Brahma muhurta's period changing?

Q. by Bhakta Matus

Dear Swami Gaurangapada Maharaja,
Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances.

i have one question regarding Brahma muhurta:

i read somewhere that this time refers to 1,5 hour before sunrise,
meaning that this time changes according to the year's periods. Is
that true?

Thank You very much.

Yours,
Matus

Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Yes, please read my below article on this subject.

Brahma-Muhurta
The 48 mins from 1 hr 36 min to 48 min before Sunrise

1 Muhurta = 48 minutes. 1 day = 24 hrs = 30 Muhurtas.

Brahma-Muhurta is the 2nd last Muhurta before sunrise. (1 hr 36 min before)

The Time of Rising from Bed:

"The time early in the morning, one and a half hours before sunrise, is called brahma-muhurta. During this brahma-muhurta, spiritual activities are recommended. Spiritual activities performed early in the morning have a greater effect than in any other part of the day." [Bhag. 3.20.46, purport]

Ref. VedaBase => SPL 48: At Home in India: (In Vrindavana)

*****"The exact time for the mangala-arati would vary according to the clock, he (Prabhupada) said, but it must always be one-and-a-half hours before sunrise."*****

The last line of Shri Gurvastakam appears in the Stavamrta-lahari of Shri Visvanath Chakravarti Thakura as follows:

shrimad-guror astakam etad uccair brahme muhurte pathati prayatnat
yastena vrndavana natha saksat sevaiva labhya januso 'nta eva (9)

"That person who very attentively recites this astakam to Shri Gurudeva during *** brahma muhurta *** is sure to achieve direct service to the lotus feet of Lord Shri Krishna, the very life and soul of Vrindavana, at the end of his life."

Shrila Prabhupada writes in Cc. Madhya 24.331, purport:

In the early morning hours (known as brahma-muhurta) ##### one should get up ##### and immediately chant the Hare Krishna mantra, or at least `Krishna, Krishna, Krishna.' In this way, one should remember Krishna."

Krishna book, "Lord Krishna's Daily Activities":

Lord Krishna would immediately get up from bed exactly on the appearance of brahma-muhurta.. After rising from bed, Lord Krishna would wash His mouth, hands, and feet and would immediately sit down and meditate on Himself.

Hari-bhakti-vilasa 1.6:

diksa nityam brahma-kale subhotthanam pavitrata

. . . (Second Vilasa, 10. initiation, 11. rising every day at brahma-muhurta, 12. cleanliness, . . .

Text 19

Garga-samhita 4.8.19:

eka-varam- jalam- pitva dhauta-vastro 'ti-nirmalah

brahme muhurta utthaya caikadasyam- harim- natah

During ekadashi one should be pure-hearted and very clean, wear clean garments, drink water only once, rise during brahma-muhurta, and bow down to Lord Krishna

Garga-samhita 4.18.14:

brahme muhurta utthaya dhyatva devim-kalindajam
arunodaya-velayam nadyam- snanam- samacaret

During brahma-muhurta one should rise from bed and meditate on goddess Yamuna' and at sunrise one should bathe in the Yamuna.

Garga-samhita 5.15.2:

brahme muhurte cotthaya gopyah sarva grhe grhe
dehaly-anganam alipya dipams tatra nirupya ca

In each home the gopis rose at brahma-muhurta, anointed the doorways and courtyards, arranged the lamps, . . .

Garga-samhita 8.10.7:

brahme muhurte cotthaya rama-krsneti ca bruvan
natva gurum bhuvam caiva tato bhumyam padam nyaset

One should rise at brahma-muhurta, chant the holy names of Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama, and bow down before one's guru. Only then should one place his feet on the ground.

Commentary by Swami Gaurangapada:

Shrila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura, Gurvastakam Verse 9 Mahatmya states that Gurvastaka should be sung in the brahma-muhurta to achieve the lotus feet of Lord Krishna at the end of one's life.

