Hare Krishna Homesick Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGxjIBEZvx0
Based on Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues
Hare Krishna Homesick Blues
Jay’s in the bindery
Mixing up the alphabet
I’m in the basement
Try to keep to get them reset
He stands in a turn coat
Burned out, paid off
Said he’s got a bad trough
Not getting paid enough
Guess what prabhu
No matter what you do
Krsna knows when
You can do it all again
He better run down the river way
And look for a new friend
That man in the goon skin cap
By the pig pen
Wants some golden dollar bills
You only got tin. [Read More…]
Govinda Dasi writes post 1977 History
Paul Howard has brought up some very pertinent points. One, that there were in fact many tapes missing from that time period. Yes, this is true, and my understanding is that Tamal had those tapes and they somehow vanished. They were from the same time period that the July letter was written.
Two, the question of whether Prabhupada’s disciples accepted the zonal acharya eleven. Most of them did not. It is noteworthy that at the time when Srila Prabhupada left, it was understood that the initiations would continue uninterrupted just as they had been going on for some years. This was common knowledge.
[Read More…]
Choosing a Spiritual Master – What Is a Guru?
The Science of Self-Realization
CHAPTER TWO
What Is a Guru?
“In all the śāstras [scriptures] the guru is described to be as good as God, but the guru never says, ‘I am God.’ The disciple’s duty is to offer respect to the guru just as he offers respect to God, but the guru never thinks, ‘My disciples are offering me the same respect they offer to God; therefore I have become God.’ As soon as he thinks like this, he becomes a dog.”
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena / tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
“I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my guru, my spiritual master, opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.”
The word ajñāna means “ignorance” or “darkness.” If all the lights in this room immediately went out, we would not be able to tell where we or others are sitting. Everything would become confused. Similarly, we are all in darkness in this material world, which is a world of tamas. Tamas or timira means “darkness.” This material world is dark, and therefore it needs sunlight or moonlight for illumination. However, there is another world, a spiritual world, that is beyond this darkness. That world is described by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā [15.6]:
yad gatvā na nivartante / tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
“That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.”
The guru’s business is to bring his disciples from darkness to light. At present everyone is suffering due to ignorance, just as one contracts a disease out of ignorance. If one does not know hygienic principles, he will not know what will contaminate him. Therefore due to ignorance there is infection, and we suffer from disease. A criminal may say, “I did not know the law,” but he will not be excused if he commits a crime. Ignorance is no excuse. Similarly, a child, not knowing that fire will burn, will touch the fire. The fire does not think, “This is a child, and he does not know I will burn.” No, there is no excuse. Just as there are state laws, there are also stringent laws of nature, and these laws will act despite our ignorance of them. If we do something wrong out of ignorance, we must suffer. This is the law. Whether the law is a state law or a law of nature, we risk suffering if we break it.
The guru’s business is to see that no human being suffers in this material world. No one can claim that he is not suffering. That is not possible. In this material world, there are three kinds of suffering: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, and ādhidaivika. These are miseries arising from the material body and mind, from other living entities, and from the forces of nature. We may suffer mental anguish, or we may suffer from other living entities – from ants or mosquitoes or flies – or we may suffer due to some superior power. There may be no rain, or there may be flood. There may be excessive heat or excessive cold. So many types of suffering are imposed by nature. Thus there are three types of miseries within the material world, and everyone is suffering from one, two, or three of them. No one can say that he is completely free from suffering. [Read More…]
THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS “WITHOUT A DOUBT”
SRILA PRABHUPADA DESCRIBES THE
FORMULA FOR SUCCESS “WITHOUT A DOUBT.”
“Our request to all our students is that they daily chant at least sixteen rounds of this harer nāma mahā-mantra offenselessly, following the regulative principles. Thus, their success will be assured without a doubt.” – Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, original unrevised edition Ādi 17.23
TEXT 23
dārḍhya lāgi’ ‘harer nāma’-ukti tina-vāra
jaḍa loka bujhāite punaḥ ‘eva’-kāra
SYNONYMS
dārḍhya lāgi‘-in the matter of emphasizing; harer nāma—of the holy name of Lord Hari; ukti—there is utterance; tina-vāra—three times; jaḍa loka—ordinary common people; bujhāite—just to make them understand; punaḥ—again; eva-kāra—the word eva, or “certainly.”
