BhaktiK

No doubt, I am an idiot, JN-ji, but that doesn't change the fact that buying toys for those kids does more for *you* than it does for them.

Murali you really are acting like an idiot

Better change quick or your personality will solidify and you'll be like this permanently in your middle age.

JNDas, do you have an online account number I can transfer money to for buying some more toys for these kids. Post the account number here. I am short of cash at the moment but I can send a little. In fact I usually only spend money on living expenses and on seva but I would just like to show some support for what you are doing for those children in their villages.

The antaranga-shakti is different from the jiva-shakti

This is what Mahaprabhu taught.

krsnera svarupa ara sakti traya jnana

yanra haya, tanra nahi krsnete ajnana

cic-chakti svarupa-sakti antaranga-nama

tahara vaibhava ananta vaikunthadi dhama

maya sakti bahiranga jagat-karana

yahara vaibhava ananta brahmandera gana

jiva sakti tatasthakya nahi yara anta

mukhya tina sakti tara vibheda ananta

ei ta' svarupa gana ara tina sakti

sabara asraya krsna, krsne sabara sthiti


 

One who knows the real feature of Sri Krsna and His three different energies cannot remain ignorant about Him. The cit sakti, which is also called svarupa sakti or antaranga sakti, displays many varied manifestations. It sustains the kingdom of God and its paraphernalia. The external energy, called maya sakti, is the cause of innumerable universes with varied material potencies. The marginal potency, which is between these two, consists of the numberless living beings. These are the three principal energies, which have unlimited categories and subdivisions.

 

C.C.Adi. 2.96, 101-104

The description of sparks in the effulgence or, a particle of living so called atom in a ray of individual dormant light particles, as one advances Vaishnava puts it, is ONLY correctly describing the nitya-baddha consciousness

The Brahman effulgence is non-different from Bhagavan. It is a part of his Being.

Where in the scriptures does it say that Brahman is nitya-baddha?

Your ideas are totally idiotic. Krishna says in the Gita:

bhagavad GITA, Chapter 14.

 

TEXT 27

 

brahmano hi pratisthaham

amrtasyavyayasya ca

sasvatasya ca dharmasya

sukhasyaikantikasya ca

 

TRANSLATION

And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable and eternal.

 

PURPORT

The constitution of Brahman is immortality, imperishability, eternity, and happiness. Brahman is the beginning of transcendental realization. Paramatma, the Supersoul, is the middle, the second stage in transcendental realization, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth. Therefore, both Paramatma and the impersonal Brahman are within the Supreme Person.

 

Vrindaban Dham is where people who are liberated from material consciousness go so they can engage in intense bhajan. If Gurudev takes you to Braj or gives his blessings for you to visit there then you can enter Vrindaban.

Murali I suggest you back off

You made a few useful points and yes Chinese toys are not that good for anyone's soul

But JNDas is definitely on the right track here. Those kids life is far removed from the frames of reference people live within in the West. A simple gift like a toy can really bring an overwhelming feeling of joy into their life

When you haven't been to Orissa or rural Bengal or Kolkata and you haven't experienced the emptiness and futility of life that so many children are experiencing every day, then just be glad that someone else is doing something to help those little kids. I've studied the faces of little children living under the arches of Howrah bridge in Kolkata and I've given money to poor people, including men whose legs were amputated after road accidents, and I didn't give because I want to stroke my ego but because my heart told me I MUST GIVE. I've no doubt JNDas is sincere in what he's doing. Repect him for that. Even if you do happen to disagree (as I do) with his other beliefs.

Sarva gatah is the person who never answers facts with reasonable replies.

Look at the top of this page where Beggar wrote:

 

Can you prove this from quotes from sastra?

Look at the statements of Sri Chaitanya that I posted. Mahaprabhu told Sanatan Goswami that souls come from Brahman and go to Goloka. And then this criminal Gauragopal (sarva) abuses Srila Sridhara Maharaja for saying the same thing that Mahaprabhu said.

Like it says in the post from Caitanya Caritamrta on the previous page, people who oppose the teachings of Mahaprabhu but worship Krishna will get born again and again (bahu janma -- in Bengali). The FALL FROM GOLOKA people are of this category. They are presenting a philosophy different from what Mahaprabhu taught. They can do that of course, and people who have bad karma will listen and think that Krishna doesn't really protect his devotees. All this can happen. After all, this is Kali yuga.

