Original Radha Krishna dieties (5000 yrs old)

RADHA MADAN MOHAN

RADHA GOVIND

RADHA GOPINATH

Uttara wife of Abhimanyu (who was son of Arjuna )

when saw the 3 dieties made by Vishwakarma on the request of her grandson.

said that

Radha madan mohan dieties lotus feet perfectly revealed Krishna lotus feet

Radha Govind diety revealed perfectly Krishnas waist , chest & flute

Radha Gopinath diety revealed perfectly Krishnas beautiful smiling face

This story is nearly 5000 years old

The dieties were found 500 yrs ago & are now worshiped in Vrndavan & Jaipur & karoli

Krishna Conciousness is a Moment to Moment Conciousness

This incident happened with me few months back when Jhulan Yatra had started

As i came to the temple from office i was eager to go & sit in the class.

Then One good devotee stopped me & asked me if i could help him in building the JHULA swing

for the dieties.

As my nature is very adamant & i like to do things my way i was hesitant to do that

but somehow i said yes & i started helping him

The swing was a simple assembly of sticks & wooden rods

I was thinking what kind of simple uncomplicated service is this ? Why i am called for this ?

he can take help of anyone !

anyone can do it !

why i am wasting my time doing this easy task .

I could better hear the lecture ! or do some big complicated service.

as i was thinking this i was losing interest in this service

& was doing it in hesistant , inattentive manner.

Then another thought came to my mind

today is the first day of Jhulan yatra ie the swing festival

where in the gopis make swing for Krishna & Radharani

& i am given the very same service which is taken by Vishaka & Lalita & the other senior sakhis.

a sudden gratitude & shame entered into my heart

I am chosen to build the swing but how unqualified i am ?

& i felt ashamed that i am taking this service cheaply

I smiled with a tear in my eye & i continued helping him

& said to myself "When will i understand what ever i am doing is a direct service to Radha & Krishna "

I have to be moment to moment conscious of Krishna & be attentive & grateful for any service whether small or big

Sincerity of Purpose

He wrote to Brahmänanda in 1967:

I have read your statements regarding opening centers. I am not in agreement with Mr. Altman that we are expanding very thinly. In my opinion, a single sincere soul can maintain a center. You know I started the center at 26 Second Avenue alone. I took the risk of 200.00 dollars per month for the rent. At that time there were no assistants. Mukunda was at that time a friend, but there was no responsibility for him for maintaining the center. Gradually Kirtanananda and Hayagriva joined, but they did not take any responsibility. Still I was maintaining the establishment simply depending on Krishna and then Krishna sent me everything—men and money. Similarly, if a sincere soul goes out and opens a center in any part of the world, Krishna will help him in all respects. Without being empowered by Krishna, nobody can preach Krishna consciousness. It is not academic qualification or financial strength that helps in these matters, but it is sincerity of purpose which helps us always. Therefore, I wish that you will remain in charge of New York, let Satsvarupa be in charge of Boston, let Mukunda be in charge of San Francisco, let Janardana be in charge of Montreal. Let Nandarani and Dayananda be in charge of Los Angeles, and let Subala das be in charge of Santa Fe. In this way you will follow my example as I did in the beginning at 26 Second Ave. That is preaching, cooking, writing, talking, chanting, everything one man’s show. I never thought about the audience. I was prepared to chant if there was no man to hear me. The principle of chanting is to glorify the Lord and not to attract a crowd. If Krishna hears nicely then He will ask some sincere devotees to gather in such place. Therefore, be advised that thousands of centers may be started if we find out a sincere soul for each and every center. We do not require more men to start. If there is one sincere soul that is sufficient to start a new center. … Let us remain sincere to Krishna and His bona fide representative and we are sure to carry out our mission successfully. Hope you are well.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Instructional quote & lessons from above letter

-- take responsibility

-- depend on Krishna & Krishna shall provide all men & money

-- It is not academic qualification or financial strength that helps in these matters, but it is sincerity of purpose which helps us always.

-- That is preaching, cooking, writing, talking, chanting, everything one man’s show

-- The principle of chanting is to glorify the Lord and not to attract a crowd. If Krishna hears nicely then He will ask some sincere devotees to gather in such place

-- We do not require more men to start. If there is one sincere soul that is sufficient to start a new center. … Let us remain sincere to Krishna and His bona fide representative and we are sure to carry out our mission successfully

Co-operation ... what does it actually mean??

one good thought came to my mind

Prabhupad said "You can show your love for me by how much you co-operate "

I thought what it means by co-operation??

just helping or been favourable !!! is that co-operation !

well it could be a low-level of co-operation but real co-operation means MORE than just been good or supportive or have sympathy or admiring or lauding the effort

Then prabhupad himself answered it in one of his letters.

