
The World Sankirtana Party—SP

Subject: Srila Prabhupada explains dipavali (Diwali)sur
Srila Prabhupada explains the actual meaning of Dipavali celebration of Lord Krsna breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by Yasodamayi
Srī-śuka uvāca ekadā gṛha-dāsīṣuyaśodā nanda-gehinīkarmāntara-niyuktāsunirmamantha svayaṁ dadhiyāni yānīha gītānitad-bāla-caritāni cadadhi-nirmanthane kālesmarantī tāny agāyata
SYNONYMS
śrī–śukaḥuvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; ekadā—one day; gṛha–dāsīṣu—when all the maidservants of the household were otherwise engaged; yaśodā—mother Yaśodā; nanda–gehinī—the queen of NandaMahārāja; karma–antara—in other household affairs; niyuktāsu—being engaged; nirmamantha—churned; svayam—personally; dadhi—the yogurt; yāni—all such; yāni—such; iha—in this connection; gītāni—songs; tat–bāla–caritāni—in which the activities of her own child were enacted; ca—and; dadhi–nirmanthane—while churning the yogurt; kāle—at that time; smarantī—remembering; tāni—all of them (in the form of songs); agāyata—chanted.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: One day when mother Yaśodā saw that all the maidservants were engaged in other household affairs, she personally began to churn the yogurt. While churning, she remembered the childish activities of Kṛṣṇa, and in her own way she composed songs and enjoyed singing to herself about all those activities.
PURPORT
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, quoting from the Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, says that the incident of Kṛṣṇa’s breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by mother Yaśodātook place on the Dipavali Day, or Dīpa-mālikā. Even today in India, this festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kārtika by fireworks and lights, especially in Bombay. It is to be understood that among all the cows of NandaMahārāja, several of mother Yaśodā’s cows ate only grasses so flavorful that the grasses would automatically flavor the milk. Mother Yaśodā wanted to collect the milk from these cows, make it into yogurt and churn it into butter personally, since she thought that this child Kṛṣṇa was going to the houses of neighborhood gopas and gopīs to steal butter because He did not like the milk and yogurt ordinarily prepared.
While churning the butter, mother Yaśodā was singing about the childhood activities of Kṛṣṇa. It was formerly a custom that if one wanted to remember something constantly, he would transform it into poetry or have this done by a professional poet. It appears that mother Yaśodā did not want to forget Kṛṣṇa’s activities at any time. Therefore she poeticized all of Kṛṣṇa’s childhood activities, such as the killing of Pūtanā, Aghāsura, Śakaṭāsura and Tṛṇāvarta, and while churning the butter, she sang about these activities in poetical form. This should be the practice of persons eager to remain Kṛṣṇa conscious twenty-four hours a day. This incident shows how Kṛṣṇa conscious mother Yaśodā was. To stay in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should follow such persons.Srimad-Bhagavatam : Canto 10: “The Summum Bonum” : SB 10.9: Mother Yasoda Binds Lord Lord Krsna : SB 10.9.1-2 :
May 13 1973 LA morning walk
Paramahaṁsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, when you are not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions, for example, on questions that may arise?
Prabhupāda: Well, the questions… Answers are there in my books.
Paramahaṁsa: Other than that, for example, that we would ask you in…
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Paramahaṁsa: Do you direct us also through the heart? Besides the Paramātmā?
Prabhupāda: If your heart is pure. Everything depends on purity. Whether there.
“The photos of my murti are very nice. The murti of the Spiritual Master should be treated as good as the Deity. Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair, uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih/kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya. The guru should be treated as good as God. This is stated in all the sastras. The difference is that God is master-God and guru is servant-God. So the installation ceremony for such a murti should be similar to that done for other Deities. All Temples can have this Deity if they like. But Temples which have only Panca-tattva painting worship should not be given this Deity. You should make a murti of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and then they may be worshiped together as is now being done in our Krishna Balarama Temple. They should be placed with Gaura Nitai — Guru Gauranga.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, Januray 29, 1976) “I have no objection to your worshiping my murti for Guru Puja. But for placing in the temple there must be a pair of murtis, (my Guru Maharaja must be there) as in Krsna-Balarama Mandir, and they must be permanently installed. This may be done in accord with the temple authorities. Or else you may worship one murti of myself privately in your room.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 13, 1977) “So far I am concerned, I have no objection if there is carved form of guru on the Guru-Gouranga altar, but one thing, is unless that sculptor is very excellent, it should not be attempted.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, September 2, 1972) “Those who are spiritually advanced, their photograph and ordinary photograph is different. Just like here is statue of Krishna. He’s not different from Krishna. The original person Krishna and this statue of Krishna is the same. Similarly, a spiritually perfect person and his photograph is the same. Because it is in the absolute stage. In the absolute stage there is no difference. In the material stage there is difference. Is that clear? In the absolute stage there is no difference. Just like we are chanting Hare Krishna. The Krishna is the name of the Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this name and Krishna is nondifferent. Do you realize it? There is no difference between Krishna who is in His supreme abode and the name Krishna which you are chanting. That is the same. There is no difference. This is absolute conception. Whereas if I am thirsty and if I call the name of water, ‘Water, water, water,’ I require the substance water actually. Simply by calling ‘water’ will not do. That is the difference between matter and spirit.” (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, September 16, 1966) Continue reading