Bhagvatam: POWER OF MANTRA - BUT IF NOT UTTERED CORRECTLY, ENTIRE MEANING OF MANTRA CHANGES, 14th Aug

Bhagvatam: POWER OF MANTRA - BUT IF NOT UTTERED CORRECTLY, ENTIRE MEANING OF MANTRA CHANGES

TRANSLATION

After Vishvarüpa was killed, his father, Tvashtä, performed ritualistic ceremonies to kill Indra. He offered oblations in the sacrificial fire, saying, "O enemy of Indra, flourish to kill your enemy without delay."

PURPORT

There was some defect in Tvashtä's chanting of the mantra because he chanted it long instead of short, and therefore the meaning changed. Tvashtä intended to chant the word indra-shatro, meaning, "O enemy of Indra." 

In this mantra, the word indra is in the possessive case (shashthi), and the word indra-shatro is called a tat-purusha compound (tatpurusha-samäsa). Unfortunately, instead of chanting the mantra short, Tvashtä chanted it long, and its meaning changed from "the enemy of Indra" to "Indra, who is an enemy." Consequently instead of an enemy of Indra's, there emerged the body of Vrträsura, of whom Indra was the enemy.

Thereafter, from the southern side of the sacrificial fire known as Anvähärya came a fearful personality who looked like the destroyer of the entire creation at the end of the millennium.

Like arrows released in the four directions, the demon's body grew, day after day. Tall and blackish, he appeared like a burnt hill and was as lustrous as a bright array of clouds in the evening. The hair on the demon's body and his beard and moustache were the color of melted copper, and his eyes were piercing like the midday sun. He appeared unconquerable, as if holding the three worlds on the points of his blazing trident. 

Dancing and shouting with a loud voice, he made the entire surface of the earth tremble as if from an earthquake. As he yawned again and again, he seemed to be trying to swallow the whole sky with his mouth, which was as deep as a cave. He seemed to be licking up all the stars in the sky with his tongue and eating the entire universe with his long, sharp teeth. Seeing this gigantic demon, everyone, in great fear, ran here and there in all directions.

TRANSLATION

That very fearful demon, who was actually the son of Tvashtä, covered all the planetary systems by dint of austerity. Therefore he was named Vrtra, or one who covers everything.

PURPORT

In the Vedas it is said, sa imäû lokän ävrnot tad vrtrasya vrtratvam: because the demon covered all the planetary systems, his name was Vrträsura.

IF ONE IS ADVANCED IN KNOWLEDGE, HE MUST ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE ANYTHING FOR A BETTER CAUSE, 15th Aug

Bhagvatam: IF ONE IS ADVANCED IN KNOWLEDGE, HE MUST ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE ANYTHING FOR A BETTER CAUSE. AT THE PRESENT MOMENT THE ENTIRE WORLD IS IN A DANGEROUS POSITION UNDER THE SPELL OF A GODLESS CIVILIZATION. 

As described in this chapter, after Indra obtained the body of Dadhichi, a thunderbolt was prepared from Dadhichi's bones, and a fight took place between Vrträsura and the demigods.

Following the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the demigods approached Dadhichi Muni and begged for his body. 

Dadhichi Muni, just to hear from the demigods about the principles of religion, jokingly refused to relinquish his body, but for higher purposes he thereafter agreed to give it up, for after death the body is usually eaten by low animals like dogs and jackals. Dadhichi Muni first merged his gross body made of five elements into the original stock of five elements and then engaged his soul at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 

Thus he gave up his gross body. With the help of Vishvakarmä, the demigods then prepared a thunderbolt from Dadhichi's bones. Armed with the thunderbolt weapon, they prepared themselves to fight and got up on the backs of elephants.

At the end of Satya-yuga and the beginning of Tretä-yuga, a great fight took place between the demigods and the asuras. Unable to tolerate the effulgence of the demigods, the asuras fled the battle, leaving Vrträsura, their commander in chief, to fight for himself. 

