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Bhaktaneal

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Posts posted by Bhaktaneal


  1. Yesterday after Bhagavatam class, I was flipping thru a copy of the Caitanya Caritamrta and saw this picture of Lord Nityananda kicking a devotee in the stomache! Never had I seen this and was dumbfounded..."what pastime is this?" I inquired to my friend... "oh, Sivananda blew it... He did not arrange for a place to stay for Nityananda and the Sankirtan Party, leaving them to take Their rest under trees, hungry and tired. When Sivananda came to Him, He kicked him. Isn't that great?" my friend asks me...Great? "Oh, yeah, well, to have your but kicked by God would be a blessing, I suppose" I replied... but I had to read for myself to try and understand more.

     

    Here it is:

    CC Antya 12.15: Sivananda Sena managed the payment of tolls at different places. Maintaining everyone, he guided all the devotees in great happiness.

     

    CC Antya 12.16: Sivananda Sena took care of everyone and gave each devotee places to stay. He knew all the paths leading to Orissa.

     

    CC Antya 12.17: One day when the party was being checked by a toll collector, the devotees were allowed to pass, and Sivananda Sena remained behind alone to pay the taxes.

     

    CC Antya 12.18: The party went into a village and waited beneath a tree because no one but Sivananda Sena could arrange for their residential quarters.

     

    CC Antya 12.19: Nityananda Prabhu meanwhile became very hungry and upset. Because He had not yet obtained a suitable residence, He began calling Sivananda Sena ill names.

     

    CC Antya 12.20: "Sivananda Sena has not arranged for My residence," He complained, "and I am so hungry I could die. Because he has not come, I curse his three sons to die."

     

    CC Antya 12.21: Hearing this curse, Sivananda Sena's wife began to cry. Just then, Sivananda returned from the toll station.

     

    CC Antya 12.22: Crying, his wife informed him, "Lord Nityananda has cursed our sons to die because His quarters have not been provided."

     

    CC Antya 12.23: Sivananda Sena replied, "You crazy woman! Why are you needlessly crying? Let my three sons die for all the inconvenience we have caused Nityananda Prabhu."

     

    CC Antya 12.24: After saying this, Sivananda Sena went to Nityananda Prabhu, who then stood up and kicked him.

     

    CC Antya 12.25: Very pleased at being kicked, Sivananda Sena quickly arranged for a milkman's house to be the Lord's residence.

     

    CC Antya 12.26: Sivananda Sena touched the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu and led Him to His residence. After giving the Lord His quarters, Sivananda Sena, being very pleased, spoke as follows.

     

    CC Antya 12.27: "Today You have accepted me as Your servant and have properly punished me for my offense.

     

    CC Antya 12.28: "My dear Lord, Your chastising me is Your causeless mercy. Who within the three worlds can understand Your real character?

     

    CC Antya 12.29: "The dust of Your lotus feet is not attainable even by Lord Brahma, yet Your lotus feet have touched my wretched body.

     

    CC Antya 12.30: "Today my birth, my family and my activities have all become successful. Today I have achieved the fulfillment of religious principles, economic development, satisfaction of the senses and ultimately devotional service to Lord Krsna."

     

    CC Antya 12.31: When Lord Nityananda heard this, He was very happy. He rose and embraced Sivananda Sena in great love.

     

    CC Antya 12.32: Being very much pleased by Nityananda Prabhu's behavior, Sivananda Sena began to arrange residential quarters for all the Vaisnavas, headed by Advaita Acarya.

     

    CC Antya 12.33: One of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's characteristics is His contradictory nature. When He becomes angry and kicks someone, it is actually for his benefit.

     

    What a cool pastime.


  2. that was a tuffy, prabhu.

