Dear Satsangis,

Hare Krishna!! All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Guru and Gauranga !

Sun Nov 1, 2009 is the Anniversary of Bhakta Ganesan K.S and Bhaktin Devaki Ganesan.

We request all the Vaishnavas to bestow their blessings on the occasion of this Anniversary.

Join us to beg at the lotus feet of Guru and Krishna and request their causeless mercy and choicest blessings on this couple, to have many more wonderful and blissful years of Krishna Conscious life.

Yours humble servants,
Ruby & Saravana.

labhante brahma-nirvāṇam
ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ
chinna-dvaidhā yatātmānaḥ
sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ

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In order to keep his new recruits mindful of the spiritual codes of conduct, Visnujana Maharaja posts this notice in the new Dancey Street temple.

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Berkeley March, 1971

Honoring the appearance day of Lord Caitanya is now an annual festival in Berkeley, attracting devotees from all over California. Not quite as big as Rathyatra, it is, nevertheless, equally blissful. Jayananda Prabhu, as always, takes responsibility to ensure the festival will be a big success.

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The quality of remembrance is indeed a gift from Krishna. He assures in Bhagavad Gita verse 15.15 mattah smritir jnaanam apohanam ca – "From Me comes remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness."   We might have also practically experienced in our childhood days during school or college, the moment we enter the exam hall, for sometime it will appear as if everything is totally blank. But once we get the question paper, to our own surprise, by the complete mercy of the Lord, each and every answer will pop up.  Krishna will help us to remember the answers if we had endeavored to study.  If this is the case with material knowledge then what to speak of the value of studying scriptures and chanting mantras? The life of Gajendra, the king of elephants is a proof for this. While narrating the pastimes of Gajendra, Sukadeva Goswami says in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 8.3.1

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yo ‘ntaḥ-sukho ‘ntar-ārāmas
tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ
sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇaḿ
brahma-bhūto ‘dhigacchati

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This week Govardhan puja was celebrated by devotees all over the world. Many times I had the doubt, "Why this Govardhan Lila is to be glorified so much? For the Supreme Lord, who makes big planets to float in space just by His mere will, lifting a hill is nothing. Then what is the wonder in this lila?" Some people may argue, "The Lord was only seven years old during this lila. Also lifting a mountain is not an ordinary task for any human being". But devotees like Hanuman have lifted Sanjeevani mountain and even demons like Ravana lifted the mountain Kailasha without being the Supreme Lord. Also for God being one year old or 7 years old does not matter. Because in the case of conditioned souls, the strength of a person is related to the body structure and size, height weight etc. But for the Supreme Lord who is form is made of consciousness and bliss, He will have the same absolute power whether he is a small boy or within the atoms as Paramatma. So glorifying the Lord for His great power in lifting the hill is like glorifying a great weight lifter champion for lifting a small mushroom. So what is special in this lila? Great devotees explain the sublime truth behind this lila of the Lord. When the Lord lifted the hill, it served as an umbrella and all the residents of Vrindavana took shelter under the hill and were protected from the torrents of rain sent by Indra. In this material world, the miseries are like the torrents of rain sent by Indra. Wherever we go in this world, there is misery, just like the rains were lashing across the entire Vrindavana. And the Lord’s lotus feet can be compared to an umbrella.One who is situated under this umbrella is protected from all miseries of this material world. So everyone should take shelter under the umbrella of the lotus feet of the Lord. There are many slokas in the Bhagavata Purana (11.19.9) which compare the lotus feet of the Lord to an umbrella.One such sloka is spoke by the Lord’s dear devotee Uddhava.

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śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuḿ
prāk śarīra-vimokṣaṇāt
kāma-krodhodbhavaḿ vegaḿ
sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ

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February 1971

Visnujana Maharaja quickly develops a reputation around The Drag, and many people come by just to see the Swami. Maharaja makes Krsna consciousness sound so attractive that people are naturally encouraged to want to try it out. He makes friends very easily, and many street people join him in the daily chanting.

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"Oh sage, a person who does not offer a ghee lamp in Lord Kesava’s temple in Karttika, that foolish person is not addressed as a Vaisnava."

Hari Bhakti Vilasa 16/122 from Padma Purana

Disclaimer: The daily ‘Vedic thought’ are posted by Deepak Prabhu in the Yahoo Groups – Govindadwipa. All credits goes to him and the groups. Hare Krishna.

