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compiled by Dama Ghosha Dasa (Seattle, USA)

Lectures - SB 5.5.1, 28 November 1975,  Delhi

Guest (3): My question: Do you think your quality to change... A person, if that soul becomes fate or lift...

Prabhupada: No fate can be changed. I understand. These questions are generally put. Fate can be changed.

Guest (3): By name.

Prabhupada: By Krishna consciousness. Karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam. Others cannot change their fate, but only the devotees can change. How? Krishna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami.

Krishna says, "I shall give you protection from all the resultant action of your sinful life." That is fate changed. If you don't surrender to Krishna, then you have to suffer or enjoy the actions of your fruitive activities. But when you surrender to Krishna, He takes charge of squaring up all your sinful activities and their reaction. That is... So you surrender to Krishna; then your fate is changed. Otherwise it is not possible.

SB 8.19.21

Anyone wh

"The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me" Bagavad Gita 15:12

The first full moon of the autumn season marks the celebration of Krsna's dancing with the gopis.

On this day the deities of Vrndavana are nicely decorated in white. Krsna lila dramas are enacted. Because the moon is very auspicious, the vraja vasis leave pots of sweet rice exposed to the full moon for the whole night, to turn the sweet rice into ambrosial amrta

Indra Uvacha: Namasthesthu Mahamaye Sreepeethe Surapoojithe Sankha Chakra Gada Hasthe Maha Lakshmi Namosthuthe

Indra speaks: I offer my worship to Maha Lakshmi, who symbolizes the great illusion and who is worshipped by all Devas. I worhip Maha Lakshmi who resides in Sri Peetam and who carries Sanku(Conch), Chakram(Disk) and Gadha(Club) in her hand.

Indra Uvacha: Namasthe Garudaroodhe Kolasura Bhayankari Sarva Papa Hare Devi Maha Lakshmi Namosthuthe

Indra speaks: I offer worship to the one who has Garuda bird as her vehicle and who was feared by even Demon "Kola". I worship Maha Lakshmi who destroys all sadness.

Indra Uvacha: Sarvagne Sarva Varade Sarva Dushta Bhayankari, Sarva Duhkha Hare Devi Maha Lakshmi Namosthute

Indra speaks: I offer worship to the one who is all knowing, giver of all boons, remover of all dangerous enemies. I worship Maha Lakshmi who is remover of all afflictions.

Indra Uvacha: Siddhi Buddhi Pradhe Devi Bhukthi Mukthi P

The month of Damodara. Throughout this month, devotees commemorate the pastime of naughty Lord Krsna’s being bound with ropes by mother Yasoda. Devotees offer lamps daily.

Kartik is the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. It usually overlaps with the months October & November in the English calendar. Kartik Maas, also known as Damodar Maas, is described in the scriptures as the best among months for performing austerities.

Lord Shri Krishna says, “Of all plants, the sacred Tulasi is most dear to Me; of all months, Kartik is most dear, of all places of pilgrimage, My beloved Dwarka is most dear, and of all days,Ekadashi is most dear.” (Padma Purana, Uttara Khand 112.3)

Kartik or the festival of offering lamps to Lord Krishna, glorifies Lord Krishna’s pastime of being bound with ropes by Mother Yashoda. Observing vrata in the month of Kartik is glorified in the Puranas.

“As Sat-yuga is the best of yugas (ages), as the Vedas are the best among scriptures, as Ganga is best of rivers, so

Dear Prabhus,

Please accept my most humble obeisance on this most auspicious day. There was a wonderful lunar eclipse this morning, 8 October 2014, the very day on which we have both Sri Krsna Saradiya Rasayatra and Damodara-vrata. Sri Krsna Saradiya Rasayatra is the first full moon of autumn and commemorates the day on which Lord Krsna danced with the gopis. Damodara-vratra is the start of Kartik, the holiest month of the year. The fact that these two celebrations coincide, and that the there was a lunar eclipse of the first full moon makes for great tidings. It would be an excellent time to offer a lamp to the Lord.

