hare krishna

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare


i love tht chant/song!!!!!!!!!
they sing it in da film hair 2!!!

 

Lord Chaitanya Rediscovers Radha Kunda

After having displayed His transcendental pastimes on earth for one hundred and twenty five years, Krishna returned to the spiritual world bringing the Dvapara-yuga to an end. The dark age of Kali-yuga then began and after a period of almost fifty centuries, Krishna again appeared on earth but this time in the form of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, also known as the Golden Avatar due to His golden-like complexion. ​

During Krishna’s appearance He spoke the Bhagavad-gita on the battle at Kurukshetra, but as time went by no-one could properly understand or even follow Krishna’s instructions. Therefore the Lord came again as Sri Chaitanya to show the world how to perfectly follow those instructions. The Lord appeared this time as a sannyasi in the renounced order of spiritual life. One of the reasons for His coming was to introduce the yuga-dharma, or religious practice for this present age of Kali, the congregational chanting of the Lords holy names, also known as the maha-mantra, or the great chant of deliverance.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
​

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
​

Another reason for Lord Chaitanya’s appearance was to re-discover the lost holy places in Vrindavana, where Lord Krishna had performed His transcendental pastimes five thousand years earlier. In the year 1515, on the auspicious occasion of Kartika Purnima, Lord Chaitanya arrived on pilgrimage in the holy land of Vrindavana. Accompanied by His companions, Balabhadra and the Sanodiya brahmana, the Lord visited all the sacred forests connected with Lord Krishna’s pastimes. ​

One day while on parikrama around Govardhana Hill, Lord Chaitanya arrived at a small village then known as Aritagram. The Lord inquired from the local people where the sacred lakes of Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda were situated, but no one knew. Over the many centuries the two sacred kundas were practically forgotten and somehow had become renamed as gauri meaning golden (the complexion of Radharani), and kari meaning blackish (the complexion of Krishna). These two kundas had been turned into paddy fields by the local farmers.​

On the outskirts of the village Lord Chaitanya sat in deep contemplation underneath a beautiful tamala tree. As the Lord sat there His glance. Fell across the two nearby paddy fields that were fed by underground springs. By His divine spiritual power, the Lord could understand that these two paddy fields were non-other than Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda. In great ecstasy the Lord suddenly ran into the middle of the paddy fields and in whatever water was available there, took His bath, much to the astonishment of the onlooking villagers. Lord Chaitanya then took clay from the sacred kundas and applied Vaisnava tilaka marks to His transcendental body. The Lord then danced in great ecstasy around the two kundas while chanting the holy names of Radha and Krishna. After fully satisfying Himself Lord Chaitanya offered His obeisances to the sacred kundas and continued His parikrama of the holy land of Vraja.​

After completing His pilgrimage to Vrindavana where He rediscovered many important holy places, Lord Chaitanya began His return journey to Puri. On the way, the Lord stopped at Allahabad, where he met Rupa Goswami and instructed him in the science of devotional service for ten consecutive days. The Lord then ordered Rupa Goswami to proceed to Vrindavana and excavate all the lost holy places as well as write books on the science of devotional service (bhakti-yoga). Some years later Rupa Goswami wrote one of his most famous books, Sri Upadesamrta, which mentions the glories of Radha-kunda​

After leaving Allahabad, Lord Chaitanya next visited Varanasi (Kasi), where He met Rupa’s elder brother Sanatana Goswami. The Lord also gave elaborate instructions on the science of devotion to Sanatana. The Lord then ordered him to join his brother Rupa in Vrindavana, where they should both write books elaborating on the Lord’s instructions, excavate the lost holy places of Krishna’s pastimes, and establish Deity worship.​

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Blessed be!

With your devotions, you are healing the planET.

 

Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri
​

Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri (1855-1936) was Lahiri Mahasaya's disciple and the Guru of Paramahansa Yogananda.

His family name was Priya Nath Karar. He was born on May 10, 1855 in Serampore, where his father was a wealthy businessman. He left him the mansion which became his hermitage. His middle life was blessed with the guidance of Lahiri Mahasaya. Priya Nath Karar was married but after the death of his wife he joined the Swami Order and received the new name of Sri Yukteswar Giri.


