Monday, January 11, 2021 (Mayapur, West Bengal, Bharata Bbhumi time)
Sri Mahesa Pandita Tirobhava tithi (disappearance day)
Sri Uddharana datta Thakura Tirobhava tithi
Compiled by Yasoda nandana dasa and Damaghosa dasa

Srila Prabhupada expains the glories to Sri Mahesa Pandita

jagadīśa paṇḍita, āra hiraṇya mahāśaya

yāre kṛpā kaila bālye prabhu dayāmaya

SYNONYMS

jagadīśa paṇḍita—of the name Jagadīśa Paṇḍita; āra—and; hiraṇya—of the name Hiraṇya; mahāśaya—great personality; yāre—unto whom; kṛpā—mercy; kaila—showed; bālye—in childhood; prabhu—the Lord; dayāmaya—merciful.

TRANSLATION

The thirty-first branch was Jagadīśa Paṇḍita, and the thirty-second was Hiraṇya Mahāśaya, unto whom Lord Caitanya in His childhood showed His causeless mercy.

Srila Prabhupada explains the glories of Sri Devananda Pandita
compiled by Yasoda nandana dasa

bhāgavatī devānanda vakreśvara-kṛpāte

bhāgavatera bhakti-artha pāila prabhu haite

SYNONYMS

bhāgavatī devānanda—Devānanda, who used to recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; vakreśvara-kṛpāte—by the mercy of Vakreśvara; bhāgavatera—of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; bhakti-artha—the bhakti interpretation; pāila—got; prabhu haite—from the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada: Service is the constant companion of the living being
and that the rendering of service is the eternal religion of the living being.

When Sanatana Gosvami asked Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu about the svarupa of every living being, the Lord replied that the svarupa or constitutional position of the living being is the rendering of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we analyze this statement of Lord Caitanya, we can easily see that every living being is constantly engaged in rendering service to another living being. A living being serves other living beings in two capacities. By doing so, the living entity enjoys life. The lower animals serve human beings as servants serve their master. A serves B master, B serves C master and C serves D master and so on. Under these circumstances, we can see that one friend serves another friend, the mother serves the son, the wife serves the husband, the husband serves the wife and so on. If we go on searching in this spirit, it will be seen that there is no exception in the society of living beings to the activity of service. The politician presents his manifesto for the public to convince them of his capacity for service. The voters therefore give the politician their valuable votes, thinking that he will render valuable service to society. The shopkeeper serves the customer, and the artisan serves the capitalist. The capitalist serves the family, and the family serves the state in the terms of the eternal capacity of the eternal living being. In this way we can see that no living being is exempt from rendering service to other living beings, and therefore we can safely conclude that service is the constant companion of the living being and that the rendering of service is the eternal religion of the living being.  [Introduction to Bhagavad Gita As It Is,1972 Edition]

Gita Jayanti Special -108 Quotes on Spreading the importance

 of the Original 1972 authorized Bhagavad Gita As It Is

(The authorized edition of Bhagavad-gita will help to stop the terrible cheating of ‘gurus’ and ‘yogis’ who are false and unauthorized.)

Hare Krishna. On the occasion of Gita Jayanti, an article that aims at re-establishing the Original Bhagavad Gita that is written by Srila Prabhupada. This article has many quotes that contain the importance of reading the Gita “AS IT IS”, ways of receiving the transcendental instructions, how the Gita has been taken as a way for unscrupulous men to advertise their dubious philosophies, etc.

Please find a link to a Google drive with Srila Prabhupada’s first edition unrevised, non adulterated, original books.https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nHm72gVwAeei95WDkSLf2aw5x-jRXDoF?usp=sharing

CULTIVATING FEELINGS OF SEPARATION

By isana dasa

In the 34^th chapter of the Krishna Book, entitled The Gopis Feelings of Separation, Srila Prabhupada writes:

When Kṛṣṇa went to the forest with His cowherd boyfriends and cows, the gopīs did not physically take part, but their hearts went with Him. And because their hearts went, they were able to enjoy His company through strong feelings of separation.

This is Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental poetry.  The gopis did not physically take part.  They could not walk to the forest along with Krishna and His cowherd boyfriends; but their hearts went with Him.   This is a lovely image.  As Krishna and His friends walked into the forest, the hearts of the gopis moved with Krishna, side by side.  And in this way, they were able to enjoy His company through strong feelings of separation.

Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out – “The guru must be situated on

the topmost platform of devotional service. “When one has attained the topmost position of mahā-bhāgavata, he is to be accepted as a guru
and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru

guru-lakṣaṇa, śiṣya-lakṣaṇa, doṅhāra parīkṣaṇa
sevya–bhagavān, sarva-mantra-vicāraṇa

SYNONYMS

guru-lakṣaṇa—the symptoms of a bona fide spiritual master; śiṣya-lakṣaṇa—the symptoms of a bona fide disciple; doṅhāra—of both; parīkṣaṇa—the testing; sevya-bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshipable; sarva-mantra-vicāraṇa—consideration of the different types of mantras.

TRANSLATION

“In your book there should be the characteristics of the bona fide guru and the bona fide disciple. Then, before accepting a spiritual master, one can be assured of the spiritual master’s position. Similarly, the spiritual master can also be assured of the disciple’s position. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, should be described as the worshipable object, and you should consider the bīja-mantra for the worship of Kṛṣṇa, Rāma or any other expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 PURPORT

This is another amusing pastime between Lord Caitanya and Advaita Acarya over amounts of prasadam one can eat.  Also some good tips by Srila Prabhupada are given about new preps devotees can make for their Deities.  

Madhya 3.38–Advaita Ācārya said, “You have been fasting continuously for three days in Your ecstasy of love for Kṛṣṇa. I therefore invite You to My home, where You may kindly take Your alms. Come with Me to My residence.”
Madhya 3.39–Advaita Prabhu continued, “At My home I have just cooked one palmful of rice. The vegetables are always very simple. There is no luxurious cooking-simply a little liquid vegetable and spinach.”
Madhya 3.42––All the prepared food was divided into three equal parts. One part was arranged on a metal plate for offering to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Madhya 3.43–Of the three divisions, one was arranged on a metal plate, and the other two were arranged on plantain leaves. These leaves were not bifurcated, and they were taken from a banana tree that held at least thirty-two bunches of bananas. The two plates were filled very nicely with the kinds of food described below.
Maedhya 3.44-The cooked rice was a stack of very fine grains nicely cooked, and in the middle was yellow clarified butter from the milk of cows. Surrounding the stack of rice were pots made of the skins of banana trees, and in these pots were varieties of vegetables and mung dāl.
Madhya 3.45–Among the cooked vegetables were paṭolas, squash, mānakacu and a salad made with pieces of ginger and various types of spinach.
Madhya 3.46–There was sukhta, bitter melon mixed with all kinds of vegetables, defying the taste of nectar. There were five types of bitter and pungent sukhtas.
Madhya 3.47–Amongst the various vegetables were newly grown leaves of nimba trees fried with eggplant. The fruit known as paṭola was fried with phulabaḍi, a kind of dāl preparation first mashed and then dried in the sun. There was also a preparation known as kuṣmāṇḍa-mānacāki.PURPORT-We request our editors of cook books to add all these nice preparations described by the experienced author Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī.

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Madhya 2.80—During His previous pastimes in Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa desired to enjoy the three different types of ecstasy, but despite great endeavor, He could not taste them. Such ecstasies are the monopoly of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Therefore, in order to taste them, Śrī Kṛṣṇa accepted the position of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Madhya 2.81—By personally tasting the mellows of love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught His direct disciples the process. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a wealthy capitalist possessing the touchstone of love of God. Not considering whether one is a proper or improper recipient, He gives His treasure to anyone and everyone. Thus He is the most munificent.
PURPORT-Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s capital is the touchstone of love of Godhead, and consequently He is a great owner of that transcendental treasure. After making unlimited amounts of gold, the touchstone remains the same. Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although distributing love of Godhead unlimitedly, still remained the supreme owner of this transcendental opulence. His devotees, who learned it from Him, also had to distribute it munificently all over the world. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His confidential devotees, is also trying to distribute love of Godhead all over the world through the chanting of the holy names of the Lord-Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Madhya 2.82-–No one, not even Lord Brahmā, can ascertain or even taste a drop of this confidential ocean of ecstasy, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, out of His causeless mercy, has distributed this love of Godhead all over the world. Thus there cannot be any incarnation more munificent than Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There is no greater donor. Who can describe His transcendental qualities?

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