Vrträsura, however, seeing the demons fleeing, instructed them in the importance of fighting and dying in the battlefield. One who is victorious in battle gains material possessions, and one who dies in the battlefield attains a residence at once in the celestial heavens. In either way, the fighter benefits.

The demigods replied: O exalted brähmana, pious persons like you, whose activities are praiseworthy, are very kind and affectionate to people in general. What can't such pious souls give for the benefit of others? They can give everything, including their bodies.

TRANSLATION

Those who are too self-interested beg something from others, not knowing of others' pain. But if the beggar knew the difficulty of the giver, he would not ask for anything. Similarly, he who is able to give charity does not know the beggar's difficulty, for otherwise he would not refuse to give the beggar anything he might want as charity.

PURPORT

This verse describes two people—one who gives charity and one who begs for it. 

A beggar should not ask charity from a person who is in difficulty. Similarly, one who is able to give charity should not deny a beggar. These are the moral instructions of the shästra. Chänakya Pandita says, san-nimitte varam tyägo vinäshe niyate sati: everything within this material world will be destroyed, and therefore one should use everything for good purposes. 

If one is advanced in knowledge, he must always be prepared to sacrifice anything for a better cause. At the present moment the entire world is in a dangerous position under the spell of a godless civilization. 

The Krshna consciousness movement needs many exalted, learned persons who will sacrifice their lives to revive God consciousness throughout the world. We therefore invite all men and women advanced in knowledge to join the Krshna consciousness movement and sacrifice their lives for the great cause of reviving the God consciousness of human society.

REAL HAPPINESS CAN BE ACHIEVED ONLY UPON SURRENDER TO LORD #Blog0075

REAL HAPPINESS CAN BE ACHIEVED ONLY UPON SURRENDER TO LORD  

प्रसन्नता होती क्या है

संसार के सुख की कामना करोगे तो वह तो किसी और के ऊपर आश्रित है - वस्तु या व्यक्ति

वस्तु या व्यक्ति नहीं हो तो आप दुखी

प्रसन्नता वास्तव में होती है : “जिसे आप से कोई ले न सके”, जिसका remote control किसी दूसरे के हाथ में न हो , तो प्रत्येक पल वर्धमान हो

और ये केवल भगवान की कामना करने से ही मिल सकती है  क्योंकि केवल वही एक सच्चा साथी है हमेशा हमेशा के लिए 

WHAT IS HAPPINESS?   

WORLDLY HAPPINESS IS DEPENDENT ON SOMEBODY OR SOMETHING   

IF YOU REMOVE THAT SOMEBODY OR SOMETHING THAT HAPPINESS IS GONE   

REAL HAPPINESS IS WHAT CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU 

REAL HAPPINESS IS REMOTE CONTROL OF WHICH IS NOT IN HANDS OF SOMEBODY 

OR SOMETHING ELSE 

AND 

SUCH REAL HAPPINESS IS ALWAYS ON THE UP   

REAL HAPPINESS CAN BE ACHIEVED ONLY UPON SURRENDER TO LORD  

GITA SHLOKA 4.33: The purpose of all sacrifices is to arrive at the status of complete knowledge, then to gain release from material miseries, and, ultimately, to engage in loving transcendental service to the Supreme Lord (Krsna consciousness),13th Aug

GITA SHLOKA 4.33: The purpose of all sacrifices is to arrive at the status of complete knowledge, then to gain release from material miseries, and, ultimately, to engage in loving transcendental service to the Supreme Lord (Krsna consciousness).

GITA SHLOKA 4.33

TRANSLATION

O chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice of knowledge is greater than the sacrifice of material possessions. O son of Prtha, after all, the sacrifice of work culminates in transcendental knowledge.

PURPORT

The purpose of all sacrifices is to arrive at the status of complete knowledge, then to gain release from material miseries, and, ultimately, to engage in loving transcendental service to the Supreme Lord (Krsna consciousness).

Nonetheless, there is a mystery about all these different activities of sacrifice, and one should know this mystery.

Sacrifices sometimes take different forms according to the particular faith of the performer.

