Hope all have a Krsna conscious Siva ratri. Lord Shiva is most favorably inclined to the Hare Krsna devotees, being very kind and topmost among Vaisnavas. Many thanks to Mahadeva for helping us in our lives ! He does so much service, is a perfect example of absorption in Krsna consciousness.
In Puri, 1975, Padmapani and i were japa walking early in the morning, and chanced upon the ancient Lokanatha Shivalingam mandira visited sometimes by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We visited briefly, but were chased away by mud-clod throwing kids. That Sivartri evening, we got lost coming home, and somehow or other ended up channeled to a very suci pleasant Shiva mandira decorated with lights and coconuts, with a full 3-d Krishna-style form moorthi, of a gorgeous blueish Lord Shiva, and nicely decorated lit-up Temple, and we were greeted very happily by the Priest there. It was wonderful ! We felt as if Lord Shiva had blessed us after being chased by foolish persons that morning. It was as if He had made arrangements just to suit us Westerner devotees who came to visit him, and being rather rare at the time. Living in India, one soon becomes aware that Lord Shiva is as real as Lord Vishnu !
Om namah sivaya, namo lokanathaya. hare krsna
We walked bullock cart sankirtan from Prayaga after attending maha kumbha mela with Srila Prabhupada. Lokanatha Swami led, party of eight or so, mixed Westerners and Indians. Padmapani was there, myself, and the famous film producer Jon Kay. We arrived in Varanasi without knowing the 500th anniversary of Mahaprabhu's visit. There were even processions in the street of Caitanya murthi. We did kirtan, wound up the rich metal seller's markets narrow avenues to the Srila Visvanatha Temple, and were very nicely and happily greeted, were asked to touch the Deity Linga, Srila Visvanatha, held kirtana hari haraya namah krsna, hare krsna maha mantra etc, priest put tilak and prasadam to us etc. 500 years to the day, Mahaprabhu's mixed disciples showed up to do kirtana just as He had ! We stayed at Ram ghat at a Ram baba temple that evening, full eclipse of moon, and we bathed in Ganga that early evening. I watched the silver blue moon and eclipse sitting at the steps of the ghat with the devotees, chanting Hare Krsna.
We went on from there to Puri and Mayapura for Gaura Purnima and second initiation, fire yagya with Srila Prabhupada, kirtan with Srila Prabhupada ringing the big bell, and a Solar eclipse. More later...
On Friday, February 21, 2020, 8:09:59 p.m. CST, Mohini Cox <mohinicox@gmail.com> wrote:
om namah shivaya namo visvanathaya
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We were a jolly bunch in all ! Nobody owned anything among us ; couple dhotis and a toothbrush each, really. All renunciants. Our room consisted of SGGS, Bhagavata, and myself, a non-closing window, a phone that weighed ten pounds and was useless cause you could never reach anybody, a light switch that gave one a shock every tenth time or so you used it, (250 volts, not that I would know), Maharajah's book trunk/writing desk, his lota, a frog that lived behind the lota, my little desk and metal suitcase full of CC's, and Maharajah had a picture of Radha Govinda from Jaipura in a metal frame I bought for him there. (I got to do all kinds of services, you would be envious!) We were so happy ! Nothing to worry about except preaching, and the heat maybe. Maharajah was like our deity, a smiling jolly older brother. We bathed under the Sun behind our bamboo-walled stall, ate simple dahlma and rice, capatis, almost no oil, chanted beneath the stars and moon, and had no material engagements whatsoever. Our sole engagement was chanting Hare Krsna and following Srila Prabhupada's directions for sadhana and preaching. Maharajah sat behind that metal trunk most of the day without saying a single word for hours, translating Srila Prabhupada's books. The Oriyans are very fortunate to have his translations, i wish i could also read them.