Hare Krishna japa
June 12, 2015 Leave a comment
Chaitanya Charitamrita – passing away of Haridasa Thakura
June 12, 2015 Leave a comment
http://vedabase.net/cc/antya/11/en
CC Antya 11.16: One day Govinda, the personal servant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, went in great jubilation to deliver the remnants of Lord Jagannātha‘s food to Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
CC Antya 11.17: When Govinda came to Haridāsa, he saw that Haridāsa Ṭhākura was lying on his back and chanting his rounds very slowly.
CC Antya 11.18: “Please rise and take your mahā–prasādam,” Govinda said.Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, “Today I shall observe fasting.
CC Antya 11.19: “I have not finished chanting my regular number of rounds. How, then, can I eat? But you have brought mahā–prasādam, and how can I neglect it?”
CC Antya 11.20: Saying this, he offered prayers to the mahā–prasādam, took a little portion, and ate it.
CC Antya 11.21: The next day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Haridāsa‘s place and inquired from him, “Haridāsa, are you well?”
CC Antya 11.22: Haridāsa offered his obeisances to the Lord and replied, “My body is all right, but my mind and intelligence are not well.”
CC Antya 11.23: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu further inquired from Haridāsa, “Can you ascertain what your disease is?”Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, “My disease is that I cannot complete my rounds.”
CC Antya 11.24: “Now that you have become old,” the Lord said, “you may reduce the number of rounds you chant daily. You are already liberated, and therefore you need not follow the regulative principles very strictly.
CC Antya 11.25: “Your role in this incarnation is to deliver the people in general. You have sufficiently preached the glories of the holy name in this world.”
CC Antya 11.26: The Lord concluded, “Now, therefore, please reduce the fixed number of times you chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā–mantra.”Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, “Kindly hear my real plea.
CC Antya 11.27: “I was born in an inferior family, and my body is most abominable. I always engage in low work. Therefore, I am the lowest, most condemned of men.
CC Antya 11.28: “I am unseeable and untouchable, but You have accepted me as Your servant. This means that You have delivered me from a hellish condition and raised me to the Vaikuṇṭha platform.
CC Antya 11.29: “My dear Lord, You are the fully independent Personality of Godhead. You act by Your own free will. You cause the whole world to dance and act as You like.
CC Antya 11.30: “My dear Lord, by Your mercy You have made me dance in many ways. For example, I was offered the śrāddha–pātra, which should have been offered to first-class brāhmaṇas. I ate from it even though I was born in a family of meat-eaters.
CC Antya 11.31: “I have had one desire for a very long time. I think that quite soon, my Lord, You will bring to a close Your pastimes within this material world.
CC Antya 11.32: “I wish that You not show me this closing chapter of Your pastimes. Before that time comes, kindly let my body fall down in Your presence.
CC Antya 11.33: “I wish to catch Your lotuslike feet upon my heart and see Your moonlike face.
CC Antya 11.34: “With my tongue I shall chant Your holy name, ‘Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya!’ That is my desire. Kindly let me give up my body in this way.
CC Antya 11.35: “O most merciful Lord, if by Your mercy it is possible, kindly grant my desire.
CC Antya 11.36: “Let this lowborn body fall down before You. You can make possible this perfection of all my desires.”
CC Antya 11.37: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “My dear Haridāsa, Kṛṣṇa is so merciful that He must execute whatever you want.
CC Antya 11.38: “But whatever happiness is Mine is all due to your association. It is not fitting for you to go away and leave Me behind.”
CC Antya 11.39: Catching the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “My Lord, do not create an illusion! Although I am so fallen, You must certainly show me this mercy!
CC Antya 11.40: “My Lord, there are many respectable personalities, millions of devotees, who are fit to sit on my head. They are all helpful in Your pastimes.
CC Antya 11.41: “My Lord, if an insignificant insect like me dies, what is the loss? If an ant dies, where is the loss to the material world?
CC Antya 11.42: “My Lord, You are always affectionate to Your devotees. I am just an imitation devotee, but nevertheless I wish that You fulfill my desire. That is my expectation.”
CC Antya 11.43: Because He had to perform His noon duties, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu got up to leave, but it was settled that the following day, after He saw Lord Jagannātha, He would return to visit Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
CC Antya 11.44: After embracing him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left to perform His noon duties and went to the sea to take His bath.
