Hare Krishna Experience

  There are three categories of incarnations of Godhead: partial incarnations, qualitative incarnations and empowered incarnations. The puruṣas and Matsya are examples of partial incarnations.

It is the duty of a mendicant ( parivrājakācārya ) to experience all varieties of God’s creation by traveling alone through all forests, hills, towns, villages, etc., to gain faith in God and strength of mind as well as to enlighten the inhabitants with the message of God. A  sannyāsī  is duty-bound to take all these risks without fear, and the most typical  sannyāsī  of the present age is Lord Caitanya, who traveled in the same manner through the central Indian jungles, enlightening even the tigers, bears, snakes, deer, elephants and many other jungle animals. In this Age of Kali,  sannyāsa  is forbidden for ordinary men. One who changes his dress to make propaganda is a different man from the original ideal  sannyāsī.  One should, however, take the vow to stop social intercourse completely and devote life exclusively to the service of the Lord. The change of dress is only a formality. Lord Caitanya did not accept the name of a  sannyāsī,  and in this Age of Kali the so-called  sannyā

  If one desires unalloyed devotional service, one must associate with devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, for by such association only can a conditioned soul achieve a taste for transcendental love and thus revive his eternal relationship with Godhead in a specific manifestation and in terms of the specific transcendental mellow ( rasa ) that one has eternally inherent in him.

An expert devotee of the Lord can mold his life in such a way that while performing all kinds of duties either for this or the next life, he can constantly remember the Lord’s name, fame, qualities, etc. The order of the Lord is distinctly there in the  Bhagavad-gītā :  one should work only for the Lord in all spheres of life. In every sphere of life the Lord should be situated as the proprietor. According to the Vedic rites, even in the worship of some demigods like Indra, Brahmā, Sarasvatī and Gaṇeśa, the system is that in all circumstances the representation of Viṣṇu must be there as  yajñeśvara,  or the controlling power of such sacrifices. It is recommended that a particular demigod be worshiped for a particular purpose, but still the presence of Viṣṇu is compulsory in order to make the function proper.

  Whatever you desire to describe that is separate in vision from the Lord simply reacts, with different forms, names and results, to agitate the mind, as the wind agitates a boat which has no resting place. Purport Śrī Vyāsadeva is the editor of all descriptions of the Vedic literatures, and thus he has described transcendental realization in different ways, namely by fruitive activities, speculative knowledge, mystic power and devotional service. Besides that, in his various  Purāṇas  he has recommended the worship of so many demigods in different forms and names. The result is that people in general are puzzled how to fix their minds in the service of the Lord; they are always disturbed about finding the real path of self-realization. Śrīla Nāradadeva is stressing this particular defect in the Vedic literatures compiled by Vyāsadeva, and thus he is trying to emphasize describing everything in relation with the Supreme Lord, and no one else. In fact, there is nothing existent except

  It is a qualification of the great thinkers to pick up the best even from the worst. It is said that the intelligent man should pick up nectar from a stock of poison, should accept gold even from a filthy place, should accept a good and qualified wife even from an obscure family and should accept a good lesson even from a man or from a teacher who comes from the untouchables. These are some of the ethical instructions for everyone in every place without exception. But a saint is far above the level of an ordinary man. He is always absorbed in glorifying the Supreme Lord because by broadcasting the holy name and fame of the Supreme Lord, the polluted atmosphere of the world will change, and as a result of propagating the transcendental literatures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, people will become sane in their transactions. While preparing this commentation on this particular stanza of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we have a crisis before us. Our neighboring friend China has attacked the border of India

  Radha’s Birthday Party part one By Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das #RadhasBirthdayParty #AppearanceOfRadharani #Radhashtami It’s a glorious, grand occasion, full of fun meetings, loving exchanges and the warmth of close family relationship. It is Radhastami in Varshana, a meeting of two families rejoicing in Radhaji’s lovely birthday festival. Read on, envisioning that you are there this year with all the wonderful, sweet, kind and loving devotees of Vraja! Two days before Radhastami, Vrshabhanu Maharaja, Priyaji’s father, sends Sridama, Radha’s elder brother, to Nandagrama to invite Nanda Baba and his clan to come to Varshana for celebrating Sri Radhika’s auspicious birthday. The day before Radhastami, Nanda Baba Krishnachandra and his entire family come to Varshana by walking, sitting on palanquins or riding in bullock-carts. Hearing the musical instruments joyously resounding, Vrshabhanu and his brothers come to greet their guests. Kirtida-devi, Radhaji’s mother, and her sisters-in l

Visakha-sakhi is the second most important of the eight most exalted gopis of Sri Krsna. Her activities, attributes and resolve are much like those of her friend Lalita. Her garments are decorated with stars and her complexion is like lightning. “Although more exalted than the younger gopis who perform this service, Visakha-devi also carries messages between Radha and Krsna. She is the most intelligent and expert of all the gopis messengers. Visakha is skilled at joking with Lord Govinda and is the perfect counselor of the Divine Couple. Expert in all the aspects of amorous diplomacy, Visakha can conciliate an angry lover, bribe him and quarrel with him as required to facilitate the pleasure pastimes. (An excerpt from the boook Appreciating Sri Vrndavana Dhama by Mahanidhi Swami )

