Author Archives: Giriraj dasa

Facing a Pure devotee

by

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

by

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

by

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

by

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

by

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 ?

by

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.

What is the shape of the soul ?

by

Hare Krishna.

15th December.

Quotes-by-Srila-Prabhupada-on-Chanting-Krishna’s-Names

Yesterday at Bhagavat Gita class with HG Vidur Priya Prabhuji proved to be extra beneficial for me. We were at chapter two and verse 17 of Bhagavad Gita. He asked everyone now that we all know what is the size the soul, can we tell what is the shape of the soul ? I never thought Soul could have any shape at that small a size and this questions never crossed my mind. Someone answered it should be circular as it is a perfect shape, someone else suggested it cant have a shape or it is just a light source, etc.. It was Pawan Prabhu who came close the answer and suggested a link with our spiritual self. Then prabhuji clarified that the shape of our soul is exactly as our Spiritual self, Sidh swaroop. Due to wrong consciousness or contamination it gets shrunk to the size described in scriptures, 1/10000 part of the tip of the hair. He further explained that when we begin our sadhna bhakti and the consciousness starts getting purified our gross and subtle body start becoming spiritualised.

Another important point he empahsised was that bhakti is all about right consciousness. The externals do not matter so much. He gave the example that when a person dies he gets the body depending upon what was his consciousness at the time of death. Now if someone puts a leave of tulsi leave or ganga jal in the mouth of that person then again that person may die thinking of the pious benefit Tulsi leave has or in a case of a devotee who shows gratitude and remember the service Tulasi Maharani does for Radha Krishna and though both person die with Tulsi leave in their mouth, the results would vary drastically depending upon the consciousness of each person.

He stressed the need for right consciousness in whatever activity we do in our lives especially in our sadhna bhakti. He added that is the reason Srila Prabhupada named our society as International Society of Krishna Consciousness.

We learn something every time we read a verse of Bhagavad Gita. It is a delight to see how effortlessly Prabhuji teaches us each verse so that everyone understands even the subtle points.

All glories to HG Vidur Priya Prabhuji.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Personal with book Bhagavatam

by

Hare Krishna.

26th October 2013

Quotes-by-Srila-Prabhupada-on-Srimad-Bhagavatam

I had gone to to take darshan of  HG Rukmini Krishna Prabhuji few days back at Punjabi Bagh temple, he had been away for a long time. During our conversation I asked Prabhuji that I have completed reading the 2nd Canto and now looking to start 3rd Canto with his permission, he was happy and gave me the go ahead. I then enquired that do I really need to buy the whole set or I can read with pocket Vedas on my ipad. My concern was making space for so many volumes at home. By some senior devotee’s mercy I could get 2nd Canto as a single volume earlier and for the 3rd canto I had to buy the full set now.

Rukmini Prabhuji asked me how do I read Srimad Bhagavatam at home ? I told him that in the evening after doing arti I read atleast 1 verse daily. He asked me how do I treat the book, I replied that I have kept it in a book shelf next to altar and I touch it with my head before reading it and also speak verses glorifying Srimad Bhagavatam before I start reading it. He then asked me how do I read books on my ipad ? I told, rather sheepishly, that I read on it sitting on a recliner most of the time and many a times before going to sleep. Praabhuji then added that can you see the difference, do you ever touch your ipad on head before reading on it ! He further added that everyone has their own preferences but he believes that the book Bhagavatam is personal and reading on ipad not so.

Of course he was right, I could suddenly see how high I hold the Book Bhagavatam. I never accord the same to the electronic ipad while reading on it. I had my answer.

So today morning the full set of Book Bhagavatam blessed our home.

idam bhagavatam nama
puranam brahma-sammitam
uttama-sloka-caritam
cakara bhagavan rsih
nihsreyasaya lokasya
dhanyam svasty-ayanam mahat
This Srimad-Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of God, and it is compiled by Srila Vyasadevaa, the incarnation of God. It is meant for the ultimate good of all people, and it is all-successful, all-blissful and all-perfect. (Bhag 2.1.8)
krsne sva-dhamopagate
dharma-jnanadibhih saha
kalau nasta-drsam esa
puranarko ‘dhunoditah
This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana. (Bhag 1.3.43)

All glories to HG Rukmini Krishna Prabhuji.

All glories to Srimad Bhagavatam.

All glories to Sri Guru and sri Gauranga.

