1 Issue 6 Octobre 2015 Monthly e-mail-magazine on Deity-Worship Content: - Nectar from Srila Prabhupada page 2 Today: About how to properly dress Gaura-Nitai - How the Deity reciprocates with His Devotee page 2-5 Today: Sanatana Gosvami and His Madana-Gopal - Portrait of a pujari page 5-6 Today: H.G. Vrajendra Kumar Das - News/Announcements page 6 Temple-Opening in Berlin, 19 June, 2015
2 Nectar from Srila Prabhupada: About how to properly dress Gaura-Nitai: them in skirt-dress outfit, that can be also. They may all five wear jewellery, why not? Letter 28 May, 1975 In your country, the Deity should not go without shirt. Gaura-Nitai may wear turbans. Nothing should be offered to Krishna unless it is prepared by the devotees themselves. Letter 12 February, 1972 Regarding the Panca-tattva deities, the pictures you have sent are very nice. Because they live in Bengal, dhoti, shirt and chaddar are the standard dress, and if they are dressed in this style with different colors, that is nice. They should normally always be dressed in dhoti, but if occasionally you dress Letter 4 January, 1973 You may dress Lord Caitanya in the standard way, main thing is do it nicely, don't make it funny. In your Western countries Lord Caitanya should be entirely covered, He should not appear bare-chested. How the Deity reciprocates with His Devotee Today: Sanatana Goswami and Sri Madana Gopal Mahaprabhu had said to Sanatana tomara sarira more pradhana sadhana Your body is the primary means for the fulfilment of my purpose. His purpose was now fulfilled. Sanatana had become too old. He decided to pass the remaining part of his life in exclusive bhajan in solitude. He began to do bhajan under a tree on the bank of Manasa-Ganga, near the temple of Chakreshvara Mahadeva. He withdrew his mind completely from the world so much so that he forgot even to eat and sometimes remained without food for days together. He slept hardly for an hour or two. Day and night he was
3 lost in the sweet contemplation of the lila of Radha-Govinda. Once he remained in this state without food and drink for a number of days. Madana Gopal could not bear this. He came to him in the guise of a herd-boy and said, Baba! You are here. No one knows you are here. I chanced to come this side, pasturing the cows and saw you. I have brought a pot of milk for you. Please drink. I shall take away the pot later. Further he added, We Vrajavasis feel much aggrieved to see you living like this under a tree. Why not for the sake of our happiness live in a cottage? Madana Gopal sat in the hearts of the Vrajavasis and inspired them to make a kuti for Sanatana. On their insistence he began to live in it. At that time Sanatana s face radiated with the light of supreme satisfaction that comes when the purpose of life is fulfilled, all the problems are solved, all the secrets are revealed and the truth is finally known. In the effulgence of that light he sat in a corner of his kuti, concealing the treasure of his learning and the height of spiritual attainment under the cover of humility like an unlettered destitute, who neither knew nor owned anything. Even then people came from far off places to see this god in the guise of a man. Pandits and philosophers came with their problems to find their solutions, sadhakas came to seek guidance and those who wanted to traverse the path of Bhakti, came to surrender at his feet and be initiated All returned satisfied and blest. It was Sanatana Gosvami s practice to circumambulate Govardhan every day. He observed it strictly as a rule of spiritual discipline he had imposed upon himself. He was now 90 years old and it was difficult for him to circumambulate. Still he did it. Once he fell down while circumambulating. A herd-boy lifted him and said, Baba, you are now old. It is not possible for you to walk seven krosha every day, circumambulating Govardhan. Give up that practice.
