“This account originally appeared in a short work by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura entitled, ‘Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts.’(dated 20th August 1896.)” This was taken from “Prologue” to “Teachings of Lord Caitanya”(A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 1974. pages xiii-xxii.) Who better could we find to include here than the pure unalloyed devotee, and foremost scholar in Vaisnava circles Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to perform this task. He starts his essay;

“Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phalguna (1407 Sakadba), answering to the 18th of February 1486 of the Christian Era. The moon was eclipsed at the time of His birth, and the people of Nadia were then engaged, as was usual on such occasions, in bathing in the Bhagirathi with loud cheers of Haribol. His father, Jagannatha Misra, a poor ‘brahmana’ of the Vedic order, and His mother, Saci-devi, a model good woman, both descended from ‘brahmana’ stock originally residing in Sylhet. Mahaprabhu was a beautiful child, and the ladies of the town came to see Him with presents. His mother’s father, Pandita Nilambara Cakravarti, a renowned astrologer, foretold that the child would be a great personage in time; and he, therefore, gave him the name Visvambhara. The ladies of the neighbourhood styled him Gaurahari on account of His golden complexion, and His mother called Him Nimai on account of the ‘nimba’ tree near which He was born. Beautiful as the lad was, everyone heartily loved to see Him every day. As He grew up He became a whimsical and frolicsome lad. After His fifth year, He was admitted into a pathasala where He picked up Bengali in a very short time. Read the rest of this entry »

Sadashivashtakam

By Sage Pathanjali

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Saraswati Slokam

Goddess Saraswati – Goddess of wisdom

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While Nanda Mahäräja was returning home, he considered Vasudeva’s warning that there might be some disturbance in Gokula. Certainly the advice was friendly and not false. So Nanda thought, “There is some truth in it.” Therefore, out of fear, he began to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is quite natural for a devotee in danger to think of Krishna, because he has no other shelter. When a child is in danger, he takes shelter of his mother or father. Similarly, a devotee is always under the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when he specifically sees some danger, he remembers the Lord very rapidly.

After consulting with his demoniac ministers, Kansa instructed a witch named Pütanä, who knew the black art of killing small children by ghastly sinful methods, to kill all kinds of children in the cities, villages and pasturing grounds. Such witches can play their black art only where there is no chanting or hearing of the holy name of Krishna. It is said that wherever the chanting of the holy name of Krishna is done, even negligently, all bad elements—witches, ghosts and dangerous calamities—immediately disappear. And this is certainly true of the place where the chanting of the holy name of Krishna is done seriously—especially in Våndävana when the Supreme Lord was personally present. Therefore, the doubts of Nanda Mahäräja were certainly based on affection for Krishna. Actually there was no danger from the activities of Pütanä, despite her powers. Such witches are called khecaré, which means they can fly in the sky. This black art of witchcraft is still practiced by some women in the remote northwestern side of India. They can transfer themselves from one place to another on the branch of an uprooted tree. Pütanä knew this witchcraft, and therefore she is described in the Bhägavatam as khecaré.

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Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! he
Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! he
Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! rakña mäm
Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! pähi mäm
räma! räghava! räma! räghava! räma! räghava! rakña mäm
Krishna! keçava! Krishna! keçava! Krishna! keçava! pähi mäm
Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 7.96)

While attempting to write this book, Krishna, let me first offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, Oà Viñëupäda 108 Çré Çrémad Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé Mahäräja Prabhupäda. Then let me offer my respectful obeisances to the ocean of mercy, Lord Çré Krishna Caitanya Mahäprabhu. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna Himself, appearing in the role of a devotee just to distribute the highest principles of devotional service. Lord Caitanya began His preaching from the country known as Gauòadeça (West Bengal). And as I belong to the Madhva-Gauòéya-sampradäya, I must therefore offer my respectful obeisances to the disciplic succession of that name. This Madhva-Gauòéya-sampradäya is also known as the Brahma-sampradäya because the disciplic succession originally began from Brahmä. Brahmä instructed the sage Närada, Närada instructed Vyäsadeva, and Vyäsadeva instructed Madhva Muni, or Madhväcärya. Çré Mädhavendra Puré, the originator of the Madhva-Gauòéya-sampradäya, was a sannyäsé (renunciant) who belonged to the Madhväcärya disciplic succession. He had many renowned disciples, such as Nityänanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and Éçvara Puré. Éçvara Puré happened to be the spiritual master of Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu. So let us offer our respectful obeisances to Éçvara Puré, Nityänanda Prabhu, Çré Advaita Äcärya Prabhu, Çréväsa Paëòita and Çré Gadädhara Paëòita. Next, let us offer our respectful obeisances to Svarüpa Dämodara, who acted as the private secretary to Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu; and let us offer our respectful obeisances to Çré Väsudeva Datta and the constant attendant of Lord Caitanya, Çré Govinda, and the constant friend of Lord Caitanya, Mukunda, and also to Muräri Gupta. And let us offer our respectful obeisances to the six Gosvämés of Våndävana—Çré Rüpa Gosvämé, Çré Sanätana Gosvämé, Çré Raghunätha Bhaööa Gosvämé, Çré Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé, Çré Jéva Gosvämé and Çré Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé.