Quotes-by-Srila-Prabhupada-on-Glory-of-Srimad-Bhagavatam

Association of devotees

by

Hare Krishna.

14th December

Quotes-by-Srila-Prabhupada-on-Result-of-Association-with-Devotees

Everyday I realise more and more how and why association of devotees is so important for a sadhak.

I also realise that whatever baby steps I have taken in spiritual journey are directly due to the mercy and association of devotees. From receiving Bhagavad Gita from Mukul Prabhu and starting my spiritual journey till yesterday chanting of Bhagavad Gita verses at Gurgaon centre is all due to causeless mercy of devotees. My own endeavour is nil rather in negative only.

Today morning I received a beautifully written mail from Anand Prabhu. In a very sweet way he taught me to how to reciprocate with my devotee brothers & sisters. After reading his mail I realise how self centered I am. When we receive praise from devotees we all handle it differently. For me, though, I outwardly may say that this is not me and this is all due to mercy of Guru and Guru paramapara but his mail showed me that rather than progressing in my spiritual journey I am still standing there, not unlike a car which has all its wheels resting on wheel jacks, the driver is pushing accelerator to full, the tires are moving, there is lot of smoke from the silencer and the car is making a lot of noise but the car still standing at the same point.

I am so grateful that somehow and due to some good fortune I have landed in association of devotees, who always try to guide me properly, they show me the right way and they have only good of everyone in their heart. My complete lack of progress is entirely due to my own lack of interest, intelligence and realisations.

I again write the same prayer by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, which I quoted on 11th December, and pray at the feet of devotees to remain merciful on me. I also pray at the lotus feet of all the devotees to bless me that  I can imbibe the meaning of this prayer in my heart rather than just focusing on its lyrics.

ohe! vaishnava thhâkura, doyâra sâgara,

e dâse korunâ kori’     

diyâ pada-châyâ, s’odho he âmâya,

tomâra carana dhori

O venerable Vaisnava, o ocean of mercy
be merciful unto your servant.
Give me the shade of your lotus feet and purify me.
I hold on to your lotus feet.
chaya vega domi’, chaya dosha s’odhi

chaya guna deho’ dâse

chaya sat-sanga, deho’ he âmâre,

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p style=”text-align: justify;”>bosechi sangera âs’e

Teach me to control my six passions,

rectify my six faults,

bestow upon me the six qualities, and offer me,

the six kinds of the holy association

All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

A Vaishanava is more merciful than Krishna !

by

Hare Krishna.

11th December.

Quotes-by-Bhakti-Charu-Swami-on-Vaishnava-Etiquette

Pawan Prabhu came to my home on Sunday for the weekly Bhagavad Gita class and had two packets with him. When everyone had left he unwrapped them and showed me two beautiful pictures of Sri Radha Shyamsundar and Sri Krishna Balram. He brought them as a present for our new apartment. I was looking forward to welcome Them at home for many months.

We have a new altar at home now and a small laminated picture of Sri Radha Shyamsundar, which was in the earlier altar,  did not fit in the new altar. I missed them but kept on deliberating on what size, which pose, what texture  will look best in the new altar and  so on. The result was no Radha Shyamsundar ! By the mercy of Pawan Prabhu I not only got Them but Krishna Balaram as well. Now Radha Shyamsundar majestically adorn one wall in the study. My chanting improved drastically from next day morning onwards, not just the next day. Sitting in front of Them I feel as if a channel from Vrindavan has come straight into my study room, where I chant in the morning. It is an unbelievable feeling. I feel so happy, so proud that They have come to bless us all in the new home.

In my earlier apartment I didn’t have a single full length pictures of my Lords. Rather I would daily download Their new picture on my computer from internet and adore their beauty every morning. Due to some malfunctioning in the computer that too stopped since last 2 months.

I called up Pawan Prabhu yesterday and thanked him profusely for this mercy. He was of course very polite about it but I know it was his and Pooja mataji’s mercy on us. It is true that devotee can shower more mercy than the Lord. I was hankering for Them for so long but didn’t have the `adhikar’ to invite Their Lordships at home, but now by the mercy of a Vaishanava I got the benediction of their constant Darshan at home.

ohe! vaishnava thhâkura, doyâra sâgara,

e dâse korunâ kori’     

diyâ pada-châyâ, s’odho he âmâya,

tomâra carana dhori

O venerable Vaisnava, o ocean of mercy
be merciful unto your servant.
Give me the shade of your lotus feet and purify me.
I hold on to your lotus feet.

 

All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.