About the Holy Name, It is said:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Maha Mantra

In Jnanamrita Sara, a scripture belonging to the Pancaratrika corpus of literature, the following statements are found:

“Located next to him (the guru), the disciple should hear the sixteen names of Hari from his mouth, thus taking shelter of the mantra which protects from inauspiciousness and causes auspiciousness for the three worlds.”

In the Brahma Yamala, belonging to the tantrika corpus of literature, the following statement is found:

“Without Hari, there is no way to eradicate the sins of the age of Kali, and therefore it is essential that Hari-nama should be manifest in all the worlds. In this way the entire world can be delivered from the great sins of the age of Kali. First one should twice chant ‘Hare Krsna’, then twice ‘Krsna, then twice ‘Hare’, then twice ‘Hare Rama’, and in the end, O Maha-Devi, one should chant ‘Rama’ twice, and then ‘Hare Hare’. In this way one should pronounce Krsna’s Hari-nama maha-mantra, which destroys all sins.”

In the Radha Tantra, the following discussion is found:

“Hear me, O mother Mahamaya, seed of the universe personified, mistress of the gods! Please explain the sequence of Hari-nama.”

“O best of sons! ‘Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare’, these thirty-two syllables and sixteen names are always the names for the age of Kali. This mantra should be first heard by all human beings.”

A giant among men

If this is a Hoax, someone sure went to a lot of trouble and has way to much free time on their hands. Then again it could be possible. -AJD

Love and Sorrow
Animals have feelings too !
BY: Mark

Swallows

In the picture above, this Swallow's mate is injured and the condition is fatal. She was hit by a car as she swooped low across the road.

Here he brought her food and attended to her with love and compassion.

He brought her food again, but was shocked to find her dead. He tried to move her... a rarely seen effort for swallows!

Aware that his mate is dead and will never come back to him again, he cries.

He stood beside her, saddened by her death.

Aware that she would never return to him, he stood beside her body in sorrow.

Millions of people cried after seeing these pictures in America and Europe, and even in India. It is said that the photographer sold these pictures for a nominal fee to the most famous newspaper in France. All copies of that newspaper were sold out on the day these pictures were published. And many people think animals don't have a brain or feelings?????

Sitting in a Temple

Today I was sitting in a temple (dedicated to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu) reflecting on a few minuscule thoughts scribbled in my notepad so many years ago.

The first was the word Upanishad.
Upanishad means: Enlightenment that comes to a disciple by sitting at the feet of an enlightened being.

It is absolutely necessary to sit at the feet of an enlightened being if you truly desire enlightenment and not only listen to the sound coming from the Guru's mouth but to experience his Divine Grace. Sometimes the arraignment of words or language may not be understood logically, but that is not so important. The important thing is to hear and feel the transcendental presents of a realized soul. After sometime the entangled mind will be liberated enough that whatever the Guru has said will begin to make absolute sense. A transformation of consciousness will automatically take place. There is a nice example used by many Jagat Guru's from the past that goes something like this; "An aspiring devotee should never touch stool because stool is very impure and nasty". Later on during the same discourse it was said, "stool of a Cow is pure". This creates an apparent contradiction and may confuse a person who doesn't know the subtle teaching embedded in the example.

Let me try and explain.

We all have experience that stool is the waist by-product of a body, it contains bacteria, germs, poison and a very foul order, and these impurities can cause disease and even death. The stool of a Cow however has antiseptic qualities and can be used in many ways that benefit human society. From the stool of a Cow one can make incense, fire logs, fuel for cooking, mosquito repellent etc. The contradiction goes away and the logical brain can then digest the example and go forward. Logic was not really necessary if one had faith in the Guru but logic is now serving as an assistant to the neophyte devotee. On many levels the enlightened being is distributing his Grace and depending on our own level we benefit, some more than others.

On the other side of the coin, if you sit with and hear from a non-sense man you will become non-sense. If you associate with a womanizer you will become lusty and exploitative. If you associate with a criminal you will most likely become a criminal. That is why the most important principle when desiring enlightenment is to sit at the feet and absorb the enlightened energy of a self realized devotee of the lord.

The 2nd thought was:
Freedom can not be forced upon us.

If I were forced to become enlightened it would be bondage. Sri Krsna allows enlightened beings to broadcast his glories far and wide because they want to. They feel something in the core of their hearts that drives them. Call it compassion, mercy, love, devotion, whatever the label; if they were forced it will sooner or later become a burden and a source of misery for them. As students sitting at the feet of our Guru Maharaj, we went everywhere inviting people to come and sit with us, take the mercy of this enlightened being. Some came and many did not, our duty was to invite everyone we came in contact with to take advantage of this human life, sit with us and together associate with an enlightened being who was in our midst. No qualification required, just come visit and associate, chant the holy name and be happy.