Realist is Sarva gatah is Gauragopala

This man Gauragopala is never going to accept the truth. The sins he has committed are of such great magnitude that the Truth must remain hidden from him for lifetimes. Consequently he will stick with a mistaken concept of life like that other monster who attacks children named Putana

We have all had millions of lives dreaming in the material world and have performed so many horrible and sinful acts other than this life.

 

The things youv'e done that are on your mind don't go away do they Gauragopala?

Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev Goswami Maharaj doesn't allow his grhasta disciples and their children to live in Vrindaban.

You misunderstand completely. Your impersonal understanding and interpretation of past Acharays is nonsense.

 

This is how Srila Prabhupada has described our 'fall down' from Goloka to us.

 

Srila Prabhupada says, (He rejects out-right Sridar Maharaj's idea that we originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti), all living entities that have come to the material world, have all come down from Goloka some millions of years ago.

 

Sri Chaitanya’s Teachings, page 323- "It is the jivas who are the attendants in His Sports. They become attached to matter, having deviated from their own essential nature as the result of their desire for enjoyment. But when again the soul gains true wisdom of the transcendental region of God he begins to get back his pure essential nature"

Srila Prabhupada - “By the grace of Krishna, we have complete freedom. Because the Lord is kind to us, we can live anywhere, either in the spiritual sky or in the material sky, upon whichever planet we desire.

Srila Prabhupada - However, misuse of this freedom causes one to fall down into the material world and suffer the threefold miseries of conditioned life.

Srila Prabhupada - Milton in Paradise Lost nicely illustrates the living of a miserable life in the material world by dint of the soul’s choice. Similarly, by choice, the soul can regain paradise and return home, back to Godhead.” Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi Lila 5.22, Purport

Devotee: Well, I believe you once said that once a conditioned soul becomes perfected and gets out of the material world and he goes to Krishnaloka, there’s no possibility of falling back.

Prabhupada: No! There is possibility. . . However generally once one has experienced the misery of the material world, he keeps perfect intelligence to not misuse his free will again. It is these experienced souls who will never return or fall from Vaikuntha. Lecture on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.108 San Francisco, February 18, 1967

Acyutananda: .....But in the Gita, it says, "Once coming there, he never returns."

Prabhupada: But if he likes, he can return.

Acyutananda: He can return.

Prabhupada: “That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that. Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown. Morning Walk--February 19, 1976, Mayapura

Srila Prabhupada then cites the verse from Prema-Vivarta explaining the cause of the living beings original sub-conscious fall to the material world:

Acyutananda: What is the first birth? What is the cause of the first birth?

Prabhupada: Yes. That is stated in the Prema-Vivarta:

 

 

 

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare

nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare

 

“We are eternal servant of Krishna. As soon as we want to become master, that is the beginning of our first birth in the material world. We have got independence. Because, Krishna says, mamaivamso jiva bhutah—we are part and parcel of Krishna—so Krishna has got full independence, but we are minute.

 

Prabhupada: Therefore, we have got minute independence. Our business is to serve Krishna, but as soon as we give up this idea, we want to become master. That is the beginning of our material birth. Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.2 Hyderabad, April 11, 1975

Prabhupada said, Prabhupada said, if you really knew what Prabhupada said then you wouldn't have caused all the havoc you caused when you did what you did at New Govardhana.

Nakula used to call you Gaura go perv. He had his ribs broken for saying what he knew as true, as you may remember....

That's my reply to you, Gauragopala.

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 20.111

 

kṛṣṇera svābhāvika tina-śakti-pariṇati

 

cic-chakti, jīva-śakti, āra māyā-śakti

 

SYNONYMS

 

kṛṣṇera — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; svābhāvika — natural; tina — three; śakti — of energies; pariṇati — transformations; cit-śakti — spiritual potency; jīva-śakti — spiritual sparks, living entities; āra — and; māyā-śakti — illusory energy.

 

TRANSLATION

 

"Lord Kṛṣṇa naturally has three energetic transformations, and these are known as the spiritual potency, the living entity potency and the illusory potency.

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 20.112

 

viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā

 

avidyā-karma-saḿjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate

 

SYNONYMS

 

viṣṇu-śaktiḥ — the potency of Lord Viṣṇu; parā — spiritual; proktā — it is said; kṣetra-jña-ākhyā — the potency known as kṣetrajña; tathā — as well as; parā — spiritual; avidyā — ignorance; karma — fruitive activities; saḿjñā — known as; anyā — other; tṛtīyā — third; śaktiḥ — potency; iṣyate — known thus.

