Tag Archives: Srila Prabhupada

Month of Damodara (Kartika)

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mother-yasoda-krishna

” Upon seeing His mothers whipping stick, He cried and rubbed His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes were fearful and His breathing quick, and as Mother Yasoda bound His belly with ropes, He shivered in fright and His pearl necklace shook. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, who is bound with His devotee’s love, I offer my humble obeisances.” (Damodarastakam)

We are now in the month of Damodara (Kartika). In honor and in celebration of the month of Damodara, we will be focusing our attention on the pastimes of Krishna in Vrndavan. Especially Krishna’s childhood pastimes. The following song is sung morning and evening and it is customary to offer a candle or gee lamp as well to a picture of Lord Krsna and Mother Yasoda.

Following song lyrics is a link of Vishnujana Swami chanting the Damodara Prayers

Full song

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When Swami Met Sally

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, People, Sally Agarwal

When Swami Met Sally

By Satyaraja Dasa

The kindness of strangers played a pivotal role in ISKCON’s pre-history.

Last year I had the good fortune to meet Gopal and Sally Agarwal, an elderly couple who played a significant role in ISKCON’s origins. They are forever etched in the devotees’ collective memory as two of the Western world’s earliest recipients of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy. It was the Agarwals who hosted him in the fall of 1965, before ISKCON was even nominally born, giving him shelter, hospitality, friendship, and love. Indeed, for one month their home served as Prabhupada’s earliest refuge outside India.

As Prabhupada acquainted himself with the Agarwal home in Butler, in western Pennsylvania, he saw a typically quiet American town nestled in the hills, a town that has changed little since his brief visit those many years ago.

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Courage Under Fire

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Devotees, Padmapani das, Tribhubanatha das

Padmapani & Tribhubanatha

My wife shared this post with me that she ran across on Facebook. The author is unknown, but this is a very nice memory of two courageous souls, and their desire to serve the mission of their spiritual master Srila Prabhupada.

Sriman Padmapani Prabhu passed away a short time ago. There is little doubt that he is now serving Srila Prabhupada’s ongoing pastimes, wherever that may be. There will be many sad devotees around the world when they learn that Padmapani has left his body.

My path first crossed Padmapani’s in 1974 or 75 in Winnipeg, Canada, and later again in Montreal. After departing Montreal, he eventually traveled to the Middle East to distribute Krishna consciousness. Upon his return, some years later, he resurfaced in the fledgling Iskcon rural community of Warkworth, Canada, and by my good luck lived in the apartment across the hall from me.

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Prabhupadagita.com

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Some years ago I put the complete Original 1972 Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami online. You can click on link prabhupada.gita to visit. I find it is a quick and easy site for reference to all your favorite chapters and slokas.

I happened to check on the site this morning, and was surprised to find we already have over 1 million visitors. People are appreciating The original version of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Radhastami

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Today marks the Appearance of Srimati Radharani.  We honor it with a half day fast, puspanjali, discussion on the glories of Srimati Radharani, followed by a feast.

The following are just a few of the many quotes from Srila Prabhupada which encourage us to approach Krishna through the mercy of Srimati Radharani, Krishna’s eternal consort. For those of us who feel that there is no hope of making spiritual progress in this lifetime, Srimati Radharani, Who is compassion personified, kindly comes to our rescue if we can humbly invoke Her divine blessings.

tapta-kancana-gaurangi radhe vrndavanesvari
vrsabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye

“I offer my respects to Radharani whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vrndavana. You are the daughter of King Vrsabhanu, and You are very dear to Lord Krishna.”  (Sri Radha Pranama)

“So this is our philosophy, to please Krishna through Radharani, and just today is the auspicious day of Radharani appearance. So we should offer puspanjali and pray to Radharani that ‘Radharani, kindly be merciful and tell about me to Your Krishna. To Your Krishna. Krishna is Yours.’ Krishna, Radha-Krishna. Krishna is not independent. Krishna is Radharani’s property. So you have to approach Krishna through Radharani. That is, today is the auspicious day. Worship Radharani very nicely and be happy.”  (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, September 5, 1973)

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Sri Vyasa-Puja

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The Most Blessed Event

Sri Vyasa-Puja

        The Appearance Day of Our Beloved Spiritual Master

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Dear Srila Prabhupada

Please accept my humble obeisances, and kindly forgive my offences.  I am truly grateful to you for all that you have given me.  Every day when I go into our temple room, and I light a candle or stick of incense, sit down and chant japa  or sing bhajans, whether I am cooking an offering or preparing the Lord’s plate, picking a flower to offer or washing and drying the Lord’s plate, reading from one of your many books, or simply thinking about Lord Krishna or Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I feel a deep sense of gratitude, and appreciation.

