Help People By Giving the Gift of Krishna Conscoiusness

There are many very nice people in this world. They help their fellow human beings to the best of their ability. I'll give just one example that comes to my mind. Once, in 1982 on the coldest day of the year, a plane crashed into the Potomac river in Washington D.C. One man, a bystander, dove into the icy water to rescue a woman. Another man, a survivor of the crash, helped others to grab the rescue line and finally drowned after saving others. These are inspiring examples of goodness in this world. Then there are some very rare persons, great souls, who come into this world to deliver people from the otherwise endless cycle of birth and death (karma samsara). Sometimes God Himself comes to deliver the fallen souls and sometimes his dear devotee comes. Around 5000 years ago Krishna Himself appeared with His personal expansion Balarama in Vrindavan, India. In 1486 A.D. Krishna and Balarama appeared again as Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda in Bengal, India. Great devotees who came include Madhvacharya, Ramanujacharya, Jesus Christ, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja and many others. They and/or their followers are still present giving the gift of Krishna consciousness to others. 

Devotional Service To Krishna frees One From Sinful Reactions

We all have a karmic bank account, so to speak. We are suffering because of our past sinful actions or enjoying because of past good deeds. Devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, frees the performer from past bad karma. Krishna is pure and powerful like the sun. The sun purifies a contaminated place by its powerful rays, and by Krishna's power we can be purified of sins. When we are completely free from sin then we can get out of this material world of repeated birth and death. So the process is to dedicate our lives to Krishna's service and avoid sinful activity.  As per the Vedas the 4 pillars of sin are 1]  meat eating  (meat, fish, and eggs)  2] intoxication, 3] fornication, and 4] gambling/cheating.

Protecting Freedom and the Right to go to Hell

Modern secular societies guarantee certain human rights and freedoms. This is very good, but according to the timeless Vedic wisdom, human beings also need to be protected from sinful life. People are acting sinfully, accumulating vikarma (bad karma), all of this being condoned by the state. The result is suffering in this life and after death also. Sinful actions result in suffering for the performer. Pious actions result in material happiness for the performer, but hapiness in the material world is temporary. All here are subject to aging and death. Action in Krishna consciousness (devotional service to Krishna), however, results in promotion from the material world to the eternal Kingdom of God. Under the circumstances it is in the interest of all sincere persons to accept the path of Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness means becoming situated in our constitutional position as eternal servant of Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna is the original source of everything and service to him brings about transcendental happiness and pleasure. This transcendental happiness of Krishna consciousness, or bhakti-yoga, is the natural alternative to sinful activities.

Nitai Pada Kamala SNM

INDIA- BHARATA VARSHA

Distributing Lord Chaitanya’s Mission

Following is an excerpt from a lecture by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founder-acharya of The International Society for Krishna Consciousnes:

Lord Chaitanya gave us eight verses, known as Siksastaka...This Siksastaka poetry, containing eight verses, are very valuable, and they were given by Lord Chaitanya for understanding of the whole human society. It was not meant for any particular country or particular society, but it was meant for the whole human race. Lord Chaitanya entrusted His countrymen, who are known as Bharatiyas, to distribute this message throughout the whole world, in every village and every town. There is a nice Bengali verse in Chaitanya-charitamrita:

prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

The Lord predicted that, "As many towns and villages are there on the surface of the world, everywhere this message will be known." And He also said,

bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]

He entrusted his countrymen -- means any Indians. Not that because He appeared in Bengal it was entrusted to the Bengalis, but He said that bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara: "on the land of Bharata-varsa." India is known as Bharata-varsa. Perhaps most of you know it. This is after the name of King Bharata. There was a great king, Bharata, who was the emperor of the world, and this planet was named Bharata-varsa after his name. Before that this planet was known as Ilavrta-varsa. And after Maharaja Bharata, this planet was named as Bharata-varsa. But gradually, there was partition. As recently also there has been partition of India -- Hindustan and Pakistan -- similarly, this planet, known as Bharata-varsa, was partitioned gradually, one after another. So then the other names -- Europe, Africa, or America, or Germany -- these names gradually developed. Actually the whole planet was known as Bharata-varsa. That we understand from the Vedic history. And there was one king. That king also belonged to Hastinapura, which is called at the present moment New Delhi, near about that.

So anyway, Lord Chaitanya entrusted to spread this message to the Indians. Bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara [Cc. Adi 9.41]. There are many kinds of living entities. There are men, there are animals, there are birds, beasts, trees, aquatics -- all of them are living entities. But He is entrusting to the manusya. Bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara. "One who has taken his birth as human being, Indian human being, to him I am entrusting this message, that this should be distributed all over the world in villages, in towns, this message." So I am especially speaking to the Indians present here, that you have got a responsibility on behalf of Lord Chaitanya. If you believe in our sastras, in our acharyas, then those who are present here as Indians, I will request them to take this responsibility of spreading the message of Lord Chaitanya all over the world. And He said, bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara, janma sarthaka kari [Cc. Adi 9.41]. Janma sarthaka kari means "First of all make your life successful." You cannot distribute this transcendental message without making your life successful. Janma sarthaka kari. That means persons who are born in India, they have got the facility for making life successful. How? Because there is immense treasure-house of transcendental knowledge in India. It is known to everyone, in every part of the world.

Where Do Our Departed Vaisnavas Go?

