Krishna-bhakti is a very joyful process

Krishna-bhakti is a very joyful process . It gives immense satisfaction to the practicing Bhakta . He is happy to be on the right track and what he does ( Nama-japam and service for Sri Krishna) is ETERNALLY beneficial to himself his dear ones and all others.

The purpose of human life is to serve Sri Krishna the embodiment of Supreme God . Only Sri Krishna is *Poorna* ( 100% complete God) . All other Gods are *Amsavathars* ( Partial manifestations) . Only Gita and Bhagavatham are the true authoritative Scriptural texts containing the actual  essence of the Vedas. Other Puranic texts are not so accurate as they contain fiction as well .

A Bhakta who daily chants Hare Krishna Mahamantra and recites Gita or Bhagavatham,  enjoys blissful self-satisfaction . These texts are literary manifestations of Bhagavan Sri Krishna Himself . It's  very sound vibration purifies the chanter's heart as well as the environment. If this world is a Computer, the Vedas are it's Software. When the Vedas is corrupted  , the world suffers . The present sufferings all around is due to undermining of the Vedas .  

Although the non-vedic Abrahamic religions preach high ideals, what they practice is totally different. Their  cultural violence such as their intolerance towards the sacred Vedas,  is what destriys the peaceful  existence of world .

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!! !

Such a compassionate and merciful God, will he not take care of us?

If we want spiritual progress then we must have faith that God has come to our aid,  He is helping us, and will definitely continue to do so.   At present also He is supporting us and in the future too wherever there is a need, there He will most certainly and without doubt come to our aid.  This is because naturally He is eternally compassionate.  Just as He protects His devotees,  in the very same manner he protects and nourishes all other beings as well.  Those men who live their lives not in accordance to God,  them too He gives food, water, air etc.  Those evil men who live completely opposite to the Lord's principles, who entirely oppose the scriptures,  they criticize God, them too God provides the necessities for living.   God provides the necessities for living even to snakes, lions, and all insects and little creatures as well.   Such a compassionate and merciful God,  will he not take care of us?   

Ayamuttamoyamadhamo jaatyaa roopena sampadaa vayasaa |

Shlaadhyoshlaadhyo veth na vetti bhagavaannugrahaavasare ||

Antahsvabhaavoktaa tatontraatma mahaamedh |

Khadirashvaampak iva vaa pravarsham kim vichaarayati  ||  (Prabodhsudhaakar 252/253)

"While gracing someone God does not think whether the person is superior or inferior in terms of a particular race, form, wealthy, age? Whether he is praise- worthy or contemptible? This indweller within, in His vastness (like a huge cloud) understands our inner sentiments.  Does a cloud while pouring the rains, think whether this is an acacia catechu plant or a sweet fragrant flowering plant (champa)?"

Therefore we must have faith in God that whatever may be our needs, God will provide.   Now through Gita, Ramayan and other scriptures, through satsang (spiritual associations) whatever points we are getting, those too we are receiving only due to His grace. 

In essence that foremost grace is of the Lord only,  but it appears to be coming from various other mediums,  just as it appears that we are getting water from a tap.  But on deeper thinking, the water comes into the tap from a pipe,  and it comes from a tank into the pipe, and it comes from a river or a well into the tank,  and from the rains the  rivers get their water,  and the water in the ocean is born of fire (evaporation), and fire comes from air, and air is born of space and space is the energy, the power that manifests from God.  The point is that the essence of everything is God.  By which this entire creation has manifested.   

Whatever we are receiving, it is all coming from God alone.  He is not seeing towards our capabilities before giving,  rather without any cause or motive in a disinterested spirit with His grace He is giving us.  Just as mother while providing for her child does not see towards his capabilities,  strength, intellect, knowledge,  qualities, etc,  rather being a mother she takes care of him.  Similarly God is the mother and father of everyone.  It is not that He will grace us due to some cause.  He naturally is out of sentiments of good-heartedness and friendship,  graces us and provides for us.  Every person should have faith in such a God's grace.   The more that one has trust in God,  that much His grace will be fructified, it will be experienced,  by which you will attain peace,  you will be free of worries and free of fear. 

    

From "Bhagwaan aur Unki Bhakti" in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji

Grace of God is showering uninterruptedly on us

God's Amazing Grace

 Grace of God is showering uninterruptedly on us, but we simply do not look towards that!  We disregard this grace, we disrespect it,  we dishonor it,  then too God does not leave His compassionate and merciful nature.  He continues to shower His grace.   A child does not disrespect the mother any less, for he urinates and excretes somewhere, he spits other times,  but mother constantly protects him. Similarly, we too are clever like the child in following the wrong path.  But God is not any less sharp than the mother in showering His grace,  rather he is very quick.  Therefore we must have faith in His grace. 