CC Antya 11.45: The next morning, after visiting the Jagannātha temple, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, accompanied by all His devotees, went hastily to see Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
CC Antya 11.46: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the devotees came before Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who offered his respects to the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the Vaiṣṇavas.
CC Antya 11.47: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, “My dear Haridāsa, what is the news?”Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, “My Lord, whatever mercy You can bestow upon me.”
CC Antya 11.48: Upon hearing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately began great congregational chanting in the courtyard. Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was the chief dancer.
CC Antya 11.49: Headed by Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, all the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu surrounded Haridāsa Ṭhākura and began congregational chanting.
CC Antya 11.50: In front of all the great devotees like Rāmānanda Rāya and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to describe the holy attributes of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
CC Antya 11.51: As He described the transcendental attributes of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu seemed to possess five mouths. The more He described, the more His great happiness increased.
CC Antya 11.52: After hearing of the transcendental qualities of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, all the devotees present were struck with wonder. They all offered their respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
CC Antya 11.53: Haridāsa Ṭhākura made Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sit down in front of him, and then he fixed his eyes, like two bumblebees, on the lotus face of the Lord.
CC Antya 11.54: He held the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu on his heart and then took the dust of the feet of all the devotees present and put it on his head.
CC Antya 11.55: He began to chant the holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya again and again. As he drank the sweetness of the face of the Lord, tears constantly glided down from his eyes.
CC Antya 11.56: While chanting the holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, he gave up his air of life and left his body.
CC Antya 11.57: Seeing the wonderful death of Haridāsa Ṭhākura by his own will, which was just like a great mystic yogī‘s, everyone remembered the passing away of Bhīṣma.
CC Antya 11.58: There was a tumultuous noise as they all chanted the holy names “Hari” and “Kṛṣṇa.” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became overwhelmed with ecstatic love.
CC Antya 11.59: The Lord raised the body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura and placed it on His lap. Then He began to dance in the courtyard in great ecstatic love.
CC Antya 11.60: Because of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu‘s ecstatic love, all the devotees were helpless, and in ecstatic love they also began to dance and chant congregationally.
CC Antya 11.61: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced for some time, and then Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī informed Him of other rituals for the body of Ṭhākura Haridāsa.
CC Antya 11.62: The body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura was then raised onto a carrier that resembled an airship and taken to the sea, accompanied by congregational chanting.
CC Antya 11.63: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced in front of the procession, and Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, along with the other devotees, chanted and danced behind Him.
CC Antya 11.64: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bathed the body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura in the sea and then declared, “From this day on, this sea has become a great pilgrimage site.”
CC Antya 11.65: Everyone drank the water that had touched the lotus feet of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and then they smeared remnants of Lord Jagannātha‘s sandalwood pulp over Haridāsa Ṭhākura‘s body.
CC Antya 11.66: After a hole was dug in the sand, the body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura was placed into it. Remnants from Lord Jagannātha, such as His silken ropes, sandalwood pulp, food and cloth, were placed on the body.
CC Antya 11.67: All around the body, the devotees performed congregational chanting, and Vakreśvara Paṇḍita danced in jubilation.
CC Antya 11.68: With His transcendental hands, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally covered the body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura with sand, chanting “Haribol! Haribol!”
CC Antya 11.69: The devotees covered the body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura with sand and then constructed a platform upon the site. The platform was protected all around by fencing.
CC Antya 11.70: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced and chanted all around the platform, and as the holy name of Hari roared tumultuously, the whole universe became filled with the vibration.
CC Antya 11.71: After sańkīrtana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bathed in the sea with His devotees, swimming and playing in the water in great jubilation.
CC Antya 11.72: After circumambulating the tomb of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the Siḿha–dvāra gate of the Jagannātha temple. The whole city chanted in congregation, and the tumultuous sound vibrated all over the city.
CC Antya 11.73: Approaching the Siḿha–dvāra gate, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu spread His cloth and began to beg prasādam from all the shopkeepers there.
CC Antya 11.74: “I am begging prasādam for a festival honoring the passing away of Haridāsa Ṭhākura,” the Lord said. “Please give Me alms.”
CC Antya 11.75: Hearing this, all the shopkeepers immediately came forward with big baskets of prasādam, which they jubilantly delivered to Lord Caitanya.
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CC Antya 11.89: After all the devotees finished accepting prasādam and had washed their hands and mouths, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu decorated each of them with a flower garland and sandalwood pulp.
