Category: Gaudiya Vaishnavism

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma)

Material Nature Unveiled – 5 Facts You Never Knew

Post author By gaudiya
Post date March 4, 2023

material nature

Bhagavad Gita provides extensive descriptions of the material nature, which is known as ‘Prakriti’ and is considered an energy of the Supreme Being. Prakriti governs the material world and all its 8.4 million species of life. The living beings who are essentially spirit souls, are bound to this material world through the three modes of material nature, namely – sattva (mode of goodness), rajas (mode of passion) and tamas (mode of ignorance). When the living entity, who is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, comes in contact with this world of matter, it becomes conditioned by a combination of these three modes, and forgets its eternal free nature. The living entity, thus conditioned by the modes of material nature, seeks egoistic satisfaction through its senses, mind, and intelligence. This attachment to material desires leads to the cycle of birth and death. It is a vicious cycle that binds the living entity and impedes its spiritual progress. However, the Bhagavad Gita also provides guidance on how to transcend these modes and achieve liberation from the material world. By understanding the nature of Prakriti and the modes of material nature, one can break free from the cycle of birth and death and attain spiritual enlightenment.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Radha Krishna

Who was the Husband of Radha Rani – Abhimanyu or Krishna ?

Post author By gaudiya
Post date February 20, 2023

krishna husband of radha abhimanyu

Abhimanyu is referred to as Radha Rani’s husband, though it was a so-called or nominal marriage. Radha’s mother-in-law was Jatila, and her sister-in-law was Kutila. Radha Rani resided with her in-laws in the small village of Yavat, which is approximately 5 kilometers from Nandgaon. Radha and Abhimanyu were wedded on the guidance of Paurnamasi Devi (Yogmaya). However, it is essential to recognize that Radha and Krishna are inherently one and cannot be separated. They have manifested themselves as two distinct entities purely for the sake of experiencing their sweet pastimes. In truth, Radha and Krishna had already been united in marriage long before Radha’s association with Abhimanyu, as we will discuss later in this article. This gandharva marriage took place in Bhandirvan and was officiated by Lord Brahma. In this way, it is commonly acknowledged that Radha and Krishna are truly married. However, to make their divine pastimes more appealing, Radha is referred to as being married to Abhimanyu. The allure of their secret meetings and plotting against Jatila and Kutila adds to the enjoyment of their divine exploits.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Srila Prabhupada Vaishnava acharyas

Srila and Prabhupada: Spiritual Meaning Behind These Sacred Titles

Post author By gaudiya
Post date February 13, 2023

chaitanya pancha tattva srila prabhupada

The term ‘Srila’ is made up of two words, ‘Sri’ and ‘La’. ‘Sri’ means beauty and knowledge, and is also used as a term of respect. ‘La’ means ‘Lila’ or the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Consequently, ‘Srila’ is a title of reverence bestowed upon spiritual personalities who possess the capacity to grasp and admire Lord Krishna’s exalted pastimes, and their hearts are enriched with this ability.

The term ‘Prabhupada’ is used to describe an esteemed devotee who is a saint among saints. ‘Prabhu’ means master, and it is customary for Vaishnavas to address each other as ‘Prabhu.’ ‘Prabhupada’ refers to someone who is the shelter of many such ‘Prabhus.’ When numerous Prabhus seek refuge under the lotus feet of another Prabhu, the term ‘Prabhupada’ is used. In Vedic religious communities, ‘Prabhupada’ is a term of great respect.