     

    I really liked how it included a variety of subject matter, that was what made it challenging. I only got 9 of 19 the first time /images/graemlins/blush.gif

     

    what got me was when I tried to change my answer, as it allowed for mutiple selections, you had to click again to deselect something. simply choosing another, you ended up making two choices, and if one was wrong, you got the whole question wrong. Tricky. but even so, guarded with this knowledge, I retook the quiz and still only got 11 of 19

     

    Time to hit the books! /images/graemlins/grin.gif


  3. I see Witchcraft and Wicca as another means for the living entity to try and 'Lord It Over Material Nature'. Trying to control matter, influence others, manifest desired outcomes, and attract material objects into one's possesion...etc

     

    Before I became a devotee, as I was searching for answers, I got heavily into "Creative Visualization" as taught by Shakti Gawain.(http://www.shaktigawain.com/)

     

    This practice, I found, was like a form of spell casting in that you visualize something, like improved health, a new job, a pair of sunglasses...etc & make a request to the "Universe" that it or something better will come true and manifest in your life. I tried putting this to the test and found it to work remarkably well. Never~the~less, I still had unanswered questions and was still only finding temporary enjoyment and or satisfaction. It also kept me oblivious to who God was and why I find myself in this body. Infact, it just raised even more questions that I could not find acceptable answers to.

     

    I found that Prabhupada's books answered my questions, and then some, leaving me with no more desires to try and manipulate myself or my surroundings with the Visualization techniques. Nor have I done a Creative Visualization exercise since my trying to becoming a devotee of Lord Krsna. Nor have I felt the need to.

     

    So I belive that there are powers within ourselves that we can utilize for whatever reason...I don't understand it much, but can say by experience that it works...but compared to Krsna Consciousness, it pales, as it doesn't help me prepare for when I leave this world; doesn't help me to get back home to Godhead; what to speak I doubt that it is very pleasing to Lord Krsna, as it is yet another example of me trying to play God.

     

    I did find the following that gives a comparisson of Wicca and Witchcraft. I did a search and noticed alot of sites that say Wicca borrows from eastern practices and beliefs such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

     

    http://www.holygrail-church.fsnet.co.uk/Witchcraft.htm

    "Witches practice clairvoyance, divination, astral projection, spells, curses, and herbal healing. They are supposed to follow a principle of ethics known as the wiccan rede where the effects of magic are believed to return threefold upon the person working it for good or ill. Not all adhere to this voluntary code. Their very belief in gods and goddesses, whether symbolic or not, identifies witchcraft groups as embracing a polytheistic conceptualisation of the universe. Modern witches, however, do not necessarily believe in a pantheon of male and female deities, but that reality itself is understood in many different ways. Truth is not a matter of correspondence between language, the world, or any one conceptual model. Put differently, there is no singular expression of truth. Truths that are contradictory are held to simultaneously. Symbols that accompany wiccan lore include the amulet, the talisman, the ankh, the pentagram, the athame (ritual dagger), the cup, the pentacle, the rune, the sigil, the wand, the tarot, the cauldron, the altar, the fith-fath (effigy) etc.

     

    Witchcraft is sharply at odds with Christianity. Divination, spiritism, magic, sorcery, witchcraft, and the occult in general are condemned in the Bible. The polytheism in witchcraft is also a blatant contradiction to the strict monotheism of Christianity. Like most other non-Christian religions and religious cults of the world, witchcraft obliterates the distinction between Creator and creation. Wiccans deify nature in such a way that both God and nature are identified as synonymous. Furthermore, since divinity lies in nature and in the cosmos, it also resides within each person. Here it can be observed that wiccan thought closely parallels Hinduism and other Eastern paradigms. Traditional Christian thought holds that witchcraft has its source in Satan, the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4: 4). Some wiccan groups are indeed an introduction to overt diabolism and devil worship, but by no means all act as a front for fundamentalist Satanism. Principal influence of the occult revival in the twentieth century is undoubtedly Aleister Crowley without whom there would be no modern witchcraft movement today."