At the behest of Lahiri Mahasaya's Guru, the deathless Mahavatar Babaji, he wrote "The Holy Science", a book where there is underlined the unity between the Scriptures of Christianity and the Hindu scriptures.

He trained Paramahansa Yogananda for his spiritual world-mission: the dissemination of Kriya Yoga.

He left consciously his body on March 9, 1935 in

Puri and he returned three months later in a supernal new body before the astonished eyes of his beloved disciple Paramahansa Yogananda and a week later before an aged woman, Ma (Mother), whose home was close to the Puri hermitage.

See here the Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar.

He is called Jnanavatar that means 'Incarnation of Wisdom'.



Here a brief account about him by his greatest advanced disciple Paramahansa Yogananda:

"Daily life at the ashram flowed smoothly, infrequently varied. My guru awoke before dawn. Lying down, or sometimes sitting on the bed, he entered a state of Samadhi (It is a blissful superconscious state in which a yogi perceives the identity of the individualized soul and Cosmic Spirit). It was simplicity itself to discover when Master had awakened: abrupt halt of stupendous snores, a sigh or two; perhaps a bodily movement. Then a soundless state of breathlessness: he was in deep yogic joy." [...]

"Students seeking to escape from the maya-induced sex delusion received from Sri Yukteswar patient and understanding counsel:
'Just as hunger, not greed, has a legitimate purpose, so the sexual instict has been implanted by Nature solely for the propagation of the species, not for the kindling of insatiable longings', he said.
'Destroy wrong desires now; otherwise they will remain with you after the astral body has been separated from its physical casing. Even when the flesh is weak, the mind should be constantly resistant. If temptation assails you with cruel force, overcome it by impersonal analysis and indomitable will. Every natural passion can be mastered. Conserve your powers. Be like the capacious ocean, absorbing quietly all the tributary rivers of the senses. Daily renewed sense yearnings sap your inner peace; they are like openings in a reservoir that permit vital waters to be wasted in the desert soil of materialism. The forceful, activating impulse of wrong desire is the greatest enemy to the happiness of man. Roam in the world as a lion of self-control; don't let the frogs of sense weakness kick you around!' ".

This is an account from the travel diary written by Richard Wright, Sri Daya Mata's brother, one of few western persons who saw him living:



"[...] there before us stood a simple two-storey ashram, its balcony jutting from the upper floor. The pervasive impression was peaceful solitude.
In grave humility I walked behind Yoganandaji into the courtyard within the hermitage walls. Hearts beating fast, we proceeded up some old cement steps, trod, no doubt, by myriads of truth seekers. The tension grew keener and keener as on we strode. Before us, near the head of the stairs, quietly appeared the Great One, Swami Sri Yukteswarji, standing in the noble pose of a sage.
My heart heaved and swelled as I felt myself blessed by being in his sublime presence. Tears blurred my eager sight when Yoganandaji dropped to his knees, and with bowed head offered his soul's gratitude and greeting; touching with his hand the guru's feet and then, in humble obeisance, his own forehead. He rose then and was embraced on both sides of the bosom by Sri Yukteswarji.
No words passed in the beginning, but the most intense feeling was expressed in mute phrases of the soul.How their eyes sparkled and were fired with the warmth of renewed soul union! A tender vibration surged through the quiet patio, and even the sun eluded the clouds to add a sudden blaze of glory.

On the bended knee before the master I gave my own unexpressed love and thanks; touching his feet, calloused by time and service, and receiving his blessing. I stood then and faced two beautiful deep eyes smouldering with introspection, yet radiant with joy. [...]
I easily perceived the saintliness of the Great One through his heart-warming smile and twinkling eyes. One quality quickly discernible in his merry or serious words is a decided positiveness in statement - the mark of a sage, who knows he knows, because he knows God. His great wisdom, strenght of purpose, and determination are apparent in every way.
Studying him reverently from time to time, I noted that he is of large, athletic stature, hardened by the trials and sacrifices of renunciation. His poise is majestic. A decidedly sloping forehead, as if seeking the heavens, dominates his divine countenance. He has a rather large and homely nose, with which he amuses himself in idle moments, flipping and wiggling it with his fingers, like a child. His powerful dark eyes are haloed by an ethereal blue ring. His hair, parted in the middle, is white around the forehead, streaked elsewhere with silvery gold and silvery black, and ends in ringlets at his shoulders. His beard and moustache are scant or thinned out, yet seem to enhance his features; and, like his character, are deep and light at the same time.