CC Antya 11.90: Overwhelmed with ecstatic love, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered a benediction to all the devotees, which all the devotees heard with great satisfaction.
CC Antya 11.91-93: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave this benediction: “Anyone who has seen the festival of Śrī Haridāsa Ṭhākura‘s passing away, anyone who has chanted and danced here, anyone who has offered sand on the body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and anyone who has joined this festival to partake of the prasādam will achieve the favor of Kṛṣṇa very soon. There is such wonderful power in seeing Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
CC Antya 11.94: “Being merciful upon Me, Kṛṣṇa gave Me the association of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Being independent in His desires, He has now broken that association.
CC Antya 11.95: “When Haridāsa Ṭhākura wanted to leave this material world, it was not within My power to detain him.
CC Antya 11.96: “Simply by his will, Haridāsa Ṭhākura could give up his life and go away, exactly like Bhīṣma, who previously died simply by his own desire, as we have heard from śāstra.
CC Antya 11.97: “Haridāsa Ṭhākura was the crown jewel on the head of this world; without him, this world is now bereft of its valuable jewel.”
CC Antya 11.98: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then told everyone, “Say ‘All glories to Haridāsa Ṭhākura!’ and chant the holy name of Hari.” Saying this, He personally began to dance.
CC Antya 11.99: Everyone began to chant, “All glories to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who revealed the importance of chanting the holy name of the Lord!”
CC Antya 11.100: Thereafter, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bade farewell to all the devotees, and He Himself, with mixed feelings of happiness and distress, took rest.
CC Antya 11.101: Thus I have spoken about the victorious passing away of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Anyone who hears this narration will certainly fix his mind firmly in devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.
Ramana Maharshi
June 12, 2015 Leave a comment
From Ram Dass – Be Love Now:
“Eventually an all-purpose hall was built with a bed where Ramana sat, gave darshan, and slept. It was open to anyone who came seeking darshan as well as squirrels, monkeys, and a cow, named Lakshmi, who got her pick of the food and fruit offerings. Gradually more buildings were constructed at Ramanashram, as it came to be called, to accommodate an increasing number of devotees.
Until the mid-1930s it was a very quiet scene. Ramana’s younger brother, Nagasundaram, joined him and became a swami. He did the cooking, though Ramana also worked in the kitchen himself, coming in between 2:30 and 4 AM to cut vegetables and prepare breakfast. The saint allowed no special treatment and was himself a demanding, skillful cook.
During the day Ramana saw visitors, a cross section ranging from illiterate families to erudite scholars, comforting and counseling them in the several languages of South India. People asked advice on everything from spiritual matters to lawsuits and personal health. At times he would get a faraway look, and there would be extended periods during which everyone in the room would be lost in deep silence. By evening the silence grew pervasive, talk ceased, and peace bathed the room.
In later years the Maharshi attracted seekers from all over the world who came for his darshan at Arunachala. He taught in simple Socratic dialogues, the penetrating clarity of his words interlaced with gentle humor, deep affection, and his love for the Supreme. Although his method of self-enquiry is through the intellect, his devotional poems to Arunachala rank among the most beautiful and moving bhakti poetry.”
Swami Sivananda – Glory of Ramanama
June 12, 2015 Leave a comment
The Name of Sri Rama is sweeter than the sweetest objects. It is the haven of peace. It is the very life of pure souls. It is the purifier of all purifying agencies. It quenches the consuming fire of worldly desires. It awakens the knowledge of God which is dormant in our hearts. It bathes the aspirant in the ocean of divine bliss. Glory to Sri Rama and His Name.
Blessed is the pious soul who drinks uninterrupted the nectar of Sri Rama’s Name, which has been churned out of the ocean of the Vedas, which removes the impurities of Kali Yuga or the iron age, which lives constantly on the tongue of Lord Siva, which is a sovereign remedy or unfailing specific to cure the disease of worldly existence and is life itself to mother Janaki.
Tulsidas says, “Name is even superior to the Lord because the Aguna and Saguna aspects are tasted and realised by the power of Name. Rama delivered from the curse a single lady, Ahalya, whereas His Name has purified crores of wicked men! Rama gave salvation to two of his faithful servants, Jatayu and Sabari, but the Name has been the saviour of countless wicked persons.”