 

TRANSLATION

"'Originally, Kṛṣṇa's energy is spiritual, and the energy known as the living entity is also spiritual. However, there is another energy, called illusion, which consists of fruitive activity. That is the Lord's third potency.'

 

PURPORT

 

This is a quotation from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.7.61). For a further explanation of this verse, refer to Ādi-līlā, Chapter Seven, verse 119.

 

 

An alternate reading of verse 2.20.112:

"'Visnu sakti (cit sakti) is spiritual, and the energy known as the living entity is also spiritual. However, there is another energy, called illusion, which consists of fruitive activity. That is the Lord's third potency.'

Lord Chaitanya makes a distinction between the para-sakti (cit-sakti, antaranga-sakti) and the jiva sakti. They are different.

Mantra 12

andhaM tamaH pravizanti

ye 'sambhUtim upAsate

tato bhUya iva te tamo

ya u sambhUtyAm ratAH

SYNONYMS

andham--ignorance; tamaH--darkness; pravizanti--enter into; ye--those who; asambhUtim--demigods; upAsate--worship; tataH--than that; bhUyaH--still more; iva--like that; te--those; tamaH--darkness; ye--who; u--also; sambhUtyAm--in the Absolute; ratAH--engaged.

TRANSLATION

Those who are engaged in the worship of demigods enter into the darkest region of ignorance, and still more so do the worshipers of the impersonal Absolute.

 

From the Purport: "The Sanskrit word asambhUti refers to those who have no independent existence. SambhUti is the Absolute Personality of Godhead, who is absolutely independent of everything."

 

Mantra Fourteen

TEXT

sambhUtiM ca vinAzaM ca

yas tad vedobhayaM saha

vinAzena mRtyuM tIrtvA

sambhUtyAmRtam aznute

SYNONYMS

sambhUtim--the eternal Personality of Godhead, His transcendental name, form, pastimes, qualities and paraphernalia, the variegatedness of His abode, etc.; ca--and; vinAzam--the temporary material manifestation of demigods, men, animals, etc., with their false names, fame, etc.; ca--also; yaH--one who; tat--that; veda--knows; ubhayam--both; saha--along with; vinAzena--with everything liable to be vanquished; mRtyum--death; tIrtvA--surpassing; sam-bhUtyA--in the eternal kingdom of God; amRtam--deathlessness; aznute--enjoys.

 

TRANSLATION

One should know perfectly the Personality of Godhead SrI KRSNa and His transcendental name, form, qualities and pastimes, as well as the temporary material creation with its temporary demigods, men and animals. When one knows these, he surpasses death and the ephemeral cosmic manifestation with it, and in the eternal kingdom of God he enjoys his eternal life of bliss and knowledge.

Interesting to see the word Sambhu translated in this way.

Sambhu is generally taken to be a name of Shiva. So is Isa.

This Upanishad is a monotheistic hymn to Shiva who is non-different from Narayana.

Keshava Tadipatri & Shrisha Rao from Udupi in Kerala.

Commentary of Sri Madhvacharya

andham tamah pravisanti ye'sambhutimupasate |

tato bhuya iva te tamo ya u sambhutyam ratah 12

 

andham tamah = relentless, blinding darkness; pravisanti = enter into, obtain; ye = those who; asambhutim = `srstikarta na' = ``not Creator,'' having failed to grasp Visnu as the Creator; upasate = worship, meditate upon; tatah = and then, than that; bhuyah = greater; iva = undoubtedly; te = they, those who; tamah = darkness; ya = who; u = but; sambhutyam = as Creator only; ratah = engaged in, devoted to.

 

Those who worship [Visnu] with the understanding that He is not the Creator, enter dense, unrelenting darkness; to a greater darkness than that go they, who merely think of Him as the Creator alone [but not as the Sustainer or Destroyer].

 

It has been said earlier that the Lord is the Sustainer, hence that also should be understood.

 

Not only is it the case that one must know the Lord as being the Creator as well as the Destroyer so that the suffering that would ensue if one of these were not known could be avoided, one must also do so because the two things, knowing Him as Creator and as Destroyer, each have their own separate result that one should seek, thus the next verse --

 

anyadevahuh sambhavadanyadahurasambhavat |

iti susruma dhiranam ye nastadvicacaksire 13

anyat = the other, different; eva = only; ahuh = they (the learned) say; sambhavat = by correct understanding as Creator; asambhavat = by correct understanding as Destroyer; iti = thus; susrumah = we have heard; dhiranam = dhimatam = persons of sound understanding; ye = who; nah = us; tad = that; vicacaksire = vyacacaksire = explained, taught.