TRANSLATION
“This verse repeats the word ‘eva’ [‘certainly’] three times for emphasis, and it also three times repeats ‘harer nāma’ [‘the holy name of the Lord’], just to make common people understand.
PURPORT
To emphasize something to an ordinary person, one may repeat it three times, just as one might say, “You must do this! You must do this! You must do this!” Thus the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa repeatedly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name so that people may take it seriously and thus free themselves from the clutches of māyā. It is our practical experience in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world that many millions of people are factually coming to the spiritual stage of life simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra regularly, according to the prescribed principles. Therefore our request to all our students is that they daily chant at least sixteen rounds of this harer nāma mahā-mantra offenselessly, following the regulative principles. Thus their success will be assured without a doubt.
Sinister so called Devotees are Unauthorized and have No Spiritual Link
“If a blind man pretends to help another blind man cross a road,
then both the blind leader and the blind follower shall fall into the further darkness
of some unseen ditch. Everyone who is devoid of transcendental knowledge is just like a blind man”
Sinister so called Devotees are Unauthorized and have No Spiritual Link
Bala Dāsa – NY US: His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda , the Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness said it best:
“I have tried to give you all Krsna Consciousness, now it is your duty to develop it. If you remain strong on the spiritual platform then your progress will not be checked or blocked. I do not know what was resolved in New Vrindavan although Sriman Rupanuga Prabhu has informed others that he has sent a tape in this connection…. I do not know how far they are correct, but I have written him a letter that he may not do something which may harm the interest of the Society. You are also one of the members of the GBC, so you can think over very deeply how to save the situation… IT IS A FACT HOWEVER THAT THE GREAT SINISTER MOVEMENT IS WITHIN OUR SOCIETY. I have not heard anything from Krsna das or Syamasundara., so all of you may try to save the Society from this dangerous position.” (Letter to Hamsadutta, Calcutta, 70-09-02)
Interesting to note that while Hamsadutta was not able to save the society from the clutches of the sinister pretenders, he was the ONLY one came around in the end.
“The Ācārya , the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes these principles, but when he disappears, things once again become disordered. The perfect disciples of the Ācārya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master. Unfortunately, when the Ācārya disappears, rogues and non devotees take advantage and immediately begin to introduce unauthorized principles in the name of so-called svamis, yogis, philanthropists, welfare workers and so on.” (SB 4.28.48 purport)
The current GBC is unauthorized, thus everything they introduce is unauthorized, from Gaura Keshava Das’ adjustments to the method of Deity worship, to Jay Israel’s changes to the Holy Scriptures, to every anti varnasrama bureaucratic committee such as the CPO (child pollution office).
“The word pakhanda used in this verse is sometimes pronounced pasanda. Both of these words indicate an imposter who presents himself as a very religious person but in actuality is sinful. Indra took up the saffron-colored dress as a way of cheating others. This saffron dress has been misused by many imposters who present themselves as liberated persons or incarnations of God. In this way people are cheated.” (SB 4.19.12 purport) [Read More…]
Chanting of the Holy Name Is the Supreme Form of Yoga
Chanting of the Holy Name Is the Supreme Form of Yoga
In this Age, Chanting of the Holy Name Is the Supreme Form of Yoga. The chanting of the mahā-mantra is the most practical form of yoga in the present age: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
The breathing exercises and meditational practices of yoga are very difficult in this age. They were difficult even five thousand years ago, or else Arjuna would not have rejected the proposal of Kṛṣṇa. This age of Kali is called a fallen age. At the present moment, people in general are short-lived and very slow in understanding self-realization, or spiritual life.
They are mostly unfortunate, and as such, if someone is a little bit interested in self-realization, he is misguided by so many frauds. The only actual way to realization of the perfect stage of yoga is to follow the principles of the Bhagavad-gītā as they were practiced by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is the simplest and highest perfection of yoga practice.
