suddhabhakti

  The Lord demands that one surrender unto Him (sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja), and He further says: sakṛd eva prapanno yas tavāsmīti ca yācate abhayaṁ sarvadā tasmai dadāmy etad vrataṁ mama “If one surrenders unto Me sincerely, saying, ‘My Lord, from this day I am fully surrendered unto You,’ I always give him protection. That is My vow.” (Rāmāyaṇa, Yuddha-kāṇḍa 18.33) The demigods offered their prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because He had now appeared in the womb of His devotee Devakī to protect all the devotees harassed by Kaṁsa and his lieutenants. Thus the Lord acts as satyavrata. The protection given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be compared to the protection given by the demigods. It is said that Rāvaṇa was a great devotee of Lord Śiva, but when Lord Rāmacandra went to kill him, Lord Śiva could not give him protection. Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, accompanied by great sages like Nārada and followed by many other demigods, had no...

  Tulasi - Shaligram Vivaha   This is the celebration of the marriage ceremony of Srimati Tulsi Devi and Lord Sri Krishna.   Marriage of Shalagrama and Tulasi written by Sri Padmanabha Gosai. Shri Vasishthaji said that what I have heard in ancient times from Lord Brahma about the marriage of Tulasi I will now describe according to what is written in the Narada-pancaratra. First one should plant Tulasi either in the house or the forest, and after three years one may perform her marriage. The auspicious times when one may perform the marriage of Shalagrama and Tulasi are described as follows. When the sun is moving in the north, Jupiter and Venus are rising, in the month of Kartika, from the Ekadashi to the full moon in the month of Magha, and when constellations that are auspicious for marriage appear, especially the full moon day. - First one should arrange a place for sacrifice (yajna-kunda) under a canopy (mandapa). Then after performing shanti-vidhana, one should insta...