raga

<center>Here is a beautiful picture of Srimati Radharani in the dress of Subala from Radhapada's kunja! </center>

The aforementioned excerpts are taken from Sri Advaitadasji's translation of an appendix of Siddha Sri Krishna Das Baba's Gutika, available for download from our literature-page. The aforementioned pastime with Subala and Radha is also narrated by Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji with some more details in his commentary of Sri Raghunatha Das Gosvami's Stavavali, and can be read here.

<font face="Georgia" color=maroon> <center>PADAKARTA SRI DINABANDHU DAS NARRATES...</center> On this day Radhika is able to join Krishna for His gostha lila (cowherding pastimes), disguised as a cowherd boy. How does She manage that? On this day Krishna feels great separation from Sri Radhika in the morning. His friend Subala (who looks just like Radhika) decides to help Him out by saying, “Just sit and wait here, Kanai! I will bring Your beloved here in no time!” He hurries over to Yavata, the village where Sri Radhika lives (with Her husband), and knocks on the door of Her mother-in-law Jatila’s house. Jatila opens the door and asks him: “Subala, what do you want here?” Subala says: “I’m looking for one of my calves! My friends saw it wandering around here somewhere! Can I look for it in your yard?” Jatila says: “Well, I suppose so!” Subala slips inside the house and goes straight to Sri Radhika’s quarters. Radhika is a little surprised when She sees Krishna’s dear friend Subala inside Her room and She ask him: “Subala! How is Kana (Krishna)? Can You help Me to meet Him somehow?” Subala says: “Sure! Just put on my cowherd’s dress and go straight out of the door! When You meet Jatila You just tell her: “Thank you for letting Me search for My calve! I’m carrying it along under My scarf!” In this way You can explain the big volume of Your breasts under Your cowherdboy-scarf!” Sri Radhika and Subala then exchange clothes and Radhika thus manages to escape from Jatila’s vigilance, strictly following Subala’s instructions. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami says: subala nyasta sarupya: “Sri Radhika has invested Her own form in Subala”. From this story we can understand for which purpose She has done this. When Radhika, dressed as Subala, comes to Krishna, She decides to play a trick on Him. She pretends to be Subala and tells Krishna: “Sorry, Kanai! I didn’t manage to bring Sri Radhika to You! But don’t worry anyway! I met Candravali on the way and she says that she’s all ready for You, so if you want You can go to her!” Krishna passes the test, though, and wails: “Radhe! I only want You! How can I meet You somehow?” Seeing how faithful Krishna is to Her, Sri Radhika becomes very pleased. She reveals Her real identity to Krishna and gives Him a warm embrace.

<font face="Georgia" color=indigo><center> <big>GOPASTAMI</big> </center> On the eighth day of the light lunar quarter of Kartika, Sri Krishna gets permission from His father Nanda to start herding the cows instead of the calves. Srimad Bhagavata (10.15.1) states: <center>tatazca paugaNDa vayaH zritau vraje babhUvatus tau pazupAla sammatau gAz cArayantau sakhibhiH samaM padair vRndAvanam puNyam atIva cakratuH</center> “When Krishna and Balarama attained the pauganda-age (six to ten) in Vraja, the cowherdmen give Them permission to herd the cows (instead of just the calves). The footprints of the two divine boys beautified the land of Vrindavana.” And in the Padma Purana, Kartika Mahatmya, it is said: <center>zuklASTamI kArtike tu smRtA gopASTamI budhaiH tad dinAd vAsudevo’bhUd gopaH pUrvaM tu vatsapaH</center> “From the eighth day of the light quarter of Kartika, which is remembered by the wise as ‘gopastami’, Vasudeva became a cowherd, whereas previously He just herded calves.” On this day all the vigrahas (deities) of Srimati Radharani in Vraja are dressed like cowherd boys, and this is the only day in the year that devotees are able to have Her blessed carana darsana (sight of Her lotus feet).

List, please.

Where would this be?