Thus the great sage Vyāsadeva, who is very kind to the ignorant masses, edited the Vedas so they might be assimilated by less intellectual men. Purport The   Veda   is one, and the reasons for its divisions in many parts are explained herewith. The seed of all knowledge, or the   Veda,   is not a subject matter which can easily be understood by any ordinary man. There is a stricture that no one should try to learn the   Vedas   who is not a qualified   brāhmaṇa.   This stricture has been wrongly interpreted in so many ways. A class of men, who claim brahminical qualification simply by their birthright in the family of a   brāhmaṇa,   claim that the study of the   Vedas   is a monopoly of the   brāhmaṇa   caste only. Another section of the people take this as an injustice to members of other castes, who do not happen to take birth in a   brāhmaṇa   family. But both of them are misguided. The   Vedas   are subjects which had to be explained even to Brahmājī by the Supreme Lord. Therefore

 

Dr. John Mize:  Did all the souls that were in the spiritual sky fall out of the spiritual sky at once or at different times, or are there any souls that are always good,  they 're not foolish,  they  don't fall down? Prabhupāda:  No, there are... Majority, 90%,  they  are always good.  They  never fall down. Dr. John Mize:  So we're among the 10%. Prabhupāda:  Yes. Or less than that. In the material, whole material world all the living entities  they  are... Just like in the prison house, there are some population, but  they  are not majority. The majority of the population,  they  are outside the prison house. Similarly, majority of living being, part and parcel of God,  they  are in the spiritual world. Only a few falls down. Dr. John Mize:  Does  Kṛṣṇa  know ahead of time that a soul is going to be foolish and fall? Prabhupāda:   Kṛṣṇa ? Yes,  Kṛṣṇa  may know because He is omniscient. Dr. John Mize:  Are more souls falling all the time?

Rāvaṇa, por exemplo, era um grande adorador e devoto do Senhor Śiva e, em troca, ele recebeu todas as bênçãos da deusa Durgā, tanto que todo o seu reino foi construído de edifícios dourados. No Brasil, na era atual, enormes quantidades de ouro foram encontradas e, a partir de referências históricas nos Purāṇas, podemos supor com segurança que este era o reino de Rāvaṇa. Este reino foi, no entanto, destruído pelo Senhor Rāmacandra. SB 4.22.36 Rāvaṇa , for example, was a great worshiper and devotee of Lord Śiva, and in return he got all the blessings of goddess  Durgā , so much so that his whole kingdom was constructed of golden buildings. In  Brazil , in this present age, huge quantities of gold have been found, and from historical references in the  Purāṇas,  we can guess safely that this was Rāvaṇa’s kingdom. This kingdom was, however, destroyed by Lord  Rāmacandra . Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, eles eram demônios, demônios ímpios. Rāvaṇa era muito erudito no conhecimento védico e muito pod

Personal realization does not mean that one should, out of vanity, attempt to show one’s own learning by trying to surpass the previous  ācārya.  He must have full confidence in the previous  ācārya,  and at the same time he must realize the subject matter so nicely that he can present the matter for the particular circumstances in a suitable manner.  The original purpose of the text must be maintained.  No obscure meaning should be screwed out of it, yet it should be presented in an interesting manner for the understanding of the audience. This is called realization.

  Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Now we have got so many students and so many temples but I am fearful that if we expand too much in this way we shall become weakened and gradually the whole thing will become lost. Just like milk. We may thin it more and more with water for cheating the customer, but in the end it will cease to be any longer milk. Better to boil the milk now very vigorously and make it thick and sweet. That is the best process. So let us concentrate on training our devotees very thoroughly in the knowledge of Krishna Consciousness from our books, from tapes, by discussing always, and in so many ways instruct them in the right propositions. — Letter to Hamsaduta Now I want that we shall concentrate on making our devotees Krishna conscious and ourselves becoming Krishna conscious, and not be so much concerned with expanding ourselves widely but without any spiritual content. Just like boiling the milk, it becomes thicker and sweeter. Now do like that, boil th

Lord Brahma, the first guru in the disciplic succession, confirms what the other authorities have stated. In his prayers to Lord Krishna he addresses Him as the son of the king of the cowherds (pasupangajaya), the son of Maharaja Nanda: “O son of the king of the cowherds, Your transcendental body is dark blue like a new cloud, Your garment is brilliant like lightning, and the beauty of Your face is enhanced by Your gunja earrings and the peacock feather on Your head.” (SB 10.14.1)   Many residents of Mathura believe that Lord Krishna appeared in Mathura, but the residents of Vrindavan know that He was born in Vraja, in Gokula. Yet Srimad-Bhagavatam states that Lord Krishna appeared in the prison house of Kamsa in Mathura as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki and thereafter was carried by Vasudeva to Gokula to be taken as their son by Nanda and Yasoda, in exchange for Yasoda’s newborn daughter, Yogamaya. So, how to solve this mystery? Let us turn to Srimad-Bhagavatam and look more closely.

Are  Ugrasena , whose son was the mischievous  Kaṁsa , and his younger brother still living? Is  Ugrasena  happy? Are  Hṛdīka  and his son  Kṛtavarmā happy? Are  Akrūra ,  Jayanta ,  Gada ,  Sāraṇa  and Śatrujit all happy? How is  Balarāma , the Personality of Godhead and the protector of devotees? PURPORT Hastināpura, the capital of the Pāṇḍavas, was situated somewhere near present New Delhi, and the kingdom of  Ugrasena  was situated in  Mathurā . While returning to Delhi from  Dvārakā ,  Arjuna  must have visited the city of  Mathurā , and therefore the inquiry about the King of  Mathurā  is valid. Amongst various names of the relatives, the name of  Rāma  or  Balarāma , eldest brother of Lord  Kṛṣṇa , is added with the words "the Personality of Godhead" because Lord  Balarāma  is the immediate expansion of  viṣṇu - tattva  as  prakāśa - vigraha  of Lord  Kṛṣṇa . The Supreme Lord, although one without a second, expands Himself as many other living beings. The  viṣṇu - tatt