VaiŠava Songs and Prayers
2
®r…la Prabhupada PraŠati nama oˆ vi Šu-padaya kŠa-pre˜haya bh™tale
3 r…mate
bhaktivedantasvamin iti namine namaƒ—obeisances; oˆ—address; viŠu-padaya—unto him who is at the feet of Vi Šu; kŠa-pre˜haya—who is very dear to Lord K Ša; bh™-tale— on the earth; r…mate—all-beautiful; bhakti-vedanta svamin— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami; iti—thus; namine —who is named. I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhu-pada, who is very dear to Lord K Ša, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vaŠ…-pracariŠe a- ™nyavad…nirvi pa ecatya-de a-tariŠe
namaƒ—obeisances; te—unto you; sarasvate deve— servant of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvat… Gosvam…;
4 gaura-vaŠ…—the message of Lord Caitanya; pracariŠe—who are preaching; ea—(from) nirvi impersonalism; ™nya-vad…—(from) voidism; pacatya—Western; dea—countries; tariŠe—who are delivering.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvat… Gosvam…. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
®r… Vai Šava PraŠama vañcha-kalpatarubhya ca kpa-sindhubhya eva ca patitanaˆ pavanebhyo vaiŠavebhyo namo namaƒ vañcha-kalpa-tarubhyaƒ—who are desire trees; ca—and; kpa—(of) mercy; sindhubhyaƒ—who are oceans; eva— certainly; ca—and; patitanam—of the fallen souls; pavanebhyaƒ—who are the
5 purifiers; vaiŠavebhaƒ—unto the VaiŠavas; namaƒ namaƒ—repeated obeisances. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vai Šava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.
®r… Gaura‰ga PraŠama namo maha-vadanyaya kŠa-prema pradaya te kŠaya k Ša-caitanyanamne gaura-tvi e namaƒ namaƒ—obeisances; maha-vadanyaya— who is most munificent and charitably disposed; kŠa-prema—love of KŠa; pradaya—who can give; te— unto You; kŠaya—the original Personality of Godhead; kŠacaitanya-namne—under the name KŠa C aitanya; gaura-tvie—whose complexion is the golden complexion of
6 ®r…mat… obesances.
RadharaŠ…;
namaƒ—
O most munificent incarnation! You are K Ša Himself appearing as ®r… KŠa Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of ®r…mat… RadharaŠ…, and You are widely distibuting pure love of K Ša. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You. —®r… Caitanya-caritam ta, Madhya 19.53 (®r…la R™pa Gosvam… recited the above verse when he met ®r… Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Prayaga.)
®r… Govinda PraŠama namo brahmaŠya-devaya go-brahmaŠa-hitaya ca jagad-dhitaya k Šaya govindaya namo namaƒ namaƒ—all obeisances; brahmaŠyadevaya—to the Lord worshipable by
7 persons in brahminical culture; gobrahmaŠa—for cows and brahmaŠas; hitaya—beneficial; ca—also; jagathitaya—to one who always is benefitting the whole world; kŠaya—unto KŠa; govindaya—unto Govinda; namaƒ namaƒ—repeated obeisances. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord K Ša, who is the worshipable Deity for all brahminical men, who is the well-wisher of cows and brahmaŠas, and who is always benefitting the whole world. I offer my repeated obeisances to the Personality of Godhead, known as K Ša and Govinda. —ViŠu PuraŠa 1.19.65 (®r… Caitanya Mahaprabhu recited the above verse while He was dancing before Lordin Jagannatha during the Ratha-yatra Puri. See ®r… Caitanyacaritamta, Madhya 13.77.)
®r… Bhagavata PraŠama
8 kŠe sva-dhamopagate dharma-jñanadibhiƒ kalau na ˜a-d am e saha a puraŠarko ‘dhunoditaƒ kŠe—in K Ša’s; sva-dhama—own abode; upagate—having returned; dharma—religion; jñana—knowledge; adibhiƒ—combined together; saha— along with; kalau—in the Kali-yuga; na˜a-dam—of persons who have lost their sight; eaƒ—all these; puraŠaarkaƒ—the PuraŠa which is brilliant like the sun; adhuna—just now; uditaƒ—has arisen. This Bhagavata PuraŠa is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord K Ša to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc.toPersons whodarkness have lostof their vision due the dense ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this PuraŠa. —®r…mad-Bhagavatan 1.3.43
Pañca-tattva Maha-mantra
9 (jaya) r…-k Ša-caitanya prabhu nityananda gadadhara r…vasadi-gaura-bhakta-
r…-advaita
vnda jaya—victory, all glories;
r…-kŠa-
caitanya—®r… Caitanya Mahaprabhu (K Ša Himself); prabhu nityananda— Lord Nityananda (Balarama Himself); r…-advaita—®r… Advaita Prabhu (an incarnation of Maha-Vi Šu); gadadhara —®r… Gadadhara (an expansion of RadharaŠ…); r…vasa—®r…vasa Prabhu (an expansion of Narada Muni); adi—headed by; gaura—of Lord Caitanya; bhakta-vnda—devotees. All glories to ®r… Caitanya Mahaprabhu accompanied by His eternal ®r…Prabhu, Nitya-nanda Prabhu, associates ®r… Advaita ®r… Gadadhara Prabhu and all of His devotees headed by ®r…vasa Prabhu.
(We first offer our obeisances to ®r… Caitanya Mahaprabhu by
10 chanting this Pañca-tattva mantra; then we chant the Hare K Ša maha-mantra. There are ten offences in the chanting of the Hare K Ša maha-mantra, but these are not considered in the chanting of the Pañca-tattva mantra. ®r… Caitanya Maha-prabhu is known as mahavadanyavatara, the most magnanimous incarnation, for He does not consider the offenses of the fallen souls. Thus we derive the full benefit of chanting the Hare K Ša maha-mantra by first chanting the Pañca-tattva mantra.)
Hare K Ša Mah
a-mantra
harek Šaharek Ša Šaharehare k Ša k hare rama hare rama
rama rama hare hare
11 hare—O Hara, the internal, pleasure potency of the Lord (RadharaŠ…, S…ta, etc.); k Ša—O rama—O K Ša! Rama! O all- O attractive person!; You who enjoy supreme transcendental pleasure! (may refer to Lord Ramacandra, Lord Balarama or Lord KŠa). My dear Lord K Ša, my dear Lord Rama, O energy of the Lord, Hara, kindly engage me in Your service.
®r… ®r… Gurv-a ˜aka by ®r…la Vi vanatha Cakravart… µhakura ®r…la Vi vanatha Cakravart… µhakura, who appeared in the middle of the seventeenth century, is a great spiritual master in the K Ša conscious chain of gurus and disciples. He says, “One who, with great care and prayers attention,to loudly recites these beautiful the spiritual master during the brahma-muh™rta (the one and one-half hour period just before sunrise) obtains direct s ervice to K Ša, the Lord of V ndavana, at the time of death.”
12 (1) ha-lokasaˆsara-davanala-l… traŠaya karuŠya-ghanaghanatvam praptasya kalyaŠa-guŠarŠavasya vande guroƒ r…-carŠaravindam
(2) mahaprabhoƒ k…rtana-n tya-g…tavaditra-madyan-manaso rasena romañca-kampa ru-tara‰ga-bhajo vande guroƒ r…-caraŠaravindam (3) r…-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana‰gara-tan-mandiramarjanadau yuktasya bhaktaˆ ca niyuñjato ‘pi vande guroƒ r…-caraŠaravindam (4) catur-vidha-r…-bhagavatprasada
svadv-anna-t ptan hari-bhakta-sa ‰ghan ktvaiva t ptiˆ bhajataƒ sadaiva vande guroƒ r…-caraŠaravindam (5)
13 r…-radhika-madhavayor
aparanamnam madhurya-l…la-guŠa-r™paprati-kaŠasvadana-lolupasya vande guroƒ r…-carŠaravindam (6) nikuñja-y™no rati-keli-siddhyai yatatrati-dak yalibhir yuktir apek aŠ…ya yad ati-vallabhasya vande guroƒ r…-caraŠaravindam (7) sakad-dharitvena samastaastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva eva sadbhiƒ kintu prabhor yaƒ priya tasya vande guroƒ r…-caraŠaravindam (8) yasya prasadad bhagavatprasado yasyaprasadan na gatiƒ kuto ‘pi dhyayan stuvaˆs tasya ya as tri-sandhyaˆ
14 vande guroƒ r…caraŠaravindam (1) saˆsara—(of) material existence; dava-anala—(by) the forest fire; l…ha —afflicted; loka—people; traŠaya—to deliver; karuŠya—of mercy; ghanaghana-tvam—the quality of a cloud; praptasya—who has obtained; kalyaŠa—auspi-cious; guŠa—(of) qualities; arŠavasya—who is an ocean; vande—I offer obeisances; guroƒ—of my spiritual master; r…—auspicious; caraŠa-aravindam—unto the lotus feet. (2) mahaprabhoƒ—of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; k…rtana—(by) chanting; ntya—dancing; g…ta—singing; vaditra —playing musical instruments; madyat —gladdened; manasaƒ—whose mind; rasena—due to the mellows of pure devotion; roma-añca—standing the hair; kampa—quiver-ing of the ofbody; aru-tara‰ga—torrents of tears; bhajaƒ—who feels.
15 (3) r…-vigraha—(of) the arca-vigraha (Deities); aradhana—the worship; nitya —daily; nana—(with) various; tat— ‰gara—clothing and ornaments; of the Lord; mandira—(of) the temple; marjana-adau—in the cleaning, etc.; yuktasya—who is engaged; bhaktan— his disciples; ca—and; niyuñjataƒ—who engages; api—also.
(4) catuƒ—four; vidha—kinds; r…— holy; bhaga-vat-prasada—which have been offered to Krsna; svadu—palatable; anna—(by) foods; tptan—spiritually satisfied; hari—(of) K Ša; bhakta-sa ‰ghan—the devotees; ksatisfaction; tva—having made; eva—thus; tptim— bhajataƒ—who feels; sada—always; eva —certainly. (5) ®r…mat… r…-radhika—(of) RadharaŠ…; madhavayoƒ—of Lord Madhava (K Ša); apara—unlimited; madhurya—conjugal; l…la—pastimes; guŠa—qualities; r™pa—forms; namnam —of the holy names; prati-kaŠa—at
16 every moment; asvadana—relishing; lolupasya—who aspires after. (6) nikuñja-y™naƒ—of Radha and KŠa; rati—(of) conjugal love; keli— (of) pastimes; siddhyai—for the perfection; ya ya—whatever; alibhiƒ—by the gop…s; yuktiƒ—arrangements; apekaŠ…ya—desir-able; tatra—in that connection; ati-dakyat—because of being very expert; ati-vallabhasya—who is very dear. (7) sakat—directly; hari-tvena—with the quality of Hari; samasta—all; astraiƒ—by
scriptures; bhavyate— uktaƒ— acknowledged; tatha—thus; is considered; eva—also; sadbhiƒ—by great saintly persons; kintu—however; prabhoƒ—to the Lord; yaƒ—who; priyaƒ— dear; eva—certainly; tasya—of him (the guru). (8) yasya—of whom (the spiritual master); prasadat—by the grace; bhagavat—(of) K Ša; prasadaƒ—the mercy; yasya—of whom; apra-sadat— without the grace; na—not; gatiƒ—
17 means of advancement; kutaƒ api—from anywhere; dhyayan—meditating upon; stuvan—praising; tasya—of him (the spiritual master); ya aƒ—the glory; trisandhyam—three times a day (sunrise, noon and sunset). TRANSLATION (1) The spiritual master is receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish it, so the spiritual master delivers the materially afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. I offer myfeet respectful obeisances unto to the lotus of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities. (2) Chanting the holy name, dancing in ecstacy, singing and playing musical instruments, the spiritual master is always gladdened by the sa‰k…tana movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because he is relishing the mellows of pure devotion within his mind, sometimes his hair stands on end,
18 He feels quivering in his body, and tears flow from his eyes like waves. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. (3) The spiritual master in always engaged in the temple worship of ®r… ®r… Radha and K Ša. He also engages his disciples in such worship. They dress the Deities in beautiful clothes and ornaments, clean Their temple, and perform other similar worship of the Lord. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. (4) The spiritual master is always offering K Ša four kinds of delicious food [analyzed as that which is licked, chewed, drunk and sucked]. When the spiritual master sees that the devotees are satisfied by eating bhagavatprasada, he is satis-fied. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.
19 (5) The spiritual master is always eager to hear and chant about the unlimited conjugal Radhikanames and Madhava, pastimes and Their ofqualities, and forms. The spiritual master aspires to relish these at every moment. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. (6) The spiritual master is very dear, because he is expert in assisting the gop…s, who at different times make different tasteful arrangements for the perfecion of Radha and K Ša’s conjugal loving affairs within the groves of V ndavana. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. (7) The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord, because he the most servitor theisLord. This confi-dential is acknowledged in of all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful obei-sances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is a
20 bonafide representative of ®r… Hari [KŠa]. (8) By the mercy of the spiritual master one re-ceives the benediction of KŠa. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master.