When one's faith reaches the stage of transcendental knowledge, the performer of sacrifices should be considered more advanced than those who simply sacrifice material possessions without such knowledge, for without attainment of knowledge, sacrifices remain on the material platform and bestow no spiritual benefit.

Real knowledge culminates in Krsna consciousness, the highest stage of transcendental knowledge.

Without the elevation of knowledge, sacrifices are simply material activities.

When, however, they are elevated to the level of transcendental knowledge, all such activities enter onto the spiritual platform.

Depending on differences in consciousness, sacrificial activities are sometimes called karma-kanda, fruitive activities, and sometimes jnana-kanda, knowledge in the pursuit of truth.

It is better when the end is knowledge.

MAY THAT SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD PROTECT ME AT ALL TIMES WITH HIS EIGHT ARMS, 12th Aug

Bhagvatam: MAY THAT SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD PROTECT ME AT ALL TIMES WITH HIS EIGHT ARMS. THROUGH AHANGRAHOPÄSANÄ ONE DOES NOT BECOME GOD, BUT HE THINKS OF HIMSELF AS QUALITATIVELY ONE WITH THE SUPREME. HUMAN DUTY IS TO ALWAYS SEEK THE MERCY OF THE LORD IN ORDER TO BE PROTECTED BY HIM IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Lord, who sits on the back of the bird Garuda, touching him with His lotus feet, holds eight weapons—the conchshell, disc, shield, sword, club, arrows, bow and ropes.

May that Supreme Personality of Godhead protect me at all times with His eight arms.

He is all-powerful because He fully possesses the eight mystic powers [animä, laghimä, etc.]

PURPORT

Thinking oneself one with the Supreme is called ahangrahopäsanä.

Through ahangrahopäsanä one does not become God, but he thinks of himself as qualitatively one with the Supreme.

Understanding that as a spirit soul he is equal in quality to the supreme soul the way the water of a river is of the same nature as the water of the sea, one should meditate upon the Supreme Lord, as described in this verse, and seek His protection.

The living entities are always subordinate to the Supreme.

Consequently their duty is to always seek the mercy of the Lord in order to be protected by Him in all circumstances.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme indestructible Lord is ascertained through the performance of ritualistic sacrifices and is therefore known as Yajneshvara. In His incarnation as Lord Boar, He raised the planet earth from the water at the bottom of the universe and kept it on His pointed tusks. May that Lord protect me from rogues on the street. May Parashuräma protect me on the tops of mountains, and may the elder brother of Bharata, Lord Räma Chandra, along with His brother Lakshmana, protect me in foreign countries.

PURPORT

There are three Rämas. One Räma is Parashuräma (Jämadägnya), another Räma is Lord Räma Chandra, and a third Räma is Lord Balaräma. In this verse the words rämo'dri-küteshv atha indicate Lord Parashuräma. The brother of Bharata Mahäräja and Lakshmana is Lord Räma Chandra.

May Lord Näräyana protect me from unnecessarily following false religious systems and falling from my duties due to madness. May the Lord in His appearance as Nara protect me from unnecessary pride. May Lord Dattätreya, the master of all mystic power, protect me from falling while performing bhakti-yoga, and may Lord Kapila, the master of all good qualities, protect me from the material bondage of fruitive activities.

TRANSLATION

May Sanat-kumära protect me from lusty desires. As I begin some auspicious activity, may Lord Hayagriva protect me from being an offender by neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord. May Devarshi Närada protect me from committing offenses in worshiping the Deity, and may Lord Kürma, the tortoise, protect me from falling to the unlimited hellish planets.

PURPORT

Lusty desires are very strong in everyone, and they are the greatest impediment to the discharge of devotional service. Therefore those who are very much influenced by lusty desires are advised to take shelter of Sanat-kumära, the great brahmachäri devotee. 

Närada Muni, who is the guide for archana, is the author of the Närada Pancharätra, which prescribes the regulative principles for worshiping the Deity. 

Everyone engaged in Deity worship, whether at home or in the temple, should always seek the mercy of Devarshi Närada in order to avoid the thirty-two offenses while worshiping the Deity. These offenses in Deity worship are mentioned in The Nectar of Devotion.