Shrila Prabhupada states that Mangal-arati should always be in the brahma-muhurta which begins 1 hr 36 min before sunrise and lasts for 48 minutes. He also states that ideally the time for mangal arati which should be during brahma-muhurta should vary according to the sunrise time because the brahma-muhurta time always depends on the time of sunrise. The time of sunrise determines the times of all the muhurtas in the day.

All the scriptures quoted above state that one should rise from bed during brahma-muhurta.

Shrila Prabhupada states that brahma-muhurta is the best muhurta for spiritual practices and also it is the best muhurta of the day according to the astrological charts.

In temples built for preaching, it may be a practical problem to daily vary the time of mangal arati therefore Prabhupada fixed it at 4.30 am or 5 am in some places. But then there is also a problem that the mangal-arati may not always be conducted in the brahma-muhurta throughout the year especially in the summer seasons when the sun rises very late. Therefore Prabhupada also said that actually the timings of the mangal-arati should vary as per the sunrise clock.

And also that one may have to get up much before the brahma-muhurta to attend a mangal arati which is fixed at 4.30 am but is much before the brahma-muhurta. For example sunrise is there in Mumbai in the summer at 7.00 am. So the brahma-muhurta starts at around 5.30 am or so. Whereas the mangal-arati may be conducted at 4.30 am. So one may have to take bath around two muhurtas before mangal-arati or even earlier. We all know the story that because Nanda Maharaja went to take bath too early before brahma-muhurta, he was captured by Varuna's men. Ofcourse that was a pastime. This is just a small detail just to bring to our attn.

Devotees who are doing mangal-arati at home can actually conduct and sing the mangal-arati daily during brahma-muhurta to get the maximum advantage of the Gurvastakam prayers and their morning sadhana. They can easily vary the mangal-arati timings as per the sunrise timings which is the ideal and best way to do it as suggested by Prabhupada who said that mangal-arati should always be 1 1/2 hour (1 hour 36 minutes to be exact) before sunrise. They can get up at brahma-muhurta (alarm can be kept to ring just at the beginning of brahma-muhurta) from bed as instructed in all the revealed scriptures (above) and quickly finish their morning duties in maximum of 15 to 20 minutes which leaves them half an hour (total 48 min) to sing and conduct the mangal-arati and begin japa. This will the ideal performance of the morning sadhana by the grihasthas. Any devotee can calculate the brahma-muhurta and mangal-arati timings at his place by getting the sunrise times of their place from the internet. They can try out this website for getting the timings for sunrise in their resp places for the whole year: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

If temples also want to try to strictly follow what the scriptures and Prabhupada instructed in Vrindavan then there are two options:

(1) Either the temples have two to three or four different mangal arati timings during the year for different seasons in such a way that the mangal-arati is always or mostly conducted in the brahma-muhurta. This is done is many Vallabhacharya temples, some Gaudiya math and other temples.

(2) Or to follow a day by day timetable so that everyday Gurvastakam will be chanted in the brahma-muhurta. Most temples may consider this greatly impractical. But there is a way out. Each temple can publish a small booklet for the whole year about the timings of mangal-arati daily and any regular visitor can have it so everyone attending mangal-arati including the temple residents will know what will be the time of mangal-arati and morning darshan from the booklet. Mangal-arati timings for the whole month can also be posted outside the temple in advance. So everyone can attend accordingly. This is just an idea to show that it is possible if one wants to strictly implement the scriptural and Shrila Prabhupada's instructions given
above. I hope this discussion helps someone.

Pratah-Gayatri can be chanted in the Samudram Muhurta(48 min)before sunrise. Madhyan-Gayatri can be chanted in the appropriate Muhurta (48 min) at noon. Gauranga-Arti and Sandhya Gayatri can be in the appropriate Muhurta in the evening around or after sunset.

