Hare Krishna Society

Sri Krishna Pushya Abhishek

May your abhishek with flowers for Radha Krishna today be filled with divine blessings and joy. 🌸🙏

Hare krishna!

Date: Friday, 10th January 2025
Location: Mayapur, West Bengal, India

Putrada Ekādaśī is a special fasting day observed for spiritual purification and devotion. On this day, devotees fast from grains, beans, tea, coffee, and other stimulants.

What to do on Ekādaśī?

Observe the fast with sincerity.
Chant extra rounds of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Engage in hearing and reading about Lord Krishna’s pastimes for spiritual upliftment.

Wishing you a blissful and spiritually enriching Ekādaśī!

By Narasimha das

25 December 2024

Recently someone suggested in a forum of devotees that Srila Prabhupada was under the maya-shakti, and thus, like all conditioned souls, was ignorant (or not fully aware) of past, present, and future. This person insinuated that Prabhupada couldn’t have known in 1977 that his appointment of “diksa-gurus” or “regular gurus” would lead to scandal and chaos. In other words, this man suggested that, unlike famous liberated devotees and great saints like Narada Muni who are well-known as being tri-kala-jna, Srila Prabhupada was ignorant of certain facts and realities and, in fact, lacked the discretion to understand that appointing upstarts as diksha-gurus was a bad idea. Another former disciple, a “woke” professor of Hinduism at Harvard University, promotes similar misconceptions, suggesting that the self-realized spiritual master might speak improperly sometimes due to his being under the influence of parochialism or provincialism and/or cultural bias.

As Lord Krishna often plays the part of an ordinary man when He comes to the material world, so do His great devotees, who play their parts perfectly. Lord Chaitanya sometimes presented Himself as a simple, dull man who was only qualified to chant Hare Krishna and nothing more. But intelligent sadhus, like Prakashananda Sarasvati, although an impersonalist at the time of his first meeting with the Lord, did not take literally the Lord’s words or self-deprecation. Similarly, despite Srila Prabhupada’s humility and unassuming nature, many non-devotees and neophyte devotees recognized, to some extent, Srila Prabhupada’s all-cognizance–due to their non-envious nature, Krishna’s mercy, and Srila Prabhupada’s personal effulgence.

The following statements from Nectar of Devotion should clear up misunderstandings and doubts in this regard:

Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 22:

52. All-Cognizant:

“Any person who can understand the feelings of all persons and incidents in all places and at all times is called all-cognizant.” (Nectar of Devotion, page 184)

In Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 25, (Devotees of Krishna), under the heading “Eternal Perfection”, Srila Prabhupada states:

“It is described that Krishna, the enemy of Kamsa, has 64 transcendental qualities, and all the ever-liberated souls who accompany the Lord have the first 55 of the qualities, without any doubt. Such devotees are related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in any of the five transcendental mellows—namely neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parenthood, and conjugal love. These relationships with the Lord are eternal, and therefore nitya-siddha devotees do not have to strive to attain perfection by executing regulative principles. They are eternally qualified to serve Krishna.”

Srila Prabhupada has warned: “Familiarity breeds contempt”. Those who associated with Srila Prabhupada briefly or occasionally (or only through his vani and worship) have related many experiences that indicate or confirm Srila Prabhupada’s all-knowing nature. Case in point: recently I was wondering how to counteract these misconceptions regarding guru-tattva and Srila Prabhupada, and then almost immediately, without my trying, I blindly opened someone else’s Nectar of Devotion to the pertinent passages. Our personal experiences with Srila Prabhupada are valuable for others to hear only if they confirm the version of shastra. Srila Prabhupada has explained that educated devotees and pandits are known as shastra-chaksu: “those who see through the eyes or scripture.”

[Please note: Those who see through the eyes of scripture have one opinion. Similarly, those who accept the orders and conclusions of the spiritual master have only one opinion, whereas those who speculate or try to promote their own interpretations have many differing and contradictory opinions that are sometimes quite absurd.]

“Some of the disciples strictly accepted the orders of the acharya and others deviated, independently concocting their own opinions under the spell of daivi-maya.” (Sri Chaitanya-caritamrita Adi. 12.9)

“This verse describes the beginning of a schism. When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.” (Cc. Adi. 12.9, Purport)

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Bhagavad-gita 7.14)

Srila Prabhupada didn’t need to practice sadhana-bhakti to cross beyond the three modes of material nature and transcend illusion. He is a nitya-siddha, shaktavesa who was predicted by many great devotees, by scripture, and by Lord Chaitanya Himself.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (Spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada) Disappearance Day

Fasting Till Noon

A Biography of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (Spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada):-

‘Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born in the holy pilgrimage place of Jagannatha Puri to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great Vaisnava acarya in the line of succession coming from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Although employed as a government magistrate, Srila Bhaktivinoda worked tirelessly to establish the teachings of Lord Chaitanya in India. He envisioned a worldwide spiritual movement and prayed for a son to help him achieve his dream.

