Not All Things Are Equal

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

Question 1: Who is known as harijana*?

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* ‘Hari’ is the Supreme Lord; ‘jana’ refers to those who are His people. In other words, harijana refers to the true devotees of God. A contemporary use of the word was introduced during India’s Independence Movement in an attempt to elevate the social status of those born in lower castes. For this reason, the original meaning will be elucidated here.

Answer: Nowadays, the word harijana is being used inappropriately. Truly speaking, harijana refers to the aprākṛta bhaktas (transcendentally situated devotees) of the Supreme Lord, whose svarūpa (true constitutional identity) has been awakened. In whatever lineage one may be born, by whichever identity one may be known externally, only one who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of śrī guru and exclusively serves the Supreme Lord is harijana. Such persons have no duty or desire other than rendering service to

Sri Gadadhara Pandit.

    Sri Gadadhar was the consant companion of Mahaprabhu from the time of their childhood. His father's name was Sri Madhva Misra and his mother's name Sri Ratnavati-devi. They lived very near the house of Sri Jagannatha Misra in Mayapura. Ratnavati-devi thought of Saci-devi as her own sister, and always used to visit her.

   During their childhood, Sri Gaura Hari and Gadadhara would play together, sometimes at Mahaprabhu's house and sometimes at Gadadhara's house. They both studied together at the sameschool. Gadadhara was a few years younger then Nimai. Nimai couldn't remain without Gadadhara even for a moment and Gadadhara likewise couldn't stand to be separated from Nimai.

   In the Gaur-ganoddesa-dipika, it is described that that person who in Vraja was the daughter of Sri Vrsabhanu Raja, namely Srimati Radharani, is now celebrated as Sri Gadadhara Pandita.

   Srila Svarupa Damodara has written in his diary: avani sura bavah Sri Panditakhyo jatindrah / sa khalo b

This story was heard in Mayapura in 1980. A man came to the ISKCON’s Caitanya Candrodoya Mandira carrying with him a copy of the Back of Godhead article about Srila Prabhupada, entitled A Lifetime in Preparation; 

"Just recently an amazing realization occurred to me that I wanted to share with devotees everywhere.

I have been the pujari and sevaite at the house of Adwaita Acarya for many years. I was also there back in the 1940′s and 50′s. At that time, I noticed that one grhasta Bengali devotee used to come to the temple quite regularly. He was dressed in a white khadidhoti and kurta and he always came alone. He would sit in the back of the Mandira without speaking, and would chant harinama on his mala very quietly and deeply. I noticed that he came on the weekends, usually once every month or two in regular way. After chanting there for many hours, he would always thank me when he left. His presence was profound and I became attracted to him. Since his devotions were solitary, I nev

Dear Devotees, Jai Sriman Narayana!

Our knowledge understanding and insights shape our beliefs. Our beliefs shape our values. Our values are expressed in our culture and behaviour.

Srivaishnavas are not part of the so-called "modernity" or the "western materialist civilisation" . . . we are the expression of the original pure self and in this world we are the positive alternative: full of meaning, understanding and the knowledge arrived at by a robust examination from within of the pure self and following those great ones who had and have a vastly more complete view of the pure self and the origin of everything, Sriman Narayana. We follow the shastra which they have presented and which is the expression of God and His divine will. Our culture is NOT "Indian" culture: it is the culture of the spiritual world, of Vaikuntha.

We express our culture through the mother of all languages and that which was used by those who had the most profound and penetrating insights into reality and the gr

SB 3.1.16: Thus being pierced by arrows through his ears and afflicted to the core of his heart, Vidura placed his bow on the door and quit his brother's palace. He was not sorry, for he considered the acts of the external energy to be supreme.