®r… N siˆha PraŠ ama and Prayer to Lord N siˆha (1) namas te narasiˆhaya prahladahlada-dayine hiraŠykaipor vak aƒila-˜a‰ka-nakhalaye
21 (2) ito n siˆhaƒ parato n siˆho yato yato yami tato nn siˆhaƒ bahir n siˆho h daye siˆho nsiˆham adiˆ araŠaˆ prapadye (3) tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta ‰gaˆ dalita-hiraŠyakaipu-tanu-bh ‰gam keava dh ta-narahari-r™pa jaya jagad…sa hare (4) bhakti-vighna-vina aka nsiˆadeva bhagavan k… jaya. bhakta re ˜ha prahlada maharaja k… jaya. (1) te—unto unto You; namaƒ—obeisances; nara-siˆhaya—unto Lord Narasiˆha; prahlada—(to) Prahlada Maharaja; ahlada—(of) joy; dayine—the giver; hiraŠyakaipoƒ—of HiraŠyaka ipu; vakaƒ — chest; the ila—(on)
22 stonelike; ˜a‰ka—chisels; nakha-alaye —whose nails. (2) itaƒ—here; nsiˆhaƒ—Lord N siˆha; parataƒ —there; nsiˆhaƒ— Lord Nsiˆha; yataƒ yataƒ—wherever; yami—I go; tataƒ—there; nsiˆhaƒ— Lord Nsiˆha; bahiƒ—externally; nsiˆhaƒ— Lord N siˆha; hdaye—in the heart; nsiˆhaƒ—Lord N siˆha; nsiˆham—to Lord N siˆha; adim—the origin; araŠam—the supreme refuge; prapadye—I surrender. (3) tava—Your; kara-kamala-vare—on the beauti-ful lotus hands; nakham—the nails; adbhuta—wonderful; ‰gam— pointed; dalita—ripped apart; hiraŠyakaipu—(of) HiraŠyaka ipu; tanu—body; bh‰gam—wasplike; keava—O Lord Ke ava, of fine hair!
dh ta—who have assumed; nara—man; hari—lion; r™pa—form; jaya—all glories to You; jagat-…a—O Lord of the universe! hare—O Lord Hari!
23 (4) bhakti—(on the path of) devotional service; vighna—obstacles; vinaaka— the detroyer; n-siˆhadeva— Nsiˆhadeva; bhagavan—Lord; k… jaya —all glories to; bhakta—the devotee; re˜ha — topmost; prahlada maharaja —Prahlada Maha-raja; k… jaya—all glories to. TRANSLATION (1) I offer my obeisances to Lord Nsiˆha, who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon HiraŠyaka ipu. (2) Lord N siˆha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord N siˆha is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord N siˆha, the origin of all things and the supreme refuge. (3) O Ke ava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails, so in the
24 same way the body of the wasplike demon HiraŠ-yaka ipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands. (4) All glories to Lord N siˆadeva who is the destroyer of obstacles on the path of devotional service. All glories to the topmost devotee, Prahlada Maharaja. (The first two verses, from the Nsiˆha PuraŠa, were recited by ®r… Caitanya Mahaprabhu while offering obeisances to the Deity of Lord N siˆha-deva in the Jagannatha temple at Puri. [®r… Caitanya-caritamta, Antya 16.52-53] The third verse is from the ®r… Daavatara-stotra which is in the G… ta-govinda by Jayadeva Gosvam….)
®r… Tulas… PraŠama vndayai tulas…-devyai priyayai ke avasya ca kŠa-bhakti-prade devi satyavatyai namo namaƒ
25 vndayai—unto V nda; tulas…-devyai —unto Tulas… Dev…; priyayai—who is avasya—to Lord Ke ava; ca— dear; and; kke Ša-bhakti—devotional service to Lord K Ša; prade—who bestows; devi—O goddess; satyavatyai—unto Satyavat… (the truthful); namaƒ namaƒ —repeated obeisances.
I offer my repeated obeisances unto Vnda, ®r…mat… Tulas… Dev…, who is very dear to Lord Ke ava. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Lord KŠa and possess the highest truth.
®r… Tulas…-k…rtana (1) namo namaƒ tulas…! k Šapreyas… (braje) radha-k Ša-seva pabo ei abhila … (2)
26 je tomara araŠa loy, tara vañcha p™rŠa hoy kpa kori’ koro tare bndabana-bas… (3) mor ei abhila , bilas kuñje dio bas nayane heribo sada jugalar™pa-ra… (4) ei nivedana dharo, sakh…r anugata koro seba-adhikara diye koro nija das… (5) d…na k Ša-dase koy, ei jena mora hoy r…-radha-govinda-preme sada jena bhasi (1) namo namaƒ—bowing again and again; tulas…—O Tulas…!; kŠapreyas…—O beloved of K Ša! namo namaƒ—repeated obeisances; braje—in Vraja; radha-kŠa-seva—the service
27 of ®r… ®r… Radha and K Ša; pabo —I will obtain; ei—this; abhila…—I am desirous. (2) je—whoever; tomara—your; araŠa —shelter; loy—takes; tara—his; vañcha —desires; p™rŠa hoy—are ful-filled; kpa kori’— being merciful; koro—you make; tare—him; bndabana-bas…—a resident of V ndavana. (3) mora—my; ei—this; abhila—desire; bilas kuñje—in the pleasure groves; dio —please give; bas—a residence; nayane —with my eyes; heribo—I will behold; sada—always; jugala-r™pa-rai—the beautiful pastimes of Radha and KŠa. (4) ei—this; nivedana—request; dharo— accept; sakh…r —of the cowherd damsels Vraja; anugata koro— make me a of follower; seva—of service; adhikara—privilege; diye—giving; koro— please make; nija—your own; das…— maidservant.
28 (5) d…na—fallen and lowly; kŠadase—servant of K Ša; koy—prays; ei —this; just like; mora hoy—is mine; jena— r…-radha-govinda-preme—in the love of ®ri Radha and Govinda; sada—always; jena—just like; bhasi— swimming. TRANSLATION (1) O Tulas…, beloved of K Ša, I bow before you again and again. My desire is to obtain the service of ®r… ®r… Radha and K Ša (in Vraja). (2) Whoever takes shelter of you has his wishes ful-filled. Bestowing your mercy on him, you make him a resident of Vndavana. (3) My desire is that you will also grant me in the pleasure groves of ®r…a residence V ndavana-dhama. Thus, within my vision I will always behold the beautiful pastimes of Radha and KŠa.
29 (4) I beg you to make me a follower of the cowherd damsels of Vraja. Please give me and the make privilegemeof your devotional service own maidservant. (5) This very fallen and lowly servant of KŠa prays, “May I always swim in the love of ®r… Radha and Govinda.”
®r… Tulas… Pradak iŠa Mantra yani kani ca papani ca brahma-hatyadikani tani tani praŠa yanti pradakiŠaƒ pade pade yani kani—whatever; ca—and; papani— sins; brahma-hatya—killing of a brahmaŠa; adikani—and so on; ca—also; tani tani—all of them; praŠa-yanti— are destroyed; pradakiŠaƒ—(by) circumambulation (of Tulas… Dev…); pade pade—at every step.
30 By circumambulation of ®r…mat… Tulas… Dev… all the sins that one may have committed destroyed at every step, even the sinare of killing a brahmaŠa.
®r… Brahma-saˆhita (1) veŠuˆ kvaŠantam aravindadalayatakaˆ barhavataˆsam asitambudasundara‰gam kandarpa-ko˜i-kaman…ya-vieaobhaˆ
govindam adi-puru aˆ tam ahaˆ bhajami (2) a‰gani yasya sakalendriya-v ttimanti payanti panti kalayanti ciraˆ jaganti ananda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvalavigrahasya govindam adi-puru aˆ tam ahaˆ bhajami
31 (1) veŠum—the flute; kvaŠantam— playing; ara-vinda-dala—(like) lotus petals; ayata—blooming; akam— whose eyes; barha—a peacock’s feather; avataˆsam—whose ornament on the head; asita-ambuda—(tinged with the hue of) blue clouds; sundara— beautiful; a‰gam—whose figure; kandarpa—of Cupids; ko˜i—millions; kaman…ya—charming; viea—unique; obham—whose love-liness; govindam—Govinda; adi-puruam—the original person; tam—Him; aham—I; bhajami—worship. (2) a‰gani—the limbs; yasya—of whom; sakala-indriya—of all the organs; vtti-manti—possessing the functions; payanti—see; panti—maintain; kalayanti—manifest; ciram—eternally; jaganti—the universes; ananda—bliss; cit—truth; sat— substantiality;maya—full ujjvala—full of; of dazzling splendor; vigrahasya—whose form. TRANSLATION
32 (1) I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes lotus petals with head decked withlike a peacock’s feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids. (2) I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth and substantiality, and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental form possesses in Himself, the fullfledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane. (The above two verses are verses 30 and 32 from the Brahma-saˆhita. They are sung the by the devo-tees the time greeting Deities in the at temple at 7of a.m.)
®r… Guru-vandana
33 The Worship of ®r… Guru by ®r…la Narottama dasa µhakura (1) r…-guru-caraŠa-padma, kevalabhakati-sadma, bando mui savadhana mate jahara prasade bhai, e bhava toriya kŠa-praptijai, hoy jaha ha’te (2) guru-mukha-padma-vakya, cittete koriya aikya, ar na koriho mane a a r…-guru- caraŠe rati, ei se uttamagati sarva aa je prasade p™re (3) cakhu-dan dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei, divya-jñan h de proka ito prema-bhakti hoite, avidya vinajaha a jate, vede gay jahara carito
34 (4) r…-guru
karuŠa-sindhu, janara bandhu, adhama lokanatha lokera j…vana (r…la prabhupada lokera j…vana) ha ha prabhu koro doya, deho more pada-chaya, ebe ja a ghu uk tribhuvana (dui pade loilo araŠa) (r…la prabhupada patita-pavana) (1) r…-guru—the spiritual master; caraŠa—feet; padma—lotus; kevala— only (pure); bhakati—de-votional service; bando—bow down; mui—I; savadhana mate—with great care and attention; jahara—whose; prasade— grace, mercy; bhai—O my dear brothers! e—this; bhava—material exis
tence; toriya jai—crossing Ša prapti—ob-taining K over; Ša; k hoy— becomes; jaha ha’te—by which. (2) guru—the spiritual master; mukha— mouth; padma—lotus; vakya—the
35 words; cittete—in the heart; koriya— making; aikya—oneness; ar—any other; na—not; mane—in mind; akoriho—have; a—desire; r…-guru— of the the spiritual master; caraŠe—to the lotus feet; rati—attachment; ei—this; se— that; uttama—best; gati —course of action; je prasade—by whose mercy; p™re—(become) fulfilled; sarva—all; aa—hopes, desires. (3) cakhu—(of) transcendental; dan—the gift; dilo—gave; jei—who; janme janme —birth after birth; prabhu —(my) lord; sei—he (is); divya—divine; jñan— knowledge; hde—within the heart; prokaito—(is) revealed; prema-bhakti —loving devotional service; jaha hoite— from whom; avidya—ignorance; vinaa —destroyed; jate—by whom; vede—in the Vedas; gay—is sung; jahara—whose; carito—character. (4) r…-guru—O spiritual master! karuŠa-sindhu—O ocean of mercy! adhama-janara—of the fallen souls; bandhu—the friend; lokanatha—O Loka-
36 natha (the spiritual master of ®r…la Narottama dasa µhakura) or the master of the people; the people; j… vana—the life; lokera—of ha ha prabhu—O master! koro doya— please be merciful; deho— please give; more—to me; pada-chaya— the shade of (your lotus) feet; ebe— now; jaa—fame; ghuuk — may it be proclaimed; tri-bhuvana—(through-out) the three worlds; (extra words) dui pade—at his two feet; loilo araŠa — we have taken shelter; r…la prabhu-pada— ®r…la Prabhupada; patita—of the fallen; pavana—the savior. TRANSLATION (1) The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow down to his lotus feet awecross and reverence. By hiswith gracegreat one can over the ocean of material miseries and obtain the mercy of K na.
37 (2) My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating Attachment from to his his lotuslotus feet mouth. is the perfection that fulfills all desires. (3) He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. He is my lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates. By him ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character. (4) Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the lord and master of the devotees. O master, please be merciful unto us. Give us the shade of your lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds. We take shelter at your lotus feet.
Jaya Radha-Madhava by ®r…la Bhaktivinoda µhakura
38 (jaya) radha-madhava (jaya) kuñjabihar… (jaya) gop…-jana-vallabha bara-dhar… (jaya) giri(jaya) ja oda-nandana, (jaya) brajajana-rañjana, (jaya) jamuna-t…ra-vana-car… jaya—all glories to; radha—RadharaŠ…; madhava —Madhava (K Ša, the husband of the goddess of fortune [ ma —the goddess of fortune; dhava—the husband kuñja—(in) the groves (of Vndavana); bihar…—the enjoyer of pastimes; gop…-jana—(of) the cowherd maidens; vallabha—the lover and beloved; giri—(of) the hill (Govardhana); bara—great; dhar…—the holder; jaoda —Mother Ya oda; nandana—the beloved son; braja-jana—(of) the inhabitants of Braja; rañjana—the delighter; jamuna—(of) the River Yamuna; t…ra—(along) the banks; car… —He who wanders. KsŠa is the lover of Radha. He displays many amorous pastimes in the
39 groves of V ndavana. He is the lover and of the cowherd maidens of Vraja, the holder of greatson hillof named Govardhana, thethe beloved Mother Yaoda, the delighter of the inhabitants of Vraja, and He wanders in the forests along the banks of the River Yamuna. (®r…la Prabhupada was very fond of this song, and sang it just before his lectures. In Allahabad and Gorakhpur ®r…la Prabhupada fell into a trance after singing the first two lines, and after some time he came back into external consciousness and said, “Now just chant Hare K Ša.” ®r…la Prabhupada said that this song is “ais picture of Vndavana. Everything there—®r… mat… Radha-raŠ…, V ndavana, Govardhana, Ya oda, and all the cowherd boys.”)