He has a jovial and rollicking laugh that comes from the depths of his chest, causing him to shake and quiver throughout his body - very cheerful and sincere. His face and stature are striking in their power, as are his muscular hands. He moves with a dignified tread and erect posture.
He was clad simply in the common dhoti and shirt, both once dyed an ochre colour, but now a faded orange. Glancing about, I observed that this rather dilapidated room suggests the owner's non-attachment to material comforts. The weather-stained white walls of the long chamber are streaked with fading blue plaster. At on e end of the room hangs a picture of Lahiri Mahasaya, garlanded in simple devotional fashion. There is also an old picture showing Yoganandaji as he first arrived in Boston, standing with other delegates to the Congress of Religions. [...]
The whole room emanates a fragrance of peace and happiness. Beyond the balcony I saw coconut trees towering in silent protection.

Although I write chiefly of my external impressions of the master, yet I was always conscious fo his spiritual glory. I felt his power, and shall ever retain that feeling as my divine blessing".



This is the description about Sri Yukteswarji by a well-known author of yoga and spiritual books, Mr. W.Y. Evans-Wents:

"It has been my privilege to meet one of the sages whose life history is herein narrated - Sri Yukteswar Giri. A likeness of the venerable saint appeared as part of the frontispiece of my Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines.
It was at Puri, in Orissa, on the Bay of Bengal, that I encountered Sri Yukteswar. He was then the head of a quiet ashram near the seashore there, and was chiefly occuied in the spritual training of a group of youthful disciples. He expressed keen interest in the welfare of the people of the United States and of all the Americas, and of England, too, and questioned me concerning the distant activities, particularly those in California, of his chief disciple, Paramahansa Yogananda, whom he dearly loved, and whom he had sent, in 1920, as his emissary to the West.
Sri Yukteswar was of gentle mien and voice, of pleasing presence, and worthy of the veneration that his followers spontaneously accorded to him. Every person who knew him, whether of his own community or not, held him in the highest esteem.

I vividly recall his tall, straight, ascetic figure, robed in the saffron-coloured garb of one who has renounced worldly quests, as he stood at the entrance of the hermitage to give me welcome. His hair was long and somewhat curly, and his face bearded. His body was muscularly firm, but slender and well-formed, and his step energetic. He had chosen as his place of earthly abode the holy city of Puri, whither multitudes of pious Hindus, representative of every province of India, come daily on pilgrimage to the famed Temple of Jagannath, "Lord of the World".
It was at Puri that Sri Yukteswar closed his mortal eyes, in 1936, to the scenes of this transitory state of being and passed on, knowing that his incarnation had been carried to a triumphant completion. I am glad, indeed, to be able to record this testimony to the high character and holiness of Sri Yukteswar. Content to remain afar from the multitude, he gave himself unreservedly and in tranquility to that ideal life which Paramahansa Yogananda, his disciple, has now described for the ages".



As his divine Guru Lahiri Mahasaya, he healed many persons like Paramahansa Yogananda saved from cholera and a liver disorder. He healed Dr. Roy of diabetes, Sasi of tuberculosis, Nalini of paralyzed legs. He appeared simultaneously in Calcutta and Serampore. He predicted his passing, he left consciously his body at death and resurrected in a new body. His precious book by Babaji's request The Holy Science explains the World Cycles (Yugas), why human being should be vegetarian but above all the unity between religions.

 

Thank you for that ChiefCowPie!

Sri Yukteswar was indeed awesome. I'll bet he was really amazing to know... I always liked, in Autobiography of A Yogi, how he always made people wear those bangles...it always amused me.

 

These two poems are from 'Songs of Innocence and Experience' by the English poet and painter William Blake (1757 - 1827).

I hope they have some resonance given the unfortunate events we have all witnessed recently.

