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His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness He Came with the Message of the Absolute World ISKCON s Purpose Kåñëa consciousness is more than another sectarian faith. It is a technical science of spiritual values that is fully described in the Vedic literature of ancient India. The aim of the Kåñëa consciousness movement is to acquaint all people of the world with these universal principles of God-realization, which lead to peace, unity, and, above all, spiritual understanding. The Vedas recommend that in the present age the most effective means for achieving selfrealization is to always hear about, glorify, and remember the all-good Supreme Lord, who is known by many names. One of these names is Kåñëa, which means He who is all-attractive, another is Räma, which means He who is the reservoir of all pleasure, and Hare indicates the Lord s inconceivable energy. Following the Vedic recommendation, the members of ISK- CON are always seen chanting Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. This sublime chanting puts us directly in touch with the Supreme Lord through the sound of His holy names and gradually awakens us to our original relationship with God. ISKCON s primary mission is thus to encourage all members of human society to devote at least a portion of their time and energies to this process of hearing and chanting about God. In this way they will gradually come to realize that all living beings are spirit souls, eternally related to the Supreme Lord in service and in love. Çréla Prabhupäda's Books Reveal the Perfect Knowledge of the Vedas The Vedas advise that in this human form of life we should be inquisitive to know who we are, what the universe is, what God is, and what the relationship is between ourselves, the universe, and God. We should inquire about the solution to the ultimate problems of life, namely birth, death, old age, and disease. Such questions cannot be asked by the cats and dogs, but they must arise in the heart of a real human being. If we can accept the importance of this type of inquiry, our next consideration will naturally be where to find authoritative answers to such questions. Clearly, if perfect knowledge of the self, the universe, and God exists at all, that knowledge would have to be of a standard higher than just your opinion or my opinion, or for that matter Freud s or Einstein s or anyone else s opinion. Because all of us have imperfect senses and because we are all prone to make mistakes, our relative opinions about matters beyond our experience can supply neither valid nor reliable information. The Vedas are not compilations of human knowledge. Vedic knowledge comes from the spiritual world, from Lord Kåñëa. Thus our attempt to approach such matters empirically will be fraught with various imperfections and ultimately fail. Therefore, so-called truths established exclusively on the basis of mental speculation cannot help us understand the Absolute Truth, which is beyond the reach of the imperfect senses and mind. The Vedas explain that if we want to know about things beyond the jurisdiction of our experience beyond the limitations of human perception and cognition the process is to hear from one who knows. The transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was first uttered by the Supreme Lord Himself. The Lord, the supremely powerful being, cannot fall under the influence of any other force. Therefore, His knowledge must be perfect. And anyone who transmits that knowledge without change gives the same perfect knowledge. We need only accept this proposition theoretically to progress in our understanding of Vedic thought. The idea is that the perfect knowledge of the Vedas has been preserved over time by transmission through an unbroken chain of spiri- 2
tual masters. Çréla Prabhupäda represents one such disciplic chain or succession. That succession goes back thousands of years to Lord Kåñëa Himself. Thus the knowledge found within Çréla Prabhupäda's books is the same as that originally imparted by the Supreme Lord. Çréla Prabhupäda did not manufacture truths. He merely delivered the timeless teachings of the original Vedas without addition, deletion, or change. The writings of Çréla Prabhupäda are represented mainly by three Vedic texts the Bhagavadgétä, Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and Caitanya-caritämåta. Together these works of literature comprise more than twenty-five volumes of detailed information constituting the original Vedic science of God-realization, or bhägavata-dharma. Their translation into the English language, along with elaborate explanations, constitutes Çréla Prabhupäda's most significant Sri Sri Gaura Nitai 35th Installation Anniversary contribution to the spiritual, intellectual, and cultural life of the world. Çréla Prabhupäda's Books Present a Universal Science of God-Realization The Vedic teachings presented in Çréla Prabhupäda's books can be summarized under three general headings, known in Sanskrit as sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. Sambandha means our relationship with God, abhidheya means acting in that relationship, and prayojana means the ultimate goal or perfection. These three divisions of understanding represent universal principles common to all religious teachings of the world. The knowledge described in Çréla Prabhupäda's books enables anyone to advance in his or her understanding of God without having to change current religious, national, or cultural affiliations. The science of how to understand God, how to understand one s relationship with God, and how to develop love for God has nothing to do with sectarian designations like Christian, Hindu, or Jew. These are objectives no religion in the world could deny. They are, in other words, the essence of religion universal features by which all religions may be understood. Preferences regarding God s holy name may differ from one religion to another, modes of worship may differ, and details of ritual and doctrine may differ as well. But the test is how much the practitioner actually develops knowledge of God and love for God. Real religion means to learn to love God. And how to love God is the sum and substance of the teachings found in Çréla Prabhupäda's books. (Source: BBT) The Seven Highly Effective Purposes of ISKCON On July 11, 1966, Srila Prabhupada incorporated a new religious movement called ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The seven Purposes of ISKCON: 1. To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world. 