Barsana, Yavat, Nandgaon Gaudiya Vaishnavism - An overview

Vrinda Devi Temple and Vrinda Kunda, Nandgaon – History

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 7, 2023

vrinda devi temple kunda nandgaon

The forest of Vrindavan derives its name from Srimati Vrinda devi. Tulasi is an expansion of Vrinda devi. Tulasi, Govardhan, and Yamuna are eternally present in the spiritual world. They manifest themselves in this material world only to purify the living entities and bestow upon them the pure love of God. In a previous age, Vrinda, born as the daughter of King Kedera, had executed severe austerities in the forest of Vrindavan. She had performed penances for sixty thousand years. After sanctifying Vrindavan, she attained the spiritual abode. Being pleased with her, Lord Vishnu had granted the boon that any austerities performed in Vrindavan would fructify quickly and beget excellent results. Tulasi, an expansion of Vrinda devi, later appeared as the daughter of King Kusadhvaja and also perfected herself after executing severe penances in Vrindavan. Tulasi, who always serves Lord Krishna’s lotus feet, is very dear to Him. Krishna does not accept any offering without a Tulasi leaf. Vrinda devi perpetually resides in Vrindavan and is also a friend of Radharani. She possesses a beautiful molten gold complexion, wears bluish garments, and adorns herself with pearls and flowers. Her father is Chandrabhanu and her mother is Phullara devi. She is married to Mahipala Gopa and her sister’s name is Manjari. On the instructions of Paurnamasi (Yogmaya devi), Vrinda devi always yearns to arrange meetings between Radha and Krishna.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism - An overview Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma)

How many Years in One Yuga | Yuga Cycle | Timespan of Hindu Yugas

Post author By gaudiya
Post date December 30, 2022

How many Years in One Yuga Timespan of Yugas

According to Sanatan Dharma, there are four Yugas – Satya, Treta, Dvarapara, and Kali. A thousand cycles of these 4 Yugas are said to comprise a ‘Kalpa’ or a single day of Brahma. The same (a thousand cycles of 4 Yugas) is the duration of Brahma’s night. At the beginning of Brahma’s day, the universal entities come into being and life becomes manifest. When Brahma sleeps during his night, the water of the causal ocean floods the universal planetary systems sparing only the abode of Brahma and a few higher planets. Brahma lives for 100 years and at the end of his lifespan, a complete universal dissolution occurs causing the universe to unmanifest itself. Therefore the universe suffers partial destruction at the end of Brahma’s day and a complete dissolution at the end of his lifetime. The Vedic scriptures explain that the concept of time differs in various planetary systems. For example, 1 day of Brahma equals a 1000 cycle of four Yugas. Similarly, 1 celestial day (a day in the heavenly planets where demigods reside) equals 6 months by human calculation. Also, 1 celestial night equals 6 human months. In the next section, we shall illustrate the time span of the four Yugas.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) Radha Krishna

Matsya Avatar – Fish incarnation of Vishnu

Post author By gaudiya
Post date September 10, 2022

matsya avatar vishnu vedas

Matsya Avatar or the fish incarnation is the first of the ten avatars of Vishnu, the Supreme Lord. The eighth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam describes the pastimes of ‘Matsya avatar’ in great detail. In addition, Matsya Purana also glorifies His wonderful pastimes. Five thousand years ago, Parikshit Maharaj inquired about the Matsya avatar from Srila Sukadeva Goswami. Sri Sukadeva Goswami explained how the Supreme Lord incarnates in this world millennium after millennium in order to protect the cows, brahmanas, religious principles, spiritual knowledge, etc. Although the Supreme Lord appears sometimes as a human being and sometimes as a lower animal, He nonetheless always stays transcendental. Sukadeva Goswami glorified Matsya avatar and described how in the previous millennium (Svayambhuva Manvantara), while Lord Brahma was asleep, the water of devastation flooded the three worlds, only leaving Brahmaloka and a few other higher planets untouched. As Brahma took rest, the demon Hayagriva tried to steal the Vedic knowledge that emanated from Brahma’s mouth. The Supreme Lord Vishnu, then assumed the form of ‘Matsya avatar’ (fish incarnation), as everything was inundated by water, and rescued the Vedas by killing the demon.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) Radha Krishna

Madhurya Rasa – Mellow of Conjugal Love

Post author By gaudiya
Post date July 31, 2022

krishna radha madhurya accessories ornaments articles

Madhurya Rasa falls within the purview of Krishna Bhajan and constitutes the highest grade of divine Love. It is where a devotee approaches God as His consort. This is unlike the so-called love of this material world where one primarily concerns himself with his/her sensuous pleasures. The distance between the servant and the Lord which was distinctly visible in the cases of Shanta and Dasya Rasas, and indistinctly visible in the case of Sakhya and Vatsalya Rasas, is now completely absent in Madhurya. The servant and the Lord are now united as never before. The servant serves her lord with everything. She lives for her Lord and dies for Him. There is nothing that she cannot do to make Him happy. His pain and grief become her own. Now, the servant cannot enjoy anything which does not make her Lord happy. She takes pleasure in putting on an ornament if it pleases her Lord. She even gladly welcomes death if it is a service unto Him. Such is the selflessness of love manifested in Madhurya. Srimati Radharani and the other Gopis of Vrindavana represent devotees in this category.