4 The soft touch of the boy produced tremor and horripilation in his body. His sweet words kept ringing in his ears. But he did not pay heed to them. Once again Sanatana Gosvami staggered and fell on the parikrama-path. The same boy met and lifted him and said, Baba, you do not listen. Even though old you do not give up parikrama. Thakur is won over by love, not by toil. Even then Baba continued parikrama. But he found himself in a predicament. The boy s image was so firmly printed upon his mind that he could not forget it even for a moment. Even when he sat down for meditation the image came up in his mind and stayed much against his will. One day, when he was lost in contemplation a new thought came to him. He began to think This Vrajavasi boy is so powerful that he can oust even my ishta from my mind and take complete possession of me, who has renounced all his kith and kin and everything worldly and whose vairagya has never faltered or wavered! No, this cannot be an ordinary boy. Then is it my Lord Madana Gopal Himself, who has been appearing before me in the guise of this boy? If I find him again I shall not let him go without knowing the secret. By chance the boy met him again on the parikrama-path one day and began to insist on his leaving the parikrama. Sanatana Gosvami held his feet and, resting his head over them, said in a painful voice, My Lord! Do not trick me anymore. Appear in Your real form and let me know what I should do. Giriraj is my life and soul, so is the parikrama of Giriraj. How can I leave the parikrama so long as I am alive? The Lord was pleased with his devotion. But He could not bear his exertion in parikrama. He must remove his exertion without disturbing the parikrama. As Sanatana raised his head to listen to His reply, he saw that instead of the boy, Madana Gopal stood before him. His right foot was placed on a Govardhanashila and He stood with a smile on His face and mercy in His eyes. He said in a tender voice, Sanatana, it pains me very much to see you tottering and staggering and falling on the parikrama-path again and again. If you do not want to give up Girirajparikrama, do the parikrama of this Giriraj-shila. This is my foot print on it. Your parikrama of this sila will amount to the parikrama of Giriraj.
5 Madana Gopal disappeared. Sanatana Gosvami brought the sila over his head to his kuti. He bathed it with holy water and began circumambulating it every day. During his last days Sanatana Gosvami would sit before the Giriraj-shila and be lost in japa and meditation. One day Sanatana Gosvami, sitting before the shila, was circumambulating Giriraj in smarana. Suddenly his face became radiant with the gloss of a supernatural effulgence and the sattvika-bhavas appeared all over his body. In a few moments he entered into Samadhi, his eyes became fixed and body motionless. On the parikramapath he met Giridhari, Who wanted to take him somewhere along with Him. But Sanatana tarried. Giridhari understood his mind. He then appeared before him in the form of the twin divinities of his heart Radha and Madana Mohan. He surrendered himself at Their lotusfeet, left the physical body and followed them in his spiritual manjari-form to the eternal nikunja, to serve Them in Their eternal pastime of love Pujari Portait: Today: Vrajendra kumara dasa 1. You are a disciple from? HH Bhaktibhusana Swami 2. In which place are you serving? Since when? I am serving in Goloka dhama from the very beginning here. My service is prasadam distribution since over 20 years.
6 3. Since when are you serving the Deities and how did you get attracted to that seva? In the beginning of 2015. Damodara priya mataji asked me if I could imagine to be a pujari. I was completely bewildered. Never bevor I did this service. Only after some days I was able to understand that Sri Sri Radha Madana Mohana want me to do this seva, so I agreed happily to do so. 4. What inspires you the most in your seva to the Deities? The whole situation, the clean atmosphere, to be close to the Deities, the serving mood in the Deity-room and the nice association with the pujaris. 5. Did you have personal experiences with the Deities which you would like to share? My whole spiritual life is dedicated to our Sri Sri Radha Madana Mohana, directly, I belong to Them. When I joined in 1986 on Janmastami on the German farm I was very poor and had only some unworthy things to give to the Deities as a present, nothing of what I thought to be of some real value. So then I decided to give my very self as a present. I was standing bevor the altar and spoke to Madana Mohana: From today on, I belong to You, forever. 6. What kind of advice would you like to give to a new devotee to help him getting attracted to serving the Deities? My meditation and question is always.. My dear Lord what is Your plan? So my advice to other devotees is to come bevor the Deities and ask in a humble mood: My dear Lord what is Your plan with me? - Be open minded... and cultivate this mood to be a servant of the servants. Krsna will chose you as a pujari if your mood of service is as He likes... Please send your questions concerning Deity-worship to the following e-mail-address:damodarapriya.sns@pamho.net they will be then forwarded to H.G. Pankhajanghri Prabhu and in the next issue of Sri Murti seva you will find the answers. News/Announcements: Tuesday, 3 rd November Wednesday, 11 th Nobember Thursday, 12 th November Sunday, 15 th November Bahulastami (Sri Radhakundas appearenceday) Dipavali (Day when Damodar-lila took place) Govardhan-puja Srila Prabhupada s disappearance-day