Even if the worst of all situations befalls,  in that too His grace is ever the same.  If illness overcomes us, if we suffer financial losses,  if someone dies, if sickness takes hold,  if we are dishonored or disgraced, in all of these situations, there is God's grace.  We must have faith in His grace. 

Laalane taadane maaturnaakaarunyam yathaarbhake |

Tadvadeva maheshasya niyanturgunadoshayoh ||

Just as while caring for the child and also while  reprimanding the child, in both these incidents, there is never a time that mother's is never not gracing the child, similarly God who is governing our good and bad qualities, can never not be gracing us.  

In this way,  sometimes without any cause God showers His grace on us and gives us this human body - 

Kabahunak kari karunaa nar dehi

Det is binu hetu sanehi ||  (Manas, Uttar.  44/3) 

Sins amassed in the past (sanchit) never come to an end;  because every being has been committing these sins from time immemorial.  However, in between, inspite of  being sinful, God blesses us with a human body, and in the midst He gives us an opportunity for our salvation.   This is God's extra-ordinary grace.  God's nature is such that he continues to shower His grace without any cause, then this is His two-fold grace!  On having faith in His infinite grace, if one engages in spiritual disciplines, then there will be much blessedness, unique and natural, self-evident divinity and progress.   We do not take shelter of that grace, therefore that grace is less fruitful.  If we yield to that grace, then the grace will bare abundant fruits.  Therefore while offering praises to the Lord,  Brahmaji says - 

Tatte-nukampaam susameekshamaano bhunjaan evaatmakrutam vipaakam |

Hrdvagvapurbhirvirddhannmaste jeevet yo muktipade sa daayabhaak ||  (Srimad Bhagwat  10/14/8) 

He who while enjoying the fruits of his actions,  at every moment continues to look only towards Your grace, and with his heart, speech and body, time and again prostrates to You, he becomes the one eligible to Your Eternal Abode, just like a child becomes the rightful heir to the father's wealth! 

From "Bhagwaan aur Unki Bhakti"  by Swami Ramsukhdasji

The Revival Of Bhakti

Aguru wondered whether his student was worthy of receiving the ashtakshara mantra that would release him from earthly ills. After much deliberation, he finally disclosed it, but only after wresting a promise from him that it would not be revealed to others. The student pondered over the mantra and the next day, went atop the village temple and announced the mantra to a large gathering that had collected there. The guru, furious, said that the worst hell awaited him. To which the student replied, ‘If this act of mine delivers thousands to heaven, i do not mind going to hell.’ Thrilled, the guru hugged his disciple. The guru was Saint Tirukkottiyur Nambi.
Ramanuja was born in a Vaishnava family at Sriperambudur, near Kanchipuram. His own teacher, Yadavaprakash, felt threatened by the clarity and extent of his knowledge and so decided to kill him. However, due to divine grace Ramanujacharya survived. Ramanujacharya was against the caste system. He took an illiterate but knowledgeable saint, Kanchipurna as his teacher. One night Ramanuja invited Kanchipurna to his house. After serving him food, Ramanuja offered to wash his feet. Kanchipurna was embarrassed as Ramanuja was a Brahmin. An upset Ramanuja declared that one who was devoted to God was beyond any social order.
Ramanuja expounded the Vishishtha Advaita philosophy – qualified non-dualism. It talks of a personal God who is one and only one (non-dual), but vishishtha, one with unique attributes. It says that the Supreme Being is ‘soul of all souls’. He explained that there were three factors of interplay: God or Brahmn, we or jivatmas, nature or prakriti. He further explained that God manifests in two modes: Chit or sentient, living beings and achit or non-sentient, without consciousness. Brahmn along with these two modes formed the Tattva Traya or the threefold doctrine of Vishishtha Advaita philosophy that established an organic relationship of oneness of the universe and individual souls along with Brahmn. Individual selves are sparks of the divine and the world is no illusion. This philosophy is an integral part of Sri Vaishnavism, which says that Sriman Narayana is Paratattva, Supreme Truth. He is the abode of all life and is antaryamin, the internal controller. He is easily approachable and responds to his devotee’s loving devotion. The philosophy is theistic and says Brahmn is the union of Vishnu and Lakshmi (Sri), the father and mother elements, respectively.
Ramanuja was deeply influenced by the 12 alwars or Vaishnavite poet-saints, who were immersed in bhakti or devotion towards Narayana. Through bhakti, Ramanujacharya advocated saranagati or total surrender to God. Indeed, Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita advises Arjuna to rise above the lesser dharmas or duties which keep the soul bound to matter. He urges Arjuna to 'surrender all unto me and I shall free you from fears, bondage and sorrows'. The act of surrender is termed as saranagati, which forms the nucleus of the vishistha advaita philosophy, and is referred to as the prapatti yoga. In deference to Yamunacharya’s wishes, Ramanujacharya wrote the Sribhashya, a commentary on the Brahmasutras, Gita Bhashya, Saranagati Gadyam, among many other works. He travelled all over India and standardised the liturgy at many temples including the Sri Venkateshwara temple at Tirupati, and the Cheluvanarayana temple at Melkote, Karnataka, where he spent a major part of his life.