By Kesava Krsna Dasa
At a recent farewell gathering for a departed Vaisnava, God brothers spoke. One sannyasa-guru Godbrother said that his Godbrother has gone Back To Godhead. Another sannyasa-guru Godbrother said that his Godbrother has gone to take another birth in Krishna or Gaura-lila, which seemed to put a dampener on things. Are they saying two different things?
They are both right. They are both saying the same thing in different ways. One is a simple conviction and the other is more elaborate. Srila Prabhupada would say of certain of his disciples that they had gone “Back To Godhead.” It is quite usual that Srila Prabhupada’s disciples or followers will follow suit and say “Back To Godhead.”
The term “Back To Godhead” is a little more loaded than what it appears to be, when philosophy is applied. Otherwise, anyone can say he or she has gone “Back To Godhead” in a sentimental way. At this point, one might ask whether Srila Prabhupada’s simple “Back To Godhead” references also lacked philosophical substance. No they did not, and he certainly explained what happens before actually going Back To Godhead in detail.
The sannyasa-guru who said that the departed Vaisnava had gone to Krishna or Gaura-lila realised that there was some explaining to do to make it clear for the audience – it was necessary. Yet, in the minds of some devotees, this sounded as if it was less of an achievement or something less important for the departed Vaisnava.
On the face of it, it does appear to fall short of being Back To Godhead. But if we consider how, when a departed Vaisnava does take birth again at a place where Lord Krishna or Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu perform Their pastimes within this material world (prakata-lila), that is a glorious thing. It is the same as going “Back To Godhead” because there is no difference between prakata and aprakata (hidden) lila.
“But why should there be another birth in this material world?” one may ask. Aren’t we taught to be acutely aware of “the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease?” (BG 13.9) One may wonder of the efficacy or certainty of the Back To Godhead ethos otherwise.
For all of us averse to living upside down within a cramped womb for several months before yet another excruciating birth, Lord Krishna spoke these soothing words in Sri Gitamrta chapter eight to Arjuna, who asked: “O Krishna, Exactly what happens to such souls who obtain love for You? Do they take birth again?
Krishna: Yes Arjuna, but it’s not an ordinary one. They very happily take birth just like I took this wonderful birth in the house of Vasudeva. They are born happily without any problems just as My eternal associates do. They take one more birth and participate in My manifest pastimes. These great souls are the highest and achieve the ultimate perfection — My own planet.”
This assurance of a pleasant birth at a place where Krishna or Gaura-lila happens, should also add to the magnificence of such a rebirth destination – it is elevated and again, most glorious. Yet another doubt might creep in as we might say that this is a destination for sadhana-siddhas (Those who achieve spiritual perfection through sadhana-bhakti). “This is still not the same as going Back To Godhead, as promised by Srila Prabhupada.”
We all practice sadhana-bhakti, and to achieve perfection in it by taking another happy birth enables a Vaisnava/i to associate with and obtain blessings from those eternally liberated souls forever serving with the Lord. In this regard, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur explains:
“In this context we will make our analysis according to the method described in Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Ujjvala-nilamaṇi. There are two categories of gopis: the eternally perfect (the nitya-siddhas) and those who have become perfect by practicing bhakti-yoga (the sadhana-siddhas). The sadhana-siddhas are of two categories: those who belong to special groups and those who do not. And there are also two classes of the gopis belonging to special groups: namely the sruti-caris, who come from the group of the personified Vedas, and the rsi-caris, who come from the group of sages who saw Lord Ramacandra in the Dandakaraṇya forest.” (SB 10.29.9 purport)
Although reference is made of the gopis of Vraja, the same principle of categories of sadhana-siddha and nitya-siddha applies for other stayi-bhava (permanent relationships with the Lord) as well. For those of us who think this type of rebirth is inferior to going Back To Godhead, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur further says:
“’It is understood that some of the gopis are personified Vedic literatures, while others are reborn sages, daughters of cowherds, or demigod maidens. But by no means, my dear King, are any of them ordinary humans.’ Here we are informed that although the gopis appeared to be human cowherd girls, they actually were not. Thus the contention that they are mortals is refuted.” (SB 10.29.9 purport)
Given the information above, we may want to know what did Srila Prabhupada actually mean when he said that certain of his disciples - or anyone else for that matter – had gone Back To Godhead. Were his statements also ‘loaded’ and that he said Back To Godhead just to keep things simple?
In several places in his writings, he did offload such ‘loaded’ information. For instance; ““After giving up the body, the devotee who becomes perfect in devotional service enters that particular universe where Lord Ramacandra or Lord Krishna is engaged in His pastimes. Then, after being trained to serve the Lord in various capacities in that prakaṭa-lila, the devotee is finally promoted to sanatana-dhama, the supreme abode in the spiritual world.” (SB 9.11.22 purport)
Sanatana-dhama here refers to that hidden aprakata place called Godhead. It could be the case that a Vaisnava not inclined towards Goloka Vrndavana can go Back To Godhead by entering Vaikuntha, where sadhana and awe and reverence predominate. Depending on the mood of a Vaisnava leaving the body, he or she can instantly go Back To Godhead in Vaikuntha.
For us followers of Srila Prabhupada, he is steering us in a particular direction towards Goloka Vrndavana. Since it is known that Krishna is reluctant to award deep Bhakti because it means to give Himself, we can understand that it is not so easy to enter Goloka Vrndavana unless eternal residents there favour us. Srila Prabhupada is one of those residents.
Whether it takes us many births or one more happy birth to achieve Goloka Vrndavana, we should count our blessings for at least being shown the way there. While trying to be sincere in devotion to the Lord, we can again be encouraged by how Krishna loves His devotees:
“Such learned souls, who desire eternal association with Me by meditating on My transcendental form, to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have. Although they do not desire anything from Me, I still provide it. Even the burden of maintaining their body is carried by Me as a householder takes care of his own family.
Arjuna: What kind of devotees are they who let you carry their needs on Your head, Krishna?
Krishna: They have not given Me this burden. I take it by My own sweet will. I can create universes, so this is not a burden for Me. Rather I do it out of love for them. Just like a young man who loves a young girl carries his beloved lady on his shoulders, in the same way I take pleasure from carrying the needs of My devotees.” (Sri Gitamrta, chapter nine)
For those who are struggling in Krishna consciousness and have lost all hope of going Back To Godhead, we can gather strength and confidence from Krishna’s eternal promise:
“Arjuna: You deliver only Your devotees and bring them to You, not the non-devotees. Does this mean that You also have attachment and aversion?
Krishna: No, I’m not partial, but My devotees are in Me, and I am in them. Actually I am in everything, and everything is in Me. My devotees are attached to Me, but others, have no dealings with Me. Practically speaking, for them I do not exist. Actually there are so many living entities and I maintain everyone therefore I am equal like rain. But some trees watered by the rain give sweet fruit and others give bitter fruit. That is not a defect of the rain. It is their nature, it is not My attachment and aversion. I am rewarding equally, but My devotee gets special treatment, so much so, that even if he commits the most abominable action — if he’s still determined to serve Me — I do not reject him. Rather, he is still to be considered saintly.
Arjuna: Yes, I accept that he is a sadhu when he’s worshipping You, but if he’s doing nonsense, then he is not a sadhu.
Krishna: No Arjuna, in every regard he’s a sadhu because he’s properly resolved to serve Me. He’s thinking that, “I am unable to give up this sinful activity and I’ll probably go to hell, but I’ll never give up devotional service to Krishna.” Therefore I consider him a sadhu.
Arjuna: But how do You accept the service of such an irreligious man whose heart is polluted by lust, anger and greed? Aren’t his offerings contaminated by these things?
Krishna: He very quickly becomes righteous and I accept him because he laments, remembering Me again and again. And because of lamentation his heart burns and he thinks, “Alas, Alas! there’s no other devotee lower than me. I’m a black spot for devotees”. Again and again he curses himself, and becomes purified due to this repentence. Or you can take it in this way, Arjuna. Such a person even when committing sins, his righteousness existed in him in a subtle form. He’s taking the medicine of devotion although the fever remains. He is not afraid, for he knows that the fever of improper activities will go away by the power of devotion. The sinful acts are like snakes with the fangs removed. Thus he obtains eternal peace, for his lust will go away and never return.
Arjuna: I understand that You are saying that he will become righteous. There is no dispute. But if he remains sinful and does abominable activities, do we still consider him a sadhu during his life?
Krishna: [Krishna becomes angry. His eyes become enlarged.] My devotee never perishes! Even if he dies, he does not become degraded.
Arjuna: [In great worry] Many people will not agree. [He becomes morose] How can I help them to understand?
Krishna: Take mrdangas, take karatals and drums and bang everything loudly. Go…go wherever they are speaking like this and raise both hands in the air and make a vow. Take an oath in My Name and say this:
“The devotee, the Lord’s devotee, even if improperly behaving shall never perish!” (Sri Gitamrta, chapter nine)
Ys Kesava Krsna Dasa – GRS    (Reprinted from Dandavats.com)

Srila B. R. Sridhara Maharaja Antya-lila Anecdote

 

