Dipavali (Diwali)

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Dipavali means a time of happiness. When Lord Rama defeated Ravana and reached Ayodhya, a big Dipavali festival was performed there. Sri Vamanadeva wanted to cheat Bali Maharaja. He did not cheat him; rather He gave His mercy, although it seemed that He was cheating. When Bali Maharaja was offered a benediction from the Lord, he requested, “Always remain in my home.” In this way the Lord Himself was “cheated.” Lord Vamanadeva was very glad, and He agreed to stay there forever. Due to great happiness, Bali Maharaja then asked all his associates to hold a Dipavali festival, and that was the first Dipavali. When Krsna defeated Duryodhana and returned to Dvaraka, a Dipavali was also celebrated there.

Lord Krsna Himself, along with Mother Yasoda, Nanda Baba and all the other Vrajavasis, came here to Manasa-ganga, and celebrated this festival with their own hands. In other words they themselves offered dipa (a lighted ghee wick) and rendered many other services.

Dipavali also means light. If there is no bhajana of Krsna there is darkness, and in Krsna Consciousness there is light. We celebrate this function in order to give up darkness and to bring the light of bhakti, pure devotion. This is the same celebration. Real happiness comes from playing karatalas and mrdangas. If one hears this, and if maya hears, maya will go away at once. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu brought the saìkirtana movement to this world to drive out maya. Sri Krsna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu celebrate this Dipavali Themselves, and we should try to follow Them.