Invocation oˆ namo bhagavate vasudevaya oˆ—O my Lord; namaƒ—I offer my respectful obeisances; bhagavate—unto
40 the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vasudevaya—unto Vasudeva, K Ša, the son of Vasudeva. O my Lord, ®r… K Vasudeva, I offer obeisances unto You.
Ša,
my
the son of respectful
(This mantraof isthe the First invocation at the beginnings and Second Cantos of ®r…mad-Bhaga-vatam. Dhruva Maharaja was initiated into the chanting of this mantra by Narada Muni. See ®r…mad-Bhagavatam 4.8.53-54.)
by ®r…laGauraBhaktivinoda arati µhakura (1) jaya jaya goracander aratiko obha jahnav…-ta˜a-vane jaga-manalobha (gaura‰ger aratiko obha, jaga-jana-manalobha)
41 (2) dakhiŠe nitaicand, bame gadadhara nika˜e adwaita, r…nivasa chatra-dhara (3) bosiyache goracand ratnasiˆhasane arati koren brahma-adi deva-gane (4) narahari-adi kori’ camara hulaya sañjaya-mukunda-basu-ghoaadi gaya (5) a‰kha baje ghaŠ˜a baje baje karatala madhura m da‰ga baje parama( rasala a‰kha baje ghaŠ˜a baje, madhur madhur madhur baje) (6) bahu-ko˜i candra jini’ vadana ujjwala
42 gala-dee bana-mala kore jhalamala (7)
iva-uka-narada
preme gada-
gada bhakativinoda dekhe gorara sampada (1) jaya jaya—all glories, all glories; goracander—of the moonlike Lord Caitanya; aratiko—the arati ceremony; obha—beautiful; jahnav…—(of) the Ganges; ta˜a—(on) the bank; vane—in a grove; jaga—(of) all the living entities in the universe; mana—the minds; lobha— attracting; jaga-jana—the people of the universe. (2) dakhiŠe—on (Lord Caitanya’s) right side; nitaicand—the moonlike Lord Nityananda; bame — on (His) left; gadadhara—Gadadhara; nika˜e— nearby; adwaita—Adwaita šcarya; r… nivasa—®r…nvasa µhakura; chatra— umbrella; dhara—the holder.
43 (3) bosiyache—has sat down; goracand —Lord Gaura-candra; ratna—jewelled; siˆhasane—on a throne; arati—the arati ceremony; koren—per-form; brahma-adi —headed by Lord Brahma; deva-gaŠe— the demigods. (4) narahari-adi—Narahari Sarkara and others; kori’—doing; camara—yak-tail hulaya—fanning; fan; sañjaya— Sañjaya PaŠ ita; mukunda—Mukunda Datta; basu-ghoa—Vasudeva Gho a; adi—headed by; gaya—are singing. (5) a‰kha—conchshells; baje— resound; ghaŠ˜a—bells and/or gongs; baje—resound; baje—resound; karatala —hand-cymbals; madhura—sweet; mda‰ga—mda‰gas; baje—resound; parama—supremely; rasala—sweet and relishable. (6) bahu—many; ko˜i—millions; candra —of moons; jini’—conquering; vadana— (His) face; ujjwala—brilliant; gala-dee —around His neck; bana-mala—the
44 garland of forest flowers; kore jhalamala —is shining brightly. (7) iva—Lord ®iva; uka—®ukadeva Gosvam…; narada—Narada Muni; preme—with ecstacy of transcendental love; gada-gada—their voices are choked; bhakativinoda—Bhaktivinoda µhakura; dekhe—envisions; gorara—of Gora (Lord Caitanya); sampada—the glory. TRANSLATION (1) All glories, all glories to the beautiful arati ceremony of Lord Caitanya. This Gaura-arati is taking place in a grove on the bank of the Jahnav… (Ganges) and is attracting the minds of all living entities in the universe. (2) On Lord Caitanya’s right side is Lord Nityananda, His left ®r… is Gadadhara. and Nearbyon stands Advaita, and ®r…vasa µhakura is holding an umbrella over Lord Caitanya’s head.
45 (3) Lord Caitanya has sat down on a jeweled throne, and the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, perform the arati ceremony. (4) Narahari Sarkara and other associates of Lord Caitanya fan him with camaras, and devotees headed by Sañjaya PaŠ ita, Mukunda Datta, and Vasu Gho a sing sweet k…rtana. (5) Conchshells, bells, and karatalas resound, and the mda‰gas play very sweetly. This k…rtana music is supremely sweet and relishable to hear. (6) The brilliance of Lord Caitanya’s face conquers millions upon mil†ions of moons, and the garland of forest flowers around His neck shines brightly. (7) Lord ®iva, ®ukadeva Gosvam… and Narada Muni are all there, and their voices are choked with the ecstacy of transcendental love. Thus Bhaktivinoda µhakura envisions the glory of Lord ®r… Caitanya.
46
Prema-dhvani 1. jaya oˆ viŠu-pada paramahaˆsa parivrajakacarya a˜ottara-ata r… r…mad a.c. bhaktivedanta svam… maharaja prabhupada k… jaya
2. ISKCON-saˆsthapakacaryak… r…la prabhupada jaya. or ISKCON-founder-acarya r…la prabhupada k… jaya. 3. jaya oˆ viŠu-pada paramahaˆsa parivrajakacarya a˜ottaraata r… r…mad
bhaktisiddhanta sarasvat… gosvam… maharaja prabhupada k… jaya. [4] jaya oˆ viŠu-pada r…la gaurakiora dasa babaj… maharaja k… jaya. [5] jaya oˆ viŠu-pada r…la saccidananda bhaktivinoda ˜hakura k… jaya.
47 [6] jaya oˆ viŠu-pada r…la vaiŠava- sarvabhauma r…la jagannatha dasa babaj… maharaja k… jaya. [7] jaya r… r™pa sanatana bha˜˜araghunatha r… j…va gopala bha˜˜a dasa raghunatha a - gosvam… prabhu k… jaya. 8. namacarya r…la haridasa ˜hakura k… jaya. 9. ISKCON-vartmana-guru-vnda k… jaya. 10. ananta ko˜i vai Šava-v nda k… jaya. 11. prem-se kaho r…-k Šacaitanya, prabhu nityananda, r…advaita, gadadhara, r…vasadi gaura-bhakta-vnda k… jaya. 12. r… Ša, gopa r… radha-k gop…-natha, yama- kuŠa, radhakuŠa giri-govardhana k… jaya.
48 (One may glorify the Deities of the temple at this time.) 13. r… navadv…pa mayapura dhama k… jaya. 14. r… mathura v ndavana dhama k… jaya. 15. ga‰ga-may… k… jaya. 16. yamuna-may… k… jaya. 17. bhakti-dev… k… jaya. 18. tulas…-dev… k… jaya. 19. r… hari-nama sa‰k…rtana k… jaya. [20] grantha-raja r…mad-bhagavatam k… jaya. 21. samaveta bhakta-v nda k… jaya. 22. gaura-premanande hari-hari-bol.
49 All glories to the assembled devotees. [three times] All glories to ®r… ®r… Guru and Gaura ‰ga.
Please note: The items whose numbers are in brackets (Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 20) may be omitted for a shorter Prema-dhvani. (Many of the words and phrases in the successive prema-dhvani prayers are repeated. Therefore in order to save space they will not be unneccesarily repeated meanings.)in the following list of word (1) jaya—all glories to; oˆ—(address); viŠu-pada — who is situated at the lotus feet of Lord Vi Šu; paramahaˆsa— topmost swanlike devotee, situ-ated on the highest position of sannyasa; parivrajakacarya—who travels everywhere; a˜a-uttara-ata—108 ( a˜a—eight; uttara—above; ata — 100); r… r… mad—(title of respect); a.—Abhaya —
50 fearless; c.—CaraŠa-aravinda—lotus feet (of the Lord); bhakti-veda-anta—one who has through attaineddevotional the ultimate knowledge service; svam…—master; maharaja—one who has control over his senses just as a king (maharaja) has control over his kingdom; prabhupada—one who has taken the position (pada) of the Lord (prabhu); k… jaya—all glories to. (2) saˆsthapaka—founder; acarya— expert spirit-ual master who teaches by example. (3) bhakti-siddha-anta—one has attained the ultimate perfectionwho through devotional service; sarasvat…—title given for scholarship. (4) gaura—Lord Caitanya; kiora— youth; dasa—servant of; babaj…—a renounced devotee who practices KŠa consciousness in solitude. (5) sat-cit-ananda—eternal, full of bliss and know-ledge; bhakti-vinoda—one who has attained happiness through
51 devotional service; ˜hakura—a title of respect. (6) vaiŠava—(of) the Vai Šavas (devotees of Lord Vi Šu); sarvabhauma —chief; jagat-natha—Lord of the universe. (7) r™pa—form, beauty; sanatana— eternal; bha˜˜a — a title used with the names of learned brahmaŠas; raghunatha—Lord of the dynasty of Raghu (Lord Ramacandra); j…va—living being; go-pala—protector of the cows (KŠa); a˜—six; gosvam…—masters of the senses; prabhu—masters. (8) nama-acarya—spiritual master of the holy name; hari—He who takes away (the distress of His devotees); dasa— servant (of). (9) vartmana—present; vnda—group. (10) ananta—unlimited; ko˜i—millions; vnda—group. (11) prem-se—with love; kaho—call out.
52 (12) gopa—the cowherd boys; gop…— the cowherd girls; natha—the lord and master; kuŠa—pond; giri—hill. (13 & 14) dhama—spiritual abode. (20) grantha—(of) books; raja—king. (21) samaveta—assembled. (22) gaura—(of) Lord Caitanya; prema— (of) love; anande—in the ecstacy; hari— He who takes away (the distress of His devotees); bol—chant. TRANSLATION (1) All glories to the acarya Oˆ Vi Šupada 108 TridaŠ … Gosvam… A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who travels everywhere, preaching the glories of Hari, and who is situated on the highest platform of sannyasa. (2) All glories to ®r…la Prabhupada, the Founder-šcarya of ISKCON.
53 (3) All glories to the acarya Oˆ Vi Šupada 108 TridaŠ … Gosvam… Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvat… Prabhupada, who travels everywhere, preaching the glories of Hari, and who is situated on the highest platform of sannyasa. (4) All glories to ®r…la Gauraki ora dasa Babaj…. (5) All glories to ®r…la Sac-cid-ananda Bhakti- vinoda µhakura. (6) All glories to Vai ŠavaSarvabhauma ®r…la Jagannatha dasa Babaj…. (7) All glories to the six Gosvam…s, namely, ®r… R™pa, Sanatana, Raghunatha Bha˜ta, J…va, Gopala Bha˜˜a and Raghunatha Dasa. (8) All glories to the Namacarya ®r…la Haridasa µhakura. (9) All glories to the present gurus of ISKCON.
54 (10) All glories to the unlimited millions of Vai Šavas. (11) Call out with love the names of ®r… K Ša Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, ®r… Advaita, ®ri Gadadhara, ®r…vasa and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya. (12) All glories to Radha and K Ša, the cowherd boys and girls, ®yamakuŠa, Radha-kuŠ a and Govardhana Hill. (13) All glories to ®r… Navadv…pa Mayapura-dhama. (14) All glories to Vndavana-dhama.
®r…
Mathura
(15) All glories to Ga‰ga-dev…. (16) All glories to Yamuna-dev…. (17) All glories to Bhakti-dev…. (18) All glories to Tulas…-dev….
55 (19) All glories to the congregational chanting of the holy name of Hari. (20) All glories to the king books, ®r…mad-Bhagavatam.
of
(21) All glories to the assembled devotees. (22) Chant the names Hari! Hari! in the ecstacy of love for Lord Caitanya.
®r… ®r… ®ika˜aka Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the science of KŠa, a task which His followere have continued to carry out to the present day. The elaberations and expositions on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are, in fact the most voluminous, exacting, and consistent, due to the system of disciplic succession. Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses, called ®ika˜aka. These eight verses clearly reveal His mission and precepts. These verses are described more elaborately in
56 ®r… Caitanya-caritam ta, Chapter 20.
