Tag Archives: Krishna Consciousness

The Appearance Day of Lord Krishna (Janmastami)

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Janmastami, Krishna, Krishna's childhood pastimes, Krsna, KRSNA the Supreme Personality of Godhead
The Birth of Lord Krishna Janmastami

click on image to enlarge

Today,being the advent of Lord Krsna’s birthday celebration (Janmastami), it seems fitting that we do a post on the birth of Lord Krsna. So the following is the entire third chapter from the Krsna Book entitled “The Birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa”.

…As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and activities, are all transcendental, and one who understands them factually becomes immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohiṇī was also predominant because this star is considered to be very auspicious. Rohiṇī is under the direct supervision of Brahmā. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious. ( from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Chapter 3)

Full Chapter

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The Nectar of Life

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Animal Rights, Milk

Milk is compared to nectar, which one can drink to become immortal. Of course, simply drinking milk will not make one immortal, but it can increase the duration of one’s life. In modern civilization, men do not think milk to be important, and therefore they do not live very long. Although in this age men can live up to one hundred years, their duration of life is reduced because they do not drink large quantities of milk. This is a sign of Kali-yuga. In Kali-yuga, instead of drinking milk, people prefer to slaughter an animal and eat its flesh. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His instructions of Bhagavad-gītā, advises go-rakṣya, which means cow protection. The cow should be protected, milk should be drawn from the cows, and this milk should be prepared in various ways. One should take ample milk, and thus one can prolong one’s life, develop his brain, execute devotional service, and ultimately attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is essential to get food grains and water by digging the earth, it is also essential to give protection to the cows and take nectarean milk from their milk bags.

—From Srila Prabhupada’s purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.6.12

The Hare Krishna Movement

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Uncategorized

” Anyone, anywhere, can easily take to this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement; one need only chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, observe the rules and regulations, and stay free from the contamination of sinful life. Even if one is sinful and cannot give up sinful life immediately, if he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra with devotion and faith he will certainly be freed from all sinful activities, and his life will be successful. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. This is the blessing of Lord Rāmacandra, who has appeared in this age of Kali as Lord Gaurasundara. “

The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Ramacandra : SB 9.10.51 : Srila Prabhupada’s PURPORT

Preaching in Russia

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Kali-yuga, Krishna Consciousness

The following is a wonderful article written by Govinda Dasi and published in Dandavats in 2016. It was recently posted on Facebook. I thought this was an especially good time for presenting this once again.

Back in New York, in early 1967, Srila Prabhupada often sat in his room and slowly turned the world globe, studying the geographic demarcations of various countries on the Earth planet. He would sometimes say, “Brahmananda, you will go to Russia, Goursundar, you go to Japan, Rayarama, you will go to Europe…” and so on. Even though he had merely a handful of sincere American youths, most of them in their late teens or early twenties, he had big plans. Clearly, he wanted to open preaching centers in every country on Earth. His vision was huge–he planned to spread the Hare Krishna movement all over the world! But he was especially concerned about Russia.

Russia, at that time, was the very heartbeat of the communist/atheist world. The message of atheism, the no-God philosophy that is the destroyer of religiosity, had established itself aggressively in Russia. It had also consumed many other surrounding countries, forcing atheistic education on their children, and punishing those who were Godly. Russia, during the 1960’s, was very aggressively moving toward world domination. At least that was their ambition.

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The Hare Krishna Maha-mantra

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna

This morning I was going through one of my old devotee notebooks, filled with prayers and slokas and bits of nectar, and I ran across this short definition of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra.

Hare – Srimati Radharani (the Divine Energy of the Lord)

Krishna – the All Attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead

Rama – Lord Krishna who is the Reservoir of Pleasure

“O Srimati Radharani, O All Attractive Reservoir of Pleasure, Lord Sri Krishna, please engage me in your loving devotional service”

for more definitions and deeper explanations click on following link https://theharekrishnamovement.org/category/chanting-hare-krishna/

Sri Nama Kirtan

Posted on by under Bhaktivinoda Thakur
Krishna stealing the cloths of the gopis

Krishna is very pleased when we call on Him by His Names, which are associated with His devotees, qualities and pastimes. This song by Bhaktivinoda Thakura is composed of the Nanes of Krsna in different aspects. (from the Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas)

Today also marks the appearance day of Srila Bhakrivinoda Thakura which we honor with a half day fast.