 Excerpted from an article by B. B. Govinda Swami, disciple of H.D.G A.C. Bhaktivedanta  Swami Prabhupada:                                                Drupada Prabhu and I made our way out to Sridham Mayapur. I don’t remember how we got there but it sure as heck wasn’t by Gauranga Travels. And when we reached the holy dham we prayed and prayed to Mahaprabhu that He would bless us to go to Vrindavan and serve, following in the footsteps of Sri Rupa, Sri Sanatan, and Srila Prabhupada. One day Drupada Prabhu and I heard that Srila Prabhupada’s god-brother, Srila BR Sridhar Maharaja’s health had seriously deteriorated and was that he was teetering between life and death. We both agreed that we should go to his asrama, try to get the darshan of this great vaisnava, and, beg him to forgive us if we ever committed offences to his lotus feet, either knowingly or unknowingly. So, we got into one of the small boats, crossed the Ganga, and headed to the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Gaudiya Math to beg his darshan. We arrived and requested his darshan. The devotees told us that he was so sickly that no one had been graced with his darshan in months. They said it was impossible. Drupada and I felt forlorn at the prospect of not seeing this great devotee and begging his mercy. And just at that moment a miracle happened. Srila Sridhar Maharaja’s servant/secretary walked by and saw Drupada and myself and, he very affectionately greeted us. He had joined in the Toronto temple when Drupada and I were there, and this devotee, having a bit of a rebellious nature, was always getting himself in trouble with the temple authorities. And each time the boom was lowered, and he felt like leaving, Drupada and I would take him aside, give him some maha-prasadam, show him some love, and get him back on track. So he looked at us and said, “How can I serve you?” And we replied, “We want to se Srila Sridhar Maharaja and beg pardon for vaisnava aparadha’s and seek his blessings.” He looked at us sadly and said, “He’s so ill, people have been here two months waiting to see him .. then he paused and said, just wait here.” So Drupada and I sat silently, chanting on our beads, and soon that devotee came back and said, “come .. but only for a few minutes.” He quickly took us upstairs and there was Srila Sridhar Maharaja, well bundled, sitting in a chair on the veranda. Drupada and I both fell like rods, offered vaisnava pranam, and then got up. In a weak voice Srila Sridhar Maharaja asked, “How may I serve you.” We folded our hands and replied, “Maharaja, please forgive us both if we ever committed vaisnava aparadha’s to your lotus feet.” He was very silent. Then he said; “You have never committed vaisnava aparadha’s to me .. because in this life I never became a vaisnava. I have failed to become a vaisnava.” Then he said, “Come close, I will tell you something.” When we moved forward he said, “Every day of my life I pray to the pigs and the dogs of Nabadwip that they will bless this fallen soul, that I may become a vaisnava. I am still waiting for them to bestow their grace.” Then after a moment of silence he said, “Now go, and chant Hare Krishna.” Drupada prabhu and I again fell and offered our dandavats. Rising slowly we left, having received the blessing and grace of a param vaisnava. So, again, about these pigs. Yes, about the horrible pigs of Vrindavan. Yes, they are very nasty looking, they have very nasty culinary tastes, and are very much lacking in discrimination when it comes to family planning. But they have taken their birth in Vraja and are always covered with the earth and divine dust of Vraja. I keep loitering in material consciousness, thinking, “Oh, 43 years under the belt, just by chronology, I must be a great devotee.” Rather, I think it would be in my best interest to follow the humble mood of a real vaisnava, and even pray to the pigs and dogs of Vraja, “Please give me your mercy that I may one day become a true servant of my spiritual master. Allow me to serve him as he serves Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His sankirtan pastimes of spreading the holy names of the Lord, and as he serves Sri Sri Krishna Balaram and Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar in the pastures of Vraja.” Srila Prabhupda Ki Jai, Srila Sridhar Maharaja Ki Jai, Sri Vrindavan Dham Ki Jai !! Dang !! Even the piggies and the pooches of Vraja ki jai !!

     

 

How I Came To K. C.

When I was a young boy I used to wonder if there was a next life or if death was the end of my existence. Sometimes while thinking about it I would become distracted by opportunities for fun with friends etc. but the issue would always come back to my mind. I looked for the answer by listening to things like music lyrics; reading books; talking to people; etc. I had not really embarked on a serious study of different philosophies as I was still relatively young. One Sunday in 1978, when I was 16 years old, my older sister asked me to come with her, dad and step mom to the Hare Krishna temple in Potomac, Maryland. I didn't want to go, but my sister smiled and insisted, so I went. After the first visit I didn't know what to make of it. The temple served a free vegetarian feast on Sundays. I had recently become a vegetarian and the feast was delicious. My dad also liked the feast so we went again. On my second or third visit I was listening to Bhagavad-gita class by Sripad Rupanuga prabhu, a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Rupanuga prabhu was making the point that the secular leaders of society are actually in great ignorance of the fact that we are not our material bodies; we are eternal individual spirit souls each residing in a material body. And we are eternal servants of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Somehow his words entered my heart and my faith awakened. I started reading Bhagavad-gita As It Is and my faith and understanding increased. So with the help of my sister and by the mercy of Rupanuga prabhu and Srila Prabhupada, I was fortunate to find the truth and begin devotional service to Krishna.   

Rupanuga prabhu at Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet; July 1976 Potomac, MD 

                                                                                                              

 

From Matthews

 6.25) Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26) Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 31) Do not worry then, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear for clothing?" 32) For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34) So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Vegetarian Muslims

Summreen Sheikh- Founder of Vegetarian Muslims Group on Facebook and works in the environmental sustainability sector in the UK

1. How long have you been a vegetarian and what encouraged you to become a vegetarian?

Since I was five, I learnt about animals at school and decided not to eat meat anymore as every time I saw the meat I thought of the animal.

2. Tell me one piece of information that you would like others to know about being a Muslim vegetarian?

It’s very normal and halal.

3. Would you advocate that all Muslims consider and take up vegetarianism?

No, I would encourage them to think about where their meat comes from. To learn about what is required for their food to be truly halal and question if they genuinely think that the meat industry meets all these requirements. I would also suggest that they look into the consumption of meat in the time of our Prophet and see how eating meat was treated. We are encouraged to think for ourselves as Muslims, not follow the masses.

4. Did Islam play a big part in your decision to become a vegetarian?

No.

5. What have the reactions to your vegetarianism been like from the Muslim/non-Muslim community?

Muslims especially have a problem accepting something that is not common in their culture. Often people will say its haram (forbidden) to be vegetarian- obviously this is quite insulting and ignorant and requires a lot of self restraint from me! Non-muslims are more open minded to the diversity of my lifestyle choice.

6. Finally, what is your favourite veggie dish?

Daal chaal – lentils and rice- yum!

Imagine

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness once discussed the following idea. I will look for the exact quote later but the following is the gist. He said he was ready to join with the Christians and Muslims to spread God consciousness throughout the world. That he would put pictures of Christ and Mohammed on the alter to worship along with Krishna.  -------   So I was thinking about this idea because there are many values that the Krishnaites, Christians and Muslims have in common. Belief in One Supreme God; Traditional  marriage and family values; Sobriety; Cleanliness; Austerity; Etc. These values are under attack by many so called leaders in government, media, entertainment industry, etc. So all the believers in One Supreme Lord can form an alliance to resist the onslaught of degradation in the world today.

