Bhakti Vikas Swami Topic on Child Welfare Forum 05 31 24

 

PADA: There is a big discussion going on in the child welfare forum about the role of Bhakti Vikas swami in the whole child molesting process that has infested ISKCON. My position -- and the position of many members of the forum is -- BVKS has been a strong supporter / advocate / apologist of the orchestrators of the abuse system. 

BVKS has "apologized" for past perps and his followers admonished me for chastising one of their current perps -- Lokanath swami. And one thing almost all the forum members agree on is -- perps never seem to be criminally charged in the BVKS system. And the perps and their enablers seem to be sort of shuffled around with no checks and balances. 

And recently BVKS said those of us who are not forgiving (to his perp pals) might become ghosts in a future birth. Sheesh, and Ajit Krishnadas and Torben Nielsen were arguing with me that BVKS is a bona fide guru.   

In fact, BVKS is the "sannyasa disciple" of Jayapataka, the biggest leader of the "Auschwitz for kids" Mayapur program. And he has propped up the leaders of the molester empire ever since 1978. What many folks find most infuriating is that BVKS keeps saying that his illicit sex with men, women and children / homosexual / pedophile / orchestrating murders / drunk and disorderly / porno swami / guru program is something we will find in Prabhupada's books. Nope. Sulochana said they are tossing kids into a wood chipper. Is that authorized in the books? Nope.

One of the members of his guru parampara is Hansadutta. He was taking so many percodans, mixed with peppermint schnaps, beer, and Vodka etc. -- he told me there are entire days, weeks and even months that he has no memory of. Total black out on intoxicants. And this is, was, or could have been -- one of Krishna's guru successors? Same type thing with Satsvarupa, who writes that he is the guru of (psychotropic) pills. 

Both of them fell down with followers. And another messiah named Jayatirtha was loaded on drugs and singing crazy tunes from the Vyasa seat, and he too was engaged in affairs with followers. Kirtanananda, Bhagavan, Bhavananda, Harikesha fell down. And so on and so forth. How is this a bona fide guru parampara found in Srila Prabhupada's books?

On the forum people are making fun of BVKS as a creepy guy, a person who looks haunted by ghosts, an arrogant fool who thinks washing his feet and drinking the contents is going to save people's spiritual lives, etc. Well yep. Another person commented that their days are numbered because they are being exposed on too many fronts. 

Overall, it looks like people think none of this pedo pooja process was ever authorized by Srila Prabhupada or his books. It was concocted by BVKS and his pals to deviate and contaminate ISKCON, and worse -- perhaps to target and destroy the children, and it has by one means or another. Another person commented that he was part of the problem by supporting them previously -- but now, he is against them forever and from now on.  

 

I Dasi: If this sannyasi was severely beaten and sexually assaulted like those devotee children then he would not be voicing his support for the perpetrator even though he is his mate. The severe "mistakes" he mentions are not mistakes, but serious crimes against defenseless children to whom he was the religious guardian and instructor. Blindly covering up for violence, child abuse and sexual crimes is hypocrisy and duplicity and favours his friends.

ys pd angel108b @yahoo.com

===

A Gentleman and His Obligations

BY: KRSNA DAS

The recent articles relating to child abuse and child abusers, with H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami defending the rights of the known child abuser, Bhakti Vidya Purna swami, over the rights of the victims, the children abused, are most interesting and many points are being raised.

In his latest article H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami says:

"I plan one more article on these topics, concerning Indradyumna Swami. Then I'm finished. I am under no obligation to engage with anyone who employs lies and deception to paint me in the worst possible light. That shows very poor character, and our acaryas have warned us to avoid bad association." 

There are many points to consider here in this declaration. Amongst them are, obligation, character and association. Obligations are very important, as mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita. 1.37-38. From the Purport of text 37-38:

"Considering all these pros and cons, Arjuna decided not to fight."

So Bhakti Vikasa Swami similarly has declared, "I am finished." Had enough. Want to give up. But it is not so easy to simply say, "I am finished." In the Bhagavad-gita there are so many quotations about duty and obligations.

Obligations. We are bound by obligations. Obligations must be met.

Just by being born in this world one has certain obligations. That is the harsh reality. Like it or not. We simply cannot shun obligations at our whim. Arjuna, in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gita, refused to fight. However, one just cannot refuse to fight.

By taking initiation from a bona fide spiritual master, one has obligations. By taking sannyasa one has obligations. By accepting followers one has obligations.

By publicly defending and attempting to minimise crimes by a known child abuser, namely Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami, and by attempting to exonerate the child abuser, one puts oneself into a situation whereby one must honour one's obligations. One has obligations. Like it or not. And for one who has taken upon himself obligations, those obligations must be met.

Disregarding and blatantly ignoring the Children Protection Office's rulings, one therefore necessarily has obligations. One has obligations when one picks up the gauntlet and makes, or takes, a challenge to say what is right and what is wrong. What is child abuse and what is not. Obligations to satisfy those children who would ask for proper accounting and proper explanation of the reasons behind such abuse and such defence of such abuse. 

Obligations to those children who fell under their care and protection. And were abused. Obligations to society. An obligation to those you accuse of poor character. These are indeed serious allegations. One has an obligation to explain and justify and prove such allegations. An obligation to avoid bad association. And an obligation to know what is good and what is bad association. And an obligation to properly explain one's decision to defend convicted sadistic people who flay the skin off the backs of children. 

An obligation to explain why one enjoys the association of those sadistic, cruel, mean spirited people who delighted in the torture of young innocent children. One indeed does have obligations. And a gentleman need not be reminded of his obligations.

Such phrases as,

"I am under no obligation to engage with anyone who employs lies and deception to paint me in the worst possible light. That shows very poor character, and our acaryas have warned us to avoid bad association," do not free one from one's obligations.

Such empty phrases will certainly not free one from one's obligations. Like it or not.

I am afraid that one simply cannot just declare, "I have no obligations." It is not so easy as that. One who assumes a role in society does indeed have obligations. I ask of you, Bhakti Vikasa Swami, I demand of you, to stand and explain yourself. Be a gentleman! Honour your obligations. For if you do not, then sadly we can not grace you with the title of, "Gentleman," what to speak of Sadhu or Guru. Be a gentleman. Stand and meet your obligations. And if you cannot be a gentleman at least be a man. And honour your obligations.

"Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bharata, stand and fight." (Bhagavad Gita 4.42)

Abusers and supporters of abusers can only be described as persons of extremely bad character and indeed arcaryas have warned us to avoid such bad association. One has to decide whom one wants to follow. With whom one wants to associate. And who it is that is "bad association." One has one's obligations. And a gentleman need not be reminded of his obligations. 

Here is the purport of the famously oft used, and more often misused, verse to justify abuse and unspeakable atrocities perpetrated on children, the api cet sudaracaro verse. I feel it is my obligation to ask you who are reading this to read this purport. My obligation is to request you to note who has poor character; my obligation is to request you to consider with whom you associate, And certainly, at the very least, one has an obligation to read the purport of the verse Bhagavad-gita verse, 9.30 and use this verse in an appropriate situation.


api cet sudaracaro
bhajate mam ananya bhak
sadhur eva sa mantavyah
samyag vyavasito hi sah

From the purport.