Lord Caitanya practically demonstrated Kṛṣṇa conscious yoga simply by chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, as they are mentioned in the Vedānta, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and many important Purāṇas. The largest number of Indians follow this yoga practice, and in the United States and other countries also it is gradually growing in many cities. It is very easy and practical for this age, especially for those who are serious about success in yoga. No other process can be successful in this age.
The meditational process in right earnest was possible in the Golden Age, Satya-yuga, because the people at that time lived for a hundred thousand years on the average.
In the present age, however, if you want success in practical yoga, take to the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and feel for yourself how you are making progress. (The Science of Self−Realization) [Read More…]
Radhastami: Srimati Radharani’s Appearance Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJzCPtDOXqI
Rādhāṣṭamī: Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s Appearance Day Montreal, August 30, 1968[AUDIO]
——-
Now today is our Rādhāṣṭami ceremony. I must speak now something about Rādhārāṇī, and then I shall go up, reach my apartment at twelve. In the meantime, you can observe the ceremonies. So, so far Rādhārāṇī, Rādhārāṇī, today is the birthday of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Rādhārāṇī is the pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman. Just try to understand. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān [Bg. 10.12]. So when paraṁ brahma wants to enjoy… That enjoying spirit is there in the paraṁ brahma. Otherwise we cannot have this enjoying spirit. Because we are part and parcel, therefore we have got that enjoying spirit; but that is materially contaminated. But the fact is there, because Kṛṣṇa, He is enjoying, this enjoying spirit we have got also, but I do not know how to enjoy. We are trying to enjoy in the matter, in the dull matter. That is spiritual. So brahman, brahman sukhānubhūtyā. People are trying to feel what is brahma-sukha, pleasure of brahmānubhāva. That is not material pleasure. So many yogis, they have given up their family life, their kingdom, and meditating to achieve that Brahman pleasure. Actually, the idea is Brahman pleasure. So many brahmacārīs, so many sannyāsīs, they are trying to achieve that Brahman pleasure, and in order to achieve that Brahman pleasure they are neglecting, they are kicking off all this material pleasure. Do you think that Brahman pleasure is ordinary, this material pleasure? To achieve a portion of Brahman pleasure, if they are kicking off all this material pleasure… [Read More…]
Message to Bhakta David and Birds of a Feather
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqnhIqcniyk
Comment by Nimāi Nitāi dāsa:
This is a video message addressed to Bhakta David who owns the website called “prabhupadarawtruth” who is filled with blasphemy of devotees.
I am sorry if this manifestation of anger makes some of you feel uncomfortable, this message should be spoken to him directly, but as the modern era has it, anyone can share anything on social media and since this David’s offensive post are made public, I, therefore, had to share this video publicly. [Read More…]
EARTH is the First Covering of the Universal Shell, Not WATER.
By Amar Puri
We learn from the revealed Scriptures regarding the Fundamental Principles of the Material Nature that the Earth is the sum total of all other elements.
S.B. 3.26.46 Translation ; ” …..In other words, the earth is the place of sustenance for all elements. ”
Purport ; ” …….Earth is the ultimate transformation of all living entities and their respective modes of material nature. “
Further S.B. 3.26.49 validate that the earth is the reservoir of all the qualities of the other elements. Earth is the sum total of all other elements because the EARTH has all Five Qualities of the Gross Material Elements as stated below ;
TRANSLATION
Since the cause exists in its effect as well, the characteristics of the former are observed in the latter. That is why the peculiarities of all the elements exist in the earth alone.
PURPORT
Sound is the cause of the sky, sky is the cause of the air, air is the cause of fire, fire is the cause of water, and water is the cause of earth. In the sky there is only sound; in the air there are sound and touch; in the fire there are sound, touch and form; in water there are sound, touch, form and taste; and in the earth there are sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Therefore earth is the reservoir of all the qualities of the other elements. Earth is the sum total of all other elements. The earth has all five qualities of the elements, water has four qualities, fire has three, air has two, and the sky has only one quality, sound.
