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Hare Krishna

All Glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada

It has been 47 years since the Krsna Consciousness movement has turned topsy-turvy, as its control has been given to the people addicted by sense gratification and still under the bodily conception of life.

“Sankirtana means chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The Hare Krsna movement is not a new movement as people sometimes mistakenly think. The Hare Krsna movement is present in every millennium of Lord Brahma’s life, and the holy name is chanted in all the higher planetary systems…. The sankirtana movement that was started in this world five hundred years ago by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is therefore not a new movement. Sometimes, because of our bad luck, this movement is stopped, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His servants again start the movement for the benefit of the entire word or, indeed, the entire universe.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 7:15:71 Purport

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.14.2-23

ayane viṣuve kuryād
vyatīpāte dina-kṣaye
candrādityoparāge ca
dvādaśyāṁ śravaṇeṣu ca

tṛtīyāyāṁ śukla-pakṣe
navamyām atha kārtike
catasṛṣv apy aṣṭakāsu
hemante śiśire tathā

māghe ca sita-saptamyāṁ
maghā-rākā-samāgame
rākayā cānumatyā ca
māsarkṣāṇi yutāny api

dvādaśyām anurādhā syāc
chravaṇas tisra uttarāḥ
tisṛṣv ekādaśī vāsu
janmarkṣa-śroṇa-yoga-yuk

TRANSLATION

One should perform the śrāddha ceremony on the Makara-saṅkrānti [the day when the sun begins to move north] or on the Karkaṭa-saṅkrānti [the day when the sun begins to move south]. One should also perform this ceremony on the Meṣa-saṅkrānti day and the Tulā-saṅkrānti day, in the yoga named Vyatīpāta, on that day in which three lunar tithis are conjoined, during an eclipse of either the moon or the sun, on the twelfth lunar day, and in the Śravaṇa-nakṣatra. One should perform this ceremony on the Akṣaya-tṛtīyā day, on the ninth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārtika, on the four aṣṭakās in the winter season and cool season, on the seventh lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Māgha, during the conjunction of Maghā-nakṣatra and the full-moon day, and on the days when the moon is completely full, or not quite completely full, when these days are conjoined with the nakṣatras from which the names of certain months are derived. One should also perform the śrāddha ceremony on the twelfth lunar day when it is in conjunction with any of the nakṣatras named Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā or Uttara-bhādrapadā. Again, one should perform this ceremony when the eleventh lunar day is in conjunction with either Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā or Uttara-bhādrapadā. Finally, one should perform this ceremony on days conjoined with one’s own birth star [janma-nakṣatra] or with Śravaṇa-nakṣatra.

PURPORT

The word ayana means “path” or “going.” The six months when the sun moves toward the north are called uttarāyaṇa, or the northern path, and the six months when it moves south are called dakṣiṇāyana, or the southern path. These are mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā (8.24–25). The first day when the sun begins to move north and enter the zodiacal sign of Capricorn is called Makara-saṅkrānti, and the first day when the sun begins to move south and enter the sign of Cancer is called Karkaṭa-saṅkrānti. On these two days of the year, one should perform the śrāddha ceremony.

Viṣuva, or Viṣuva-saṅkrānti, means Meṣa-saṅkrānti, or the day on which the sun enters the sign Aries. Tulā-saṅkrānti is the day on which the sun enters the sign Libra. Both of these days occur only once within a year. The word yoga refers to a certain relationship between the sun and moon as they move in the sky. There are twenty-seven different degrees of yoga, of which the seventeenth is called Vyatīpāta. On the day when this occurs, one should perform the śrāddha ceremony. A tithi, or lunar day, consists of the distance between the longitude of the sun and that of the moon. Sometimes a tithi is less than twenty-four hours. When it starts after sunrise on a certain day and ends before the sunrise of the following day, the previous tithi and the following tithi both “touch” the twenty-four-hour day between the sunrises. This is called tryaha-sparśa, or a day touched by some portion of three tithis.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has given quotations from many śāstras stating that the śrāddha ceremony of oblations to the forefathers should not be performed on Ekādaśī tithi. When the tithi of the death anniversary falls on the Ekādaśī day, the śrāddha ceremony should be held not on Ekādaśī but on the next day, or dvādaśī. In the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa it is said:

ye kurvanti mahīpāla
śrāddhaṁ caikādaśi-dine
trayas te narakaṁ yānti
dātā bhoktā ca prerakaḥ

If one performs the śrāddha ceremony of oblations to the forefathers on the Ekādaśī tithi, then the performer, the forefathers for whom the śrāddha is observed, and the purohita, or the family priest who encourages the ceremony, all go to hell. 