"The word su-durācāraḥ used in this verse is very significant, and we should understand it properly. When a living entity is conditioned, he has two kinds of activities: one is conditional, and the other is constitutional. As for protecting the body or abiding by the rules of society and state, certainly there are different activities, even for the devotees, in connection with the conditional life, and such activities are called conditional. Besides these, the living entity who is fully conscious of his spiritual nature and is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or the devotional service of the Lord, has activities which are called transcendental. 

Such activities are performed in his constitutional position, and they are technically called devotional service. Now, in the conditioned state, sometimes devotional service and the conditional service in relation to the body will parallel one another. But then again, sometimes these activities become opposed to one another. As far as possible, a devotee is very cautious so that he does not do anything that could disrupt his wholesome condition. 

He knows that perfection in his activities depends on his progressive realization of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sometimes, however, it may be seen that a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness commits some act which may be taken as most abominable socially or politically. But such a temporary falldown does not disqualify him. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that if a person falls down but is wholeheartedly engaged in the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, the Lord, being situated within his heart, purifies him and excuses him from that abomination. 

The material contamination is so strong that even a yogī fully engaged in the service of the Lord sometimes becomes ensnared; but Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so strong that such an occasional falldown is at once rectified. Therefore the process of devotional service is always a success. No one should deride a devotee for some accidental falldown from the ideal path, for, as explained in the next verse, such occasional falldowns will be stopped in due course, as soon as a devotee is completely situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Therefore a person who is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is engaged with determination in the process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare should be considered to be in the transcendental position, even if by chance or accident he is found to have fallen. The words sādhur eva,"he is saintly," are very emphatic. 

They are a warning to the nondevotees that because of an accidental falldown a devotee should not be derided; he should still be considered saintly even if he has accidentally fallen down. And the word mantavyaḥ is still more emphatic. If one does not follow this rule, and derides a devotee for his accidental falldown, then one is disobeying the order of the Supreme Lord. The only qualification of a devotee is to be unflinchingly and exclusively engaged in devotional service.

In the Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa the following statement is given:

bhagavati ca harāv ananya-cetā
bhṛśa-malino 'pi virājate manuṣyaḥ
na hi śaśa-kaluṣa-cchabiḥ kadācit
timira-parābhavatām upaiti candraḥ

The meaning is that even if one fully engaged in the devotional service of the Lord is sometimes found engaged in abominable activities, these activities should be considered to be like the spots that resemble the mark of a rabbit on the moon. Such spots do not become an impediment to the diffusion of moonlight. Similarly, the accidental falldown of a devotee from the path of saintly character does not make him abominable.

On the other hand, one should not misunderstand that a devotee in transcendental devotional service can act in all kinds of abominable ways; this verse only refers to an accident due to the strong power of material connections. Devotional service is more or less a declaration of war against the illusory energy. As long as one is not strong enough to fight the illusory energy, there may be accidental falldowns. 

But when one is strong enough, he is no longer subjected to such falldowns, as previously explained. No one should take advantage of this verse and commit nonsense and think that he is still a devotee. If he does not improve in his character by devotional service, then it is to be understood that he is not a high devotee."

So will Bhakti Vikasa Swami honour the obligations he has taken upon himself and tell us truthfully why he supports a known child abuser? Will he tell us what is his position on child abuse? Will he say clearly what is his position on corporal punishment? Does he support corporal punishment? What exactly is his stance on child abusers. What is his stance on twisting children's ears. What is his stance in beating children? Has he even read the documentation provided online by the Children's Protection Office? To what level is corporal punishment child abuse? Will he answer? Will he be honourable? Will he show some respect for the cloth he wears? Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja, honour your obligations. A gentleman need not be reminded of his obligations.

I submit to those who are reading this, that Bhakti Vikasa Maharaj has painted himself in the very worst possible light by the association of his own choosing of those with very poor character. I certainly would not associate with Bhakti Vidya Purna. And I certainly would not associate with Bhakti Vikasa. Or those of his ilk.

India Heat Wave / Mathura Pati / Govinda Dasi vs Jayadvaita 05 30 24

Make friends with Krishna:

And we will automatically get lots of other friends.

=================

Indian capital of Delhi breaks all-time heat record, as authorities impose water rationing (yahoo.com)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Delhi recorded an all-time high temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.22 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday as extreme heat conditions gripped the north and western parts of India, causing students to faint in schools and drinking water taps to dry up.

PADA: Srila Prabhupada said -- eventually the planet would be so hot, people would have to live in underground caves during the day to survive. I think 127 degrees is already getting closer to that point already. In short, being on the surface of the earth during the day -- won't be habitable -- eventually. That time is coming, and the signs are already visible.

However, getting everyone situated in underground dwellings is not going to happen easily either, never mind it will cost a fortune -- and be an engineering and construction nightmare -- to make underground habitation for a mass of people. OK how will they eat? And it seems to me -- a lot of people will simply die off as the temperatures increase. And only a small number of people will be able to find suitable dwelling spaces. KALI is progressing.

========

MATHURA PATI UPDATE: Thanks prabhu, yes Mathura Pati says he wants to make original books, but he says the people who helped make the original books BBTI lawsuit in Los Angeles the first place (OK PADA) are bogus liars, and we need to work with the people who have been promoting the worship of Saint Radhanath, who was assisting their New Vrndavana acharya -- who was having oral sex with young men in his motorhome. We need to work with the cheer leading promoters of oral sex with young men messiah's programs? Neine danke!

Sorry! PADA is not in favor of promoting the worship of oral sex messiahs programs, or the cheer leaders and defenders of such programs. Meanwhile, Mathura Pati is working with Purujit, who does not even believe in original books. Mathura Pati needs to figure out whose side he is actually on here. 

Meanwhile, we raised enough money to print the original 1962 Bhagavatams, because we are in favor of moving ahead on these issues and not fooling around with supporting all these deviations. If Mathura Pati wants support for making original books, he needs to work with the main people on the planet who want original books, which is PADA's readers. 

Almost no one else is even interested in original books. ys pd

angel108b@yahoo.com 

=================

DATE: 28 May 2024


Re: FACE TO FACE WITH THE MENTAL SPECULATOR


Dear Beloved devotees,


This issue of our celebrated newsletter features exciting news of the European Preaching Tour of Shrimati Govinda Dasi. She got the opportunity to interview the BBT(I) Book Changer Jayadwaita. Her exclusive report is below.


GOVINDA DASI CONFRONTS SENIOR MENTAL SPECULATOR

Unfortunately the guy from Dwight Morrow High School wasn’t very forthcoming.
I spoke with JAS yesterday, nicely, and I told him, “Thousands of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples are angry and upset with what you have done. You are not much longer for this world, and thus you need to correct this. Print both editions, if needed, but establish the precedent of no more edits to Srila Prabhupada’s original writings.”