  4. here is a nice description, as well as correction of common misconception of Tulsi Devi:

    http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/saranagati/html/nmj_articles/tulsi_devi.html

     

    Here is another description of Tulsi Devi:

    http://www.vrindavan.org/vrindakunja/sukamr/english-amrita/VRINDA-TULASI.htm

     

    here is a description of morning worship of Tulsi Devi:

    http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/sadhana/morning/tulasi-arati/tulasi-arati.htm

     

    I hope this is helpful.


  5. I personaly was uncomfortable with what I read about this Kalki Bhagavan. His followers claim him to be the incarnation of Lord Kalki, and he say he denies being Kalki but accepts that he is an avatara of God.

     

    Hmmmm. What I find interesting is the "mystical experiences" that followers swear to having in the pressence of him and Amma. I am wondering if he is using some sort of mystic siddhi (or mystic power) to enchant people with, leaving them to feel enlightened?

     

    While I believe in psychic ability, I question its use to influence others in this regard. Offering them the quick and easy path to enlightenment.


  6. It is the 6 Goswamis of Vrndavana...

     

    and there is an interesting story behind it... back in 2001 when I first registered, there was this really nice website, The Open Heart, by a Mathaji who has since left her body, Jaya Radhe Mathaji. They were painted by her, I believe. She was also a regular of these forums. She had alot of hard to find devotional art, as well as her own paintings, on her website and I linked my avatar to the pic of the 6 Goswamis. You can see my old test posting and a thank you to her on page three of the test forums under "Hari bol?" by Bhaktaneal.

    http://www.hindu-religion.net/showflat/cat/test/25985/2/collapsed/5/o/1

     

    So alot of years go by, and I visited here every so often, but I noticed that the 6 Goswamis had dissappeared... more than likely because Jaya Radhe's website was no longer available. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

     

    When I recently got more involved in posting again, I tried linking a new avatar of Lord Nrsimhadeva. Strangely enough, the 6 Goswamis appeared instead!! Jai! Apparently they were saved as:

    http://www.hindu-religion.net/pictures/282.jpg

    and you can click this link and see a bigger version of it.

    I knew nothing of them being saved and it is wild that they reappeared, esp. when I entered a different link!

    pretty interesting, wouldn't you say?


  7. I was going over all that has been said in this thread and musing over what started as a simple inquiry for a translation... and it developed into this big discussion. I dig that.

     

    I was also thinking about The Bhagavan das version of Raghupati Raghava, and I realized that he doesn't sing the Isvara Allaah line... but sings other lines like Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram... etc.. But it's not the original.


  8. Upon re-reding the paper from which I seem to have gotten the original lyrics, it doesn't say that Tulsidas wrote it.

     

    I did learn from another site that Tulsidas and Valmiki are the same, apparently, according to these excerpts from an article I found:

     

    Goswami Tulsidas was considered to be an incarnation of the Sage Valmiki.He was born in Rajpur, Uttar Pradesh in the year 1532 and was the son of Atmaram Shukla Dube and Hulsi.

     

    His travels took him to a temple where Hanuman used to appear in the disguise of a leper.Hanuman was the first to arrive there and the last to leave.Tulsidas met with Hanuman who bestowed upon him the vision of Shree Raama.Under the directions of Hanuman,Tulsidas wrote the Ramacharitra Manas.He spared no effort to express the emotions contained therein.

     

    Tulsidas wrote twelve books and the most renowned was and still is the Ramayana also called the Ramacharitra Manas.

     

    At the age of ninety one in the year 1623 A.D. at Asighat in Varanasi,Goswami Tulsidas departed from this mortal world and achieved the ultimate grace of Shree Raama.

     

    (the full article can be viewed at:

    www.trinihindu.faithweb.com/tulsidas.html

     

    I am pretty sure I had read somewhere last night that he also composed many Ram bhajans.. I am trying to find that again, if there is still interest in this.

     


  9. Hari bol!

    PAMHO! AGTSP!

