True Bhakti

"God is hungering only for love. He is not satisfied with mere religious forms and ceremonial worship. Pure love and devotion alone satisfies Him”, Papa Ramdas used to say.  In this context, he narrates a beautiful story.

[This story has been adapted from  the book 'The Gospel of Swami Ramdas' by Swami Satchidananda.]

Once there was a butcher in a small town . He was a great devotee . Even while doing his business, he used to chant God’s name mentally, and in course of time started feeling bad about killing animals. But he had to carry on his business as he had no other means of livelihood. So he purchased meat and sold it at a small profit. For weighing the meat, the butcher used a stone which happened to be a ‘salagram’ (a holy pebble like stone which has all the attributes of an idol, the sanctity of which, he had no idea about. He did not even remember how the stone came to his hands. He had been using it for a long time.

One day a learned man, who passed by his shop, chanced to see the butcher placing the ‘salagram’ on the balance in order to weigh meat. Surprised that he was, he approached the butcher and asked him to wash the stone and hand it over to him for closer scrutiny. Confirming that it was a ‘salagram’ he enquired why the butcher was using the sacred stone for weighing meat. The innocent butcher replied he never knew anything about the ‘salagram’ or its sanctity. The learned man explained to him that ‘salagram’ was a sacred stone and had to be worshipped with flowers, sandal paste etc. Further he also requested for permission to take the ‘salagram’ with him so that it could be worshipped like other deities (idols) in his house. The innocent butcher readily agreed.

The learned man kept the same in his pooja room and carried on his usual worship with elaborate rituals and expensive offerings.

But, God who was present in the ‘salagram’ missed true love and devotion in this house. Unable to bear the loveless worship, in spite of costly offerings and elaborate rituals, God appeared in the learned man’s dream and asked

“Why did you bring me here? I was very happy with the butcher who is a true devotee. Even though the butcher’s hands were stained with blood and meat, I felt a perpetual warmth when he touched me every time. His touch was like a warm embrace.

The butcher always chanted My Name (Nama Sankirtan), and was talking with his customers mostly about my glories (Katha shravanam), which in true sense is Bhakti. I wish to enjoy his company again. Please take me back to the butcher."

Gopis loved Krishna

  It is a lila performed by Krishna to prove ultimate bhakti, surrender to reach the highest form.
Rasa Lila was a sport (Kreeda) which was meant to build up the faith, to strengthen spirituality towards holiness, to improve the minds of the Gopis in particular and humanity in general.
Rasa Lila is divine sport (Kreeda) with the devotees for bringing about their union with the Lord through Prema or pure divine love. Rasa is the sweetest juice of Prema. It is the manifestation of divine love or higher emotion which takes the devotee to the magnanimous height of holy communion with the Lord.
Krishna 's. stealing the clothes of Gopis is an act
which leads to absolute self-surrender on the part of gopis and absorption in the Lord. It is to put down the pride & .egoism.
Krishna asks the gopis to lift their hands above their heads and beg for their clothes. which they do without any hesitation.

The Gopis were the greatest devotees of the Lord. They had reached the zenith of devotion by worshipping Him through Madhurya Bhava, the highest culmination of Bhakti;.
the love of Gopis towards Krishna was of a divine nature. They had Ananya Bhakti and they were free from all lower and base desires for sexual enjoyment

The whole Rasa Lila is pervaded by only pure divine love, or culmination of Bhakti. It is a sacred Yajna

Krishna is an incarnation of God. Gopis loved Krishna but still had the sense of attachment to their own body. Krishna wanted their love but not in the physical sense. The sense of modesty comes from attachment to the body and not realizing that we are the soul or spirit. If only we knew that we and everyone else are soul or spirit - we would see others and ourselves in a purer sense without the hypocricy of appearance, clothes etc.
So, to help them get rid of this he stole the clothes to help the Gopis realize this. What would be unknown to God? So why have modesty or shame or ego in front of God. He knows all our faults and virtues! If we have ego or modesty, then it surely means we do not see or understand God as he really is - omnipresent!

Mayro

Jai Shri Krishna,

Nani Bai was daughter of Narsi bhakt. Narsi bhakt ji were devotee of Lord Krishna(thakur ji).
Narsi Bhakt ji were not economically strong and used to be engaged in devotion of Thakur ji.

‘Mayro’, or the independent word ‘mayra’ represents a Rajasthani (related to the Indian State of Rajasthan) tradition, when a boy/girl is married, a set of gifts (anything like clothes/ornaments/ etc., according to their economic capability) from his/her mother’s house are sent for each member of the other family (in which he/she got married)


Nani bai ro mayro (“The mayra of Nani bai”) is a story in Rajasthan where this girl named Nani bai is married, but her family cannot afford the mayra at all, and she has to face big taunts due to that. But she was a great devotee of Lord Krishna, and thus kept on praying to him to resolve her problems. The story says listening to her devotion and honest prayers, Lord Krishna himself comes to earth in a disguised (human) form, and helps her fulfill her wish so that her marital home gets a big mayra :).

Uddav leela

Uddhav leela is very close to my heart.because it teaches that it is not mind but heart which is required for pure bhakti.

Uddhav ji was son of Vasudev's(Shri Krishna's father) little brother Devbhaag.
After his childhood, Devraj Indra took him to Swarg Lok(Heaven) and Uddav got education from DevGuru Vrihaspati.
After Kansa death, Uddhav Ji returned to Mathura and here he was main minister of Yadav's and became good friends with Shri Krishna.
Uddhav Ji had very good knowlegde of Shastra, Ved etc but he was missing Bhakti(devotion).
He was in the favour of Nirgun Brahman(the supreme reality without form, quality, gender) while Gopis were in favour of pure devotion(shuddh premabhakti).

"Real wise person(ज्ञानी) is that person who loves God without ego or greed(निश्छल और निष्कपट )"

To combine knowledge and Love, Shri Krishna sent Uddhav to Braj Bhumi.
Shri Krishna gave His peetambar and Vaijayanti mala to Uddhav and told Uddhav to meet Gopis in this attire otherwise gopis won't talk to you.
Shri Krishna also sent love message to all brajwaasi(mother, father, gopis etc) that He remembers them a lot.
Krishna instucted Uddav to meet nandbaba and mata yashoda  first.

As instructed , Uddhav ji first met with NandBaba and yashoda.
Nandbaba asked about the well being of Krishna.

NandBaba said.."Uddhav ji, We(gop-gwal, birds etc) consider Him(Krishna) everything, does he also remember us?
Sometimes i also feel, he is not in Mathura, but playing in my lap.He is touching my beard. Sometimes i feel, he is sitting on my shoulder touching my hair. i see him everywhere. Uddhav Ji, when will my kanhaiya return? What crime i have done?"
Saying all this, Nandbaba started crying.

Meanwhile Yashoda ji also came there and said-
"Can someone see dreams without sleeping? Sometimes i feel Krishna is in Mathura and sometimes i feel Krishna is in my lap."
Saying all this, Yashoda ji also started crying.

