Snan Yatra

Not too long ago we celebrated the public bathing ceremony of Sri Jagannath Baladeva and mother Subhadra at our center. Sri Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra on their arrival were first seated in the library, were they were offered cooling yogurt rice and laddus.It was a very intimate moment of service to the Lord as we fanned them with  the Chamara and Peacock feather fans. The library was hot and humid, that it recreated the atmosphere of being in Puri. Jagannath Baladev and Subhadra changed into an off white, south Indian style dhoti attire, and were adorned with jasmine and tulasi garlands. Amidst the blowing of conches They were brought to the snan vedi and were readied for their public bath..Devotees came forward to bathe the Lords to the singing of Jagnnathastakam in the background. Conches of aromatic water and nectar were showered on Them and they were whisked away to don the masks of elephants and a lotus and provide Darshan in their Gajanan Attire. The Lordships looked resplendent in the Hati Vesha, made so meticulously by Kalpavriksha Prabhu..In the meantime the Chappan Bhoga feast was laid out for the Lords. Rasagollas, simply wonderfuls, gaja, khaja, fruit platters and savories waited to be tasted by the Lord, while Preeti mataji made the medicinal drink of ginger, camphor, pepper, and other spices to be offered to the Lord..Our little Jagannath wanted to be there for this Chappan Bhog feast as well and so He donned the Hati vesha too and partook the feast laid out so lovingly by all the devotees. After the heavy feast,we returned home with a carful of sick Lords to be treated and nurtured back to health. Some devotees remarked seeing our car "Just imagine the plight of a cop if ever this car was stopped." A transcendental Mardi gras I thought. As I  took off Their elephant masks, I was reminded of years ago when I had made similar such masks for my nieces on their birthday. The Lord surely likes to play like a little child I thought. A week later as I performed Aroti to the Kunjavihariasatakam sung by mother Jagattarini and heard the translation of the verses I got yet another perspective of Kunjabihari Krishna being referred to as an elephant by Srila Rupa Goswami..

sthasakikrta sugandhi patirah
svarnakandi parisobha katira
radhikonata payodharavari
kunjaro jayati kunjavihari
All Glories to Sri Jagannatha Snan yatra, all glories to Sri Kunjabihari Krishna..

Snan Yatra

The Interview

An interview according to the Webster's,  is a formal consultation usually to evaluate qualifications (as of a prospective student or employee).

Srila Prabhupada writes in the translation of Text 43 of the Antya Lila -Caitanya Caritamrita, Chapter 6: The Meeting of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Raghunath Dasa Goswami as follows, "In the village of Panihati, Raghunatha dasa obtained an interview with Nityananda Prabhu who was accompanied by many kirtana performers, servants and others."

This is the prelude to the celebrated Chida Dahi Festival that took place 500 years ago on the bank of the Ganges at the place named as Panihati. Also referred to as Danda Utsav, this festival celebrates the unique punishment received by Raghunath Das Goswami. Our teachers say that the best way to approach Krishna is through Sri Guru. SriGuru interviews the candidate scans the qualifications of the person and if he is not qualified, makes them qualified, polishing them like a jeweler would a precious stone and then finally present the jewel to a higher authority. In this chapter one can read about Raghunath Das Goswami's escapade from home and his meeting with Caitanya Mahaprabhu, only to be returned back home for another year. The Danda Mahotsava is held to teach the aspiring sadhakas, with the example of Raghunath Das Goswami; that one has to approach the adi Guru Sri Nityananda Rama first before attempting to reach the Lord directly. The Guru engages the aspiring disciple in seva to the the Lord and Vaisnavas. In this case the seva that the Prayojana Acarya received was so sweet that he was asked to distribute chida-chipped rice in yogurt and condensed milk to all the devotees assembled there. We tried to recreate the same mood in an attempt to please Sri Nityananda Rama in order to try and obtain an interview with him. 6 sets of Gaura Nitai deities gathered under a Tulasi plant trying to simulate the effect of being under a banyan tree, a few matajis gathered to glorify Lord Nityananda through bhajans by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura and others..As harinam resounded, They were offered a very simple bhoga of chida with dahi and chida with condensed milk..The devotees relished the prasadam and offered heartfelt prayers to Lord Nityananda to recruit us some day in the service of Sri Radha Krishna.  Here are some pictures from the festival.

