Year 2013

Hare Krishna.

31 Dec 2013, Ujjain, 8.30pm.

As the year 2013 comes to an end at midnight tonight I look back at what all happened in my spiritual life.

1. In my wildest imagination I could not have dreamt that I will be at Ujjain on new year eve and attending a wonderful retreat by Guru Maharaj.

2. That I am in the association of devotees is the cherry on the cake. Of course in the company of Shyamal Prabhu, Atma Prabhu, Radhapad Prabhu I am like a crow staring at a group of swans. Still by some good fortune I am here in their midst.

3. Guru Maharaj showered his complete mercy by visiting our home so many times and ensuring that as a family we remain steadfast on way to start our devotional journey.

4. The trip to Surat with devotees was a wonderful experience for me. It was trailer of what are happy devotee families and what is preaching with passion and care.

5. I had one of the best Kartika months ever and never been in Dhama for so many days.

6. I somehow gathered courage and started a weekly Bhagavad Gita study group at my home. The suport l received from my family, my devotee friends and the local centre was very humbling experience for me.

7. This group gave me a focus and also meaning to my devotional life.

8. I realised that grow to in devotional life I need to cultivate relationships, a most difficult part for me.

9. I attended many seminars and each one enriched me.

10. I got some inclination on what is chanting and what is meant by devotional service.

11. The visit of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj would remain a highlight for the whole life.

12. I got a little taste for hearing and could hear lectures daily.

13. I fell in love with HH Radha Govind Maharaj and could take his Darshan for the first time.

14. It seems somehow by Krishna’s mercy I am getting a taste and longing to remain in the association of devotees. It’s a different matter that except for few devotees like Sumeet Prabhu, Karuna Prabhu, most of them, rightly, stay away for me. A crow among swans.

15. My wife made a very nice altar and then very nice presence of Srila Prabhupada in our new home, Guru Maharaj named it Krishna Kunj.

16. I could somehow feel the presence of mercy in all aspects of my devotional life , be it from devotees, Srila Prabhupada, Guru Maharaj or Krishna. I could appreciate a little the word causeless mercy.

17. I started reading Chaitanaya Charitamrita and found its teachings most profound.

18. I got some faith in Gaur Nitai and the six Goswamis.

18. Guru Maharaj strong teachings have converted me to become a strong supporter of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada.

19. Guru Maharaj taught about Yukta Vairagaya today morning and I hope to imbibe it inside me.

20. I feel more peaceful, contended and happy than at the start of the year.

21. I could carry the Deity of Srila Prabhupada to all the 6 Goswami temples of Vrindavan.

22. Went to Mayapur Dham for the first time after my initiation.

23. Got initiated by never ending causeless mercy of HG Rukmini Prabhuji and Guru Maharaj.

24. I found a wonderful and most merciful brother in Sumeet Prabhu, except for the wrong habit glorifying me for no purpose he is near perfect. He guides me affectionately like a younger brother and keep my enthusiasm running. Being myself a zero in both my material and spiritual journey I can’t reciprocate nor return his feelings and gestures. I can only pray to Krishna for his spiritual and material well being.

25. I never felt alone for a moment ; there were devotees who took pity on me , Guru Maharaj who showered his causeless mercy on me, Srila Prabhupada who listened to my prayers , developed relationship with Gaur Nitai and reciprocation of love happened with Sri Sri Radha and Shyamsunder

I am looking forward to the promise I made to a Devotee today to reach the temple before Mangal Arti tomorrow morning and chant our rounds early on the first day of the year.

As I sit alone in my room in the temple guest house, ready to sleep early, I have my bead bag next to me and only Krishna and His devotee in my thoughts. I have no interest in the celebrations going in the temple nor in my dinner, I only hope to chant at least one japa round with love for Krishna before I wake up next year.

I pray at the lotus feet of all the devotees to please bless me with their association in the coming year.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

What a wonderful surprise

Hare Krishna.

31Dec, Ujjain.

