Prabhupada stated never we should worship demigods for His Mission.
He was always assure with Krishna alone we can fulfill His Mission, spreading Vaishnava culture worldwide with the right understanding of Krishna’s identity. He is the ultimate supplier of everything. Prabhupada actually showed with his example that even without money, only taking shelter to Krishna, we can establish
everything, spreading all over the world but have to take this leap of faith as he did. Continue reading
Correction Sri Gadadhara dasa Goswami tirobhava tithi Thursday, November 15, 2018 [Mayapura time, West Bengal, Bharata Bhumi time]
Srila Prabhupada explains the unique postilion of Sri Gadadhara dasa Goswami, a close associate of Sri Nityananda Prabhu
compiled by Yasoda nandana dasa
śrī-gadādhara dāsa śākhā sarvopari
kājī-gaṇera mukhe yeṅha bolāila hari
SYNONYMS
śrī-gadādhara dāsa-of the name Śrī Gadādhara dāsa; śākhā-another branch; sarva-upari-above all; kājī-gaṇera-of the Kāzīs (Muslim magistrates); mukhe-in the mouth; yeṅha-one who; bolāila-caused to speak; hari-the holy name of Hari.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Gadādhara dāsa, the twenty-third branch, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kāzīs to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.
PURPORT
About eight or ten miles from Calcutta on the banks of the Ganges is a village known as Eṅḍiyādaha-grāma. Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa was known as an inhabitant of this village (eṅḍiyādaha-vāsī gadādhara dāsa). The Bhakti-ratnākara (Seventh Wave), informs us that after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Gadādhara dāsa came from Navadvīpa to Katwa. Thereafter he came to Eṅḍiyādaha and resided there. He is stated to be the luster of the body of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, just as Śrīla Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī is an incarnation of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Herself. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is sometimes explained to be rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalita, or characterized by the emotions and bodily luster of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Gadādhara dāsa is this dyuti, or luster. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā he is described to be the expansion potency of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. He counts among the associates of both Śrīla Gaurahari and Nityānanda Prabhu; as a devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu he was one of the associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa in conjugal love, and as a devotee of Lord Nityānanda he is considered to have been one of the friends of Kṛṣṇa in pure devotional service. Even though he was an associate of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, he was not among the cowherd boys but was situated in the transcendental mellow of conjugal love. He established a temple of Śrī Gaurasundara in Katwa.
In 1434 śakābda (A.D. 1513), when Lord Nityānanda Prabhu was empowered by Lord Caitanya to preach the saṅkīrtana movement in Bengal, Śrī Gadādhara dāsa was one of Lord Nityānanda’s chief assistants. He preached the saṅkīrtana movement by requesting everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This simple preaching method of Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa can be followed by anyone and everyone in any position of society. One must simply be a sincere and serious servant of Nityānanda Prabhu and preach this cult door to door.
When Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu was preaching the cult of hari-kīrtana, there was a magistrate who was very much against his saṅkīrtana movement. Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa one night went to the house of the Kāzī and requested him to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. The Kāzī replied, “All right, I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa tomorrow.” On hearing this, Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu began to dance, and he said, “Why tomorrow? You have already chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, so simply continue.”
In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (verses 154-55) it is said:
rādhā-vibhūti-rūpā yā
candrakāntiḥ purā vraje
sa śrī-gaurāṅga-nikaṭe
dāsa-vaṁśyo gadādharaḥ
pūrṇānandā vraje yāsīd
baladeva-priyāgraṇī
sāpi kārya-vaśād eva
prāviśat taṁ gadādharam
Continue reading
Poem to Sukadeva das by his surviving wife, Narayanai devi dasi
Song of Grace by
Narayani devi dasi
I called for help and you came to save me from Putanas and Ravanas
Abused, forgotten and broken, you made me whole
You gave me your valuable time, your unlimited patience and endless forgiveness
You were my psychiatrist, my father and protective brother
You were always praying for me like no other
You wrote poems for me, you cooked for me, you sang to me
I stumbled in amazement – I knew I didn’t deserve so much causeless mercy
You healed my wounds, my modest teacher
There is no one like you, my beautiful preacher
You opened my eyes to see the goodness in life, my Mister Right, my Shining Knight.