The Story of Ekadasi

(This article was originally written in 1956 by Sri Navincandra Cakravarti, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura and in 1979 translated into English by Vyenkata dasa brahmacari.) Many devotees are very inquisitive about the appearance of Sri Ekadasi and about her special characteristics. Therefore I am presenting this description from the fourteenth chapter of the Padma Purana, from the section entitled "Kriya-sagara-sara." Once the great sage Jaimini Rsi said to his spiritual master Srila Vyasadeva, "Oh Gurudeva! Previously, by your mercy, you described to me thehistory of the glories of the Ganga river, the benefits of worshipping Vishnu, the giving of grains in charity, the giving of water in charity, and the magnanimity of drinking the water that has washed the feet of the brahmanas. O best of the sages, Sri Gurudeva, now, with great enthusiasm, I desire to hear the benefits of fasting on Ekadasi and the appearance of Ekadasi. kasmad ekadasi jata tasyah ko va vidhir dvija kada va kriyate kim va phalam kim va vadasva me ka va pujyatama tatra devata sad-gunarnava akurvatah syat ko dosa etan me vaktum arhasi "Oh Gurudeva! When did Ekadasi take birth and from whom did she appear? What are the rules of fasting on the Ekadasi? Please describe the benefits of following this vow and when it should be followed. Who is the utmost worshippable presiding deity of Sri Ekadasi? What are the faults in not following Ekadasi properly? Please bestow your mercyupon me and tell about these subjects, as you are the only personality able to do so." Srila Vyasadeva, upon hearing this enquiry of Jaimini Rsi, became situated in transcendental bliss. "Oh brahmana sage Jaimini! The results of following Ekadasi can only be perfectly described by the Supreme Lord, Narayana, because Sri Narayana is the only personality capable of describing them in full. But I will give a very brief description in answer to your question." "At the beginning of the material creation, the Supreme Lord created the moving and nonmoving living entities within this world made of five gross material elements. Simultaneously, for the purpose of punishing the humans beings, He created a personality whose form was the embodiment of sin (Papapurusha). The different limbs of this personality were constructed of the various sinful activities. His head head was made of the sin of murdering a brahmana, his two eyes were the form of the sin of drinking intoxicants, his mouth was made of the sin of stealing gold, his ears were the form of the sin of having illicit connection with the spiritual master's wife, his nose of the sin of killing one's wife, his arms the form of the sin of killing a cow, his neck made of the sin of stealing accumulated wealth, his chest of the sin of abortion, his lower chest of the sin of having sex with another's wife, his stomach of the sin of killing one's relatives, his navel of the sin of killing those who are dependent on him, his waist of the sin of self appraisal, his thighs of the sin of offending the guru, his genital of the sin of selling one's daughter, his buttocks of the sin of telling confidential matters, his feet of the sin of killing one's father, and his hair the form of lesser, less severe sinful activities. In this way, a horrible personality embodying all the sinful activities and vices was created. His bodily colour is black, and his eyes are yellow. He inflicts extreme misery upon sinful persons." "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, upon seeing this personality of sin, began to think to Himself as follows: 'I am the creator of the miseries and happiness for the living entities. I am their master because I have created this personality of sin, who gives distress to all dishonest, deceitful, and sinful persons. Now I must create someone who will control this personality.' At this time Sri Bhagavan created the personality known as Yamaraj and the different hellishj planetary systems. Those living entities who are very sinful will be sent after death to Yamaraj, who will in turn, according to their sins, send them tom a hellish region to suffer. "After these adjustments had been made, the Supreme Lord, who is the giver of distress and happiness to the living entities, went to the house of Yamaraj, with the help of Garuda, theking of birds. When Yamaraj saw that Lord Vishnu had arrived, he immediately washed His feet and made an offering unto Him. He then had Him sit upon a golden throne. The Supreme Lord, Vishnu, became seated on the throne, whereupon He heard very loud crying sounds coming from the southern direction. He became surprised by this and thus enquired from Yamaraj, 'From where is this loud crying coming?' "Yamaraj in reply said, 'Oh Deva! The different living entities of the earthly planetary systems have fallen into the hellish regions. They are suffering extremely for their misdeeds. The horrible crying is because of suffering from the inflictions of their past bad karma (actions).' "After hearing this the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, went to the hellish region to the south. When the inhabitants saw who had come they began to cry even louder. The heart of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, became filled with compassion. Lord Vishnu thought to Himself, 'I have created all this progeny, and it is because of Me thatthey are suffering.'" Srila Vyasadeva continued: "Oh Jaimini, just listen to what the Supreme Lord did next. etac canyac ca viprarse vicintya karunamayah babhuva sahasa tatra svayam ekadasi tithih 'After the merciful Supreme Lord thought over what He had previously considered, He suddenly manifested from His own form the deity of the lunar day Ekadasi.' Afterwards the different sinful living entities began to follow the vow of Ekadasi and were then elevated quickly to the abode of Vaikuntha. Oh my child Jaimini, therefore the lunar day of Ekadasi is the selfsame form of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, and the Supersoul within the heart of the living entities. Sri Ekadasi is the utmost pios activity and is situated as the haed among all vows. "Following the ascension of Sri Ekadasi, that personality who is the form of the sinful activity gradually saw the influence she had. He approached Lord Vishnu with doubts in his heart and began offering many prayers, whereupon Lord Vishnu became very pleased and said, ' I have become very pleased by your nice offerings. What boon is it that you want?' "The Papapurusha replied, 'I am your created progeny, and it is through me that you wanted distress given to the living entities who are very sinful. But now, by the influence of Sri Ekadasi, I have become all but destroyed. Oh Prabhu! After I die all of Your parts andparcels who have accepted material bodies will become liberated and therefore return to the abode of Vaikuntha. If this liberation of all living entities takes place, then who will carry on Your activities? There will be no one to enact the pastimes in the earthly planetary systems! Oh Keshava! If You want these eternal pastimes to carry on, then You please save me from the fear of Ekadasi. No type of pious activity can bind me. But Ekadasi only, being Yourown manifested form, can impede me. Out of fear of Sri Ekadasi I have fled and taken shelter of men; animals; insects; hills; trees; moving and nonmoving living entities; rivers; oceans; forests; heavenly, earthly, and hellish planetary systems; demigods; and the Gandarvas. I cannot find a place where I can be free from fear of Sri Ekadasi. Oh my Master! I am a product of Your creation, so therefore very mercifully direct me to a place where I can reside fearlessly.'" Srila Vyasadeva then said to Jaimini, "After saying this, the embodiment of all sinful activities (Papapurusha) fell down at the feet of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, who is the destroyer of all miseries and began to cry. "After this, Lord Vishnu, observing the condition of the Papapurusha with laughter, began to speak thus: 'Oh Papapurusha! Rise up! Don't lament any longer. Just listen, and I'll tell you where you can stay on the auspicious lunar day of Ekadasi. On the day of Ekadasi, which is the benefactor of the three worlds, you can take shelter of foodstuff in the form of grains. There is no reason to worry about this any more, because My form as Sri Ekadasi Devi will no longer impede you.' After giving direction to the Papapurusha, the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, disappeared and the Papapurusha returned to the performance of his own activities. "Therefore those persons who are serious about the ultimate benefit for the soul will never eat grains on the Ekadasi tithi. According to the instructions of Lord Vishnu, every kind of sinful activity that can be found in the material world takes its residence in this place of foodstuff (grain). Whoever follows Ekadasi is freed from all sins and never enters into hellish regions. If one doesn't follow Ekadasi because of illusion, he is still considered the utmost sinner. For every mouthful of grain that is eaten by a resident of the earthly region, one receives the effect of kiling millions of brahmanas. It is definately necessary that one give up eating grains on Ekadasi. I very strongly say again and again, 'On Ekadasi, don't eat grains, don't eat grains, don't eat grains!' Whether one be a ksatriya, vaisya, shudra, or of any family, he should follow the lunar day of Ekadasi. From this the perfection of varna and ashram will be attained. Especially since even if one by trickery follows Ekadasi, all of his sin become destroyed and he very easily attains the supreme goal, the abode of Vaikuntha."