A debate becomes meaningless, a mere waste of time, if it is done with an aim of having fun, as a sheer medium of having an outlet for our surpressed desires of becoming heard in this world.

If I start pointing out obvious mistakes in the writings of someone you consider an acharya, contradictions with shastra and with the writings of earlier acharyas, what will you do, then?

What Shiva has said can be easily abused. We must understand that there are gradations of authority, the writings of the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan being foundational when considering the precepts of the sampradaya. The problem we are faced with is that we have hardly any objective means to verify the self-realizedness of an acarya. Hence we cannot universally uplift the writings of a particular acarya into the same status as the foundational scriptures of the sampradaya, although the students of a particular guru may consider the guru's writings equally authoritative for them.

Debbie, There is often a gulf of difference between disagreement, debate and fight. Debate can be a very constructive means for extracting the essential purport of the scriptures. For this, of course, it is necessary that everyone engaged in the discussion understands that his/her insight may not be the ultimate, or that even it may be entirely wrong. It is astonishing how devotees, who are aspiring to be the very emblem of humility, sometimes treat each other, holding their own opinion as the highest among all. This of course draws from the idea that their opinion is the most realized purport of the scripture. In my opinion such a view is detrimental to spiritual growth, as it blocks all avenues of received wisdom from the one who sits in his lofty sandcastle of pride.

My answer (which would be obvious from browsing through the document) is that in many places in the Vedas it is given as Hare Krishna first. It is not only in ISKCON. The entire Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition chants the Maha-mantra in this sequence, following the example of Sri Caitanya. In regards to Kali Santarana, there are different editions of this title published with a different sequence for the mantra. If one were to research into the original sequence of the mantra, he would have to study old manuscripts of writings predating Sri Caitanya instead of arguing on the basis of recent editions or current practices.

Bhagavad Gita 3.21 states that whatever great men do, the common folk will follow. If the deed of a great, prominent man is presented to the public, it will certainly influence them. So it is certainly great.

If you bothered to follow the links I presented, you will find 30+ pages of references on Maha-mantra in a document I've collected. I cannot locate the exact question for which you are waiting for a straightforward reply, kindly repeat that. The post in which you commented is as follows: How about you replying to the question here?

In addition to what JNDas stated, we should note that the disciplic succession presented in the Bhagavad Gita As It Is is not by any means the only succession which exists, though it is the particular succession which ISKCON recognizes as its own. Aside them, there are countless successions of qualified gurus and disciples in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. In the Caitanya Caritamrita, the movement of Sri Caitanya is compared to a big tree, of which Caitanya Himself is the trunk, His prominent associates being its branches, and in turn their followers being its sub-branches, and so forth. Aside the ISKCON-tradition and it's mother organization, the Gaudiya Matha founded by Bhaktivedanta's guru Bhaktisiddhanta, there are a number of old traditional lineages started by Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acarya, Gadadhara Pandit, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Lokanatha Gosvami and Narottama Das Thakura, Srinivasa Acarya, Syamananda and Rasikananda, Vakresvara Pandit and Gopal Guru Gosvami, and so forth. Who can count all of the branches and sub-branches of the blissful Caitanya tree?

Debbie, Don't worry about controversy. It is bound to come up in the course of time, and a mature discussion of such controversies will bring about wisdom to all. siddhAnta baliyA citte nA kara alasa ihA ha-ite kRSNe lAge sudRDha mAnasa "In considering conclusions, do not be a lazy fellow, for through such considerations, the mind will become firmly fixed on Krishna." (Caitanya Caritamrita)

Jiva quotes from BVP on numerous occasions. What'd you guess for its date?

Shiva, it is significant to note that you are yet to present any references to any actual shastra aside the Shiva-samhita you keep reciting day in and day out.

It is not very likely that anyone will step ahead, saying "Follow me, I will volunteer!" In fact, if someone does that, I suggest you proceed with caution. It is a matter of your heart. You must find someone in whom you trust and whose instructions you feel illuminate your mind and heart.

