ramananda saha mora deha-bheda matra SYNONYMS ei-these; panca-five; putra-sons; tomara-your; mora-Mine; priya-patra-very dear; ramananda saha-with Sri Ramananda Raya; mora-Mine; deha-bheda-bodily difference; matra-only. TRANSLATION Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Bhavananda Raya, "Your five sons are all My dear devotees. Ramananda Raya and I are one, although our bodies are different." PURPORT The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (120-24) states that Ramananda Raya was formerly Arjuna. He is also considered to have been an incarnation of the gopi Lalita, although in the opinion of others he was an incarnation of Visakhadevi. He was a most confidential devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Although I am a sannyasi, My mind is sometimes perturbed when I see a woman. But Ramananda Raya is greater than Me, for he is always undisturbed, even when he touches a woman." Only Ramananda Raya was endowed with the prerogative to touch a woman in this way; no one should imitate him. Unfortunately, there are rascals who imitate the activities of Ramananda Raya. We need not discuss them further. In Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's final pastimes, Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara always engaged in reciting suitable verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam and other books to pacify the Lord's ecstatic feelings of separation from Krsna. When Lord Caitanya went to southern India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya advised Him to meet Ramananda Raya, declaring that there was no devotee as advanced in understanding the conjugal love of Krsna and the gopis. While touring South India, Lord Caitanya met Ramananda Raya by the bank of the Godavari, and in their long discourses the Lord took the position of a student, and Ramananda Raya instructed Him. Caitanya Mahaprabhu concluded these discourses by saying, "My dear Ramananda Raya, both you and I are madmen, and therefore we met intimately on an equal level." Lord Caitanya advised Ramananda Raya to resign from his government post and come back to Jagannatha Puri to live with Him. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see Maharaja Prataparudra because he was a king, Ramananda Raya, by a Vaisnava scheme, arranged a meeting between the Lord and the King. This is described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Twelve, verses 41-57. Sri Ramananda Raya was present during the water sports of the Lord after the Ratha-yatra festival. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu considered Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Sanatana Gosvami to be equal in their renunciation, for although Sri Ramananda Raya was a grhastha engaged in government service and Sri Sanatana Gosvami was in the renounced order of complete detachment from material activities, they were both servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who kept Krsna in the center of all their activities. Sri Ramananda Raya was one of the three and a half personalities with whom Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu discussed the most confidential topics of Krsna consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised Pradyumna Misra to learn the science of Krsna from Sri Ramananda Raya. As Subala always assisted Krsna in His dealings with Radharani in krsna-lila, so Ramananda Raya assisted Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His feelings of separation from Krsna. Sri Ramananda Raya was the author of the Jagannatha-vallabha-nataka. --------

I know many people(women) who fast on other days of the week but when it comes to fast on ekadasi they dont so the other fasts dont matter. -- I have seen this also, among my many cousins. Curious. VERY Curious.. Most people fast for some sort of material gain, for later sense gratification, but you ask why you not fast on Ekadasi, its like they don't even know what you are saying. I am afraid the western 'Hindu's' don't know about Ekadasi {I DID NOT!}, why? Blame the parents, when I went to India long time ago, my Grandfather used to fast, the way he did it was nobody knew about it, he just fasted.

Hare Krsna Do you have diksa? If you not want to answer for personal reasons of any kind, on an open forum {don't blame you} then please ignore this post, I will delete later on. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

Hare Krsna Site: http://www.unlimited-resources.com/dravida.html File:http://www.unlimited-resources.com/lion.ram If they work that is! Anybody know of any sites, which have recitaion of Narasimha Kavacha {sound file}..?

<MARQUEE LOOP=2><H2><font color="blue">Ekadasi</font color></H2></MARQUEE> <MARQUEE LOOP=3><H1><font color="RED">Nitai!</font color></H2></MARQUEE>

http://www.iskcon.it/prabhupadadesh/atma2.m3u Downloadable. right click link.

I feel even attachment for devotees, is not so good, if they let you down someway, it can cause you grief. But then that's natural, to feel bad, if a karmi does something bad to you it can be tolerated, but if a devotee 'may' then it's heartbreaking. I can find no solution..Save and except just forgiveness. But also if a pure devotee sees that he is being treated badly he can cope, as he is in perfect knowledge, he can actually see why it happended, but most of us don't know, we only guess, which further causes offences to all What do you say?