Antya-l…la,
(1) ceto-darpaŠa-marjanaˆ bhava-maha-davagninirvapaŠaˆ reyaƒ-kairavacandrika-vitaraŠaˆ vidya-vadhu-j…vanam anandambudhi-vardhanaˆ prati-padaˆ p™rŠamtasvadanaˆ sarvatmasnapanaˆ paraˆ vijayate r…-k Ša-sa‰k… rtanam (2) namnam akari bahudha nija-sarvaaktis tatrarpita niyamitaƒ smaraŠe na kalaƒ etad … tava kpa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam …d am ihajani nanuragaƒ (3) tŠad api sun…cena taror api sahiŠuna
57 amanina manadena k…rtan…yaƒ sada hariƒ (4) na dhanaˆ na janaˆ na sundar…ˆ kavitaˆ va jagad-… a kamaye mama janmani janman…vare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi (5) ayi nanda-tanuja ki‰karaˆ patitaˆ maˆ vi ame bhavabudhau k paya tava pada-pa‰kajasthita-dh™l…-sad aˆ vicintaya (6) nayanaˆ galad-a ru-dharaya vadanaˆ gadgada-ruddhaya gira pulakair nicitaˆ vapuƒ kada tava nama-grahaŠe bhavi yati (7) yugayitaˆ nimeeŠa
58 caku aprav ayitam ™nyayitaˆ jagat sarvaˆ govinda-viraheŠa me (8) aliya va pada-rataˆ pina ˜u mam adaranan marma-hataˆ karotu va yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampa˜o mat-praŠa-nathas tu sa eva naparaƒ (1) cetaƒ—of the heart; darpaŠa—the mirror; marjanam—cleansing; bhava—of material existence; maha-dava-agni— the blazing forest fire; nirvapaŠam— extinguishing; reyaƒ—of good for-tune; kairava—the white lotus; candrika—the moonshine; vitaraŠam—spreading; vidya—of all education; vadhu—wife; j… vanam—the anandavardhanam— —of bliss; ambudhi—the life;ocean; increasing; prati-padam—at every step; p™rŠa-amta—of the full nectar; asvadanam—giving a taste; sarva—for everyone; atma-snapanam—bathing of
59 the self; param—transcendental; vijayate—let there be victory; r…Ša-sa‰-k…rtanam—for k the congregational chanting of the holy name of K Ša.
(2) namnam—of the holy names of the Lord; akari —manifested; bahudha— various kinds; nija-sarva-aktiƒ—all kinds of personal potencies; tatra — in that; arpita—bestowed; niyamitaƒ— restricted; smaraŠe—in remembering; na—not; kalaƒ—con-sideration of time; etad…—so much; tava—Your; kpa —mercy; bhagavan—O Lord; mama— My; api—although; durdaivam— misfortune; …dam—such; iha—in this (the holy name); ajani—was born; na—not; anuragaƒ—attachment. (3) tŠat api— than downtrodden grass; su-n…cena —being lower; tree; iva—like; sahitaroƒ—than Šuna—with tolerance; amanina—without being puffed up by false pride; mana-dena— giving respect to all; k…rtan…yaƒ—to be
60 chanted; sada—always; hariƒ—the holy name of the Lord. (4) na—not; dhanam—riches; na—not; janam—followers; na—not; sundar…m— a very beautiful woman; kavitam— fruitive activities described in flowery language; va—or; jagat-…a—O Lord of the universe; kamaye—I desire; mama— My; janmani janmani—in birth after birth; …vare—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhavatat—let there be; bhaktiƒ—devotional service; ahaituk…—with no motives; tvayi—unto You. (5) ayi—O My Lord; nanda-tanuja—the son of Nanda Maharaja, K Ša; ki ‰karam—the servant; patitam—fallen; mam—Me; viame—horrible; bhavaambudhau—in the ocean of nescience; kpaya—by causeless mercy; tava— Your; pada-pa‰kaja—lotus feet; —situated at; dh™l…-sad am—sthita like a particle of dust; vicintaya—kindly consider.
61 (6) nayanam—the eyes; galat-arudharaya—by streams of tears running down; faltering;vadanam—mouth; ruddhaya—choked gadgada— up; gira— with words; pulakaiƒ—with erection of the hairs due to transcendental happiness; nicitam—covered; vapuƒ— the body; kada—when; tava—Your; nama-grahaŠe—in chanting the name; bhavi-yati—will be. (7) yugayitam—appearing like a great millenium; nimeeŠa—by a moment; cakua—from the eyes; pravayitam—tears falling like ™nyayitam— torrents of rain; appearing void; jagat—the world; sarvam—all; govinda—from Lord Govinda, K Ša; viraheŠa me—by My separation.
(8) aliya—embracing with great pleasure; va—or; pada-ratam—who have fallen at the lotus feet; pina˜u— let Him trample; mam—Me; adaranat —by not being visible; marma-hatam— broken-hearted; karotu—let Him make;
62 va—or; yatha—as (He likes); tatha—so; va—or; vidadhatu—let Him do; lampa˜aƒ —a debauchee, who mixes with Lord otherof women; mat-prana-nathaƒ—the My life; tu—but; saƒ—He; eva—only; na aparaƒ—not anyone else. TRANSLATION (1) Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord KŠa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of the good for all living entities. It is lifefortune and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of K Ša expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step. (2) My Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, in Your holy name there is all good fortune for the living entity, and therefore You have many names, such
63 as K Ša and Govinda, b y which You expand Yourself. You have invested all Your in those names, there potencies are no hard and fast rules and for remembering them. My dear Lord, although You bestow such mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by liberally teaching Your holy names, I am so unfortunate that I commit offenses while chanting the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment for chanting. (3) One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor always to give all respectbut to is others canprepared very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord. (4) O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You. (5) O My Lord, O K Ša, son of Maharaja Nanda, I am Your eternal
64 servant, but because of My own fruitive acts I have fallen into this horrible ocean of nescience. Now pleaseMe be acauselessly merciful to Me. Consider particle of dust at your lotus feet. (6) My dear Lord, when will My eyes be beautified by filling with tears that constantly glide down as I chant Your holy name? When will my voice falter and all the hairs on My body stand erect in transcendental happiness as I chant Your holy name? (7) My Lord Govinda, because of separation from You, I consider even a moment a great millennium. Tears flow from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I can see the entire world as void. (8) Let K Ša tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but He is still no other than the worshipable Lord of My heart.
65
Honoring Prasada You should be clean when you take your meal, having washed yours hands and mouth. You should eat in a clean, spacious, peaceful place. Do not eat before bathing or until the food from the previous meal has been digested. Before beginning a meal, you should glorify the Lord’s prasada by chanting the following prayers: maha-prasade govinde nama-brahmaŠi vai Šave svalpa-puŠya-vataˆ rajan vivaso naiva jayate maha-prasade—in maha-prasada; govinde—in ®r… Govinda; namabrahmaŠi—in the holy name; vaiŠave —in the Vai Šavas; su-alpa-puŠyavatam —for those with very little pious credit; rajan—O king; vivasaƒ—faith;
66 na—never; arises.
eva—certainly;
jayate—
O king, for those with little pious credit, faith in maha-prasada, ®r… Govinda, the holy name, and Vai Šavas never arises. —Mahabharata
Prasada-seva Honoring Prasada in the Mood of Service by ®r…la Bhaktivinoda µhakura (1) bhai-re! jo enriya tahe ar…ra abidya-jal, kal, j…ve phele viaya-sagore ta’ra madhye jihwa ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, ta’ke jeta ka˜hina saˆsare (2) kŠa ba o doyamoy, jihwa jay,
koribare
67 swa-prasad-anna dila bhai sei annam ta pao, radha-k Ša-guŠa gao, preme ako caitanya-nitai (1) bhai-re—O brothers! ar…ra—(this material) body; abidya—(of) ignorance; jal—a network; joa-indriya—the dull material senses; tahe—in them; kal— death; j…ve—the soul; phele—throw; viaya—(of) material sense enjoyment; sagore—into the ocean; ta’ra mdhye— among them (the senses); jihwa—the tongue; ati—very much; lobhamoy— voracious; sudurmati—of a very bad disposition, uncontrollable; ta’ke—it (the tongue); jeta—to conquer; ka˜hina— very difficult; saˆsare —in (this) world. (2) kŠa—Lord K Ša; bao—very; doyamoy—merciful; koribare—for doing; jihwa—(over) tongue; jay—victory; swa—His own;the prasad—prasada, mercy; anna—food; dila—has given; bhai—O brothers! sei—that; anna-amta— nectar-ean food; pao—please accept; radha-kŠa—of R adha a nd K Ša;
68 guŠa—the glories; gao—sing; preme—in love; ako—call out; caitanya-nitai— Caitanya! Nitai! TRANSLATION (1) O brothers! This material body is a network of ignorance, and the senses are one’s enemies, for they throw the deadly soul into this ocean of material sense enjoyment. Among those senses the tongue is most voracious and uncontrollable; it is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world. (2) O brothers! Lord K Ša is very merciful and has given us the remnants of His own food just to control the tongue. Now please accept that nectarean kŠa-prasada and sing the glories of Their Lordships ®r… ®r…
Radha and K Ša, and in love call out, “Caitanya! Nitai!”
®r… Nama-k…rtana Chanting of the Holy Names
69 by ®r…la Bhaktivinoda µhakura (1) yaomat…-nandana, braja-baronagara, gokula-rañjana kana gop…-paraŠa-dhana, madanamanohara, kaliya-damana-vidhana (2) amala harinam amiya-vilasa vipina-purandara, nav…na nagarabaro, baˆ…-badana suvasa (3) braja-jana-palana, asura-kulanaana, nanda-godhana-rakhowala govinda madhava, navan…ta-taskara, sundara nanda-gopala (4) jamuna-ta˜a-cara, gop…-basanahara, rasa-rasika, k pamoya
70 r…-radha-vallabha,
b ndabana-
na˜abara, bhakativinod-araya (1) yaomat…—(of) Mother Ya oda; nanda—the beloved son; braja—(of) the land of Vraja; baro—the best; nagara— inhabitant; gokula—(of the people of) Gokula; rañjana—the delight; kana—(an intimate nickname); gop…—(of) the gop…s; paraŠa—(of) the lives; dhana— the wealth; madana—(of) Cupid, the god of love; manohara—attracter; kaliya— (of) the Kaliya serpent; damana — (of) the punishment; vidhana—the doer. (2) amala—pure; harinam—holy names of Lord Hari; amiya—nectarean; vilasa— pastimes; vipina —(of) the forest (Vndavana); purandara—the lord; nav…na—ever-youthful; nagara—(of) lovers; baro—the best; vaˆ …—flute; vadana—(at His) mouth; suvasa—the wearer of beautiful clothing.
71 (3) braja—(of) the land of Vraja; jana— (of) the inhabitants; palana—the protector; the demons; —(of) theasura—(of) dynasties; naana—kula the destroyer; nanda—(of) Nanda Maharaja; godhana — (of) the multitude of cows; rakhowala—the keeper and tender; govinda—the giver of pleasure to the cows, land and spiritual senses; madhava—the husband of the godess of fortune; navan…ta—butter; taskara— thief; sundara—beautiful; nanda —(of) Nanda Maharaja; gopala—protector of the cows, cowherd boy. (4) jamuna—of the River Yamuna; ta˜a— (along) the banks; cara—wandering; gop…—(of) the gop…s; basana—the garments; hara—stealing; rasa—the rasa dance; rasika—the relisher of the mellows; kpamoya—very merciful;
r…-radha—(of) RadharaŠ…; vallabha—the ®r…mat… lover and beloved; bndabana—(of) V ndavana; na˜abara—the great dancer; bhakativinod—(of) Bhaktivinoda µhakura; araya—the shelter.
72 TRANSLATION (1) Lord K Ša is the beloved son o f mother Ya oda; the transcendental lover in the land of Vraja; the delight of Gokula; Kana [a n ickname of K Ša]; the wealth of the lives of the gop…s. He steals the even Cupid and punishes themind Kaliyaofserpent. (2) These pure, holy names of Lord Hari are full of sweet, nectarean pastimes. KŠa is the Lord of V ndavana. He is ever-youthful and is the best of lovers. He is always playing on a flute, and He is an excellent dresser. (3) K Ša is the protector of the inhabitants of Vraja; the destroyer of various demoniac dynasties; the keeper and tender Nanda to Maharaja’s the giver of of pleasure the cows,cows; land and spiritual senses; the husband of the goddess of fortune; the butter thief; and the beautiful cowherd boy of Nanda Maharaja.
73 (4) K Ša wanders along the banks of the Riverof the Yamuna. He stole the garments young damsels of Vraja who were bathing there. He delights in the mellows of the rasa dance. He is very merciful; the lover and beloved of ®r…mat… RadharaŠ…; the great dancer of V ndavana; and the shelter and only refuge of µhakura Bhaktivinoda.
