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Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Meet the Inhabitants of Vṛndāvana
Kṛṣṇa Book, Chapter 82 Once upon a time, when Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were living peacefully in Their great city of Dvārakā, there was a great occasion of full covering solar eclipse, as it takes place at the end of every kalpa, or one day of Lord Brahmā. At the end of every kalpa the sun becomes covered by great cloud, and the incessant rain covered the lower planetary system up to Svargaloka. As usual, by astronomical calculation people was informed about this great eclipse prior to its taking place. Therefore, all men and women decided to assemble at the holy place of Kurukṣetra known as Samanta-paṣcaka. The Samanta-paṣcaka…
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Brahmana and Vaishnava by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada
Bhaktisiddhanta_Sarasvati_Thakura_Brahmana_and_Vaisnava Click link to view pdf. My Brijbhasi friend Krishna Balarama Swami preaches that for one to be a guru they must be born in a brahmana family. Brahmana and Vaishnava largely refutes that. For Krishna Balarama Swami’s position – Guru Nirnaya Dipika For point for point refutation – The Sarasvata Parampara and The Caste Brahmana Guru by B.V. Giri Maharaja
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Lesser-Known Verse Predicting Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Cited by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada in Commentary to Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat, Antya Kanda, Chapter 1, Texts 262-265 (English translation by Bhumipati dasa): In the Visnu-sahasra-nama of the Atharva Veda, Third Kanda, it is stated: ity aham krta-sannyaso ‘vatarisyami kalau catuh-sahasrabdopari pancasahasrabhyantare gaura-varno dirghangah sarva-laksana-yukta isvaraprarthito nija-rasasvado misrakhyo vidita-yogo ‘syam. “I will descend from Goloka-dhama and appear on the earth planet during the first sandhya of Kali-yuga—after four thousand and before five thousand years have passed—in Mayapur, Navadvipa, on the banks of the Ganges. I will appear in the form of a brahmana with a large, golden complexioned body measuring four cubits in height and in breadth, endowed…
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Review of Branding Bhakti
Pranams. Jaya Srila Prabhupada! Religious studies academics are prone to the same weakness in relation to the religious institutions they examine as media organizations covering government. It becomes far too easy to trade objectivity for ease of access to official information. At worst the reporter or academic becomes “embedded” and more or less acts as the mouthpiece of the state or institution. The journalist I.F. Stone said, “All governments lie,” and religious institutions are not that different. The author of Branding Bhakti, Nicole Karapanagiotis, PhD., is also relatively young and therefore more dependent on previous scholarship on the ISKCON institution (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) which was founded in 1966.…
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Five Prayers to Lord Nrsimha
By Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Bengali Verses composed in 1899 by Thakura Bhaktivinoda, Translation by Dasaratha-suta dasa Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written five beautiful prayers in “Sri Navadvipa Bhava Taranga” for receiving the mercy of Lord Narasimha. These prayers are certainly assurance to all sincere devotees that the worship of Lord Narasimha is purely in the line of aspiring love and devotion to Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. Those prayers are as follows: e dusta hrdaye kama adi ripu chaya kutinati pratisthasa sathya sada raya hrdaya-sodhana ara krsnera vasana nrsimha-carane mora ei to’ kamana Within my sinful heart the six enemies headed by lust perpetually reside, as well as…
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God Speaks (and Firmly Refutes Impersonalism)
Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.12, Hyderabad, November 17, 1972 Prabhupāda: na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayam ataḥ param (BG 2.12) Kṛṣṇa is giving more enlightenment on the living entity, soul. “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” Now, Kṛṣṇa says that, “In the past I existed. So also you. And so also all these soldiers and the kings who have assembled in this fighting. They existed in the past. For the present, there is no question of asking . .…
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Soka Satana (The Destroyer of Lamentation)
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, English translation by Bhumipati dasa pradosa-samaye, srivasa-angane sangopane gora-mani sri-hari-kirtane, nace nana-range, uthila mangala-dhvani In the evening, Lord Gauranga danced in various ways within Srivasa’s enclosed courtyard as the auspicious vibration of Hari’s name filled the atmosphere. mrdanga madala, baje karatala majhe majhe jayatura prabhura natana, dekhi’ sakalera, haila santapa dura The kirtana was accompanied by mrdangas, drums, karatalas, and occasional cries of “Jaya!” The miseries of everyone who saw the Lord’s dancing were destroyed. akhanda premete, matala takhana sakala bhakata-gana apana pasari’, goracande gheri’, nace gaya anuksana The devotees became intoxicated in uninterrupted ecstatic love. They forgot themselves as they continually danced around Gauracandra. e-mata…
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Bank of America belongs to you?
Srila Prabhupada speaks on the absurdity of material enjoyment (criminality) and renouncement (madness). Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 02.03.20-21, Los Angeles Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) Just do over that . . . on page 155, text 20, read over the verse and then read the purport. Prabhupāda: No, one more . . . chant the verse. Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse) bile batorukrama-vikramān ye na śṛṇvataḥ karṇa-puṭe narasya jihvāsatī dārdurikeva sūta na copagāyaty urugāya-gāthāḥ (SB 2.3.20) (break) (Līlāvatī chants) Prabhupāda: That’s all. You have . . . word meanings are recited? Pradyumna: Yes, we…
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Lord Ramacandra’s Appearance Day
Srila Prabhupada lecture, Hawaii, March 27, 1969 https://krishnakirtan.com/pmp3/voice/Fest_SF_1968-03-00_Advent_of_Ramacandra--Code_for_the_--etc.mp3 ramadi murtinu kala-niyamena tisthan nanavataram akarod bhuvanenu kintu kanna svayam samabhavat parama puman yo govindam adi-purunam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.39] This is a verse from Brahma-samhita in which the incarnation of Lord Ramacandra is described. Ramadi. Not only Rama, but there are many other, innumerable incarnations. They are compared with the waves of a river. As the waves of the river or the waves of the ocean cannot be counted, similarly, how many incarnations are there of the Supreme Lord it is not possible to count. But out of them, the principal names are mentioned in the sastras. Therefore it is…
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“Because People Must Be First of All Gentle”
Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.13, September 18, 1972, Los Angeles Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (sings of Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava) (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much. Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (obeisances) Prabhupāda: Recite. Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, Chapter 3, text 13. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) aṣṭame merudevyāṁ tu nābher jāta urukramaḥ darśayan vartma dhīrāṇāṁ sarvāśrama-namaskṛtam (SB 1.3.13) Prabhupāda: Ladies. (ladies chant) That’s all. Now, word meaning. Pradyumna: aṣṭame—the eighth of the incarnations; merudevyām tu—in the womb of Merudevī, the wife; nābheḥ—of King Nābhi; jātaḥ—took birth; urukramaḥ—the all-powerful Lord; darśayan—by showing; vartma—the way; dhīrāṇām—of the…