 You have changed and shaped my life.  You have given me a more meaning full life and a more hope full future.  This year I turned 71 years of age, and to think, I shaved my head, put on devotee cloth and aspired to become your disciple on my 21st birthday.  I have aspired to become your disciple my entire adult life, and I pray to Srimati Radharani that someday I will become a worthy disciple.

I cannot imagine my life without your presence, and continued guidance.  You have given me a matchless gift, the gift of Krishna consciousness, and although I can never repay the debt, I am eternally grateful.

Your insignificant servant

Vyasasan das

Krishna is the Supreme Father

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Today, here in the West, we are celebrating Fathers day. After I opened my fathers day cards, I remembered, that Krishna is the Supreme Father of all of us, so decided to do this short post.

It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father. (Bhagavad-gita As It Is 14.4)

PURPORT

In this verse it is clearly explained that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the original father of all living entities. The living entities are combinations of the material nature and the spiritual nature. Such living entities are seen not only on this planet but on every planet, even on the highest, where Brahmā is situated. Everywhere there are living entities; within the earth there are living entities, even within water and within fire. All these appearances are due to the mother, material nature, and Kṛṣṇa’s seed-giving process. The purport is that the material world is impregnated with living entities, who come out in various forms at the time of creation according to their past deeds. (from purport)

Our Heart’s Desire

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This is an excerpt form a lecture Srila Prabhupada gave on the Bhagavad-gita 2.13 on March 11,1966 in New York.

…material pleasure cannot give us pleasure. It is our mistake. But because we have no information of the spiritual pleasure and because we are conditioned by this material body, therefore we seek pleasure through matter. Now we have to raise ourself from this position. Then we can get unlimited pleasure. We want pleasure, but we do not want such pleasure which ends. We want nonending pleasure. That is our heart’s desire. But in material pleasure we cannot have that bliss. Even if you take a very good foodstuff, just delicious, still, after taking some portion of it, you will feel yourself satiated. Then that very foodstuff, you’ll say, “No, no, I don’t want any more.” Because that ends. So that is not real pleasure. Real pleasure is defined: ananta. Ananta means that which has no end. So that pleasure you can have only when you are spiritually realized soul. That is possible. That is possible. We are reading all these scriptures, Bhagavad-gita, Śrīmad-Bhagavatam, and there are so many Vedic literatures that if anyone wants to have spiritual life, there is complete facility. There is complete facility.

The Appearance Day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

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click on image to enlarge

We are in Mayapura Dham, at the Sri Sri Radha Madhava Temple, to celebrate the Appearance Day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We honor His appearance with a full day fast (until moon rise), followed by a special vegetarian feast. Also to honor the Lord’s appearance day, we have selected these two verses from the Sri Caitanya-caritmrta.

“O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.

“We offer our respectful obeisances unto that merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead who has converted all three worlds, which were maddened by ignorance, and saved them from their diseased condition by making them mad with the nectar from the treasure-house of love of God. Let us take full shelter of that Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, whose activities are wonderful.”

Full text and Bengali

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Jagad Guru

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For the first time in the history of planet Earth!

At the Maha Kumbha Mela, where 400 million sages and pilgrims gathered, for the first time in history, the title of “Vishwa Guru” (universal guru) was conferred on His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. No spiritual leader has ever been officially awarded this title.

Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, went to the West in 1965, at the age of almost 70, to spread the message of sanatana dharma. Today its mission embraces the whole world and ISKCON has more than 450 temples.

As they said during the ceremony, “Offering a title to Prabhupada is like offering a lamp to the sun.” This event marks the consolidation of the Golden Age foretold in the Vedic scriptures.

I would like to clarify that the title Jagad Guru, Guru of the Universe, was sometime conferred to one’s own Guru by his disciples in the past but this time this title has been conferred officially because it is recognized by all the various groups of religious world in India, every sampradaya and institution.