Hare Krishna Society

Submitted by Hasti Gopala dasa, compiled by Agrani Krsna dasa

https://krishna1008.blogspot.ca/2015/11/wonderful-description-of-forests-of.html

The Twelve Forests of Vraja

By Agrani Krishna Dasa
on Nov 26, 2015
in Vraja

The Padma Purana describes twelve principal forests in Vraja situated east and west of Yamuna. On the east side are Madhuvana, Talavana, Kumudavana, Kamyavana, Bahulavana, Vrindavana, and Khadiravana. On the western side are Mahavana, Bhandiravana, Lohavana, Bhadravana and Baelvana. Krishna performed various pastimes in these twelve forests.

Madhuvana

ramyam madhuvanam nama vishnu-sthanam anuttamam
yad-drshtva manujo devi sarvan kaman avapnuyat

There is a most enchanting place of Lord Vishnu called Madhuvana. By taking darshana of this holy place all one’s desires are fulfilled. (Text 347, Mathura-mahatmya)

The forest of Madhuvana is currently known as Maholi. This is the only forest where the Supreme Personality of Godhead performed His pastimes in all the four yugas. In the Satya-yuga, He killed Madhu demon. In the same yuga, He gave darshan as Lord Prshnigarbha to Dhruva Maharaja. In the Treta-yuga, Lord Shatrughna killed the demon Lavanasura, the son of demon Madhu. In the Dwapara-yuga, Krishna performed pastimes with the gopis and the cowherd boys and in the Kali-yuga Lord Chaitanya took a sacred bath in the Krishna-kunda situated here. This forest is called Madhuvana after the Supreme Lord Madhusudana. The word ‘madhu’ also means nectar. Krishna performed nectarean pastimes with gopis here. It is also said that profound amount of honey (madhu) was available in this forest. Krishna and Balarama would come here to drink this honey. And hence this is another reason why this forest is called as Madhuvana. Places of darshana include Dhruva tila, the cave of Madhu demon, Krishna-kunda and temple of Shatrughna.

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Article by: Mahesh Raja

Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa

Srila Prabhupada THE ONLY CURRENT ETERNAL DIKSA GURU for ISKCON for AS LONG AS ISKCON EXISTS – NO COMPROMISE!

Does Srila Prabhupada WANT TO REMAIN as SOLE Diksa guru in ISKCON with the Ritvik Representatives conducting FORMALITY initiation 1^st and 2^nd ON HIS BEHALF – Disciples so Initiated are Srila Prabhupada’s AS LONG AS ISKCON EXISTS?

Answer: YES

Note: here Srila Prabhupada is VERY CLEAR of his INTENTIONS for the FUTURE in his WILL:

1) Srila Prabhupada’s Will :

Declaration of Will, 1977

– “The system of management WILL CONTINUE AS IT IS NOW AND THERE IS NO NEED OF ANY CHANGE.”

– “In the event of death or failure to act for any reason of any of the said directors, a successor director or directors may be appointed by the remaining directors, PROVIDED THE NEW DIRECTOR IS MY INITIATED DISCIPLE …”

2) Srila Prabhupada the INITIATOR Guru

75-08-04. Letter: Madhudvisa:
The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I AM IN THE INITIATOR GURU, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want.

680312iv.sf Conversations
Prabhupada: Yes, I AM the spiritual master of this institution, and ALL the members of the society, they’re supposed to be MY disciples. They follow the rules and regulations which I ask them to follow, and they are initiated by me spiritually. So therefore the spiritual master is called guru. That is Sanskrit language.

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Article by: Yasoda nandana Dasa

Saturday, November 21, 2015 [Los Angeles, CA time]

Srila Prabhupada praise His Guru Maharaja, the exalted Srila Gaura Kishora dasa babaji

Indian: Because if we go wholeheartedly to God without proper understanding, there is also a flaw.

Srila Prabhupāda: No. There is no question of understanding. Suppose this process… Just like Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate: [Bg. 7.19] “After many, many births of culture of knowledge, the person who has come to the highest point of knowledge, he surrenders unto Me.” So similarly, if any person without any knowledge, if he surrenders only to Kṛṣṇa, he acquires all the knowledge. He has surpassed all stages. He has surpassed all stages. And that is also confirmed. If you say, “How he has gone, surpassed all stage?” That answer in Bhagavad-gītā you find,

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Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Yesterday we observed the annual Govardhana puja festival. I was musing over this and thinking that this is the 42nd such festival I have taken part in over the years. And that is just one festival.
One of the reasons I personally joined this Krsna Consciusness Movement was because of such festivals. Chanting, dancing and feasting, this is the process that Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave to us beginning over 500 years ago in Bengal India.

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Arrival Lecture — Dallas, March 3, 1975 : 750303AR.DAL :

Prabhupāda: We are trying to push this brahminical culture within the demoniac culture. It is very difficult task, but still, by grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are more or less successful. I am very glad to see your temple worship, not only here, everywhere. So you American boys and girls, you are fortunate that this movement is started from America, and some of you are taking seriously, trying to help me. So I am very much obliged to you. So keep this standard as you are now keeping, then things will go automatically, and one day people will understand in the history that this movement was for saving the human society.
That day will come.