     

    I found this in a paper apparently by the Hindu Students Council at Cornell Universitywhich lists a number of Tulsidas bhajans. (all?) I must say that I am viewing as cache and may be skimming over evidence to the contrary... I am between work and home and am a bit rushed, if anyone else would want to take the time to pour over this paper in its entirty, the url is:

     

    216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:6MhwWSnc4DoJ:www.sas.cornell.edu

    /CURW/hindu/02-03/inside/puja/sp03-2.

    pdf++Tulsidas+Raghupati+raghava+raja+ram&hl=en%20target=nw

     

    (sorry , you'll have to cut and paste, it was too long)

     

    It lists the words to Raghupati Raghava and curiously enough does not contain the Isvara alaah line... I will bold type what seems to be the original:

     

    Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, Patita-Pavan Seetaram, Raghupati

     

    Seetaram, Seetaram, Bhaja Pyare Tu Seetaram, Raghupati

     

    Ram-Krishna Hai Tere Nam, Sabko Sanmati De Bhagavan, Raghupati

     

    Deena-Dayaloo Raja Ram, Patita-Pavan Seetaram, Raghupati

     

    Jaya Raghunandana Jaya Siyaram, Janaki-Vallabha Seetaram, Raghupati

     

    Jaya Yadunandana Jaya Ghanashyam, Rukmini-Vallabha Radheshyam, Raghupati

     

    Jaya Madhusoodana Jaya Gopal, Jaya Muralidhara Jaya Nandalal, Raghupati

     

    Jaya Damodara Krishna Murare, Devaki Nanadana Sarvaa Dhaar, Raghupati

     

    Jaya Govinda Jaya Gopal, Keshava Madhava Deena Dayal, Raghupati

     

    Radhakrishna Jaya Kunjabihari, Muralidhara Govardhana Dhari, Raghupati

     

    Dasharatha Nandana Avadhakishore, Yashumathi Sutha Jaya Makhana Chor, Raghupati

     

    Kaushalya ke Pyare Ram, Yashumati Sutha Jaya Nava Ghanashyam, Raghupati

     

    Vrindavana Mathura me Shyam, Avadhpuri me Seetaram, Raghupati

     

    Those are all the lines under the heading of Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram. I hope this is correct. I would be embarresed otherwise

     

    So it would seem to me that it originally said the names of Ram and Krishna are the same? correct me if I am wrong... Interesting...


  10. Hari bol!

     

    Thank you for your comments. I am in a unique position in the argument as I initialy asked a simple question, not knowing the contraversy behind. and too, I am not privy to the whole story, or history, therefor I cannot quite reach my own conclusions until I have more knowledge on the subject.

     

    I wanted to just say that my reply to Jagdeep was more a plea for him not to abandon the argument. I value his comments as much as others.

     

    There are many sides to this and I am interested in hearing them all for what they are so that I may come to my own conclusions /images/graemlins/smile.gif


  11. Jagdeep,

     

    I know you weren't speking of or to me, and excuse me if I speak out of turn, but I wanted to sy that I do not find Maadhav fanatical. Yes, he has his opinions and some are strong. and they are his. we have ours. and this forum is a good place to share them.

     

    I have to hand it to Maadhav and Ganeshprasad in that they are going back and fourth and are being basicaly civil and respectfull and are not in an attacking mode.

     

    In some instances too it may seem the topic digresses, but without starting a new topic, I think most can easily follow digressions as they do in turn relate to the original post.

     

    I do hope that you don't leave this discussion, Jagdeep, for your input is just as important. we need to hear everyones view. It keeps the discussion alive and ongoing, what to speak interesting. I encourage you to remain as one of the key debaters and continue to input your stance on this issue. With out it it will just be one sided.

     

    Not everyone has the talent for debate or argument(like myself /images/graemlins/grin.gif) ... never the less, their input is just as important to hear, don't you think?