 

We have heard from the wise, who explained to us that the result of having knowledge of Him as Creator is different from the result of knowing Him as the Destroyer.

 

What is this difference? The next verse clarifies --

 

sambhutim ca vinasam ca yastadvedobhayam saha |

vinasena mrtyum tirtva sambhutya'mrtamasnute 14

 

sambhutim = knowledge of Visnu as Creator; vinasam = knowledge of Him as Destroyer; ca = and (in conjunction with); yah = who; tad = that; veda = knows; ubhayam = both; saha = together, at the same time; vinasena = by means of knowing Him as Destroyer; mrtyum = death (and other undesirables such as suffering and ignorance); tirtva = having overcome, crossed over; sambhutya = by means of knowing Him as Creator; amrtam = moksa characterized by enjoyment; asnute = obtains.

 

One who knows Visnu as Creator, and also as the Destroyer, for him, by knowledge of Him as Destroyer, he overcomes suffering, and by knowing Him as Creator, he obtains mukti.

 

For a seeker who obtains qualification for spiritual study in accordance with the first two verses, the further verses have clarified the nature of the Supreme, and then it is stated that realization of what has been stated is the cause of liberation. To show that such realization does not occur merely upon listening to, &c. of the tenets stated, but that it occurs only by the Lord's own grace, for which it is necessary to pray so that He may cause realization, the next verses proceed --

 

hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham |

tat tvam pusannapavrnu satyadharmaya drstaye 15

 

hiranmayena = by the golden, effulgent; patrena = by the orb, disk; satyasya = of the Lord, who is of complete and real auspicious qualities; apihitam = concealed; mukham = face (and other parts also); tat = that; tvam = you; pusan = Complete One; apavrnu = unveil, disclose; satyadharmaya = to the devotee, i.e., to me; drstaye = in order to see.

 

The effulgent form of the Lord, who is present (even) in the solar orb and is of complete auspicious qualities, is concealed from my vision; O Complete One, I pray to thee that thou mayest disclose thine form (which I otherwise would never be able to see) to me, thy devotee.

 

An interesting observation pops into my mind reading this commentary.

To worship Visnu but to be thinking Visnu is not the Creator (Brahma) is deep ignorance.

To think God is the Creator but to not see him as Siva and Vishnu is an even deeper type of ignorance.

Madhvacarya was in contact with a religion that imagines God as the Creator but denies God is Visnu and Shiva. The religion was Islam.

Srila Sridhar Maharaja is not giving a concoction but rather something which is right out of sastra

Precisely

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught Sanatan Goswami that souls emerge from Brahman and go to Goloka. Chaitanyadeva never said anyone can emerge from Goloka and fall into Maya.

Srila Govinda Maharaj himself described today by phone the huge programmes taking place at the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, International, of Long Mountain, Mauritius. He described yesterday's grand installation of the Deities, and today's continuing festival with several thousand overflowing the nat mandir during the noon arati. Srila Govinda Maharaj is clearly most enthusiastic and pleased to see this great response in Mauritius to Krishna consciousness.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.88.25-26

ajānantaḥ prati-vidhiḿ tūṣṇīm āsan sureśvarāḥ

tato vaikuṇṭham agamad bhāsvaraḿ tamasaḥ param

yatra nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣān nyāsināḿ paramo gatiḥ

śāntānāḿ nyasta-daṇḍānāḿ yato nāvartate gataḥ

The great demigods could only remain silent, not knowing how to counteract the benediction. Then Lord Śiva reached the luminous realm of Vaikuṇṭha, beyond all darkness, where the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa is manifest. That realm is the destination of renunciants who have attained peace and given up all violence against other creatures. Going there, one never returns.

PURPORT

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, Lord Śiva entered the planet of Śvetadvīpa, a special outpost of the spiritual world within the confines of the material universe. There, on a beautiful white island surrounded by the celestial ocean of milk, Lord Viṣṇu rests on the serpent bed of Ananta Śeṣa, making Himself available to the demigods when they need His help.

Nitya siddha means eternally liberated or established, so when a nitya siddha becomes covered, like the cloud covers the sun, he becomes eternally conditioned or nitya baddha

This is not what the Bhagavatam says.

SB 11.2.35: O King, one who accepts this process of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead will never blunder on his path in this world. Even while running with eyes closed, he will never trip or fall.