He further says, “The two sweet fascinating letters RA and MA are like the two eyes of the alphabet and the very life-breath of the devotees. They are easy to remember and delightful to all. They are beneficial in this world and sustain us in the other world.” He tells the Sadhaka thus: “Put this jewel—Light of Rama-Nama at the gate of your door—the tongue, if you want to illuminate yourself, both inside and outside. All the world knows that by uttering the Name even in the opposite way, as ‘Mara, Mara’ instead of Rama, Rama’, the great saint Valmiki became Brahman Himself.” When such is the glory of the repetition of the Lord’s Name in the opposite way, then what to speak of the utterance of the right and proper Name!
The means by which Sri Rama can be reached is to take His Name and to remain saturated in it. Always remain drunk, imbibing the Lord’s sweet Name. Let no ideas of purity or impurity enter your mind. There is no unholy object in this world. Should there be any, it becomes the holiest of the holy by contact with the Lord’s Name. Illusion, notwithstanding all her efforts, fails to get hold of him who remains deeply absorbed in the Lord’s Name and love. Glory to Lord Rama! Adorations to Sri Rama! Prostrations to Sri Rama!
Ram Dass, Rameshwar Das
November 25, 2014 Leave a comment
29:30 to 34:45
“If I’m having a moment, and I don’t quite know what to do, I just surrender, surrender to Maharajji, surrender to his grace.”
Radhanath Swami – Srimad Bhagavatam
November 24, 2014 Leave a comment
1:08:30 to 1:12:45
“If you are 5 years old, and you were thrown into a pit of venomous snakes, … he just said – ‘just let me serve you, my Lord’ “
Krishna Das – Maharajji
November 19, 2014 Leave a comment
42:15 to 49:30
“Maharajji used to say – a person should wear themselves out and not rust away.”
Swami Chidananda – bhajan
November 14, 2014 Leave a comment
Swami Chidananda – Jis Hal Me, Jis Desh Me
November 13, 2014 Leave a comment
Audio: http://www.chidananda.org/view.php?rID=83
“… And the best spiritual sadhana is to always keep repeating the divine name of the Lord, and to be in constant remembrance of God. No matter where you are, what your condition is, what you are engaged in doing, always, everywhere, at all times, and in all conditions, remember God and repeat his name.
jis hal me, jis desh me, jis vesh me raho
radha raman radha raman radha raman kaho
jis kaal me, jis dhaal me, jis gaal me raho
radha raman radha raman radha raman kaho
jis sang me, jis rang me, jis dhang me raho
radha raman radha raman radha raman kaho
jis yog me, jis bhog me, jis rog me raho
radha raman radha raman radha raman kaho”
Radhanath Swami – Srimad Bhagavatam
November 6, 2014 Leave a comment
25:45 to 27:45
“And that’s a question every moment of life we can be reciprocating with Krishna through asking.”
Krishna Das
November 2, 2014 Leave a comment
“… grace is always here, and it includes the forgetting and the remembering.”
“That’s why I always talk about doing practice, because the practice is the opening of the hand to catch the raindrops which are always falling.”
Krishna Das
October 30, 2014 Leave a comment
“From repeating the names of God, in this case, he said, the name of Ram, everything is brought to completion, to fullness. Everything is made complete. ”
“Just simply be here. And when you notice you’re not, you already are. Then go back into the singing, with a little more intensity, not harshly, just a little more attention. As soon as you notice you’re not, come back.”
Ram Dass, Surya Das
October 28, 2014 Leave a comment
0 to 4:30
about practice: “It’s remembering, it’s remembering, it’s remembering, it’s remembering. If each moment of your life is remembering God, … ”
“… this minute is a stepping stone”
Swami Chidananda – Ram Bhajan
October 27, 2014 Leave a comment
Swami Chidananda – Daily practice
October 20, 2014 Leave a comment
http://www.dlshq.org/religions/despair.htm
“Holy Master frequently used to write as well as say: “Nil desperandum! – Never despair!” Never despair because grace is at hand. God will never abandon you. Even when you think that you are finished, your spiritual life is ruined, you have lost everything, all your efforts to overcome yourself have been to no purpose, you are defeated, beaten, routed, even when you are in such a condition, God’s grace comes and saves the situation and raises you up from defeat to victory.
This fact is brought out in the manifestation of God in the form of Lord Kartikeya. Even when Lord Siva appears to be completely absorbed in deep meditation on His own blissful Divinity, He is not oblivious of the welfare of this projected phenomenal appearance, and comes out from the deepest meditation. The emergence of Kartikeya is one outstanding example of this fact. He responds to the supplication of the defeated gods.