<font face="Georgia" color=#4F260D> <center> BHRATRI-DVITIYA From Siddha Sri Krishna Das Baba's Gutika </center> Bhai-phonta: On this day, which follows the Annakuta-day and thus occurs annually on the second day (dvitiya) of the light lunar quarter of the month of Kartika, brothers and sisters show their love for their brothers (bhratri) by making a dot of sandalwood pulp on his forehead and offering him sweets. Many people go and bathe in Mathura's Visrama ghata on this day. In the morning of the Kartiki Sukla Dvitiya Sri Radhika and Her friends and maidservants all get up from bed and go to the Yamuna for their morning bath, after which the maidservants dress and ornament Sri Radhika. Niece Sunanda-gopi places a dot of sandalwood pulp on the foreheads of Balarama and Sri Krishna and makes Them eat her sweetmeats. Sri Krishna and Balarama reciprocate by offering her garments and ornaments, hearing which Sri Radha similarly places a dot of sandalwood pulp on the forehead of Her brother Sridama-candra. She offers him a plate of sweets, garlands and sandal paste and then offers Her obeisances to him. Sridama-candra then offers clothes and ornaments to Sri Radha. After that everyone heads back for Nandisvara, the abode of Maharaja Nanda. At Nandisvara Nanda Maharaja offers everyone a simple breakfast and then they all mount their individual bullock-carts to head for the village of Sahara (about 10 miles southeast of Nandisvara), where Nanda Maharaja's elder brother Upananda lives. There they enjoy four kinds of delicious cooked foods and take rest. Sri Radha-Krishna enjoy Themselves in a nearby kunja, perform the Yogapitha-lila there for Their devotees and then return to the house. After this Sri Krishna and His priya narma sakhas (dearmost friends) go out to behold the beauty of the nearby forest. Sri Radha goes to Radhakunda on the pretext of offering Surya-puja, performs Her midday-pastimes there with Sri Krishna and then returns to Yavata in the afternoon, where She has a snack and is bathed, dressed and ornamented. Meanwhile Nanda Maharaja and the others all take leave from Upananda and return to their own abodes. When Sri Radha and Her friends return to Yavata They watch Krishna's Godohana (cow-milking) pastimes as usual. <center>Thus ends the Bhratri-dvitiya-lila.</center>

Remember the discussion we had on the subject matter of guru-tattva? It is intriquing to note that now you preach big time about the authority of the shastra, when in the guru-tattva discussion, whenever we presented shastric statements on the necessity of accepting a guru to properly understand the scripture and the path of bhakti, you just ignored it wholesale, presenting your fanciful interpretations.

While analysis, renunciation and so forth certainly carry merit and are helpful, people tend to have confusion over their position vis-a-vis bhakti. The admiration of and aspiration for expertise in analysis and renunciation is bhakti mixed with jnana, not unadulterated bhakti. A sincere prayer from the core of the heart will do more than decades of analysis, and a flower given with devotion will do more than a lifetime of renunciation. We, those of us with complicated minds and intellect such as myself, tend to make it unnecessarily complicated at times. Think about the gopis' sublime love Krishna, and think about the meaning of KISS. Let me think about it next time I think intellectual prowess is equal to success in devotion.

Debbie, In your quest for the truth you will inevitably face debate and controversy, regardless of the path you choose to pursue. After all, in a world of variegatedness it is inevitable that controversy will arise due to differing opinions. Whatever you face, do not be discouraged, but try to find someone who can help you discover the truth about the subject matter. Also we must try to understand that although differences of opinion arise in a world of religious plurality, God is never bound to take sides with any given point of view, but is always receptive to everyone who with love and sincerity approaches Him. Whatever helps you think of Him with love and devotion, stick to that for the time being, yet keep your eyes open for new and deeper insights. If you come to face something which cannot be satisfactorily understood for the time being, set that aside and pursue that which you find attractive and inspiring in God and religion, and the rest will eventually be understood in a proper perspective.

