Nitai Gaura Hari Bol!

General, ,

I am new in ISKCON. I want to know about deity left to Lord Krishna (Gaur Nimai), so that I can worship Them sincerely.

It is very nice to hear from you that you are interested to know about Them. I would to like to make few corrections.
Deities right to Krishna are Sri Sri Gaur Nitai and not Gaur Nimai. Gaur means Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Nimai is another name for Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Also usually They are kept to the right to Krishna and not to left.

Gaura Nitai are merciful incarnations for the age of Kali. They appeared almost 500 years before in the district of Nadia, in West Bengal. They may appear similar. Amongst Them, toward our left is Lord Nityananda, who is none other than Sri Balaramji. And on the right is Lord Chaitanya, who is none other than Lord Krishna. Please read ‘Teachings of Lord Chaitanya’ to know more about Them.

Since They are very merciful, Their worship is also very simple and purifying. Best way of worshiping Them is to chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra in a prescribed manner and participate in the congregational chanting with all the devotees.

Bead bag mystery!

Chanting

Chanting is recommended in every religion. Why do devotees in ISKCON hide their beads while chanting?

Chanting beads are very sacred and their sanctity should be preserved. While chanting, beads should not be touching ground or our feet. If they are kept open, they are likely to become more dirty. To avoid these circumstances we use bead bag.

Marich as golden deer

Scriptures, , , , ,

Why did Marich in Ramayana took the name of Lakshman first though he was not prepared to do so nor was he told to act so by Ravana and also why did he utter them after he was shot By Lord Rama?

This was an evil plan of Ravana. Although Marich was unwilling to become a golden deer, Ravana forced him to accept that role. He conspired a plan to abduct Mother Sita. He explained to Marich how he should allure mother Sita by his graceful feats and when she wants to have that wonderful dancing golden deer, he should play hide and seek with Lord Rama. When Lord Rama follows it, let Him go more deep in the forest. He knew that Lord Rama will not allow mother Sita to be alone anytime and He shall ask Lakshman to protect Her from dangers in the forests. When Lord Rama shoots an arrow to kill him, he should call out, “O Sita!, O Lakshman!” imitating the sound of Lord Rama. When Lakshman thinks that His brother is in difficulty, He shall leave mother Sita alone to go to help Him. This is the time, when Ravana shall come to execute his evil plan.

‘Fall-down’ of devotees

General,

Even though the process of Krishna consciousness is so blissful then why do senior devotees sometimes fall down or leave the movement?

Yes, it is true that the process of Krishna consciousness is blissful. However one should practice in right attitude.
The falldown of senior devotees should not be considered ordinary.
There are two reasons for this :
1. If one commits offense toward Krishna’s devotees and
2. It is the plan of the Supreme Lord.

Although sometimes they may go away from the movement for some time, Krishna never forsakes them.
The progress or advancement they have done on this path is never lost.
Sooner or later they shall come more closer to Krishna.

According to Lord Krishna, even if someone commits most abominable activity, however he continues to take shelter of Krishna through His devotional service, he should be considered saintly.

Sometimes it is better to be a fallen devotee and remember Lord Krishna with great intensity than to be a so called devotee and to become proud.
As Srila Prabhupada rightly gives one important example: A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan meditator who meditates only for the sake of making a living. (BG 3.7, Purport)

Cause of all causes

Creation, Krishna, ,

I read in the Srimad Bhagvatam that Lord Krishna is the creator of everything that exists including demigods. However how did Krishna come into existence. I know that He always existed before but yet there should be a time when He also got into creation. Kindly explain.

It is explained in Katha Upanishad, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam which means that there are 2 eternals, one is the eternal living entity and the other is eternal Supreme Lord. In the material world we do not have experience of any object which does not have origin. Every object in the material world has beginning, middle and an end.

However spiritual objects are opposite to material objects in the sense that they do not have beginning and an end. They exist eternally. Therefore when we explain God has no beginning that means we can not put a particular date at which He came into existence.

