Demons and what they represent

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Sri Caitanya Siksamrita describes the demons killed during Sri Krishna's Vrindavana pastimes and the anarthas (unwanted things) that they represent.

• Putana - the pseudo guru
  
• Sakatasura (the cart demon) - carrying the burden of a cart-load of old and new bad habits, lethargy and vanity.
• Trinavarta (the whirlwind demon) - false pride which comes from material scholarship, which leads to bogus philosophies.
• Deliverance of Nalakuvara and Manigriva (breaking the twin arjuna trees) - Arrogant pride which comes from puffed-up prestige, which is rooted in a madness for wealth.
• Vatsasura (the calf demon) - a childish type of mentality which gives rise to a type of greediness which results in a wicked type of mischievousness.
• Bakasura (stork demon) - Cunning duplicity, deceptiveness and false types of behavior.
• Aghasura (the snake demon) - Cruelty and violence. Brahma-vimohana Pastime (Lord Brahma steals the cowherd boys and calves) - mundane activities and speculative scholasticism.
• Dhenukasura (the ass demon) - gross materialistic intelligence, ignorance of spiritual knowledge.
• Kaliya (chastising the Kaliya serpent) - brutality and treachery. Extinguishing the Forest Fire - Quarreling amongst Vaishnavas.
• Pralambasura (killing the Pralamba demon) - lusty inclinations; desire for personal gain and honor.
• Second Forest Fire - disturbance of religious principles and interference with religious people who are atheist. Brahmanas Performing Sacrifice - indifference toward Krishna caused by pride because of one's status (position) in varnasrama.
• Overcoming the Pride of Indra - demigod worship, and the tendency to think "I am Supreme."
• Nanda Maharaja Captured by Varuna - thinking that spiritual life can be enhanced by intoxication.
• Nanda Maharaja Swallowed by Vidyadhara (the snake) - rescuing the truth of Krishna consciousness from being swallowed by the impersonalists.
• Sankhacuda (killing the conch-shell demon and getting the jewel that was stolen by him) - proneness toward acquiring name and fame, and desire for sensuous enjoyment, under the plea of devotion.
• Aristasura (the bull demon) - pride arising from indulging in false religions invented by cheaters which causes neglect of devotional service (bhakti).
• Kesi (the horse demon) - The feeling that "I am a great devotee and spiritual master." Vyomasura (the demon in the sky) - associating with thieves and other rascals, and with people who put themselves forward as avataras.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says: "The devotee who worships the holy name should first petition the Lord for the strength to cast out all these unfavorable tendencies and should pray thus before Lord Hari ( Balaram - Nityananda ) on a daily basis.

By doing this regularly, the devotee's heart will eventually become purified. Sri Krishna has killed a number of demons which may arise in the kingdom of the heart, so in order to destroy these problems, a devotee must cry very humbly before the Lord and the Lord will then nullify all contaminations."

Durga arrives

Dear Devotees,

After speaking to the residents of Goloka about his pastimes to take place on the earth, Sri Krishna then assumes the form of Sri Vishnu and with great affection greeted the demigods at svetadvipa. Sri Vishnu welcomed them one bye one.

What follows is a brief description of Durga Devi as she arrives on the scene.This is all mentioned in the Sri Brahma Vaivarta Purana, 4th Canto.

At Svetadvipa the devas (demigods) saw a celestial chariot four hundred miles high and eight hundred miles wide, designed in a most amazing way. It had one hundred palaces decorated magnificently with very opulent sofas and beds.

Then a goddess appeared decorated with ornaments, her effulgence so bright it stole the splendor of molten gold. Her presence being unequaled and vibrant and the root of the mundane manifestation, stood there with a thousand arms holding many weapons.

She displayed a compassionate smile toward her devotees, her cheeks very splendid with earrings made of valuable jewels, her tinkling anklets were made from the king of jewels.

She wore a jeweled belt around her lovely waist and sparkling armlets and bracelets embedded with valuable jewels.