Attainment Of Prema Bhakti

svadam svadam madhurimabharam sviya namavalinam
madam madam kimapi vivasibhutavisrasta gatrah
barambaram vrajapati gunan gaya-gayeti jalpan
gauro drstah sakrdapi na yairdughata tesu bhaktih (15)

Always absorbed in chanting and relishing his own holy names, Gaurasundar becomes intoxicated with ever-increasing passion. Sometimes he swoons, falling to the ground in a display of ineffable exultation. The Lord invites everyone, repeatedly encouraging them to sing the wonderful qualities of Sri Krishna, the prince of Vraja. But those who have never seen or perceived him in meditation, even only briefly, for them the attainment of prema bhakti is almost impossible.
Sri Caitanya Candramritam by Prabodhananda Sarasvatipada- Excerpt of his prayers.

The symptoms of one who is fully engaged in the process of chanting with love is difficult to describe but we have an idea of the love our acharyas showed while chanting, first feeling lots of mercy and love for every living entity trying to engage every one of them in Harinam Sankirtan. Goura Purnima is coming soon and this verse is to remind us of the great love Lord Chaitanya showed so we can have an idea of this pure love of Krsna, prema.

I pray so I can constantly chant the holy names of the Lord and receive association of the great vaisnavas so I can always be reminded of my position as eternal servant of the Lord.

Sri Sankaracharya was taught that Bhakti is superior to Sidhi

Sri Sankaracharya was taught that Bhakti is superior to Sidhi

Once the great Jagadgura Sri Sankaracharya was on his aerial journey from Kaladi to Shringeri. He reached above Guruvayur temple. Siveli procession was progressing in the temple . Sankaracharya smiled at the pompness and vividity of the procession in the temple and tried to pass the temple without making any obeisance to Bhagavan.

When snubbed like this by Sri Sankara, Bhagavan decided to teach him that Bhakti is superior to Sidhi . Suddenly Sankara came crashing down and the Siveli procession stopped there at the northwest corner. He soon recovered and saw Bhagavan Sri Krishna in all his divinity. Realizing the cause of his fall, Sankaracharya prostrated before Bhagavan and tried to win Bhagavan's favour by singing Bhajahovindam and Govinda Ashtakam. (The small opening in the roof over the North- West courtyard is in commemoration of this event). Sankaracharya stayed for (41) days at the temple . And he instituted the ritual of *Mandala Vilakku* (lighting of lamps for 41days) .

Sincere and Intense Bhakti

In Bhagavatham, Prahlada explains about nine types of Bhakthi and this verse mentions all of them.

ShravaNam, keertthanam Vishno:

smaranam paadasevanam

archanam, vandanam, daasyam

sakhyam aathmanivedanam

Hearing His stories, chanting His names, remembering Him constantly , serving His lotus feet, worshipping him through rituals like pooja, yajna etc , praying to him or prostration or offering respectful obeisances , carrying out his orders as a servant, seeing Him as a friend, and completely surrendering to Him.

These nine types can be divided in to two categories

1. One type in which devotee sees Bhagavan in front of him (prathyksham) and this type includes:

a. Padasevanam (serve at the lotus feet- Mahalakshmi) ,
b. Vandanam (pay respectful obeisances-Akroora)
c. Sakhyam (friend- Arjuna)
d. Dasyam (serve HIm with the attitude of a servant-Hanuman)

2, Second type is imagining His beautiful form in the mind of the devotee and this includes:

e. Sravanam (hearing -Parikshit)
f. Keerthanam ( chanting divine names and glories- Suka Maharshi)
g. Smaranam (remembering- Prahlada)
h. Archanam (Worship through rituals- Prithhu chakravartthy)

The last type Aaathmanivedanam or surrendering completely ( Mahabali) can be done either with eyes seeing Bhgavaan or with Bhagavaan shining in one's mind. So Aathmanivedanam belongs to both categories.