He wrote to Brahmänanda in 1967:

I have read your statements regarding opening centers. I am not in agreement with Mr. Altman that we are expanding very thinly. In my opinion, a single sincere soul can maintain a center. You know I started the center at 26 Second Avenue alone. I took the risk of 200.00 dollars per month for the rent. At that time there were no assistants. Mukunda was at that time a friend, but there was no responsibility for him for maintaining the center. Gradually Kirtanananda and Hayagriva joined, but they did not take any responsibility. Still I was maintaining the establishment simply depending on Krishna and then Krishna sent me everything—men and money.

prabhupad answers that

---- co-operation means to take responsibilities

that is highest level of co-operation.

To shoulder the responsibility of your guru. .... that is real co-operation

As Prabhupad is expecting from devotees in the above letter

so is he expecting from us all that spirit to take responsibilties & execute the orders,projects,tasks as left & deliniated by Him & previous acaryas

...........................And .That shall remain my Meditation.........

The unifying principle in our movement of strong minded persons is submission to and faith in the orders of Srila Prabhupada. Cooperation means becoming humble and subduing our egos. It's difficult, but purifying. We must cooperate because that is one of Srila Prabhupada's most important instructions. Both individually and collectively, we will be lost without it. It is a sign of Srila Prabhupada's success that we have developed strong minds, and a further sign of his success that we continue to live and work and cooperate respectfully together despite our personal and philosophical differences, even though Srila Prabhupada is not physically present to pacify us. If the spirit of cooperating to please Srila Prabhupada is strong, even strong differences can be lived with. .......................... HH Bhaktivikas Swami maharaj

COOPERATION means to be willing to sacrifice for the sake of others.... HH Radhanath Maharaj

Internal reason for Banishing Sita by Lord Ram

"There is a place called Chitrakuta, a beautiful forest on the banks of theMandakini River. I once met a great saint there named Balarama Maharaja. He was a devotee of Rama. I happened to ask him this question, "What is the justification for Rama banning Sita to the forest?" He told me something that was so deep and so esoteric that it can not be fully appreciated by those who are looking at things merely at an external, superficial level. So one may or may not appreciate this answer but it completely fulfilled my heart."

"Vipralambha means separation, and separation intensifies the experience of love. Just like in music, compare how many songs there are about being happy together to the number of songs about having a broken heart. Which are there more of? Why is it that there are so many songs about the pain of separation? Because music is an art, and art is an expression, and the expression of love in separation is a very deep absorption. When somebody is with us we are absorbed in a certain way, but when our loved one is away it increases our remembrance, thoughts and absorption in that person. It is true that when ones beloved is away one is always thinking of their beloved and searching for them. When Rama was with Sita he was seeing her in one place. But when Rama was away from Sita and Sita was away from Rama he would see Sita in the trees and she would see Rama in the clouds, everywhere. When we are together the love of our heart goes out towards the beloved. In separation that love goes deeper and deeper and deeper into the very core of our heart. And it is intensified. On the spiritual platform love is not determined by our physical proximity. Our connection to God or Rama is to the degree that we are internally absorbed in the thought of Rama. And when our love is intense, the Lord accepts it from within our heart. That love may be intense when the Lord stands before us, but it is even more intense when the Lord is not standing before us. When there is that longing, that deep deep absorption, then the Lord is embracing us and reciprocating with us from within."

"So we read from the Vedas, Puranas and Bhagavatam that this love in separation is very special and deep and that it's a direct personal relationship with God. If you have readSrimad Bhagavatam, the Gopis, they are considered the highest devotees of the Srimad Bhagavatam as their love for Krishna was so deep. Krishna lived with them for about twelve years. And then he left and went to another place. The Gopis were in deep separation as Krishna was living in Dwarka and they couldn't see him for a long time. Krishna revealed His heart and said that the reason I am separate from them is because their love in separation for me it is so intense, so internalized, that their love and my reciprocation with that love in their hearts cannot be any more. If I were to stand before them it would only interrupt the intensity of that love that we are having within the hearts of each other. Still he went, but after some time."

"So Sita is God. We have to understand the philosophical principle that according to Vedic sidhanta (conclusion) God is both female and male equally. There is the sakti (energy) and the saktiman (energetic source). Gods female aspect as Laxmi, Sita, Radha, or Parvati is the compassionate side of God. Krishna, Rama, Narayana, and Shiva are very powerful, lordly manifestations of God. The feminine aspect of God is the reservoir of love. And the masculine side of God is the ultimate object of love. And those two aspects together are God. Perhaps in western religion, because there is so much emphasis on the masculine side of God, religious people can sometimes become very egoistic and attached to power and control. They can lose their compassionate essence.

So this is the one God. God is never separate. Sita and Rama can never be separate in essence. In their lila in this world they lived together and enjoyed love in union. But Rama wanted to experience for himself, as well as have Sita experience, that even deeper, intensified experience of love in separation. In their hearts of hearts they could never be separated. So therefore Rama banished Sita, but really he was blessing her by giving her a higher experience of internal union and he also experienced that union. So the great devotees of Rama, the great yogis, they understand it in this way."