Yashoda ji also said, we pray to Lord Vishnu that wherever kanhaiya live, he should be happy.

Seeing Yashoda and Nandbaba in this state, half of his ego(ego of knowlegde) was destroyed like this.
Uddhav ji started to think, how to teach Yashoda and nandbaba about nirgun brahman knowledge.

"Nirguna means “without attributes”. The term “Nirguna Brahman” implies that God as the Absolute has no name and form or attributes"It went from evening to morning (3:30am) like this talking about Krishna.

3:30 am is the time of Brahma Muhurta.
Now it was time for Gopis to wake up. They were chanting Shri Krishna name while making butter.
All the sound that was getting created due to making of butter started to sound like dholak(like drum).
It was making a sound like gham-gham.
Their bangles were making sound like chhan-chhan and it started to sound like Majira.
Shri Krishna name chanting and these sounds seemed like sankirtan.

Bhaj Govindam, Bhaj Govindam, Govindam bhaj hare hare,
krishna kanhaiya, bal mukundam, nand kumaram hare hare

It was habit of every Gopi that after completing their household work, they used to come to Nandbaba home and nandbaba ke praangan ko pranaam karna(Obeisance to countryard).
Whether krishna is there or not, it has no meaning for them, they used to come there daily.

On this day, Uddhav ji and Gopis met each other,
Uddhav ji told gopis that he has come here to give message of Krishna to you.
Recognizing peetambar and baijanti mala of krishna , Gopis did praanam(Obeisance) to Uddhav.

Gopis asked-"You have brought the message of which Krishna? Does Krishna live in Mathura only? See there, he is sitting on Kadamb tree playing flute. You see him only in Mathura but we see him everywhere"

Uddhav ji started to give them teaching of Nirgun Brahman.
Gopis said we don't know, what is sagun and what nirgun.
We only know about our love with Krishna.
Now each Gopi narrated their story about how they see Krishna everywhere in their daily life.

Shyam tan, Shyam man, Shyam hi humaro dhan,
aathon yaam humko udho(uddhav) shyam se hi kaam hai,
shyam heeye, shyam jeeye, shyam hi to khaye peeye,
andhe ki si laakdi , aadhar shyam naam hai,

Shyam mati, shyam gati, shyam hi to praan pati,
shyam sukhdaayi so, bhulaayi shobha dhaam hai,
shyaam aan, shyam praan, shyam hi humari shaan,
aadi ant madhya, humara shyamaviram hai.

After listening to each story, Uddhav damned his knowledge.
He thought, i know everything about sagun brahman, but never felt presence of God.
These brajwaasi are illiterate, still they are experiencing omniness of God.
He felt,my dry knowledge is of no use.

Ras leena

The gopis are considered to be Sati. The word Sati is used to represent a chaste married woman but Sayana in his commentary of the Taittiriya Aranyaka explains that the word “sati” refers to “realized souls”. Krishna plays the flute to call the gopis. The flute is given the status of a teacher, Acharya. The music is knowledge which is Brahma-Vidhya. The music flowing from the flute awakens the thirst for spiritual knowledge in the gopis. This also shows us that we can only learn Brahma-Vidhya through an Acharya. Krishna prefers to use an Acharya as an intermediary to teach us Brahma-Vidhya. Once Brahma-Vidhya is awakened, the gopis abandon their husbands to reach Krishna. The husbands represent our selfish materialistic desires.
True knowledge kills these selfish desires. The gopis want only that which is true and approach Krishna. The Raasa dance takes place in a circle. The gopis represent the jeeva atma. There is one Krishna in the middle surrounded by the gopis. Not only is there a Krishna in the middle but He also appears as a partner for each and every gopi. There are as many Krishnas as there are gopis.
The Krishna in the middle represents Paramatma in His absolute form. The Krishna dancing with each and every gopi represents His Antaryami form. As antaryami He exists as our soul. He is always with us. He exists in each and every one of us. Thus the entire Raasa dance represents the Vishwaroopa Swaroopa of God; He exists as antaryami (soul of every soul) as well as the Absolute God head.
The Raasa dance is performed with the gopis who are women. This represents that all jeeva atmas are feminine. The only male in this entire Universe is Paramatma Sri Krishna. He is known as the Para Purusha or the great Purusha. The Raasa dance shows us one of the nine relationships we share with Paramatma which is that of a husband & a wife. He is our husband. This relationship is a spiritual relationship and differs from the type of spousal relationships we are familiar to.

The gopis encircling Krishna on either side represent students and Krishna is the object of knowledge sought by them. If we look at the two Krishnas encircling a gopi then we see the student in the middle. Knowledge gains importance only when there are students to learn. The two Krishnas encircling a gopi show us the importance of the student or the jeeva atma. The two gopis encircling a Krishna show us the supremacy of the knowledge or Paramatma.

The Raasa dance has deep esoteric meaning and has nothing to do with sensual indulgence. When the esoteric meaning of the dance is illuminated, it helps us to shed our desires for materialistic sensual pleasures. It awakens the thirst to learn Brahma-Vidhya in us; with the help of this knowledge we can reach the feet of Paramatma. The dance takes place at night to show us that the union with Paramatma is beyond time and space. At nighttime the normal boundaries of time and space are not illuminated. Night here represents the transcendental nature of the union of a jeeva atma with Paramatma.

Rasleela

Rasleela is one of the divine activities, which Sri krishna played with his gopis on the banks of river Yamuna in Vrindavan. Among all the gopis, Radha was closest to Lord. Her love for Lord Krishna was complete and in its purest form. Sri Krishna was ten years old when he performed Rasleela. Rasleelas are particularly performed in the city of Vrindavan. .

Legend It is said in Bhagavata Puran, that Lord Krishna was loved immensely by gopis. The love that the gopis felt for Lord Krishna was divine and in its purest form. This special bond that Krishna shared with the gopis made them forget all about their worldly chores. The gopis were totally merged in the love of god through the practice of constant surrender. Rasleela During the rasleela Lord Krishna promised the gopis that he will dance with all of them. So Lord Krishna stood in the center surrounded by gopis who danced and sang in his glory. Sometimes Sri Krishna would put his arms around the neck of gopis and all of them would dance together. The Demigods would witness this divine dance and throw flowers from the sky giving their blessings. Lord Krishna Disappearance Performing rasleeela with Lord Krishna, the gopis started considering themselves extremely lucky and superior to other women. One night during Rasleela, Lord Krishna did the disappearing act to teach the gopis a lesson of humility. Not finding Lord Krishna amongst them they became extremely miserable and started praying for his come back. They even sang songs popularly known as Gopika Gitam. Lord returned after many pleadings. Rasleela Today In today's age rasleela is performed only by Brahmin boys between the ages of 10-13 years with the main theme focusing on the formative years of Lord Krishna. There are five main raslilas performed like janamleela- details regarding the birth of Lord Krishna, Shankarleela, Putanaleela- Killing of demoness Putana, And Nagleela- killing of the dreaded serpent Kaliya.