The Divine Image


To Mercy Pity Peace and Love,
All pray in their distress:
And to these virtues of delight
Return their thankfulness.


For Mercy Pity Peace and Love,
Is God our father dear:
And Mercy Pity Peace and Love,
Is Man his child and care.

For Mercy has a human heart
Pity, a human face:
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.

Then every man of every clime,
That prays in his distress,
Prays to the human form divine
Love Mercy Pity Peace.

And all must love the human form,
In heathen, Turk or Jew.
Where Mercy, Love & Pity dwell,
There God is dwelling too.



On Another’s Sorrow

Can I see another’s woe,
And not be in sorrow too.
Can I see another’s grief,
And not seek for kind relief.

Can I see a falling tear,
And not feel my sorrows share,
Can a father see his child,
Weep, nor be with sorrow fill'd.

Can a mother sit and hear
An infant groan an infant fear --
No no never can it be.
Never never can it be.


And can he who smiles on all
Hear the wren with sorrows small,
Hear the small birds grief & care,
Hear the woes that infants bear --

And not sit beside the nest
Pouring pity in their breast.
And not sit the cradle near
Weeping tear on infants tear.

And not sit both night & day,
Wiping all our tears away.
O! no never can it be.
Never never can it be.

He doth give his joy to all.
He becomes an infant small.
He becomes a man of woe
He doth feel the sorrow too.

Think not, thou canst sigh a sigh,
And thy maker is not by.
Think not, thou canst weep a tear,
And thy maker is not near.

O! he gives to us his joy,
That our grief he may destroy
Till our grief is fled & gone
He doth sit by us and moan

 

I very much liked those poems Andrew, they were really beautiful...
----
This is a story that I read in one of Paramahansa Yogananda's books and I shared it with gdkumar and he suggested that I should share it with you all:

Once there was a king who told one of his subjects that unless he could answer a
certain question, he would be hanged. The man said, "Tell me the question." The
king then asked him, "Where does God sit, and which way does He
look....north,south,east or west ?" The subject went home to think, and told his
servant that he would be killed unless he answered the king in a fortnight.

The servant said to his master, "Let me go for you. I will answer the question."
So the servant went to the king and explained his errand. "First", he said, "Let
me sit on your throne, for while I answer your question I am your teacher." The
king surrendered his throne to the servant, and then asked him : "Where does God
sit, and which way does he look ...north, south, east or west ?"
The servant responded with a request, "Bring me a cow." So a cow was brought.
Then the servant said, "Where is the milk ?"
"In the udder", said the king.
"Nay, Sire", said the servant, "The milk is not only in the udder, but
throughout the cow, for the milk is in the essence of the cow."

Then the servant asked that a bowl of milk be brought; and when it was set
before him, he asked the king : "Where is the butter ?"
The king said, "I see no butter."
The servant answered, "The butter is throughout the milk. Just churn the milk,
and the butter will become separated from it. Therefore, as the milk is all
through the cow, and butter is present throughout the milk, so is God
everywhere."
Thus did the wisdom of the servant save the life of his master, for the king
received the correct answer to his question.
----------

 

Thanks SGB - nice story too


Om Shanti.

 

To my mind, this is one of the most fascinating of Hindu myths.

At the beginning of time, an attempt was made by the Devas and Daityas , the gods and the demons, to obtain Amrita the nectar of immortality by churning the great ocean.

They used Mount Mandara as a churning stick, and set it upon the form of Kurma, the tortoise form assumed by Vishnu . They took Vasuki the king of snakes as a rope, with the gods on one side and the demons on the other.

There are variations on the story, but the churning first of all produced Halahala a fiery poison, then Airavata a heavenly elephant.

Next, the Goddess Lakshmi appeared. She was born from the milk ocean, rising from it seated upon Her lotus throne..

Finally, the god of medicine, Dhanvantari appeared, holding the pot of Amrita.

The demons tried to snatch it, but Vishnu appeared in the form of Mohini the seductress, and thus distracted them.

So the gods got their Amrita!

In another version, the churning is not successful at first because the gods forget about Ganesh. They have to first request His blessing, and then they can proceed as above.

The significance of this story may not be immediately evident, but it does contain many layers of meaning, or at least I have found it so over a period of years.