His haughtiness and arrogance know no bounds. “I dont work there, anymore. Take it up with those guys at BBT….” With a sickening smug smile….


Govinda dasi preaching about Shrila Prabhupada to the rising generation of devotees, Germany, May 2024


Sadly, I was unable to convince him, because he is blinded by his arrogance and firmly ensconced in his “fame” as Srila Prabhupada’s “star editor.”

One German speaking devotee came to my table and asked about the book changes. He was quite knowledgeable as he had found online a comparison of verses, and said he was shocked at the changes. But he did not know the original books are available or how to obtain them! And he wanted to know.

They WANT to know what happened. They line up to talk to me. Especially the girls, but the boys also. And I tell them. Most of them already know about the “grand eleven” and the hijacking. Not all of them know about the book changes. Those that do, want the originals. This festival was BEYOND WONDERFUL!


On Nrshingha Chaturdasi, the Lord’s expression was quite shocking. He looked so fierce, so angry, almost like He was saying, “I’ve had enough of these rakshasas!”
Mars hits the eclipse trigger this month, so I don't know what will happen, but likely war will expand. I do not know where I am going next, I have invitations to Cologne, Berlin, Croatia, Leipzig, and Lithuania, and a few other places I cant even spell. I am waiting for guidance from Srila Prabhupada. Most likely I will go first to Heidleberg rathayatra around first of June.

But I will need more books. I sold over 3 of the 4 cases.*


*Refers to her new book about her early days with Prabbupada, A Time of Sandalwood and Roses.


Yet, I see the youth do not like him (Jayadwaita) or trust him. Some even left his lecture. I heard complaints. They sense his saffron arrogance, and it is very disgusting, especially at a time when the horrors revealed about Vidyapurna* have not been forgotten. Most of them have kids, or are young grihastas, so they are distrustful of these fakes.


*(Vidyapurna refers to ISKCON Guru Swami Bhakti Vidyapurna, aka Anirdeshya Vapu das, one of the many child molesters at the top of ISKCON’s management over the decades.)


Thanks, Prabhus,


Your A.I.S.F. Team

Visoka Departs 05 29 24

Priitaa Devi Dasi

My husband Vishoka dasa left his body/died Wednesday May 22, 2024, in the morning. This has been hard on me; so for that, and other reasons, I am posting it a few days later. 

He departed from this world on a most auspicious day - LORD NARASIMHADEVA'S APPEARANCE DAY! While we were shocked and sad he left, we are relieved it happened on this most wonderful, spiritual day! 

Vishoka joined the Hare Krishna Movement in the Berkley temple California. He is an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Later he went to New Dwarka/L.A. where we met and married.

He was an artist at FATE Studios, a project funded by Amberish Dasa / Alfred Ford. Prabhupada wanted this project.  I will put a link to it below. [My husband is not in the link but it's a lovely article about FATE Museums].

Vishoka loved to write. He composed a few books, and some blogs. Two books were about Jayananda Prabhu. Vishoka also opened a yahoo group to glorify Srila Prabhupada. It went on for approximately 20 years. 

There is surely more he did but I can't think of it right now. This is at least a good summary. Some will ask the cause of death, so briefly it was Parkinsons. 

Vishoka had 2 children and 3 grandchildren. And me as wife. He left his body with Srila Prabhupada chanting, and Srimad Bhagavatam opened and above his head. 

I am trying to leave my emotions out of what I'm writing, but of course I am upset at this time. Yet logically and spiritually I know he is doing well now. That was one of my big worries. Prabhupada's teachings are my saving grace. And his. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Lord Narasimhadeva! 

Please don't ask me questions but DO make positive comments, 

AND send mantra for my husband, Vishoka dasa. Thank you and Hare Krishna.

F.A.T.E. - First American Theistic Exhibition: https://back2godhead.com/fate-the-first-american.../

Vishoka's Blog: https://vishoka.wordpress.com/tag/nagaraj-das/

Vishoka's fb post about his friend Kushakrata prabhu: 

https://www.facebook.com/.../remember.../690374567794129/...

PADA: I first met Visoka in Badger many years ago. And I started out telling him how Satsvarupa was perhaps the most dangerous person in ISKCON, because he was writing all the GBC documents -- in addition to making many glorifications of Kirtanananda. And that means -- many people in ISKCON are now worshiping deviants as acharyas, offering food to deviants etc. -- and that will produce very ill effects. I said -- Mott Street boys and Krishna's successors is never going to fly. 

And Visoka eventually -- put up his hands -- covered his ears -- and told me he would not listen to me blaspheming sincere devotees like Satsvarupa, and then he would not talk to me for about three months. And it was a strained situation even then. 

So I think he was one of those devotees who was very sentimental towards the false gurus, and that was the way they took over everything in ISKCON. The false gurus just did not get much resistance, and they had a lot of actual sentimental support. Needless to say -- or at least as Sulochana says so well -- Satsvarupa is "the most dangerous person in ISKCON" because he is, again as Sulochana says: "The Joeseph Goebbels mastermind writer for the GBC." 

Later on -- Visoka sent me his writings about Jayananda -- evidently for me to post on my blog -- with a note: "At least one person went back to Godhead from ISKCON." OK, well that was not the aim and object of ISKCON, because it was supposed to bring thousands and thousands of people back to Godhead. 

But that means, by that time, he perhaps realized that I was right, Satsvarupa had master minded the disintegration of ISKCON by supporting his bogus Mott Street boy pals as messiahs, and being the "go to writer" for the original GBC's documents. Of course, promoting deviants as messiahs was never going to work over the long haul, and caused all sorts of mayhem -- especially for the children -- in the short haul. Which is why many / most of those ex-children boycott ISKCON even now. 

In any case I think he ultimately did agree with us -- and he would have wanted to see Srila Prabhupada established as the acharya. And he realized that the system of replacing the acharya, just is not going to fly. It is going to crash and burn, or as Bhakti Vikas swami says, "our gurus are crashing like Jumbo Jets." Yep, and there are a lot of damaged victims as a result.

So in essence, I think he eventually got it. We have to make Srila Prabhupada the acharya and not promote imitations. And I believe he would have wanted our idea, to make all the people in ISKCON into Prabhupadanugas, to have become the actual process promoted in ISKCON. 

That being said, one of my ex-kuli friends says -- a lot of these senior ISKCON devotees are leaving the planet one by one -- without ever making a final statement -- on what they believe should have been done in ISKCON in regards to the acharya's worship, the treatment of us children and etc. And after they are gone, that's it, they have no ability to make a final position statement. 

My ex-kuli friend says, they did not speak up at the start of all this, and then they are not speaking up clearly since then, then they leave the planet without making a sort of death bed confession, correction or position statement, so they are sort of leaving behind a mess of confusion. I think this person is correct.

Anyway, all that being said. Visoka was a humble and nice guy, and he was evidently devastated to see what happened to ISKCON -- which is why he said -- at least one person was saved from the whole imbroglio. That means most others were not saved, because the society deteriorated. As we said it would.