Days reserved for praying 'Ekadasi' You can find out what days it falls on, usually every 11 days or so, also there are many other days, where the atmosphere is nice. http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2004-2005.html Download the calendar, it will calculate for you; depending on which part of the world you are in. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

You need both, can't have one without the other. Establish link, pray/chant. Chant to establish link. In the URL which Ghari Prabhu posted before, it says devotional service is performed by the order of Srimati Radha-who is very dear to KRSNA, she holds the key. The Pure devotee already has established the linking process by the Grace of his Guru and his Guru etc. Freewill to serve sincerely the Guru and Vaishnava's, pleases Guru & Gauranga, and Radha-Krsna. /images/graemlins/smile.gif All the books of Vaishnava's are geared towards serving that Pure Vaishnava, who he is? Read the books!!!

Loving devotees is best service.

Hare KRNSA! --- <font color="red"> Nitai Guna Mani</font color> <font color="blue">My Lord Nityananda, the jewel of all virtues, my Lord Nityananda, the jewel of all virtues, has brought the flood of ecstatic love of God that has drowned the entire world.</font color> --- CC:Antya.16.69: <font color="red">Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "I have induced the whole world to take to the holy name of Krsna. I have induced even the trees and immovable plants to chant the holy name.</font color>

Siksastakam verse 3 3) One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly. -- Since your always meant to be chanting, the above verse applys to almost every circumstance in your life, including avoidance of Vaishnava-aparadha. Lets see what forum members say...

Hare Krishna, Was very nice, after some thought, I think we are lazy to look at qualities, we assume with our puny minds, in a negative way, in the article it says 'open your heart', Who resides within the heart? Paramatma. Also it says how do we gain attachment to KRNSA if He not talk to us, in answer it say to gain association of devotees who are in contact with KRSNA. Loads more in there..Haribol