If anyone knows any further variations on the story, I’d love to hear about them.

 

HARE KRISHNA !


DEAR ALL,

My greetings to all new comers.Sincere thanks to all, specially to SleepingJiva.
With all the beautiful and unfathomably rich posts from BBB,CCP,Bhaskar,SGB and all others now the thread has reached its significant boundary covering the whole world and has thus become boundaryless. It has become significant because HK does not limit itself to any limit, it signifies itself only when Krishna or Christ or Buddha or Allah or God is seen in everything and everywhere. Thanks to dear ChiefCowPie who relentlessly in an unsubdued manner kept on his good job of spreading words of knowledge and love. I bow to him and BBB unconditionally for this.

Those who probably tried to ridicule the posts are also so very much welcome to this thread. Nothing happens in a day and the process of self_discovering takes time like it had happened with me, who was totally callous and indifferent about the whole subject at one time. Only difference with me was I never used to disbelieve anything or jeer at the believers at the same time. Just a little brotherly advice to all who do not agree with God or His existence...... Please do not say something for which you will be ashamed and embarrased later on. Before we say something we should qualify ourselves to some extent to talk on that subject by enriching our knowledge through reading or by coming with the association of somebody who can satisfy all our questions.

It is quite justified that you should bow down or surrender to somebody only when you are satisfied from all sides that he or He deserves your worship.

I would once again request SleepingJiva to come back taking the example of CCPIE who was humiliated endless times but still remained nonchalant the way Sri Krishna or God does for all of us at all times.

With love and best wishes,

Kumar.

 

10 points to whoever can find Sri Yuktesvara Giri

 

He's the dude standing next to Aleister Crowley

 

I'm not sure how well the two of them would get on !

 

I never noticed that! That's awesome...thankies CCC for sharing!

 

George Harrison also paid homage to the Kriya Yoga line (rthymic control of the breath with silent repetition of Sacred Holy Name mantras) of Yogananda and Sri Yuktesvara Giri by putting the founder of the line, Babaji on his Dark Horse album cover. George Harrison was very fond of Babaji and Yogananda and was often seen wearing buttoms of their pictured likenesses or visiting the Self Realization Fellowship in Encinitas, California. Dark Horse Apple SMAS-3418 Dec. 9, 1974

 

Here he is from the inner sleeve of 'Extra Texture' (1975) wearing just such a button.

 

"My predecessors have invariably said, 'My belief is right and yours is wrong; my customs are worthy, yours are ignoble; my dress is decent, yours is not; think as I think, talk as I talk, do as I do, or you will be wretched, poor, sick, disgraced and dammed; besides which, I shall cut your head off, burn you alive, starve you, imprison you, ostracize you and otherwise make you sorry you did not agree to be a good boy.' The essence of every missionary message has been to assimilate the taught to the teacher; and it has always been accompanied by bribes and threats. My message is exactly opposed to any of this. I say to each man and woman, 'You are unique and sovereign, the centre of an universe. However right I may be in thinking as I do, you may be equally right in thinking otherwise. You can only accomplish your object in life by complete disregard of the opinions of other people. You must not even take the outward signs of success as indications that the course of action which has produced them would serve your turn. For one thing, my coronet might not suit your complexion but give you a headache; for another, the measures which I took to obtain that coronet might not succeed in your case.'


Aleister Crowley.

 

I grew up in a small town along the Appalachian Blue Ridge Mountains.
My Grandfather was minister in one of the town’s churches.

I grew up with the impression in the innocence of my childhood
that because he was minister in the church, somehow he was able to talk to God.

I smile upon remembering times had as a young boy which seemed to be not so much
about his ability to talk to God but his ability to talk to me.

And to the day he died when I was thirteen, he only ever talked to me
and somehow God was never a part of the picture.

Through many years to this day I have met complete strangers who have told me stories
of how my Grandfather visited them or someone they knew in the hospital.

And sat and talked with them
as it seemed it was my Grandfather’s favorite thing to do.

To walk hospital halls and visit the sick and the hospitalized
and whether he knew them or not, just simply talk and chat.

And told of how this brought them comfort and dissolved the pain
and even doing this long into retirement.