Life Begins at Conception

According to the Vedic scripture Srimad-bhagavatam, the eternal spirit soul enters a mother's womb at the time of conception. So to abort a pregnancy is to kill a human being. In this modern era many women do not appreciate when a man proselytizes on this topic. So I humbly request all women who agree with the Vedic (and Christian and Muslim) opinion on this issue to help teach this truth.

Krishna is Supreme

Krishna does not want to serve anyone's senses. That is not His business. He's Supreme. He wants that everyone should serve Him. -His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Lord Vishnu

The Vow of Ekadasi

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

The Vow of Ekadasi

Hawaii: May 13, 2000

You are all observing Ekadasi today. We should surely observe Ekadasi – strictly avoiding grains, or anything prepared with any kind of grains, such as wheat, barley, corn, and so on. If you observe Ekadasi, chant the holy name, hear hari-katha in high-class association, always remain with elevated devotees, and perform any of the nine limbs of bhakti, you will never fall down.

Sometimes, due to Kali-yuga and maya, we become weak and cannot follow; that is why we fall down. In any situation, we must not forget to chant and remember Krsna, and also to follow Ekadasi. Even if you are weak, try to strictly follow these principles.

Do you know the reason why waves come and go, and why on special days – from Ekadasi to Purnima and Ekadasi to Amavasya – waves are very high? Even if there is no wind, still, from Ekadasi to the full moon and dark moon, the water increases and there are so many high waves. Why is this? It is due to the moon. Water and waves increase due to the moon. The moon comes nearer on those days, and extracts the water.

Similarly there is some water in our stomachs and bodies. Therefore, if we are not very careful in these five days in every fifteen, the moon will increase all your diseases. You can see in hospitals that most people die within these five days.

We have rasa, or water, within us, and wherever there is liquid, the mood attracts it. Thus, all kinds of diseases increase. However, if we are very careful by following the ancient Indian (or Vedic) process of Ekadasi, this can be controlled very easily. How do we do this? By not drinking water and taking grains. If you are weak, and you are taking water or juice but not grains, then you can save yourself. If you are taking any preparation made from grains, it will absorb the water and become saturated with that water. If you put a stone or wood in water, this will not absorb water, whereas if you give any blotting paper or cotton, it will absorb so much that it will remain fully saturated for the entire day. It will not dry, even in the sun. If you drink water but do not take grains, then like a stone, you will not be affected. However if you take grains, the moon will attract the water, those grains will become saturated with the water, and so many kinds of sickness will come. You may even die; so be careful about this.

Here is another analogy to help us understand. The government allows that within each week there is a one- or two-day holiday. Why have they made one or two holidays? Why not work for all seven days of each week? If you work every day of the seven days, you will be tired and you won’t be able to continue the next day. Similarly, the stomach contains so many worms, which digest what we eat. If you do not give them rest, they are not able to continue digesting and they will become diseased. The whole world is suffering due to not giving the stomach any rest.

Moreover, the most important reason to follow Ekadasi is that Ekadasi is Krsna Himself. Krsna has become Ekadasi. He descends to this world on Ekasasi day, looks after all the people who are observing its vows, and gives special mercy to them. So we must observe Ekadasi.

Once, on the day of Ekadasi, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in Puri with all of His associates like Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda, Nityananda Prabhu, and thousands of other devotees. They were performing kirtana throughout the day and night – remembering Krsna, hearing hari-katha, and not sleeping for even a moment. In the meantime, at about 8:00 in the evening, the pandas (priests) of Jagannatha Puri brought a great quantity of delicious, sweet maha-prasadam and placed it in front of Mahaprabhu and His devotees.