GURUVER

Padne se jiske ho beda par sunne se aaye sunder vichar
Bada shukh deti he mere GURUVAR ki vadee jadu kar deti he mere GURUVAR ke vadee

1.GURU ki vadee asi jisko sunker ke man harshaye
   moh- maya mitake  , tuze bhakti ka marg dikhaye
   sukh deti, dukh harti ,pyar lutati he .
   mere GURUVER ke vadee
                                                            jadu .........
2.GURU ki bhakti karle ,tuze satsang or gyan milega
   sachchi lagn- lagale , tuze PRBHUJI ka darshan milega
   mamta barshaye ,pyar lutaye, PRBHU se milati he

Festivals Of India India is often described as a land of many religions and languages, but it might as well be described as a land of festivals. Some festivals are observed throughout the country; others have specific regional associations. India celebrates holidays and festivals of almost all the faiths in the world. In one region or the other, festivals happen almost every day, each with a specialty of its own. Each festival in each region has its own particular foods and sweets appropriate to the season and crops, and days are spent in their careful preparation. There are three National holidays: Independence Day: This is celebrated on 15th August as India gained independence from British rule on this day in 1947.  Republic Day: This is celebrated on 26th January. On this day India became a republic.  Gandhi Jayanti: This is celebrated on 2nd October which is father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. Following are some of the major festivals from India. Diwali: Deepawali literally means an array of lamps is the Festival of Lights. Depawali is the occasion of joy and jubilation for one and all in the entire Hindu world. All the illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity, signifies the victory of divine forces over those of wickedness. Deepawali symbolizes the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness. Depawali is a festival that lasts 5 days.  In North India, Depawali is associated with the return of Sri Rama to Ayodhya after vanquishing the demon Ravana. The people of Ayodhya, overwhelmed with joy, welcomed Rama through jubilation and illumination of the entire capital. In South India, Diwali is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon Narakasura. To the Jains, Depawali has an added significance to the great event of Mahavera attaining the Eternal Bliss of Nirvana. Though, Diwali is mainly a 5 day festival but people start preparing for Diwali weeks ahead by cleaning and decorating their households. It is said that Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth roams the earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean and brightly illuminated. It is also the beginning of the new financial year for the business community. For More information on Diwali   Bhai Dooj: Bhaiya Duj is the festival that is celebrated on the fifth day of Diwali and it falls on second day after Diwali that is on 'Shukla Paksha Dwitiya' in the Hindi month of 'Kartik'. 'Dwitiya' means 'Duj' or the second day after the new moon. This festival is popular in different regions with different names such as 'Bhai-Dooj' in north India, 'Bhav-Bij' in Maharashtra, 'Bhai-Phota' in Bengal and 'Bhai-Teeka' in Nepal. On this day sisters perform 'aarti' of their brothers and apply a beautiful 'Tilak' or 'Teeka' on their forehead. Then they offer sweets to them. Then the brothers and sisters exchange gifts with each other. Sisters are lavished with gifts, goodies and blessings from their brothers. For More information on Bhaiduj Click Here Dussehra or Vijayadashmi: Dussehra or Navratri is one of the most popular festivals of India. Dussehra is the anniversary of the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo-headed demon, Mahishasura, giving the goddess her name Mahishasura-Mardini (the slayer of Mahishasura). Dussehra also commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana of Lanka. The theme of this festival is the victory of good over evil. For more information on Dussehra click here. Ganesh Chaturthi: Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesh, is celebrated in August-September. Ganesh is the elephant headed son of Goddess Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. In Maharashtra, it is most important festival and is celebrated for 10 days. It is celebrated from 4th to 14th day of bright fortnight of Bhadrapad month. In Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, images of Ganesh made of unbaked clay are worshipped on this day in every house. A special sweet called Modak is prepared on this occassion. To mark the end of the festivities, the clay idols are immersed in water. Holi: The full-moon day in February-March is celebrated as Holi, the festival of colors. Holi is a festival of fun and gaiety for people of all ages. Bonfires are lit and people smear colors on each other. Holi signifies the start of spring and end of winter. People celebrate the new harvest and return of color in nature.  The mythological origin of this festival varies in North and South India. In the South, especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, it is believed that Kama Deva, the God of love, aimed his arrow at his wife Rati. The arrow hit Shiva by mistake. Kama was burnt to ashes by the fire coming out of the third eye of the enraged Lord Shiva. Rati, was so grief-stricken that Shiva relented and granted her the power to see Kama deva but without a physical form. In Tamil Nadu, the festival known as Kaman vizha, Kaman pandigai, or Kama Dahanam commemorates the burning of Kama.   In the North, it is believed that a mighty King Hiranyakashipu ordered his people to worship him as a God. But Prahlad, his only son, refused to accept his father as a God, because he believed only in Lord Vishnu. The King tried to kill his son, but every time Prahlad was saved as he uttered the name of Vishnu. Finally, Prahlad's aunt Holika, claiming herself to be fireproof, took the child in her lap and sat in the fire to burn him alive. When the fire subsided, the king found, the child alive while Holika had perished.   In North India, grains and stalks saved from the year's harvest are offered to Agni, the God of Fire. Holi fire is a symbol of destruction of all filth and impurity be it physical or mental. For more information on Holi

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BHAGAVAD GITA

The 'all' means all living beings and not just the humans. This is a Vedic prayer which is unique to Sanatan-Dharma (the Eternal Religion).

Vedic culture means no killing, no slavery, no hatred, no aggressors, no wickedness, no exploitation, universal brotherhood, freedom of speech/thought, and full knowledge of God.

Non-Vedic culture means killing, slavery, hatred, aggressors, wickedness, exploitation, no universal brotherhood, no freedom of speech/thought, and unknown/invisible God (godlessness).

It is very important to learn yourself and then teach the philosophy of the Eternal Religion (Sanatan Dharma) to your children and others. By not teaching the Vedic values to others, humans become degraded into following non-Vedic cultures. Thus become killers, slavers, haters, aggressive, wicked, exploiters, narrow minded, and godless.

It is the duty of parents to give spiritual knowledge to their children from early childhood so they can be slowly elevated to a higher consciousness and eventually to Krishna (God) co

Sarva Bhavantu Sukhina (May all be happy)
Sarva Santu Niramaya (May all be without disease)
Sarva Bhadrani Pashyantu (May all be safe)
Maa Kaschit Dukha Bhagh Bhavet (May none have misery of any sort)

nsciousness so they don't come back to this miserable material creation and go back to the spiritual creation called Vaikuntha where everyone lives in the same body that is completely beautiful, full of bliss/love, full of knowledge, eternal, and with no trace of misery/suffering.