Thieves in Disguise

When younger, summer holidays for me meant lots of reading. I would clean out my desk and settle down with just about any book that caught my eye. One particular summer I remember pasting two quotations, one from the Thirukural  which went something like "One may smile and smile but be no friend, for the heart has to smile with the face," and the other, a quote by William Penn, written in a letter to his wife and children

"Avoid flatterers; for they are thieves in disguise. Their praise is costly, designing to get by those they bespeak. They are the worst of creatures; they lie to flatter and flatter to cheat, and, which is worse, if you believe them, you cheat yourselves most dangerously. But the virtuous-though poor-love, cherish, and prefer. Remember David, who asking the Lord, "Who shall abide in Thy tabernacle; who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?" answers, "He that walks uprightly, works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; in whose eyes the vile person is condemned, but honors them who fears the Lord."

When I did paste the quotes I can say that I did not fully understand the import of the words, especially the second one. It has taken me 15 years to understand and is a very valuable quote to remember and progress in devotional life.While meditating on the verse spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu everyday, the one recorded in Padyavali by Srila Rupa Goswami, one fine day the purport of William Penn's words struck me.In devotional life false ego is considered as one of the 6 enemies that binds us to our material identity.Humility and acceptance of our minuscule position in relationship to Krishna frees us from this false ego, removes our pride and fills our heart with love for the Lord and His devotees. A devotee is said to be adorned with very valuable qualities like humility,pridelessness and tolerance referred to as Sadhu Bhusana or Ornaments which he/she has to safeguard with their heart and soul. Devotees often receive praise for some service which they do like cooking tasty prasadam, dressing the deities beautifully etc..and the praise may be genuine or flattery, but here is Mayadevi testing the devotee as to what their reaction should be. Our teachers say that one has to accept the praise but pass it on to their own Guru or to the Guru parampara, because in reality we cannot function without their mercy, so They are the rightful recipents of any praise. On the contrary if we succumb to the praise and start thinking ourselves the doer then Mayadevi has achieved the desired goal, where the flatterer is robbing us of our ornamnents of humility, pridelessnes and tolerance. Beware, they are but thieves in disguise..Robbed of our ornaments one by one we become poorer and poorer in spiritual life so much so, that we may totally regress into a state of envy of Krishna and His devotee, returning to our starting point in the material tabernacle. Spiritual life is like a game of snakes and ladders where one has to always be cautions of landing on the head of the snake of envy and sliding down to its tail. The only thief that we can encourage to steal is the supreme butter thief. I pray that one day he steals my heart and makes it firmly situated at His Lotus feet..

naham vipro na ca nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro

naham varni na ca grha-patir no vana-stho yatir va

kintu prodyan nikhila-paramananda purnamrtabdher

gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah

“I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.” CC- Madhya 13.80

Srila Rupa Goswami’s Padyavali, verse 74

Chowka or Tribhanga?

On Janmasatami last year, one mataji asked me if I could dress her Radha Madan Mohan, after the abhishek. I happily agreed, but it soon struck me that I had only been used to dressing Jagannath Baladev,Subhadra, Gaura Nitai and Narsimhadeva and never Radha Krishna. When I dress Jagannath, it feels so wonderful, especially the big Jagannath, I literally walk into His arms to garland Him or to tie the loose ends of His outfit.However, when it comes to offering Tulasi, i have to place it on His chest and cannot physically offer Him anklets, which is my favorite seva. With Madan Mohan the experience was different, I did not know how to place His flute, struggled with His garland and sweated with tying His turban. Radharani was more merciful and it was easier to dress Her. Somehow they tolerated my offenses and got ready. I continued the seva of Lord Jagannatha but was always missing Srimati Radharani.I missed Radharani at the temples back in South India and even when I visited Srinathji for Darshan during the monthly Sunday feast cooking seva, i felt my darshan was incomplete without Srimati Radharani. After my recent visit to North Carolina, where I saw the inspiring seva to Radha Krishna deities at various devotees homes, I was inspired to take up service of Sri Radha Krishna. HH Mahanidhi Swami mentions in a class that while Jagannath is served by Sabaras, Radha Krishna are served by qualified devotees, though in both cases, Krishna accepts only the offering of love and devotion. So, here I was serving Jagannatha for almost 10 years now, yet my mind was restless. I was thinking:

Chowka or Tribhanga?