2. To propagate a consciousness of Krishna (God), as it is revealed in the great scriptures of India, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. 3. To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna). 4. To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God, as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. 5. To erect for the members and for society at large a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the personality of Krishna. 6. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler, more natural way of life. 7. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings. 3
Srila Prabhupada Pranama Mantra nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale çrémate bhaktivedänta-svämin iti nämine namas te särasvate deve gaura-väëé-pracäriëe nirviçeña-çünyavädi-päçcätya-deça-täriëe I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda, who is very dear to Lord Kåñëa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism. Message from ISKCON Governing Body Commissioner We live in an age of great social challenge, a time when moral values decay by the minute and when marked by the dysfunctional family and a soaring dependency on a synthetic life-style of anger, greed, and lust. Referred to as Kali-yuga, the age of disharmony and quarrel, a victim of our times may wonder if there is some hope for residents of such a world? Perhaps the most significant event to have occurred in troubled times was the descent of Chaitanya and His spiritual brother Nityananda, two personifications of hope for the age. In the year 1486 at the height of social discord Chaitanya was born. Along with associate, Nityananda, their greatest contribution was the bold introduction of kirtan, chanting and in particular the maha mantra Hare Krishna. For thirty-five years now the power and presence of these two persons have graced the nation s capital, Ottawa, with their coming in the form of two exquisite shining deities known more affectionately as Gaura Nitai. The 212 Somerset Street address has been home to these deities. For that length of time people have enjoyed their powerful presence and in that company taken to the ultimate decontaminant of chanting, indulged in delicious vegan dishes blessed as prasadam by these deities as well as learned the science of Krishna Consciousness. The loyal keepers of these Gaura Nitai deities have been Shankar dasa, Shanti devi dasi and their next generation, Nanda Kumar dasa and Sri Radha devi dasi and are to be given credit through our guru s mercy His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. A real special thanks for their continued devotional output and to their community members. A great congratulations on this fine anniversary which defines an amazing achievement of excellent devotional service standard. May their influence spread like wildfire. Yours sincerely Bhaktimarga Swami ISKCON Governing Body Commissioner (Canada) 4
ISKCON Ottawa Sri Sri Gaura Nitai 35th Installation Anniversary International Society for Krishna Consciousness Founder-Acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 212 Somerset St. East Ottawa, ON, K1N 6V4, Canada Tel: 613-565-6544 Web: www.ottawa.iskcon.ca Message from ISKCON Ottawa Temple President His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who on the order of his esteemed Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, made that faithful journey to the west in 1965. It is only because of his Divine Grace that we are now so fortunate to have this opportunity to celebrate the 35th installation anniversary of the most merciful Lordships, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai (Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda) in Canada's capital, Ottawa. Just as his Divine Grace left Sri Vrindavana Dhama and benedicted the entire planet with his merciful travels, on his most sincere request, the Supreme Lord in His various deity forms became manifest in "every town and village." One such manifestation is that of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai here in Ottawa. On one of Srila Prabhupada s transcendental tours, after visiting Caracas, Miami and then arriving in Atlanta, for the first time, he introduced to the devotees the bhajan, Parama Karuna (complete bhajan and translation is included in this booklet). At that time, in all the three cities there were only deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai installed. He instructed the devotees that they did not need anything else but these two Lords, Nitai and Gauracandra, and simply by being fully absorbed and engaged in Their loving service their lives would become perfect and qualified to go "back home, back to Godhead." Following this instruction, we at the Ottawa branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) are fully confident and satisfied that by sincerely applying this instruction, we have everything needed and all facilities to make our lives perfect and become qualified to join his Divine Grace on our journey, "back to home, back to Godhead." By the causeless mercy