Fragrant and very beautiful flowers from Mandara Mountain were strung together as garlands which she wore gracefully around her neck. Her thighs were firm and her raised breasts full.

Her beautiful face and lotus eyes decorated with mascara, seemed to rob the autumn moon of its charm.

Her lovely lips and pearl like teeth that resembled jasmine flowers. She also wore an elephant pearl on the tip of her graceful nose.

A goddess with dazzling garments pure as fire and accompanied by her two sons cheerfully rode on a lions back.

Dismounted, the goddess with her sons at once bowed down ( dandavat pranams ) before Sri Krishna the cause of all causes.

The goddess then sat on a great throne.

Sanatana Dharma

"Temporary duties are short lived. The soul's temporary duties are not performed in all situations and all times. For example: a brahmana's brahmana nature, a ksatriya's ksatriya nature, and other like natures also, are manifested because of a particular cause. When the cause ceases to be, these natures vanish. A person may in one birth be a brahmana and in the next birth an outcaste. Therefore the duties of the brahmana caste are temporary. They are not the original duties of the soul. Therefore in reference to temporary duties the phrase 'own duty' is only a figure of speech. That is why in every birth a soul's 'own duty'changes. However, in none of these births does the soul's eternal duty ( Sanatana Dharma ) ever change. This eternal duty is the soul's true 'own duty'. Temporary duties are all short lived.

"If one asks, 'What are the duties of the Vaisnavas?' then I answer: The Vaisnavas' duties are the eternal duties of the soul. When he is liberated from the world of matter, the Vaisnava soul attains his pure spiritual body, and with that body he engages in devotional activities that express his spiritual love for Lord Krsna. When he resides in thematerial world, a person who is intelligent respectfully accepts all that advances his spiritual life and rejects all that hinders it. He does not blindly follow the orders and prohibitions of the scriptures. When the scriptures encourage devotion to Lord Hari, then such a person happily accepts those teachings. When the scriptures' teachings do not encourage devotion, he does not dishonour those teachings. In the same way a Vaisnava also honours or rejects the prohibitions taught in the scriptures.

A Vaisnava is the best person in the world. A Vaisnava is the friend of everyone in the world. A Vaisnava is the auspiciousness of the world.

In this way I have humbly said all I wish to say to this assembly of Vaisnavas.
May the Vaisnavas wash away all my faults and mistakes-Vaisnava Das "

( This is an excerpt from a discourse, delivered by Vaisnava das to an assembly of scholars and devotees, read in it's entirety in a book, titled Jaiva-dharma presented, by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur . )

Servants of a rascal

"We are not poets. We are not logicians.

We are not philosophers who have crossed to the farthest shore of Vedanta.

We are not eloquent debaters.

We are the servants of a rascal cowherd boy."

- Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya

Inherent Spiritual Rasa

“Although conditioned by material nature, the living entity is not cut off from his spiritual identity. Due to his association with the contaminated material atmosphere, the conditioned living entity's spiritual identity is transformed as the mind. Still, one is not separated from his constitutional nature. Now the soul has faith, hope, and happiness in the material condition. In this state, however, the rasa of one's constitutional nature is perverted into sense gratification in the form of happiness and distress.

What is vikara, or perversion?

When pure characteristics are deformed that is vikara.

Even in the state of vikara, pure characteristics remain perceivable. The rasa experienced in activities of sense enjoyment is deformed spiritual rasa. That inherent spiritual rasa can be minutely perceived by self-confidence. Although perverted rasa can be easily differentiated from that rasa by simple intelligence, still, while chanting the holy name the inherent spiritual rasa is referred to as bhakti-rasa in order to differentiate it. The nature of bhakti and the nature of material love are not independent from one another. The latter is only the reflected state of the former.

The rationalists experience the spiritual rasa to some extent, and by mistake they think the nature of bhakti and the nature of material love are different subjects. Those who are a little familiar with bhakti-rasa and have discussed the nature of both don't have such beliefs.”

( from the book Prema Pradipa - By Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura )