Jagat

Alanah and Jamie, a nice young couple from Nova Scotia, who are students staying here at Jiva, have been working the garden with organic methods and are breathing life into it. With our guests from Bhakti Marg contributing, the compost heaps are growing exponentially The time they have on their hands has given a positive result. Here it is April 23, 2020.  We have been in lockdown for more than a month. For some time now I have been reluctant to write and especially indifferent about revealing my personal situation. There were a couple of things that I did want  to say. I came back from Canada after a three month stay back in September last year. I think I was already on a bit of a downturn before leaving, with the residue of all that Vrindavan Today business that I went through back then. The whole episode still traumatizes me. Dr. Martins is here on the Jiva premises somewhere, but he is practicing social distancing with vigor and I have barely seen him once or twic...

Anuccheda 309 Self-offering ( ātma-nivedanam ) अथ आत्मनिवेदनम्। तच्च देहादिशुद्धात्मपर्यन्तस्य सर्वतोभावेन तस्मिन्नेवार्पणम्। तत्कार्यं चात्मार्थचेष्टाशून्यत्वं तन्न्यस्तात्मसाधनसाध्यत्वं तदर्थैकचेष्टामयत्वं च। Now we will discuss ātma-nivedanam , self-offering or self-dedication. This limb of devotion entails offering one’s entire being to Bhagavān, beginning from the body up to the pure self. It is characterized by an absence of striving for one's own self, the offering of all one’s practices and attainments to Bhagavān, and concentration of one’s endeavors exclusively for Bhagavān. इदं ह्यात्मार्पणं गोविक्रयवतो विक्रीतस्य गोर्वर्तनार्थं विक्रीतवता चेष्टा न क्रियते। तस्य च श्रेयःसाधकस्तं क्रीतवान् एव स्यात्। स च गौस्तस्यैव कर्म कुर्यात्, न पुनर्विक्रीतवतोऽपीति। This self-surrender can be compared to selling a cow. Once a cow is sold, the seller makes no further effort to maintain the cow, the purchaser becomes solely responsible for the cow’s welfare and the cow works on...

Radha Vrindavan Chandra Anuccheda 300 Offenses In Deity Worship एवं तादृशव्रतेष्वपि तत्तदुपासकानां स्वस्वेष्टदैवतव्रतं सुष्ठ्वेव विधेयमित्यागतम्। तथास्मिन् पादसेवार्चनमार्गे, यानैर्वा पादुकैर्वापि गमनं भगवद्गृहे इत्यादिना आगमोक्ता ये द्वात्रिंशदपराधाः, तथा "राजन्नभक्षणं चैवम्" इत्यादिना वाराहोक्ता ये च तत्सङ्ख्यकाः, तथा "मम शास्त्रं बहिष्कृत्य ह्यस्माकं यः प्रपद्यते" इत्यादिना, तदुक्ता ये चान्ये बहवस्ते सर्वे— It is thus understood that among all these vows, those that are specifically related to one’s own worshipful Bhagavān must be properly observed by the worshipers. On this path consisting of service to Bhagavān’s feet and worship of Bhagavān, one should avoid all offenses. This refers to the thirty-two offenses described in the Āgamas, such as the offense of entering a temple of Bhagavān wearing shoes or riding on a carriage. It also includes the thirty-two offenses described in the Varāha Purāṇa (116.5-36), beginning with eating the food ...

Chappana Bhoga at Govardhana. Anuccheda 296 The Process of Offering Food and Two Types of Bhaktas अथ नैवेद्यार्पणप्रसङ्गे (क्र.दी. ४.६२) यः क्रमदीपिकादर्शितोऽनिरुद्धनामात्मको मन्त्रस्तस्य स्थाने श्रीकृष्णैकान्तिकभक्तास्तु तन्मूलमन्त्रमेवेच्छन्ति। तथा यच्च तन्मुखज्योतिरनुगतत्वेन ध्यातुं विधीयते, तत् तु भोजनसमये तन्मुखप्रसादमेव मन्यन्ते। भोजनं तु यथा लोकसिद्धमेव नरलीलात्वात् श्रीकृष्णस्य। In the description of offering food to Bhagavān given in the Krama-dīpikā , there is mention of a mantra composed of the name Aniruddha ( Krama-dīpikā 4.62). The exclusive devotees of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, however, use the seed mantra of Kṛṣṇa in its place. And in regard to the prescription that one should meditate on the offering being infused with the effulgence emanating from Bhagavān’s face ( Krama-dīpikā 4.54), the same devotees instead visualize Kṛṣṇa’s face blossoming with happiness while eating. And Kṛṣṇa’s eating is like that of anyone else because He performs human-like pasti...