To confirm further S.B. 3.29.43 we read that the first layer is of earth, and it is ten times greater in size as stated in the Purport ; [Read More…]
The Power of the Disciplic Succession, Guru Parampara
29) Bhaktivinoda, 30) Gaurakiśora, 31) Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, 32) Śrīla Prabhupāda.
evaṁ paramparā-prāptam / imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
sa kāleneha mahatā / yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa
This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic
succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of
time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.
The Power of the Disciplic Succession, Guru Parampara
Spiritual knowledge descends through the disciplic succession from Krishna. The representatives of the disciplic succession can not change anything, add anything or subtract anything. Otherwise the disciplic succession will be broken and their preaching will have no potency.
Many times in the history this disciplic succession has been broken because the representatives of the disciplic succession did not correctly pass on the knowledge to their students.
We can understand how perfect knowledge can be received. This information is given to us by Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the Bhagavad Gita, particularly in Chapter 4 Texts 1 and 2.
The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku. (Bhagavad Gita 4.1)
This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost. (Bhagavad Gita 4.2) [Read More…]
Vaishnava Calendar September 2019
Vaishnava Calendar: September 2019
Download:
http://harekrishnacommunity.org/Content/attachment/Desktop_Calendar-September-%202019.jpg
How False Gurus in ISKCON Interpreted the Scriptures to Justify Abuse
How False Gurus in ISKCON
Interpreted the Scriptures to Justify Abuse
By Nori Muster
Introduction
Love in the Krishna Book
Teachings of Queen Kunti
Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita
Introduction
Krishna’s life story is the sacred heart of Hinduism. His birth is celebrated by all pious Hindus and the adolescent love affair between Radha and Krishna is considered sacred. Most Hindu worshipers would never describe these pastimes to non-Hindus, for fear that the stories might be misunderstood or exploited. Even in India, unscrupulous gurus have at times twisted the scriptures to justify sexual deviations.
Srila Prabhupada (a translator of Vedas who brought these scriptures to the West) was the tenth guru in a lineage coming from Lord Chaitanya, an incarnation of Krishna in medieval India (1496 to 1534). In His time, Lord Chaitanya inspired a massive nonviolent civil disobedience movement against the Muhammadan occupational government, as well as the Hindu caste brahmin priests. Like Lord Jesus, Lord Chaitanya taught followers to find a personal relationship with God, outside of the rigid religious social structure of the time. He traveled throughout India, converting scholars, religious leaders and thousands of others to His teachings. Lord Chaitanya chanted in the streets, so Srila Prabhupada introduced this practice in America. Some Hindus regard Chaitanya merely as a mystic saint, but Chaitanyite followers see Him as an incarnation of Radha and Krishna, together as one personality. The sacred purport is that Krishna wanted to understand the love Radha felt for Him, so He descended as a devotee – Chaitanya – in order to taste love of Krishna.
As Lord Chaitanya predicted, this brought a renaissance of Radha-Krishna worship in India that was destined to one day spread around the world. Unfortunately however, even though Prabhupada explained the esoteric details, his own disciples twisted the stories to suit perverted aims. In these pages, I’ll describe the deviation of family violence and child abuse, and how the scriptural teachings were misinterpreted to prop up a corrupt, abusive leadership in ISKCON during the decade following Srila Prabhuapada’s passing. [Read More…]
Poem by Saradia Dasi
Poem by Saradia Dasi
Our tears falling like rain
Come back to see You again.
You we have come to meet,
Bow down at Your Lotus Feet;
To hear Your nectarine words,
Praise of the Supreme Lord.
Your presence like morning dew,
You’re covered with golden hue.
So long waited for this time,
That again could bathe in Your shine.
Still, the whole truth is not in meeting,
But in separation; that’s Your teaching.
This is actually more sweet
Than touching Your Lotus Feet.
Because that is our life’s perfection:
Feeling love for You in separation.