So he has now gone on to another plane. And we believe he was overall a sincere person -- who will make progress going forward -- and Krishna will give him a lift up. We hope devotees will pray for his soul to make progress towards Krishna and in sum, we wish him all the best, and God speed spirit soul! ys pd 

angel108b@yahoo.com 

Jagadananda Departs / Ramananda Roy 05 28 24

Henry Doktorski:

I just heard that our friend Jan Brzezinski (Jagadananda dasa, formerly Hiranyagarbha dasa) has passed away in Montreal (I think his hometown) from cancer of the brain, or complications from.

He lived at New Vrindaban, and directed the Varnashram College in 1974. He served as the headmaster for the Mayapur, India gurukula from 1975-1979.

He explained, "I left [ISKCON] in disgust when I realized that I was not spiritually nor materially qualified to run such a school and when I realized that the ISKCON institution itself did not seek to improve the situation."

Later he lived in Vrindaban, India, and served as editor for "Gaudiya Grantha Mandir" and the online news blog "Vrindavan Today." He is quoted in "Gold, Guns and God," Vol 4, regarding teaching youngsters in New Vrindaban and Mayapur.

He also liked my Hare Krishna history books and wrote to me, "I consider your work very important, a necessary archive to cover a particularly significant moment in history, which will be very useful to sociologists and psychologists of religion in the future. I hope that you can get your books to be accepted in university libraries. Perhaps if you can find some scholars who work in those fields to support it, you will have the chance to see your work have more influence."

---------

PADA: Well here we go again, another devotee with -- wait for it -- cancer. Very odd coincidence. I was chatting with a follower of Gaura Govinda Maharaja, who was saying we should just worship whoever our heart is attracted to. OK well that has lead to total mayhem in ISKCON because people's sentiments are not always up to the actual standards of guru. Meanwhile, offering food to conditioned souls is not good for one's spiritual or material health. I think a lot of devotees have become ill for many reasons, and stress is probably another reason. 

Jagadananda and me had a sort of love / hate thing going on. He liked what I was doing, more or less, but thought I was "too critical." Well yeah but it is a critical situation. I also did not like his running off to the Jiva institute, whose idea is that we do not originate with Krishna. But most devotees have run off to all sorts of things, at least this was more moderate. At least he was overall friendly with me, which says a lot compared to a number of my other brothers. 

He blamed himself for not being more vocal about the children's situation in the gurukulas, and I agree he should have done more. But at least he admits there was a problem, and he was not dealing with it fully. He felt remorse and that is more favorable effort than a lot of them.  

Anyway, he was fried with the ISKCON management. No kidding. In any case, his troubles and toils here are done. We wish him all the best in his future life. He did believe in Krishna, and he wanted to be in the holy dham, and that is all good. Godspeed spirit soul! ys pd angel108b@yahoo.com 

=================

𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟴 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 [𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗮, 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹, 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲]
𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦́𝗿𝗶̄ 𝗥𝗮̄𝗺𝗮̄𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝘆𝗮

rāmānanda rāye mora koṭī namaskāra
yāṅra mukhe kaila prabhu rasera vistāra

"I offer ten million obeisances unto the lotus feet of Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya because from his mouth much spiritual information has been expanded by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu."

(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta » Madhya-līlā 8.311 | 1975 Edition)

"Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught His principles through four chief followers. Among them, Rāmānanda Rāya is exceptional, for through him the Lord taught how a devotee can completely vanquish the power of Cupid. By Cupid’s power, as soon as one sees a beautiful woman he is conquered by her beauty. 

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya vanquished Cupid’s pride because in the Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka he personally directed extremely beautiful young girls in dancing, but he was never affected by their youthful beauty. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya personally bathed these girls, touching them and washing them with his own hands, yet he remained calm and passionless, as a great devotee should be. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu certified that this was possible only for Rāmānanda Rāya [....]

(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta » Ādi-līlā 10.84 » Purport | 1973 Edition)

"Bhavānanda Rāya had five sons, one of whom was the exalted personality known as Rāmānanda Rāya. Bhavānanda Rāya first met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu after His return from South India. At that time Rāmānanda Rāya was still serving at his government post; therefore when Bhavānanda Rāya went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he went with his other four sons. They were named Vāṇīnātha, Gopīnātha, Kalānidhi and Sudhānidhi. A description of Bhavānanda Rāya and his five sons is given in the Ādi-līlā (10.133)"

(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta » Madhya-līlā 10.49 » Purport | 1975 Edition)
এই পঞ্চ পুত্র তোমার মোর প্রিয়পাত্র ।
রামানন্দ সহ মোর দেহ–ভেদ মাত্র ১৩৪ ॥

ei pañca putra tomāra mora priyapātra
rāmānanda saha mora deha-bheda mātra

𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗬𝗠𝗦

ei—these; pañca—five; putra—sons; tomāra—your; mora—Mine; priya-pātra—very dear; rāmānanda saha—with Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya; mora—Mine; deha-bheda—bodily difference; mātra—only.

𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Bhavānanda Rāya, “Your five sons are all My dear devotees. Rāmānanda Rāya and I are one, although our bodies are different.”

𝗣𝗨𝗥𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧

The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (120-24) states that Rāmānanda Rāya was formerly Arjuna. He is also considered to have been an incarnation of the gopī Lalitā, although in the opinion of others he was an incarnation of Viśākhādevī. He was a most confidential devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Although I am a sannyāsī, My mind is sometimes perturbed when I see a woman. But Rāmānanda Rāya is greater than Me, for he is always undisturbed, even when he touches a woman.” Only Rāmānanda Rāya was endowed with the prerogrative to touch a woman in this way; no one should imitate him. Unfortunately, there are rascals who imitate the activities of Rāmānanda Rāya. We need not discuss them further.

In Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s final pastimes, both Rāmānanda Rāya and Svarūpa Dāmodara always engaged in reciting suitable verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to pacify the Lord’s ecstatic feelings of separation from Kṛṣṇa. It is said that when Lord Caitanya went to southern India, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya advised Him to meet Rāmānanda Rāya, for he declared that there was no devotee as advanced in understanding the conjugal love of Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. While touring South India, Lord Caitanya met Rāmānanda Rāya by the bank of the Godāvarī, and in their long discourses the Lord took the position of a student, and Rāmānanda Rāya instructed Him.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu concluded these discourses by saying, “My dear Rāmānanda Rāya, both you and I are madmen, and therefore we met intimately on an equal level.” Lord Caitanya advised Rāmānanda Rāya to resign from his government post and come back to Jagannātha Purī to live with Him. Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu refused to see Mahārāja Pratāparudra because he was a king, Rāmānanda Rāya, by a Vaiṣṇava scheme, arranged a meeting between the Lord and the King. This is described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Twelve, verses 41-57. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was present during the water sports of the Lord after the Ratha-yātrā festival.