20131231-145823.jpg

As we all stood outside the dining hall, after breakfast, soaking in the warm winter sun, there was a little commotion. I turned my head I saw devotees gathering around someone, my first thought was that some Sanyasi or senior devotee has newly arrived. Then I saw that a family is being welcomed and garlanded. They looked very simple and before I could ask someone, a devotee whispered in my ear ‘do you know who is he ? He is Srila Prabhupada’s youngest son and his family ‘. I was taken a back by this information and it took me a few seconds to absorb it. I then moved closer to them and, of course, one could see a marked resemblance with Srila Prabhupada. It was so good to see them.

We can see them in the above picture.

Later, Guru Maharaj called them on the stage and glorified them and spoke how Srila Prabhupada named each of his son after a holy place, Prayag, Mathura and Vrindavan. The youngest, Vrindavan Prabhuji, was amongst us today, he spoke in Bengali about how proud he felt being Srila Prabhupada’s son and how he had a discussion with Srila Prabhupada for two hours before Srila Prabhupada left for USA. And then Guru Maharaj shared how Vrindavan Prabhuji had come stay with Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavan and how this youngest son was closest to Srila Prabhupada.

It was my good fortune to be in Ujjain as Srila Prabhupada’s son and his family arrived. Seeing them , I felt a very warm feeling in my heart and I somehow felt more close to Srila Prabhupada as if I got a peek inside the private life of Srila Prabhupada.

I know Srila Prabhupada is happy with us being together, cooperating with each other, and most happy with Guru Maharaj.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Consciousness

Hare Krishna.

31st Dec, Ujjain.

Quotes-by-Srila-Prabhupada-on-Maya

The meals at the Ujjain retreat are very lavish by ISKCON standards. So yesterday after having another sumptuous breakfast I commented to Baljinder Prabhu how nice the arrangements are for the meals and there are so many devotees serving us as if we are in some 5 star restaurant. After we filled our plates initially, each dish was being served piping hot at our tables so that we don’t have to get up from our tables. That was my consciousness.

Then I met Atma Prabhu outside the hall and he told that he is going to have the lunch Prasadam with the Brahamcharis. When I asked him the reason he told me that one of the Brahmachari , when Atma prabhu invited him to eat in the main dining hall, told him ‘ We are servants and servants do not eat with their masters.’ I was bowled over by their humble statement. That was their consciousness.

When I came back to the room then Subal Shyam Prabhu told me that he wish to have his lunch Prasadam at ….. You guessed it right … at Brahamchari ashram. His reason, he does not like to take so much service from the devotees. That was his consciousness.

So it’s the same hall, the same prasadam, same facilities and yet each one of us is accepting it with a different consciousness.

This showed me how I can carefully observe our devotee brothers and learn from them and how association of devotees is beneficial to us innumerable ways.

All glories to the merciful Vaishanavas.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Pleasure in being the servant of the servant

Hare Krishna

30th Dec, Ujjain.

Quotes-by-Bhakti-Charu-Swami-on-What-Should-We-Become

During the morning class today Guru Maharaj spoke about how we can take the example that In the field of atheism and Buddhism Sankracharya sowed the seeds or a base of Vedas. To dig we have to go down, in the reverse direction , so Sankracharya made the base by digging in the reverse directions, which is impersonalism, then the four Vaishanava acharya build the temple on that base. Finally MahaPrabhu came and established the Deities of Sri Radha Krishna in that temple. Guru Maharaj also informed us that MahaPrabhu took two points from each of the four Sampradayas.

During the question answer session, after the lecture, one devotee asked Guru Maharaj what were the two points that MahaPrabhu took from each of the Sampradaya. Guru Maharaj remembered a few of them and replied that he doesn’t remember each of them. He asked HG Ganganarayan Prabhu but he couldn’t recollect them.

As Guru Maharaj went to answer the next question, I searched on the internet on my phone and in 10 seconds I had all the 8 points. First hunch ; should I raise my hand and tell Guru Maharaj that I have searched the answer for him. Somehow I felt it would be wrong to do so. Instead I gave my phone, with the that page opened, to a senior devotee sitting next to me , he took my phone with a little surprise and became happy after I pointed to the opened page and he read the contents. He then handed my phone to HG Ganganarayan Prabhu and I could see that he too became happy reading the contents. Prabhuji then went to Guru Maharaj and handed the phone to him informing him about the contents. Guru Maharaj too was happy to receive it , he praised HG Ganganarayan Prabhu for finding them so quickly. He then shared the contents with everyone.