<font face="Georgia" color=midnightblue><center> GOVARDHANA PUJA AND BHARTRI-DVITIYA From the 15th chapter of Kavi Karnapura’s Ananda Vrindavana Campu</center> Nothing else could be heard in Vrindavana except the auspicious vibration of instrumental music. Vedic hymns resounded through the sky. The Vrajavasis felt blissful, and all the living entities entered a jolly mood from the worship of Govardhana. Hearing the melodious voices of the ladies, the cuckoos anxiously tried to learn singing from them. Ears attained their purpose by perceiving those auspicious sounds. The cows were adorned with gold-plated horns, colorful silk cloths on their backs, pearl necklaces, and tinkling bells hanging from their necks. Seeing their mothers so richly ornamented, the calves jumped excitedly. Nanda Maharaja brought the necessary articles from his house to worship Govardhana Hill. He initiated the puja by respectfully offering padya (water) to wash Giriraja’s feet. In an ebullient mood, he made the Annakuta hill complete with powerful peaks that delighted all in attendance. The peak rising out of the middle of the hill looked like a crown made of white camphor. The multi-colored cakes stuck on the sides of the Annakuta hill looked like stones and boulders. At the base of the hill there were clay pots full of milk, yogurt, and sweet rice. There were also colorful sabjis, lakes of dahl, and very fragrant soups. Due to its covering of ghee, the Annakuta Mountain looked like golden Mt. Kailasa shimmering under a cover of rain. Different kinds of fruits and flowers decorated its edges. When Nanda Maharaja saw the opulence of Annakuta spreading its sweet aroma of cloves, camphor, and cardamom in all directions, he felt that this was fitting honor to Sri Giriraja, the king of all mountains. Sri Hari smiled happily upon seeing the amazing Annakuta rivaling the peak of Mt. Sumeru. Suddenly, the playful, fun-loving, indomitable Krishna assumed a huge unprecedented form and stood on top of Govardhana Hill. He did this to anger Indra and instill faith in the cowherd men. Observing this powerful form glowing like a thousand suns, Krishna, who remained among the cowherd men in His original human-like form, cast a gentle glance upon everyone and said, “Hung ho! Look! Look! By using all the paraphernalia to exclusively worship Govardhana Hill with pure love you have received his favor. Govardhana, the best of all mountains, has now manifested before you as a brilliantly effulgent person. Please look closely! The huge mouth of this expanded form of Giriraja resembles a deep cave. Though his mouth is massive, his face looks as beautiful as the full moon. Usually trees serve as his arms, but now he has two beautiful arms adorned with attractive jeweled armlets. Usually hard rocks cover his body, but now he has assumed a tender sweet form. Look how that beautiful body walks over the other non-moving form! “Moreover, this non-moving form is sitting like a seat made of costly emeralds, but it appears like the huge chest of the moving one. Glittering like a row of rubies, his teeth look like the crown of the non-moving form. The saffron hue of the minerals on the non-moving form gives an attractive hue to the lips of the moving one. In comparison, these two forms of Govardhana manifest the same elegance. Govardhana is reciprocating with your overflowing love and devotion. He is acting like a hungry person extending his arms bedecked with jeweled bangles. Look! Just see how this hill has appeared in person to fulfill your desires! Now offer respects to him.” Both Krishna and the people of Vrindavana bowed down to this personified form of Govardhana Hill. In effect, Krishna actually offered obeisances to Himself. When the cowherd men, their wives, and the leading men of Vrindavana saw that form shining like the sun, they raised their folded hands above their heads and said, “Namo! Namo! Namo!” Being overwhelmed in affection, they danced around ecstatically. By joyfully worshiping Govardhana Hill, the Vrajavasis realized that Govardhana is a person. Music from the temples wherein different demigods were being worshiped resounded in all directions. From all sides intoxicated dancers performed blissfully. The heavenly Kinnaras joined in with euphoric dancing. Relishing the music and singing, the Vrajavasis forgot themselves in that joyous Govardhana festival. Govardhana