MUHURTHAS

1 06:00 - 06:48 RUDRA BAD

2 06:48 - 07:36 AHI BAD

3 07:36 - 08:24 MITRA GOOD

4 08:24 - 09:12 PITRU BAD

5 09:12 - 10:00 VASU GOOD

6 10:00 - 10:48 VARA GOOD

7 10:48 - 11:36 VISVADEVA GOOD

8 11:36 - 12:24 VIDHI GOOD (EXCEPT MONDAY + FRIDAY)

9 12:24 - 13:12 SATAMUKHI GOOD

10 13:12 - 14:00 PURUHUTA BAD

11 14:00 - 14:48 VAHINI BAD

12 14:48 - 15:36 NAKTANCARA BAD

13 15:36 - 16:24 VARUNA GOOD

14 16:24 - 17:12 ARYAMA GOOD (EXCEPT SUNDAY)

15 17:12 - 18:00 BHAGA BAD

16 18:00 - 18:48 GIRISHA BAD

17 18:48 - 19:36 AJAPAD BAD

18 19:36 - 20:24 AHIRBUDHNYA GOOD

19 20:24 - 21:12 PUSA GOOD

20 21:12 - 22:00 ASWINI GOOD

21 22:00 - 22:48 YAMA BAD

22 22:48 - 23:36 AGNI BAD

23 23:36 - 24:24 VIDHATR GOOD

24 24:24 - 01:12 CANDA GOOD

25 01:12 - 02:00 ADITI GOOD

26 02:00 - 02:48 JIVA GOOD

27 02:48 - 03:36 VISNU GOOD

28 03:36 - 04:24 YUMIGADYUTI GOOD

29 04:24 - 05:12 BRAHMA VERY GOOD

30 05:12 - 06:00 SAMUDRAM GOOD

AGAIN ALL MUHURTHAS ARE TAKEN AT 06:00am. SUNRISE, ADJUST ACCORDINGLY

Dancing for Krishna

By Damodara Svarupa dasa

In Caitanya Bhāgavata ādi 2.184 we read:
padbhyā bhūmer diśo dgbhyā dorbhyāñ cāmagala diva
bahu-dhotsādyate rājan krsna-bhaktasya ntyata

My dear King, when Krishna’s devotees dance in kirtana, they destroy the inauspiciousness of the earth by the touch of their feet, the directions by their glance, and the higher planetary systems by their upraised arms. (Shrila Vrindavana Dasa Thakura)
[From Gaura Nitai]

Dancing for Krishna

Another sort of tapasya

Post by Bhakta Matus:


Since longer time i am struggeling with getting up early in the morning. Although i am concious about its great benefit in regard to the spiritual as well as material aspects of life, since longer time of trying i was not able to apply it in my life. Some time ago i proposed to myself: "From tomorrow i am getting up at 4 o'clock!" i failed, became humble. After some time i again tried with little more respect: "From tomorrow i am getting up at 5 o'clock!" i failed, became more humble. Then after some time i again tried: "From tomorrow i am getting up at least at 6 o'clock!" i did not manage to do that even. i became desperate. i thought to myself: "Am i so much in ignorance, fallen and undetermined?" i pondered again and again: "The only tapasya (penance) i have to take on myself in this Age of Kali is to wake up early in the morning, before sunrise, and chant the Holy Name of the Lord. This relatively small thing i am not able to do, then how can i hope to achieve success in my sadhana (spiritual practice). For how long will i have to struggle to somehow accomplish my fixed rounds of the mantra meditation during the day and in consequence of that to struggle also with accomplishment of my regural material duties?" i was praying to the Lord: "Oh my Lord, please somehow give me the inteligence and strength to be able to do it." So, yesterday, just like a miracle, a very promising idea appeared in my mind: "What about trying to 'pull the rope on its other end'? What about a more comfortable tapasya, which could grant me success? Yes! From tomorrow i am going at 9 o'clock to bed!" Today is the second day, and i managed to rise up to chant a great part of my rounds before sunrise, thus passing peacefully and blissfully the rest of the day. i am thinking to myself, how foolish i was not able to realize this most important tactics in order to be successful. i am also aware, that it is neither easy. It is actually indeed a sort of tapasya. Due to generally a bad habit of the whole association (who is going to sleep everyday at 9 o'clock?), one is alone in this effort. Thus i am hoping and praying to the Lord and all the Vaishnavas, that They may bless this fallen soul with enough strength, enthusiasm and determination to stick to its proposal and thus become successful. Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
mentus
[From Easy As Never - Nityananda Gauranga]

Another sort of tapasya

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Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.