You are humble and strong, soft metal, fragrant petals
You are mysterious like a gorgeous lion
You are pure happiness, my King of Glory, true messenger of Krishna’s story
Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, you are my life and soul to attend
Every moment with you is a joyous adventure
You are my song of grace, no one else can tell what I see in your face
Unique, transcendental, noble and kind, you are a priceless treasure to find
O gentle flower you transmit the shining sun’s power
My master, my guru, you are the friend of everyone
Being with you the rest of my days are the best of my days
O Sukadeva Prabhu, deeper than the ocean, all glories to your devotion!
I wish that every soul will adore and praise you
My love for you is eternal and ever new
In loving memory of my dear old friend-Sukadeva das
Hare Krsna-This is a short summary about the life of Sukadeva das (ACBSP)
– by Damaghosa das
I have known Sukadeva das since the early 1970’s where he was TP in Seattle Wa USA.
We have been great friends for all those years and later as he traveled from LA Calif to our farm in Wash several years in a row to lead our Janmastami/vyasa puja festivals.
He joined the movement in LA California back in 1969 and was formally initiated personally by Srila Prabhupada who gave him that name because he could see that he was so much attached to kirtan and preaching, something he did up until his last days.
Sukadeva was known then as one of the best kirtan leaders in iskcon and his kirtan tapes were sought after. Anyone would become enlivened just by being around him.
He got married to Jagamohini dasi and had three children, two boys, Abhaya, and Nila Madhava and one girl, Madhurya lila, and lived in LA for a brief time .
As devotees at that time were sent all over the USA to open preaching centers, Sukadeva was sent to Arizona, Laguna Beach, Portland, San Francisco, Hawaii,Florida, and Seattle to preach on behalf of Srila Prabhupada. Later he also lived, after separation from his family, in the Los Angeles temple for around 5 years and later re locating to Albuquerque New Mexico.
During his stay in LA temple he was asked to come to various temples- in Coconut Grove,Florida, Nairobi Africa, and India and they all asked him to remain there as Temple President, which he humbly declined.
Sukadeva spent his life dedicated to the service of his spiritual master Srila Prabhupada and was greatly attached to reading his books daily. He and I would have many long discussions over the years over the Krsna Conscious philosophy based upon those books and personal realizations. He also worshiped over 300 Salagrams Silas as part of his daily program.
Myself and hundreds of others will miss his association, when they learn of his passing. He was a wonderful, always laughing, happy, and totally determined devotee. And 100% dedicated to Srila Prabhupada.
see many pictures below….
on becoming self sufficient–SP
Hare Krsna-
Below are two pictures of my wife making altar candles from old altar candles. I started buying these store candles some years ago, then the company changed things around by making their candles smaller in size and they burnt only half the time, some wax was always left over, and the price for them, of course, went up.
So she decided to start making out own, which now cost us nothing to make, and burn twice as long on Krsna’s altar. This is called using what you have on hand and not wasting anything, and getting a better result. !! Srila Prabhupada once told us that if we couldn’t make something ourselves,then the Vedic system was you could not use it. In other words, there were no factories in vedic times and people just knew how to do things themselves. This is totally the opposite of what we have today. There are hellish factories everywhere, and nobody knows how to do anything practical anymore.
People today want some machine or computer to do everything for them instead, which results in total dependence on a machine to open your car door, click on your room lights, watch your house for you when you are gone, and even drive your car for you, or even park it for you ! And they are thinking– this is wonderful !! Thank God for technology. Now we don’t have to do anything we don’t want to, but can use a machine to do all our work for us instead while we waste our valuable human form of life pursuing sense enjoyable nothings.