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu considered Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī to be equal in their renunciation, for although Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was a gṛhastha engaged in government service and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī was in the renounced order of complete detachment from material activities, they were both servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who kept Kṛṣṇa in the center of all their activities. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was one of the three and a half personalities with whom Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu discussed the most confidential topics of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised Pradyumna Miśra to learn the science of Kṛṣṇa from Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya. As Subala always assisted Kṛṣṇa in His dealings with Rādhārāṇī in kṛṣṇa-līlā, so Rāmānanda Rāya assisted Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His feelings of separation from Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was the author of Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka.
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta » Ādi-līlā 10.134 | 1973 Edition)

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲:

Srila Prabhupada explains the unique position of Sri Ramanada Raya https://krishnaconsciousnessmovement.com/?p=15633&

Ramananda Raya’s conversation with Lord Caitanya 

https://krishnaconsciousnessmovement.com/?p=9796

Srila Prabhupada summarizes the discussions between Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya
https://krishnaconsciousnessmovement.com/?p=31349&

My Redbubble Shop / Andrew Lampitt Update 05 28 24

AngeliqueArt

https://www.redbubble.com/people/angeliqueart/shop?

=================

Hare Krishna

I am writing regarding Andrew Lampitt and his wife's request for help here:

https://krishna1008.blogspot.com/2019/10/urgent-need-to-find-aniruddha-andrew.html?m=1


Around one month ago, he wrote a comment on this ISKM YouTube video as follows

https://youtu.be/rxodlaOGmGM?si=oi8ZA_Wy96C8KEI4

"I joined iskcon in october 1992 at Bhaktivedanta Manor here in the uk and served in iskcon for 25 years. I was initiated by Jayadvaita swami and was given the name aniruddha das, but both JAS and the manor's management were out right rude corrupt and nasty, a typical situation that Srila Prabhupada did not want -- that is -- the mission given over to the Hindus. They have turned the temple into a neo Hindu money making business -- and are badly mistreating sincere devotees. 

All they care about is scaming and cheating money out of the people who visit there. Srila Prabhupada gave a very clear instruction / directive not to engage in out reach preaching programmes to the hindu community, but that is ALL that ever goes on there. 

Because they are not following the rtvik system, devotees end up just being stuck there in a very abusive and oppressive situation and just end up like myself leaving with a very bitter taste in their mouths. It is no bed of roses. 

As mentioned, I rejected my so called guru JAS and left iskcon and I now want to join up serving in iskm. I would like to help in starting an iskm temple here in the uk and meeting up and being in contact with like minded devotees. Again I have over 25 years experience in ashrama life and preaching and would like to put this to good use here in the uk, a rtvik temple is needed here in order to re-kindle and push forward the true mission for the people of england ."

Nimai Nitai dasa, the ISKM preacher speaking in the video, responded to him and expressed his interest in Andrew being in touch with him. It may be worth asking Nimai if he has information on his whereabouts.


Kind regards M

Govinda Dasi Writes / ISKCON Gurus Competing 05 27 24

 

GOVINDA DASI

Some of the more unfortunate aspects of Iskcon history. Yet, by grace of Srila Prabhupada, much is being corrected and more will be corrected as the younger generations progress.

The only hope is to focus on Srila Prabhupada, his original writings, his lectures and most of all his kirtans. Placing him in the center, as Founder Acharya, will save everything and everyone.

IMHO

“ISKCON GURUS COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER LIKE RIVALS

- ISKCON scholar Thomas J. Hopkins described: “Prabhupada had been 81 at the time of his departure, while few of his senior disciples were as old as 40. The gap between Prabhupada’s age and that of his disciples had been a significant factor in the authority he exercised over them and the willingness on their part to accept his authority. When he departed, the leadership role suddenly fell on a group of disciples who were all not only two generations younger but also all more or less the same age. 

Instead of accepting authority from an experienced devotee who was old enough to be their grandfather, the situation was now more like having one’s brothers in charge—with all of the possibilities for sibling rivalry that that opened up.”

Zonal Acharyas (p.112-3) spoke of their immaturity: “Who could mediate conflicts between the eleven? Just a few years earlier, they had been completely dependent on Prabhupada to resolve disagreements between them. When Prabhupada passed in 1977, Ramesvara was 26, Jayapataka 28, Harikesh, Hrdayananda and Jayatirtha 29, Bhagavan 30, Tamal 31, Hansadutta 36, Satsvarupa and Bhavananda 37. Kirtanananda was 40. 

There was no senior Vaishnava within ISKCON who could advise them. Ramesvara’s calling Hansadutta a ‘schmuck’ was only one example of the immaturity of the eleven ISKCON zonal acharyas, as conflicts and fighting between them occurred frequently. Ramesvara and Hansadutta were well known as bitter enemies, but others also fought. 

[...] When New Vrindaban secretly sent ‘pickers’ to Ramesvara’s zone, his devotees slashed New Vrindaban vans’ tires. When Hansadutta sent collectors into Kirtanananda’s zone, New Vrindaban dispatched a dozen men who broke into their rented Cincinatti warehouse, confiscated their collecting paraphernalia, and sent a message to Hansadutta: ‘This is our zone, stay out!’ 

In addition to collecting money outside their zones, the ISKCON gurus also competed for disciples. [...] Yasodanandana das, the Vrindaban gurukula headmaster, recalled, ‘They fought each other to amass disciples, wealth, and power. I remember in 1978 the gurus fighting over the boys in the ashrams; one claim was countered by another zonal guru, “No, this boy is my disciple!” These boys were mostly 7 to 9 years old. They would say, “This boy is my disciple; he comes from my zone.” It was petty quarrelling. Once they began claiming proprietorship over their zones and disciples, the once-united and unified ISKCON had split and dissolved.’”

DEVOTEES BECOME SUICIDAL OUT OF SPIRITUAL DESPAIR 

-Govinda dasi wrote about several suicidal devotees that she knew, who had suffered serious abuse in ISKCON, and were only saved by turning to Srila Prabhupada. The history of the abuse of devotees in ISKCON was severe in too many cases, and reflects the extremes of the untouchable and unaccountable new gurus who practically did as they liked without responsibility or conscience. We know of two suicides attributable to the extreme excesses by the new gurus, one in the Phillipines, the other in St. Louis, both under the auspices of Tamal. 

“I noticed the same with Gopijanavallaba Swami. I was doing books with him just days before his suicide. Some devotees also blame Tamal for his depresssion.” (Narasimha das, 2015) Surely there were many more. We have heard about gurukulis who resorted to suicide due to of being sexually or otherwise abused.” (Srila Prabhupada’s Hidden Glories, 1.555)

[NOTE: PARTS of this are from the writings of Henry Doktorski].

Mamata Banerjee Row in West Bengal

PADA: Not a good sign pilgrims. The leader of West Bengal is blaming ISKCON and other Hindu Mathas for encouraging politics against her in West Bengal. She also says the Hindus are the people making the riots, evidently, to incite her people against the Hindus. 

It is already a dangerous situation for Krishna devotees in West Bengal, and this looks like it is deteriorating more. We already know that devotees are not exactly safe in these areas -- and making them targets is going to make it more perilous. 

It is too bad so many ISKCON devotees have alienated potential helpers in so many countries -- who now won't help their plight in different problem areas. Srila Prabhupada said Rama Krishna mission's "sahajiya program" dragged all of Bengal to hell, and that is why it is so difficult there. 