 

 

THE APPEARANCE DAY OF LORD SRI RAMA

Today is a very auspicious day. It is the Appearance Day of Lord Sri Rama. Who is Sri Rama? He is Krsna Himself, and Sita is Radhika Herself. In order to establish the principles of maryada, regulative etiquette, Krsna appeared in the form of Sri Rama. His associates also appeared in Rama-lila. Gopisvara Mahadeva manifested as Hanuman and Baladeva appeared as Laksmana. Satrugna and Bharata are also manifestations of Krsna because they are His weapons. They are respectively Sanka and Cakra. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself read and glorified the pastimes of Sri Rama. Valmiki has described the pastimes of Rama in great detail. He was a siddha mahatma, a realized soul. Popular Indian stories say that in his previous life he was a dacoit, and he used to kill people for his living. One time he met Narada Rsi and, by that meeting, his heart was transformed and he became a sadhu. According to the scriptures, Valmiki was actually the son of a great rsi. He performed austerities for a long time and by that he became perfect. One of his disciples, a very famous rsi, was named Bharadraja. Once they both went to bathe in the river. After Valmiki took his bath, he saw a male and female kraunch-bird sitting in a tree. A hunter struck the male bird with his bow, killed him, and the bird fell out of the tree. Valmiki became angry and spontaneously cursed this hunter, "How cruel you are! How could you do this? May all your happiness go away, and may you never be happy again in your life." When Valmiki returned to his asrama, he thought, "Why did I become so angry? I am supposed to be a rsi and have control over my senses. Life and death are very temporary, so why did I get disturbed seeing this? And how did these particular words come out of my mouth?" His words were very special. They had four gerands – four lines with the same meter as the slokas in Ramanyana. He therefore wondered why these particular words and this particular meter came out from his mouth. Lord Brahma then appeared and said, "You should write the pastimes of Lord Rama, using verses which are in this meter." Valmiki replied, "How can I do that?" At that time Narada Muni appeared and initiated Valmiki. He said, "You should meditate upon the pastimes of Lord Rama in samadhi, and by bhakti all those pastimes will manifest in your heart. Valmiki followed those orders and, as the pastimes manifested in his heart, he began writing the Ramayana. Valmiki was on the planet at the same time as Lord Rama. But before Rama enacted most of His pastimes Valmiki had already written about them, except for one – when Sita entered the earth. Why did he not write about this? Because he taught Rama's pastimes to Luv and Kush. If he would have told them in advance what happened to Sita, they would have been very disturbed. Just as Vyasadeva never preached Srimad Bhagavatam, but Sukadeva Gosvami later preached it all over the world, similarly, Valmiki Rsi taught Rama-lila to Luv and Kush. Maharaja Dasaratha is the actual father of the Lord, birth after birth, and Kauslaya is His mother. They are eternally the mother and father of Krsna in His different manifestations. Yasoda and Nanda are non-different from Dasaratha and Kausalya. Maharaja Dasaratha was getting quite old and he was disturbed that he had not begotten a son. He therefore asked his spiritual master, Vasistha Rsi, to perform a parestha yajna – a sacrifice with the goal to get a son. Half of the kheer, (sweet rice), offered in the yajna, was given to Kausalya, one quarter was given to Kaikeyi, and one quarter to Sumitra. In due course of time all of the queens gave birth to sons – Kausalya to Rama, Kaikeyi to Bharata, and Sumitra to Laksmana and Satrughna. They were loved, they did childhood pranks, and they went to the asrama of Valmiki. Along with Visvamitra Rsi they went to siddha asrama and there they killed two demons who came to disturb the rsis' sacrifices. He also delivered Ahalya, who by the curse of her husband, had been transformed into stone. Suppose you have a fruit of amla in your hands. You can see it very clearly. Similarly Valmiki, by the blessings of Narada, saw all these pastimes as clearly as if they were happening in front of his eyes. Along with Visvamitra and Laksmana, Rama went to Janakapuri for the svayambara of Sita-devi. There He broke the bow of Lord Siva which had been given by Parasurama to Maharaja Janaka. At that time Parasurama appeared and manifested all the anger that was in his heart. When Rama strung the bow without any effort, Parasurama then understood that Lord Rama was the amsi, the actual source from whom he himself had manifested. Lord Rama told him, "Now that this bow is in my hands, I have to kill something – either you or that anger that is in your heart. Previously he had to be angry in order to kill all the demoniac kings who had been ruling the earth. Now that work was over and therefore Rama said, "I should kill that anger within you." Parasurama prayed, "Please take out that anger which is in my heart." After Lord Rama took it away, he was transformed into a rishi and after that he performed many austerities. Lord Rama and Sita-devi were then married and went back to Ayodhya. There is a secret meaning behind the pastime of Queen Kaikeyi asking her two boons from Maharaja Dasaratha. Kaikeyi was not cruel. She loved Sri Rama more than she loved Bharata. When Rama was a young boy, He sat in the lap of Mother Kaikeyi and requested, "I want to ask you something. When I grow up and return home after My marriage, My father will think of giving this kingdom to Me. I want you to ask him to give the kingdom to Bharata, and to send Me to the forest for fourteen years." Hearing this, Kaikeyi fainted. When she regained consciousness she said, "I cannot do such a cruel thing." But then Lord Rama said, "For the benefit of the whole world, you will have to do this." So Kaikeyi agreed. There is another important point in this connection. When King Dasaratha married Kausalya, he did not beget any sons from her. He further married 360 queens, but still there was no son. One day, when he was out in the forest hunting animals, he traveled all the way to the border of Afghanistan. He was very tired and therefore went to visit his friend Maharaja Kaikeya, the king of that entire area. Maharaja Kaikeya ordered his daughter to take care of the king. The next day, very pleased by her service, Maharaja Dasaratha asked him if he could marry his daughter, Kaikeyi. The king said, "Yes, you can marry her, but with one condition. If she begets a son, that son will become the king of your entire kingdom." Maharaja Dasaratha replied, "There is nothing that will please me more. I have no son, so if she begets a son I will be very happy to give my entire kingdom to him." This was another reason why Bharata became the king instead of Rama. There is still another reason. One day Bharata's maternal uncle came and requested Bharata and Satrugna to accompany him for a few days. In the meantime, Rama Navami came – the Appearance Day of Sri Rama. On this day the celebration of His appearance took place, and His marriage also took place. On the day before, Maharaja Dasaratha had told Vasistha that he would like to give his kingdom to Rama and make him Yuvaraja. Rama would conduct all the duties of Maharaja Dasaratha in his absence and after he would leave the world, Rama would become the king. Everyone was very happy to hear this. Vasistha said, "Tomorrow, Rama Navami, all the planetary positions will be very auspicious. You should give him the sacred initiation tomorrow." There was no time to talk with Bharata and Satrugna. Also, Maharaja Dasaratha thought, "I have already promised that I will give my kingdom to Bharata. So how, in front of him, can I give it to Sri Rama?" When Kaikeyi heard the news about Rama's coronation she was very pleased, and she gave her garland to her maidservant, Mantara. By the influence of the demigods and because Rama had to perform His pastimes, Mantara's mind became evil. She told Kaikeyi, "How can you be so foolish? If Rama becomes the king, Bharata will become a servant, and you will become a maidservant. For the rest of your life you will have to serve Kausalya and Sri Rama." Initially Kaikeyi resisted and was not influenced by Mantara's words. But then she remembered Sri Rama's request to her in His youth – that she should ask Maharaja Dasaratha to send Him to the forest. Remembering this, she made her heart very hard. Then she went to Maharaja Dasaratha and asked him for her two boons. Maharaja Dasaratha fainted. When Lord Rama heard what happened He was very pleased that Mother Kaikeyi had done what He had requested. He came to Maharaja Dasaratha and Queen Kaikeyi and she ordered Him to go to the forest, saying that this was also the desire of Maharaja Dasaratha. When Rama was exiled and was living in Chitrakuta, Bharata, accompanied by many citizens, went there to request him to return to Ayodhya. On his way to see Rama, they also passed by Bharadvaja Rsi's asrama. Bharadvaja requested Bharata, "Please, be our guests for a day here. You should rest and take prasada." But Bharata replied that he had come with lakhs (millions) of people. Almost the entire population of Ayodhya has come with me. How could they all fit in your asrama?" But Bharadvaja said, "Please give me a chance to serve you." By his mystic power Bharadvaja manifested an entire city, which was greater and more opulent than Ayodhya. For each of the queens there was a raj-bhavan. There were so many kinds of foods and preparations – just like anakuta. Mountains of prasada were created and everyone was served. Kaikeyi also went to Rama and said, "I was the one who asked for the boon that you be banished to the forest. Since I was the one who asked you to go, now I take it back. Now I am asking you to come back." Lord Rama replied, "No, the command was not only from you. You and father both asked it together. Father is here no more, and you are only half, fifty percent. I don't know if it is his desire or not. So I cannot go back." There was an assembly meeting held wherein Maharaja Janaka spoke with Bharata. Janaka Maharaja described the meaning of prema. He said that real love is to understand what pleases the beloved. Janaka said, "If it is Lord Rama's desire to stay here, then it is better to follow what He wants, and not try to force your desire on Him." Rama, Laksmana, and Sita-devi then traveled to Chitrakuta. There Rama performed jalanjali, offering water to the ancestors. Actually Maharaja Dasaratha had never died, so ultimately there was no point of His doing this. However, since He was performing narvata-lila, human like pastimes, he offered the water. Sita and Rama went to the asrama of Anasuya, who gave Sita a special 'anga vastra' that even if she didn't eat, her body would never dwindle. That is why, when she was at Ravana's place, although she never ate any food given by Ravana for a whole year, her body never dwindled. Anasuya was the wife of Atri Muni who had performed great austerities. By these austerities Brahma, Visnu and Mahesh had all appeared. She made them become her little children, and all their wives came requesting her to please let them go. Agastya Rsi gave Rama the bow with which He killed Ravana. Then Surpanaka came and Laksmana cut off her nose. Then Rama killed Kara and Dusha. Kara means donkey. He next killed a demon named Trisura. Ravana then came to revenge Surpanaka's dishonor. He stole Sita, Rama killed Maricha, they met Sabari, and then at Kishkinda they met Hanuman. Hanuman first appeared to Them in the form of a brahmana, to test if they were really Rama and Laksmana. Later, at Rsimukha Parvat Hill Sugriva met Lord Rama and they made a treaty of friendship there. After Sugriva explained what Bali had done to him, Lord Rama killed Bali. (Lecture Srila Narayana Maharaja gave in Mathura, April 12, 2000)