On February 6, 1874, in the sacred pilgrimage town of Jagannath Puri, where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura served as superintendent of the famous Jagannatha temple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta appeared in this world. He was given the name Bimala Prasada. At the age of seven, Bimala Prasada had memorized the more than seven hundred Sanskrit verses of the Bhagavad-gita and could speak illuminating commentaries upon them. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the author of many important books and other writings on Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy, trained his son in printing and proofreading.

By the time he was twenty-five years old, Bimala Prasada had acquired an impressive reputation as a scholar of Sanskrit, mathematics, and astronomy. His astronomical treatise, Surya- siddhanta, won him the title Siddhanta Sarasvati in recognition of his immense learning. In 1905, following the advice of his father, Siddhanta Sarasvati accepted spiritual initiation from Srila Gaurakishora dasa Babaji. Although Srila Gaurakishora dasa Babaji was illiterate, he was renowned throughout the continent as a great saint and Vaisnava acarya.

Siddhanta Sarasvati, although a great scholar, exhibited humility and dedication in the presence of Srila Gaurakishora. Satisfied with such humility and dedication of his highly educated disciple, Srila Gaurakishora gave Siddhanta Sarasvati his full blessings and requested him to “preach the Absolute Truth and keep aside all other work.” Upon the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in 1914, Siddhanta Sarasvati became editor of his father’s journal, Sajjana- tosani, and founded the Bhagawat Press for the publication of Gaudiya Vaisnava literature.

In 1918 Siddhanta Sarasvati accepted the renounced order of spiritual life, assuming the title Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja. For purposes of propagating Gaudiya Vaisnavism throughout India, he organized the Gaudiya Math, with sixty-four branches throughout the country. The headquarters of his mission, the Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, is located in Sridhama Mayapura, the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta adjusted ancient traditions to conform with technological and social conditions of the twentieth century. He considered the printing press a most effective means of spreading this message throughout the world and was himself the author of many important translations, commentaries, and philosophical essays. He was the first spiritual teacher in this line to allow his renounced preachers (sannyasis) to wear Western clothes and travel in modern conveyances rather that on foot. Throughout the 1930s, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta expanded and increased his missionary work and succeeded in reestablishing Gaudiya Vaisnavism as the leading force in Indian spiritual life.

On January 1, 1937, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura passed from this world.”

(Taken from the book ‘Brahma Samhita’ by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur)

Read More:
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada Tirobhava tithi (Disappearance day) : https://harekrishnasociety.org/?p=31078

Final Instructions of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada : https://harekrishnasociety.org/?p=16368

Śrī Guru-Tattva and the Secret of Dīkṣā (By: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda) : https://harekrishnasociety.org/?p=32527

Srīla Prabhupāda tells a nice story of his first meeting with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja
https://harekrishnasociety.org/?p=12457

Regarding : Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada
https://harekrishnasociety.org/?p=12443

Srila Prabhupada’s warning about not turning His temples into pandemonium.

Srila Prabhupāda: Therefore, my Guru Mahārāja used to say, “This is not a place for a gentleman.” Formerly, therefore, they used to go away from the society, go in the forest, to give up this bad association. Live alone.

Hari-śauri: Practically speaking, that’s what we’ve done. By your establishing these temples, it’s given us someplace to go where we can get out of Kali-yuga.

Srila Prabhupāda: Therefore, our temples should be very carefully managed. It may not become again another pandemonium.

Continue reading →

by Haripada dasa

Once Srila Prabhupada visited one of his temples in the USA, in the house in front of the temple they had painted a great insult against the Hare Krishnas, there he said that the Hare Krishna are a children of …, so that Srila Prabhupada would not see this when He went out to do his morning walk, he was surrounded by the highest devotees, in one way or another Srila Prabhupada saw the insult and said that this house is the luckiest house in the USA, because it says Krishna, the highest level devotees are called paramahansas, that means the supreme swan, the swan has the ability that from a mixture of water and milk, he will take the milk and will not touch the water, in the same way the devotee who lives in pure goodness has the ability to drink from this world the spiritual part, the positive part, and he never touches the material part or the negative part, in other words, he takes gold even from poison, Srila Prabhupada, Jesus, Srila Haridasa Thakura, etc., envious and ignorant they attack them a lot, in the period Germany’s most important story on the first page put a great criticism against Srila Prabhupada, there he said that in Los Angeles, USA, there is a guru who has his disciples like crazy selling his books, while he lives a life full of luxury.

Continue reading →