I realised that I felt very happy when each of the devotee became happy reading the contents on my phone. I was most happy when Guru Maharaj glorified HG Ganganarayan Prabhu for finding the answers so quickly. Surprisingly, for a character of my person, I didn’t feel envious that it was me who found it, I felt very happy from inside that prabhuji was glorified and some how I played a small part in it.

And lastly I got a hint how we can I please Krishna and Guru by being servant of the servant of their devotees. And it made me three times more happy ! I had read these lines many a times in the past but didn’t know the feeling and today by the causeless mercy of Vaishanavas I got a little taste of the same.

I pray at the lotus feet of devotees to continue to be merciful to a fallen neophyte like me.

All glories to the merciful Vaishanavas.
All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Facing a Pure devotee

Hare Krishna.

29th Dec, Ujjain

Quotes-by-Srila-Prabhupada-on-Symptom-of-A-Pure-Devotee

Last evening as a  wonderful evening  came to an end  with an ecstatic Kirtan by Guru Maharaj, an ever merciful Atma Prabhu called me and Baljinder Prabhu to Guru Maharaj’s quarter. At first I thought he has called us for Guru Maharaj’s Maha Maha Prasadam , couldn’t think that he is taking us for Guru Maharaj’s darshan.

So when we entered straight into Guru Maharaj’s room I was tongue tied. For many seconds I didn’t know what to speak and then I hurriedly blurted out how happy I am being in the retreat and in the association of so many senior devotees and thanked him.

Later Atma Prabhu rightly chided me on keeping quite and told me he will next time he will first ask me whether I wish to meet Guru Maharaj. I was felt ashamed as I realised that I didn’t have the greed to always be eager to pay my obeisances and thank Guru Maharaj for his cause less mercy every moment of my low life.

Later in the evening I tried to analyse why I do I get tongue tied in front of Guru Maharaj and even in front of other sanyasis and Prabhujis. The answer which came from my heart was because I don’t serve. I realise that whenever Guru Maharaj look at me I feel as if he is asking ” Yes, how are you serving ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada ?” And I have no place to hide my face and hence I get tongue tied.

I pray at the feet of all devotees to somehow use a worthless and selfish person like me in their service.

I also promised myself that somehow I will pray and beg to Srila Prabhupada to give me intelligence to serve Guru Maharaj.

Look at the cause less mercy of devotees that at 9.30 pm a devotee knocked on my door and then came inside and explained that he has made a complete folio of Guru Maharaj’s transcripted lectures and wanted to know how can it be used. Another merciful devotee told him to contact me and see how can this be used in Guru Maharaj’s transcription service, for which I took responsibility some months back and could not do justice to it. I didn’t know how to thank this devotee enough. I took the data from him in his pen drive and resolved to serve Guru Maharaj in transcription service from next week itself.

I realised that whenever I prayed with my heart to devotees they respond faster than the speed of light.

All glories to Guru Maharaj.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Reading too many books

Hare Krishna

23rd December 2012

Prabhupadas_Books

This blogs are from my last year’s diary.

While speaking to HG Rukmini Krishna Prabhuji today I discussed with him my current status where I am trying to study only Bhagavad Gita and have stopped reading all other books. The same instructions came from Guru Maharaj telling me that it is a step in the right direction. Guru Maharaj also wrote that NOD instructs us not to read too many books. Better to read one book at a time.

Prabhuji nobbed in affirmation and told me to follow it diligently and instructed me to just concentrate on reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, BG, SB and Krishna book, and that will be good enough. I will try to follow these instruction.

I was reading too many books and each new one I would pick a deeper topic and after some days won’t have the discipline to stop any of them so I would end up not finishing even one of them and always hankering for more.