Hare KRSNA This is a very good article about- commiting Vaishnava aparadha, it has opened my eyes. Please read it fully. --- <font color="blue"> Abandon Unhealthy Mentalities</font color> by <font color="green"> Swami B.G. Narasingha </font color> {Disciple of Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada} Question: It is said that a Vaishnava is fearless. Is this actually a fact or does the Vaishnava also have some fear? Answer: Yes. A Vaishnava is fearless in all circumstances because he knows that Krishna will always protect him. Yet, if we examine the mood of the great souls, the sadhus and the acharyas, we can detect that a Vaishnava is fearful of only one thing ­­ vaishnava-aparadha. Not only a Vaishnava but the Supreme Lord Himself is also afraid of vaishnava-aparadha, not for Himself but for the benefit of His devotees, and He therefore cautions His devotees accordingly. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descended to this world to bestow the greatest boon of love of Krishna upon all living entities. While instructing and empowering Srila Rupa Goswami at Prayag to distribute the mellows of bhakti-rasa the Lord cautioned against offenses committed at the lotus feet of a Vaishnava. yadi vaisnava-aparadha uthe hati mata upade va chinde tara sukhi yaya pata "If the devotee commits an offense at the feet of a Vaishnava while cultivating the creeper of devotional service in the material world, his offense is compared to a mad elephant that uproots the creeper and breaks it. In this way the leaves of the creeper are dried up." (Cc.Madhya-lila, Ch. 19, Txt.. 156) There are many incidents of vaishnava-aparadha recorded in the revealed scriptures as a reminder to all aspiring devotees about the serious consequences of offenses committed at the feet of a pure Vaishnava. When a non-devotee makes an offense against a pure Vaishnava as in the case of Gopala Capala, who offended Srivasa Pandita by placing the paraphernalia for worshipping the Goddess Bhavani outside his door, the usual reaction is that the offender is stricken with a horrible disease such as leprosy or even death. Gopala Capala was a brahmin but he was envious of Srivasa Pandita, a great devotee of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Gopala Capala's offense was envy--envy of the Vaishnavas. Greater than the sin of killing a cow; greater than the sin of killing a brahmin, a woman, or even killing children is the sin of envying a Vaishnava. That is the ultimate sin. In the case of Gopala Capala he was immediately stricken with leprosy due to his offense to Srivasa Pandita and his face and other extremities of his body began to melt away. After sometime he met Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu along the way to the Ganges and he begged the Lord to please forgive him and deliver him from his miserable condition. Hearing the man's plea to be delivered Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became furious with anger, "You sinful wretch!, said the Lord, "Why do you blaspheme the Vaishnavas? All the living entities in material existence are My friends. However, I am completely inimical to one who is envious of a Vaishnava. Even after suffering for ten thousand life times still you won't be released from your offense against a Vaishnava. I can forgive an offense against Myself but a fool who commits violence to a Vaishnava is lost forever. Such an envious sinner goes straight to hell. O most sinful man, you will never see the end of your suffering." That man did not die immediately but he continued to suffer for many years and then he was eventually delivered when at last he fell in the dust of the lotus feet of Srivasa Pundita and begged for his mercy. The Lord easily forgives an offense against Himself but he never forgives an offense committed against His pure devotee. Srila Viswanatha Chakravati Thakura says that the pure devotee can not recognize an offense against himself and therefore the only way to get free from an offense committed to a pure devotee is to fall in the dust of his lotus feet and beg forgiveness. Srila Viswanatha says that the dust at the feet of the pure devotee remembers the offense that one has committed and therefore only the dust can give forgiveness. The non-devotee offender certainly suffers miserable disease and even death as a result of his offense to a Vaishnava but there are examples also where even a great devotee, a pure devotee, accidentally committed some offense to another Vaishnava. Knowing that if one Vaishnava offends another Vaishnava the offender can never experience love of Krishna, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu becomes very anxious that the offense be removed so that His devotee can taste Krishna-prema. An example of this is Mother Saci, the mother of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Mother Saci was thinking that due to the influence of Adwaitacharya her eldest son Visvarupa had left home, taking up the renounced order of life. Mentally Mother Saci harbored this apprehension about Sri Adwaitacharya thinking that He might similarly be a bad influence on her younger son Nimai. She never said anything directly to Adwaitacharya, she only thought like that. Being the omniscient Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu knew the mind of Mother Saci. Thus considering the exalted position of Adwaitacharya the Lord proclaimed that Mother Saci had made vaishnava-aparadha to Adwaitacharya. Mahaprabhu then called for Adwaitacharya who could hardly believe his ears when he was informed that Mahaprabhu had declared that Mother Saci had made vaishnava-aparadha against him. On the way to Mother Saci's house Adwaitacharya incessantly chanted the glories of Mother Saci. To conceive that Saci had made an offense to him was not within Adwaita's thinking capacity. He was so devoted to Saci Devi. When Adwaita entered the house of Mother Saci he fell to the floor in a faint of love of God. Mahaprabhu knew that the acharya would never allow Saci