Dear Devotees, We now have a very convenient 4-column newspaper style layout on our Forum Home page. The blog layout is still available here. We will add the links to all the three forum layouts (list, newspaper and blog) for all posts and each forum in the forum menu dropdown in the top menu so that you can browse all posts or each forum in the layout you prefer.
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!
Dear Guruji, Mihir, and devotees, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.
Thank you for your nice questions Mihir.
1-The way NGN is more powerful than HKMM, is the prasadam of Nitaai Gaura also more powerful than
The way you are talking about is accessibility. Because the Names Itself are equally powerful and They are totally transcendental to This material existence. The difference is that with Nityananda Gauranga Naam the offences are not taken into account whereas with the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra they are. Likewise offerings made to Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga are easier accepted as offerings made to Radha Krishna. So when there were no offenses made in either case the spiritual potency of Radha Krishna prasadam is the same as that of Gaura Nitai prasadam. But when offenses were made in front of the deities Nitai Gaura prasadam is more powerful.
2-What are the different stages of realization a devotee experiences from the beginning stage to the last stage?
Bhakti realization has five stages or divisions. There are actually millions of divisions of devotees, but among them five are prominent – the jnani-bhakta, suddha-bhakta, premi-bhakta, premapara-bhakta and prematura-bhakta. To read more in detail about this please click: http://www.be-pure.info/Bhaktisub/Stages-of-bhakti.html
3-What are the spiritual benefits a devotee experiences after being initiated by a guru?
After being initiated the benefits are voluminous. In a sense it is comparable to ‘dating’ and marriage. During the dating period both partners are getting to know each other but after marriage they are officially committed to each other. With initiation you not only commit to the guru but to the entire guru-parampara and Lord Gauranga Krishna. The period before the initiation is normally about a year. Devotees who wait longer than a year are often keeping the door a little open so they don’t have to follow all the rules and regulations. This is called ‘dangling’ and is not recommended after a year of 'dating'. After being initiated we have the full force and support of the guru, guru-parampara and Lord Gauranga
4-If a devotee has a desire to accumulate a lot of wealth then does Lord Nityananda fulfill his desire or He burns the desire by purifying the devotee’s heart?
When that desire stands in the way of his pure devotion for the Lord, yes Lord Nityananda will take it away. But when the devotee can remain detached from a lot of wealth and use it for the service of the Lord there is nothing that will keep him back. There are many wealthy Vaisnavas.
5-What are the eternal pastimes that are going on in Goloka Navadwipa?
Please start browsing the vanibase of Guruji and you will find plenty of Gaura lila. This is not the place to copy/paste volumes of books.
6-After the guru and disciple leave for Goloka Navadwipa and Goloka Vrindavan what relationship do they have with each other there?
The guru-disciple relationship is eternal and naturally continues in the spiritual world.
7-Sometimes Lord Gauranga is shown with a shaved head and sometimes He is shown with long hair. How does He actually look like in Goloka Navadwipa?
In Navadwipa Lord Gauranga is primarily seen with long hair and In Jagannath Puri with shaved head. All the pastimes of Lord Gauranga are eternally going on in the spiritual world.
8-Srimad Bhagavatam describes Goloka Vrindavan in great detail. For eg there are desire trees etc. Similarly can you describe how Goloka Navadwipa looks like and what kind of life do all devotees experience there?
Goloka Navadwipa is described extensively as well as are the eightfold daily pastimes of Lord Gauranga. Please again consult the vanibase of guruji and you will find all the detailed descriptions you are looking for. I recommend reading the Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya of Bhaktivinode Thakura and Navadvipa Shataka.
9-Chanting in front of Tulasi plant magnifies the power of the mantra 1000 times. Does this mean that doing one round of NG in front of the plant is as good as doing 1000 rounds?
Chanting in front of tulasi magnifies the power of the Maha Mantra as well as the Mantrarajas; it doesn’t multiply it.
10-Tulasi Devi is a devotee of Lord Krishna (Lord Gauranga) and not Lord Balarama (Lord Nityananda). Then does the power of chanting Nityananda in front of her get magnified by 1000 times?
There is no difference between Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama except Their complexion. Tulasi Devi is naturally a devotee of Lord Nityananda as well. Also Lord Gauranga doesn’t accept anyone who doesn’t accept Lord Nityananda so Tulasi Devi is by default a devotee of Lord Nityananda as well. So yes the power is magnified because Lord Nityananda is very pleased when you chant in front of Tulasi Devi.
Thanks again for your nice questions.
Your servant,
Hadai Nityananda dasa
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!