The Glories of Ramanujacarya

 
 

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

North Shore, Hawaii: January 26, 2007



[Respected Harikatha Readers,
This year, Sri Ramanujacarya’s appearance day is April 4th. In order to serve you in observing this sacred day, we are sending you a transcription of Srila Narayana Maharaja’s informal darsana, at which time Srila Maharaja discussed his glories. That informal darsana took place with only the devotees in his traveling party, so we especially thank his personal cook, Madhuvrata dasa brahmacari, for sending us the sound-file. Srila Narayana Maharaja’s talk in Hawaii was brief, and therefore we have included excerpts from his lecture given in Mathura, in 2000, in brackets, to fill out the history. To hear the soundfile of this class, please click on this link:  20070126-Hawaii-Ramanujacarya]

Sri Ramanujacarya was born in South India. He is an incarnation of Laksmana. The word ‘anuja’ means ‘younger brother’. Rama-anuja refers to the younger brother of Lord Rama; therefore, he is Ramanuja. In Kali-yuga, he is the acarya of the Sri (Laksmi) Sampradaya. He is the disciple of Yamunacarya.

As a boy, he was exceptionally intelligent. At a very young age, he knew all Sanskrit grammar (vyakarana), literature (sahitya), and all the deep conclusions of the Vedic scriptures.

[Sri Ramanujacarya is an incarnation of Laksmana (Lord Rama’s younger brother), and he accepted the Sri Sampradaya. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada took many teachings from him, such as the duties of the sannyasi, the duties of the disciple, and the etiquette of the Vaisnava. He utilized one-hundred eight teachings. We follow these teachings, and we have also published them in our Bhagavata Patrika and Gaudiya Patrika (Hindi and Bengali Magazines).]

His teacher, Yadavacarya, was a follower of the Mayavada (the theory that all variety and individuality are illusion) and Advaitavada (the theory that the only truth is impersonal undifferentiated oneness) philosophies. One day, his teacher began to explain his understanding of the beauty of Sri Krsna’s eyes. In this regard Chandogya Upanisad uses the word ‘kapyasam.’ Yadavacarya explained that ‘kapi’ means ‘monkey’, and that the monkey’s rear-end (kapi-asam) is reddish on both sides. He concluded that Krsna’s lotus eyes are like a monkey’s rear-end. Hearing this, Ramanuja began to weep.

Later, when Ramanuja was massaging Yadavacarya, he told him, “The explanation you have given for kapyasam is wrong. ‘Kapi’ can be understood to mean ‘that which takes water from everywhere’. Who takes water? The sun. The word ‘asam’ also means ‘to blossom’, so the word ‘kapi-asam’ can be understood as ‘that which blossoms under the sun,’ or, in other words, ‘the lotus flower’. Thus, we can understand the verse to mean that the Lord’s eyes are as beautiful as the lotus flower.”

[Sri Ramanujacarya took birth in a simple family. His mother and father were not very wealthy, but they were of a high brahmana caste and they were very learned. Ramanuja was an outstanding boy from his childhood. While under the guidance of a Mayavadi guru named Yadavacarya, he was very careful in his studies. One day, when his guru was giving an impersonal explanation of a verse that contained the word kapyasana, he compared the lotus-eyes of the Lord to the hind part of a monkey which is reddish near its tail. Hearing this from his gurudeva’s mouth, Ramanuja began to cry in great pain. He felt grief in his heart that his gurudeva had used such a bad analogy for describing the lotus-like eyes of the Lord. After collecting himself, he very politely asked if he could say something about the verse. Yadavacarya assented, and Ramanuja very nicely gave many explanations according to Sanskrit grammar. He said that the term kapyasana actually means one who brings water, and that is the sun. The lotus blossoms by the potency of the sun, and therefore the Lord’s eyes are compared to the lotus, not the monkey.]

