suddhabhakti

  Shiva's Nama-bhajan His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has described Shiva's attachment to hearing Krishna's name in chapter forty-three of his Nectar of Devotion: When the great sage Narada was chanting the glories of the Lord, the bluish line on the neck of Lord Shiva disappeared. Upon seeing this, Gauri, the wife of Lord Shiva, suspected Lord Shiva of being someone else disguised as her husband, and out of fear she immediately left his company. Krishna tells Shiva to Marry Shiva is not only attracted to hearing Krishna's name, but he is also very attached to chanting it. This fact is illustrated in many different Vedic literatures. The Brahma-vaivarta-Purāna (1.6.4-16) recounts a discussion between Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva: Krishna once summoned Shiva, who is famous as the best of the yogis, and told him, "You should ac-cept the goddess who rides a lion as your wife." Hearing Krishna's words, Shiva smiled and meekly replied, ...

  kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya- bhāvā sā sādhanābhidhā nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā Translation “ ‘When transcendental devotional service, by which love for Kṛṣṇa is attained, is executed by the senses, it is called sādhana-bhakti, or the regulative discharge of devotional service. Such devotion eternally exists within the heart of every living entity. The awakening of this eternal devotion is the potentiality of devotional service in practice.’ Purport This verse is found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.2). Because living entities are minute, atomic parts and parcels of the Lord, devotional service is already present within them in a dormant condition. Devotional service begins with śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting. When a man is sleeping, he can be awakened by sound vibration; therefore every conditioned soul should be given the chance to hear the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra chanted by a pure Vaiṣṇava. One who hears the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra thus vibrated is awakened...

The Lord and His associates appear and disappear by the will of the Lord. They are not subjected to the laws of material nature. No one was able to kill the family of the Lord, nor was there any possibility of their natural death by the laws of nature. The only means, therefore, for their disappearance was the make-show of a fight amongst themselves, as if brawling in intoxication due to drinking. That so-called fighting would also take place by the will of the Lord, otherwise, there would be no cause for their fighting. Just as Arjuna was made to be illusioned by family affection and thus the Bhagavad-gita was spoken, so the Yadu dynasty was made to be intoxicated by the will of the Lord, and nothing more. The devotees and associates of the Lord are completely surrendered, souls. Thus they are transcendental instruments in the hands of the Lord and can be used in any way the Lord desires. The pure devotees also enjoy such pastimes of the Lord because they want to see Him happy. Devote...

“Regarding the analogy comparing fire and its fuel to the soul and the body, one may argue that to some extent fire is dependent upon its fuel and cannot exist without it. Since we do not experience the existence of fire independent of fuel, one may therefore still question how it is possible for the living entity to exist separately from the body, become covered by it and eventually become free from it. Only through the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s knowledge potency (vidyā) can one clearly understand the nature of the living entity. By vidyā, or real knowledge, one may cut material existence to pieces and even in this lifetime experience spiritual reality. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, our material existence is an artificial imposition. By the Lord’s inconceivable potency of nescience, the qualities of gross and subtle material forms are psychologically imposed upon the living being, and because of misidentification with the body, the living entity initiates a ...

The varṇāśrama-dharma is prescribed for the civilized human being just to train him to successfully terminate human life. Self-realization is distinguished from the life of the lower animals engaged in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating.  Bhīṣmadeva advised for all human beings nine qualifications:  (1) not to become angry,  (2) not to lie,  (3) to equally distribute wealth,  (4) to forgive,  (5) to beget children only by one's legitimate wife,  (6) to be pure in mind and hygienic in body,  (7) not to be inimical toward anyone,  (8) to be simple, and  (9) to support servants or subordinates.  One cannot be called a civilized person without acquiring the above-mentioned preliminary qualities. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.26, Purport:  🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆   🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆   🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆   Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare   🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆   🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆 ...

Janaka Maharaja's Visit to Hell Janaka Maharaja is the father of Sita and a great devotee of Lord Ramachandra. It is described in Śrīmad Bhagavatam (6.3.20) that he is one of the twelve great authorities on religious principles in this universe. The following story from Padma Purāņa (pātālakhanda 18.31-77) of how Janaka Maharaja once visited hell illustrates the supreme potency of the holy name and the association with saintly persons. Lord Ananta Sesa once narrated a wonderful account of how King Janaka visited the abode of Yamaraja. After a long life, Janaka Maharaja gave up his body through the process of yoga. A divine airplane decorated with many bells descended and Janaka Maharaja boarded it. On the way the air-plane came near to the abode of Yamaraja, the lord of death. There, sinners were suffering pun-ishment in millions of hells. When the wind that had touched the body of Janaka came to them they felt great joy and their misery disappeared. Then those persons, oppressed b...