Re: Welcome to the Newly Initiated Devotees on Ratha Yatra day

Dear Devotees,

        Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! My most humble pranams!

        It is so wonderful to read all that has happened. When I remember all of you, it just fills me with great spiritual joy and simply remembering you brings me into Gauranga Krishna Consciousness. You are all far too senior for me. All I can do here is talk and write, but for me even basic requirements seem so far away because of millions of lifetimes of contamination.

        Today is the most auspicious day of Ratha Yatra when Lord Krishna is performing his pastime of returning to Vrindavana after 100 years of separation just in time to see the new canditates for recruitment into his spiritual family. All I can do is to wish all of you all the very best for your spiritual life because anything more would be too rude and offensive. I am sure that in the future that great things will be achieved by the devotees on NITAAI Sangha and that the present and future generations will thank you.

        I know very well where I am and I know that diksha is a very long way away. Still I am quite overwhelmed and tears came to my eyes when I saw how much mercy you have given us so unconditionally. Your mercy is what makes any part of the Lord's unfathomable plan to deliver the fallen souls feasible. So I pray that all of you will please bless me with genuine humility and sincerity so that I may atleast be just another tiny dust particle serving your lotus feet now and in the future wherever I may be.

Daaso'smi,
Srinath

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Re: Welcome to the Newly Initiated Devotees on Ratha Yatra day

Thank you Hadai and Matus for your kind blessings. Thanks you Ishana Thakura dasa for a wonderful offering message on this glorious day. I have changed his name.

The original RathaYatra in Puri was very ecstatic today. I had so many deep realizations while looking at the Lords, singing and pulling the rope of all the three Chariots. 500 Photos and 8.5 hours Ratha Yatra video coming soon.

Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.

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Re: Welcome to the Newly Initiated Devotees on Ratha Yatra day

Wonderful Ishana Thakura dasa, just make sure that Your old name is replaced in the database of the users of this forum with Your new wonderful name ;-) Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Your servant, matus

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Re: Welcome to the Newly Initiated Devotees on Ratha Yatra day

Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna
All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All glories to Srilla Prabhupada! All glories all glories to Nitaai and Gaura Naam!
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna.

Today is Ratra-yatra, great festival of Lord Jaganattha, Lord of Universe.  Today we had rare oportynity to realize that He is Jagannatha, Ruler and Omnipotent Lord, Supreme Controlor, and completely independent Lord and that His pure devotees and spiritual master are most merciful.

Sorry if my post will be subjective or without some precise order, I am writing what I am feeling in hope to share some small realisations with devotees who are fortunate to be in contact with Swami and Nitaai and Gaura Naam chanting process.

om ajnana timirandasya jnana-jnanan salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

"I offer my humble obeisance unto my dear spiritual master who with pure spiritual knowledge has illuminated my consciousness which was covered by nescience."

It is said that Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu, dancer of Navadvipa, is known to be mahavadanyaya or most merciful. But that is not true! Most merciful are His pure devotees and pure devotees of Lord Nityananda, avadhuta. Today we witnessed that guru-krpa or mercy of spiritual master is everything.

jogyata-vicare, kichu nahi pai,
tomara karuna - sara

"If you examine me, you will find no qualities. Your mercy is all that I am made of."

That is true. We do not possess any good quality. Our only good fortune is that we came in contact with pure devotee, with our spiritual master. Nothing else.
I am puppet in maya's hand in complete illusion. But my Gurudeva have strong desire to bring me toward lotus feet of Lord Nitaai and his desire to help us is so strong that we are getting Lords mercy only because of that. He is introducing us to Lord, pray to Him to accept us, our only link with Supreme.

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

Guru-krpa, mercy of Gurudeva, it is everything. Seed of the creeper of devotional service may be received only via mercy of pure devotee and Supreme Lord.

We rejected Krsna and we are trying to imitate Him. We want to control and enjoy this material world. We made zillions aparadhas toward Lord in almost unlimited previous births. How many pain we gave Him? How many pain we gave to our Gurudeva when he is mercifully came here for us? He took this birth to deliver Nitaai and Gaura Naam to this world and to deliver us, fallen jivas  back to home, to connect us with Supreme Lord.

That is topmost mercy. We are foolish, fallen souls completely under influence of maya, but our fortune is  that we came in contact with our spiritual master.

tate krsna bhaje, kare gurura sevana
maya-jala chute, paya krsnera carana
[Cc Madhya, 22.25]

"If the conditioned soul engages in the service of the Lord and simultaneously carries out the orders of his spiritual master and serves him, he can get out of the clutches of maya and become eligible for shelter at Krsna's lotus feet."