Lords Nitaai Gauraanga

Lord Nityananda



Lords Nityananda and Gauranga

Tilaka Before Sleep

Dear Swami Gaurangapada Maharaja,
Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances at Your Lotus Feet.

i have one question i would like to ask:

i have heard that some devotees apply tilaka before going to sleep. Could You please shed more light on this subject matter? What is the meaning, significance and benefit of such practice?

Thank You very much,
Yours,
Matus

Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara! They want to be sure that just in case they die in their sleep, they don't becomes victims of the Yamadutas, the messengers of hell. Yamadutas don't approach those who apply tilaka on their bodies. Also applying tilaka purifies the body, mind and heart so that one does not see non-devotional and inauspicious dreams while asleep.

Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.

Why make your dog a vegetarian

By Nava Gauranga dasa



One of the most common reactions from people when they find out my pet dog does not eat meat is this - 'dogs are supposed to eat meat, it is unnatural for them not to eat meat!' And often people will say that 'tigers and wolves eat meat so why do you expect your dog not to eat meat?'

Infact tigers, wolves and other wild beasts incur no sinful reaction from meat eating! So my dog can eat meat with no further reaction in this regard. Yes it is his nature! But as Hare Krsna devotees we choose not to eat meat or handle meat. In our tradition the cow is infact very sacred and considered mother. She supplies us with so much milk which we can make many nice preparations from.

Most dog food on the market contains at least some traces of cow flesh. So the sincere devotee will at some stage feel a prompting in his/her heart to not have these pet food products in the household, let alone handle them. And yes, dogs can remain extremely healthy on a balanced vegetarian diet. So what is the need for the devotee to continue having meat products in the house?

Actually we need to be very wise in how we make our pet dogs vegetarian. Just like us they need a very balanced diet to remain healthy. So I do this in two ways. I purchase a very affordable (infact cheaper than canned meat product) high quality Vegan Dry Food, which is designed for a fully balanced diet. So the dog can nibble and enjoy this product at leisure, insuring he has all the necessary daily intake of vitamins etc.

Hare Krsna devotees only eat food which has first been offered to the Lord. The left-overs from the Lord's offering plate is called prasadam (mercy). Personally each night I feed my dog the prasadam remnants which I also partake of.

Infact the dog relishes his night time meal of rice, vegetables, dahl, yoghurt and occasionally various fruits. I can see when he eats how much he loves the food.

A common thing today is that people feed their dogs so much junk that the dogs can develop serious health conditions (just like humans) from being over-weight. This problem of over-weight pets is prevalent in the United States of America. So I question, is this kind treatment of your pet?

A dog that lives on healthy vegetarian food will never suffer from this health condition!

Humans do not have to eat meat. So we can choose not to very easily! Why make your belly a graveyard for dead animals? There is so much violence in the world today, so much war and violent crimes! We want world peace but we continue to support animal slaughter houses which kill thousands of innocent animals every single day, just to satisfy our tongue and bellies. If we want world peace maybe we should begin by changing our eating habits....then maybe human consciousness will become more peaceful and non-violent.

'I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals.' - Thoreau.

"While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on this earth?' - Shaw.

'I do feel that spiritual progress does demand at some stage that we should cease to kill our fellow creatures for the satisfaction of our bodily wants.' - Gandhi.

So the devotee will happily take the Lord's remnants (prasadam) and relish its spiritual flavor,
being fully satisfied. And at the same time maintaining a meat free house.

So.....dogs do not have to be vegetarian in diet, but the simple hearted devotees at some stage of spiritual development definately wish to have a meat free household. Thus vegetarian pets.

Nava Gauranga dasa.