A conditioned soul is absorbed in material existence under the influence of different modes of external energy. Absorbed in the false ego, he thinks that he is doing everything by himself. The external energy of the Lord, the material nature, is fully under the control of the Supreme Lord, and the conditioned soul is fully under the grip of the external energy. Therefore, the conditioned soul is fully under the control of the law of the Lord. But, due to illusion only, he thinks himself independent in his activities. Duryodhana was acting under such influence of the external nature, by which he would be vanquished at the ultimate end. He could not accept the sound advice of Vidura, but on the contrary he insulted that great soul, who was the we

In her childhood, Narayani Devi, neice of Srivasa Pandit, became mad with love of God upon receiving the mercy of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Later she gave birth to Vrindavana Dasa, who was the last disciple of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. On his guru's order he wrote Sri Caitanya Bhagavata.

It is practically a law among Vaisnava writers like Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatana Goswami, Krishna Dasa Kaviraja, and Vrindavana Dasa Thakura to always keep themselves in the background. They never mention anything about their family lineage or personal history. The authors of the best written and most relishable verses collected in Sri Rupa Goswami's Padyavali remain unknown.

During the sixteenth century, entire books of exceptional transcendental prose and poetry were penned by prideless Vaisnavas preferring to remain anonymous. Feeling utmost humility, such Vaisnava writers express themselves only in relation to their preceptors. Krishna Dasa Kaviraja glorifies his gurus at the end of each chapter of Sri

So this is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy that you are becoming Krishna conscious. Otherwise, it is not so easy thing; very, very difficult. Kecit kevalaya bhaktya [SB 6.1.15]. So stick to this principle. Chant sri- Krishna -chaitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. By their favor, by their mercy, we can chant Hare Krishna. And as soon as we chant Hare Krishna, we are vasudeva-parayanah. There is no more fear. That is required. So you stick to this principle, do not forget. We have already given our ways and instruction. So don't deviate from it. Then everything is perfect and your life is successful. (Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

 "Gaura! Gaura!" Not Kirtana?

"A person who is infested with offenses cannot chant the transcendental name of Krishna. Even millions of lives spent chanting namaparadha will not give Krishna-prema. But there is no consideration of offense in chanting the names of Gaura and Nityananda. If a jiva who is infested with

"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu preached and proved the potency of Sri Krishna.s Name - that His Names is the Lord Himself. If anybody says, "Krishna Krishna", mentally, or loudly, and concentrates his mind on It, he is bound to absorb its Love Nectar, be drunk with Its Ecstasy, see Krishna in Form and in everthing and finally go to Goloka after passing out of this life. The world has never  seen such an Avatara, the manifestation of All-Love Krishna" SBSS

What is the best thing  that we humans can see around us? Wherein lies the embodiment of life,s youthful nature and sweetness? What pastimes of life portray depth and surrender, endurance and commitment, art and simplicity, winsome beauty and determined lust for life? What is the highest

The discovery of biological structures in the Anuradhapura meteorite confirm life as a cosmic phenomenon. 

 Unmistakably biological structures on the micrometre scale were discovered as an integral part of the interior structure of a meteorite that fell near Anuradhapura Sri Lanka (Thambuttegama) on 8
December 2013. 

Credit: Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology

Carbonaceous structures of the type shown on the top left were discovered by Ms A.D.M.  Damayanthi using equipment at Sri Lanka’s modern scientific research centre – The Sri Lanka Institute Of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) currently headed by Professor Gehan Amaratunga  of Cambridge University.

The present work was carried out in collaboration with Keerthi Wickramarathne at the Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka, and the project was conducted under the direction of Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, Director of the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology. A preliminary report of this work has been published in the Journal of Cosmology

Announcement; On April 16, 2014, Visvambhara Priya Devi, SNM,  / Vicky Moreland and Tamohara dasa, ACBSP, Thomas Garden, were married in Winnipeg, MB.