Your idea is not taught in the Upanishads or Vedas say either.

And it is not what Sri Chaitanya taught to his disciples.

Sri Chaitanya explained to Sanatan Goswami in great detail how souls emerge from Brahman and go to Goloka. Sri Chaitanya never said that souls sometimes emerge from Goloka and enter Brahman or Maya.

The words and direct teachings of Sri Chaitanya and his direct disciples Rupa and Sanatana are of more significance than the words of any of his later successors (including Srila Prabhupada).

CC Ādi 8.12: One who does not show respect unto this merciful Lord, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or does not worship Him should be considered a demon, even if he is very much exalted in human society.

 

CC Ādi 8.13: Therefore I say again, lifting my arms: O fellow human beings, please worship Śrī Caitanya and Nityānanda without false arguments!

 

CC Ādi 8.14: Logicians say, "Unless one gains understanding through logic and argument, how can one decide upon a worshipable Deity?"

 

CC Ādi 8.15: If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the merciful teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful.

 

CC Ādi 8.16: A person can chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra for many births and not attain Krishna's feet and Krishna prema.

 

(If one is infested with the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, despite his endeavor to chant the holy name for many births, he will not get the love of Godhead that is the ultimate goal of this chanting... Therefore, please worship Śrī Caitanya and Nityānanda without false arguments!)

 

CC Ādi 8.17: "By cultivating philosophical knowledge one can understand his spiritual position and thus be liberated, and by performing sacrifices and pious activities one can achieve sense gratification in a higher planetary system, but the devotional service of the Lord is so rare that even by executing hundreds and thousands of such sacrifices one cannot obtain it."

 

CC Ādi 8.18: If a devotee wants liberation or material sense gratification from the Lord, Kṛṣṇa immediately delivers it, but pure devotional service He keeps hidden.

 

 

People who are opposing or arguing against the original teachings of Sri Chaitanyadeva will be reborn and go to school on earth again so they can learn the real teachings of Guru-Gauranga. They will need to learn the true teachings of Lord Chaitanya before they ever get to enter Goloka.

Mauritius is something like heaven for the devotees of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Four temples, many hundreds of initiated disciples of Srila Gurudev and Srila Guru Maharaj, and a wonderful sannyasi (Sripad Narayan Maharaj) who preaches on the street almost every day.

I have been fortunate to have had a lot of association with Sripad Narayan Maharaj and in my opinion he is one of the most spiritually advanced disciples of Srila Sridhar Maharaj I've met.

Krishna is Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan

Losing our original consciousness means losing our original state of liberated consicousness where we were absorbed in Krishna in his aspect of Brahman.

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 24.71

 

'brahma' śabdera artha — tattva sarva-bṛhattama

 

svarūpa aiśvarya kari' nāhi yāńra sama

 

The word 'brahma' indicates the summum bonum, the Absolute Truth, which is greater than all other truths. It is the original identity, and there can be nothing equal to that Absolute Truth.

 

There are 13 kinds of santa-bhaktas.

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 24.164

 

ei saba śānta yabe bhaje bhagavān

'śānta' bhakta kari' tabe kahi tāńra nāma

 

 

"Thirteen types of yogīs and munis are called śānta-bhaktas, for they render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the neutral stage.

 

Included within this list of santa-bhaktas are impersonalists who worship the Lord as a formless Being.

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 24.155

 

sagarbha, nigarbha, — ei haya dui bheda

eka eka tina bhede chaya vibheda

The two types of ātmārāma-yogīs are called sagarbha and nigarbha. Each of these is divided into three; therefore there are six types of worshipers of the Supersoul.

 

PURPORT

 

The word sagarbha-yogī refers to a yogī who worships the Supersoul in the Viṣṇu form. The nigarbha-yogī worships the Supersoul without form. The sagarbha and nigarbha yogīs are further categorized: (1) sagarbha-yogārurukṣu, (2) nigarbha-yogārurukṣu, (3) sagarbha-yogārūḍha, (4) nigarbha-yogārūḍha, (5) sagarbha-prāpta-siddhi and (6) nigarbha-prāpta-siddhi.

A soul can fall down from that state of Brahman realization. But no soul who is purely in Krishna Consciousness will ever fall down and be lost in Maya.

BG 9.31 O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.

