suddhabhakti

  Kāñcī Abhijāna: The Divine Triumph of Lord Jagannātha’s Servant The pastimes of the Supreme Lord and His unalloyed devotees are saturated with transcendental sweetness and deep spiritual lessons. Among the historical accounts of the solar dynasty of Orissa, the pastime of Kāñcī Abhijāna —the holy expedition to Kāñcī—stands out as a brilliant testament to how Śrī Jagannātha Deva personally protects the honor of His pure servants. In Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava philosophy, the relationship between the Lord and His devotee is never impersonal; it is full of reciprocal love, emotion, and dramatic pastimes. The Devout King and the Custom of Cherā Pahāñrā Once, a great king named Śrī Puruṣottama Deva ruled over the sacred state of Orissa. He belonged to the illustrious Ganga dynasty and was a topmost devotee of Lord Jagannātha. King Puruṣottama Deva did not consider himself the true proprietor of the kingdom; rather, he viewed Lord Jagannātha as the actual King and Supreme Ruler of the land, whil...

  The Glories of Śrī Dāsia Bāuri: The Pure Devotee of Nīlācala The Supreme Lord acts in mysterious and wonderful ways. Sometimes, He arranges for His most exalted, confidential devotees to appear in socially low-class families. He does this intentionally to display the absolute superiority of pure devotion ( bhakti ) over all external material considerations, such as caste, wealth, or social status. In Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya 10.100), Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura describes this truth unequivocally: ye te kule vaiṣṇavera janma kene nahi tathāpi sarvottama sarva-śāstre kahe "A Vaiṣṇava may take birth in any family. Why not? All the revealed scriptures declare that a Vaiṣṇava is the best of all persons." The Birth and Early Life of a Hidden Saint Śrī Dāsia Bāuri was such an unalloyed devotee. He appeared in the 1790s in the village of Baligram, located about 48 kilometers from the holy city of Purī (Śrī Kṣetra). Born in a dark-complexioned body, Dāsia and his family bel...

WHO IS SENIOR? A story from chapter 18 of the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya In ancient times a group of sages met together on the bank of the Ganges to discuss about the topics of Krishna. When the great sage Markandeya Rishi, who was seven kalpas old, arrived, everyone offered him obeisances and a seat of respect. [One kalpa is about 4.32 billion years.] Markandeya Rishi then noticed the young boy Parashara sitting on the lap of his father. Although the boy was only seven years old, Markandeya got down and offered his obeisances to the young boy. Seeing this, all the assembled sages became surprised and confused. Parashara jumped up and fell at the feet of the elderly Rishi Markandeya. Markandeya then lifted the boy up and said, "You are older than all of us, therefore we worship you. Please tell us your age." The young Parashara replied, "What mystery is this? Markandeya Rishi is seven kalpas old, whereas I am a mere boy of seven years." markandeyo 'tha vihasan prāha ...

prāṇasya śodhayen mārgaṁ pūra-kumbhaka-recakaiḥ pratikūlena vā cittaṁ yathā sthiram acañcalam Translation The yogī should clear the passage of vital air by breathing in the following manner: first he should inhale very deeply, then hold the breath in, and finally exhale. Or, reversing the process, the yogi can first exhale, then hold the breath outside, and finally inhale. This is done so that the mind may become steady and free from external disturbances. Purport These breathing exercises are performed to control the mind and fix it on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ: the devotee Ambarīṣa Mahārāja fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. The process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and to hear the sound attentively so that the mind is fixed upon the transcendental vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s name, which is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa the personality. The real purpose of controlling the mind by the prescribed method of c...

  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, ...