Yudhisthira Maharaj said, “Oh Lord Sri Krishna, O glorious son of Vasudeva, please be merciful to me and describe the EkAdasii that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of PhAlguna (February-March)"

Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh Yudhisthira, Oh king of kings, gladly I shall tell you about this great fast, known as VijayA EkAdasii. Whoever observes it certainly achieves success in this life and the next. All the sins of one who fasts on this EkAdasii and hears its sublime glories are eradicated.

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This is the transcription of the wonderful class given by HG Vaijayanthi mala Mathaji on S.B.5.19.3.

om namo bhagavate uttamashlokaya nama aarya-lakshana-sheela-vrataaya nama
upasikshitaatmana upaasita-lokaaya namah saadhu-vaada-nikasanaaya
namo brahmanya-devaaya mahaa-purushaaya mahaa-raajaaya nama iti

"Let me please Your Lordship by chanting the bija-mantra omkara. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto the personality of Godhead, who is the best among the most highly elevated personalities. Your Lordship is the reservoir of all the good qualities of Aryans, people who are advanced. Your character and behavior are always consistent, and you exhibit exemplary character to teach others how to behave. There is a touchstone that can be used to examine the gold, but you are like a touchstone that can verify all good qualities. You are worshipped by brahmanas who are the foremost of all devotees. You, the Supreme Person, are the King of Kings, and therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."

Glorification of Lord Sri Rama – Part 1 [granthraj]

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This is the transcription of the wonderful class given by HG Vaijayanthi mala Mathaji about Hanumanji’s prayers S.B-5.19.

Hanumanji always wanted to serve his Prabhu Lord Sri Rama. One day when Sita Matha was entering into Rama’s bedroom, Hanumanji also followed her. Then Lord Rama said that he cannot enter into the room. Hanumanji said that when Sita Matha can enter into the room, why can’t he enter the room. He is having such an innocent devotional service towards Lord Rama. Just to convince Hanumanji, Rama said that Sita is having a sindhur on her forehead, so she can enter the room. After hearing that, Hanumanji came out and thought for a while.

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This is the transcription of the wonderful class given by HG Vaijayanthi mala Mathaji about Hanumanji’s prayers S.B-5.19. After the coronation was over, Hanumanji stayed in Ayodhya and showed so much of eagerness and engaged fully in doing all the services to Rama. There was no chance left for others to do any type of service to their beloved Lord Rama.

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This is the transcription of the wonderful class given by HG Vaijayanthi mala Mathaji about Hanumanji’s prayers S.B-5.19. When Hanumanji was crossing over the ocean he had to go through three different obstacles. In our devotional life also we go through different obstacles in various forms. We have to know how to get rid of these obstacles and move towards our final destination which is the love of Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why Maharaj says "steer clear". When we are driving in the traffic, two things we have to keep in our mind. We should be very alert and we should know the destination where we are supposed to go.

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This is in continuation to the previous mail "Austerity of speech" based on class given by HG Vaijayanthi mala Mathaji about Hanumanji’s prayers (Srimad Bhagavatam – 5.19). In the previous mail we saw Hanumanji bringing vishram to Lord Ram. In this mail we will see Hanumanji bringing vishram to Sita matha and Bharathji.

Austerity of Speech – Part 1 [granthraj]

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In yesterday’s e-mail I had sent the below past time of Lord Rama.

Chanting to be our Life- Part 1 [granthraj]

Once Lord Ramachandra was sitting with Srimati Sita Devi and brother Laxman. Of course the great devotee Hanuman was sitting at the lotus feet of Lord Ramachandra and was chanting His Holy Names with his eyes closed. Lord Ramachandra asked Hanuman with a smile, “My dear Hanuman, I am here in front of you but instead of looking at me, you are chanting my name with closed eyes. Why is that?” Hanuman opened his eyes and replied “My Lord, by seeing You, many were liberated but many more were liberated just by chanting Your Holy Names”.

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Recently during one of our discussions, our beloved God brother HG Govardhan Prabhu told us a very sweet past time of Lord Rama. Once Lord Ramachandra was sitting with Srimati Sita Devi and brother Laxman. Of course the great devotee Hanuman was sitting at the lotus feet of Lord Ramachandra and was chanting His Holy Names with his eyes closed. Lord Ramachandra asked Hanuman with a smile, “My dear Hanuman, I am here in front of you but instead of looking at me, you are chanting my name with closed eyes. Why is that?” Hanuman opened his eyes and replied “My Lord, by seeing You, many were liberated but many more were liberated just by chanting Your Holy Names”.

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Dussehra (Dassera) is one of the significant Hindu festivals, celebrated with much joy in the entire country. The occasion marks the occassion of Lord Rama and brother Lakshman approaching Mother Durga to ask her for her blessings in His planned attack on the demon Ravana. It is therefore considered that the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s approaching her for blessings to remove material impediments to His spiritual goals should be the approach of the humble devotee of the Lord to clinche the important triumph of Lord Rama over the demon king, Ravana, the victory of good over evil.