"Externally the lesson that a king should be beyond suspicion, and that a leader should be willing to make sacrifices even of him or herself for the sake of the people, is taught through this lila. Rama banished Sita in order to remove all doubts in him as a leader with integrity, by proving that he was willing to make the greatest sacrifice, the sacrifice of the person he loved most. Sita, being very much an integral part of everything Rama was doing for the citizens, shared in that sacrifice for the welfare of others. This is the superficial lesson from this story. It's what most people talk about when discussing thislila, but it is only the external reason for Sita's banishment. Internally Rama and Sita wanted to share a deeper and deeper experience of love for each other from the core of their hearts."

"This banishment of Sita, amongst people who have gone deep into the subject, is a very profound meditation on the loving exchange between her and Rama. This conclusion that I am speaking has been passed down for millennia. And how God and Goddess, male and female aspects, how they shared the ecstasy of love for each other is not limited by our ability to comprehend it. This is what they choose to do and we understand that is what they really want to do. They go through the whole lila in such a way that is very traumatic and brings about such emotions in all of us. But there is a beautiful verse in theUpanishads."

Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet

"To learn that transcendental subject matter, one must approach a spiritual master." (Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12)

"To understand the essence of the scriptures we really need to have a teacher to explain them. Otherwise we can so easily become confused or bewildered by apparent contradictions based on how we feel it should be and all of that. So I am repeating the words of one great guru who spoke these words to me."

Radhanath Swami

Tears of a child , woman & devotee

Tears of a child--------

It is said a cry of child can be heard only by a mother.

once few devotees were talking with each other & suddenly a mataji truned back & started

hurriedly walking to a room .

Others could not understand this.Only when she opened the room they could hear the cry of her baby child.

Tears of a Woman-------

Prabhupad said "Tears of a woman are very powerful"

They can even bent very strong MEN

like Kaikeya who cried to bend Dasarath Maharaj to abandon Lord Rama & she was successful in that.

Tears of a DevOtee--------

Srila Gour Govinda Swami said, “I have opened a ‘crying school’ here in Bhubaneswar.

Unless we cry for Krishna, we cannot get His mercy.”

Genuine tears are heard by The Lord & He is bended to help & save us

But to cry for Lord is very difficult for a person who is still attracted to this world.

So Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote this prayer for us.

dhana jana āra, kobitā-sundarī,
bolibo nā cāhi deho-sukha-karī
janme-janme dāo, ohe gaurahari!
ahaitukī bhakti caraṇe tomār

When will I cry out that I have no longer any desire for wealth and followers, poetry and beautiful women, all of which are meant just for bodily pleasure? O Gaura Hari! Give me causeless devotional service [bhakti] to your lotus feet, birth after birth.

kādiyā kādiyā jānāiba duḥkha-grāma

saḿsāra-anala haite māgiba viśrāma

Weeping and weeping, I will understand the real nature of this abode of misery, and I will beg for relief from the blazing fire of this material world.

So when shall we cry

- When we understand our miserable position in this world

then we can attract the mercy of the Vaishnavas & the Lord.

Prabhupad says in http://vedabase.net/sb/3/15/25/en

When one is free from all ten of these offenses in chanting the holy name of God, he develops the ecstatic bodily features called pulakāśru. Pulaka means "symptoms of happiness," and aśru means "tears in the eyes." The symptoms of happiness and tears in the eyes must appear in a person who has chanted the holy name offenselessly. Here in this verse it is stated that those who have actually developed the symptoms of happiness and tears in the eyes by chanting the glories of the Lord are eligible to enter the kingdom of God. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that if one does not develop these symptoms while chantingHare Kṛṣṇa, it is to be understood that he is still offensive. Caitanya-caritāmṛta suggests a nice remedy in this connection. There it is said in verse 31, Chapter Eight, of Ādi-līlā, that if anyone takes shelter of Lord Caitanya and just chants the holy name of the Lord, Hare Kṛṣṇa, he becomes freed from all offenses.

So chanting offenselessly is the key to genuinue crying

& in http://vedabase.net/cc/adi/8/31/en

Prabhupad explains the easy way to obtain this is to chant the holy name of Lord Gouranga & Lord Nityanand

CC adi lila 8.31

But if one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, very quickly he is cleansed of all offenses. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.

PURPORT

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura remarks in this connection that if one takes shelter of Lord Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu and Nityānanda, follows Their instructions to become more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the grass, and in this way chants the holy name of the Lord, very soon he achieves the platform of transcendental loving service to the Lord, and tears appear in his eyes. There are offenses to be considered in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, but there are no such considerations in chanting the names of Gaura-Nityānanda. Therefore, if one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra but his life is still full of sinful activities, it will be very difficult for him to achieve the platform of loving service to the Lord. But if in spite of being an offender one chants the holy names of Gaura-Nityānanda, he is very quickly freed from the reactions to his offenses. Therefore, one should first approach Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, or worship Guru-Gaurāńga, and then come to the stage of worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.