We do not have any other way of getting out of maya. We should dive deap into Naam only to please our Gurudeva. If Nitaai and Gaura Naam become our life and soul, if we become unstoppable in our chanting we will please our Gurudeva.

I have  my ups and downs in spiritual life. Many lessons learned on hard way. Many lessons will be learned also.
Spiritual life is not easy thing. That is because we are conditioned, falllen. We can not taste sugar because we are eating salt. But Lord Nitaai gave us His most intimate associate in form of our Gurudeva to  help us. That is our wealth.

nitaiyer carana satya,tahara sevaka nitya

"The only eternal truth in this world is the two lotus feet of Lord Nityananda and the servants of These feet are the eternal and immortal associates of the Lord."

If we dive into Naam, best we can we will be able to satisfy Gurudeva and whole guru-parampara and via Their mercy attain all perfection or pure devotional service. That is process.
Mercy of guru is all what we have. My hearth melted, Gurudeva under your mercy. You kindly accepted most fallen person under your shelter. You are giving everything. And what I am giving to you. Nothing. What I can give? Only cry out Nityananda Gauranga and pray to Them to help me to someday understand particle of your glory and to be part of your mission. You mercifully pull me back and gave me everything.

Today I have witnesed to exstraordinary manifestation of your causeless mercy.  In your post dated 2007-04-21  you wrote to me:

"...They confer Their supreme causeless mercy on the soul without considering whether the soul is qualified or not or whether the soul has passed through the different stages of saadhan bhakti. "

I will never be able to success in spiritual life with my own efforts or by practicing perfect sadhana. My only hope is within you, in your mercy. I may try to chant and embrace vaisnava culture and etiquette, but only with your mercy that may bring some result.

You said today that this is just beginning of spiritual journey. Our only ticket is Naam. You gave me Naam evan I am most fallen and useless person. You gave me Naam evan I was not wearing tilaka, tulsi beads or vaisnava dress. You gave me Naam evan I tried to hide and escape. That is your causeless mercy.
Today you gave me new hope and new life. Today you bestowed your causeless mercy upon my brother and his wife, (Dayal-Nitaai das and Jagannatha dasi) and other devotees. . You are so merciful, more mercifull then cintamani gem, philosopher's stone�capable of transforming base metal into solid gold, because you are able to transform our iron hearths into pure golden-like Nitaai-Gauraa prema.

I am praying to all vaisnavas to help us in our spiritual journeey and bless us. Only then we will be able to make any progress. Thank you dear vaisnavas on your blessings and good wishes. Only via your mercy we may attain some success.

Sorry for making this post long and unorganized. I want to write much more, but have job to do - to chant my rounds,
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna
Hoping to become servant of vaisnavas, guru and Naam
Ishana Thakura das

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(GERMAN) 9. Gedichte über Gaurangas Name (4)

3.Gauranga naamiva Kevalam

Nach einem Lied von Dravida dasa prabhu aus dem Sri Naamshtakam von einem unbekannten Autor �bernommen.

madhuram madhurebhyo 'pi mangalebhyo 'pi mangalam
pavanam pavanebhyo 'pi gaura naamiva kevalam

Von allen s�ssen Dingen das s�sseste das du schmecken kannst,
von allen gl�cksbringenden Dingen das gl�cksverheissendste,
von reinigenden Dingen, das kraftvollste:
Die heilige Namen von Nityananda-Gauranga sind all dies.

abrahma-stamba-paryantam sarvam maya-mayam jagat
satyam satyam punah satyam gaura naamiva kevalam

Vom Wohnort Brahmas im Himmel bis hinunter zum Grashalm auf der Erde,
regieren die Illusionen von Maya-Devis tr�gerischem Sumpf,
Die Wahrheit, die Wahrheit, die einzige Wahrheit sind die Namen von Nitai Gaurahari,
die heiligen Namen von Nityananda-Gauranga sind all dies.

sa guruh sa pita capi sa mata bandhavo 'pi sah
siksayec cet sada smartum gaura naamiva kevalam

Er ist der Lehrer, Er ist der Vater, Er ist der treuste Freund,
und Er ist die wahrhafte Mutter, welche dich liebevoll lehrt,
den heiligen Namen von Gaurahari immer zu chanten und zu h�ren,
die heiligen Namen von Nityananda-Gauranga sind all dies.

nihsvase na hi visvasah kada ruddho bhavisyati
kirtaniya mato balyad gaura naamiva kevalam

Bedenke dass unser letzter Atemzug jederzeit sein kann,
es spielt keine Rolle ob wir alt und krank oder jugendlich frisch sind,
deshalb sollten alle, jung und alt gleichermassen immerzu den Namen chanten,
die heiligen Namen von Nityananda-Gauranga.