SavaraŠa-r…-gaura-padapadme Prarthana
A prayer to the Lotus Feet of ®r… Gaura‰ga by ®r…la Narottama dasa µhakura (1) r…-kŠa-caitanya prabhu doya koro more toma bina ke doyalu jagat-saˆsare (2)
74 patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara mo sama patita prabhu na paibe ara (3) ha ha prabhu nityananda, premananda sukh… kpabalokana koro ami bo o duƒkh… (4) doya koro s…ta-pati adwaita gosai tava k pa-bale pai caitanya-nitai (5) ha ha swar™p, sanatana, r™pa, raghunatha bha˜˜a-juga, r…-j…va ha prabhu lokanatha (6) doya koro r…-acarya prabhu
r…nivasa ramacandra-sa‰ga mage narottama-dasa
75 (title) savaraŠa—protective; ri-gaura— (of) ®r… Gaura‰ga; pada-padme—to the lotus feet; prarthana—a prayer. (1) r…-kŠa-caitanya prabhu— O my Lord ®r… K na Caitanya! doya koro —please be merciful; more—to me; toma bina—other than you; ke—who? dayalu—merciful; jagat-saˆsare—in this material world. (2) patita—(of) the fallen; pavana—the deliverance; hetu—the purpose; tava— Your; avatara—descent, incarnation; mo sama—as me; patita—(as) fallen; prabhu—O Lord; na paibe— You will not find; ara—another. (3) ha ha—O; prabhu—Lord; nityananda —Nityananda; prema-ananda—(in) the bliss of divine love; sukh…—happy;
k pa—(of) mercy; abalokana—glance; koro—please cast; ami—I; boo—very; duƒkh…—unhappy. (4) doya koro— please be merciful; s… ta-pati—husband of S…ta; adwaita gosai
76 —Adwaita Prabhu; tava—Your; kpa— (of) mercy; bale—by the strength; pai— one caitanya-nitai—(the mercycan of) attain; Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda. (5) ha ha— O; swar™p—Swar™pa Damodara, the personal secretary of Lord Caitanya; sanatana—Sanatana Goswam…; r™pa—®r…la R™pa Goswam…; raghunatha—®r…la Raghunatha dasa Goswam…; bha˜˜ajuga—the two Bha˜˜as, ®r…la Raghunatha Bha˜˜a Goswam… and ®r… la Gopala Bha˜˜a Goswam…; r…-j…va —®r…la J…va Goswam…; ha prabhu—O master! lokanatha—®r…la Lokanatha Goswam…, the initiating guru of ®r…la Narottama dasa µhakura. (6) doya koro—please be merciful; r…
acarya prabhuPrabhu; r…nivasa— ®r…la ®r… nivasacarya ramacandra—(of) Ramacandra Kaviraja, a disci-ple of ®r… nivasacarya and personal friend of Narottama dasa; sa‰ga—the association; mage—prays for;
77 narottama-dasa—®r…la dasa µhakura.
Narottama
TRANSLATION (1) O m y Lord, ® r… K Ša Caitanya, please be merciful to me, because other than You who is merciful in this material world? (2) The reason for your descent into this material world is to deliver the fallen, conditioned souls, but You will not find anyone more fallen than me. (3) O Lord Nityananda, You are always happy in the bliss of divine love; but I am very unhappy, therefore please cast Your merciful glance upon me. (4) My dear Adwaita Prabhu, husband of S…ta, please bemercy kind to the strength of Your oneme. can By attain the mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda.
78 (5) O Swar™pa Damodara, Sanatana Goswam…, R™pa Goswam…, Raghunatha dasa Goswam…, Raghunatha Bha˜˜a Goswam…, Gopala Bha˜˜a Goswam…, J…va Goswam… and Lokanatha Goswam…, please be merciful to me. (6) O ®r…nivasacarya Prabhu, please be merciful to me. Narottama dasa µhakura prays for the association of his personal friend, ®r… Ramacandra Kaviraja.
by ®r…la Narottama dasa µhakura Nama-sa‰k…tana (1) (hari) haraye namaƒ k Ša yadavaya namaƒ yadavaya madhavaya ke avaya namaƒ (2) gopala govinda rama r…madhus™dana
79 giridhar… gop…natha madanamohana (3) r…-caitanya-nityananda r…adwaita-s…ta hari guru vai Šava bhagavata g…ta r…-r™pa
(4) bha˜˜asanatana
raghunath r…-j…va gopala-bha˜˜a dasaraghunath (5) ei chay gosair kori caraŠa vandan jaha hoite bighna-na abh… ˜ap™raŠ (6) ei chay gosai jar——mui tar das grasta‰-sabara pada-reŠu mora pañca(7) tandera caraŠa-sebi bhakta-sane bas
80 janame janame hoy ei abhila (8) braje koila bas ei chay gosai jabe radha-kŠa-nitya-l…la korila praka (9) anande bolo hari bhaja b ndaban r…-guru-vaiŠaba-pade majaiya man (10) r…-guru-vaiŠaba-pada-padma kori a nama-sa‰k…rtana kohe narottama-das (1) hari—O Lord Hari; haraye—unto Lord Hari; namaƒ—I offer my obeisances; kŠa—O L ord K Ša; yadavaya— unto Yadavaoffer (the descendant of Yadu); namaƒ—I my obeisances; yadavaya—unto Yadava; madhavaya— unto Madhava (the husband of the goddess of fortune); keavaya—unto
81 Keava (one having fine hair); namaƒ—I offer my obeisances. (2) gopala—the protector of the cows; govinda—the giver of pleasure to the cows, land and spiritual senses; rama— one who enjoys supreme transcendental pleasure; r…-madhus™dana—the killer of the demon Madhu; giridhar…— the lifter of the (Govardhana) Hill; gop… natha—the Lord of the gop…s; madanamohana—the attractor of Cupid. (3) r…-caitanya-nityananda—®r… Caitanya and Nityananda; ri-adwaitas…ta—®r… Adwaita šcarya and His consort, S…ta µhakuraŠ…; hari—Lord Hari; guru—the spiritual master; vaiŠaba—the Vai -Šavas; bhagavata —the ®r…mad-Bhagavatam; g…ta — the Bhagavad-g…ta. (4) r…-r™pa—®r… R™pa Goswam…; sanatana—Sanatana Goswam…; bha˜˜a-raghunatha—Raghu-natha Bha˜˜a Goswam…; r…-j…va—®r… J… va Go-swam…; gopala-bha˜˜a—Gopala
82 Bha˜˜a Goswam…; dasa-raghunath— Raghunatha dasa Goswam…. (5) ei—these; chay—six; gosair—of (the) Goswam…s; kori—I offer; caraŠa—(to) the feet; vandan—(my) obeisances; jaha hoite—from which; bighna—(of) obstacles; na—the destruction; abh… ˜a—spiritual desires; p™raŠ—fulfilled. (6) ei—these; chay—six; gosai— Goswam…s; jar—(the servant) of whom; mui—I (am); tar—his; das—servant; ta ‰-sabara—of all of them; pada—of (their holy) feet; reŠu—the dust; mora— my; pañca —five kinds; gras—(of) food. (7) tandera—their; caraŠa—feet; sebi— who serve; bhakta—the devotees; sane —with; bas—residence; janame janame —birth after birth; hoy—is; ei—this;
abhila —(my) desire. (8) ei—these; chay—six; gosai— Goswam…s; jabe —when; braje—in Vraja; koila—made; bas—residence; radha-kŠa—of R adha a nd K Ša;
83 nitya—eternal; l…la—pastimes; korila— made; praka—clearly visible. (9) anande—in ecstacy; bolo—chant; hari—the names of Lord Hari; bhaja— worship; bndaban—Vndavana; r…guru-vaiŠaba—of the spiritual master and the Vai Šavas; pade—on the lotus feet; majaiya—absorbing in meditation; man—the mind. (10) r…-guru-vaiŠaba— of the spiritual master and the Vai Šavas; pada—the feet; padma—lotus; kori a —desiring; nama-sa‰k…rtana—the sa ‰k…tana of the holy name; kohe— sings; narottama-das—Narottama dasa. TRANSLATION (1) L ord Hari, O o ffer my Oobei-sances to Lord You, Kwho Ša, are Iknown as Yadava, Hari, Madhava and Ke ava.
84 (2) O Gopala, Govinda, Rama, ®r… Mudhus™dana, Giridhar…, Gop…natha, Madana-mohana! (3) All glories to ®r… Caitanya and Nityananda. All glories to ®r… Advaita šcarya and His consort, S…ta µhakuraŠ…. All glories to Lord Hari, the spiritual master, the Vai Šavas, the ®r…mad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-g…ta. (4) All glories to ®r… R™pa Goswam…, Sanatana Goswam…, Raghunatha Bha˜˜a Goswam…, ®r… J…va Goswam…, Gopala Bha˜˜a Goswam…, and Raghu-natha dasa Goswam…. (5) I offer my obeisances to the feet of these six Goswam…s. By offering them my obeisances all obstacles to devotion are destroyed and all spiritual desires are fulfilled. (6) I am the servant of that person who is a servant of these six Goswam…s.
85 The dust of their holy feet is my five kinds of food. (7) This is my desire, that birth after birth I may live with those devotees who serve the lotus feet of these six Goswam…s. (8) When six Goswam…s livedthe in Vraja theythese revealed and explained eternal pastimes of Radha and K Ša. (9) Absorbing your mind upon the divine feet of the spiritual master and the holy VaiŠavas, chant the names of Lord Hari in ecstacy, and worship the transcendental realm of V ndavana. (10) Desiring the lotus feet of ®r… Guru and the Vai Šavas, Narottama dasa sings the sa‰k…rtana of the holy name.
86
VaiŠava Practices
87
88
The Basic Philosophy of KŠa Consciousness The philosophy of the Hare KŠa movement (a monotheistic tradition) is summarized in the following eight points: 1. By sincerely cultivating the authentic spiritual science presented in the Bhagavad-g…ta and other Vedic scriptures, we can become free from
89 anxiety and achieve a state of pure, unending, blissful consciousness. Each of us isspirit not the material but2.an eternal soul, part body and parcel of God (K Ša). As such, we are all the eternal servants of K Ša and are interrelated through Him, our common father. 3. K Ša is the eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful, and allattractive Personality of Godhead. He is the seed-giving father of all living beings and the sustaining energy of the universe. He is the source of all incarnations of God. 4. Thein the Vedas oldest scriptures world.are The the essence of the Vedas is found in the Bhagavad-g… ta, a literal record of K Ša’s words spoken five thousand years ago in India. The goal of Vedic knowledge—and of all religions—is to achieve love of God. 5. We can perfectly understand the knowledge of self-realization through the instructions of a genuine spiritual master—one who is free from selfish motives, who teaches the science of
90 God explained in the Bhagavad-g…ta, and whose mind is firmly fixed in Ša. meditation on K we 6. All that eat should first be offered to Lord K Ša with prayers. In this way K Ša accepts the offering and blesses it for our purification. 7. Rather than living in a selfcentered way we should act for the pleasure of Lord K Ša. This is known as bhakti-yoga, the science of devotional service. 8. The most effective means for achieving God consciousness in this Age of Kali, or quarrel, is to chant the holy names of the Lord: Hare K Hare KŠa, K Ša K Ša, HareŠa, Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
KŠa Consciousness at Home In his books ®r…la Prabhupada makes it clear how important it is for everyone to practice K Ša consciousness, devotional service to Lord K Ša. Of
91 course, living in a temple or arama makes it easier to practice devotional service. Butatif home you’re the determined, can follow teachingsyou of KŠa consciousness and thus convert your home into a temple. Spiritual life, like material life, means practical activity. The difference is that whereas we perform material activities for the benefit of ourselves or those we consider ours, we perform spiritual activities for the satisfaction of Lord KŠa, under the guidance of the scriptures and the spiritual master. The key is to accept the guidance of the Ša declares scripture and the guru. K in the Bhagavad-g…ta that a person can achieve neither happiness nor the supreme destination of life—going back to Godhead, back to Lord K Ša—if he or she does not follow the injunctions of the scriptures. And how to follow the scriptural rules by engaging in practical service to the Lord—that is explained by a bona fide spiritual master. Without following the instructions of a spiritual master who is in an authorized chain of
92 disciplic succession coming from KŠa Himself, we cannot make spiritual The practices outlined here areprogress. the timeless practices of bhakti-yoga as given by the foremost spiritual master and exponent of KŠa consciousness i n our time, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhu-pada, founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The purpose of spiritual knowledge is to bring u s c loser to G od, or K Ša. KŠa says in the Bhagavad-g…ta (18.55), bhaktya maˆ abhijanati: “I can be known only by devotional service.” Knowledge guides us in proper action. Spiritual knowledge directs us to satisfy the desires of K Ša through practical engagements in His loving service. Without practical application, theoretical knowledge is of little value. Spiritual knowledge is meant to direct us in all aspects of life. We should endeavor, therefore, to organize our lives in such a way as to follow KŠa’s teachings as f ar a s p ossible.
93 We should try to do our best, to do more than is simply convenient. Then it will be possible for usplane to rise the transcendental of to K Ša consciousness, even while living far from a temple.
Chanting the Hare K
Ša
Mantra The first principle in devotional service is to chant the Hare K Ša mahamantra (maha means “great”; mantra means “sound that liberates the mind from ignorance”): HareK Ša,HareK Ša,K Ša KŠa, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare You can chant these holy names of the Lord anywhere and at any time, but it is best to set a specific time of day to regularly chant. Early morning hours are ideal.