And unfortunately, Jayapataka's molester messiah's club there is not helping matters either. Anyway, we should be aware of potential troubles in these areas and take appropriate precautions if we plan to visit these places. ys pd angel108b@yahoo.com      

Anuttama's Flawed Namarasa Podcast (VIDEO) 05 26 24

 

The Advent of Lord Tirupati Balaji (VIDEO)

 

Appearance of Lord Buddha (SP Lecture) VIDEO

 

Satanic Black Magic in the Hare Krishna Religion (ISKCON) VIDEO

 

Lord Krishna's Departure Connected to Lord Jagannath (VIDEO)

PADA: I cannot say if all this is fully accurate. Anyway, have a look and let me know what you think. ys pd 

angel108b@yahoo.com  

ISKCON Scotland Imbroglio / Where are the devotees? 05 23 24

ISKCON SCOTLAND IMBROGLIO

In March this year, one of the Trustees of ISKCON SCOTLAND, Kamlesh Krishna Prabhu held out a landline to our fractured community in the form of a heartwarming call for cooperation between the warring factions. It was a 90 min presentation of an action plan based on the ISKCON Management Council's review of management and devotee care at Karuna Bhavan over the two decades during which the current ISKCON SCOTLAND CEO has been the temple president. 

In the presentation Kamlesh said that the recording would be available on Zoom Cloud Recordings for public distribution. I request that all of Srila Prabhupada's spiritual family members kindly take the time to watch it.

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../ZnxMTy30KC3QzcxGM...

PASSCODE ?VLb.0yw

I am making this request as someone who was an apologist for the Karuna Bhavan management for fifteen years but now, after hearing testimonies of perceived abuse and neglect, am an advocate for an urgent transition to truly transparent isthagosthi and genuine devotee care. The rigorous application of this long-in-the-making Action Plan (link to document follows) 

https://acrobat.adobe.com/.../urn:aaid:sc:EU:af3974ec...

is crucial for all ISKCON communities who are yet to make this difficult transition. Many of the devotees whose grievances went unheard over the last two decades now have a golden opportunity to get involved with this essential transition. Please leave your comments so that we can bring all the beautiful families together again. Therefore I, once again beg your support in ensuring the comprehensive employment of the action plan in our Iskcon Scotland communities.

US02WEB.ZOOM.US

us02web.zoom.us

=================

WHY ARE WE LOSING SO MANY DEVOTEES?

Any devotee who is a little observant and has been active within ISKCON for a good number of years may have seen a certain phenomenon taking place in most communities around the world: so many people come to Krishna consciousness, they stay around for some time, but then somehow or another many of them fade away. And we may not see them any longer. Sometimes, when we re-visit a temple after fifteen or twenty years, the only personalities familiar to us are the Deities. All other faces are new.

Once when re-visiting a community after fifteen years, where I had spent a considerable amount of time in the beginning of my Krishna consciousness, I was excited to visit after such a long period, expecting to meet old friends. Anxiously awaiting the first Sunday program, I could hardly see any old and well-known faces. I thought to myself: ‘Surely, everybody will be there when our gurus and traveling preachers visit.’ But again I was disappointed. I was anxiously awaiting the Janmastami celebration, and once again I had to ask myself: ‘Where is everybody….?’

This experience disturbed my mind - I was trying to analyze what was happening. I couldn’t stop wondering what we were doing wrong - why we could not keep devotees enthusiastically and actively involved for their whole life time.
Shortly after, I joined the Devotee Care Committee of the GBC Strategic Planning Group. Interestingly, this Devotee Care Committee was initially a Preaching Committee. And within this Preaching Committee we had two moods: one was ‘let’s make new devotees - let’s reach out and bring new people to ISKCON.’ And the other was: ‘Where are all the old devotees? 

What happened to them? What is the use of making new devotees if they fade away after some time?’ Then the Preaching Committee turned into the Devotee Care Committee. This is how the whole concept of Devotee Care evolved - through the realization that we like to concentrate on making new devotees, but we make only very little effort to inspire and nourish the older ones. In a letter to His Holiness Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami on 16 June, 1972, Srila Prabhupada instructs:
“You mention you like to speak now very often, but the first business should be to preach to the devotees. It is better to maintain a devotee than to try to convince others to become devotees.”

In several letters, Srila Prabhupada expressed his concern in regards to putting too much emphasis on making more and more devotees, rather than training them thoroughly, and he gave the famous analogy of boiling the milk. In a letter to Hamsaduta on 22 June 1972, he gave the following instruction:

“Now we have got so many students and so many temples but I am fearful that if we expand too much in this way that we shall become weakened and gradually the whole thing will become lost. Just like milk. We may thin it more and more with water for cheating the customer, but in the end it will cease to be any longer milk. Better to boil the milk now very vigorously and make it thick and sweet. That is the best process. So let us concentrate on training our devotees very thoroughly in the knowledge of Krishna consciousness from our books, from tapes, by discussing always, and in so many ways instruct them in the right propositions.”

It is certainly much easier to attract new people to Krishna consciousness
and impress them, rather than inspiring and uplifting a practicing devotee. In order to give inspiration and nourishment to a senior devotee, one has to be able to come up with something deeper and of substance. We can only uplift others according to our own level, but not higher than that. 

This may be one reason why we tend to put more emphasis on attracting new people - because it is easier.

Sometimes, we can detect the following attitude within ourselves: while a person has not yet accepted Krishna consciousness we reach out and are trying to take care of them in a very personal way. And as soon as the person ‘joins’, we think: “Now he is one of our people.” And we expect and demand service from them and easily lose the mood of caring for their spiritual development. We tend to forget how much care and nourishment the bhakti-lata needs in order to continuously develop and ultimately bear the fruits of pure bhakti.

It is not enough to simply bring a person to Krishna consciousness. In Chaitanya-Charitamrita, Madhya (19.152 to 162), we find the analogy of a devotee having to become an expert gardener. We don’t simply plant the seed and every now and again throw a bucket of water on it. It requires regular and ongoing care, nourishment and cultivation. The process of devotional service is meant to bring about a deep transformation of our heart. It is a dynamic process we are meant to undergo under the guidance of senior devotees. Spiritual life is ever increasing - we never reach a point where we have learnt and realized everything. We don’t want to become stagnant, but progressively move forward to higher and higher levels of spiritual experience.

Giving and accepting shelter is the very essence of spiritual life and accompanies us throughout our entire life within Krishna consciousness: we are meant to continuously endeavor to take shelter - in the holy name, in guru, Krishna and the Vaishnavas. And we are meant to qualify ourselves more and more in order to reach out to others and give shelter. Unless we endeavor to get to deeper levels of understanding of what it means to take shelter, it easily remains external and superficial, and we take shelter in name only, as a formality.

However, deep within our hearts we maintain our independence. Furthermore, understanding the connection between the principles of giving and accepting shelter and culture serves as an eye-opener. In spiritual culture, they form the natural foundation of any meaningful relationship, whereas in materialistic culture it is unknown: nobody wants to accept shelter, and nobody wants to give shelter to others....