God and Demigods

There are 33 crore (330 million) demigods and only ONE GOD, based on the Vedic scriptures. The demigods are very powerful humans who maintain the material creation, under the guidance of the Supreme, Lord Krishna. Just like in a corporation, there are many directors/managers, but only one CEO, who is responsible for the running of the whole corporation. Lord Krishna is addressed as 'the Supreme Personality of Godhead' in the Bhagavad-Gita. In the Vedic sense, the word 'God' means someone who is a controller, the 'Godhead' means the head of all Gods, the head of all controllers.

The Last Words of God

Just 500 hundred years ago, Lord Krishna again appeared in the form of Lord Caitanya and He once again very clearly proved that He was God and stated that Lord Krishna is the only God and only He should be worshipped.

 Lord Caitanya's message for humanity is to study and follow the Vedic scriptures especially the Bhagavad-Gita and thus:

• Always think of Krishna (chanting and/or working for Krishna) 
• Worship Krishna (deity worship)
• Serve Krishna (offer water, flower, leaf)
• Follow the regulated principles for civilized human beings - No meat/fish/eggs, No drugs/alcohol/tobacco, No gambling, No relationship outside marriage
• Love and serve all living beings (become a servant - Das/Dasi)
• Peach all the above to all the people of the World

"Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna Himself, full with six opulences. He is the Absolute Truth, and no other truth is greater than or equal to Him." (Caitanya-caritmrta Adi-Lila 1.3)

Read about the last words of God including proof of His divinity from the Vedic scripture Caitanya-caritmrta

Does God Order Us To Love All Living Beings?

“One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me-such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 12.13-14)  

The real God will instruct His followers to love all living beings. In the above verse, Lord Krishna is stating that all living beings should be loved. This is because He is the father of all living beings and He wants all His children to get along. This level of love cannot be found in the non-Vedic scriptures.

How Do I Determine Which Is the Truth?

Everyone says their way is the best.  So how do I decide? The answer is very simple, that which is eternal and universal is the truth.  Only the Vedic religion is eternal and universal. In the current cycle alone, the Vedic religion has existed for 155.522 trillion years. The non-Vedic religions are recently created and thus not eternal.

What is Spiritual and Material Consciousness?

One who thinks he is the body (dust) does not believe in karma and reincarnation and thus they believe everything happens by chance (no karma) and this is the one and only life (no reincarnation and the soul is not eternal). This is material consciousness and everything is based on the bodily platform.

One who realizes that we are the eternal soul within this temporary body and thus the soul transmigrates from one body to another life after life based on the actions taken (karma) is spiritually conscious. Spiritual means that which is eternal (soul) and material means that which is temporary (body). 

"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.12-13)

Only the Vedic scriptures teach that we are the eternal soul and not the temporary body (dust) and life is an intelligent design, nothing happens by chance (karma). Thus if one wants to be spiritual then one must study and follow the Vedic scriptures.

"Life is an intelligent design, nothing happens randomly. [Karma]" (Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple)

Lord Krishna Is the Only Proven God

"Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way. I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down." (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.23-24)

In Kali Yuga, the age of darkness and ignorance (the current age) there are many wicked people who will cheat and deceive others in many ways including into thinking that God is unknown/invisible. Only the fools, less intelligent, and those with no real knowledge, will be deceived by such experts. Those with some intelligence will question why should God all of a sudden be unknown/invisible and will realize that only Lord Krishna is the proven God who has appeared more than 18,000 in His original form right here on this planet, and each time proved He was the one and only God and only He should be worshipped.

Which Scriptures are the Truth?

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That which is eternal and universal is the truth. The Vedic scriptures are repeatedly spoken and compiled and thus not one off and first delivered in the current cycle 155.522 trillion years ago and thus are eternal; existing in millions of universes and thus universal; and they contain vast knowledge covering all subject matters. The Vedic scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita have already been spoken on this planet more than 18,000 times by the same person, Lord Krishna. It has also been spoken in millions of universes by the same person, Lord Krishna. The number of verses in all the main Vedic scriptures would come to more than 810,000, and the Vedic knowledge was last written down 5000 yeas ago. All the non-Vedic scriptures are recently created, one off, and have limited knowledge with less than 47,763 verses combined.

Are the Vedic Scriptures the Origin of All Knowledge?

All the truths found in the non-Vedic scriptures (Bible/Koran) are derived from the Vedic scriptures. This can be proven by the fact that the Vedic scriptures existed long before the non-Vedic scriptures and all the true knowledge that be can found in the non-Vedic scriptures can be found in greater detail, clarity, and depth in the Vedic scriptures. Lord Krishna is the compiler of the Vedic scriptures and thus the origin of all true knowledge and only he should be given all credit.

"By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas." (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 15.15)

Is God Unknown or Invisible?

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be. (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.11)

God is great and thus He has no limitations, He is beyond our material conception. He appears in His original form which is human-like but the less intelligent and foolish cannot understand this. Only in the Vedic scriptures will you find a real tangible person who has appeared thousands of times and each time He declared and proved Himself as the supreme person, God. That person is Lord Krishna. In the non-Vedic scriptures God is completely unknown or invisible, godless.

Who Actually Says He Is the Source of Everything?

"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 10.8)

“Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being-moving or nonmoving-that can exist without Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 10.39)  

If you read all the documents on the planet, you will only find one real tangible person who declares himself as God without any doubt and he also proved he was God without any doubt. All his details including his history dating back to trillions of years on this and other universes can only be found in the Vedic scriptures. The non-Vedic scriptures can't think beyond a few thousand years.

 Animal Killing

"Those who kill animals for food will be more prone than vegetarians to torture and kill their fellow men." (Pythagoras - Mathematician)

"People do not know how nature is working. If you kill, you must be killed. If you kill the cow, who is your mother, then in some future lifetime your mother will kill you." (Swami Srila Prabhupada)

Who Exactly Is God?

First we have to know the Qualities of God

God is the most powerful person, no one can defeat God in anyway.

God is the most beautiful person, no one is more beautiful than God.

God is the most loving person, He is the nicest guy around.

God is the most merciful person, He doesn’t send anyone eternally to hell.

God is the most forgiving person, He gives us unlimited chances (reincarnation).

God is the most caring person, He even cares for the animals like cows, pigs, chickens etc. (vegetarianism).

God is the most fair person, we are rewarded or punished based on our own actions (karma).

God is the most just person, He doesn’t make one suffer or enjoy for no reason (karma).

God is the most efficient person, He doesn’t keep the dead waiting (reincarnation).

God is the most responsible person, He doesn’t order His followers to hate others.

The Vedic scriptures, Srimad Bhagavtam and Bhagavad-Gita. Are the only scriptures on the Planet that completely describes a person who proved without a doubt that He has all the above qualities. That person is Lord Krishna.

Does God have a Form?

Some people believe that God is formless and thus cannot be seen. Does it make any sense to follow someone who has never been seen and who will never be seen?