Your humble daughter and servant,
Saradia Dasi (ISKCON—Boston)
Krishna is the heart of the spirit soul | Letter to Saradia
Los Angeles 12 December, 1968
My Dear Saradia,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your recent letter and I have noted the contents with pleasure. Your kind thoughts which you expressed are very nice and encouraging to me. Also you have asked some intelligent questions and I am answering them here. [Read More…]
Srila Prabhupada regarding the re-initiation concept
Srila Prabhupada regarding the re-initiation concept
– compiled by Damaghosa dasa
Vrndavana, India August 1967 Letter to: Devotee & Hamsaduta:
“One who understands and appreciates the disciplic succession is certainly advanced, and we should always be very careful to give full respect to those who have so carefully handled this Divine Fruit of transcendental knowledge before us. Even a slight change will spoil it. That is why I have always been so careful to give you only those things which I have heard from my Guru Maharaja .”
Summary note-
In this article we will attempt to show what Srila Prabhupada means by initiation and mantras received by the bona fide guru and whether or not one is initiated or not by some one who is not in the strict param para. And if not, then there is no question of “re- initiation.” later by a bona fide follower of Srila Prabhupada in our sampradaya. [Read More…]
Tulsi Gabbard Has No Honor
Tulsi Gabbard on Abortion
https://www.ontheissues.org/2020/Tulsi_Gabbard_Abortion.htm
Tulsi Gabbard’s opposition to the protection of unborn life
Jayamadhava Das:
YES, After New York Democrats Legalized Late Term Abortion Early in DEC.2018-2019 in January -Tulsi Gabbard BLOCKED the later January 2019 BILL, by Republicans to Stop Hidious – Late Term Abortions,– She Voted Against That Bill to Stop Late Term Abortions. 100 % True — ( I knew this ) prabhujee….ISKCON Promotes her Now Openly, Its INSANITY, SAD to see…. Even VILE. !!!
———————-
Tulsi Gabbard Has No Honor
BY: SURESH DASA (ACBSP)
Aug 06, 2019 — LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (SUN) —
This is a rebuttal for the false argument that “Tulsi Gabbard had to pass abortion laws that allow murder of unborn children to even be able to run for office, as a Democrat”, proving that Tulsi Gabbard has no honor.
This is the false, canned, asleep argument being passed around by Tulsi Gabbard’s devotee supporters, to excuse her support for mass murder of children, claiming that Tulsi Gabbard had to kill children in order to run for office on the Democrat ticket, and that she was just voting along party lines.
This argument is very similar to the Nuremberg defence by Nazis running the death camps, justifying their mass murders – “they were only following orders”. Why don’t devotees have more intelligence to see through the dishonesty of this load of crap they’re pushing, and disassociate themselves from the Democrat Party’s demonic Tulsi Gabbard campaign? [Read More…]
Planets
Note: In my previous article compilation:
THIS EARTHY PLANET IS CALLED VASUDHĀ.
Srila Prabhupada explains, “VASUDHĀ MEANS PLANETS OR GLOBES. THIS EARTHY PLANET IS CALLED VASUDHĀ”.
Now, In this article, we will go deep in UNDERSTANDING the PLANETS that are in the PLANETARY SYSTEMS.
The questions often raised are:
How BIG is sun compared to this earth planet? Is the moon bigger then the sun? In rotation, what is the speed of the sun? What is the speed of moon? Which is faster? What is the relationship of different DAYS NAMED AFTER those PLANETS—- and—- their auspicious or inauspicious effects on us?
Lets have a study:
TEXT 14
grahān puṇyatamān anye
bhagaṇāṁś cāpi dīpitāḥ
aticerur vakra-gatyā
yuyudhuś ca parasparamSYNONYMS
grahān—planets; puṇya-tamān—most auspicious; anye—others (the ominous planets); bha-gaṇān—luminaries; ca—and; api—also; dīpitāḥ—illuminating; aticeruḥ—overlapped; vakra-gatyā—taking retrograde courses; yuyudhuḥ—came into conflict; ca—and; paraḥ-param—with one another.TRANSLATION
OMINOUS PLANETS SUCH AS MARS AND SATURN SHONE BRIGHTER AND SURPASSED THE AUSPICIOUS ONES SUCH AS MERCURY, JUPITER AND VENUS AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF LUNAR MANSIONS. Taking seemingly retrograde courses, the planets came in conflict with one another.PURPORT
The entire universe is moving under the three modes of material nature. Those living entities who are in goodness are called the pious species—pious lands, pious trees, etc. It is similar with the planets also; many planets are considered pious, and others are considered impious. SATURN AND MARS ARE CONSIDERED IMPIOUS. WHEN THE PIOUS PLANETS SHINE VERY BRIGHTLY, IT IS AN AUSPICIOUS SIGN, BUT WHEN THE INAUSPICIOUS PLANETS SHINE VERY BRIGHTLY, THIS IS NOT A VERY GOOD SIGN.