94 The chanting can be done in two ways: singing the mantra, called k… rtana done to in oneself, a group),called and saying (usually the mantra japa. Concentrate on hearing the sound of the holy names. As you chant, pronounce the names clearly and distinctly, addressing K Ša in a prayerful mood. When your mind wanders, bring it back to the sound of the Lord’s names. Chanting is a prayer to K Ša that means “O energy of the Lord [Hare], O all-attractive Lord [KŠa], O Supreme Enjoyer [Rama], please engage me in Your service.” (For a furtherThe explanation see page nine.) more please attentively and sincerely you chant these names of God, the more spiritual progress you will make. Since God is all-powerful and allmerciful, He has kindly made it very easy for us to chant His names, and He has also invested all His powers in them. The names of God and God Himself are identical. This means that when we chant the holy names o f K Ša and
95 Rama we are directly associating with God and being purified. Therefore we should always try to chant with devotion and reverence. When a devotee chants Hare K Ša, K Ša and His internal potency are dancing on the tongue of the devotee. When you chant alone, it is best to chant on japa beads. This not only helps you fix your atten-tion on the holy name, but it also helps you count the number of times you chant the mantra daily.
(picture of hand with beads)
96 Each strand of japa beads consists of 108 small beads and one large bead, the head bead. Begin on a bead next to the head bead and gently roll it between the thumb and the middle finger of your right hand as you chant the full Hare
K Ša mantra. to the bead and repeatthen the move process. In next this way, chant on each of the 108 beads until you reach the head bead again. This is one round of japa. Then, without chanting on the head bead, reverse the beads and start your second round on the last bead you chanted on. It generally takes from seven to eight minutes to chant one round for one who is practiced in chanting, although it may take longer in the beginning. Initiated devotees vow before the spiritual toKchant least sixteen rounds ofmaster the Hare Šaat mantra daily. But even if you chant only one round a day, the principle is that once you commit yourself to chanting that round you should complete it every day
97 without fail. When you feel you can chant more, then increase the minimum number of fall rounds you that chantnumber. each day— but don’t below You can chant more than your fixed number, but you should maintain a set minimum each day. (Please note that the beads are sacred and therefore should never touch the ground or be put in an unclean place. To keep your beads clean, it’s best to carry them in a special bead bag.) Aside from chanting japa, you can also sing the Lord’s holy names in k… rtana. While you can perform k…rtana individually, is generally performed with others. Aitmelodious k…rtana with family or friends is sure to enliven everyone. ISKCON devotees use traditional melodies and instruments, especially in the temple, but you can chant to any melody and use any musical instruments to accompany your chanting. As Lord Caitanya said, “There are no hard and fast rules for chanting Hare K Ša.”
98
Offenses to Be Avoided While Chanting Hare K Ša (From The Nectar of Devotion) In order to derive the most benefit from chanting Hare K Ša, and make the quickest advancement, one should avoid committing offenses while chanting. The offenses against the chanting of the holy name are as follows: (1) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord. (2) To consider the of demigods Lordto, ®ivaoror Lordnames Brahma to be like equal independent of, the name of Lord ViŠu. (3) To disobey the orders of t he spiritual master. (4) To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version. (5) To consider the glories of chanting Hare KŠa t o b e i magination. (6) To g ive some interpretation on the holy name of the Lord. (7) To commit sinful activities on the strength of the holy name of the Lord. (8) To consider the chanting of
99 Hare K Ša one of the auspicious ritualistic activities offered in the Vedas a). (9) as ( karma-kaŠ To fruitive instruct activities a faithless person about the glories of the holy name. (10) To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names, and to maintain material attachments, even after understanding so many instructions on this matter. It is also an offence to be inattentive while chanting the holy names. Every devotee who claims to be a VaiŠava must guard against these offenses in order to quickly achieve the
desired success. (Offenses 2, 7 and 9 are further explained in The Nectar of Devotion at the end of chapter eight.)
Marking the Body with Vi ŠuTilaka ®r…la Prabhupada glorifies tilaka in the following ®r…mad-Bhagavatam purports:
100 In Kali-yuga one can hardly acquire gold or jeweled ornaments, but the twelve tilaka on the body are sufficient as marks auspicious decorations to purify the body. [ Bhag. 4.12.28, purport] While decorating the body with tilaka, we give protection to the body
by chanting twelve purport] names of Vi Šu. [Bhag. 10.6.27-29,
In the following letters, Prabhupada elaborates:
®r…la
So far as your dress is concerned, that is immaterial. But as a soldier you know that every soldier has a uniform dress according to got the army etiquette of regulation. Therefore, the army of KŠa consciousness must have at least the tilaka on the forehead in all conditions. For your business you can wear your naval service uniform; similarly, if you have tilaka on your forehead as a soldier of K Ša consciousness, you may not have so much objection, because it is
101 essential. [letter from ®r…la Prabhupada, 3 August 1969] All of you except a sannyasi may dress yourself just like a fine up-todate American gentleman, but one must have the tilak, etc., as I have mentioned. [letter from ®r…la Prabhupada, 11 October 1967]
The following quote is from The Nectar of Devotion: In the Padma PuraŠa there is a statement describing how a VaiŠava should decorate his body with tilaka and beads: “Persons who put tulas… beads on the neck, who mark twelve places of their bodies as ViŠu temples with ViŠu’s symbolic representations, and who have viŠu-tilaka on their foreheads, are to be understood as the devotees of Lord Vi Šu in this world. Their presence makes the world purified, and anywhere they remain, they make that place as good as VaikuŠ˜ha.”
102 A similar statement is in the Skanda PuraŠa, which says, “Persons who are decorated withmark tilaka gop…-candana, and who theiror bodies all over with the holy names of the Lord, and on whose necks and breasts there are tulas… beads, are never approached by the Yamad™tas.” The Yamad™tas are the constables of King Yama (the lord of death), who punishes all sinful men. Vai Šavas are never called for by such constables of Yamaraja. In the ®r…mad-Bhagavatam, in the narration of Ajamila’s deliverance, it is said that Yamaraja gave clear intructions to his assistants not to approach the Vai Šavas. Vai Šavas are beyond the jurisdiction of Yamaraja’s activities.
Tilaka refers to marks placed on the body using various substances, usually gop…-candana. The scriptures especially glorify gop…-candana, a special clay from Dvaraka. It is so pure that a cow-killer or any similarly sinful person can become free of sin simply by touching it. The Padma PuraŠa quotes
103 Yamaraja as saying that gop…-candana and earth from the base of a tulas… plant the bestinmaterials for making tilaka.are Following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, one may also use mud from Radha-kuŠa in V nda-vana for making tilaka. Candana (sandalwood) that has been offered to the Deity may also be used as tilaka. If none of the above are available, one may apply tilaka using caraŠamta water from the Deity; if caraŠamta is unavailable, plain water may be used. Preparing Tilaka
Tilaka is prepared by first placing one spoonfool of water from an acamana cup (about half a teaspoon) into the palm of the left hand. Taking the piece of tilaka clay in the right hand, move it briskly palm. in a clockwise direction in the left The following mantras from the UttarakhaŠa of the Padma PuraŠa may be recited at this time. You may optionally
104 chant t he H are K Ša while preparing tilaka.
maha-mantra
lala˜e ke avaˆ dhyayen narayaŠam athodare vakaƒ-sthale madhavaˆ tu govindaˆ kaŠ˜ha-k™pake viŠuˆ ca dak iŠe kuk au bahau ca madhus™danaˆ trivikramaˆ kandhare tu vamanaˆ vama-par vake tat prak alana-toyaˆ tu vasudeveti m™rdhani lala˜e—on the forehead; keavam— Keava (He who has fine hair); dhyayet —one should meditate on; narayaŠam— NarayaŠa; atha—then; udare—on the belly; vakaƒ-stale—on the chest; madhavam—Madhava (the husband of the goddess of fortune); govindam—Govinda (He whotu—next; gives pleasure to the land, the cows and the senses); kaŠ˜ha-k™pake—on the hollow of the throat.
105 viŠum—ViŠu; ca—and; dakiŠe—on the right side; kukau—on the belly; bahau—on the arm; ca—and; madhus™danam—Madhus™dana (the killer of the Madhu demon); trivikramam— Trivikrama (He who took three great steps, Lord Vamana); kandhare—on the shoulder; tu—next; vamanam—Vamana (the dwarf incarnation); vama-parvake —on the left side. r…dharam—®r…dhara
(He who embraces Lak m…); vama-bahau—on the left arm; tu—next; h…keaˆ— H…kea ( the L ord o f t he s enses); ca—and; kandhare—on the shoulder; p˜he—on the upper back; tu—next; padma-nabham—Padmanabha (He who has a lotus naval, or He from whose naval a lotus grows); ca—and; ka˜yam— on the lower back; damodaram— Damodara whose belly is place. bound with a rope);(He nyaset—one should tat—that; prakalana-toyam—water from washing; tu—next; vasudeva—
106 Vasudeva (the son of Vasu-deva); iti— thus; m™rdhani—on the head. TRANSLATION When one marks the forehead with tilaka, he should remember Ke ava. When one marks the lower abdomen, he must one remember NarayaŠa. Madhava, For the chest, should remember and when marking the hollow of the throat one should remember Govinda. Lord Vi Šu should be remembered when marking the right side of the belly, and Madhu-s™dana should be remembered when marking the right arm. Trivikrama should be remembered when marking the right shoulder, and Vamana should be remembered when marking the left side of the belly. ®r…dhara should be remembered
while arm, and H when … kea marking should the be left remembered marking the left shoulder. Padmanabha and Damodara should be remembered when marking the upper and lower back.
107 Vasudeva should be remembered when wiping the top of the back of the head the water left after washing off thewith tilaka. Applying Tilaka
After a minute or two the mixture of clay and water will be thick enough to apply (without running). Using the ring finger of your right hand, make a mark pulling up from the root of the nose to the hairline. The little finger can now be used to make a clear space through the middle, which will form the two verticle lines. If crooked, these lines can also be straightened up using the little finger, provided it is free from clay. Next, make the leaf-shaped mark on the nose. This should extend from the first mark of two lines and come to of a point not more threequarters the length of thethan nose. Again it is made with the right ring finger and shaped with the little finger. Now mark the other parts of the upper body. After marking the forehead
108 and other places, a name of Vi Šu should be recited, using the mantras on the following page, and according to the diagrams.
(diagrams showing where to apply tilaka)
109
1. The forehead — oˆ ke avaya namaƒ 2. The belly — oˆ narayaŠaya namaƒ 3. The chest — oˆ madhavaya namaƒ 4. The throat — oˆ govindaya namaƒ 5. The right side — oˆ vi Šave namaƒ 6. The right arm — oˆ madhus™danaya namaƒ 7. The right shoulder — oˆ trivikramaya namaƒ 8. The left side — oˆ vamanaya namaƒ 9. The left arm — oˆ r…dharaya namaƒ 10. The left shoulder — oˆh … keaya namaƒ 11. The upper back — oˆ padmanabhaya namaƒ 12. The lower back — oˆ damodaraya namaƒ
110 If there is any clay left on the palm after applying tilaka, it can be returned to the piece of tilaka. hands wipe the water After from washing the right the hand on top of the back of the head and recite the following mantra: oˆ vasudevaya namaƒ oˆ—address; namaƒ—I offer my humble obeisances. I offer my humble obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead known as Ke ava, NarayaŠa, Madhava, Govinda, Vi Šu, Madhus™dana, Trivikrama, Vamana, ®r…dhara, H… kea, Padmanabha, Damodara and Vasudeva.
Setting Up an Altar in the Home You will likely find that your japa and k… rtana are especially effective when done before an altar. Also the best place for offering food to K Ša is on an altar. Lord K Ša and His pure devotees are
111 so kind that they allow us to worship them even through ˜heir pictures. Setting up altar at home receiving theanLord and Hismeans pure devotees as your most honored guests. Where should you set up the altar? An ideal place would be clean, well lit, and free from drafts and household disturbances. A wall shelf, a mantelpiece, a corner table, or the top shelf of a bookcase will do. Some devotees build or have built a special altar with three steps, and some are able to keep a special room in their home, an altar room. do you need for an altar? Here areWhat the essentials: 1. A picture of ®r…la Prabhupada. 2. A picture of Lord Caitanya and His associates. 3. A picture of ®r… ®r… Radha and KŠa. You may also have the following pictures on your altar:
112 4. A picture of Bhaktisiddhanta, ®r…la
®r…la
Prabhupada’s spiritual master. 5. A picture of ®r…la Gauraki ora dasa Babaj…, Bhaktisiddhanta’s spiritual master. 6. A picture of ®r…la Bhaktivinoda µhakura, Gaurakiora’s spiritual master. 7. A picture of ®r…la Jagannatha dasa Babaj…, Bhaktivinoda’s spiritual master. 8. A picture of the six Gosvam…s of Vndavana. 9. A picture of Lord N siˆhadeva. After one has been chanting sixteen rounds a day for at least six months, and after one has been formally accepted as an aspiring disciple by a spiritual master he/she may also put his/her altar. spiritual master’s picture on the In addition to the above pictures, you may want water cups (one for each picture), candles with holders or an oil lamp or lamps, a special plate and other
113 utensils for offering food, a small bell, an acamana cup and spoon, incense, an incense fresh which you mayholder, offer inand vases or flowers, simply place before each picture. If you have a three step altar, the picture of Radha and K Ša should be on the top step, flanked by the picture of the Pañca-tattva on Their right and by the picture of Lord N siˆhadeva on Their left. On the middle step should be the pictures of the gurus in the following order from our left to right when facing them: initiating guru, ®r…la Prabhupada, Bhaktisiddhanta, ora Gauraki Bhaktivinoda, Jagannatha dasa dasa, and the six Gosvam…s. You can also have a two step altar, mounting the pictures of Radha and KŠa, the Pañca-tattva and Lord Nsiˆhadeva on the wall. The upper step will be used for the gurus. The bottom step of either type of altar is used for making offerings of food preparations. You can also have a two step altar with the viŠu-tattva pictures on the top step, the guru-tattva pictures
114 on the bottom step, and with a small table placed in front for making offerings another small table on the left for and holding arati paraphernalia. These are not the only ways to set up an altar, but are only given in order to give some guidance. Please consult with some senior devotee for further guidance. Carefully clean the altar each morning. Cleanliness is essential in Deity worship. If you have water cups, rinse them out and fill them with fresh water daily. Then place them conveniently close to the pictures. You should remove flowers in vases soon as they’re slightly wilted, or as daily if you’ve offered them at the base of the pictures. You should offer fresh incense at least once a day, and, if possible, light candles or an oil lamp and place them/it near the pictures when you’re chanting near the altar.