of Srila Prabhupada and the mercy of his faithful pioneering devotees, the Ottawa community has been blessed with the privilege to serve Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda since 1975. By that same causeless mercy, my wife, Shanti devi dasi and I have been given entrance into Their sanga, where after having received the start of the flow of the blessings from the devotees in Montreal in 1976, we moved to Ottawa in 1977. Along with our two children, Nanda Kumara dasa and Sri Radha devi dasi, we have been extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to be engaged in the loving service of Srila Prabhupada and Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. We are also fortunate to have the help and guidance of senior devotees and a growing core group of very committed, dedicated and sincere newer/ younger followers. Although Srila Prabhupada has already given us everything to make our lives perfect and complete, we realize that to attain that perfection it requires practical application. We therefore take this opportunity to beg and pray for the mercy of his Divine Grace and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai so that we can become worthy recipients of this special opportunity, along with all Their existing faithful servants and the many more to come in the future. We pray to commit and dedicate ourselves to Their transcendental service, always being faithfully guided by Srila Prabhupada s instructions of, Books are the basis, preaching is the essence, purity is the force and utility is the principle, with special emphasis on the yuga dharma, Harinama Sankirtan, which these two Lords, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, advented to propagate for the benefit of all living entities. Sincerely, Shankar dasa ISKCON Ottawa Temple President Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare 5
Çré-Çré-Gaura-Nityänandera Dayä (The Mercy of Gaura and Nityänanda) by Locana däsa Öhäkura parama karuëa, pahuï dui jana, nitäi-gauracandra saba avatära, sära çiromaëi, kevala-änanda-kanda bhaja bhaja bhäi, caitanya-nitäi, sudåòha viçväsa kori viñaya chäòiyä se rase majiyä, mukhe bolo hari hari dekha ore bhäi, tri-bhuvane näi, emona dayäla dätä paçu-päkhé jhure, päñäëa vidare çuni yära guëa-gäthä soàsäre majiyä, rohili paòiyä, se pade nahilo äça äpana koroma, bhuïjäye çamana, kohoye locana-däsa Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda This is a song by Locana däsa Öhäkura. Pahuì means "Lord," and dui jana means "two." Locana däsa Öhäkura declares that the two Lords Nitäi-Gauracandra Lord Nitäi and Lord Caitanya are very merciful (parama karuëa). Saba avatära sära-çiromaëi. Avatära means "incarnation," and saba means "all." They are the essence of all incarnations. The specific significance of these incarnations is that prosecuting Their way of self-realization is simply joyful (kevala-änanda-kanda), for They introduced chanting and dancing. There are many incarnations like Lord Räma and even Kåñëa, who taught Bhagavad-gétä, which requires knowledge and understanding. But Lord Caitanya and Nityänanda introduced a process that is simply joyful which is simply to chant and dance. Therefore, Locana däsa requests everyone: bhaja bhaja bhäi, caitanya-nitäi. "My dear brother, I request that you just worship Lord Caitanya and Nityänanda with firm conviction and faith." Don't think that this chanting and dancing will not lead to the desired goal. It will. It is the assurance of Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu that one will get all perfection by this process. Therefore one must chant with firm faith and conviction (viçväsa kori). But what is the process? The process is viñaya chäòiyä, se rase majiyä. If one wants to be Kåñëa conscious by this process, one has to give up his engagement in sense gratification. That is the only restriction. If one gives up sense gratification, it is sure that he will reach the desired goal. Mukhe bolo hari hari: one simply has to chant Hare Kåñëa, Hari Hari, without any motive of sense gratification. Dekha ore bhäi, tri-bhuvane näi. Locana däsa Öhäkura says, "My dear brother, you just try and examine this. Within the three worlds there is no one like Lord Caitanya or Lord Nityänanda, because Their merciful qualities arc so great that They make even birds and beasts cry, what to speak of human beings." Actually, when Lord Caitanya passed through the forest known as Jhärikhaëòa, the tigers, elephants, snakes, deer, and all other animals joined Him in chanting Hare Kåñëa. It is so nice that anyone can join. Even the animals can join, what to speak of human beings. Of course, it is not possible for ordinary men to induce animals to chant, but if Caitanya Mahäprabhu could inspire animals to chant, at least we can encourage human beings to adopt this path of Hare Kåñëa mantra chanting. It is so nice that even the most stonehearted man will be melted. Päñäëa means "stone." It is so nice that even stone will melt. But Locana däsa Öhäkura regrets that he is entrapped by sense gratification. He addresses himself, "My dear mind, you arc entrapped in this sense gratification process, and you have no attraction for chanting Hare Kåñëa. Since you have no attraction for the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityänanda, what can I say? I can simply think of my misfortune. Yamaräja, the superintendent of death, is punishing me by not allowing me to be attracted by Lord Caitanya's movement." 6