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/3/17/14
In this chapter the orbits of the planets are described. According to the movements of the moon and other planets, all the inhabitants of the universe are prone to auspicious and inauspicious situations. This is referred to as the influence of the stars.
The sun-god, who controls the affairs of the entire universe, especially in regard to heat, light, seasonal changes and so on, is considered an expansion of Nārāyaṇa. He represents the three Vedas—Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma—and therefore he is known as Trayīmaya, the form of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Sometimes the sun-god is also called Sūrya Nārāyaṇa. The sun-god has expanded himself in twelve divisions, and thus he controls the six seasonal changes and causes winter, summer, rain and so on. Yogīs and karmīs following the varṇāśrama institution, who practice haṭha or aṣṭāṅga-yoga or who perform agnihotra sacrifices, worship Sūrya Nārāyaṇa for their own benefit. The demigod Sūrya is always in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. Residing in outer space, which is in the middle of the universe, between Bhūloka and Bhuvarloka, the sun rotates through the time circle of the zodiac, represented by twelve rāśis, or signs, and assumes different names according to the sign he is in. For the moon, every month is divided into two fortnights. Similarly, according to solar calculations, a month is equal to the time the sun spends in one constellation; two months constitute one season, and there are twelve months in a year. The entire area of the sky is divided into two halves, each representing an ayana, the course traversed by the sun within a period of six months. THE SUN TRAVELS SOMETIMES SLOWLY, SOMETIMES SWIFTLY AND SOMETIMES AT A MODERATE SPEED. IN THIS WAY IT TRAVELS WITHIN THE THREE WORLDS, CONSISTING OF THE HEAVENLY PLANETS, THE EARTHLY PLANETS AND OUTER SPACE. These orbits are referred to by great learned scholars by the names Saṁvatsara, Parivatsara, Iḍāvatsara, Anuvatsara and Vatsara.
The moon is situated 100,000 yojanas above the rays of the sunshine. Day and night on the heavenly planets and Pitṛloka are calculated according to its waning and waxing. ABOVE THE MOON BY A DISTANCE OF 200,000 YOJANAS ARE SOME STARS, AND ABOVE THESE STARS IS ŚUKRA-GRAHA (VENUS), WHOSE INFLUENCE IS ALWAYS AUSPICIOUS FOR THE INHABITANTS OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. ABOVE ŚUKRA-GRAHA BY 200,000 YOJANAS IS BUDHA-GRAHA (MERCURY), WHOSE INFLUENCE IS SOMETIMES AUSPICIOUS AND SOMETIMES INAUSPICIOUS. NEXT, ABOVE BUDHA-GRAHA BY 200,000 YOJANAS, IS AṄGĀRAKA (MARS), WHICH ALMOST ALWAYS HAS AN UNFAVORABLE INFLUENCE. ABOVE AṄGĀRAKA BY ANOTHER 200,000 YOJANAS IS THE PLANET CALLED BṚHASPATI-GRAHA (JUPITER), WHICH IS ALWAYS VERY FAVORABLE FOR QUALIFIED BRĀHMAṆAS. ABOVE BṚHASPATI-GRAHA IS THE PLANET ŚANAIŚCARA (SATURN), WHICH IS VERY INAUSPICIOUS, AND ABOVE SATURN IS A GROUP OF SEVEN STARS OCCUPIED BY GREAT SAINTLY PERSONS WHO ARE ALWAYS THINKING OF THE WELFARE OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. These seven stars circumambulate Dhruvaloka, which is the residence of Lord Viṣṇu within this universe.