We can choose any one of the nine forms of worship and attain Bhagavath Paadam like Parikshith, Suka Maharshi, Bhaktha Prahlada, Devi Mahalakshmi, King Prithhu, Akroora, Hanumanji, Arjuna or Mahabali.

One thing common in all of their devotion is the sincerity and intensity. May god bless us to have intense and sincere Bhakthi. Bhagavan's assurance in Mepatthoor's words : Intense Bhakthi gives everything you desire (and moksham) -"akhilasaadhani mayi bahkthi athyulkkata" .

Questions & Answers on Krishna-Bhakti .

Question – 1
Why some people are preaching about Krishna , voluntarily ?. God is available to everyone . So, what is the need of preaching ?.

Answer
Krishna- devotee is concerned to enlighten people in general by teaching them to engage in the devotional service to Lord Sri Krishna . This is his kindness . The Devotee knows that those who do not take to devotional will remain suffering due to `Maya' (illusion) . Therefore, he , preaches, "Become Krishna-Devotee . Do not remain asleep in the clutches of `Maya' or illusion . Human life is meant for God-realization." This is the mission of a Krishna-devotee. He wants to save everyone from their suffering condition. He is not content to merely be saved himself. No. He wants to save all others .

While engaged in spreading Krishna-bhakti , he faces many opposing elements . Therefore he has to be very tolerant . Sometimes he is very much mistreated, because the conditioned souls are generally not prepared to receive spiritual knowledge. In fact, they can't stand it . This is their diseased condition . The Devotee accepts the thankless task of trying to awaken them and sometimes must face even violence for his humble effort to do the highest good for all others . Jesus Christ was crucified and Haridas Thakur was severely beaten in twenty-two marketplaces because they tried to awaken the dormant love of God in the hearts of the conditioned souls .

Because the devotee so selflessly executes the mission of Lord Sri Krishna by trying to spread Krishna-bhakti all over the world, he is very, very dear to Lord . If we can follow in the advices of such Krishna-Devotees our perfection will be assured .

Question – 2
Is Okay to Enjoy the Good Things in Life ?...

In the last couple of days, Krishna has drawn me more closer to Him and He is showering His merciful blessings on me so that I am trying to realize the purpose of this birth and am trying to awaken the dormant Krishna-bhakti in me .

Last couple of days, I have been completely absorbed in thinking about Krishna, listening to Krishna kirtans , reading Bhagavad-Gita , apart from my professional work time. Last two days even after returning home, I have not seen TV neither have I listened to radio. I perform `arati' in my puja room and then again immerse myself in reading Bhagavad-Gita .

Today a thought aroused in me while I was reading the Bhagavad-Gita . There are so many good things in this world like good soul-stirring music, good and informative television programs and other magazines, good scenic sights, good vegetarian food etc . Is it that I should not even enjoy these good things and refrain from everything and direct all our energies towards Krishna or is it that I should be away from evil deeds and be a good devotee of Krishna ?

If I am not supposed to do anything else except always be thinking and praying to Krishna, why has Krishna created so many things for the living entity to experience and enjoy ? Why has Krishna allowed me to go away from Him and not made me on the right path, the path of Krishna-bhakti always ? Why has Krishna placed me at a certain economic level so that I have to work and not focus 24 hours on Krishna ? I have read in the Bhagavad-Gita that Krishna wants all His living entities to make devotion to Him and that He is very much pleased if a devotee pleases His senses rather than one's own senses . If this being the case why is Krishna testing the living entities ? Why can't He make us please Him directly ? He is the most merciful, ever attractive, all opulent and controller of all senses .

Charity in the Mode of Krishna-Bhakti .

Providing food and minor amounts to the needy is a routine activity ; and a Krishna-Devotee does it without looking at the qualifications of the recipients . A rich family conducted a huge "Ritual" as an offering to the Deity . Mass Feeding was done as part of the Ritual . However , a Member of that rich family pushed aside one "Begger" for not standing properly in the Queue and denied him food . Later , when the Vedic-Jyothishi was verifying the satisfaction of Deity , it was revealed to him that the Person who appeared as "Begger" was none other than the Deity ; and therefore the desired purpose of the ritual has not been fulfilled .