Ramanuja’s teacher became astonished, thinking, “If this boy is so knowledgeable at such a young age, what will he do when he is grown up? If he remains alive, this Mayavada teaching will be finished.” His teacher then planned to murder him.

[When Yadavacarya heard this, he thought, “This boy is dangerous. He is very expert and is giving such nice explanations. In the future he might uproot all the impersonal teachings from the Vedas, and so I must kill him.”]

Thinking to trick Ramanuja, Yadavacarya told him that he was going to travel with all his students to do some preaching, and that Ramanuja should also accompany them. Ramanuja was a very sincere and innocent boy, so he didn’t understand his teacher’s intentions.

Then, when they were all in a very deep forest, they decided that this would be the time to murder him. Govinda, his cousin-brother, told him of their plan, and urged him to quickly flee from there. Therefore, in the middle of the night, Ramanuja told them that he was going to the toilet, and he ran away.

Now alone, he suddenly saw a hunter, along with his wife, holding a hurricane light. The man asked him, “Where are you going?”

Ramanuja answered, “I am going to Kancipuram.”

The man replied, “We are also going there, so come with us.”

When he arrived at Kancipuram, his own village, which was very far away, those persons disappeared. Ramanuja then began to weep. He understood that it was certainly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana Himself, along with His eternal consort, Laksimi-devi, who had saved his life.

[Throughout the day and night, he passed through the dense forest. It was difficult for him to discern his way, especially at night. The Lord, seeing His dear devotee in such a state, then appeared in the form of Bharadraja and, holding a lantern in His hand, showed Ramanuja the way. Thus, within no time at all, Sri Ramanuja crossed the entire distance of the forest and found that he was standing outside his village.]

Sometime later, Ramanuja’s teacher returned to the village. He had been thinking that perhaps a lion or tiger had eaten Ramanuja, and he was very happy. However, when he arrived, he saw that Ramanuja was alive. He called him and told him to forget everything that had happened, Ramanuja again resumed his Sanskrit studies with Yadavacarya.

[After some days, out of compassion for Yadavacarya and with a desire to deliver him, he again began studying under his guidance. After some years, Ramanuja converted Yadavacarya to Vaisnava philosophy, whereupon his teacher became his disciple. At one point thereafter, Ramanuja began hearing of the qualities of a great Vaisnava guru in South India by the name of Sri Yamunacarya, and he eventually became Sri Yamunacarya’s disciple.]
Later he married. After his marriage, he began to teach boys in a Sanskrit school, and all the students liked him.
[Later on he married, and his wife was very quarrelsome. Her behavior was discourteous and uncooperative, and incidents would often take place which he would somehow have to tolerate.]

One day, a disciple of Sri Yamunacarya named Kancipurna came to the house of Ramanuja. He was from a very low-caste family, but he was a very high-class devotee. He came there along with his wife by the order of his Gurudeva, and he now began to give his association to Ramanujacarya.

[A disciple of Sri Yamunacarya and elder god-brother of Ramanuja named Kancipurna came to Ramanuja’s village along with his wife. Ramanuja accepted Kancipurna as a siksa-guru.]

One day, when Ramanujacarya’s wife was drawing water from the well, Kancipurna’s wife was also there drawing water. Some water from the bucket of Kancipurna’s wife fell into Ramanuja’s wife’s bucket. She immediately became very angry and started to insult the wife of Kancipurna with abusive language. When Kancipurna returned, his wife told him of the incident at the well, and he immediately left the house of Ramanujacarya. Upon hearing the reason why his siska-guru had departed, Ramanujacarya began to think, “I should not be with this lady. Somehow, I should give her up right away.”

[One day, when Kancipurna’s wife was taking some water from a well, she met Ramanuja’s wife, who had also come to the well for drawing water. It so happened that while taking the water out of the well, some water from the pot of Kancipurna’s wife spilled into the pot of Ramanuja’s wife. Although this was a small accident, Ramanuja’s wife became furious and insulted Kancipurna’s wife with abusive language. Kancipurna became hurt when he later on heard about this, and, without informing Ramanuja, he and his wife left that place and went to Sri Rangam. When Sri Ramanuja came to know that his wife’s behavior had offended a Vaisnava, he felt very bad and thought, “She is committing vaisnava-aparadha; she has such an offensive mentality. I must do something about this.”]

Later, Sri Yamunacarya sent Purnacarya to bring Ramanuja to him in Sri Rangam. However, Yamunacarya was very sick at that time, and, by the time Ramanuja arrived in Sri Rangam, he had departed from the vision of the world. Purnacarya, was sent there to bring him to Sri Rangam. Ramanuja used to give him so much honor – always offering him obeisances and treating him like his siksa-guru. While living with Ramanuja, Purnacarya began to impart the instructions he had received from his Gurudeva, Sri Yamunacarya.

One day, when Ramanuja was teaching at the school, a hungry brahmana came there. Ramanuja told him, “If you go to my house to beg, my wife will give you something.” However, when the brahmana went there, Ramanuja’s very cruel wife said, “I can’t give you anything. Go! Get out of here!” The brahmana returned to Ramanuja, who then told him to go back to his house and tell my wife, “I am coming from the house of your father. He sent me to you, so please take this letter from him.” Ramanuja personally wrote the letter he gave to the brahmana to deliver to his wife. The letter stated, “Your brother will marry very soon, so you must come to your father’s house.” After reading the letter, Ramanuja’s wife began to honor that brahmana, and she gave him a large quantity of delicious prasadam.

[One day, a hungry brahmana came to Ramanuja, asking for some food. Ramanuja sent this brahmana to his wife, telling him, “Go to my home and tell my wife that I sent you. She will give you some food.” When that brahmana came to Ramanuja’s wife, she boldly insulted him again and again. She told him he should get out of there, and that there was no food for him. Returning to Ramanuja, the brahmana reported what had happened, and Ramanuja replied, “Wait here for a few minutes.” He left and wrote a letter to his wife, as though it was written by her father, stating, “O my dear daughter, I am arranging the marriage of my son, your brother. So you should come. Please bring your husband with you.”

Writing these words very nicely, he folded that letter and tied it with colorful threads. And, along with that, he sent a coconut and other auspicious items. He then gave that letter to the brahmana and said, “Now go again to my wife. She will welcome you nicely this time. The brahmana went again. After reading the letter, Ramanuja’s wife’s behavior completely changed. This time she welcomed him warmly and sweetly, and offered him all kinds of palatable food and sweets. When Ramanuja came home, his wife told him about the marriage. She cited her father’s request for both of them to come, and requested him to please come along.

Ramanuja said, “No, I cannot come, for I am very busy; you may go now with this brahmana. Don’t be late.”]

When his wife left to go to the house of her father, Ramanuja also left that house. He went to Sri Rangam to meet his Gurudeva, Sri Yamunacarya, but Yamunacarya had left his body just before Ramanuja arrived. Ramanuja saw that many devotees were walking with the transcendental body of Yamunacarya. All of his disciples were weeping as they carried his body to be placed in samadhi.