Madhurya rasa is also specified as ‘Mukya bhakti rasa’ or the principal of all devotional mellows. Unless one is devoid of all material attachments, one cannot relish the divine mellow of ‘Madhurya’. Madhurya rasa is most esoteric and rare. Hence, it is kept largely confidential. Shanta, Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya, and Madhurya exist eternally in Goloka Vrindavan. They are compared to Copper, bell metal, Silver, Gold, and touchstone respectively.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) Radha Krishna

Vatsalya Rasa – Parental Affection

Post author By gaudiya
Post date July 26, 2022

krishna yashoda rasa vrindavan

Vatsalya Rasa falls within the purview of Krishna bhajan. In this stage, Krishna, the Supreme Lord, is worshiped as one’s own son. The Lord now receives parental love and care from the concerned devotee. The Supreme Lord, now a restless playful child, demands constant care and attention from His parents who must now be tending to His wants. They should feed Him, dress Him, administer Him medicines when ill, put Him to sleep, and then watch Him over when asleep. The mind of devotees in Vatsalya Rasa is wholly occupied with thoughts for their beloved Lord whom they perceive as their dear child. They apprehend danger for Him where there is none and think of Him to be lost when He goes out of their sight even for a moment. They rebuke the Lord and threaten Him when they find Him doing anything wrong. They take Him onto their lap and caress Him lest their child becomes too frightened. Hence these devotees in this Rasa claim a superior position to the Lord Himself. The services of Nanda Maharaj and mother Yashoda fall within this category.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) Radha Krishna

Sakhya rasa – friendship | Types of Krishna’s sakhas (friends)

Post author By gaudiya
Post date July 24, 2022

krishna arjuna sakhya

Sakhya Rasa is the stage of divine Love where a devotee approaches the Supreme Lord as His friend. Sri Krishna, His friends, and confidants are known as ‘Sakhas’ (friends). The two-handed form of Sri Krishna, playing upon His flute, is the object of meditation in Sakhya rasa. Unlike Dasya rasa, the emotions of awe and reverence are largely missing in Sakhya rasa. Srila Rupa Goswami explains in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu (Western division) –

Vimukta sambhrama ya svad visrambhatma ratir dvayoh
Prayah samanayor atra sa sakhyam sthayi sabda bhak
–
‘Visrambha’, the affectionate exchange between two equals that is devoid of reverence and deference but is full of love, trust, and confidence is called ‘sakhya rasa’, the mellow of friendship. Thus, this emotion is the ‘sthayi bhava’ (foundational mood) of this mellow.

Srila Rupa Goswami further explains the meaning of the word ‘visrambha’. It is the admission of complete equality between two individuals, reflecting absolute trust and confidentiality between the two.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) Radha Krishna

Dasya Rasa – Servitorship

Post author By gaudiya
Post date July 22, 2022

garuda vishnu lakshmi

A devotee in Dasya Rasa approaches the Supreme Lord as His servant. He prostrates himself before Him, appreciates His greatness, and is always ready to carry out His instructions with a degree of affection. Affinity towards God manifests itself in the form of affection in Dasya rasa. The beginning of affection marks ‘dasya rasa’. Garuda and Hanuman’s worship falls within this category. This Rasa also falls within the purview of Narayana pujan (worship of Lord Narayana). While in ‘Shanta Rasa’ there exists no active service, in ‘dasya rasa’ active service of the devotee is preeminent. Thus ‘Dasya rasa’ is a more evolved stage than ‘Santa rasa’. On the dasya rati platform a devotee is attached to rendering service to the Supreme Lord, and he is detached from material activities.