What Lalitaji and I meant was not the routine alms-giving stated above but "CHARITY" of a higher nature .

When a person is in deep trouble , a Krishna-Devotee would like to help him by doing "Charity" in the mode of Krishna-bhakti . Brahamasri Vazhakunnam Namboodiri was doing it . He tried to uplift that "Beggar" by instilling Krishna-bhakti in him . Such a change would have solved all his problems once for all .

Bhagavan Sri Krishna says in Gita :

Gita 17.20 : " Charity should be given as a matter of duty. With this resolve, charity given with no expectation of return, at a proper place and time to a worthy person, is considered to be `sattvic' ".

Gita 9.30-31 : "Even a worst sinner , if he worships Me with true bhakti, he should be considered as virtuous ; for he has rightly decided his duty (i.e. there is nothing like devoted worship of Me) . He quickly becomes righteous and attains eternal peace. O Kaunteya, declare it boldly that , My Devotee never perishes. "

Ohm Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya!! !

How to Destroy " Bad Karma " of the Past " ?

Srimad Bhagavatam ( 11.9.26) says " As a tree before dying produces the seed of a future tree , the dying body manifests the seed of one's material body in the form of one's accumulated Karma " .

In the new body , he continues the activities of "past karma" .

A Vedic Jyothishi (astrologer) could find out whether one's past karma is positive or negative . If it is positive, the person has God's grace .

Now, the natural question is, what can help to destroy the " bad karma " ?

The answer lies in Brahma-Samhita - " karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti bajam ". The performance of bhakti-yoga (devotional service), to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, is the only way to "burn to ashes", the karmic reactions .

How to perform devotional service to Sri Krishna ? Where to start ?

Vedic scriptures say, " sevonmukhe hi jihva 'dau ". The first and foremost activity is to engage your tongue in the service of Bhagavan Sri Krishna . How ? By chanting His holy names and tasting his "Prasadam" (sanctified food offered to Bhagavan in a Vedic-temple). .

By doing so , gradually one gets purified . He becomes an instrument of Sri Krishna, just like a pen in the hand of a writer .

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya !!!

Sri Krishna’s deity-worship is an integral part of Bhakti-yoga

A Krishna-bhakta is an eternal servant of Bhagavan Sri Krishna . Any thing associated with Bhagavan is sacred to him .

Once, the great Vaishnava Sage Sri Ramanujacharya was walking through a street . A few small children were playing there using a stone as a “Deity ” of Krishna and doing “archana” by using mud . They offered that mud ( which used for “archana” ) as “prasadam” to Sri Ramanujacharya . The great Acharya bowed down , accepted that “prasadam” and applied it on his forehead . He explained to his surprised disciples that , although these children appear to be playing , they are doing the worship of Sri Krishna with faith and therefore it is a sacred puja .

In a village called Evoor . This is the place where , Bhagavan Sri Krishna in the company of Arjuna had performed the “ Khandava-dahanam “ (burning of Khandava forest) . Upon the successful completion of this task , Agni-deva (Fire-God) was immensely pleased and He installed the Deity of Sri Krishna at the exact spot from where Arjuna fired the arrows to construct “Sarakoodam” (roof of arrows) .


(150) years back there was an accidental fire which destroyed this temple except the “Deity’ . The poor villagers were helpless to do anything further .


Very soon , Lord Krishna appeared in a dream to the then king of Travancore Sri Moolam Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja, and asked him to construct a new temple at Evoor . The king dutifully obeyed this divine instruction and constructed a huge temple complex strictly in accordance with the vedic specifications . This Deity of Sri Krishna is the living God for all of us . If you ask about 'Evoor Bhagavan' to any devotee of that area , he will have at least one mystic experience in own life . (  (a Christian) , once fell down from a running train ; but he was miraculously saved by Sri Krishna Himself who appeared at the spot and held him to safety . Now , he is a loyal Krishna-bhakta ) .


Sri Krishna’s deity-worship is an integral part of Bhakti-yoga . Vedic rituals are necessary to transfer the aura ("Chaithanyam" ) of God to energize the “Murty” and to maintain the Deity's Aura . Such routine and unavoidable temple rituals should not be confused with other “vedic karma-kanda” aspects like the rituals for Forefathers , Demi-gods , etc .

Nama-sankeertana (chanting of Krishna’s names) is the recommended method of Bhakti-yoga in this age . In order to concentrate at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, one needs to have His Deity form . A vedic temple is an abode of Bhagavan Sri Krishna ; and it provides practical Krishna-realisation to the faithful devotees .

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!! !