Prasadam: How to Eat Spiritually
115 By
His
immense
transcendental
Ša can actually convert energies, K matter into spirit. If we place an iron rod in a fire, before long the rod becomes red hot and acts just like fire. In the same way, food prepared for and offered to K Ša with love and devotion becomes completely spiritualized. Such food is called K Ša prasadam, which means “the mercy of Lord K Ša.” Eating prasadam is a fundamental practice of bhakti-yoga. In other forms of yoga one must artificially repress the
senses, but the bhakti-yog… can engage his or her senses in a variety of pleasing spiritual activities, such as tasting delicious food offered to Lord K Ša. In this way the senses gradually become spiritualized and bring the devotee more and transcendental pleasure by beingmore engaged in devotional service. Such spiritual pleasure far surpasses any material experience. In the Caitanya-caritamta, Antyal…la, chapter sixteen, verses 109 to
116 112, Lord Caitanya said of prasadam, “Everyone has tasted these foods before. However, they have been prepared f or now K that Ša a nd o ffered to Him with devotion, these foods have acquired extraordinary tastes and uncommon fragrances. Just taste them and see the difference in the experience! Apart from the taste, even the fragrance pleases the mind and makes one forget any other fragrance. Therefore, it should be understood that the spiritual nectar of K Ša’s lips must have touched these ordinary foods and imparted to them all their transcendental qualities.” Only eating food offered to K Ša is the perfection of vegetarianism. In itself, being a vegetarian is not enough; after all, even the pigeons and monkeys are vegetarians. But when we go beyond vegetarianism to a diet of prasadam, our eating becomes helpful in achieving the goal of human life—reawakening the soul’s srcinal relationship with God. In the Bhagavad-g…ta (3.13) Lord K Ša says that unless one eats only food that
117 has been offered to Him in sacrifice, one will suffer the reactions of karma. Šu and “Food to Lord then takenoffered by us makes us Vi sufficiently resistant to material affection, and one who is accustomed to this practice is called a devotee of the Lord. Therefore, a person in K Ša consciousness, who eats o nly f ood o ffered t o K Ša, c an counteract all reactions of past material infections, which are impediments to the progress of self-realization. On the other hand, one who does not do so continues to increase the volume of sinful action, and this prepares the next body to
resemble and dogs, to suffer resultant hogs reactions of all sins. the The material world is full of contaminations, and one who is immunized by accepting prasadam of the Lord (food offered to ViŠu) is saved from the attack, whereas one who does not do so becomes subjected to contamination.” —Bhagavad-g…ta As It Is, 3.14, purport
Preparing Food for Offering to KŠa
118 When you are selecting the foods you Ša, you need to know will offer to K what is offerable and what is not. In the Bhagavad-g…ta (9.26) Lord K Ša states, “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, I will accept it.” From this verse it is understood that we can offer K Ša foods prepared from milk products, vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. Meat, fish and eggs are not offerable. And a few vegetarian items are also forbidden—garlic and onions, for example, which are in the modes of
ignorance and passion. They therefore tend to agitate the mind, making meditation difficult. (Hing, or asafoetida, is a tasty substitute for them in cooking and is available at many Indian grocery shops.) Nor can you offer to K Ša coffee or tea that contain caffeine. If you like these beverages, purchase caffeinefree coffee and herbal teas like rooibos. While shopping, be aware that you may find meat, fish and egg products mixed with other foods; so be sure to
119 read labels carefully. For instance, the term “stabilizer” may be vegetarian or it may gelatin, a substance the be horns, hooves and made bonesfrom of slaughtered animals. “Albumen” comes from egg whites. Also, make sure the cheese you buy contains no animal (veal) rennet, an enzyme extracted from the stomach tissues of slaughtered calves. “Microbial rennet” is all right. Kosher cheeses do not contain animal rennet. Also avoid foods cooked by nondevotees. According to the subtle laws of nature, the cook acts upon the food only physically well. not Food thus becomesbut anmentally agent foras subtle influences on your consciousness. The state of mind of the cook influences the cooked preparations. So if you eat food cooked by nondevotees— employees working in a factory, for example—then you’re sure to absorb a dose of materialism and karma. So as far as possible use only fresh, natural ingredients.
120 In preparing food, cleanliness is the most important principle. Nothing impure should be offered to God; so keep your kitchen very clean. Always wash your hands thoroughly before entering the kitchen. While preparing food, do not taste it, for you are cooking the meal not for yourself but for the pleasure of K Ša.
Performing šcamana šcamana, or sipping water, is a means of purification. As immersing the body in water brings about physical and subtle cleansing, so taking water infused with mantras into the body by sipping water performs a similar function. Thus where purification is required but it is inconvenient to bathe, acamana is prescribed. šcamana
121 is performed before offering food, before offering arati, before reciting mantras, before making vows etc. sit cross-legged To perform acamana on an asana (sitting mat), preferably made of kua grass, silk or wool. If you are performing acamana before offering arati you may stand while performing it. With a small spoon take some water from an acamana cup and clean both hands by sprinkling them with water. Holding the acamana spoon in your left hand, put a few drops of water into the right palm. While looking at the water chant the mantra:
oˆ ke avaya namaƒ and then silently sip the water from the base of the right palm. Again put a few drops of water into the right palm. While looking at the water chant the mantra:
oˆ narayaŠaya namaƒ and sip the water from the base of the right palm. Again put a few drops of
122 water into the right palm. While looking at the water chant the mantra:
oˆ madhavaya namaƒ and sip the water from the base of the right palm. Clean your right hand (from having been touched by your lips) with a few of water fromaside. the acamana cup, drops throwing the water
Offering Food to K
Ša
Keep a plate, spoon, a tumbler and several small abowls solely for offering food t o K Ša. T hey s hould n ot h ave been previously used for eating by anyone else and should not be used for any other purpose. Stainless steel utensils are quite acceptable for home worship. If you have the means, silver, or silver-plated utensils are better. If it is available, banana leaf is considered the best.
123 1. On the plate and in the tumbler and bowls, nicely arrange the food preparations offering. Perform acamana andforoffer obeisances to your spiritual master. (Until you are formally accepted by an initiating spiritual master, you should offer obeisances to ®r…la Prabhupada.) Set the offering plate on the altar, or on a small table before the altar. 2. With your right hand purify the bhoga (unoffered food) by lightly sprinkling it with water from an acamana cup while chanting the maha-mantra. 3. Sitting on an asana (sitting mat) reserved solely for worshiping purposes, before the altar, and while ringing a bell, recite three times the praŠama prayer(s) to your spiritual master, begging to Until assist him in his servicepermission to the Lord. formally accepted by an initiating spiritual master recite the following praŠama prayers to ®r…la Prabhupada three times:
124 nama oˆ vi Šu-padaya k
Ša-
˜haya bh™-tale pre r…mate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namaste sarasvate deve gaura-vaŠ…pracariŠe
nirvi a- ™nyavad…-pa catyadeea-tariŠe (Translations and word meanings for these prayers are found in the beginning of this book.) Chant the following prayer three times to Lord Caitanya three times, requesting His mercy: namo maha-vadanyaya k Ša-premapradaya te k Šaya k Ša-caitanya-namne gaura-tvi e namaƒ Chant the following prayer three times, offering respects to Lord KŠa:
125 namo brahmaŠya-devaya gobrahmaŠa-hitaya caŠaya govindaya jagad-dhitaya k namo namaƒ 4. After offering the food to the Lord, wait at least five or ten minutes (according size of theofoffering) for Him totothe partake the preparations. At this time you may chant the Hare K Ša mantra and/or other Vai Šava songs. 5. Clap your hands three times and remove the plate, praying that you have served the the Lord and His associates to Their full satisfaction. Then you should transfer the prasadam from the Lord’s eating utensils and wash them. The above procedure is a “proper” standard for home worship. Sometimes, such as when traveling, etc., the food offerings may simply be placed in front of some pictures and the prayers recited
126 according to the circumstances. When there are no pictures available, or in awkward circumstances, may recite the prayers and mentally one remember the Lord and His associates in order to offer food. It is always better to follow the higher standard whenever possible though.
Offering šrat… “If someone the face Lordbe while arat… sees is going on, ofhethecan relieved of all sinful reactions coming from many, many thousands and millions of years past. He is even excused from the killing of a brahmaŠa or similar prohibited activities.” —Skanda PuraŠa There are basically two types of arat…, the full arati and the dh™pa arat…. For a full arat… the following items are offered: incense sticks
127 (dh™pa, agar-batt…), a camphor lamp (for midday arat…), a ghee lamp with an odd number (at least five), a a conch withof wicks arghya (water), handkerchief, flowers on a plate, a camara (yak-tail whisk), and a peacock fan (only in warm weather). For a dh™pa arat… the following items are offered: incense sticks, flowers on a plate, a camara, and a peacock fan (only in warm weather). For Tulas… arat… incense sticks, a ghee lamp with an odd number of wicks (at least one), and flowers on a plate are offered.
Required Paraphernalia •
Make sure the following items are present: For all arat…s: 1) a bell; 2) an acamana cup containing water and a
128 spoon; 3) matches or a lighter, and (optionally) an lamp for lighting oil or ghee incense and arat… lamps. In addition, for arat…s except for Tulas… arat…: 1) a conch (for blowing) with a waterfilled lo˜a for purifying it; 2) a receptacle for catching the water from rinsing the conch. In addition, for full arat…s: 1) an incense holder with an odd number of incense sticks; 2) a ghee lamp with an odd number of five);water, with 3) awicks conch(at forleast offering a stand; 4) a container for the water which is to
129 be offered (may be a sprinkler with the removed); 5) top a small throw-out container for the offered water; 6) a handkerchief; 7) fragrant flowers on a plate; 8) a camara (yak-tail whisk); 9) a peacock fan (only in warm weather). For dh™pa-arat…s: 1) an incense holder with an odd nmber of sticks; 2) flowers on a plate; 3) fragrant a camara; 4) a peacock fan (only in warm weather). Preliminary Activities for šrat… • •
Perform acamana. Offer obeisances to your spiritual master, requesting to assist him in the worship.
130 •
•
•
•
You may now light an oil or ghee lamp for lighting incense and arat… lamp. Blow the conch three times and rinse it over the receptacle for that purpose. Wash your hands with water from the acamana cup. During the arat… ceremony, devotees should perform k…rtana before the altar. If there is no one to chant, the p™jar… performing the arat… may either sing or play a recording of a k…rtana.
Purifying the Items to be Offered
Before offering each item of worship, purify both your right hand and the item by sprinkling them with water from the acamana cup. You can purify the item in either of two ways: 1) place a few drops of water in your right hand and then sprinkle it lightly over the item with a single motion of your hand, so that the water comes off your fingertips;
131 or 2) take the spoon in your right hand and sprinkle water on the item directly from the spoon. Offering Procedure •
While standing on an asana (See page 95.) and ringing a bell, first present lit incense your spiritual the master or to to®r…la Prabhupada (See page 87, paragraph one.), and pray, “My dear Guru Maharaja, and/or my dear ®r…la Prabhupada, please allow me to assist you in the worship of the Lord and His associates.” šrat… paraphernalia should be offered gracefully, in a meditative mood. But do not be either to slow or too fast, and do not perform it in a showy but as master a humble servant manner, of your spiritual and the assembled Vai Šavas. Stand to the left of the altar (as viewed from the temple room).