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/5/22/22_summary
Note: The DAYS of the week NAMED AFTER THE PLANETS along with the ruler planet in the brackets are :
- Sunday (Sun) Ravi
- Monday (Moon) Soma
- Tuesday (Mars) Mangala – AṄGĀRAKA (MARS), WHICH ALMOST ALWAYS HAS AN UNFAVORABLE INFLUENCE
- Wednesday (Mercury) Budha – BUDHA-GRAHA (MERCURY), WHOSE INFLUENCE IS SOMETIMES AUSPICIOUS AND SOMETIMES INAUSPICIOUS.
- Thursday (Jupiter) Guru – BṚHASPATI-GRAHA (JUPITER), WHICH IS ALWAYS VERY FAVORABLE FOR QUALIFIED BRĀHMAṆAS
- Friday (Venus) Sukra – ŚUKRA-GRAHA (VENUS), WHOSE INFLUENCE IS ALWAYS AUSPICIOUS
- Saturday (Saturn) Sani – SATURN AND MARS ARE CONSIDERED IMPIOUS.
The Seven Coverings of the Universe
The image above shows the Vedic egg-shaped universe surrounded with seven layers beginning
with water. The colossal Earth circle stretches across the center of the universe and is situated
above the waters of the Garbhodaka Ocean which fills the bottom half of the universe.
do the coverings of the universe begin with earth or with water?
The Seven Coverings of the Universe
BY: MAYESVARA DASA
Aug 16, 2019 — IRELAND (SUN) —
The following is a response to Dhanvantari Prabhu’s paper entitled “The First Covering“.
In a previous article I had presented an argument that Srimad Bhagavatam describes the first covering of the universe to be water, not earth (as is generally supposed).
In canto three, chapter 26 of the Srimad Bhagavatam Lord Kapila describes that the elements surrounding the universe begin with water: toya-adibhih—by water and so on:
“This universal egg, or the universe in the shape of an egg, is called the manifestation of material energy. Its layers of water, air, fire, sky, ego and mahat-tattva increase in thickness one after another. Each layer is ten times bigger than the previous one, and the final outside layer is covered by pradhana. Within this egg is the universal form of Lord Hari, of whose body the fourteen planetary systems are parts.” (SB 3.26.52)
In the purport to the verse as well as in the purport to (SB 2.1.25) Srila Prabhupada states that the first covering of the universe begins with water. However, in most other lectures, and discussions, Srila Prabhupada generally states that the first covering of the universe is earth, followed by water. In his response to my paper Dhanvantari Prabhu, presented another verse from Srimad Bhagavatam to support the idea that earth is the first covering: [Read More…]
With All the Humility at My Command
With All the Humility at My Command
(by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda)
“Personally, I have no hope for any direct service for the coming crores of births of the sojourn of my life, but I am confident that some day or other I shall be delivered from this mire of delusion in which I am at present so deeply sunk. Therefore let me with all my earnestness pray at the lotus feet of my divine master to allow me to suffer the lot for which I am destined due to my past misdoings, but to let me have this power of recollection: that I am nothing but a tiny servant of the Almighty Absolute Godhead, realized through the unflinching mercy of my divine master. Let me therefore bow down at his lotus feet with all the humility at my command.”
The Absolute Necessity of a Spiritual Master
sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **
“In the revealed scriptures it is declared that the spiritual master should be worshiped like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this injunction is obeyed by pure devotees of the Lord. The spiritual master is the most confidential servant of the Lord. Thus let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of our spiritual master.”