By definition He is the beginning of everything,
ishvarah paramah krishnah
sac-cid-ananda vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva karanam karanam
He is the cause of all causes. If He had some cause, then that cause would have been the superior to Him. This is little difficult to understand in the beginning, however it is possible to understand it by performing devotional service to Lord Krishna.

Brahmana and Vaishnava

General, , , ,

What is the line of distinction between a Brahmana and a Vaishnava?

1. Vaishnavas are pure devotees of Lord Krishna/Vishnu. Brahmanas may not be.
2. Vaishnavas are beyond the modes of nature (i.e. Ignorance, Passion and even Goodness) or in other words they are liberated souls enjoying spiritual happiness in shuddha bhakti in purified Goodness. Brahmanas are in Goodness and thus bound in material world or samsara, knowledge or jnana and happiness or sattva guna.
3. Vaishnavas know Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. Brahmana knows only Brahman (spirit).
4. The 10th Canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam contains a chapter where caste yagnic brahmanas were approached by Balaram and the cowherd boys for food, but the brahmanas didn’t recognize their Lord. However their wives exactly knew who Krishna and Balarama are and surrendered their very lives to Them. This is a very good episode in Srimad Bhagavatam, to understand the difference between Brahmana and Vaishnava.

Bhakti – pure love for Krishna

Devotional Service,

Would you please explain in detail the relation between Bhakti and Love?

Bhakti means love of God or as Srila Prabhupada would often translate the word, pure devotional service to God. (The Sanskrit root of the word bhakti is bhaj, which means loving service). Because Krishna is the origin of everything, He is the origin of love also.

There is much more to loving Krishna than just saying, to love God. We attain pure love for Krishna through a gradual process that takes us through progressively higher realms of Bhakti. The three progressive stages are: (1) regulated practice, (2) attachment, and finally (3) pure love. Fortunately, we can begin the process at any point in life or wherever we are in our spiritual journey.

The Bhakti process is systematic and is laid out in detail by the followers of Sri Chaitanya in books such as Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (presented by Srila Prabhupada as The Nectar of Devotion). These books provide not only instructions but also guideposts by which the student of Bhakti can evaluate his or her progress.

Heart and Soul

Soul

If a person undergoes heart transplant then what happens to the soul?

Just as you get up from one chair and sit on another chair the soul leaves the previous heart and occupies the new heart.  As by changing the chair the person is not changed, similarly by changing the heart the soul is not changed.  A soul is not glued to the heart but a soul sits in region of heart or rather occupies it.

Meaning of Mahamantra

Chanting, , ,

Would you please explain in detail the meaning of Mahamantra?

In our modern age, the most recommended process to awaken our spiritual life is to chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

The word Krishna is a name of God meaning “the all-attractive one,” Rama means “the all-pleasing one,” and Hare is an invocation to Hara, Krishna’s internal spiritual energy.
Thus the Hare Krishna mantra is a prayer to the Lord and His energy for the privilege of engaging in His service. If we regularly hear and chant this sound vibration, we will become pure, enlightened, and awake to our eternal life of bliss and knowledge in the service of the Lord.

Soul is always active

Bhagavad Gita, Soul

Please give some reference from the scriptures mentioning that the soul is always active.

Here is the shloka no. 3.5 from Bhagavad-Gita As it is with complete translation and purport by His Divine A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

na hi kascit ksanam api jatu tisthaty akarma-krt
karyate hy avasah karma sarvah prakrti-jair gunaih

TRANSLATION
Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he has acquired from the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment.

PURPORT
It is not a question of embodied life, but it is the nature of the soul to be always active. Without the presence of the spirit soul, the material body cannot move. The body is only a dead vehicle to be worked by the spirit soul, which is always active and cannot stop even for a moment. As such, the spirit soul has to be engaged in the good work of Krishna consciousness, otherwise it will be engaged in occupations dictated by illusory energy. In contact with material energy, the spirit soul acquires material modes, and to purify the soul from such affinities it is necessary to engage in the prescribed duties enjoined in the sastras. But if the soul is engaged in his natural function of Krishna consciousness, whatever he is able to do is good for him.