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Re: Welcome to the Newly Initiated Devotees on Ratha Yatra day

Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!

Dear Guruji, friends and newly initiated devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.

Pranams and blessings to all newly initiated devotees. May your journey back to Lord Gauranga Krishna be glorious. The path to the goal is the goal. Step by step. Whenever you fall there is only one thing to do: stand up! Never give up.

Initiation is extremely powerful. After I was initiated blessing after blessing came over me. I didn�t deserve any of the Lord�s blessings but Guruji offers you at the feet of his guru, and his guru at the feet of his guru, all the way back at the feet of Lord Nityananda. Lord Nityananda is the pure manifestation of love for Lord Gauranga. He will pick you up and put you at the feet of Lord Gauranga Who is the pure manifestation of love for Krishna. You are now walking the natural path of the soul. How wonderful dear Katyayani Radha devi dasi, Ishana Thakura dasa, Dayala Nitaai dasa, Jagannatha dasi, Advaita Prabhu dasa, and Mani Manjari devi dasi. What an auspicious day!

Please accept me as your servant,

Hadai Nityananda dasa

Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!

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Re: Welcome to the Newly Initiated Devotees on Ratha Yatra day

Jaya Jaya Jaya, most wonderful to hear. i hope i can attain service to and blessings from these wonderful devotees of Yours, Swami Gaurangapada Gurudeva. Wishing them all the best from the core of my heart. Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!

Yours insignificant,
Matus

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Welcome to the Newly Initiated Devotees on Ratha Yatra day

Dear Devotees, Nityananda!! Gauranga!! Hare Krishna!! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara!! On this most Holy Day of Shri Ratha Yatra Festival, many wonderful devotees from around have accept Diksha or Initiation into the Holy Names of Nityaananda, Gauraanga, and Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Raama Hare Raama Raama Raama Hare Hare via internet video conference.

Their spiritual names are Katyayani Radha devi dasi, Ishana Thakura dasa (Igor), Dayala Nitaai dasa, Jagannatha dasi, Advaita Prabhu dasa, and Mani Manjari devi dasi. Please bless them that they can rapidly advance in the chanting of the Holy Names which they have received today and attain the direct audience of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Gauranga Krishna very soon. I am very happy and proud to be their Gurudeva and have offered them to the lotus feet of the Acharyas of our Guru Parampara. Videos of the initiations and today Shri Ratha Yatra will be posted soon.

Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.

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Re: Are deities that are made of resin bona fide

Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!

Dear Guruji and devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.

�The Deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight varieties -- stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or jewels.�

The mind is the most subtle and most mobile of the above. With our minds we can always see the Lord and with our minds we have Him always with us; no matter where we are. We perceive stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, and jewels with our senses that leave an impression on our minds. In Puri, Lord Jagannatha can�t be seen in His temple by non-Hindus and yet by His unlimited mercy He comes out of the temple every year to be seen by all. That impression can never be taken away from our minds.

�The installed Deity can never be abandoned of service.� When we travel the Deity of the Lord in our minds is always with us and thus always accessible to our worship and way more practical than traveling with anything bigger than a miniature Deity.

Of course eventually the Lord tells His devotee how He likes to receive our service. In the end it is not a matter of objective interpretation but rather a subjective interaction with the Lord which is the ultimate connection of the jiva with Him. Objectively following the guru, sadhu and scripture is the sure way to connect with the Lord. Subjectively as soon as that relationship is experienced from the heart many refinements take place. The heart of His devotee is where the Lord is. When we fall at the feet of His devotee, we fall favorably at the feet of the Lord. The installed Deity in any form as described above is identical to the Lord Himself. However it is up to our ability to perceive the Lord identical to Himself (in any material) with our minds. And how do we get that ability? By the mercy of the Lord! How? By His reciprocation to our love and devotion for Him! That�s what ultimately enables us to see the Lord. No material will reveal the Lord within unless we receive His mercy. With His mercy any material will reveal the Lord because our love is unable to see anything separated from the Lord. The plastic keyboard I am tapping these words on is all Lord Gauranga Krishna. I tap really careful because I do not want to hurt Him. The air I am breathing in and out is all Him. Every atom and all sub-atomic levels are Lord Gauranga Krishna. Is there anything that is not Him? Is there any place where His spiritual world is not present? Is there any place where His pastimes are not present? Please tell me the secret where He is not because I know He is cheating me on so many levels�

Your servant,

Hadai Nityananda dasa

Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!