So below the pictures I have arranged a few statements by our Acarya Srila Prabhupada, who is trying to help us understand the error or our modern ways. It is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam, that in this age people are lazy, misguided, unfortunate, and always full of anxiety. Hardly the picture painted of an upwardly mobile person, would you agree?? When one takes responsibility for ones thoughts and actions, understanding that this human form of life is so very rare and should be utilized only for self realization, then all other actions for so called modern amenities are just a huge waste of time energy and resources, and the natural conclusion has to be that one should instead live more simply, and utilize his or her brain towards that higher end. And towards that “end” or Krsna Consciousness,. to live as simply as possible, taking only the minimum of resources to maintain body and soul together, then Krsna or God will be pleased with this purposeful endeavor on our parts.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, planet mother earth will also be very grateful to us all.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
►740524r2.rom Conversations … Yes, naturally. If this man is fed up with this industry, he can go back to village and produce his own food. But he is attached to this industrial activity because he is thinking that “We are getting more money for wine and woman and meat. Let me enjoy.” That is the perfect, imp… But if he chants Hare Krsna maha-mantra, hisconsciousness will be purified and he will be made not interested this kind of work. He will go back to village andproduce food.
►740525mw.rom Conversations Prabhupada: Yes. (break) …encouraging in our society to take to agriculture to support this center. I am purchasing land in Vrndavana and Mayapura to become self-sufficient. Whatever production you make, you be satisfied. Little vegetable, little grain and little milk. That is sufficient.
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►740525mw.rom Conversations Prabhupada: Yes, that was Gandhi’s philosophy, village organization. These people, they are attracting villagers to work in the factory, and they are exploiting them…. our philosophy. Make your life successful. By becoming Krsna conscious, you become free from all these troubles of material condition. This is our education. Don’t be after these motorcars, television, and all nonsense things, sporting, wine, women. Don’t be after these. Simply eat sufficiently, keep yourhealth nicely, chant Hare Krsna, realize Krsna, and go back to home This is our philosophy…
What causes death-explained by Srila Prabhupada
Oct 4 1975
Heart attack is not the cause of death
Harikeśa: When people die, though, there is usually some cause. Like they have a heart attack or they get hit by a car or some disease. So that death is caused by the disease…
Prabhupāda: That is not the cause. That is the effect. You foolish, do not know. You are taking it, cause.
Harikeśa: Well, when you get hit by a car, that’s a cause.
Prabhupāda: Just like one man becomes insolvent, loses everything. So he said that “I had no money. Therefore I become insolvent.” But that is not the fact. He could not manage; therefore there was scarcity of money and he became failure. So that is effect. On account of his bad management, he came to a position that he could not pay to his creditor, and his business is failure. So that insolvency is not the cause. It is the effect.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Bhīṣma was able to remain in his body even on a bed of arrows.
Prabhupāda: So when you are going to die, these are the… On account of imminent death, these are the effects.
Harikeśa: But that means that the body breaks down.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Harikeśa: The body breaks down.
Prabhupāda: At a certain period it will break.
Harikeśa: So that is the cause, the body breaking down.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So you say heart failure is the cause. No. The body is breaking; therefore heart failure.
Harikeśa: So death means the body breaks.
Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all your answer… You say the heart failure is the cause. The man is dying. I say that because the man is dying, the heart is failure. So heart failure is not the cause. It is the effect.
Harikeśa: That’s very difficult…
Material Designations-as long as we maintain them, we cannot understand Krsna Consciousness
As long as we maintain our previous material designations we can’t understand Krsna Consciousness–SP
March 10 1972
Prabhupāda: Yes, if we open our heart, then open-heartedly, then it will be nice. No reservation. And that open-heartedness means free from designation. That is open-heartedness. If I think, “Oh, I am American. Why shall I take this Indian philosophy?” Or if I think, “I am Christian. Why shall I take the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā?” then it will not work. One has to be free from these designations. Then it will be easy. I am… God is God, and I am also part and parcel of God, my relationship with God. So let me understand what is that relationship, what is God, what I am. That freedom, that open-heartedness will make it. But if I try to understand as Christian, as Englishman, as Japanese, as Indian, then it will be difficult. Many of our students joined, even initiated, but they could not make them free from these stereotyped ideas. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. One must be free from the… Aiye aiye. So let us go.