Brilliantly decorated tableaux and processions depicting various facets of Rama’s life are taken out. On the tenth day, the Vijayadasmi day, colossal effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghnath are placed in vast open spaces. Rama, accompanied by his consort Sita and his brother Lakshman, arrive and shoot arrows of fire at these effigies, which are stuffed with explosive material. The result is a deafening blast, enhanced by the shouts of merriment and triumph from the spectators.

It is significant that the Lord invoked the blessings of the divine mother, Goddess Durga, before actually going out to battle. In burning the effigies of the demon Ravan who was slain by Lord Rama it is also symbolic for us that we, the people are asked to burn the evil within them, and thus follow the path of virtue and goodness, bearing in mind the instance of Ravana, who despite all his might and majesty was destroyed for his evil ways.

It must be remembered that Ravana was a great scholar and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, but the very powers that were bestowed on him for his steadfast devotion proved to be his undoing, due to his gross misuse of the same. Furthermore although empowered by his austerities performed to Lord Shiva, his powers were ineffective over the powers of Rama.

I was recently listening to a wonderful lecture spoken by our beloved Guru Maharaj where Maharaj was referring to the following verse from Caitanya manjusha (a commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam ) as the sloka giving the whole philosophy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Verses like this describe the ocean of knowledge in a nutshell.

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Srimati Sita Thakurani is to be worshiped just as much as Sacidevi herself, as the mother of the universe. She is the eternal wife of Sri Advaita Acharya. She was the daughter of Sri Nrishinga Baduri. She was married to Sri Advaita Acharya in Phuliya Nagara.

After their wedding, Advaita Acharya went to Nadiya, to live in Shantipura. Sita Thakurani was always absorbed in vatsalya prema for Sri Gaurasundara Prabhu, and, out of parental concern used to instruct Jagannatha Mishra on how to care for the boy. Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Goswami has described the birth celebration at the house of Jagannatha Mishra upon the advent of the Lord, giving special attention to the position of Sri Sita Thakurani. Advaita Acharya’s wife, worshipable by all the three worlds was Sita Thakurani. Taking the Acharya’s orders on her head, she had come to take a look at this new child, this jewel of jewels, and to offer him presents.

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karmaṇaiva hi saḿsiddhim
āsthitā janakādayaḥ
loka-sańgraham evāpi
sampaśyan kartum arhasi

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The readers of Radha-Damodara Vilasa relive this sankirtana mood through the lives of three of Prabhupada’s most influential disciples. Jayananda Prabhu, Visnujana

Swami, and Tamal Krsna Goswami joined the San Francisco temple within the first year of its opening in the mid ’60s. Together they helped establish Lord Caitanya’s mission in California while inaugurating the first traveling sankirtana party in the Western world. After less than two years of preaching and touring together, however, they were separated by destiny.

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In Srimad-Bhagavatam the material world is compared to a great ocean. Within this material universe there are millions and billions of planets floating in space, and we can just imagine how many Atlantic and Pacific oceans are there. In fact, the whole material universe is linked to a great ocean of misery, an ocean of birth and death. In order to cross this great ocean of nescience, a strong boat is needed, and that strong boat is the lotus feet of Krsna. We should immediately get aboard that boat. We should not hesitate, thinking that Krishna’s feet are very small. The whole universe is simply resting on His leg. For one who takes shelter of His feet, it is said that the material universe is no more significant than a puddle of water found in the impression of a calf’s hoofprint. There is certainly no difficulty in crossing over such a small puddle.

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Srimati Sita Devi is the daughter of the Earth goddess, Bhumi Devi, and central figure of the Ramayana. In Maharishi Valmiki’s own words, Ramayana is known as the noble story of Sita "Sita-ayah Charitam Mahat".

Her glories are sun by the poet-saint Thyagaraja in his "Sri Janakatayane"

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In Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.6, when the Lord was preparing to leave this universe, Uddhava said: “Thus following, I saw my patron and master (Lord Sri Krishna) sitting alone and deeply thinking, taking shelter on the bank of river Saraswati although He is the shelter of the goddess of fortune.”

In the purport Srila Prabhupada says that there is nothing astonishing in His taking shelter (under a tree) in the way of those who have no shelter. This seemed like an insignificant incident to me. But Srila Prabhupada writes how it actually ought to make us astonished if we really understand His greatness: “Because He is the proprietor of everything, everywhere is His shelter, and everything is under His shelter”. How astonishing that He, the creator, sustainer, and shelter of the entire spiritual and material cosmic manifestation, puts Himself inside His own creation in the situation of an unsheltered renounced person! He has come down to our level to teach us renunciation. We cannot even imagine how great He is, then how can we talk about his renunciation!

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