It has been written in the scriptures, like the Puranas and others, that when one receives maha-prasadam he should take it at once, without a moments delay. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the maha-prasadam, He became so happy. He prayed to that maha-prasadam in various ways and performed its parikrama throughout the night. He quoted many slokas from sastra, explaining which he said that even the maha-prasadam taken by hogs, pigs, crows, and dogs is still maha-prasadam; it is so powerful. We should not dishonor it; rather, we should take it. Even if it is rotten or dry, or brought from faraway places, we should still honor it.

When it became morning, Mahaprabhu took bath in the sea along with all His associates, and then told them, “Let us now divide this prasadam and then honor it.”

On the day of Ekadasi, we should honor Ekadasi by not taking grains. Ekadasi is the mother of krsna-bhakti, love and affection. If you do not follow Ekadasi, krsna-bhakti will never come. If you are young and strong, you can fast all day, not taking anything: not fruits, vegetables, juice, or even water. If you are not so strong, or you are sick or old, you can take very few fruits, or juice, or milk. Don’t try to take a large quantity of juice, one or two kilos three or four times a day, or rubady (a sweet), or other preparations. You can take very little, only to maintain your life. Not sleeping at all during the day, and chanting like Srila Haridasa Thakura. Then the fruit of Ekadasi will come.

There are so many examples about Ekadasi in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, such as the story of Ambarisa Maharaja. Maharaja Ambarisa was a very powerful king, who was attacked by an agent of Durvasa Rsi. Durvasa was not an angry person. He is a manifestation of Maha-Sankara (Lord Siva). He was a high-class devotee. He wanted to glorify bhaktas and Ekadasi, so he played a trick, just as Sankara preached mayavada philosophy on the order of Krsna. Sankara did this for the welfare of the whole world.

On our own, we cannot understand why the sage Durvasa did so many apparently cruel things. Actually he is an exalted devotee, always serving and glorifying Krsna. He wanted to give some teachings to us conditioned souls. That is why, just before Dvadasi/paran (the exact time for breaking the Ekadasi fast), he told Maharaja Ambarisa, “I am accepting your invitation to take prasadam here, but first I must take bath in the river and chant my gayatri mantras.” Yamuna was very near, so he went there to take bath and recite prayers, and he intentionally returned late – after the paran (time for breaking fast) time was over. 

We should try to be humble like Ambarisa Maharaja, and very strong in the conclusions of bhakti. He was so humble that for one year he was waiting for when Durvasa would come back thinking, “I must satisfy him first, and then I can take prasada.”  He was so humble:

trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

[“Thinking oneself to be even lower and more worthless than insignificant grass which has been trampled beneath everyone’s feet, being more tolerant than a tree, being pride-less, and offering respect to all others according to their respective positions, one should continuously chant the holy name of Sri Hari.” (Sri Siksastaka, verse 3)]

We should be more humble than a blade of grass which if trampled upon and never protests. We should be more tolerant than trees, whose bark, wood, fruit, shade, and seeds are all for others. Even if you come to cut down the tree, still it will give you shade, fruits, and wood for chairs, beds, etc. Even if it is drying up and dying, still, it will not ask for water. We should be more humble than that tree.

Try to give honor to all, in accordance with their qualifications in bhakti. Don’t desire your own praise. If you are like this, then when you chant and remember, you will be able to attain krsna-prema very easily; otherwise, not.   -from Harikatha newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Try to Find the Absolute Truth

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Back in the 1970's many people were searching for truth. These days it seems not as many are searching. Also more part of the equation today is a concept of fake spirituality that has no connection with God. We accept that the Vedas teach the truth. According to the Vedas there is one eternal Supreme God (Absolute Truth; Bhagavan; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Soul; Krishna; etc.) There are an infinite number of living entities (spirit souls; jivas) who are also eternal. The one Supreme soul is eternally maintaining all other souls. He eternally maintains their spiritual existence; eternally maintains their personal spiritual identities; and eternally satisfies their desires. This is so for the living entities living in the eternal Kingdom of God (spiritual world; Vaikuntha; etc.) as well as the conditioned souls living in this material world. The material world is like a prison (Durga) for the living entities and by the cultivation of Krishna Consciousness the living entities can attain the spiritual world.

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