[After his wife left with that brahmana, Ramanuja locked the door of his house and went to Sri Rangam to meet his Gurudeva, Sri Yamunacarya. He wanted to take sannyasa from him, but when he reached Sri Rangam, he found that Sri Yamunacarya had just passed away and his disciples were walking in procession with his divine body. Ramanuja felt very disheartened and sad.]

He told them, “I have accepted Yamunacarya as my Gurudeva. I want to see his face.” Yamunacarya’s disciples stopped and lifted the cloth from his body. Ramanuja could see that three of Yamunacarya’s fingers were folded.

[He asked them to stop for a moment. He wanted them to uncover the transcendental body so that he could take darsana of his Gurudeva’s divine form. He observed that all the fingers on one of his Gurudeva’s hands were open, and on the other, three fingers were closed. He inquired from the disciples all around as to why this was, and he wanted to know when it happened. No one could answer. They said, “We didn’t notice it before; it must have happened just now.”]

He promised in front of all present, ‘I will write the Sri-bhasya commentary on the Vedanta-sutra.” One of the fingers immediately became straight. He then said, “I will take sannyasa,” and the second finger relaxed. Lastly, he said, “I will preach the mission of my Gurudeva, Yamunacarya”, at which time the last finger relaxed and became straight. Seeing this, everyone present became astonished.

[Ramanuja became silent, and after some time he spoke, addressing Sri Yamunacarya’s transcendental body. He said, “Now, I will first of all write a Vaisnava commentary on Vedanta, and I will preach that Vaisnava commentary throughout India.” One finger opened, and Ramanuja spoke further, “I will take tridandi-sannyasa right now, and I will preach the message of vaisnava-dharma and your teachings.” When Sri Yamunacarya heard that, his second finger opened. Ramanuja then said, “I will systematically write about Vaisnava etiquette, explaining the behavior required to execute pure devotional service, and what precautions should be taken. I will also preach this throughout India.” After uttering this third statement, Sri Ramanujacarya observed, along with all present, that three of Yamunacarya’s fingers had now opened. Then and there, Sri Ramanujacarya formally accepted tridandi sannyasa from Sri Yamunacarya.]

After Yamunacarya was given Samadhi, Ramanujacarya was elected to become the next acarya, as Yamunacarya’s successor. He immediately said, “I will not become the next acarya right away. Give me time. Give me two years.” He then spent some time with each of the prominent disciples of Yamunacarya. He served them and heard from them what they had learned from their Gurudeva. Only after hearing from them for two years did he accept the post of acarya.

[Sri Ramanujacarya had now formally taken sannyasa initiation from Sri Yamunacarya. Afterwards, all the disciples of Sri Yamunacarya, who were great scholars and who had served their Gurudeva for so many years, came together. Having seen the extraordinary characteristics and personality of Sri Ramanujacarya, they collectively decided that he should be appointed as the next acarya after their Guru, and they honored him with the acarya seat in Sri Rangam. Sri Ramanujacarya accepted the orders of his god-brothers, but before sitting and acting as the acarya, he went to each of his god-brothers, for two months, four months, six months, or one year, and served each of them. He thus formally endeavored to understand the teachings of Sri Yamunacarya, since he had not gotten the opportunity to spend much time with him. After serving and satisfying them, he commenced his role as acarya of the Sri Sampradaya in Sri Rangam.]

Later, the ruler of that country, King Koluttunga II, heard that Ramanujacarya was very strongly preaching his philosophy. Koluttunga II wanted him killed, fearing that if he remained alive, the Saiva Sampradaya (comprised of so-called devotees of Lord Siva) would be finished. He sent a message telling Ramanujacarya to come at once for a debate.

Ramanujacarya and all his associates knew that the king wanted to kill him. His disciple Kuresh told him, “Gurudeva, please do not go. I will go in your place. Please give me your danda and sannyasa cloth.” Insisting, Kuresh took them from him and gave him his own white cloth. He told Ramanuja to leave that place at once. Then, having taken his Guru’s sannyasa cloth and danda, Kuresh went to the palace of the king.

In the palace there was a great debate, during which Kuresh defeated all the king’s pandits. However, Kuresh was alone, so the king’s pandits told everyone that he had been defeated. They forcibly detained him, and only released him after blinding him by plucking out both of his eyes. He then began to search for his Gurudeva, who was now very far away. Fortunately, after some time, he came to the same village where Ramanujacarya was residing.

Within that village there were two disciples – one very rich and one very poor. Ramanujacarya told his disciples to go to the house of the rich devotee, because his group was more than fifty in total, and ask him to prepare prasadam and a place to stay for all of them.

Two of Ramanuja’s disciples went to the rich man’s house and gave him this message. The rich man felt extremely happy and became totally absorbed in preparing for the arrival of Ramanujacarya and all of his devotees. However, he didn’t come back out to share these plans with his two god-brothers at the door. After waiting for some time, those disciples went back to Ramanujacarya and told him that they had gone to the house of that rich devotee, but he had left them waiting and had not come back to them. Ramanujacarya replied, “Oh, then we will all go to the house of that poor man.”

That very poor brahmana used to go and beg for ingredients so that his wife could cook prasadam. He had only one piece of proper cloth, which his wife used, so when he would go begging, he would take the cloth of his wife.

On that particular day, after midday, he could not collect any more, and he decided to return home. In the meantime, before his return, Sri Ramanujacarya, with all of his disciples, suddenly came to his house. His wife was very happy to see her Gurudeva, but she also felt very ashamed because she had no proper cloth to wear. Sri Ramanuja understood this, and he gave her his own chadar. She wrapped this around herself and came in his presence.

After she gave a mat for her Gurudeva and his followers to sit on, she began to wonder, “How shall I arrange prasadam for everyone?” She remembered that one of her neighbors, who was a rich businessman, was very attracted to her and had lusty desires toward her. He had previously told her of his desires, but she was very chaste and had always rejected his proposals. However, in her current predicament, she went to that man and told him that she would fulfill his desire.

She was thinking, “What is the use of my chastity if I cannot serve my Gurudeva? For my Gurudeva, I should be prepared to do anything.” She told that rich man, “I am ready to do what you want, but in return I want you to arrange many ingredients so that I can cook and give prasadam to my Gurudeva and all of his disciples.” Hearing this, the rich man became very joyful and gave her more than what she wanted. Taking all that he gave her, she prepared very good prasadam for all the devotees, and everyone was happy.

While Ramanujacarya and all the devotees were resting after prasadam, her husband returned home. He asked her, “Gurudeva and all his disciples have come. How are we going to arrange for their needs?”

She replied, “I have done everything. There is nothing to worry about. They have all taken prasadam and are resting now.”

Her husband asked, “How did you make all those arrangements?”

She began to tell him the story about the lusty neighbor. She said, “I was thinking that my Gurudeva has come; if I cannot serve him, then what is the use of my chastity? So I went and told that lusty man that if he would give me all the ingredients to make very nice prasadam, then I would offer myself. He did as I asked, so now that it is night I must go to him.”

Her husband told her, “I will come with you.”

It was raining at that time, so they took an umbrella and went to the house of that rich person along with the mahaprasadam. The wife entered his home alone, and the man became very happy. The man asked her, “It is raining heavily tonight, and it appears you have come all alone. Didn’t anyone bring you?” She told him, “My husband came with me,” and she gave him the prasadam remnants of Ramanujacarya. The lusty man took those remnants and became totally transformed. He fell flat at the lotus feet of that lady and begged her, “Excuse me. Excuse me.”