You have a form, I have a form, even the plants and animals have a form, and so if God can give us a form, then why can’t he take a form for himself? Are we greater than God?

It is said that everything comes from God:

• We have a form, because God has one.
• We are beautiful to some degree, because God is all beautiful.
• We are powerful to some degree, because God is all powerful.
• We have some knowledge, because God has all knowledge.
• We have some intelligence, because God has all intelligence.
• We are merciful to some degree, because God is all merciful.
• We are loving to some degree, because God is all loving.
• We are peaceful to some degree, because God is all peaceful.
• We are caring to some degree, because God is all caring.
• We can remember some things from our childhood, because God can remember everything from everyone’s past.

God Is Great

People say God is great, but unfortunately they do not know how great God is. Lord Krishna in His Maha Vishnu form, has millions of Universes coming out of His body with every exhalation, and with every inhalation, millions of Universes go back into His body. There are trillions of Planets with living beings and the highest Planet in the material creation is called Satayaloka, where one single day is 8.64 billion earth years and the life span of the living beings on Satyaloka is trillions of years.

The Sun is situated in one place but the sunshine is everywhere in the Universe. Similaraly Lord Krishna is situated in one place, but He is also present on each of the trillions of Planets. He is present in the heart of every living being as the super soul and He is also present in every atom. This is how great God is.

What does God look like?

This question can only be answered by the Vedic scriptures.

• Lord Krishna’s original form is just like a human being. Even the Christian Bible states that man is made in the image of God. This means that God is a person with two hands, 2 legs and so on. That person is Lord Krishna.
• His complexion is dark-blue, like that of a rain filled cloud.
• His eyes are like lotus petals.
• He is ever youthful.
• He is full of bliss and His beauty excels that of thousand of cupids.
• He likes to play the flute.
• He wears a peacock feather in his crown.
• He wears the Kaustubha jewel around his neck.
• He wears yellow garments.

Can God be worshipped in an Image Form?

For millions of years, humans have been worshipping God in an image form, so why is it all of a sudden wrong to worship God in an image form?

God has been creating humans who worship him in the image form for millions of years. Is God a fool?

God created the rules for humans to follow at creation, billions of years ago and not just a few thousands years ago.

The Vedic knowledge was passed down from Lord Vishnu (an incarnation of Lord Krishna) at creation to Brahma, the first living being. Then Brahma passed it down to his children and so on in disciplic succession down to the most recent prophet of God. Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. The Vedic religion is based on unlimited prophets and not just one. God is unlimited and all-powerful and so he can send unlimited prophets, and not just one.

It is important to understand that the Vedic scriptures authorize God’s image, thus Lord Krishna’s deity, to be worshipped and not any image.

There is only one living being who very strongly declared himself as the supreme. That person is Lord Krishna.

Lord Krishna declared Himself as the Supreme Father:

“It should be understood that all species of life, o son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed giving father” (Bhagavad-Gita 14.4)

Lord Krishna declared Himself as the Supreme Creator:

“Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being, moving or unmoving, that can exist without me” (Bhagavad-Gita 10.39)

Lord Krishna declared Himself as the Supreme Controller:

“I give heat, and I withhold and send forth the rain” (Bhagavad-Gita 9.19)

“With a single fragment of myself I pervade and support this entire universe”(Bhagavad-Gita 10.42)

Lord rishna declared Himself as the Supreme Maintainer:

“I enter into each planet, and by my energy they stay in orbit” (Bhagavad-Gita 15.13)

Lord Krishna is Omnipresent: meaning He is present everywhere.

“I am the supersoul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities, I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings” ( Bhagavad-Gita 10.20)

Lord Krishna is omnipotent, meaning He is the greatest:

“There is no truth beyond Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread”(Bhagavad-Gita 7.7)

Lord Krishna is Omniscient: meaning He knows the past, present, and the future:

“O Arjuna, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities” (Bhagavad-Gita 7.26)

“Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot!”(Bhagavad-Gita 4.5)

Lord Krishna declared himself as the Only God:

“Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way. I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize my true transcendental nature fall down.” (Bhagavad-Gita 9.24)

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Bhagavad-Gita 18.66)

What’s the Proof that Krishna is God?

Anyone can claim to be God, but who can actually prove it?

In each incarnation, Lord Krishna proved without any doubt that He was God. Full details on all the miracles performed by Lord Krishna can be found in the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Lord Krishna performed miracles that no other being can perform:

• When Lord Krishna was 7 years old, He lifted a mountain (26 miles in perimeter) and held it up with His one hand for 7 days. Witnessed by tens of thousands of people who were standing underneath the mountain.
• Lord Krishna expanded His body into 16,108 forms. Which means he duplicated His body into 16,108 identical bodies.

Lord Krishna in His Ram incarnation built a bridge between India and Sri Lanka by making stones float on the sea. NASA has satellite images of this bridge built by Lord Ram around 2 million years ago.
• Lord Krishna showed the whole Universe in His mouth
• Many atheists tried to kill Lord Krishna, but Lord Krishna very easily defeated them all and also gave them on the spot liberation. Lord Krishna is most merciful; He gives liberation even to those who try to kill Him. The real God can give on the spot liberation; one does not need to wait for the Day of Judgment. Only fake imposters of God will give a post dated check
• Lord Krishna brought back to life many dead people including the six children of Devaki
• Lord Krishna cured diseased people including transforming a hunchback woman into a most beautiful woman in return for offering sandalwood pulp to the Lord
• Lord Krishna destroyed all the wicked Kings and evil people who were tormenting and harassing the public. People were saved in this very life
• Lord Krishna put out a big forest fire, simply by swallowing it whole
• Lord Krishna transformed Himself into exact copies of others
• Lord Krishna granted Arjuna divine vision and reveled His spectacular unlimited form as the cosmic universe. In which Arjuna could see the various forms of Lord Krishna, and unlimited Planets while being seated in one place. He was also shown the past, present, and future
• When a woman called Draupadi was disrobed in a court of kings, she called out to Lord Krishna for help and He supplied her with an unlimited sari and thus she could not be disrobed.
• Lord Krishna in His Maha Vishnu form, is so big that millions of Universes are coming out from His body with every exhalation, and with every inhalation, millions of Universes enter His body. When Maha Vishnu inhales or exhales just once, 311.040 trillion years pass on Earth.
• Lord Krishna can make himself so small that He can enter the atom

The Purpose of Life

The purpose of human life is to enquire:

• Who am I?
• Where have I come from?
• What will happen to me at death?
• Why do I suffer?
• Why do others suffer?
• Who is God?
• How can I serve God?
• Why is there variety of living beings?
• How can I get out this cycle of birth, old age, disease, and death?
• How can I live eternally?

Only the human beings enquire, the animals do not enquire. Unfortunately at the present time many humans have become two legged animals.

Give up lust, greed, and anger. These force us to sin and the result is hellish life in this life and the lives after.