Gentlemen, on behalf of the members of the Bombay branch of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, let me welcome you all because you have so kindly joined us tonight in our congregational offerings of homage to the lotus feet of the world teacher, Ācāryadeva, who is the founder of this Gauḍīya Mission and is the president-ācārya of Śrī Śrī Viśva-vaiṣṇava Rāja-sabhā—I mean my eternal divine master, Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja. [Read More…]
Janmastami: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Appearance Day
Janmashtami Lecture London, August 21, 1973 [AUDIO]
——-
Prabhupāda: (chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers) His Excellency, the High Commissioner; ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here and participating in this ceremony, Janmāṣṭamī, advent of Kṛṣṇa. The subject matter I’ve been ordered to speak on is advent of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,
janma karma me divyaṁ
yo jānāti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti kaunteya
[Bg. 4.9]
This fact, that we can achieve such a stage of life when we can stop our birth and death… Sa ‘mṛtatvāya kalpate. This morning, I was explaining this verse:
yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete
puruṣaṁ puruṣarsabha
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ
so ‘mṛtatvāya kalpate
Amrtatva means immortality. So the modern civilization, they have no idea, either the great philosopher, great politician or great scientist, that it is possible to attain the stage of immortality. Amṛtatva. We are all amṛta. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na jāyate na mrīyate vā kadācin. We living entities, we never die, never take birth. Nityaḥ śāśvato yaṁ, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]. Every one of us, we are eternal, nityaḥ śāśvato; Purāṇa, the oldest. And after annihilation of this body, we do not die. Na hanyate. The body is finished, but I have to accept another body. Tathā dehāntara prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati. Dehino ‘smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā [Bg. 2.13].
This simple thing, at the present moment, they are lacking knowledge, that we, all living entities, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are eternal, we are blissful, and we are cognizant. Kṛṣṇa is described in the Vedic śāstras: [Read More…]
Water is the First Covering of the Universal Shell, Not Earth
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were
under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament:
In the purport to the verse (SB 3.26.52) as well as in the purport to (SB 2.1.25) Srila Prabhupada states that the first covering of the universe begins with water. However, in most other lectures, and discussions, Srila Prabhupada generally states that the first covering of the universe is earth, followed by water.
Here the translation (SB 6.16.37) says that the first covering of the universe is a layer of earth: ksity-adibhir. This presents a conundrum: whilst one verse and several purports from Srimad Bhagavatam state that the layers of the universe begin with water (toya-adibhih), another verse and several purports states that the coverings begin with earth (ksity-adibhir). So do the coverings of the universe begin with earth or with water?
Water is the First Covering of the Universal Shell, Not Earth
BY: MAYESVARA DASA
Aug 08, 2019 — IRELAND (SUN) —
The following paper on the order of the seven layers of the universe is a somewhat minor point in comparison to the more fundamental errors that continue to be perpetrated in regards to Vedic Cosmology; however, it does serve to illustrate the sometimes unthinking nature that characterizes ISKCON’s presentation of the Vedic cosmos as it is described in the Puranas. In all of the diagrams of the Vedic universe that I have seen so far, the layers of the universe are depicted as beginning with the element earth; however the Srimad Bhagavatam itself along with all of the other Puranas concur that the first layer surrounding the universe is water, not earth; indeed the earth element is not even included in the list of the seven surrounding layers. First, let’s look at what the Srimad Bhagavatam itself says about the coverings of the universe:
The following paper on the order of the seven layers of the universe is a somewhat minor point in comparison to the more fundamental errors that continue to be perpetrated in regards to Vedic Cosmology; however, it does serve to illustrate the sometimes unthinking nature that characterizes ISKCON’s presentation of the Vedic cosmos as it is described in the Puranas. In all of the diagrams of the Vedic universe that I have seen so far, the layers of the universe are depicted as beginning with the element earth; however the Srimad Bhagavatam itself along with all of the other Puranas concur that the first layer surrounding the universe is water, not earth; indeed the earth element is not even included in the list of the seven surrounding layers. First, let’s look at what the Srimad Bhagavatam itself says about the coverings of the universe:
“This universal egg, or the universe in the shape of an egg, is called the manifestation of material energy. Its layers of water, air, fire, sky, ego and mahat-tattva increase in thickness one after another. Each layer is ten times bigger than the previous one, and the final outside layer is covered by pradhana. Within this egg is the universal form of Lord Hari, of whose body the fourteen planetary systems are parts.” (SB 3.26.52)
Here the Srimad Bhagavatam describes that the elements surrounding the universe begin with water: toya-adibhih—by water and so on. Toya is one of the many Sanskrit names for water and is used through-out Srimad Bhagavatam. In the purport Srila Prabhupada goes on to describe water as the first element that surrounds the shell of the universe. [Read More…]
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