What A Fool I am
I can't see The Three Fold Bending Form,
Can't see the flute in Your arm.
Can't see Radharani embraced at Your chest,
Nor theTulasi and anklets on Your lotus feet.

 Sri Radha Madana Mohan

Sri Radha Madan Mohan and Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra

Though I could understand Viraha is the highest form of Prema, I wanted desperately to serve Srimati Radharani. On one hand I wanted to serve Her and on the other hand I felt totally disqualified for such seva. So I let it to destiny that if i were qualified to serve Them as a couple They would come. The following week, we were at a housewarming, and one of the devotees casually mentioned that she was going to India. Immediately I asked her "What about your deities, who is going to take care of Them- Radha Vrindavanchandra?" She said that she was going to make Them sleep while she was away. My mind said "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread!" but my heart spoke up and I asked her, "Can I serve Them for the one month you are away?" She agreed to the offer..So here was my chance to serve Sri Jagnnatha and Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra. It was one blissful month of seva and what more auspicious month than the Purusottama month...I braided Radharani's hair and decorated it with jewelry and flowers. Placed pan in her hand to offer to Vrindavanchandra and enjoyed every bit of my seva to Them.

Srinathji and Srimati Radhika-(This picture is from someone's collection on Facebook)

                                                    

I guess i was quite desperate to seek answers and around the same time I borrowed a magazine by Gopaljiu publications- The hidden Identity of Lord Jagannath and as I read each article, especially the poem by Madhavi Mahiti, the sister of Sikhi mahiti and a close associate of Lord Caitanya I could understand the Lord I was serving much better. My heart still yearns to serve Srimati Radhika, but I now serve Jagannath with a renewed understanding that He is the beloved of Srimati Radharani.My understanding was further deepened when i attended a program at upstate New York where HH Dhanurdhara Maharaja introduced Shyam Das Prabhu of the Vallabh Sampradaya to the audience. He went on to sing Madhurastakam explaining that since Radha and Krishna are non different, the Madhurastakam is applicable to both...

Whether *Chowka or Tribhanga, the Lord is never separated from Srimati Radhika for a second and is the very same Vrajendranandana Krishna. Whether Chowka or Tribhanga I pray that I always be situated in loving service to Them. I will post more pictures of Radha Vrindavan Chandra whenever i upload them from my phone.. But will leave you with 2 verses of the poem of Sri Madhavi Mahiti which lifted the cloud of doubt covering my understanding....

* Chowka and Tribhanga are two basic postures used in Odissi dance. The square masculine stance representing Jagannath and Tribhanga  representing the three fold bending form of Krishna
Radha the Beloved of Jagannath
-Madhavi Devi
This poignant song shows that Madhavi Devi saw her beloved Lord Jagannath as Shyamasundar Krishna, the beloved of Srimati Radharani.

Sri-nanda-nandana se jaga-bandana
Candana carchita anga
Sakshat vrajendra kumära sehari

Niladri -bhavya vibhava

The darling son of Nanda,
He is adored by the whole world.
His body is decorated and worshipped
With fragrant sandalwood paste.
The handsome young son of Braja,
Hari is the sweetest treasure of Niladri.

Pahuda kälare prema romäncare
Radhä näma ange jade
Prema pulakare gajadantavara

Palanke thänti pahudi

As he retires for the night,

The name of Radha, he holds close to his heart

In tight embrace, full of amorous excitement.