Give up the killing of animals, especially the cows. The animals are also our brothers and sisters. This means no meat eating and no leather (car seats, sofas, clothing).

Human birth is rare, we have to make the best use of it by not engaging in sinful activities. The sinful activities are being greedy, lusty, angry, and violence against other living beings (animals and humans).

Don’t waste this life by getting attached to the bodily platform of life (meat eating, lust, greed, anger, partying, discoing, bollywood and so on). This body is just one drop in the ocean of bodies that we are going through. A sword is hanging over y our head. It will fall at any moment. All your properties, cars, and big bank balance won’t help you at the time of death. Only your service to Lord Krishna will count at death. So make the best use of this precious life by serving Lord Krishna. All your physics, chemistry, math, computing, and business knowledge will be completely erased at death. Only spiritual knowledge will go with you, and the top most spiritual knowledge is the Bhagavad-Gita. So don’t waste precious time, read the Bhagavad-Gita, listen to the Bhagavad-Gita, and watch the Bhagavad-Gita.

We are the soul and not this body. The body is temporary but the soul is eternal and immortal. Our aim in life should be to escape from fangs of material life (birth, old age, disease, and death). This can only be done by humans, who have the higher consciousness.

We can attain an immortal spiritual body full of bliss, knowledge, eternal, and without a trace of calamity if we follow the Bhagavad-Gita with seriousness.

The main teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita are:

• Be compassionate towards all living beings, thus love all living beings. This means don’t be envious or hateful of others. Be friendly to others, be nice to others, be kind to others, be generous to others, be merciful to others, be charitable to the needy. Don’t cheat others, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t hurt others, don’t drink, don’t take drugs, don’t eat meat, don’t buy leather.
• This body you (the soul) are residing in, is temporary, but the real you, the soul, is eternal. Just as we change worn out clothes, jobs, houses, cars, partners, and so on. One day you will be forced to change your body too. So don’t get too attached to this temporary body and material life. And just as a manufacturing company designs it’s products today for production in the future. Similarly you are designing your next body with the actions you are taking now. So if you think let me enjoy now and forget about the future. Thus if you think your next life is not worth thinking about now. Then your next life will be that of nothing. You will take birth among the 8 million species of living beings below that of human beings (animal and plant kingdoms).
• There is only one person who without any doubt declared Himself and proved that He was the Supreme Personality of God, Lord Krishna. Always think of Him, worship Him, and serve Him. In this age of Kali, which means the age of ignorance, there will be so many godless people who will try to make you godless too. Surrender onto the only proven God, Lord Krishna. Do you know anyone who can lift a mountain, expand Himself into thousands of forms, show the whole Universe in His mouth, put out a forest fire by swallowing it, kill all the demonic and save people in this very life. Lord Krishna did all this.
• In this age of Kali, the age of ignorance and irreligion. There will be many imposters who will claim to be God or prophet of God and cheat innocent people. These imposters can only cheat people, they cannot exhibit the potency of God. Only Lord Krishna proved Himself to be the one true God.

What Happens After Death?

Only the Vedic scriptures answer this important question. At death, the person (the soul) is judged according to the actions taken in life (karma). And based on what the person deserves, the soul is immediately transferred to another body. Some souls transmigrate to animal bodies, some to human bodies. Some are born in China, some in Africa. Some are born diseased, some are born in poverty, some are born ugly, some are beautiful and so on.. The theory of the transmigration of the soul (reincarnation) is the truth. One can see the proof of reincarnation. Simply by looking around. Some are born in China, some in Africa. Every second, animals and humans are dying and every second animals and humans being born. This is proof of the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. Some are born diseased, some healthy. Some are born black, some white. Some are born in poverty, some in wealth, and so on…

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects. The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.” (Lord Krishna, )

Krishna

 

Krishna, the meaning of the word in Sanskrit is all-attractive, He is the of GodhSupreme Personality ead, also called as God of gods. In other words, Krishna is the Godhead because He is all-attractive. From practical experience we can observe that one is attractive due to (1) wealth, (2) power, (3) fame, (4) beauty, (5) wisdom and (6) renunciation. One who is in possession of all six of these opulences at the same time and who possesses them to an unlimited degree is understood to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to Parasara Muni a great Vedic authority.

Humanity has not come across another personality like Lord Krishna with His unparalleled activities. By all historical accounts, Lord Krishna appeared 5,000 years back and played his part as a human being to perfection. Within the prison of His maternal uncle Kamsa, where His father and mother were confined, Krishna appeared outside His mother’s body as the four-handed Vishnu - Narayana. Then He turned Himself into a baby and told His father to carry Him to the house of Nanda Maharaja and his wife Yashoda in Gokula. The Vedic literature give further histories of his appearances over millions and billions of years. In the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna states that He can remember instructing the lessons of the Bhagavad-gita some millions of years ago to the sun-god, Vivasvan, because he possesses unlimited knowledge, Krishna has a memory that is boundless.

Bhagavad-gita, spoken by the Lord, has been acknowledged the world over for its philosophical depth and divine instructions. The world’s foremost western philosophers have paid rich tributes for the priceless wisdom that it offers to mankind. A discerning person will notice that the instruction contained in the Bhagavad-gita is higher knowledge, not to be found in any other book of knowledge.

Generally people think that by advancing the cause of moral principles and religious rites they will be happy. Others may think that happiness can be achieved by economic development, and yet others think that simply by sense gratification they will be happy. The whole world is very eager to satisfy the dormant propensity of love for others, however, if one simply reposes his dormant loving propensity in Krishna, then his life becomes successful. This is not a fiction but is a fact that can be realized by practical application. One can directly perceive the effects that love for Krishna has on his life.

shyama

Real supremacy belongs to Krishna. Krishnas tu bhagavan svayam (SB 1.3.28) is the statement of Shrimad-Bhagavatam: "Krishna is the only Supreme Lord." Worship of Krishna alone, therefore, includes worship of all the parts and parcels, just as watering the root of a tree also waters all the branches, twigs, leaves and flowers.  The Lord is eternally liberated. Whenever He appears, even within this material world, He is never entangled by the three modes of material nature. He is known, therefore, as try-adhisa, the master of the three modes of material nature.  As Lord Krishna says, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: "This material nature is working under My direction."  Material nature is not independent. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord
Real supremacy belongs to Krishna. Krishnas tu bhagavan svayam (SB 1.3.28) is the statement of Shrimad-Bhagavatam: "Krishna is the only Supreme Lord." Worship of Krishna alone, therefore, includes worship of all the parts and parcels, just as watering the root of a tree also waters all the branches, twigs, leaves and flowers.  The Lord is eternally liberated. Whenever He appears, even within this material world, He is never entangled by the three modes of material nature. He is known, therefore, as try-adhisa, the master of the three modes of material nature.  As Lord Krishna says, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: "This material nature is working under My direction."  Material nature is not independent. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord

Suprima Lord

Daivataih, samatvenaiva vikseta sa pasandi bhavad dhruvam: (Cc. Madhya 18.116) "Anyone who cReal supremacy belongs to Krishna. Krishnas tu bhagavan svayam (SB 1.3.28) is the statement of Shrimad-Bhagavatam: "Krishna is the only Supreme Lord." Worship of Krishna alone, therefore, includes worship of all the parts and pardemigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. The Vaishnava Purana says, yas tu narayaana devam brahma-rudradicels, just as watering the root of a tree also waters all the branches, twigs, leaves and flowers.  The Lord is eternally liberated. Whenever He appears, even within this material world, He is never entangled by the three modes of material nature. He is known, therefore, as try-adhisa, the master of the three modes of material nature.  As Lord Krishna says, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: "This material nature is working under My direction."  Material nature is not independent. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord
According to Vaishnava philosophy, Narayana cannot be equal to any one of us. What to speak of us, Narayana cannot be equally estimated even with great alculates Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, equal with such demigods, what to speak of ordinary human beings, even big, big demigods like Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, immediately becomes a pasandi, atheist."

The Ramayana

the materialists, who are after opulence and material prosperity, may take lessons from the Ramayana that the policy of exploiting the nature of the Lord without acknowledging the supremacy of the Supreme LorThe d is the policy of Ravana. Ravana was very advanced materially, so much so that he turned his kingdom,Lanka, into pure gold, or full material wealth. But because he did not recognize the supremacy of Lord Ramachandra and defied Him by stealing His wife, Sita, Ravana was killed, and all his opulence and power were destroyed.

How can one truly understand the greatness of the Supreme Lord, we don’t have to look further than the Bhagavad gita, where Lord Krishna says that "That very ancient science of relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee." A devotee is one who accepts the supremacy of the Supreme Lord, and he is convinced about his eternal relationship with God.

The Wealthy

Imagine you are talking to a friend and she mentions that she has been invited for a dinner which would also be attended by the who’s who of the corporate world, Which quality do you see in common amongst all of them? Richness, isn’t it? The personalities that were mentioned earlier are very attractive because of their riches. They are attractive even though they do not possess all the wealth of the world.

Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,  is the proprietor of all riches. There are many rich men in the world, but no one can claim that he possesses all the wealth. Nor can anyone claim that no one is richer than Him. We understand from the Shrimad-Bhagavatam however, that when Sri Krishna was present on this earth He had 16,108 palaces where His near and dear ones lived, and each palace was made of marble and bedecked with jewels. The rooms were filled with furniture made of ivory and gold, and there was great opulence everywhere. In the history of human society we cannot find anyone who had 16,000 palaces.
We experience in this world that if a man is very rich, he is attractive. The personalities that were mentioned earlier are very attractive because of their riches. They are attractive even though they do not possess all the wealth of the world. How much more attractive, then, is God, who is the possessor of all riches? Great spiritual authorities therefore concluded that Krishna possesses the “attractive” quality of  “richness” or being “wealthy” in full.

Read More to know the definition of God and His Opul

the principle

e first principle in devotional service is to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra (maha means “great”; mantra meansTh “sound that liberates the mind from ignorance”).

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare 

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Hare Krishna Kirtan
Hare Krishna Kirtan - slow
Hare Krishna Japa
You can chant these holy names of the Lord anywhere and at any time, but it is best to set a specific time of the day to regularly chant. Early morning hours are ideal.

The chanting can be done in two ways: singing the mantra, called kirtana (usually done in a group), and saying the mantra to oneself, called japa (which literally means “to speak softly”). Concentrate on hearing the sound of the holy names. As you chant, pronounce the names clearly and distinctly, addressing Krishna in a prayerful mood. When your mind wanders, bring it back to the sound of the Lord’s names. Chanting is a prayer to Krishna that means “O energy of the Lord [Hare], O all-attractive Lord [Krishna], O Supreme Enjoyer [Rama], please engage me in Your service.” The more attentively and sin¬cerely you chant these names of God, the more spiritual progress you will make.

Since God is all-powerful and all-merciful, He has kindly made it very easy for us to chant His names, and He has also invested all His powers in them. Therefore the names of God and God Himself are identical. This means that when we chant the holy names of Krishna and Rama we are directly associat¬ing with God and being purified. Therefore we should always try to chant with devotion and reverence. The Vedic litera¬ture states that Lord Krishna is personally dancing on your tongue when you chant His holy name.

When you chant alone, it is best to chant on japa beads (available at the ISKCON temple). This not only helps you fix your attention on the holy name, but it also helps you count the number of times you chant the mantra daily. Each strand of japa beads contains 108 small beads and one large bead, the head bead. Begin on a bead next to the head bead and gently roll it between the thumb and middle finger of your right hand as you chant the full Hare Krishna mantra. Then move to the next bead and repeat the process. In this way, chant on each of the 108 beads until you reach the head bead again. This is one round of japa. Then, without chanting on the head bead, reverse the beads and start your second round on the last bead you chanted on.

Initiated devotees vow before the spiritual master to chant at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily. But even if you can chant only one round a day, the principle is that once you commit yourself to chanting that round, you should try and complete it every day without fail. When you feel you can chant more, increase the minimum number of rounds you chant each day—but don’t fall below that number. You can chant more than your fixed number, but you should maintain a set minimum each day. (Please note that the beads are sacred and therefore should never touch the ground or be put in an unclean place. To keep your beads clean, it’s best to carry them in a special bead bag, also available at our temple.)

Aside from chanting japa, you can also sing the Lord’s holy names in kirtana. While you can perform kirtana individually, it is generally performed with others. A melodious kirtana with family or friends is sure to enliven everyone. ISKCON devotees use traditional melodies and instruments, especially in the temple, but you can chant to any melody and use any musical instruments to accompany your chanting. As Lord Chaitanya said, “There are no hard and fast rules for chanting Hare Krishna.”

The Teacher

His Teachings

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu preached the Srimad-Bhagavatam and propagated the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita in the most practical way.

The essence of His teachings is recorded in Chaitanya Manjusha as follows:

• Lord Sri Krsna, who appeared as the son of the King of Vraja (Nanda Maharaja), is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is worshipable by all.
• Vrindavana-dhama is non-different from the Lord and hence is as worshipable as the Lord. 
• The highest form of transcendental worship of the Lord was exhibited by the damsels of Vrajabhumi.
• Srimad-Bhagavata Purana is the spotless literature for understanding the Lord.
• The ultimate goal of human life is to attain the stage of prema, or love of God.

His instructions to Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami, His discussions with Ramananda Raya, the debate with the Mayavadi sannyasi Prakashananda Sarasvati and the Vedanta Sutra Discussion between Him and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya are the excellent sources through which we understand His teachings in detail. 