to touch his feet therefore when Adwaita lay on the floor in a faint He requested His mother to touch Adwaitacharya's lotus feet. Mother Saci did this and got release from the offense. Thus she was then able to taste the pure nectar of Krishna-prema. We should consider ­­ if vaishnava-aparadha was possible even for Mother Saci then what about me. "I am the king of fools. What offenses I must have committed against the Vaishnavas ­­ knowingly or unknowingly. What is my position? How shall I redeem myself with the Lords devotees?" Only our sincerest humility mixed with the dust of the Vaishnava's lotus feet can help us to be forgiven for our offenses and to avoid vaishnava-aparadha in the future. Our best safe guard against vaishnava-aparadha is humility. Not a calculation of humility, "O here is a Vaishnava. Let me be careful ­­ I shall be humble and show respect to him." No. Not a show of humility by calculation. That will not help us much. What is required is a flow of real humility from the heart ­­ which is free from envy. I envy the Vaishnavas and therefore I am calculated in all my dealings with them. Envy means calculation and this certainly leads to offenses. We have seen that sometimes a neophyte devotee tries to calculate the words and deeds of a venerable Vaishnava. Thinking that the Vaishnava poses a threat to his position or reputation the neophyte begins a slander campaign against the pure Vaishnava. The venerable Vaishnava is always the well wisher of the aspiring devotees in Krishna consciousness but when the neophyte allows his previous material conditioning of fear, duplicity, apprehension, and envy to adulterate his vision he calculates that the Vaishnava has become his enemy. In that state of consciousness the neophyte unfortunately makes many offenses to the pure devotee. Unless by the grace of God the offender comes to his senses and surrenders to the dust of the Vaishnava's lotus feet then unfortunately his Krishna consciousness is destroyed. In the second verse of Siksastaka Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has written, namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah "O My Lord, in Your holy names there is all good fortune for the living entity, and therefore You have many names such as Krishna and Govinda, by which You expand Yourself. You have invested all Your potencies in those names, and there are no hard and fast rules for remembering them. My dear Lord, although You bestow such mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by liberally teaching Your holy names, I am so unfortunate that I commit offense while chanting the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment for chanting." So even though we may have embraced the chanting of the holy name of Krishna for millions of lifetimes, if there is offense, and especially if there is offense to a Vaishnava, then we can not develop attachment for the holy name. This Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu indicates is due to offenses. In the next verse of Siksastaka the Lord indicates the proper way of chanting which will help one to avoid vaishnava-aparadha. trnad api suniicena taror iva sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih "One who thinks himself lower than a blade of grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others, can very easily constantly chant the holy name of the Lord with attachment." The Chaitanya-caritamrta advises that we should wear this verse of Siksastaka: trnad api suniicena, strung on the thread of the holy name, around our neck for continuous remembrance. It is so important to maintain proper humility. Without humility we will not be able to have offenseless dealings with the Vaishnavas. Our humility must be genuine. I must be really sincere in my vision of the Vaishnavas. What is that? The Vaishnavas are my masters. I am their servant and the servant of their servants. The Vaishnava is not my servant. He is not my order supplier. I should not think that if he does not satisfy me I will become angry with him. Such thinking will always put us in an offensive mentality. It is always better to conceive of one's self as the servant, of the servant, of the servant, of the Vaishnava. That is our true position according to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. gopi bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa dasanudasah "Our position is that of the servant, of the servant, of the servant, of the followers of the Vaishnavas (gopis)." By uttering "gopibhartuh " Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has indicated the topmost devotees and the prescribed mood of worship in which we should follow in order to understand His conception. Amongst all the Vaishnavas the gopis are the topmost. This Mahaprabhu has stated and Srila Sanatana Goswami has shown this in his Brhad-bhagavatamamrta also. The topmost servants in love of Godhead are the cowherd girls of Vrindavana. And among the cowherd maidens of Lord Krishna at Vrindavana Srimati Radharani stands supreme. This is proclaimed by the Bhagavatam in the verse "anaya radhitam nunam" in which Sri Candravali has said, "no one but Radharani can fully satisfy Krishna." From the word radhitam the name of Radharani is understood just as in the verse spoken by Lord Siva to Parvati in Padma Purana, aradhanam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param the word aradhanam, the best worshiper, indicates Radharani. So, it may also be conceived that aparadha, an offense, means that which is displeasing to Srimati Radharani. Love for Krishna is not possible without the grace of Srimati Radharani and therefore if one commits offenses to the Vaishnavas it is not possible to get Her grace. Srimati Radharani is the original devotee. In the words of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, "Krishna is the Supreme Predominating Moity and Srimati Radharani is the Supreme Predominated Moity of the Absolute Truth". All devotional service to Krishna must first pass through Srimati