     

    I have to disagree that just because Maadhav may counterpoint a statement, he does not come off like he thinks that they are a "lamer"


  12. Hari bol!

     

    Thank you everyone for the continued discussion on this topic. I was just thinking how this is a great example of the importance of western devotees like (or unlike ) myself to learn the translation of bhajans and try to get a true feel for what they are saying, rather than just giving them lip service like a parrot.

     

    For instance, I did not even know that "Ishvara Allaah tere naam" was stating that Ishvara and Allaah are the same, what to speak that those where even names. This is why I like to read the bhajans translations, even better a word for word transliteration.

     

    Your welcome Maadhav and Ganeshprasad, I am going to see if I can find some more to support that the original was infact written by Tulsidas...but it does look to be clear that Gandhi changed or introduced "Ishvara Allah tere naam" and I guess it wouldn't take a sanskrit scholar to come up with that, eh?

     

    This is too a lesson for me that I should stick to bhajans glorifying Krishna, of which Srila Prabhupada taught many.

     

    I wish I could comment on Gandhi, but having grown up in California, I know very little. I have been learning alot from all of the replies.

     

    Thank you Maadhav for that interesting link. There are alot of interesting titles listed... I will look into this a little deeper. I hate being fascinated about vedic culture and being nieve as to what degradates and what nurtures it in India today. (I don't know if that came out right or not, I just don't like to be uninformed on issues I think to be important)


  13. Here is some references I found online regarding Raghupti Raghava Raja Ram...

     

    This is from a description of the Dandi March:

     

    In 1930, Gandhi launched yet another of his disobedience campaign. Gandhiji wrote to the Viceroy demanding abolition of salt-tax and the Government monopoly of the manufacture of salt. When the Viceroy refused to do so, Gandhiji decided to start the Satyagraha movement by breaking the salt act.

     

    "..."On bended knees I asked for bread and I have received stone instead", Gandhi remarked, and making good his promise, he set out on March 12 with seventy-eight of his followers and disciples from Sabarmati Ashram on the 241-mile march to Dandi on the sea... ...It is said that the roads were watered, and fresh flowers and green leaves strewn on the path; and as the satyagrahis walked, they did so to the tune of one of Gandhi's favorite bhajans, Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, sung by the great Hindustani vocalist, Pandit Paluskar.... "

    (http://library.thinkquest.org/26523/mainfiles/dandi.htm)

     

    This is a description of a request days after Mother Teresa left her body:

    "Her relations with Mother's successor and the order in general have become cool since 5 September 1997. A couple of days after Mother's death, when her body was lying in St Thomas's Church, Uthup expressed the wish to sing the hymn Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, written by Gandhi. Her request was summarily dismissed by the Missionaries of Charity as the hymn was not Catholic but multi-faith. Uthup remains deeply resentful about the incident and entirely blames the nuns for their narrowminedness. I reminded her that they were just following their founder's philosophy."

    (www.meteorbooks.com/chap12.html)

     

    a reference that Gandhi changed the words:

    "Even the song sung everyday during the “Bhajan session” of Mahathma Gandhi –“Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram Pathitha Pavana Sitha Ram,

    Ishwara Allaha Tero Naam Sabhuko Sanmathi Dhe Bhagvaan” is a changed verse not the original one.

    Most of the Hindus will be singing this song. But may I know if there is any body who can shed some light, that how many Non-Hindus leave alone singing but at least know the verse."

    (www.ourkarnataka.com/Articles/ nation_that_never_learns.htm)

     

    I came across a reference to The medieval age with devotees like Tulsidas, Surdas, Meera, Kabir and others composing bhajans... apparently Tulsidas wrote primarily Ram bhajans and I think, from what I found thus far (and it is getting late for me) that Tulsidas is credited with writing Raghupati Raghava... and Gandhi is credited for changing it.

     

    Boy, I have learned alot over this. Thank you all for your fascinating replies. It was an intereting thing to do a google search on.