In the sastra it is said, aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adho By very severe austerities they come to the Brahman platform, monism, to become one with the Supreme, but from there he falls down. Why falls down? Anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah. Because they have no information of the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Unless you come to that point, then there is no possibility of eternal happiness. (Vrndavana, October 23, 1976)

 

Can nitya-siddha associates of Sri Krishna stop being fully Krishna conscious and enter into another state of mind where they are dreaming material thoughts or directly experiencing material life?

I can probably find fifty or a hundred slokas that say the associates of Sri Krishna never fall down from their transcendental state of perfection.

And in CC Madhya 20 we read the teachings of Sri Krishna Chaitanya to Sanatan Goswami and find that the Lord spoke very clearly about the soul, the atma. The very first thing the Lord says is this:

CC Madhya 20.108-109: "It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Krishna because he is the marginal energy of Krishna and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire."

Sri Chaitanyadeva never said to Sanatana Gosami that souls fall from Vaikuntha. This FALL FROM VAIKUNTHA concept was never taught by Lord Chaitanya.

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Report from Mauritius

by Srilekha Devi Dasi of USA, accompanying the entourage with

Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

on his 24th World Tour

8 February 2008

Pictures: Dipta Krishna Prabhu

Dandabat pranams from Mauritius!

Yesterday morning, Feb 7th, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj gave initiation to nineteen devotees, including many children of the devotees here. I was very touched to see their behaviour. Every child, after receiving the holy seed of devotion by His Divine Grace, went around and offered humble obeisances to each of the older devotees assembled there. They were not asking for blessing for a long life, or success in their studies, or a favourable marriage partner. They were asking for and receiving only the blessings to remain steadily in this perfect line, and to always be blessed with the service of their Divine Master.

In the afternoon, Srila Gurudev graced the Vaisnava Seva Society Ashram for the second time. The event was the official inauguration of the temple hall, and was attended by more than a thousand devotees and guests. Both the main hall and a large outside area were completely full. The ceremony began with an interview of Srila Gurudev by the national television station, which was followed by a beautiful talk delivered by His Divine Grace in Hindi. Srila Gurudev stressed that all the Vedic Scriptures glorify Svayam Bhagavan Krishna as the Supreme Truth. He explained that Krishna has come in this age as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to distribute the chanting of His own Holy Names for our supreme benefit. And importantly, Mahaprabhu also taught us HOW to chant: that is with humility, tolerance, and offering all respects to others.

The entire crowd remained quiet, fully absorbed in hearing this most blessed message from the lips of the genuine pure devotee of the Lord.

Srila Gurudev then handed the microphone to Sripad Goswami Maharaj. I noticed that the guests were very attentive throughout Maharaj's lecture, though English is the third language here, after Creole and French.

Nilanjana Didi later remarked to me that due to Sripad Goswami Maharaj's clear voice and uncomplicated style, the Mauritan guests and devotees were able to follow and very much appreciate his lecture. Sripad Siddhanti Maharaj also spoke very nicely in English and then Sripad Narayan Maharaj of Mauritius spoke in Creole.

The talks ended with enthusiastic applause, and were followed by an invitation to one and all from the President of our Vaisnava Seva Society, Amalendu Prabhu, to come forward for darshan of His Divine grace and to offer daksina. Every person present very happily accepted this opportunity to present himself before Srila Gurudev, the ocean of affection and mercy, and make his or her offering to his Lotus Feet.

The festival concluded with Aratik and Mahaprasad Feast.

When Srila Gurudev returned to his house, he sat down in his sitting area and simply continued informal talks with devotees!

This morning, Feb 8th, Srila Gurudev showed the devotees pictures and videos of our temples all over the world. He talked about many devotees and temples, including our San Jose Ladies Ashram, our Soquel Ashram, and the Mexican Veracruz Ashram. He told about how it miraculously snowed, by the grace of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, just days before he left St. Petersburg, and didn't snow again for a long time after that. The devotees were relishing these often funny talks, and related them to each other again and again throughout the day.

This afternoon, after a strong downpour due to nearby cyclone activity, Srila Gurudev again went out on his scooter, this time going farther and wider through the neighbourhood. We passed along the bordering countryside, whose real conscious beauty can be seen only by his divine vision. Srila Gurudev is relaxed and happy with the devotees here, and the atmosphere is very family-like.

More later!

With obeisances,

~Srilekha Devi Dasi

Current price is 1550rs for a Tata Sumo from Kolkata to Nabadwip.

Sometimes they try and charge more, and one time recently I had to pay 1600

Srila Gurudev goes from his house to the temple, on his Vyasa Puja day on Christmas day.

Maha-sankirtana ki joy!