Thrilled with love’s passionate ecstasy,

He sleeps on the bedspread decorated with ivory

                                                                    TRIBHANGA KRISHNA

CHOWKA

A Tale of Two Tomatoes

Some fruit and herb bhoga for Jagannath said my friend Geeta, as she stuffed a plastic carry bag into my black cloth bag emroidered with green parrots and inscribed with the word Radha.Thoroughly preoccupied by thoughts of how I can cook the next morning, I absent mindedly nodded my head in reply to her. It was 11PM by the time the program with HH Bhakti Charu Maharaj concluded on Friday evening. I had to be up at 3:30 AM the next day to get set and reach for Mangal Arotik at 5 AM. I had promised to make rava idlis and sambar for Maharaja's breakfast but did not have the time to go grocery shopping and hence, did not have the ingredients, especially the taste enhancing ingredient for sambar- Tomatoes. Sambar without tomatoes! I thought how am I going to make it. I had requested a devotee to bring two tomatoes for me at the Friday evening program and she promptly forgot. Devotees living close to the temple volunteered to go home and bring some for me. I stopped them looking at the time.Its too late to go shopping now and I have work for atleast 3 hours before I can hit the bed, I thought. For a split second, I looked at Radha Vrindavan Chandra and wished "Maybe Geeta mataji has put some tomatoes in there for Jagannath," but, it was time to leave and the thought got pushed out of my mind. I got home and got ready for the next service, making garlands for the sweet Radha Madan Mohan deities at whose home the Mangal arotik was..All of a sudden, on an impulse, I walked to my bag and pulled out the bhoga bag first. I opened it wanting to store it away properly for the deities.A first I pulled out a small ziploc with roses, another with some fresh oregano and rosemary, a grapefruit, a mango and something wrapped in paper.Wondering what could be so precious to be wrapped in paper, I opened it carefully.I could not believe my eyes when I saw two shiny ripe tomatoes staring at me from the bag..Just the right quantity that I needed, not more, not less. Once more Jagannath and Srimati Radharani had reciprocated, fulfilling my desire to serve. I ran to Jagannath who was beaming at me with a mischievous smile and thanked Him for being so kind to me..Later while narrating this to my friend Geeta, I was recounting other more serious instances in my life where Sri Radha Krishna have literally preserved what I have, and carried what I lack, and that I was not able to come to terms with their mercy starting from giving me these tomatoes, to not letting me down in other circumstances. As I paused speaking, she simply said " Digest the mercy." It is so hard to digest, knowing that  I have no qualification to receive mercy.The sincere desire to serve Vaisnavas surely attracts this mercy. I recalled the  verse from Srimad Bhagavatam on how one becomes the rightful inheritor of the Lord's mercy. (SB 10.14.8)
tat te 'nukampāḿ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaḿ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.
I am still overwhelmed when I think of the Lord's mercy and still grapple with thoughts of how to digest the mercy when it comes. Cetainly the Lord's mercy is Ahaituki- causeless!

While on one hand this incident may seem as simple reciprocation, it instills faith, renews faith and provides practical realization that the Lord is personal to the extent that we are personal. The Lord is all merciful, we have to be open to receive it and digest it when it comes.