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GOVINDA S Hare Krishna Dining Room All You Can Eat Vegetarian/Vegan Buffet Fresh, Healthy, Wholesome & Affordable Sri Krishna Janmastami September 1, 2010 Join us in celebrating the auspicious occasion of Lord Krishna s Birthday! Festivities will include bhajans, reading of pastimes, abhiseka, kirtan, prasadam, and more! Dining: Mon. Fri. 5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Sunday: Special Yoga Festival Starting at 5:00 PM (An evening of chanting, dancing, and feasting!) Join Us For: Aarti Vedic ceremony with chanting; Mantra Meditation The process to free the mind from anxiety, distress, and duality; Philosophical Discussion on: Bhakti-yoga, karma, reincarnation, selfrealization, etc.; Sumptuous Vegetarian Dinner 212 Somerset St. East, Ottawa, Tel: 565-6544 (Near Ottawa U. Just East of King Edward) For more details on temple festivals, visit: www.ottawa.iskcon.ca Prabhupada Vyasa-puja September 2, 2010 Join us in celebrating the glorious appearance anniversary of His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON s Founder Acarya To the Dedicated devotees and Supporters of the ISKCON Ottawa Centre We extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the faithful devotees at our Ottawa temple. Many of you have sincerely taken Vaishnava initiation, or are aspiring for initiation. We extend our sincerest gratitude also to the Ottawa community as a whole, the Montreal and Toronto devotees who regularly attend our annual Canada day festival. All of you have greatly supported the activities of the Ottawa centre. You participate so enthusiastically in festivals, book distribution, preaching, maintenance of the buildings, deity worship, prasadam distribution, Harinam sankirtan and many more valuable service. Again we are eternally grateful for all your support and many thanks to you. We pray that the beautiful form of Lord Gauracandra resides eternally in your hearts. May the glories of Srila Prabhupada be eternally heard and sung. Shankar dasa; Shanti devi dasi; Nanda Kumara dasa & Sri Radha devi dasi 15
Hare Krishna Maha Mantra The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the sublime method of reviving our Krsna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called maya, or illusion. Maya means "that which is not." And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to imitate the allpowerful master, this is called illusion. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. Therefore, although we are engaged in a hard struggle to conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This illusory struggle against material nature can be stopped at once by revival of our Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind; this consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. And this process is recommended for this age by authorities. By practical experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can at once feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum. And when one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding -- surpassing the stages of senses, mind, and intelligence -- one is situated on the transcendental plane. This chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness -- namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation or any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous qualification, and dance in ecstasy. We have seen this practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it. Of course, for one who is too entangled in material life, it takes a little more time to come to the standard point but even such a materially engrossed man is raised to the spiritual platform very quickly. When the mantra is chanted by a pure devotee of the Lord in love, it has the greatest efficacy on the hearers, and as such, this chanting should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effects can be achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of nondevotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects. The word Hara is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krsna and Rama are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Krsna and Rama mean "the supreme pleasure," and Hara is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord. The material energy, called maya, is also one of the multi- energies of the Lord. And we, the living entities, are also the energy -- marginal energy -- of the Lord. The living entities are described as superior to material energy. When the superior energy is in contact with the inferior energy, in incompatible situation arises; but when the superior marginal energy is in contact with the superior energy, called Hara, the living entity is established in his happy, normal condition. These three words, namely Hare, Krsna, and Rama, are the transcendental seeds of the mahamantra. The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the grace of the supreme father, Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely. No other means of spiritual realization, therefore, is as effective in this age as chanting the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. 16
Lord Caitanya: The Golden Avatära By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, the golden avatära, appeared in India nearly 500 years ago. It is the custom in India that when a child is born, an astrologer is called for. When Lord Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared 5,000 years ago, Gargamuni was called by His father, and he said, "This child formerly incarnated in five complexions, such as red and golden, and now He has appeared in blackish color." Kåñëa s color is described in the scriptures as blackish, just like a cloud. Lord Caitanya is understood to be Kåñëa appearing in golden complexion. There are many evidences in Vedic literature that Caitanya Mahäprabhu is an incarnation of Kåñëa, and this is confirmed by scholars and devotees. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam it is confirmed that the incarnation of Kåñëa or God in this present age, Kali-yuga, will always engage in describing Kåñëa. He is Kåñëa, but as a devotee of Kåñëa He describes Himself. And in this age His bodily complexion will not be blackish. This means that it may be white, it may be red, or it may be yellow because these four colors white, red, yellow and black are the colors assumed by the incarnations for the different ages. Therefore, since the red, white and blackish colors were already taken by former incarnations, the remaining color, golden, is assumed by Caitanya Mahäprabhu. His complexion is not blackish, but He is Kåñëa. Another feature of this avatära is that He is always accompanied by His associates. In the picture of Caitanya Mahäprabhu one will find that He is always followed by many devotees chanting. Whenever God incarnates He has two missions, as stated in Bhagavad-gétä. There Kåñëa says, Whenever I appear, My mission is to deliver the pious devotees and to annihilate the demons. When Kåñëa appeared, He had to kill many demons. If we see a picture of Viñëu we will notice that He has a conchshell, lotus flower, club and disc. These last two items are meant for killing demons. Within this world there are two classes of men the demons and the devotees. The devotees are called demigods; they are almost like God because they have godly qualities. Those who are devotees are called godly persons, and those who are nondevotees, atheists, are called demons. So Kåñëa, or God, comes with two missions: to give protection to the devotees and to destroy the demons. In this age Caitanya Mahäprabhu s mission is also like that: to deliver the devotees and to annihilate the nondevotees, the demons. But in this age He has a different weapon. That weapon is not a club or disc or lethal weapon His weapon is the saìkértana movement. He killed the demonic mentality of the people by introducing thc saìkértana movement. That is the specific significance of Lord Caitanya. In this age people are already killing themselves. They have discovered atomic weapons with which to kill themselves, so there is no need for God to kill them. But He appeared to kill their demonic mentality. That is possible by this Kåñëa consciousness movement. Therefore, in Çrémad- Bhägavatam it is said that this is the incarnation of God in this age. And who worships Him? The process is very simple. Just keep a picture of Lord Caitanya with His associates. Lord Caitanya is in the middle, accompanied by His principal associates Nityänanda, Advaita, Gadädhara and Çréväsa. One simply has to keep this picture. One can keep it anywhere. It is not that one has to come to us to see this picture. Anyone can have this picture in his home, chant this Hare Kåñëa mantra, and thus worship Lord Caitanya. That is the simple method. But who will capture this simple method? Those who have good brains. Without much bother, if one simply keeps a picture of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu at home and chants Hare Kåñëa, then one will realize God. Anyone can adopt this simple method. There is no expenditure, there is no tax, nor is there any need to build a very big church or temple. Anyone, anywhere, can sit down on the road or beneath a tree and chant the Hare Kåñëa mantra and worship God. Therefore it is a great opportunity. For example, in business or political life one sometimes finds a great opportunity. Those who are intelligent politicians take a good opportunity and make a success of it the first time it comes. Similarly, in this age, those who have sufficient intelligence take to this saìkértana movement, and they advance very quickly. 17
Çré Çikñäñöaka Eight Verses of Instruction by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the Science of Kåñëa, a task which those who follow Him have continued to carry out down to the present day. The elaborations and expositions on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are in fact most voluminous, exacting and consistent due to the system of disciplic succession. Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses, called Çikñäñöaka. These eight verses clearly reveal His mission and precepts. These supremely valuable prayers are translated herein. 1) Glory to the sri-krsna-sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. 2) O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them. 3) One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly. 4) O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth. 5) O son of Maharaja Nanda (Krsna), I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet. 6) O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name? 7) O Govinda! Feeling Your separations I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence. 8) I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally If anyone recites or hears these eight verses of instruction by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, his ecstatic love and devotion for Krsna increase day by day. 18
nityanandam aham naumi sarvananda karam-param harinama pradam devam avdhuta shiromanim I bow down to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Who awards the highest joy of all, the bestower of the Holy Name and the crest jewel of all paramahamsa mendicants. namo maha-vadanyaya krishna-prema-pradaya te krishnaya krishna-chaitanya namne gaura-tvise namah O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden colour of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You. Best wishes from Guruprasada dasa and family Russell Music Academy Music, band, voice and tap dance lessons available Say Gaura-Nitai and receive a 25% discount! 1097 Concession St., Russell, ON., K4R 1C9 613-496-0115 www.russellmusic. *25% discount applied to the first lesson A special thanks to the Kumar family who graciously sponsored the printing of this publication Best Wishes. In service of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, The Waclawski Family 19
ISKCON Ottawa ~ Sri Sri Gaura Nitai ~ 1975 2010 20