The recent mail by HG Sudarshana mathaji on surrender to Lord is very wonderful especially with regard to realization of Indra who is always being tainted by us as a bad person. In the same way we also see in Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Dhrtarashtra was always portrayed as a blind man spiritually and materially. We condemn him as being very selfish and very much attached to his sons and kingdom. But such a person being in such a state of mind being overly attached to family and sons has realized in one second the spiritual knowledge from Vidura and take it to the heart and at once quits the house of Pandavas without notice. Just by hearing few strong dose of instructions from Vidura, Dhrtarashtra immediately quits the house. So much of detachment is not possible unless one is empowered by the Lord to get detachment from the strong cord of material affection (uru dhaamni baddha). Vidura was instructing all the time before the final instructions to Dhrtarashtra but nothing was going inside him. It does not mean that Dhrtarashtra is a bad person. He is really an exalted person but he is acting on behalf of Krishna. We are all 100 million times worse than Dhrtarashtra because we hear the instructions daily and continuously but still we are not taking it to the heart.

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ye hi saḿsparśa-jā bhogā
duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya
na teṣu ramate budhaḥ

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Dear Satsangis,

Hare Krishna!! All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Guru and Gauranga !

Wed Oct 28, 2009 is the Birthday of Bhakta Iti Binay.

We request all the Vaishnavas to bestow their blessings on the occasion of this birthday.

Join us to beg at the lotus feet of Guru and Krishna and request their causeless mercy and choicest blessings on this soul, to have many more wonderful and blissful years of Krishna Conscious life.

Yours humble servants,
Ruby & Saravana.

"In Mathura bathing and worship during the month of Karttika places one on the same planet as Lord Krsna. No other holy place is equal to Mathura."

Quotes from Mathura Mahatyam by Srila Rupa Gosvami-Text 168

Disclaimer: The daily ‘Vedic thought’ are posted by Deepak Prabhu in the Yahoo Groups – Govindadwipa. All credits goes to him and the groups. Hare Krishna.

When the Pandavas along with Lord Krishna and other sages came to meet Bhishmadev in the battle-field  of Kurukshetra, he received and welcomed everyone properly, although he was lying on the death-bed. Important point to remember is that he was not lying in bed of roses – but was lying on bed of arrows. We are so fallen that even when we are in healthy and comfortable position, we fail to welcome people properly.  With advancement of so called technology – nowadays people are so engrossed in TV and computers that they don’t even care to make an eye to eye contact to welcome guests.  In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.9.9, Suta Goswami says

taan sametaan mahaa-bhaagaan /  upalabhya vasuttamah
pujayaam aasa dharma-jïo  / desha-kaala-vibhaagavit

"Bhishmadeva, who was the best amongst the eight Vasus, received and welcomed all the great and powerful rshis who were assembled there, for he knew perfectly all the religious principles according to time and place."

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bāhya-sparśeṣv asaktātmā
vindaty ātmani yat sukham
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā
sukham akṣayam aśnute

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Within a month the Gray Street temple is always filled with people, including John and Barbara, who are now staunch supporters of Maharaja’s program. New devotees join. Subrata, who had been going to drafting school, moves into the temple within a week of meeting Visnujana. There’s also a tall, skinny Texan with a high, squeaky voice. Everyone calls him Motorhead, because he’s always into cars and engines.

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"Although Mathura is easy to visit in this world, and although Karttika comes every year, the fools still swim in the ocean of repeated birth and death."

Quotes from Mathura Mahatyam by Srila Rupa Gosvami:Text 177

Disclaimer: The daily ‘Vedic thought’ are posted by Deepak Prabhu in the Yahoo Groups – Govindadwipa. All credits goes to him and the groups. Hare Krishna.

While explaining about the glories of Supreme Lord to his son Narada Muni, Lord Brahma says in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 2.6.36,

nato smyaham tac caranam sameeyushaam
bhavac chidam svasty ayanam sumangalam
yohy aatma maayaa vibhavam sma paryagaat
yathaa nabhah svaantam athaapare kutah

"Therefore it is best for me to surrender unto His feet, which alone can deliver one from the miseries of repeated birth and death. Such surrender is all-auspicious and allows one to perceive all happiness. Even the sky cannot estimate the limits of its own expansion. So what can others do when the Lord Himself is unable to estimate His own limits?"

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na prahṛṣyet priyaḿ prāpya
nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam
sthira-buddhir asammūḍho
brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ

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