Your servant, Devaki dd

Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/

========

SRI MADHAVENDRA PURI-APPEARANCE DAY! [23rd May 2024]

Before Lord Caitanya appeared He sent His eternal associates like Sri Advaita Acarya, Sri Jagannatha Misra, Saci Mata, Madhavendra Puri, Isvari Puri to earth. Sri Madhavendra Puri took initiation from Sri Laksmipati Tirtha in the Madhvacarya sampradaya. He had many but Sri Advaita Acarya and Sri Isvara Puri were the chief disciples of Madhavendra Puri. In one way or another, all the Vaisnavas in Bengal and Ksetra mandala (Jagan­natha Puri) were connected with Sri Madhavendra Puri. After Lord Caitanya came many of his disciples joined Mahaprabhu's sankirtana movement.

"Madhavendra Puri's body was completely full of divine love; so were his followers. He displayed uncommon love of God. Seeing a dark blue rain cloud, he would fall down unconscious. Day and night he was intoxicated from drinking the ambrosia of Krishna prema." (Vrndavana Dasa Thakura)

After making an extensive pilgrimage of Bharata-bhumi (India) he passed his life in Vrndavana and Orissa. He began the restoration work of Vrndavana that Sri Rupa and Sanatana Gos-vamis continued later. Wandering from grove to grove, remembering Radha-Krishna's sweet Vrndavana pastimes, Madhavendra Puri would faint in ecstasy.

In a dream, Sri Gopala ordered Madhavendra Puri to uncover a buried Gopala Deity and install Him atop Govardhana Hill. Madhavendra Puri celebrated Gopala's installation with an annakuta (grand festival offering a mountain of foodstuffs to Krishna). This Annakuta festival, also called Govardhana Puja, is one of the most important Vaisnava festivals in Vrndavana, in India, and around the world. The original Gopala Deity, known as Sri Nathaji, is now worshiped in Nathadvara, Rajasthan.

Madhavendra Puri introduced the conception of madhurya bhava (conjugal love) in the Madhvacarya sampradaya. Mad­havendra Puri sowed the seed of prema bhakti. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became the towering tree dropping honey sweet fruits of prema upon everyone. He also revealed viraha bhava, the mood of love relished in separation from God. His branch of the Madhva sect distinguished itself by this ecstatic love of God. 

It is known as the Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya.

In Jagannatha Puri, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed an intense mood of viraha bhava. This increased unlimitedly when the Lord heard verses from Srimad Bhagavatam tenth canto, Krishna Karnamrta, Gita Govinda, Padyavali, and the love poems of Can-didasa and Vidyapati. Mahaprabhu's viraha begins with a single verse spoken by Madhavendra Puri, His param guru (grand preceptor):

ayi dina dayadra natha he
mathura natha kadavalokyase
hrdayam tvad aloka kataram
dayita bhramyati kim karoty aham

"0 compassionate Lord of the poor and humble! 0 Lord of Mathura! When shall I see You again? Without seeing You, My heart has become very much afflicted. Oh My beloved, I am overwhelmed. What shall I do now?" (Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 4.197)

Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja says that as the diamond kaustubha jewel is the most precious amongst all rare valuable jewels, this sloka is the rasa kavya (the best verse in the entire treasury of rasa poetry). Actually, this verse was spoken by Srimati Radharani Herself. It was Radha's pathetic cry to Syamasundara, who had gone to Mathura leaving Her alone, desperate in Vrndavana. Radharani's mercy brought this same verse from the mouth of Madhavendra Puri.

Reciting even a few words of this sloka [verse] would tear open the door of Mahaprabhu's ecstatic love, making Him swoon in ecstasy falling unconscious. Feeling intense separation from Krishna, Madhavendra Puri constantly chanted this verse when departing this world.

Krishna Dasa Kaviraja says that with this verse Madhavendra Puri teaches devotees how to achieve Krishna prema by cultivating intense feelings of separation from Sri Krishna. Gaudiya Vaisnavas accept that this verse expresses the essence of the mood of separation.

The Gaudiya sampradaya teaches that worship of Radha and Krishna in separation represents the highest level of devotional service. At this stage of realization the devotee feels completely "vacant in the world in the absence of Krishna." A moment without Madhava feels like a millenium. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu always swam in the ocean of divyonmada mahabhava, the maddened ecstatic emotions shown by Sri Radha in Brahmar Gita (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.47). In this verse Madhavendra Puri discloses similar emotions. 

The Gaudiya Vaisnavas conclude that the mon­soon shower of ecstatic love exhibited by Lord Gauranga during His manifest pastimes began with Madhavendra Puri. It then came through Isvara Puri, who played the role of Lord Caitanya's spiritual master.

Madhavendra Puri's samadhi is in Remuna, Orissa just a walk down the road from the temple of Ksira-cora Gopinatha.

Narasimha Lecture and Kirtan (VIDEO) 05 21 24

 Simhachalam - Rare Temple of the Combined Varaha Narasimha Incarnation (indiadivine.org)

========

Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Caturdasi: Wednesday, May 6, 2020 [Mayapura, West Bengal, Bhrata Bhumi time

Lecture on Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s Appearance Day
Bombay, May 5, 1974

Download Audio MP3

http://krishnakirtan.com/pmp3/voice/Fest_BOM_1974-05-05_Nrsimhadeva_Appearance.mp3

Prabhupāda: …boys who have played the Prahlāda-caritra, Hiraṇyakaśipu-vadha. Today is the appearance day of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. It is called Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśī. So I am so pleased that within such a short time these boys have nicely learned how to play, and especially I have to thank Mr. Hiraṇyakaśipu. (applause) (laughs) Mr. Hiraṇyakaśipu has played his part very nicely.

So this is very instructive struggle between the atheist and the theist. This story of Prahlāda Mahārāja is eternally true. There is always a struggle between the atheist and the theist. If a person becomes God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, so he will find many enemies. Because the world is full of demons. What to speak of the devotee of Kṛṣṇa, even Kṛṣṇa, when He personally came, He had to kill so many demons. There was His maternal uncle, His mother’s brother, very keenly related. Still, he wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa. As soon as any son was born to Devakī, immediately he killed, because he did not know who will be Kṛṣṇa. The prediction was that the eighth child of his sister will kill Kaṁsa. So he began to kill all the children. At last, Kṛṣṇa came. But he could not kill Kṛṣṇa. He was killed by Kṛṣṇa.

So nobody can kill God. The demons, godless society, they simply want to kill God. But actually, God is never killed, but the demon is killed by God. That is the law of nature. This is the instruction from Prahlāda Mahārāja’s life. We can understand that as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham [Bg. 10.34]. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that “I am also death in the shape of taking away everything, whatever you possess.” We are very much proud of possessing material things, material acquisition, but when Kṛṣṇa comes… Just like Mahārāja, Prahlāda Mahārāja saw Hiraṇyakaśipu. His father also saw Nṛsiṁhadeva. This Hiraṇyakaśipu was very clever as the materialists, scientists, are very clever. Cleverly they are inventing so many things. What is the idea? The idea is “We shall live forever and enjoy sense gratification more and more.” This is called atheistic advancement of civilization. So Hiraṇyakaśipu was typical materialist. Hiraṇya means gold, and kaśipu means soft bed, cushion. So materialist persons, they are very much fond of gold and enjoying sex. That is their business. So Hiraṇyakaśipu is the typical example of this materialistic person. And Prahlāda Mahārāja, prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa āhlāda. Āhlāda means transcendental bliss. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ [Bs. 5.37]. Living entities’ real identification is prahlāda, blissfulness. But on account of material association, we are in miserable condition of life. So… (aside:) Stop these children.