https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/7/14/20-23

Interesting Information

• The holy river Ganges descended on Earth from the heavens on this day.
• This is the day when the sage Parshuram, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, was born.
• Treta Yug, the period of the holy Ramayana, commenced.
• Ved Vyasa initiated the recital of the great Indian epic Mahabharata before lord Ganesha.
• Lord Krishna’s childhood friend Sudama, visited Dwarka to him and offered him a humble gift of poha (rice flakes). Therefore, Vaishnavas (worshippers of lord Vishnu) ast throughout the day and open their fasts with rice.
• Akshaya Tritiya bears many religious specialties. It is the birthday of Lord Parasurama of the Dasa Avatars of Lord Vishnu. It is the starting day of the Treta Yuga after Satya Yuga.Thus, it is considered as the Ugadi thithi for Treta Yuga. It is the day when Sudhama (kuchela) offered aval to Lord Krishna and got a bounty of wealth through the grace of Krishna. The same day, Pandavas received Akshaya pathra (bowl) from Lord Krishna and thus were able to get unlimited food during their exile. The day has the credit of Veda Vyasa starting the great Mahabharata with Lord Vinayak writing it.It is the day Ganges came down upon the earth from heaven. In fact, Akshaya Tritiya is considered very propitious for offering dhanams of goods like umbrella, sandals, hand fans, food etc.

Description

In Sanskrit, the word “Akshaya” (अक्षय) means “imperishable, eternal, the never diminishing” in the sense of “prosperity, hope, joy, success”, while Tritiya means “third”.^[7][5] It is named after the “third lunar day” of the spring month of Vaisakha..^[6] Akshaya Tritiya is the birthday of Parasurama who is the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, and he is revered in Vaishnava temples.^[8] Those who observe it in the honor of Parasurama sometimes refer to the festival as Parasurama Jayanti.^[9] Alternatively, some focus their reverence to Vasudeva avatar of Vishnu.^[6] According to one tradition, Ved Vyasa began reciting the epic Mahabharata to Ganesha on Akshaya Tritiya. That river Ganges descended to earth on this day.^{Akshaya Tritiya}

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🌼Thursday, 29 February 2024 [Mayapur, West Bengal, India Time]🌼

🌟 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur (Spiritual Master of Srila Prabhupada) Appearance Day 🌟

🌸Fasting Till Noon🌸

A Biography of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (Spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta swami 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)

“So far your questions are concerned. Nityananda is the principle of the Guru. So, the Gurudeva is the incarnation of Nityananda. Anyone strictly following the instruction of the Guru is following Nityananda. The price one has to pay if he wants to become Krsna conscious is that he must dedicate himself to following the order of the spiritual master, mahat seva. If the Spiritual Master is pleased with disciple then the blessings of Guru will be there. That is the best way to become Krsna conscious, and Krsna is non-different from Nityananda. You may pray to Lord Nityananda to help you become dedicated in the service of your Guru. Krsna consciousness cannot be achieved artificially. You should approach Nityananda Prabhu through your Spiritual Master.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, October 24, 1976)

“According to Narottama das Thakura, one has to worship the Lotus Feet of Nityananda, and by His Grace one is able to worship Lord Caitanya Who transfers us back to Godhead.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, February 20, 1969)

O MY DEAR PRABHU NITYANANDA

O my dear Prabhu Nityananda
I beg you hear the prayers of this demon
only by the mercy of Thy servant Prabhupada
my ignorance I’m begging to be leaving.

Bound up in a body that is lazy
I am condemned to be most crazy
I am a most mentally crippled begger
stuck in my bed I can’t get it together.

It feels impossible to obey my guru
who has been fully empowered by You
and so I don’t know what else I can do
but by his most expert advice pray to You..

Srila Prabhupada’s mercy flows from You
O most merciful Lord and dearest friend of all
You came here with Your brother Lord Gauranga
to deliver all the souls here from their terrible fall.

O Lord Nityandanda I beg the shelter of Thy Feet
the only cooling shelter from Maya’s desert heat
and the only means to be blessed to obey his grace
Srila Prabhupada in his books to save the human race.

I know in myself I’m devoid of qualifications
I am simply polluted by unlimited abominations
it is only by Prabhupada’s intervention on me
I am begging you Lord Nityananda to set me free.

With a montain of only sin resting on my head
I am finding it impossible to get up out of bed
this truth must be known and spoken at Thy feet
if all I can do is be honest O Lord unlimitedly sweet..

Out of control of my senses I commit only unlimited offences
so I beg You Lord Nityananda bless me to not commence this
I bow down to Thy feet with all the humility at my command
to bless me to be Thy servant by You grabing hold of Thy hand.

O my dear most merciful Lord Nityananda
You and Thy devotees are this world’s only hope
and ahead of them all is Your topmost Prabhupada
who You blessed with books to give the greatest scope.

I must live by them and make them known worldwide
only by Thy mercy by his instructions may I fully abide
so my dear Lord Nityananda please appear in all hearts
so this world wakes up for You and leaves all the dark.

This darkness of ignorance blinds all from God
to not know their duty through his grace Prabhupada
all must beg to You and Your all merciful brother
to wake up their love that now is completely covered..

Our love deep within is for every living being
for from Lord Krishna all existince does spring
and now only by Thy mecy this wisdom I bring
so please pour all Thy mercy on this sick fiend.

Please bless me to always cry Krishna’s holy names
so in Lord Sri Krishna’s service I am lovingly engaged
or I must remaiin Maya’s most helpless sinful slave
taking birth in this world with only unlimited graves.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

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