Kartikeya is supreme grace from the absolute, the transcendental Universal Spirit. He is also all-pervading, indwelling and ever-present. His grace manifests within your own heart as right enquiry and right discrimination. When you are in great extremity, suddenly an idea flashes in your heart: “This is what I must do at this moment.” This is grace actively working within you. Grace is ever at hand. Hence the expression of the Holy Master: Never despair!” Struggle on! Never give up!
I came across a poem “Don’t Quit!” It says, when you think that you are about to fail, it is only then that help is nearest at hand in a trice. The so-called defeat will immediately become victory. You will come out successful, for grace is always at hand. Therefore, don’t quit. Arise, awake and attain Illumination, become liberated. That is why you are here. Fulfil your divine destiny! Grace is ever at hand.”
Radhanath Swami – Srimad Bhagavatam: service
October 18, 2014 Leave a comment
12:00 to 15:15
“And there is no situation that can prevent us from thinking that way, and acting accordingly.”
Ram Dass, Krishna Das
October 1, 2014 Leave a comment
about Maharajji – “He said – ‘Dada, if I’ve done one thing this life, I’ve remained wherever Ram has placed me.’ He had no desire or will of his own. Everything had been transformed into Ram, into God.”
Ram Dass, Surya Das
September 27, 2014 Leave a comment
“Each moment is a moment with God. Each moment is a moment in God.”
Ram Dass, Shivaya – about Neem Karoli Baba
September 21, 2014 Leave a comment
“That’s why I don’t freak in my life, because everything will be all right.”
Swami Chidananda – Song of Chidananda
September 18, 2014 Leave a comment
Audio – http://www.chidananda.org/view.php?rID=112
“In this manner, if you immerse yourself in the Name of the Lord, constant remembrance and devotion, then He will reveal Himself to you, and He will give you the experience of your own real nature, He will grant you atma-jnan. Then you will be able to know yourself – I am not this body, not this mind, not this intellect, but I am sat-chit-ananda Atman. This is the grand experience you will attain, and become fearless and free, and liberated from all sorrow, pain and suffering. Here is the experience:
Chidananda chidananda chidananda hoon
Har haal mein almast sat-chit-ananda hoon
Ajarananda amarananda achalananda hoon
Har haal mein almast sat-chit-ananda hoon
Nirbhaya aur nishchinta chitghanananda hoon
Kaivalya kevala kutastha ananda hoon
Nitya shuddha siddha sat-chit-ananda hoon
Knowledge-Bliss Knowledge-Bliss Bliss-Absolute
In all conditions I am Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute”
Swami Chidananda – Bhagavad Gita, Yoga
September 17, 2014 Leave a comment
… We all know that classical Indian spiritual tradition speaks of four yogas—channelising our action potential through karma yoga for God-realisation, channelising our sentiment and emotion potential for realising God through bhakti yoga, channelising our mind’s power of concentration for attaining God-realisation through raja yoga, through meditation, and channelising our intellectual potential of analysis, logic, discrimination and reasoning to attain illumination through jnana yoga. But in the Gita we witness a strange phenomenon in that 18 yogas are mentioned, one for each chapter. It speaks only about yoga. What is this strange phenomenon? There are four classical yogas and here we have 18 yogas. Everything is yoga. He covers the whole of human life in His teaching.
What is that central teaching? The central teaching is that, in fact, all life is yoga. Life is to be lived as the great sadhana, the great yoga. All actions constitute yoga. Everything that you think is yoga. Everything that you speak is yoga. Everything that you do is yoga. That is why everything that you think should be thought of as yoga. That is why everything that you utter should be regarded as yoga. That is why everything that you do must be done as yoga.
There is nothing else in life except yoga and yoga alone. All of life is yoga. Life is the great sadhana. Life is the supreme yoga, every part of it. Life is to be lived as such. That is why it was given. Each and every one of our actions from morning till evening should have a Godward thrust; they are to be engaged in for attaining illumination. Everything in our life is and ought to be enlightenment oriented. Breathing, sitting, standing, running, resting, working, lying, waking, dreaming, sleeping, all constitute that one single process—yoga.
So there are not merely 18 yogas. There are innumerable yogas every moment. Everything is to be regarded as yoga; it is not just eighteen. The number of yogas is legion. This is to be grasped. This is the great truth about you, about each and every one of us.
ClustrMaps
Thoughts 