Later on I learned the truth as an adult that one can merely declare oneself a minister of God
and it does not necessarily mean you can talk to God.

But now, with each person I meet to this day who tells me
of how my grandfather brought comfort in his visits.

And how he was a wonderful and loving and kind person,
I know my Grandfather was talking to God.

 

Jai Durga Ma!

 

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[/size]Shri Krishna as Kali

[size=-1]O daughter of the snow-capped mountain! That Ananga whose bow is of flowers, whose bow string is of a row of bees, who has five arrows, who has as his feudatory Vasanta, and the Malaya breeze as his chariot, he, even though thus equipped, having obtained some grace from thy side glance, conquers all this world single-handed - Saundaryalahari, 6



In places in the tantrik tradition, the Krishna avatar of Vishnu is often identified with Kali. This reaches a peak in the Tantrarajatantra, where it is said that having already charmed the world of men as herself, Lalita took a male form as Krishna and then proceeded to enchant women. In this work, Krishna has six forms, identified with the six senses (including Mind). They are Kamaraja Gopala, Manmatha Gopala, Kandarpa Gopala, Makaraketana Gopala and Manobhava Gopala. Their meditation images (dhyana according to the same work, describes them as being like dawn, with six arms, holding flute, noose, goad, sugar cane bow and a bowl of curds. These are the five arrows of Lalita and the bow and here Krishna is identified with Kameshvara, the Indian god of love, who is otherwise called Ananga, and, like Cupid, is armed with a bow.

The Kalivilasa Tantra, a Bengali work, states Krishna was born as the son of Devi who was golden (Gauri) and turned black when he was excited by passion. In the Todala Tantra, each of the ten Mahavidyas, forms of the supreme Goddess, has her own male counterpart and here Krishna is said to be the spouse of Kali. There are many images of Krishna in India which show him as black. An Indian commentator to the hymn to Kali called Karpuradistotra, goes further and says that there is a connection between the bija mantra of Kali which is Krim, Krishna and Christ. Whatever the truth of that identification, it is certain that to many ordinary folk in India, Krishna and Christ do have a resonance. Often you will see contemporary images of Krishna and Christ together in the inside of houses. Krishna (and his tantrika counterpart Kameshvara) are moved by love (prem).

The Victorian print at the top left of this page shows Radha, Krishna's shakti, worshipping Krishna as Kali, while the image on the left is a contemporary print (copyright acknowledged but of unknown provenance).

In the Brihat Tantra Sara, a large compilation of tantrik rites, Krishna appears as a fully-flowered tantrika devata, with his own yantra, gayatri, mantra and puja or ritual which uses this yantra (click on this image for full size yantra). In the hexagon in the centre of the yantra, the following words appear: Krishnaya Govindaya Klim sadhya Gopijanavallabhaya Svaha. In the corners of the hexagon are the bija mantras Hrim and Shrim. Outside the hexagon is the Krisna mantra which runs: Klim Krishnaya Namah. In the petals of the yantra is a longer mantra Namah Kamadevaya Sarvajanapriyaya Sarvajansammohanaya Jvala Prajvala Sarvajanasya Hridayamavamsham Kurukura Svaha. Around the eight petals are the Matrikas or letters of the Sanskrit alphabet while in the angles of the protecting wall are bija mantras Hrim and Shrim, once more. Although commonly associated with Shaivite and Shakta concerns, in reality there is no sectarianism in the tradition. In many of the texts of the tradition, it is stated that it is only a fool who makes any distinction between the two. The forms of Vishnu, however, often have a more emotional tinge to them than those of Shiva, who can be portrayed as a highly terrifying figure. Trailokyamohana Vishnu, for example, in the Prapanchasara Tantra, is meditated upon as in the middle of a garden of Aeon Trees, scented with flowers and musical from the sound of bees, with his shakti Shri Lakshmi. She is bathed in sweat from her passion for him while around them both are the women of the household, all pierced by the arrows of Kama, god of sexuality, all shameless with their passion.

[size=-2]Artwork is © Jan Bailey, 1995. Translations are © Mike Magee 1995. Questions or comments to ac70@cityscape.co.uk

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