There will always be enlightened beings (Jagat Gurus) roaming the earth and it is the duty of the seeker to find them and associate with them. Now that you are in a human body take advantage of it and don't waste your valuable life like the cats and dogs.

The 3rd thought took me back to when I was about 11 years old:

I was at a friend's house and was sitting in a lotus position next to the family swimming pool. Near the edge of the pool was a green lawn leading toward the side of the house near a cement walkway. I was facing the pool with my eyes closed feeling the warmth of the sun on my face and body when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like large stone boulders hitting the ground and simultaneously I could hear hundreds of individual screams of pain and suffering. I quickly turned around and saw my friend walking on the grass crushing them. I realized at that moment that the blades of grass had consciousness and felt pain. I never said anything about this to anyone. When I met My Gurudev (9 yrs later) he said in a talk as I was sitting at his feet, that "each and every blade of grass is an individual being and does not move unless sanctioned by the supreme lord. Life (consciousness) is in the body; the body is a covering of the spirit soul. In the material world there are 8,400,000 types of bodies. Consciousness is everywhere within and with-out the human body".

Bits and Pieces.
AJD

The illusory Material Energy

* * * * * * * *

Real knowledge is revealed to a devotee only when he comes to the right conclusion about life by the grace of the Lord. Our creation of friends and enemies within this material world is something like dreaming at night. In dreams we create so many things out of various impressions in the subconscious mind, but all such creations are simply temporary and unreal. In the same way, although apparently we are awake in material life, because we have no information of the soul and the Supersoul, we create many friends and enemies simply out of imagination.

Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami says that within this material world or material consciousness, good and bad are the same. The distinction between good and bad is simply a mental concoction. The actual fact is that all living entities are sons of God, or by-products of His marginal energy. Because of our being contaminated by the modes of material nature, we distinguish one spiritual spark from another. That is also another kind of dreaming. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that those who are actually learned do not make any distinction between a learned scholar, a brahmana, an elephant, a dog and a candala. They do not see in terms of the external body; rather, they see the person as spirit soul. By higher understanding one can know that the material body is nothing but a combination of the five material elements. In that sense also the bodily construction of a human being and that of a demigod are one and the same. From the spiritual point of view we are all spiritual sparks, parts and parcels of the Supreme Spirit, God. Either materially or spiritually we are basically one, but we make friends and enemies as dictated by the illusory energy. Dhruva Maharaja therefore said, daivim mayam upasritya: the cause of his bewilderment was his association with the illusory, material energy. -ACBSP

Not visible to the mortal eye

The first progenitor of mankind after his self realization recited in the language of the gods (sanskrit) many Slokas (verses), glorifying the supreme lord. This is but one Sloka from the 5th Chapter of the Brahma Samhita. - AJD

Sloka 38
premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti yam
syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

TRANSLATION

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Syamasundara, Krsna Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.

PURPORT

The Syamasundara form of Krsna is His inconceivable simultaneous personal and impersonal self-contradictory form. True devotees see that form in their purified hearts under the influence of devotional trance. The form Syama is not the blue color visible in the mundane world but is the transcendental variegated color affording eternal bliss, and is not visible to the mortal eye. On a consideration of the trance of Vyasadeva as in the sloka, bhakti-yogena manasi etc., it will be clear that the form of Sri Krsna is the full Personality of Godhead and can only be visible in the heart of a true devotee, which is the only true seat in the state of trance under the influence of devotion. When Krsna manifested Himself in Vraja, both the devotees and nondevotees saw Him with this very eye; but only the devotees cherished Him, eternally present in Vraja, as the priceless jewel of their heart. Nowadays also the devotees see Him in Vraja in their hearts, saturated with devotion although they do not see Him with their eyes. The eye of devotion is nothing but the eye of the pure unalloyed spiritual self of the jiva. The form of Krsna is visible to that eye in proportion to its purification by the practice of devotion. When the devotion of the neophyte reaches the stage of bhava-bhakti the pure eye of that devotee is tinged with the salve of love by the grace of Krsna, which enables him to see Krsna face to face. The phrase "in their hearts" means Krsna is visible in proportion as their hearts are purified by the practice of devotion. The sum and substance of this sloka is that the form of Krsna, who is Syamasundara, Natavara (Best Dancer), Muralidhara (Holder of the Flute) and Tribhanga (Triple-bending), is not a mental concoction but is transcendental, and is visible with the eye of the soul of the devotee under trance.