The realisation to read only one book came as jolt in the right time. The shocker came when Guru Maharaj gave a very short Bhagavatam class at Radha Niwas few weeks back. The verse he picked up was SB 7.2.222

nitya ātmāvyayaḥ śuddhaḥ sarvagaḥ sarva-vit paraḥ

dhatte ‘sāv ātmano lińgaḿ māyayā visṛjan guṇān

TRANSLATION

The spirit soul, the living entity, has no death, for he is eternal and inexhaustible. Being free from material contamination, he can go anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds. He is fully aware and completely different from the material body, but because of being misled by misuse of his slight independence, he is obliged to accept subtle and gross bodies created by the material energy and thus be subjected to so-called material happiness and distress. Therefore, no one should lament for the passing of the spirit soul from the body.

I was shocked to know that Hiraṇyakaśipu knew all these details about soul and still behaved with so much animosity towards Lord. Guru Maharaj explained that as Hiraṇyakaśipu is speaking this verse we can clearly see that he has the correct knowledge but what is missing is `Surrender’ and without surrender all knowledge comes to a naught. Guru Maharaja’s words stuck somewhere deep inside me. I realised that all this knowledge I am trying to gain is no good. All my hankering for collecting books, reading deeper topics by previous acharayas suddenly fizzled out. I realised that I have to work towards surrender to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna first. I realised that I have to first read and study only Srila Prabhupada’s books and rest all can come later.

I also realised that I am just reading these books and not studying them. In fact Guru Maharaj scolded me in his first Teleconference on SB ( it was recorded and sent to many devotees to my initial embarrassment,  listen to all his recorded teleconf on SB @ https://docs.google.com/folderview?id=0BwMhsEhAKOdybndTblpIUHF4QlE ). It was only many months later that I was listening to the same recording that I realised that Guru Maharaj was showering his mercy on me by instructing me to first read Bhagavad Gita properly rather than jumping on to the higher books. Guru instructs us, but look at me, I am so fallen that even simple English also I could understand only months later. During the teleconference Q&A, at that time, I thought ` Guru Maharaj ji does not know how many times I have read Bhagavad Gita in the past and with what dedication I have read all the small books by Srila Prabhupada.  But of course I was, and remain,  a foolish person of first degree.

Lesson for me : Please listen to EACH word of Guru with utmost attention and follow what Guru’s instructions  without measuring it with my own poor intelligence and mind. If I follow even the so called simple instructions I will progress rapidly in Krishna Consciousness.

I will  follow them.

2013 status : I have fallen in love with simple yet deep purports of Bhagavad Gita, every week HG Vidur Priya Prabhuji teaches us something new from the same verses, I have fallen more in love with Srimad Bhagavatam ( reading canto 3 ) and fallen head over heels in love with Sri Chaitanaya Charitamrita. I read other books but mostly to get clarity on subjects where I get stuck or keen to read a particular topic in greater detail, which is more often. However my hankering to collect books show no sign of slowing down.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