Lord Hanuman in Lord Gauranga's pastimes

During the time when Mahaprabhu exhibited for 21 hours His transcendental existence as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He was calling His various devotees and bestowing various blessings to them. He next called Murari: "Murari! For so many days you couldn't recognize who I am? Just see My divine form." Then Murari saw Mahaprabhu as His most worshipable Deity, Lord Raghunatha, His body the colour of green grass. Sitting in the virasana, his legs folded beneath His body, and holding a great bow in His hand, Lakshman and Janaki were seated on each side of Him. In all directions the chiefs of the monkeys were reciting prayers and hymns. Then when he saw himself amongst those monkeys in his original form, he fainted straight away. Mahaprabhu called him: "Murari! Get up! Just see My divine form. Have you forgotten who set Ravana's Lanka on fire? It was you, Hanuman! Get up and gaze on the form of Laksmana, who is the very embodiment of your life.

Lord Balarama’s springtime rasa dance with His cowherd girlfriends. Krsna performs rasa lila of two varieties, one in the autumn season and one in the spring season, on vaisakha purnima.

Balarama also performs rasa dance at this time. In order to keep the gopis in Vrndavana satisfied, Lord Balarama stayed there continually for two months, namely the months of Caitra and Vaisakha. For those two months he kept himself among the gopis and he passed every night with them in the forest of Vrndavana in order to satisfy their desire for conjugal love. Thus Balarama also enjoyed the rasa dance with the gopis during those two months.

- See more at: http://harekrishnacalendar.com/vaishnava-calendar/sri-balarama-rasayatra-2013/#sthash.3N6hlhJb.dpuf

Lord Krishna’s springtime rasa dance. The purnima or full moon of Damodara month is the second full moon of the autumn season, and rasa lila is again celebrated. 

This second rasa yatra is celebrated more in Bengal, whereas the first one is celebrated more in Vrndavana. On this day one should perform full worship of Radha and Krsna with many flowers, and place them in a rasa mandapa surrounded by the gopis. Sri Krishna Vasant Rasa is similar excepting that it is in the Spring (Vasant), at this time everyone dresses in yellow. On this full moon night the devotees usually leave out pots of sweet rice payasam for the Lord to enjoy during His rasas.

- See more at: http://harekrishnacalendar.com/vaishnava-calendar/sri-krishna-vasanta-rasa-2013/#sthash.KVueElcd.dpuf

Starting of Tulasi Jala Dana During the hot season in India, a pot of dripping water is placed over Tulasi and Salagrama to keep them cool.
 

Keshava Vrata starts; for one month one should control the senses, sleep on the earth, bath twice daily in a river, worship the Lord and give cloth, sugar, sesame, rice, and gold to the brahmanas. If one worships Madhsudana in this month one gains the benefits of one years worship.

While Keshava Vrata lasts one may hang a pot with a hole in it, fill it with water and drip water over Tulasi and a Shalagrama Shila.

This is especially done in the now hot northern hemisphere when water becomes a vital asset for the growth of Tulasi Devi. In the southern hemisphere be careful not to overwater as we come out of Summer and into Autumn.

- See more at: http://harekrishnacalendar.com/vaishnava-calendar/beginning-of-salagrama-and-tulasi-jala-dana-2013/#sthash.Oo4oVexf.dpuf

 Feeling very sad (dukhi) over losing several children before his birth, his parents named him Dukhi Krishna Dasa. Upon taking diksha from Hrdaya Chaitanya he became known as Krishna Dasa. In Vrindavana, he joined Narottama Dasa Thakura and Shrinivasa Acharya to study the Goswami granthas under Shri Jiva Goswami.
 
   Many "ankle bell stories" describe how Krishna Dasa received Radharani's mercy, the name Shyamananda, and his unique tilaka mark. Shripad B.V. Narayana Maharaja gives this account in Navadwipa Dhama Parikrama:

   "While living in Vrindavana, Krishna Dasa regularly swept the streets before dawn. He performed this humble service so that the Vaishnavas would not hurt their feet while walking to the Temples. One morning he found a captivatingly beautiful golden ankle bracelet. When Lalita and Vishakha-sakhis asked for the bracelet Krishna Dasa said he would only give it to the original owner.
 
   "Blindfolding Krishna Dasa, the gopis brought him to Shrimati Radhika. She allowed h