After hearing this, a normal person should ask him or herself-what am I doing to make this happen? The saying goes –we are either part of the problem or part of the solution.

Article by: Damagosha Dasa

SB 7.14.39

TRANSLATION

My dear King, when great sages and saintly persons saw mutually disrespectful dealings at the beginning of Tretā–yuga, Deity worship in the temple was introduced with all paraphernalia.

PURPORT

As it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.52):

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
kalau tad dhari–kīrtanāt

“Whatever result one obtained in Satya–yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā–yuga by performing sacrifices and in Dvāpara–yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet one can also obtain in Kali–yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā–mantra.” In Satya–yuga, every person was spiritually advanced, and there was no envy between great personalities. Gradually, however, because of material contamination with the advance of the ages, disrespectful dealings appeared even among brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. Actually, an advanced Vaiṣṇava is to be respected more than Viṣṇu. As stated in the Padma Purāṇa, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param: of all kinds of worship, worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the best. Tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarcanam: and recommended more than worship of Viṣṇu is worship of the Vaiṣṇava.

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Article by Damagosha Dasa

Hare Krsna

Below are some interesting facts about Omens and what they mean to one who is conscious of their presence.
———————————————————————-

KB 1-37 / Akrura’s Arrival in Vrndavana :

“That Supreme Personality of Godhead has now come just like an ordinary human being, and it is my great fortune to be able to see Him face to face,” Akrūra thought. He was thrilled with expectations of seeing the very lotus feet which are worshiped by great demigods like Brahmā, Nārada, and Lord Śiva, which traverse the ground of Vṛndāvana, and which touch the breasts of the gopīs covered with tinges of kuṅkuma. He thought, “I am so fortunate that I will be able to see those very lotus feet on this day, and certainly I shall be able to see the beautiful face of Kṛṣṇa, which is marked on the forehead and the nose with tilaka. And I shall also see His smile and His curling black hair. I can be sure of this opportunity because I see that today the deer are passing on my right side.

KB 1-52 / Krsna Kidnaps Rukmini :

Even though she pacified herself by thinking that the time for Govinda to arrive had not yet expired, Rukmiṇī felt that she was hoping against hope. She began to shed tears, and when they became more forceful, she closed her eyes in helplessness. While Rukmiṇī was in such deep thought, auspicious symptoms appeared in different parts of her body. Trembling began to occur in her left eyelid and in her arms and thighs. When trembling occurs in these parts of the body it is an auspicious sign indicating that something lucrative can be expected.

KB 1-44 / Krsna Recovers the Son of His Teacher :

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma learned how to speak and understand the languages of various countries. They learned not only the languages of human beings. Kṛṣṇa could also speak even with animals and birds. Evidence of this is found in Vaiṣṇava literature compiled by the Gosvāmīs. Then They learned how to make carriages and airplanes from flowers. It is said in the Ramāyāṇa that after defeating Rāvaṇa, Rāmacandra was carried from Laṅkā to Bhāratavarṣa on a plane of flowers called puṣpa-ratha. Kṛṣṇa then learned the art of foretelling events by seeing signs. In a book called Khanār vacana, the various types of signs and omens are described. If, when one is going out, one sees someone with a bucket full of water, that is a very good sign. But if one sees someone with an empty bucket, it is not a very good sign. Similarly, if one sees cow’s milk along with a calf, it is a good sign. The result of understanding these signs is that one can foretell events, and Kṛṣṇa learned the science.

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Note: The background music of Srila Prabhupada singing can be paused temporarily when watching the videos below.

The pause button is located at the end of the left sidebar.

Damaghosha Prabhu’s videos

(7 videos that will play continuously one after the other as a playlist)

Yashodanandana Prabhu’s videos

(16 videos that will play continuously one after the other as a playlist)

Hare Krsna to All
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

After reading this during morning prasadam I just had to share it with others. The scene in the book Jaiva Dharma, by Bhaktivinode Thakur, is set up by the Thakur as a question- answer session between two great souls. Here it is…

Vrjanatha- What is the final destination of those who worship Sri Gauranga?

Raghunatha- Sri Krsna and Sri Gauranga are non different in terms of tattva. They are the same Absolute Truth and both are the fountainheads of madhura rasa, nectarean, honey like mellows. However there are two ways in which madhura rasa manifest. madhura, transcendental conjugal sweetness and audarya, transcendental magnanimity. When madhurya is pre eminent, Sri Krsna is manifest and when audarya is prominent, Sri Gauranga is manifest. In the original Vrndavana, Goloka there are two symmetrical halves-Krsna pitha the abode of Sri Krsna and Audarya pitha the abode of Sri Gauranga. In Krsna pitha reside those jivas whose devotional mood is primarily madhurya appended with audarya-they are the devotees of Sri Krsna.
In Gaura pitha reside those jivas whose devotional mood is most pronouncedly audarya supported by madhurya. They are the eternal servitors of Sri Gauranga.
In certain cases, some eternally liberated souls are present simultaneously in both the pithas, through svarupa vyuha, personal expansions.
In other instances particular parsadas participate in one pitha in their spiritual form being absent in the other.

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