The Lord left only eight slokas of His instructions in writing, and they are known as the Siksastaka. All other literatures based on His teachings were extensively written by the Lord's principal followers, the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana, and their followers

The Religion

His Mission - The Universal Religion

His mission was to preach the importance of chanting the holy names of the Lord in this age of Kali (quarrel). In this present age quarrels take place even over trifles, and therefore the sastras have recommended for this age a common platform for realization, namely chanting the holy names of the Lord. People can hold meetings to glorify the Lord in their respective languages and with melodious songs, and if such performances are executed in an offenseless manner, it is certain that the participants will gradually attain spiritual perfection without having to undergo more rigorous methods. At such meetings everyone, the learned and the foolish, the rich and the poor, the Hindus and the Muslims, the Englishmen and the Indians, and the candalas and the brahmanas, can all hear the transcendental sounds and thus cleanse the dust of material association from the mirror of the heart. To confirm the Lord's mission, all the people of the world will accept the holy name of the Lord as the common platform for the universal religion of mankind.

Hare Krishna

 The Lord advented Himself on the Phalguni Purnima evening of 1407 Shakabda. On the same evening there was a lunar eclipse. During the hours of eclipse it was the custom of the Hindu public to take bath in the Ganges or any other sacred river and chant the Vedic mantras for purification. When Lord Chaitanya was born during the lunar eclipse, the country was roaring with the holy sound of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare /  Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The simultaneous occurrence of the Lord's appearance and the lunar eclipse indicated the distinctive mission of the Lord. In other words, the advent of the holy name took place along with the advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

When the Lord was on the lap of His mother, He would at once stop crying as soon as the ladies surrounding Him chanted the holy names and clapped their hands. This peculiar incident was observed by the neighbors with awe and veneration. Sometimes the young girls took pleasure in making the Lord cry and then stopping Him by chanting the holy name. So from His very childhood the Lord began to preach the importance of the holy name. In His early age Lord Sri Chaitanya was known as Nimai. This name was given by His beloved mother because the Lord took His birth beneath a nimba tree in the courtyard of His paternal house.

When the Lord was offered solid food at the age of six months in the anna-prashana ceremony, the Lord indicated His future activities. At this time it was customary to offer the child both coins and books in order to get some indication of the future tendencies of the child. The Lord was offered on one side coins and on the other the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Lord accepted the Bhagavatam instead of the coins.

When He was a mere baby crawling in the yard, one day a snake appeared before Him, and the Lord began to play with it. All the members of the house were struck with fear and awe, but after a little while the snake went away, and the baby was taken away by His mother. Once He was stolen by a thief who intended to steal His ornaments, but the Lord took a pleasure trip on the shoulder of the bewildered thief, who was searching for a solitary place in order to rob the baby. It so happened that the thief, wandering hither and thither, finally arrived just before the house of Jagannatha Mishra and, being afraid of being caught, dropped the baby at once. Of course the anxious parents and relatives were glad to see the lost child.

Once a pilgrim brahmana was received at the house of Jagannatha Mishra, and when he was offering food to the Godhead, the Lord appeared before him and partook of the prepared food. The eatables had to be rejected because the child touched them, and so the brahmana had to make another preparation. The next time the same thing happened, and when this happened repeatedly for the third time, the baby was finally put to bed. At about twelve at night when all the members of the house were fast asleep within their closed rooms, the pilgrim brahmana offered his specially prepared foods to the Deity, and, in the same way, the baby Lord appeared before the pilgrim and spoiled his offerings. The brahmana then began to cry, but since everyone was fast asleep, no one could hear him. At that time the baby Lord appeared before the fortunate brahmana and disclosed His identity as Krishna Himself. The brahmana was forbidden to disclose this incident, and the baby returned to the lap of His mother. There are many similar incidents in His childhood. In this way the Lord passed His early childhood.

Original guru

 When Lord Krishna appeared in Navadvipa as Lord Chaitanya, Lord Balarama joined Him incarnating as Lord Nityananda. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu cannot be approached or understood without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, who is the original guru of all the universes and serves as an intermediary between Mahaprabhu and His devotees.

His mercy knew no bounds, and people fortunate to come in contact with Him were inundated with love of Godhead. It was by His mercy that Raghunatha dasa, one of the six Goswamis, started the famous Danda Mahotsava festival of Panihati (a tradition that continues to this day) and was thus able to serve Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

When Nityananda Prabhu came across the Jagai and Madhai brothers, their life was sinful - illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling - though they were born in a nice brahmana family. Once these two brothers were creating disturbance on the street, Lord Nityananda and Haridasa Thakura were out for preaching. So people informed them.  Nityananda Prabhu said, "Why not deliver these two brothers immediately? Then it will be a great credit for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu." The Jagai-Madhai brothers hurt Him on the head by throwing a stone and Nityananda Prabhu started bleeding. 

On coming to know about it Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became very angry: "I shall kill these two brothers immediately.”  Nityananda Prabhu entreated, "You wanted to deliver poor souls. So don't kill them. Accept them." This is Nityananda Prabhu's business, guru's business. The brothers in the meantime fell down at the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya, "We are so sinful. We have done wrong. Kindly excuse us."

Navadvipa

Navadvipa, the place where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu lived, was considered to be the center of education and culture. Students from all over the country came and stayed here as students. At the age of sixteen, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started His own chatuspathi (village school conducted by a learned brahmana) in Navadvipa and He would simply explain Krishna, even in readings of grammar. 

During this time a great Kashmir scholar named Keshava Kashmiri came to Navadvipa to hold discussions on the shastras. The Kashmir pandita was a champion scholar, and he had travelled to all places of learning in India. Finally he came to Navadvipa to contest the learned panditas there. The panditas of Navadvipa decided to match Nimai Pandita (Lord Chaitanya) with the Kashmir pandita, thinking that if Nimai Pandita were defeated, they would have another chance to debate with the scholar, for Nimai Pandita was only a boy. And if the Kashmir pandita were defeated, then they would even be more glorified because people would proclaim that a mere boy of Navadvipa had defeated a champion scholar who was famous throughout India. 

It so happened that Nimai Pandita met Kesava Kasmiri while strolling on the banks of the Ganges. The Lord requested him to compose a Sanskrit verse in praise of the Ganges, and the pandita within a short time composed a hundred shlokas, reciting the verses like a storm and showing the strength of his vast learning. Nimai Pandita at once memorized all the slokas without an error. He quoted the sixty-fourth shloka and pointed out certain rhetorical and literary irregularities. He particularly questioned the pandita's use of the word bhavani-bhartuh. He pointed out that the use of this word was redundant. Bhavani means the wife of Siva, and who else can be her bharta, or husband? He also pointed out several other discrepancies, and the Kashmir pandita was struck with wonder. 

The Kashmir pandita was astonished that a mere student of grammar could point out the literary mistakes of an erudite scholar. Although this matter was ended prior to any public meeting, the news spread like wildfire all over Navadvipa. But finally Kesava Kasmiri was ordered in a dream by Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, to submit to the Lord, and thus the Kashmir pandita became a follower of the Lord.