So this Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to become immortal, and he underwent penances, severe penances, so much so, the whole universe became trembled. So that Brahmā, Lord Brahmā, had to come to pacify him, “What do you want?” So he wanted to become immortal. Lord Brahmā said that “Although I have got very long duration of life,…” The duration of life of Brahmājī is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ [Bg. 8.17]. Sahasra-yuga, one group of yugas-Satya, Treta, Dvāpara, Kali—it becomes about forty-three lakhs of years. And multiply these forty-three lakhs of years by one thousand, that duration of time is Brahma’s twelve hours, one day. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ. So that Brahmā who lives for millions of trillions of years—still, he has to die. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam [Bg. 13.9]. Wherever you go within this material world, either in the Brahmaloka or in the Patala-loka, you have to die. That is the problem. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, “Real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, birth, death, old age and disease.” Just try to… So Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to solve these in a materialstic way, but that is not possible. So in a negative way he wanted that “I shall not die on the (indistinct).

His eternal servant. So he remains a humble servant of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he has no danger. Even if he has danger, he will be saved. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati [Bg. 9.31]. Kaunteya pratijānīhi: “Arjuna, you can declare it all over the world that anyone who has taken shelter at My lotus feet, become devotee, he will never be vanquisher.” Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ [Bg. 18.66]. So these are the assurances. But the atheist class of men like Hiraṇyakaśipu cannot understand this. That is the defect. They challenge always God. The dissension between the father and the son was that the son was believer in God, Kṛṣṇa, and the father was not. So at the end the father saw what is God in the form of death. At that time he could not save him. So that is the difference between theist and atheist. The atheist always challenges, “Where is God? Can you show me?” Well, you will see. Not now. Just at the maturation of your all sinful activities, when death will come, you will see Him. This is going on.

So it is very instructive lesson, Prahlāda Mahārāja. Now it is getting late. Otherwise, I would have recited some of the verses recited by Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of our gurus. There are twelve gurus, or mahājana.

svayaṁbhur nāradaḥ śaṁbhuḥ
kaumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
balir vaiyāsakhir vayam
[SB 6.3.20]

Actually, if we want to make progress in spiritual life, we have to follow the mahājanas, the great personalities. They are mentioned in the śāstras. Without father and mother, he became manifest. Therefore his name is Svayambhu. Without father and mother, he became manifest. Therefore his name is Svayambhu. Of course, his father is Nārāyaṇa, but not in the usual way. Therefore his name is Svayambhu. Nārada. Nārada Muni is also one of the mahājanas. And Śambhu, Lord Śiva. Kapila, Kapiladeva, the son of Devahūti. Svayaṁbhur nāradaḥ śaṁbhuḥ kapilo manuḥ [SB 6.3.20]. And Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja is our guru in the disciplic succession. So mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. We cannot chalk out what is the path of religion. It is very difficult to find out because there are many different scriptures and there are many philosophers. Nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. Each philosopher has got different opinion. So how to get real path of religious way? That is recommended in the śāstra that mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. You have to follow the footsteps of great personalities. And Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of them.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was born in a demon’s family. His father was a demon. Prahlāda Mahārāja used to address his father as Asura-varya, “the best of the demons.” You have seen… He was patting his son, “My dear son, do like this, do like that. Tell me what you have learned the best thing.” So Prahlāda Mahārāja said, tat sādhu manye ‘sura-varya dehinām. He didn’t, never said, “My dear father.” “My dear the best of the demons.” Tat sādhu manye. “I think that is very nice.” What is that? Hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham āndha-kupaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. “That this worldly life, materialistic life, is self-killing just like a dark well. So one should give it up and go to the forest and take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. That is the best way of life.” So his father became very angry. So the atheist and the theist, they will never agree. But theist also never will submit to the atheist. This is the principle. Prahlāda Mahārāja was put into so many troubles by his father, but he never forgot chanting namo bhagavate vāsudevāya namaḥ. He never forgot.

So we should take lessons from this story that even in dangerous position, we should not be forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will save us. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,

yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
yasmin sthite guruṇāpi
duḥkhena na vicālyate
[Bg. 6.20-23]

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that if one gets Kṛṣṇa consciousness, yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ, aparaṁ lābhaṁ, any other benefit or gain is never considered. This is so nice. We are hankering after getting this, that, this, that, this, that, so many things. Dehi, dehi, dehi, dehi. But as soon as you get Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will be satisfied. As Dhruva Mahārāja said, svāmin kṛtārtho ‘smi varaṁ na yāce [Cc. Madhya 22.42]. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was offered all benediction: “My dear Prahlāda, whatever you like, you can ask.” He never asked anything. But he was so kind. That is the example of a Vaiṣṇava son in the family. Despite so much troubles given by his father, still, he begged from Narasiṁhadeva, “My Lord, my father has committed so many offenses. Kindly give him liberation.” He did not ask anything for himself. So Narahari, Nṛsiṁhadeva, immediately said, “Why do you speak of your father? Your father’s father, his father, fourteen generations—all liberated because a son like you is in this family.” So this is the benefit. If a son becomes a pure Vaiṣṇava, devotee, he can deliver fourteen generation. That is a special prerogative because he is born in a certain family. So what we can give service to the family, nation, materially? If we become devotee, we can give best service to the nation, to the family, to the humanity. That is the philosophy.

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is preaching this philosophy that “You take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness; your life will be perfect.” And the method is very simple. It can be…, there is no secrecy. Just like this evening I was talking with a boy. He has got a mantra, very secret. But we say have no secret mantra. Our mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, is open to everyone. Why it should be secret? If by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra we can approach God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why it should remain secret? It should be distributed like anything so that everyone can go. So there is no secrecy. A secret mantra we don’t approve. It must be very open. There is no secret. The śāstra never says that mantra can be secret.

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Cc. Ādi 17.21]

In this age of Kali… Kali means the age of quarrel, age of misunderstanding, age of disagreement. So in this age it is very difficult to come to the right conclusion by philosophy and other methods. Therefore in the śāstra it has been openly declared,

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Cc. Ādi 17.21]

Three times. Three times means yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyā. There are many other things: meditation, sacrifices, worship in the temple. So in this age all these things are impossible to be performed, but even a child can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. That is proved here. Whenever there is Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, even the child can take part, old man can take part. So this is the only method for God realization. There is no expenditure, but the gain is very, very great. That was the teaching of Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja, and we are following his footsteps. Let us stick to his principle, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186], and thus become more and more advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thank you very much.

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