The lady and her husband then returned to their house. The next day, their neighbor came to Ramanujacarya and prayed to him, “I want to be initiated by you.” Ramanujacarya then initiated him.

In the meantime, Kuresh arrived in the village of the poor devotee couple where Ramanujacarya was staying. Seeing Kuresh, Ramanujacarya called out his name. Kuresh went to his Gurudeva and wanted to take his darsana, but he had no eyes. Ramanujacarya put his hand over Kuresh’s wounds and two eyes at once manifested. He could see again.

Afterward, Ramanujacarya went to North India. After traveling for a long time, he eventually arrived in Kashmir. He went to Sarada-pith, the place of Sarada-devi, where he came across the Bodhayana-bhasya (commentary) of Vedanta-sutra. This Bodhayana commentary contained Vaisnava philosophical conclusions, not Mayavada theories. In the library at Sarada-pith he read that commentary, and in the night he took that book. and escaped with Kuresh

They fled from there, but the Kashmiri pandits followed them. Finally, the pandits took the book and returned to their own place. Ramanujacarya was very unhappy, but Kuresh told him, “Gurudeva, do not be unhappy. I have also read that book, and I remember all its contents. I will write them down.” Later he did this, and he gave the writings to Ramanujacarya. Ramanujacarya then wrote his Sri-bhasya on Vedanta-sutra [* See Endnote] and fulfilled the three desires of his Gurudeva, Yamunacarya.

[When Sri Ramanujacarya officially became the acarya, he began very strongly preaching the cult of Sri Yamunacarya. In South India, two impersonalist sects are very prominent: Saiva and Sankaracarya. Sankaracarya’s followers subscribe to the Vedanta sutras like "sarvam kalvidam brahma" and "tat tvam asi." They think themselves impersonal brahma (God), and they think everything comes from brahma. The Saiva School considers Lord Siva to be the ultimate truth, and they want to merge into him. This is the basic difference between the two. Sri Ramanujacarya refuted and defeated all impersonalism by his very strong and effective preaching.]

Gaura premanande

[*Endnote: Sri Ramanujacarya has also refuted the arguments of Sankara in his own commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, which is known as the Sri-bhasya: "Sri Sankaracarya has tried to equate the Pancaratras with the philosophy of the atheist Kapila, and thus he has tried to prove that the Pancaratras contradict the Vedic injunctions. The Pancaratras state that the personality of jiva called Sankarsana has emerged from Vasudeva, the supreme cause of all causes, that Pradyumna, the mind, has come from Sankarsana, and that Aniruddha, the ego, has come from Pradyumna. But one cannot say that the living entity (jiva) takes birth or is created, for such a statement is against the injunction of the Vedas. As stated in the Katha Upanisad (2.18), living entities, as individual spiritual souls, can have neither birth nor death. All Vedic literature declares that the living entities are eternal. Therefore when it is said that Sankarsana is jiva, this indicates that He is the predominating Deity of the living entities. Similarly, Pradyumna is the predominating Deity of the mind, and Aniruddha is the predominating Deity of the ego.

"It has been said that Pradyumna, the mind, was produced from Sankarsana. But if Sankarsana were a living entity, this could not be accepted, because a living entity cannot be the cause of the mind. The Vedic injunctions state that everything-including life, mind and the senses-comes from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is impossible for the mind to be produced by a living entity, for the Vedas state that everything comes from the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Lord.

"Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha have all the potent features of the absolute Personality of Godhead, according to the revealed scriptures, which contain undeniable facts that no one can refute. Therefore these members of the quadruple manifestation are never to be considered ordinary living beings. Each of Them is a plenary expansion of the Absolute Godhead, and thus each is identical with the Supreme Lord in knowledge, opulence, energy, influence, prowess and potencies.

“The evidence of the Pancaratras cannot be neglected. Only untrained persons who have not genuinely studied the Pancaratras think that the Pancaratras contradict the srutis regarding the birth or beginning of the living entity. In this connection, we must accept the verdict of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which says, `The absolute Personality of Godhead, who is known as Vasudeva and who is very affectionate toward His surrendered devotees, expands Himself in quadruple forms who are subordinate to Him and at the same time identical with Him in all respects.' The Pauskara-samhita states, `The scriptures that recommend that brahmanas worship the quadruple forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are called agamas [authorized Vedic literatures].' In all Vaisnava literature it is said that worshiping these quadruple forms is as good as worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vasudeva, who in His different expansions, complete in six opulences, can accept offerings from His devotees of the results of their prescribed duties.

“Worshiping the expansions for pastimes, such as Nrsimha, Rama, Sesa and Kurma, promotes one to the worship of the Sankarsana quadruple. From that position one is raised to the platform of worshiping Vasudeva, the Supreme Brahman. In the Pauskara-samhita it is said, `If one fully worships according to the regulative principles, one can attain the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva.' It is to be accepted that Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are as good as Lord Vasudeva, for They all have inconceivable power and can accept transcendental forms like Vasudeva. Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are never born, but They can manifest Themselves in various incarnations before the eyes of pure devotees. This is the conclusion of all Vedic literature.

“That the Lord can manifest Himself before His devotees by His inconceivable power is not against the teaching of the Pancaratras. Since Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are, respectively, the predominating Deities of all living entities, the total mind and the total ego, the designation of Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha as `jiva,' `mind' and `ego' are never contradictory to the statements of the scriptures. These terms identify these Deities, just as the terms `sky' and `light' sometimes identify the Absolute Brahman.

"The scriptures completely deny the birth or production of the living entity. In the Parama-samhita it is described that material nature, which is used for others' purposes, is factually inert and always subject to transformation. The field of material nature is the arena of the activities of fruitive actors, and since the material field is externally related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is also eternal. In every samhita, the jiva (living entity) has been accepted as eternal, and in the Pancaratras the birth of the jiva is completely denied. Anything that is produced must also be annihilated. Therefore if we accept the birth of the living entity, we also have to accept his annihilation. But since the Vedic literatures say that the living entity is eternal, one should not think the living being to be produced at a certain time. In the beginning of the Parama-samhita it is definitely stated that the face of material nature is constantly changeable. Therefore `beginning,' `annihilation' and all such terms are applicable only in the material nature.

"Considering all these points, one should understand that Sankaracarya's statement that Sankarsana is born as a jiva is completely against the Vedic statements. His assertions are completely refuted by the above arguments. In this connection the commentary of Sridhara Svami on Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.1.34) is very helpful."

For a detailed refutation of Sankaracarya's arguments attempting to prove Sankarsana an ordinary living being, one may refer to Srimat Sudarsanacarya's commentary on the Sri-bhasya, which is known as the Sruta-prakasika. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila, 5.41 purport by Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)]

Krishna Thesaurus

Krishna Consciousness noun    Synonyms: bhakti-yoga, devotional service, Vaishnavism, Hare Krishna, monotheism, pure knowledge, pure goodness, Vasudeva sattva, samadhi, spiritualism, love, redemption    Antonyms: materialism, atheism, ignorance, delusion, evil, hate, ruin