The Glories of Offering a lamp during Karttika

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In the Skanda Purana it is said: "When one offers a lamp during the month of Karttika, his sins in many thousands and millions of births perish in half an eye blink."
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It is further said: "Please hear the glories of offering a lamp during pleasing to Lord Kesava. O King of brahmanas, a person who offers a lamp in

Comment on Mantra 7 of Sri Isopanisad:

This mantra attempts to build upon the previous mantra by reminding us of the Absolute Truth, namely that all things are part and parcel of the Lord. In this vein, we should see all living entities as “spiritual sparks”. Once a person has attained this understanding, illusion cannot deceive or create difficulties. Of course, very few people in the world truly come to this understanding. Only the madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari discussed in the previous mantra are able to fully understand what this means.

When we say that all things are the spiritual spark or part and parcel of the Lord, many mistakenly believe that this means we are God, but of course this is mistaken belief. The sense of “Oneness” discussed in this mantra serves to explain that we are all linked together in the sense of a family or a nation. While we exist as independent parts, we share a common interest. Our common interest is enjoyment.

As stated in the Vedanta-sutra (1:1:12

Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami.

   Born in a dynasty of Vaishnavas, Raghunatha Dasa Goswami was the only son of a wealthy land owner. As a boy, he received Haridasa Thakura's association and blessings. At fifteen he met Lord Chaitanya. By the mercy of Lord Nityananda he renounced a beautiful wife and an opulent family. He ran to Jagannatha Puri to intimately serve Shri Gaura Raya and his siksha guru Svarupa Damodara Goswami for sixteen years. Lord Gauranga gave His personal Govardhana Shila and gunja mala to Raghunatha Dasa Goswami.
 
   Raghunatha Dasa couldn't live after Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left this world. So, he came to Vrindavana to end his life by jumping off Govardhana Hill. Shri Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis affectionately received him. They convinced him to live on and enlighten all the Vrajavasi Vaishnavas with Shriman Mahaprabhu's Puri pastimes. For three hours a day on the banks of Radha-kunda he spoke about Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
 
   Raghunatha Dasa did Radha-Krishna bh

By the order of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami remained a lifelong brahmachari. His service was constant chanting of Hare Krishna and reading Shrimad Bhagavatam. In Jagannatha Puri, Raghunatha satisifed Lord Gauranga by his exceptional cooking and kirtana performances, which won him the title, kirtana acharya. (In the image: Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami).

   By the order of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami remained a lifelong brahmachari. His service was constant chanting of Hare Krishna and reading Shrimad Bhagavatam. In Jagannatha Puri, Raghunatha satisifed Lord Gauranga by his exceptional cooking and kirtana performances, which won him the title, kirtana acharya.
 
   When he came to Vrindavana, the Vaishnavas (including Shri Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis) would regularly listen to his singing of Bhagavata shlokas in four tunes as sweet as a cuckoo. His recitation was unparalleled; even Vyasadeva enjoyed it. He fulfilled Lord Chaitanya's order to preac

Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami.

   Appearing near Katva, Krishna Dasa Kaviraja left for Vrindavana after Lord Nityananda told him in a dream: are are krishnadasa, na karaha bhaya, Vrindavana yaha tanha, sarva larya haya, "0 my dear Krishnadasa, do not be afraid. Go to Vrindavana. For there you will attain all things." (Chaitanya-charitamrta Adi 5.195)
 
   Krishna Dasa took diksha from Raghunatha Dasa Goswami. He lived a renounced life at Syama-kunda near Manasa Pavana Ghat, Radharani's midday bathing place.
 
   Shri Jiva Goswami, as per his custom of giving titles of honor to qualified Devotees, gave Krishna Dasa the title Kaviraja (the king of poets) for his poetic masterpiece Govinda-lilamrta. Shri Narottam a Dasa Thakura wrote in Prarthana: "Krishna Dasa Kaviraja, who composed the Shri Chaitanya-charitamrta, is the connoisseur among Devotees. His Govinda-lilamrta moves stones to tears, but alas, my mind is not attracted to it."
 
   During Krishna Dasa's time, all the Vaishnavas woul

 Even at a molecular level, we observe that molecules have a built-in capacity to interact with each other systematically, such as covalen

"Our only strength is chanting Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. So if we stick to the principle of chanting Hare Krishna Mantra, following the rules and regulations, that will give us strength to work on both sides - namely toenlighten people in Krishna Consciousness

and cut down the bad government full of atheistic people."

Letter to Madhudvisa Maharaja,   Sept 1971