Śrī Nāma-kīrtana
Chanting of the Holy Names
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

1) yaśomatī-nandana, 2) braja-baro-nāgara,
3) gokula-rañjana kāna
4) gopī-parāṇa-dhana, 5) madana-manohara,
6) kāliya-damana-vidhāna 7) amala harinām amiya-vilāsā 8) vipina-purandara, 9) navīna nāgara-bora,
10) vaṁśī-badana, 11)suvāsā 12) braja-jana-pālana, 13) asura-kula-nāśana
14) nanda-godhana-rākhowālā
15) govinda mādhava, 16) navanīta-taskara,
17) sundara nanda-gopālā

18) yāmuna-taṭa-cara, 19) gopī-vasana-hara,
20) rāsa-rasika, 21) kṛpāmoya
22) śrī-rādhā-vallabha, 23) vṛndābana-naṭabara,
24) bhakativinod-āśraya

English translation

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Dissapearance day of Jayananda Thakur

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Jayananda das, Uncategorized

Today marks the disappearance day of my dear friend and God Brother, Jayananda das Thakur.

My Dear Jayānanda

Please accept my blessings.

I am feeling very intensely your separation. In 1967 you joined me in San Francisco. You were driving my car and chanting Hare Krishna. You were the first man to give me some contribution ($5000) for printing my Bhagavad-gītā. After that, you have rendered very favorable service to Krishna in different ways. I so hope at the time of your death you were remembering Krishna and as such, you have been promoted to the eternal association of Krishna. If not, if you had any tinge of material desire, you have gone to the celestial kingdom to live with the demigods for many thousands of years and enjoy the most opulent life of material existence. From there you can promote yourself to the spiritual world. But even if one fails to promote himself to the spiritual world, at that time he comes down again on the surface of this globe and takes birth in a big family like a yogis’ or a brāhmaṇas’ or an aristocratic family, where there is again chance of reviving Krishna Consciousness. But as you were hearing Krishna-kirtana, I am sure that you were directly promoted to Kṛṣṇa-loka .(Srila Prabhupada Letter to: Jayānanda — Bombay 5 May, 1977)

Real Intelligence Does Not Come From the Brain

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Intelligence

I found this interesting, something my wife shared with me this morning, about the brain and intelligence.

…The conclusion is that it is the particular consciousness of an individual soul which acts. The brain substance is only an instrument which has nothing to do with real intelligence. The real intelligence, mind and consciousness are part of the particular individual soul.

…Therefore it is definitely concluded that the brain substance is not the center of intelligence; it is the consciousness of a particular soul that works intelligently. The whole movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to purify the consciousness. It doesn’t matter what kind of brain one has because if he simply transfers his consciousness from matter to Kṛṣṇa, his life becomes successful. (from purport SB 4.7.5)

Full Purport

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Bhava; Transcendental Love

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Uncategorized, Vaisnava Vocabulary

Radha Krishna Bhava

Here is a new word for your Vaisnava Vocabulary: Bhāva. In the Glossary in the back of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 1972 Edition, the word Bhāva is defined as; the preliminary stage of transcendental love of Godhead. Bhāva is a big word and has various meanings

…The last stage of the devotional life is called bhāva, or transcendental love of Godhead.

“In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for self-realization.…This taste leads one further forward to attachment for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is matured in bhāva, or the preliminary stage of transcendental love of God. Real love for God is called premā, the highest perfectional stage of life.” In the premā stage there is constant engagement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. So, by the slow process of devotional service, under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, one can attain the highest stage, being freed from all material attachment, from the fearfulness of one’s individual spiritual personality, and from the frustrations resulting from void philosophy. Then one can ultimately attain to the abode of the Supreme Lord. (Bhagavad-gita 4.11)

So it seem that bhāva is not only the preliminary stage of transcendental love of Godhead but we find that this preliminary stage of transcendental love is also the path to the highest perfectional stage of life, pure love or premā. There are two ways to approach the Lord, one is with awe and reverence and the other is with affection; bhāva. One who approaches the Lord with affection, is sure to advance spiritually.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam we find many references to the word Bhāva and highlighted some of them here.

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