Tulasi Maharani

Hare Krishna

20th December

vrinda2
vrindayai tulasi-devyai
priyayai keshavasya cha
krishna-bhakti-prade devi
satyavatyai namo namaha
Translation
I offer my repeated obeisances unto Vrnda, Srimati Tulasi Devi, who is very dear to Lord Kesava. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Lord Krsna and possess the highest truth.
As I started my spiritual journey one part where, mercifully, the faith established early, was with Tulasi Maharani. Before coming into Krishna Consciousness I had seen Tulasi being worshiped at many homes and I understood that she was special and a `holy plant’ but nothing more. I also saw her worshiped mainly by the ladies of the house. I would not have offered her water more than 10 times in my whole early life.
As my spiritual journey began one of the first thing to attract me was Tulasi Maharani. I guess it started from the wonderful morning  Tulasi arti in all ISKCON temples. I could not help but get attracted by the devotional mood of the devotees when they worship her. I knew she was special.
I started wearing Kanthi Mala within first few months of coming to ISKCON and that helped me a lot, which I realised much later. It is so purifying to have her next to my vocal cord. Somehow I always wore Kanthi mala close to neck.  I remember I was conscious and felt a little shy of wearing her but with in days I would hope everyone could see it and ask me about it !
It was Mukul Prabhu who told me to worship Tulasi and I started doing it diligently. My bonding with her was immediate, I would clean each leaf carefully and took care of her. Similarly, when I would go to Vrindavan , I would circumambulate Tulasi outside Balram Hall almost every time.
Another event which happened at the start of my journey was that I attended the Tulasi- Shailgram marriage at Vrinda Devi’s temple (http://www.vrindavan-dham.com/vrinda/vrinda-devi.php). It was unplanned but when I heard that there was a bus going from Krishna Balram temple for the same, I hopped on. It was a a wonderful experience attending the complete marriage, I actually felt like one of the `barati’,  many a times I think that my spiritual journey got a kick start after I attended this ceremony. Please see below the beautiful temple of Vrinda Devi.
VrindaKunda2_large
In the past there were many times, specially in winter, when Tulasi will shed almost all her leaves in the winter and I would worry how to ensure that she remains healthy. Whenever I would go out of station, I would ask my wife if she is offering water to Tulasi. She used to be quite amused at my behaviour.  I didn’t know much on how to take proper care of her.
I clicked the below picture today morning at my home. In last 1 year Tulasi Maharani continues to grow in our home and shower her mercy on us.
photo
Few months back I saw a Tulasi outside a big showroom, growing so much and without any care, all her branches were hanging down almost touching the ground. I felt so pained that I picked her up and brought her home in the car. I later called up the showroom and told them what I did, why I did and told them that I could return if they took care of her. Their manager said sorry and he allowed me to keep her with me. She is the second from the left in the above picture.
It was Sumeet Prabhu who told told me one day that how one senior devotee told him not to sing/recite Tulasi arti  in a big hurry in the morning. I shamefully realised that I don’t even offer Tulasi any arti at home. So I started offering Tulasi  Maharani obeisances every morning and singing her arti. The no. of Tulasi started growing more and more. She would grow up in the next plant, she came as a gift from a Bhagavad Gita seminar and so on. As you can see in the picture, and there are more, she is spreading her mercy on our home, blessing us by her presence.
This year I asked some devotees, read some websites, and took extra care not to give her too much water in the winter and she seems happy. ( http://www.deityworship.com/?page_id=13 )
I pray to Tulasi Maharai to continue to shower her mercy on all the devotees and bless us so that we can understand and appreciate the deep meaning of her Arti. I also seek her forgiveness for all my past offenses towards her. I beg her daily to give me Krishna Prema.
All glories to Tulasi Maharani.
Sri Tulasi Kirtana
namo namaha tulasi krishna-preyasi
radha-krishna-seva pabo ei abhilashi
je tomara sharana loy, tara vanchha purna hoy
kripa kori’ koro tare brindavana-basi
mor ei abhilash, bilas kunje dio vas
nayane heribo sada jugala-rupa-rashi
ei nivedana dharo, sakhir anugata koro
seva-adhikara diye koro nija dasi
dina krishna-dase koy, ei jena mora hoy
sri-radha-govinda-preme sada jena bhasi

Driving home the point with humour

Hare Krishna.

18th December, 2013, Gurgaon.

Sumeet Prabhu always speak very highly about HG Amogh Lila Prabhu. He comes to his home twice a month for home program from Sri Radha Parthasarathi temple, Delhi. I never got the chance to listen to Prabhuji and in the past whenever invited I somehow could not make it. So when the invite came for today evening I ensured that I was there.

It was a pleasure to hear him. He has a natural talent for humour. Almost everyone was in splits listening to Prabhuji’s one liners and stories laced with humour. With each anecdote he drove his point home with ease.  Here are some examples

  • If we do our `marzi’ then no mercy’ !
  • `Samsung’ or `Sadhu Sangh’ ( when a devotee’s phone rang during the lecture)
  • LG : Life is goofed up
  • Surrender – `sir dey apna under’

From children to teenagers to adults everyone relished Prabhuji’s lecture, no doubt everyone wanted the lecture to go on and on.

He stressed a very important point during our discussion on challenges of being in management in ISKCON. He said that a Vaishnava is the one who is happy to see another Vaishnava. This is something I do not follow and I pray and hope to try to follow this instruction. He also said that when for some reason we do not get along with another devotee then we should serve that particular devotee in awe and reverence, what a wonderful solution, thank you Prabhuji.