Radharani. In the words of Srila Prabhupada, "Srimati Radharani is the Mother of Devotion." Mother means who gives birth. So the energy of devotion is born from Srimati Radharani. It is not the energy of the living entity, jiva-tattva, which serves Krishna directly. There must be a connection with the source of the devotional flow, Srimati Radharani, then the jiva can perform his normal and natural function in relationship to Krishna. The venerable Vaishnavas are the representatives of Srimati Radharani and as such no one can get Her blessings without first satisfying the Vaishnavas. Therefore our siksha-guru Srila B.R. Sridhar Maharaja gave much stress to the service of the Vaishnavas. The Vaishnavas are like the kalpavrksa, the wish fulfilling tress of Goloka Vrindavana who can fulfill all our spiritual desires. By the grace of a Vaishnava all our cherished deires to serve Sri Sri Radha and Krishna will be fulfilled or by their displeasure all is lost. Vaishnava-aparadha is such a grievous thing, yet we are so unfortunate that we deal with the Vaishnavas in a most ordinary way, as though they were common street people or worse. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita: (7:3) manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti tattvatah Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth. The devotee of Krishna is so rare ­­ no one is more dear to Krishna on this earth than the pure devotee. Our guru-maharaja, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, stressed on this point literally hundreds of time ­­ beware of vaishnava-aparadha ­­ "it is most grievous". Perhaps our greatest defect as westerners is that we come to deal with the highest conceptions of divinity, with the Supreme Lord and His dearest devotees, but we bring with us our mundane pride and our arrogance. During the life time of Srila Prabhupada he earnestly requested the Vaishnava community in India to kindly accept his disciples as genuine Vaishnavas and sannyasis. And by his grace we were accepted. However, regrettably, after the departure of Srila Prabhupada we foolishly began to consider that, "our guru was the only guru and we in turn are the only Vaishnavas". Thus, much unnecessary vaishnava-aparadha was committed against humble and venerable Vaishnavas in India. It is nothing to be proud of but it is a fact. Many vaishnava-aparadhas have been committed against some of Krishna's dearest devotees and many have had to suffer on account of that. Should we have learned our lesson by now? You would think so but again, regrettably the offensive mentality toward the Vaishnavas still exists in many of us today. We are so unfortunate. Sometimes as neophytes we wrongly consider, "my guru is the topmost devotee of Krishna and by his grace I have become advanced in Krishna consciousness and am preaching all over the world. Therefore, I can do anything and everything and nothing can check me." This is a mistake. In the name of my guru I may also commit vaishnava-aparadha and if so, then ­­ even he may not be able to save me from the reaction. By accepting the service of a liberated soul and taking shelter at his lotus feet one very quickly becomes qualified in Krishna consciousness. But due to a vaishnava-aparadha one may again fall down into illusion and material suffering. Once upon a time there lived a devotee by the name of Rupa Kaviraja (not to be confused with Rupa Goswami) who had taken shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna-charan Chakravarti (the param-guru of Srila Viswanatha Chakravarti Thakura and who was Ranga Manjari in Krishna-lila). Due to the association and blessings of his guru Rupa Kaviraja became celebrated as a great devotee, advanced in the mellows of Vraja-bhakti and very learned in the bhakti-sastras. Later on after the departure of his guru envy of the Vaishnavas manifest in the heart of Rupa Kaviraja and he again fell down. At Radha-kunda this Rupa Kaviraja was accustomed to recite the Bhagavatam and many respectable Vaishnavas would come to hear him. One day a certain Vaishnavi named Srimati Krishna-priya Thakurani came to sit and listen to the discourses on Krishna consciousness. Krishna-priya Thakurani was very dear to all the devotees because she constantly chanted the holy names of Krishna in a humble state of mind. While listening to Rupa Kaviraja deliver his discourse the lips of Krishna-priya Thakurani ever so softly vibrated the holy names. Suddenly Rupa Kaviraja stopped speaking and addressed Krishna-priya Thakurani, "How is it that you are able to do two things at once. I am speaking the Bhagavatam and you continue your chanting. Have you no respect?" Krishna-priya Thakurani replied, "It is not that I chant purposefully but my tongue and lips uncontrollably chant the holy name of Krishna even without my wanting to do so." When Rupa Kaviraja heard this reply he became furious with Krishna-priya Thakurani and angrily chastised her in the assembly of Vaishnavas. Everyone was very sad to hear his cruel words hurled upon the humble person of Krishna-priya Thakurani. Rupa Kaviraja immediately fell down from his position and he lost all potency to speak the Bhagavatam. People stopped attending his discourses and soon he was stricken with leprosy. He left Vrindavana and tried to get shelter in other Vaishnava communities elsewhere in India but the news of his having grievously offended a pure Vaishnava spread to where ever he tried to hide. Lastly he died in exile somewhere in Orrissa. What could be done ­­ Rupa Kaviraja had a guru of the highest caliber but due to envy of a pure devotee he unfortunately committed vaishnava-aparadha and was vanquished forever. Even having such a high type of guru could not save him from the reaction to his misdeed. This unfortunate incident is mentioned in the biography of Srila Viswanatha Cakravati Thakura. Another example of offenders is that of Jagai and Madhai. These two fallen souls from a brahmin family lived in Navadwip town during the time