Madhukari on Krishna Road

This past weekend when we visited Prabhupada Village, Sandy Ridge North Carolina, I was wondering, "Looks like a sleepy laid back place, suitable for a retreat. What is there to see?" I decided I would go with an open heart and embrace whatever comes my way. But from the beginning to the end the journey was very sweet. Madhukari http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/20/81/ is a term that is used for begging alms. Just as the bees go from flower to flower and hop about collecting nectar from one and then move to another and yet another, similarly we went from one devotee's home to another like bees seeking nectar.We received so much mercy. The temple of the holy names, that is name of the temple atop the winding roads that lead to Prabhupada village. When you enter the temple you do not find Radha Krishna deities as you would in all other ISKCON temples, but instead there is a beautiful framed painting of the Panca Tattva occupying the center place on the altar. As our devotees burst into Kirtan, I could not stop myself from dancing. The mood of Sankirtan was so warmly felt at the temple. The road on which the devotees live is aptly named Krishna Drive. With so many devotees being Srila Prabhupada disciples even a little associating with them is so refreshing and gives one an idea of the energy that must have surrounded Srila Prabhupada. Our first stop was at the home of Sivananda Prabhu and mother Madan Mohan Mohini. Here I saw practically the kitchen standards Srila Prabhupada talked about. The kitchen was spotless and huge enough to cook up a feast for at least a hundred devotees. The deities Radha Shyama Sundar were resplendent. Srila Prabhupada had miniature book cases, a small khol/mridanga, a rocking chair and a small shawl neatly folded across the chair. The entire altar was detailed and meticulous. We had wonderful burfi prasadam and heard the amazing story of how Sri Radha Shyamasundar came to reside there. Here I prayed to adopt the same cleanliness standards to please our own deities. Thanking the devotees we hopped on to our next stop.
The next stop was at the home of mother Anantatma, who we were told braved the Russian intelligence agencies to spread the message of Srila Prabhupada. As she very animatedly spoke about the causes for the failure of farming communities, we learnt a lesson or two. Accepting oatmeal cookies prasadam, we moved on to our next stop,as I prayed to be able to preach fearlessly some day. Next we were at the home of mother Maharha and Mitrasena Prabhu. Here we were treated to yet another exquisite Darshan of Sri Radha Sharad Bihari and Gaura Nitai. Mother Maharha designs deity dresses and is an artist. From the time I saw a picture of Srimati Radhika by mother Maharha I was curious to meet and seek her blessings. The pictures were not mere art.It was an expression of her love and in the truest sense, it was a window to the spiritual world. She was so kind to give me some dress patterns for Gaura Nitai, copies of all her pictures and her most valuable time and association. From her we accepted bread prasadam which was also imbued with devotion like her other skills. Time was ticking, we had to move on to our next destination. The next stop was at mother Arcana Siddhi and Karnamrita Prabhu's home. I am an avid reader of both their writings and felt privileged to have their brief association. The deities Radha Gopinath and Nimai Nitai looked at us with merciful eyes. Seeing Guru Maharaja's picture on the altar made us immediately feel warm and loved. Here I prayed that I be able to write and inspire people to love one another giving up false identification with the body. Accepting burfi prasadam which was out of this world, we stopped at our next destination, the home of mother Citra and Mathura Prabhu. We were amazed by their simplistic way of living and their love for everything organic and natural. Here I prayed to imbibe this same mood of simplicity and respect for the cows. Leaving Krishna road enriched with so many gifts we entered Sita drive and honored lunch prasadam at the home of Mother Sudevi and Sarvadrk Prabhu our hosts. Clearly these were devotees who knew and understood the value of devotee association. Despite their early day they made sure we were comfortable and well fed.
I shall never forget all the alms that we collected on Krishna Road in Prabhupada Village that Monday Morning.
Jaya Srila Prabhupada.

Offering

Dear Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisnaces, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to your lotus feet.

As I was talking to one devotee , I was thinking of your specific mission to spread compassion, love, and enthuse everyone to take up service. Many are of the opinion that LOVE is easy to come by. Anyone can teach living entities on how to care for and love each other they say. I have to disagree with the statement, because love is more than just affectionate dealings. Love is the opposite of Lust. So in that sense teaching devotees how to love each other would mean removal of the deadly Anartha called lust and it is no mean mission. It is one of the most difficult and arduous tasks that a spiritual mentor can take on. You once mentioned in a class that teaching can be both personal and impersonal. It becomes personal when the teacher takes an active interest in the life of the student and gives them what they 'need.' You are such a teacher who has given me what I need. The past year has seen us go through a roller coaster ride and as I try to reflect on what I learnt at the Samskara festival in 2004,viz. " Seeing Krishna in everything," I realize practically that Krishna exists in a kind word as much as in a racist comment. Krishna exists in a everyday dealings and not always in the way we picture Him to be. Thank you for teaching us how to see Him. In the past year I have felt more and more dependent on the will of the Lord and less dependent on my own thinking. At your Vyasa Puja celebrations and the following Gaura Purnima festival, I experienced an overwhelming gratitude for taking us under your fold. Without your teachings I would have been totally at a loss to deal with events both good and bad. Thank you for teaching us that a situation is not under our control, but how we respond to it is surely under our control. Thank you for being there at every step of my life.

your servant

Nitya Navina Dasi.