Here is another gem by prabhuji: His formula to save ourselves from  falling down for name, fame & women,`na dhanam na janam na sundarim’,  we should always think that

Fame is for Guru, wealth is for Vishnu and women are for Krishna !

Here is another one.

Someone ask a devotee  `Prabhuji I want to become humble ?’

1. first stage of humbleness : Join ISKCON and you will become humble.

2. Second stage of humbleness : Join ISKCON and in ISKCON join the management and you will become more humble.

3. Third stage of humbleness: Join ISKCON and in ISKCON join the management and in management become the service incharge and you will become must humble.

Prabhuji quoted Radhanath Maharaj where Maharaj said that the progress of a devotee in his devotional journey could be gauged by seeing how happy that person is in his devotional journey. By that yard stick Prabhuji is miles ahead of all of us in his Sadhna Bhakti !

I am sure Srila Prabhupda is smiling in Goloka looking down and seeing what a wonderful, dedicated and intelligent set of grand children are now taking ISKCON to the next level, helping fulfill MahaPrabhu’s statement  “My holy name will be chanted in every town and village”

All glories to HG Amogh Lila Prabhuji.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Austerity and Krishna Consciousness

Hare Krishna

19th December

zzz202dhruvamaharaja

Sumeet Prabhu sent me the below blog of HH Kadamba Kanana Swami today morning.

`Choose your suffering’

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 October 2013, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.2-7)

Through celibacy, can we get love of God? You can be celibate for a hundred lifetimes, do you think that will give you love of God? No, it is devotional service that will give us love of God!

“I am married to a devotee!” Do you think that will give you love of God? No, you yourself will have to be a devotee as well. You will have to do devotional service. It is not automatic. Even a lion has to go out and chase for breakfast. It’s not that the deer runs into the mouth of the lion… So, we have to do something in devotional service and that is what counts. Ashram issues are not so important, it’s only external. In one or the another, you are going to have to take some tapasya (austerity),

tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma saukhyam tv anantam (SB 5.5.1)

That is life in the material world, no matter what you do, there is tapasya. You decide which tapasya you like better; that’s what it is all about – the tapasya of being married or the tapasya of being alone. You decide as both have tapasya. Material life has that element of tapasya, of some austerity. Inevitably so, no one can avoid it – it is basically the design of the material world therefore Lord Rshabdev pointed this out to his one hundred sons – this human form of life is not meant for sense gratification; it is not going to work. Therefore we shouldn’t be too particular about how we live but some things have to be a little suitable.

Krsna consciousness, bhakti, is not denying us this basic comforts. That is for the impersonalists. For them, everything in this material world is only maya. There is only maya in all directions therefore whatever they use has to be minimized… but we just use it for sustaining our Krsna consciousness, so sleep well – nice and warm and cosy, so that we can do devotional service – there is nothing wrong with that. Therefore we do not have to sleep on the hardest bed that we can find and use only a bed-sheet in the winter, no blanket!

I knew a devotee who never wore a kurta in winter, in Vrindavan. It was very cold and he was only wearing a lungi. You know, he lasted for fifteen years and then he got sick. What is the benefit of these things!? Great austerities – fasting, fasting, fasting… “I fast every ekadasi and dvadasi as well, for the last twenty-four years!”

Fine, you can do it for twenty-four lifetimes more and do you think you will make any more progress towards going back to the spiritual world with all your fasting!? Not really.

So, it is not by austerity that we will attain Krsna! Although, austerity is highlighted by Lord Rshabdev in the fifth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, austerity in itself is not one of the limbs of bhakti. Renunciation and austerity are not limbs of bhakti. They don’t give you devotional service.

( Please read the full article at http://www.kksblog.com/2013/12/choose-suffering and many other gems. )

In fact I had read this a blog just a few days back, acknowledged the point Maharaj made and then  carried on as usual.