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In the Western countries, when someone sees the cover of a book like Krishna, he immediately asks, “Who is Krishna? Who is the girl with Krishna?” etc.
The immediate answer is that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How is that? Because He conforms in exact detail to descriptions of the Supreme Being, the Godhead. In other words, Krishna is the Godhead because He is all-attractive. Outside the principle of all-attraction, there is no meaning to the word Godhead. How is it one can be all-attractive? First of all, if one is very wealthy, if he has great riches, he becomes attractive to the people in general. Similarly, if someone is very powerful, he also becomes attractive, and if someone is very famous, he also becomes attractive, and if someone is very beautiful or wise or unattached to all kinds of possessions, he also becomes attractive. So from practical experience we can observe that one is attractive due to (1) wealth, (2) power, (3) fame, (4) beauty, (5) wisdom and (6) renunciation. One who is in possession of all six of these opulences at the same time, who possesses them to an unlimited degree, is understood to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These opulences of the Godhead are delineated by Paräçara Muni, a great Vedic authority.
We have seen many rich persons, many powerful persons, many famous persons, many beautiful persons, many learned and scholarly persons, and persons in the renounced order of life unattached to material possessions. But we have never seen any one person who is unlimitedly and simultaneously wealthy, powerful, famous, beautiful, wise and unattached, like Krishna, in the history of humanity. Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a historical person who appeared on this earth 5,000 years ago. He stayed on this earth for 125 years and played exactly like a human being, but His activities were unparalleled. From the very moment of His appearance to the moment of His disappearance, every one of His activities is unparalleled in the history of the world, and therefore anyone who knows what we mean by Godhead will accept Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is equal to the Godhead, and no one is greater than Him. That is the import of the familiar saying “God is great.”
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Some don't realize that they are, but they are.
KRISHNA is GOD, the source of all that exists, the Cause of all that is, was, or ever will be.
As GOD is unlimited, HE has many Names.
Allah-Buddha-Jehova-Rama: ALL are KRISHNA, all are ONE.
God is not abstract; He has both the impersonal and the personal GOD is abstract ; He has both the impersonal and the personal aspects to His personality which is SUPREME, ETERNAL, BLISSFUL, and full of KNOWLEDGE. As a single drop of water has the same qualities as an ocean of water, so has our consciousness the qualities of GOD'S consciousness … but through our identification and attachment with material energy (physical body, sense pleasures, material possessions, ego, etc.) our true TRANSCENDENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS has been polluted, and like a dirty mirror it is unable to reflect a pure image.

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 Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

A pure devotee of Krishna, who raised me as a Krishna concious child from the beginning of my life. In my boyhood ages he instructed me how to play the mådanga. He gave me Rädhä-Krishna Vigraha to worship, and he gave me Jagannätha-Ratha to duly observe the festival as my childhood play. He was kind to me, and I imbibed from him the ideas later on solidified by my spiritual master, the eternal father.

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We see so many educational institutions in this world, so many universities, colleges and schools. Every variety of education is available. If we analyse all these educational institutions we find they are all only imparting knowledge concerned with the material body. It’s all knowledge meant for fulfilling the animal instincts of the body. Madhudvisa dasa (08-14-08)

We have four basic animal instincts; eating, sleeping, mating and defending. We have these instincts in the human form of life and they are common with the animals. All the universities, all the colleges, all our educational institutions are simply imparting knowledge meant to help us engage in these animal propensities in a more advanced way, in a more “civilized” way. But in reality there is no difference. If we eat in a very beautiful building from very beautiful silver plates with a very nice tablecloth, and we have beautiful waiters serving the food, everything is very nice. This is what we have been able to do as a result of this education — we have been able to provide a very nice atmosphere for eating. But the actual eating process is the same. If I eat the food in this beautiful atmosphere and a dog on the street eats the same food then the taste the dog is enjoying and the taste I am enjoying is the same. Read the rest of this entry »

When an Indian person calls on Krishna, he often says, Krsta. Krsta is a Sanskrit word meaning attraction. So when we address God as Christ, Krsta, or Krishna we indicate the same all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Jesus said, Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name, the name of God was Krsta or Krishna. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (08-11-08)

Srila Prabhupada: What is the meaning of the word Christ?

Father Emmanuel: Christ comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning “the anointed one”.

Srila Prabhupada: Christos is the Greek version of the word Krishna.

Father Emmanuel: This is very interesting. Read the rest of this entry »