A Plethora of Literature

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur's Literary Contribution

to the Gaudiya Vaisnava Community:

Srila Bhaktivinoda can be said to be one of greatest expounders of the philosophy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in modern times. Not only did he reestablish the dignity of Mahaprabhu’s teachings at a time when common people considered Vaishnavism to be immoral and backwards – he wrote a plethora of literature to show the sanctity and depth of the Acintya-bhedabheda philosophy of the Gaudiyas. Bhaktivinoda wrote almost 80 philosphical works. Two of his works deserve special mention: in 1893 Bhaktivinoda wrote ‘Tattva-viveka’ (A treatise on Realizations of Eternity, Knowledge and Bliss) a treatise which explores the fundamental aspects of various religions and philosophies, both eastern and western, in the light of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Another important work of Bhaktivinoda was ‘Jaiva-dharma’ (the constitutional function of the soul)– a groundbreaking spiritual novel in which Bhaktivinoda reveals the development of the path of devotion to Krishna. Jaiva-dharma contains numerous dialogues on various spiritual topics. Many consider this book to be Bhaktivinoda’s greatest literary achievement.

A list of Bhaktivinoda’s works as well as the year they were published is as follows (this does not include the various essays that he penned for his periodical ‘Sajjana-toshani’):

1 Hari-katha: Topics of Lord Hari, 1850
2 Sumbha-Nisumbha-yuddha, 1851
3 Poriade, 1857-58.
4 Mathas of Orissa, 1860.
5 Vijana-grama, 1863.
6 Sannyasi, 1863.
7 Our Wants, 1863
8 Valide Rejistri, 1866.
9 Speech on Gautama, 1866
10 The Bhagavat: Its Philosophy, Its Ethics, and Its Theology, 1869
11 Garbha-stotra-vyakhya, 1870
12 Reflections, 1871
13 Thakura Haridasa, 1871
14 The Temple of Jagannatha at Puri, 1871
15 The Monasteries of Puri, 1871
16 The Personality of Godhead, 1871
17 A Beacon of Light, 1871
18 Saragrahi Vaisnava, 1871
19 To Love God, 1871
20 The Atibadis of Orissa, 1871
21 The Marriage System of Bengal, 1871
22 Vedantadhikarana-mala, 1872
23 Datta-kaustubham, 1874
24 Datta-vamsa-mala, 1876
25 Bauddha-vijaya-kavyam, 1878
26 Sri Krsna-samhita, 1880
27 Sri Sajjana-tosani, (monthly magazine) 1881
28 Kalyana-kalpataru, 1881
29 Review of Nitya-rupa-samsthapanam, 1883
30 Visva-Vaisnava-Kalpatari, 1885
31 Dasopanisad-curnika, 1886
32 Bhavavali (commentary), 1886
33 Rasika-Ranjana, (commentary on Bhagavad Gita) 1886
34 Sri Caitanya Siksamrta, 1886
35 Prema-pradipa, 1886
36 Published Sri Visnu-sahasra-nama, 1886
37 Manah-Siksa (translation and commentary), 1886
38 Sri Caitanya-Upanisad (commentary), 1887
39 Sri Krsna-vijaya (published), 1887
40 Vaisnava-siddhanta-mala, 1888
41 Sri Amnaya-sutram, 1890
42 Siddhanta-darpanam (Bengali translation), 1890
43 Sri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, 1890
44 Sri Godruma Kalpatari (essays on nama-hatta), 1891
45 Vidvad-ranjana (commentary on Bhagavad Gita), 1891
46 Sri Harinama, 1892
47 Sri Nama, 1892
48 Sri Nama-tattva-siksastaka, 1892
49 Sri Nama-mahima, 1892
50 Sri Nama-pracara, 1892
51 Sriman Mahaprabhura Siksa, 1892
52 Tattva-vivekah or Sri Saccidanandanubhutih, 1893
53 Saranagati, 1893
54 Gitavali, 1893
55 Gitamala, 1893
56 Soka-satana, 1893
57 Nama Bhajana, 1893
58 Tattva-sutram, 1894
59 Vedarka-didhiti (commentary on Sri Isopanisad), 1894
60 Tattva-muktavali or Mayavada-satadusani, (translated and published), 1894
61 Amrta-pravaha-bhasya (commentary on Caitanya caritamrta), 1895
62 Sri Gauranga-lila-smarana-mangala-stotram, 1896
63 Sri Ramanuja Upadesa, 1896
64 Jaiva-Dharma, 1896
65 Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His Life and Precepts, 1896
66 Brahma-samhita (commentary), 1897
67 Sri Goloka-mahatmya (Bengali translation of Brhad Bhagavatamrta), 1898
68 Sri Krsna-karnamrtam, (translation), 1898
69 Piyusa-varsini-vrtti (commentary on Upadesamrta), 1898
70 Sri Bhajanamrtam (translation and commentary), 1899
71 Sri Navadvipa-bhava-taranga, 1899
72 The Hindu Idols, 1899
73 Sri Harinama-cintamani, 1900
74 Sri Bhagavata Arka-marici-mala, 1901
75 Sri Sankalpa-kalpadruma (Bengali translation), 1901
76 Sri Bhajana-rahasya, 1902
77 Sri Prema-vivarta (published), 1906
78 Svaniyama-dvadasakam, 1907