Surprisingly I was reading the below verse today morning and was contemplating on it, remembering what I had read few days back, when I received the above mail.

nāyaṁ sukhāpo bhagavān

dehināṁ gopikā-sutaḥ

jñānināṁ cātma-bhūtānāṁ

yathā bhakti-matām iha

“‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, the son of mother Yaśodā, is accessible to those devotees engaged in spontaneous loving service, but He is not as easily accessible to mental speculators, to those striving for self-realization by severe austerities and penances, or to those who consider the body the same as the self.’

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.9.21) is spoken by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī. It appears within a passage in which he glorifies mother Yaśodā and other devotees of Kṛṣṇa by describing how they can subjugate Him with their love.

Then as the forwarded mail came from Sumeet prabhu,  I read Maharaj’s last para with concentration, and the above verse again, praying that I get the message and, mercifully, I got it. It took a devotee to drill the message of a sanyasi in my thick and poor brain.

Guru Maharaj often says that in this kali yuga the 4 regulative principles itself are our austerity. And too many  austerities make us remain on the bodily platform. Of course, to understand it properly and then practice it in our Sadhna Bhakti at that level is not easy for us.

But the message to me was clear that it is our spontaneous love for Krishna which will make us progress in our devotional service and the austerities won’t help me much.

Thank you so much Sumeet Prabhu for helping me absorb this message by sending this timely mail from HH Kadamba Kanana Swami today morning.

All glories to the wonderful devotees in ISKCON.

All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

Why does Krishna has 3 main potencies ?

Hare Krishna.

DCF 1.0

17th december

I always used to wonder why do we mostly describe Krishna having three potencies. Yes, Krishna explains in Bhagavad Gita that he has three energies but somehow I always used to wonder why only three.  It is also true that that He has unlimited energies and they are only divided in three main energies. But again three !!

I was reading Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita today morning and I got a beautiful explanation

Sri Ramananda Raya describes it in cc m 8.154

sac-cid-ānanda-maya kṛṣṇera svarūpa

ataeva svarūpa-śakti haya tina rūpa

“Originally Lord Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], the transcendental form of eternity, bliss and knowledge; therefore His personal potency, the internal potency, has three different forms.

Verse 155 connects it with the three main energies.

ānandāṁśe ‘hlādinī’, sad-aṁśe ‘sandhinī’

cid-aṁśe ‘samvit’, yāre jñāna kari’ māni

“Hlādinī is His aspect of bliss; sandhinī, of eternal existence; and samvit, of cognizance, which is also accepted as knowledge.

My silly question got evaporated in no time. The key was  sac-cid-ānanda.

When I started reading reading Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita few months on my i pad it was an eye opener for me, for the extensive detail about each topic I wanted to read more. First I thought let me finish reading Srimad Bhagavatam and then I will read these topics but my interest got better of me and I would read them on my ipad atleast once a week. I also asked HG Rukmini Krishna Prabhu who gave me permission to read it without stopping my regular reading of Srimad Bhagavatam.

I brought Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita book set from Vrindavan during Kartika. After moving into the new apartment though I had kept them in the bookshelves but I didn’t open their cling film packing. I don’t know what came over me last evening and I opened all the books from their film. Priti, my wife, told me not to open as they will get dirty with dust. I told myself that if they are open I, or someone else, will read them and I didn’t bring them home to keep them as show pieces. I also remembered how Pooja mataji told me to read Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita while Guru Maharaj was having Lunch Prasadam at their home few weeks back. I felt nervous but still it was a very good feeling to read the great scripture to Guru Maharaj.  In a strange manner the books seemed to be getting suffocated in their cling films. I ripped open all the cling films from both Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita and Srimad Bhagavatam set.

Somehow I got up extra early today morning and had spare time, the answers I got while reading Sri Chaitanya Charitamrit were amazing. And I still read on my ipad. While writing the above lines I was wondering what  happened today morning and how did I get so many realisations. I wrote 8 Q&A like above on my ipad from just two verses. And I realised that the mercy came via opening the great scripture and they let their potential out while calmly sitting in the book shelves. I realise how these scriptures are non different from the spiritual potency of the Lord and can communicate with us.

All glories to Sri Chiatanya Charitamrita.

All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.