of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Mostly we have heard that they were drunkards and were delivered by Mahaprabhu but they were much more than just drunkards. The Chaitanya-bhagavat by Vrindavana Dasa Thakur states that these two brothers were so sinful that it is not possible to account the unlimited sins they had committed. Not only were they drunkards but they were murderers of cows, brahmins, and even women. No one could count the numbers of innocent persons that they murdered. They were so mean and nasty that everyone in Navadwip was deathly afraid of them. When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave His order to take the holy name of Krishna to every home in Navadwip the Lords chief assistants said that as long as Jagai and Madhai were present it would not be possible as these two brothers repeatedly stooped the chanting of the holy names and threatened to kill the devotees. The Lord then organized a sankirtan party and in a joyous mood he led the sankirtan party to the house of Jagai and Madhai who were fallen down in a drunken stupor. After sometime the brothers were awakened by the tumultuous sound and the banging of drums and the ringing of kartals. What is this they thought, "Who dares to disturb our peaceful sleep? Catch them! Catch them!" Picking up clubs to beat the devotees the two brothers ran to the street where they saw the Lord amidst his favorite devotees; Nityananda Prabhu, Adwaitacharya, Murari, Mukunda Datta, and many others dancing and chanting the holy names of Krishna in great ecstasy. With nasty words and in an angry tone Jagai and Madhai tried to rebuke Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees but when all else failed the brothers became completely mad and in a frenzy of anger they struck Lord Nityananda in the head with a piece of earthen pot. Seeing this Mahaprabhu summoned His sudarsana cakra which then sped toward Jagai and Madhai to cut their heads from their shoulders. Lord Nityananda, the most merciful to the fallen souls, stopped the sudarsana cakra and petitioned Lord Chaitanya to kindly show these sinners His mercy by delivering them. The scene of Lord Nityananda pleading with Lord Chaitanya to spare the two brothers melted the stonelike hearts of Jagai and Madhai. Later Jagai and Madhai came before the Lord with folded hands. Lord Chaitanya then requested the brothers to give the Lord a tulsi leaf saying, "I will take your sinful reactions. Give them all to Me." At first the brothers refused saying, "O Lord You do not know how sinful we are. We can not do it." The brothers reminded the Lord that they had killed many cows, brahmins, women, and given trouble to countless innocent persons. But the Lord insisted and finally it was done. When Lord Chaitanya received the sins of Jagai and Madhai the Lord lost his golden complexion and He immediately became black. Seeing this the Lord said, "Whoever offends a vaishnava will have to accept the sinful reactions of Jagai and Madhai." The Lord then resumed His origional golden color. This story is narrated in the Chaitanya-bhagavat and the Chaitanya-mangala. So we are to deal with the Lords devotees in a most sincere and humble way. We should not allow a trace of envy or pride or duplicity to enter our dealings with the Vaishnavas. Among all the living entities, the Vaishnava and especially one who broadcasts His message, is the most dear to Lord Krishna. na ca tasman manusyesu, kascin me priya-krttamah bhavita na ca me tasmad, anyah priyataro bhuvi There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he who preaches this message, nor will there ever be one more dear. (Bhagavad-gita 18:69) There is no consideration about a Vaishnava's birth, caste, nationality, gender, age, or race. These are all external designations of the material body and these should not be considered as very important when trying to understand who is a Vaishnava. Similarly, it is of little consequence as to what spiritual society a Vaishnava does or does not belong to. When approaching a Vaishnava if we allow our consciousness to focus on so many external designations then we are sure to make offenses at his lotus feet. Actually it is a fact that excessive consideration about the society a pure Vaishnava belongs to or doesn't belong to has perhaps become the greatest single cause of comitting vaishnava-aparadha since the time of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is also a fact that instead of preaching love of Krishna all over the world and glorifying the Lords dearmost servants we all too often fall prey to preaching society consciousness and sometimes oppose the pure devotees, thus perpetuating an offensive mentality in the minds of the newcomers in Krishna consciousness. Once Srila Prabhupada was asked how we can tell who is a pure devotee of Krishna, to which he replied, "It takes one to know one." So, in the meantime let us try to remember the Lords instruction to always remain in a humble state of mind while constantly chanting the holy names of Krishna. The Vaishnava are krpa-sindhu, an ocean of mercy, and we the fallen souls are in great need of coming in contact with that ocean of mercy. The Vaishnavas are the only saviours, patita-pavana, for the down trodden and fallen souls of this material world. Therefore, all unhealthy mentalities leading to vaishnava-aparadha should be totally abandoned and given up immediately. So with the following prayer let us bow our heads in the dust of our gurus lotus feet and always beg to remain as a humble servant of the Vaishnavas, and to always be gentle and gracious in our dealings with all those Vaishnava devotees of the Lord who have embraced the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and who are the only shelter and life giving nectar for the surrendered souls. vanchakalpa-tarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah ---- http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/saranagati/html/swami-narasingha-fs.html -----

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