  14. I checked out those links, then checked further links and I read that this Kalki Bhagavan says that his followers claim him to be the Kalki avatar... He says he denies being Kalki, but accepts being called an avatar... isn't this an example of an impersonalist claiming to be God? (or rather not denying it?)

     

    Here is the quote: (from: http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Kalki_Avatar/id/1682)

     

    Question: Are you the Kalki Avatar?

    Sri Kalki Bhagavan:

    "You must be very clear that I have never claimed to be Kalki. In the beginning when the retreats were at Somamangalam (a place where retreats were conducted in the initial stages of the movement) a lot of people began to have visions, they began calling me Kalki. The 20121%(?) Kalki is just a title given by people to Me. And I have come to accept the title.

     

    But Avatar, yes. I claim to be an Avatar. The Hindu scriptures are very clear as to who an Avatar is. You see, basically, it is like this: GOD per say can never be comprehended, can never be related to, other than through the manifesta-tions. Let us take the case of light as an example. We will go into a little bit of science. Suppose, a light ray was to pass through a vacuum tube, you are not going to see the light at all. So light as such can not be seen. But, if that light were to strike an object and come back to you, you see that object. Now, the question is, are you seeing that object or are you seeing the light. The photons do hit the object and they come back into your eyes, therefore we can say you are seeing light, you can also say you are seeing only the object. There is an ambience here. So, what stand can you take here? You really cannot take a stand. You can say, “I am seeing light, yet I am not seeing light”. The same ap-proach applies to the understanding of an Avatar. When you are looking at an Avatar, you can say, “I am seeing GOD; yet I am not seeing GOD”. Both are equally true. Like without light, you are not going to see anything at all, yet light itself cannot be seen.

     

    Therefore, we maintain that only Avatars are the nearest you can get to God or whatever you want to call it. Let us take another example. You can never know or perceive electricity itself. What you can comprehend are its manifestations, for example, the tube light is the light manifestation of electricity, a fan is the mechanical manifestation of the same electricity, the iron box is the heat mani-festation.

     

    Similarly, what you call GOD has over a thousand aspects. A few of them can manifest in an individual. For instance, Ramanujam is a mathematics manifes-tation of the Supreme consciousness. He can outbeat the fastest computer ef-fortlessly. He had antaryamin of a Goddess called “Namagiri”. That is why, even today, he has not been fully understood. You take Einstein; he never studied Physics and mathematics. He simply knew what was space and time. Only later, came the mathematical formulations. He was basically a mystic. So, one can call him an Avatar for physics. If you take Karl Jung, he is an Avatar for psychology. Thyagaraja – an Avatar for music. Similarly Beethoven in the west. So, people who manifest certain aspects of the Divine and Supreme con-sciousness is called Avatara Purusha.

     

    So, I am a Spiritual Avatar. The experiences, miracles and grace people have experienced across the globe are proof of that. From my miracles and grace one can understand what kind of an Avatar I am. My thirst is mostly on En-lightenment.

     

    This is my area of specialisation, though; I can fulfil your desires and solve your problems. My vision and purpose is the enlightenment of mankind. In that sense, I’m an Avatar, but not the mythological Kalki Avatar. I am not going to be riding on a horse with a sword as they say he will come after 140,000 years.


  15. Ganeshprasad,

    Re:

    "A bhagan is a crying of a child in pursuit of his parents we will never know who is crying for real or who has crocodile tears."

     

    This is an interesting point. Thank you. You have me wondering on two other things you said, and I am hoping Maadhav or anyone else could comment:

     

    Re:

    "We are talking about ragupati raghav raja ram; even though gandhiji made it popular I am not sure he actually composed it."

     

    Is this so? did Gandhi just popularize this or did he compose it or have a scholar compose it for him?

     

    Re:

    "...Even at Iskcon they sing the first line, not that I am seeking their approval."

     

    I am wondering why this is so if Srila Prabhupada spoke against this as being an authentic bhajan? or did I misunderstand this? /images/graemlins/smile.gif

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