Who is Independent? Nobody, but most still think they are—SP
Who is independent? Nobody? Then why are you thinking Independent?–SP
Nellore Jan 3 1976
Prabhupāda: Trivedi, Mr. Trivedi, yes. So, who is independent? This is our question. Who is independent? Do you know any man who is independent or any animal or any…?
Keśavalāl Trivedi: No.
Prabhupāda: So why they are thinking independently?
Keśavalāl Trivedi: Unless we have got the identity, correct identity, we cannot be independent.
..Prabhupāda: [break] So if you are not independent, what is the value of your thinking independently?
Keśavalāl Trivedi: Absolutely none. None.
Prabhupāda: But everyone is thinking independently.
Keśavalāl Trivedi: Yes. That is māyā. That is the māyā, that which is not.
Prabhupāda: They are making plans, theories, “ism.” What is the value of this?
Keśavalāl Trivedi: Absolutely none.
Prabhupāda: Therefore everything is becoming failure. So preach this truth to the world, that “You are all rascals. Why you are thinking independently?” Huh? “Why I am rascal?” “Because you are thinking independently. That is the proof that you are a rascal.” Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te ‘pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ [SB 7.5.31]. Īśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhaḥ. And they are thinking independently.
Keśavalāl Trivedi: Baddha we have got, and still we are thinking…
Prabhupāda: Baddha-jīva, every moment he is under the strict laws of nature. Generally they think that…. They speak also. “I think.” Do they not say? “I think,” as if he is independently thinking. What you can think? Hm? Acyutānanda Mahārāja, why do they say, “I think,” “In my opinion”? What is the value of your opinion?
Harikeśa: Well, I have a certain amount of experience, and with my intelligence and my mind and my scientific method, I can put all that together and come out with some practical solution which I can work on.
Prabhupāda: That you cannot, because you are not independent. Uru-damni baddhaḥ. If you are tied hands and legs with strong rope, how you can think of “I shall become free in this way. I shall become free…?” But your hands and legs are tied up, so why do you think foolishly that you shall become free in this way, you shall become free this way? First of all open this, the tightening knot; then you plan that “I shall become…” But there is no such chance. So what is the value of your thinking like that?
Harikeśa: Well, relatively speaking, it’s better to do…
Prabhupāda: That is another foolishness. Because you are so rascal, you do not know that “I cannot move even an inch and I am making plan.” That is the proof that you are a rascal.
Keśavalāl Trivedi: Tena vina tṛṇam api na calati. That is the way.
Harikeśa: But why are people in the capital…
Prabhupāda: Therefore we call them all rascals. That is our confirmation of our statement. Mūḍhas, you all rascals, without any exception. Hm?
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Sri Govardhana Puja Festival-Sedro Woolley Wa 2018
Yesterday, we observed the ecstatic festival of Lord Krsna lifting Sri Govardhana Hill. Many devotees came and took part in the kirtans, and hearing the description of the birth of Govardhana and how Krsna lifted that mountain to protect His devotees.
After that we offered an abhisek of two Govardhana Silas, which everyone got to bathe, then a feast that was wonderful, to say the least. Too many preparations to even begin to count.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and RadhaGiri HariGovardhana
See festival video below on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/kanhaiyadasanudas/videos/10217614937548722/
https://www.facebook.com/kanhaiyadasanudas/videos/10217614510338042/
Sri Govardhana Puja- Go Puja Thursday, November 8, 2018 (Mayapura, West Bengal, India time]
Subject: Sri Govardhana Puja- Go Puja -Thursday, November 8, 2018 (Mayapura, West Bengal, India and Los Angeles, California time]
Thursday, November 8, 2018 (Mayapura, West Bengal, India time] Govardhana Puja, Go Puja, Bali daityaraja Puja and Sri Rasikananda Tirobhava Tithi [appearance]
compiled by Yasoda nandana dasa
Srila Prabhupada explains Govardhana Puja Continue reading