132 Along with the worship of one’s own spiritual master, devotees in ISKCON worship His Divine Swami Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada as both the Founderšcarya of ISKCON and the ikaguru for all devotees of ISKCON. One should honor him when performing arat… by presenting the arat… items to ®r…la Prabhupada after presenting them to one’s own spiritual master. •
•
Then, with the consciousness that you are offering it on behalf of your spiritual master and ®r…la Prabhupada, offer the incense with the full number of circles (listed below) to the main Deity. After offering the incense to the main Deity, offer it as prasada to the Lord’s associates in descending order, and to the guru-parampara — senior to junior. (For example: KŠa, RadharaŠ…, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord N siˆhadeva,
133 Tulas… Dev…, Bhaktivinoda,
Jagannatha, Gauraki ora,
Bhaktisiddhanta, ®r…la one’s initiating guru. ThisPrabhupada, may vary according to the Deities or pictures on the altar.) This may be done with seven or three circles for each personality, depending on time allowance. •
•
•
Then offer it (with one or three circles) to the assembled Vai Šavas as the prasada of the Lord and His associates. Offer the remaining items in a similar way. When offering each item, say softly to each personality, “Please accept this offering of [incense, lamps, etc.].” Offered items should not be mixed with unoffered items. You may place offered items back on the plate that was used to bring in the
134 paraphernalia, provided no unoffered paraphernalia remains on it. How to Offer Each Item
Offer all items, except the camara and fan, by moving them in clockwise circles while ringing a bell
•
•
with your hand (above onwaist level), fixingleftyour attention the Deities. Incense: Offer seven circles around the whole body of the worshipped person. (Incense, water in a conch, handkerchief and flowers can be offered with fewer circles if time is short. The main item of the arat… ceremony is the lamp, for which astra gives specific numbers of circles. In general, the exact number of circles for offering a given item is not considered critical.) Lamp(s): Offer four circles to the lotus feet, two circles to the navel, and three circles to the person’s face; then offer seven circles to the person’s whole body.
135 •
•
•
•
•
Water in a conch: Offer three circles to the person’s head and seven circles to whole body. Then pour a small amount of the offered into the throw-out container before proceeding to offer the arghya to the next personality. Handkerchief: Offer seven times around the person’s body. Flowers: Offer seven times around the person’s body. Camara: Wave before the Lord and/or His associates a suitable number of times.
Peacock Fan: Wave before the Lord and/or His associates a suitable number of times.
You may distribute the lamp(s), arghya water and flowers to the assembled (generally in order of seniority)devotees immediately after offering them. (Women who are having their monthly period should not touch the lamp.)
136 Completing the šrat… •
•
•
•
After completing the arat…, blow the conch three times as at the beginning of the arat…. Chant the prema-dhvani mantras (page 36) if the k…rtana leader or another devotee present does not chant them. Then with joined palms offer praŠama prayers sofly to your spiritual master and Their Lordships. Remove the arat… paraphernalia from the altar, clean the area and avatarticles and offer daŠ praŠamas (prostrated obeisances).
Please note: The preceding sections, Performing šcamana, Offering Food to KŠa, and Offering šrat…, are based on the procedures described in Pañcaratra-Prad…pa compiled by the GBC Deity Worship Research Group and have been somewhat simplified for congregational practice. More elaborate procedures are also found in the above
137 mentioned book which may be in use for the Deity worship in the temple.
Worshipping Tulas… Dev… “Tulas… Dev… is a pure devotee of KŠa, and she should be treated with the same respect given to all of KŠa’s pure devotees. Simply by worshipping her faithfully, a devotee can get himself free from all material miseries. The Nectar of the Devotion have givenIntwo verses from SkandaI PuraŠa, one of which is, ‘ Tulas… is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the tulas… tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the VaikuŠ˜ha world.’
138 “So from this verse we can understand how pure the service is which Tulas… offers
to ®r… K to become Ša. So we alsoof endeavor theshould servant
Tulas… Dev…...Tulas… Dev… never goes back to Godhead; she is always with Godhead. She is a pure devotee and thus she has appeared on this planet to render s ervice to K Ša b y being offered at His lotus feet in all temples throughout the world.” —Letter from ®r…la Prabhupada to Radhavallabha Das All parts of Tulas… Dev…, her leaves, her her around wood, her evenflowers, the soil hershade, roots,and are auspicious and worshipable. Because of this devotees of K Ša wear necklaces of Tulas… wood at all times, signifying their devotion to Lord K Ša and also deriving great benefit for themselves. ®r…mat… Tulas… Dev… is an expansion of ®rimat… V nda Dev…, the V ndavana gop… in charge of arranging the details of Radha and KŠa’s l…la. By her mercy, V nda
139 Dev… has appeared in this material world as the plant Tulas… Dev…, giving us a chance to serve hergreatest and to beg her to bestow upon us her boon— love of K Ša and the privilege of devotional service to Him.
The Formal Tulas… Dev…Worship of ®r…mat…
®r…la Prabhupada has outlined a formal worship program for Tulas… Dev… that is standard in all ISKCON temples. This same program may also be observed in the home. This worship begins with the offering of obeisances to Tulas… and chanting the Tulas… PraŠama Mantra (Page 20) three times. Then an arat… is offered with incense sticks, a ghee lamp with an odd number of wickson(at least During one), the andarat… fragrant flowers a plate. the Tulas… K…rtana (Page 20) is sung. After the arat…, Tulas… is then circumambulated (at least three times) while the Tulas… Pradak iŠa Mantra
140 (Page 23) and (otionally) Hare K Ša is chanted. During or after the cicumambulation each devotee waters Tulas…. She is again offered obeisances to with the chanting of her praŠama mantra three times. The English translation of the Tulas… K…rtana may be recited at the end if so desired.
Observing Ekada… In the Bhakti-rasamta-sindhu (The Nectar of Devotion) ®r…la R™pa Gosvam… mentions observing fasting
on Ekadato … as onebyofVai the basic priciples beday followed Šavas. In the Brahma-vaivarta PuraŠa it is said that one who observes fasting on Ekada… day is released from all kinds of sinful activities and advances in pious life. Ekada… comes twice a month on the eleventh day of the moon, both waning and waxing. (“Ekada …” means “eleventh day.”) The specific dates for Ekada … are given on the VaiŠava calendar. The devotees
141 observe Ekada … by fasting from grains (wheat, rice, maize, oats, barley etc.) pulses (beans, and dal). In theand Padma PuraŠa it ispeas described that Papa-purua (sin personified) was given permission to take shelter of grains on Ekada …. In the ®r… Caitanyacaritam ta (Adi 15.9) we read how Lord Caitanya established the principle of fasting on Ekada … by falling at the feet of His mother and requesting her to give Him one thing in charity, “My dear mother, please do not eat grains on Ekada … day.” One may use spices on Ekad …, although mustardcommercially seeds should be avoided. (Many ground spices are mixed with flour, so it is best to either use whole spices or grind your own for Ekada ….) You should not use powdered asafoetida ( hing), since it is compounded with wheat flour. Sesame seeds are also to be avoided, except on ±a˜-˜ila Ekada … when they may be offered and eaten. (This Ekada … appears about eleven days before the
142 appearance day of Advaita šcarya, approximately in January.) There is alsoafter a specific on the morning Ekada time … in period which to break the fast by eating grains. The times for this period vary from city to city and can be obtained from your local temple. The basic principle is not just to fast, but to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar services. The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear and chant His holy names constantly.
Drinking CaraŠamta (From The Nectar of Devotion) CaraŠamta is obtained in the morning while the Lord is being bathed before dressing. Scented with perfumes and flowers, the water comes gliding down
143 through his lotus feet and is collected and mixed with yoghurt. In this way this ta not only becomes very caraŠam tastefully flavored, but also has tremendous spiritual value. As described in the Padma PuraŠa, even a person who has never been able to give in charity, who has never been able to perform a great sacrifice, who has never been able to study the Vedas, who has never been able to worship the Lord—or, in other words, even one who has never done any pious activities—will become eligible to enter into the kingdom of God if he simply drinks the caraŠamta
which incustom the temple. In the templeisitkept is the that the caraŠamta be kept in a big pot. The devotees who come to visit and offer respect to the Deity take three drops of caraŠamta very submissively and feel themselves happy in transcendental bliss.
Circumambulating the Deities or Temple of Vi Šu
144 It is said in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, “A person who is circumambulating the Deity of Vi Šu can counteract circumambulation of repeated birth the and death in this material world.” The conditioned soul is circumambulating through repeated births and deaths on account of his material existence, and this can be counteracted simply by circumambulating the Deity in the temple. The Caturmasya ceremony is observed during the four months of the rainy season in India (approximately July, August, September and October), beginning from the of ®ravaŠa. During these fourmonth months, saintly persons who are accustomed to travel from one place to another to propagate KŠa consciousness remain at one place, usually a holy place of pilgrimage. During these times, there are certain special rules and regulations which are strictly followed. It is stated in the Skanda PuraŠa that during this period, if someone circumambulates the temple of Vi Šu at least four times, it is
145 understood that he has travelled all over the universe. By such circumambulation, one understood seenwater all the holy isplaces where to thehave Ganges is flowing, and by following the regulative principles of Caturmasya one can very quickly be raised to the platform of devotional service.
Everyday Life: The Four Regulative Principles Anyone serious about progressing in KŠa consciousness must try to avoid the1. following four sinful Eating meat, fish activities: or eggs. These foods are saturated with the modes of passion and ignorance and therefore cannot be offered to the Lord. A person who eats these foods participates in a conspiracy of violence against helpless animals and thus stops his spiritual progress dead in its tracks. 2. Gambling. Gambling invariably puts one into anxiety and fuels greed, envy and anger.
146 3. The use of intoxicants. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco, as well as any drinks or foods caffeine, cloud the mind, containing overstimulate the senses, and make it impossible to understand or follow the principles of bhakti-yoga. 4. Illicit sex. This is sex outside of marriage or sex in marriage for any purpose other than procreation. Sex for pleasure compels one to identify with the body and takes one far from K Ša consciousness. The scriptures teach that sex is the most powerful force binding us to the material world. Anyone serious about advancing in K consciousness should minimize sexŠaor eliminate it entirely.
Temple and VaiŠava Etiquette 1. 2.
One should entering theremove temple ones room.shoes before One should wear clean attire and clean socks, and have clean feet when visiting the temple.
147 3.
4.
5.
6.
7. 8.
9.
It is best not to wear leather (belts, jackets, handbags, etc.) in the temple. After passing stool, one should bathe using soap before coming before the Deities. After eating one should rinse one’s mouth and wash one’s hands, and, if possible, feet before coming before theone’s Deities. One should offer obeisances with the left side to the Deities as well as to the spiritual master, and never with one’s feet towards the Deities or the spiritual master. One should not be intoxicated when coming to the temple. One should not cause a disturbance by arguing, raising one’s voice, or passing air in the temple room. One should avoid speaking
unnecessarily about nondevotionl topics before the Deities. 10. One should not step over or touch one’s feet to sacred paraphernalia such as prasadam, scriptures, sacred pictures, devotees, etc.
148 One should not take sacred things such as chanting beads, sacred
11.
pictures those on T-shirts), scripture,(including hari-nama cadars, prasadam, etc. into the toilet. 12. One should not allow sacred things, such as those mentioned above, to touch the floor. 13.
Onedevotees. should be very respectful to other 14. One should bring some gift for the Deities, such as fruit, flowers, money, etc. For further guidance in these matters one can read The Nectar of Devotion, chapters six and eight.
149
Sanskrit and Bengali Pronunciation Guide The system of tranliteration used in this book conforms to a system that scholars have accepted to indicate the pronunciation of each sound in Sanskrit, Bengali and other Indian languages. The short vowel a is pronounced like the a in organ, long € like the a in far. In Bengali a is sometimes pronounced like o. Also in Bengali, final a is usually silent. Short i is pronounced as in p in, long … as in p ique, short u as in p ull,
and long ™ like as inthe r uri le.inThe vowel is rim, e like the pronounced ey in they, o like the o in go, ai like the ai in aisle, and au like the ow in how. The anusvara (ˆ) is pronounced like the n in the French word bon. Visarga (ƒ) is pronounced as a final h sound. At the end of a couplet, aƒ is pronounced aha, iƒ is pronounced ihi, uƒ is pronounced uhu, eƒ is pronounced ehi, and oƒ is pronounced ohu. The gutteral consonants—k, kh, g, gh, and ‰—are pronounced from the
150 throat in much the same way as in English. K is pronounced as in kite, kh
ckh‰ g as give, gh as in digas in Eand art,as inng. hard, in si The palatal consonants—c, ch, j, jh, and ñ are pronounced with the tongue touching the firm ridge behind the teeth. C is pronounced as in chair, ch as in staun ch-heart, j as in joy, jh as in hedgehog, and ñ as in ca nyon. The combination jñ is an exception and is pronounced as gy (with a hard g). For example jñ€na is pronounced gy€na. The cerebral consonants—˜, ˜h, , h, and Š—are pronounced with the tip of the tongue turnedofupthe andpalate. drawn back µ is against the dome pronounced as in tub, ˜h as in ligh ˜heart, as in dove, h as in re d-hot, and Š as in nut. The dental consonants —t, th, d, dh, and n—are pronounced in the same manner as the cerebrals, but with the forepart of the tongue against the teeth. The labial consonants—p, ph, b, bh, and m—are pronounced with the lips. P is pronounced as in pine, ph as in
151 uphill, b as in bird, bh as in ru b-hard, and m as in mother. In Bengali ph is pronounced like f. y, r, l, and v—are The semivowels— pronounced as in yes, run, light, and vine respectively. When v immediately follows a consonant it is pronounced like a w. For example sv€m… is pronounced sw€m…, a va is pronounced a wa, dv€ra is pronounced dw€ra. In Bengali y is often pronounced like the j in jaw. The sibilants— and —are pronounced as the sh in shine, s as in sun. In Bengali s is often also pronounced like sh. The letter h is
home.as guidelines for pronounced as inserve These notes pronunciation, but, as with all languages, it is best to learn pronunciation by listening to an educated speaker of the respective language.