caused the entire atmosphere to abound in happiness. Govardhana Hill affectionately accepted the faithful worship of Nanda Maharaja by manifesting a personal form. Anyone who simply hears and chants about the glories of Giri-Govardhana, which are inconceivable to ordinary people, will be delivered from all calamities. Vrajaraja Nanda, the father of the subduer of demons, concluded the propitious worship of Giriraja by sumptuously feeding the brahmanas and everyone else down to the dogs. He handsomely rewarded the singers and dancers. Everyone attending the festival received precious gems and divinely opulent garments. Their hearts full of joy, the Vrajavasis talked excitedly among themselves as they did parikrama of Govardhana Hill. Skilled musicians led the way playing the finest instrumental music. The languid muffled tones of bheris, dhakas and kettledrums softened the atmosphere with their pleasing vibrations. With their bodies decorated with designs drawn in kunkuma, the cowherd boys followed behind the musicians. Wielding sticks, they fearlessly drove the multi-colored cows ornamented with gold and jewels. A second group of talented musicians came along playing flutes and vinas. Next came singers with sweet gentle voices, and ecstatic dancers moving in rows one behind the other. Then the gopis, their faces glowing with happiness, came riding on bullock carts that rivaled the golden chariots of the gods. They sang loudly about the pastimes of Krishna. Hari, who removes all obstacles, laughed and joked with His cowherd boyfriends as He circumambulated Govardhana Hill. Eternally bound to Him in faith, Krishna’s friends remained fearless and free from all anxieties. Wearing a sweet-smelling flower garland across his broad chest, Nanda Maharaja walked just behind the boys. He was smiling in great satisfaction and accompanied by the leading men of Vrindavana. In accordance to scriptural injunctions, they gave charity to brahmanas at different places while going around Giriraja. It is impossible to find a suitable container to hold the unlimited bliss that the Vrajavasis felt during their parikrama of Giriraja. Even though tiny in size, the soul can enjoy immeasurable happiness. As a result, their souls drowned in inconceivable joy. The continuous music of the dhakas and kettledrums, which are famous on heaven and earth, increased the bliss of the parikrama. Soon they arrived on the banks of the Yamuna (which previously flowed near Govardhana). Being the glorious day of bhratridvitiya tithi, which is very dear to both Yamuna and her brother Yamaraja, they decided to take an auspicious bath. Bhratridvitiya tithi is the day when sisters pray for the prosperity of their brothers. Sunanda, the intelligent, well-behaved daughter of Upananda, invited her cousin-brother Damodara (Krishna), who is always jubilant and victorious, to celebrate the festival. Damodara, who delights all moving and non-moving creatures, gladly accepted the sincere request of Sunanda. His heart overflowed with loving feelings for that dear sister. She affectionately served many types of delicious drinks and tasty cakes to Krishna and His friends. Haladhara and all the boys enjoyed the excellent food while Batu (Madhumangala), the skillful jester, entertained the enchanter of the world with his funny jokes and antics. Batu quipped, “Alas! Alas! O dear friend, killer of the Agha demon! Why didn’t the foolish creator make every tithi as bhratridvitiya tithi? O brother, whose chest shines with the mark of Srivatsa, we count the year in terms of days. So how come You do not have many sisters like Sunanda, who acting as the embodiments of kindness, will fill us up like this every day of the year? If this had happened, it would have been a great source of pleasure for us. Yesterday’s exciting Govardhana festival has passed. Though heaps of food and drink were offered, and although I am a voracious eater, still I did not enjoy as much as I have today on bratridvitiya.” Krishna, who steals everyone’s heart with His charming character, enjoyed the simple joking words of Batu as He joyfully ate. Then in mutual affection, Damodara and Sunanda exchanged so much valuable cloth, jewels, and golden ornaments that it astonished the people on earth. Thus, the bratridvitiya celebration ended.

What do you mean Islam? Jah lives.

What do you mean Islam? Jah lives.