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Re: Are deities that are made of resin bona fide

Dear Damodara Svarupa dasa, Nityananda!! Gauranga!! Hare Krishna!! Thank you for your question. We can understand the desire of the Lord through the scriptures. It is stated in the the Shrimad Bhagavatam

saili daru-mayi lauhi, lepya lekhya ca saikati
mano-mayi mani-mayi, pratimashta-vidha smrita

TRANSLATION

The Deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight varieties -- stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or jewels.

PURPORT

Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that certain Deity forms, such as those made of sand, are manifested for a brief time to fulfill a personal desire of the worshiper. Those, however, who desire to attain pure love of God should worship the permanent form of the Deity (made, for instance, of marble, gold or brass), and they should maintain continual worship. In Krishna consciousness there is no scope for neglecting the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

----------

Though the synthetic resins are also ultimately part the external energy of the Lord, they are man-made and originally not a part of His creation in the form of nature whereas wood, stone, gold and jewels are. They are typically manufactured by esterification or soaping of organic compounds. The classic variety is epoxy resin, manufactured through polymerization-polyaddition or polycondensation reactions, used as a thermoset polymer for adhesives and composites. This process is not considered very pure. It is manufactured by our extreme manipulation of the Lord's external energy.

I am not saying it is bad and it may have many practical uses in day to day life also. But for invoking the Lord in the Deity, one needs to follow a high degree of purity and standards and preferably the Deity should be made from a fully natural constituent or one which as close to being fully natural as possible. If there is love and devotion, the devotee will also consider what the Lord wants and what He does not want from the scriptures and try to give Him that. Meat and wine are also part of His creation but He does accept those as a direct offering. So even though He basically accepts our love and devotion, He has some preferences also. Besides the synthetic resin forms are mostly hollow which is not a possibility in making a worshipable Deity of the Lord. A Deity should have a solid body inside out since the Lord enters into that Deity form to accept our service. A hollow synthetic resin statue is more like a diorama or exhibit.

Of course as you said, ultimately it is the Lord's desire and Lord Gaura Krishna can appear anywhere and everywhere He chooses to accept our service. So ultimately is His choice. But we try to make it easy for Him by trying to know and follow His directions on how He would like to appear in Deity form as the Archa Vigraha. I hope this helps.

Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.

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Re: Are deities that are made of resin bona fide

Nityananda, Gauranga, Hare Krishna.

Everything we see and everything we don�t see is made by God and belongs to Him.
Why is it then that we, humans, tend to grade things and make statements that
some things/plants/animals (which He eventually created) are to be avoided or cannot be
presented nor offered to God? Who are we that we are to reject parts of
His creation?

God Himself says: �If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower,
fruit or water, I will accept it� (BG9.26)  So why would God hesitate if I use
wood, resin, stone, copper or even gold to make a statue of Him and offer that
to Him?

If we just think about it, we take a leaf from a tree and offer that to God.
We take a small piece of His Own creation and offer that to Him. What is the
practical use for God by giving Him something He already created/owns? In the BG-verse 9.26, the
answer is given: the love and devotion in the offering is what really matters to Him.

So, whatever the material of the statue, it is the prayer, the love and devotion
for God which is really important.


Nityananda, Gauranga, Hare Krishna,
Damodara Svarupa dasa

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Re: Are deities that are made of resin bona fide

Resin is a form of plastic

So instead of eating on metal dishes, the civilized men should eat on, what is that called, plastic. That�s all. Now plastic utensils, not even metal.

Still, according to Vedic civilization, these Hindus, they would not touch this china, clay utensils, or this plastic utensils. Never they�ll... Or glass utensils, they�ll never touch. Especially in South India they are very strict. A poor man would prefer to eat on the plantain leaf. And the rich men, they eat on silver utensils. They do not even like to, I mean to say, brass or other base metals.


So this is very good economy also. If you... If you have got metal utensils, if you are in need of money, you can get immediately in exchange some money. There are pawn shops. So they will keep anything, a gold Banarsi sari, or metal utensils or ornaments, if you are need of... Village bankers. Immediately. Poor man... Suppose if you require five rupees, ten rupees.

You haven�t got, but what..., how to get the money? You take something from your household paraphernalia and go to the pawn-maker. You get money. You are now relieved from the present anxiety. Then again you get back. But what is this china, clay, the china pots and this plastic pot will bring? No, nothing.

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