Connecting disciples of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami
Hare Krishna,
Over the last 40 years,Gurumaharaj has given answers to a lot a
questions on a various topics.In this page,we are trying to compile
all these questions and answers.Please feel free to
contribute.Please ensure that the date and place of the lecture is
also mentioned.
Q: What are the standards regarding Indians who ask Tulasi plants for their home worship? Bhakti Rasa Das TKG 10 May 1994
I heard Srila Prabhupada mention that giving someone a tulasi plant included being responsible for how they treated the plant, etc. Eg: it could bring some reactions. Therefore, usually only initiated people are given plants. Srila PRabhupada did say that we can give tulasi seeds to people and they can plant their own plants and that doesn’t attract ant reactions. 12 May 1994
Q: I have got Nilacala Mahaprabhu deities – Gaura nitai who are walking to Jagannath Puri (one hand up, second down). What’s the proper way to put Them on the altar. Who is Lord Caitanya and who is Lord Nityananda? Mahasakti DA NRS 01.07. 1994
Ø When one hand is up and the other
down they are considered to be dancing in ecstasy.
Two down is accepting all the fallen souls.
Regarding the form of Nitai Gaura with two hands up I have heard
several versions but one is that they are also dancing but in
the mood of praying to Lord Krsna, ie, in showing us how to
surrender to Krsna.
Nitai’s base is usually colored with a blue lotus and Lord Caitanay
Mahraprabhu’s with a pink or red lotus. 05.07.1994
Ø Usually the positions of hands and
feet in ancient Deities established by associates of
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu are used as a basis for knowing about the
position of hands pr feet on Gaura Nitai Deities.
What is more important is when the Deities are established who was
called into which Deity. Sometimes Gaura is called in one and Nitai
the other and some pujari gets mental about the foot location or
position and switches the Deities around. This is un acceptable to
my understanding. Once the Lrod is called into a particular deity
then whimsically how can He be worshipped as some other Deity? If
some acarya or spiritual master establishes and installs the
Deities one way then they should remain that was andthere will be
no problem. If you want to know the majority positioning prior to
installation then you would have to research a bit someone’s
collection of ancient Guara Nitai Deities. Kiranasa prabhu has some
photos of deities and may be he cab shed light on the common
positioning of hands and feet. As Bhanu maharaj and Krishna Kshetra
have already mentioned its not an absolute hard and fast rule as
different deities also have slightly different proportions and
positioningsin any case
06. 07.1994
Q : . In our temple we had some discussions about dressing the deities for the night. One opinion is that we should put the thick woolen chadars the whole year. But, is it proper to use woolen chadars also during the summer? Kandarpa manjari dd 03.07.1994
Srila Prabhupada taught that our devotional service to the
Deities is personal. The Deities are arca avataras- the Supreme
Pesonality of Godhead in His personal worshipable form has appeared
for the benefit of conditioned souls. The lord gives us the
opportunity of serving Him in this worshipable form. In our Deity
worship we should consider how to make the Lord happy and
comfortable. Srila Prabhupada said when it was cold out and
devotees wearing sweaters and chaddars the Deity should also be
dressed warmly. In India when it is hot it is common that a fan
will be placed in their Deity room to cool the Deity with a cool
breeze. Therefore, if it cold outside and devotees are wearing warm
clothing at night then warm woolen chaddars would be suitable for
the Deities. If it is hot outside and people are dressing lightly
then why would you adorn the Deities with hot woolen chaddars in
the night? May be in Prague it is cool all year around in the night
like in the North Pole.Then it would make sense to have woolen
clothes all year round. But if it is warm then dress the Deities
accordingly. That is my understanding in this matter.
06.07.1994
Q. I have heard that in some temple whatever from Dieties
paraphernalia is touched by contaminated matajis should be thrown
away and it cannot be purified again. But also some devotees say
that when there is no one else, contaminated matajis can sew for
the deities, make the garlands etc. and it can be purified with the
mantra. So the question is what should be followed in this regard ?
Ida dd 05.07.1994
Goswami vidhi permits. This has often been puzzling to me since no
Gosvami would allow a contaminated women to do puja in India. (H H
Bhanu swami’s response 17.07.1994)
I understand “Goswami vidhi permits” as indicating principles
take precedence over blind rules. Also it indicates Srila
Prabhupada and the Goswami teachings of the “utility is the
principle” and the “niyamaagraha” factors.
Srila Prabhupada indicated that if it meant the deity would go
without being worshipped if the (contaminated) woman did not do the
puja, then in that extreme emergency it was more important to do
the worship even while contaminated than allow deity to go
unworshipped.
It would be a case of being overly attached to the rules and
regulations without seeing the purpose is that the deity should be
worshipped in the best manner. If following the rule meant
totally stopping Deity service then it would go against the higher
principle. Stopping worship would be worse.
Srila Prabhupada did not give a blanket permission and rather
recommended that it shouldn’t be done. In ISKCON it is quite often
to hear about some mataji that “she is off the altar now”, meaning
that it’s that time of the month for her. That does show that it si
part of our ISKCON culture to have mataji’s desist from deity
worship during those times.
I seem to remember Srila Prabhupada having answered a lady’s
question about worshiping the Deity in the house that if there was
no one else she should continue to worship the Deity as she has to
take care of her children in that state if there is no one else to
do so. Unfortunately I don’t have the reference handy. But that is
the understanding I have been carrying with me for 20 years. In a
formal public temple there are supposed to be 5 brahmins before a
deity is installed so there should not be that kind of emergency
requiring a woman in a physically contaminated state to perform
Deity worship. 19.07.1994
Q : How to establish healthy co- relations with family members? Most of the time, my husband and children, they quarrell with each other for petty things. They get angry, sometimes I get very angry. There is always fighting, so what to do?
Reply by Gurumaharaj: Sometimes ,they have a kirtan inside the house to sway away all the ghosts and subtle entities which are creating disharmony in the house .They also say, you study the qualities of devotee -have to be patient,have to be tolerant. not that we should be always impatient and intolerant of things. Generally what we do is, we don’t try to push. Because one person in the family is more krishna conscious than the others. but if she/ he pushes the others too much - pushing them that “ you are not vegetarian” ,or “ you are not chanting” or.. . too much of a push, then the person may also develop some kind of rejection. that "you don't love me anymore, you don't like anything I am doing, only you are criticizing me, in this way they start rejecting everything. "I don’t want anything to do with Krsna. Krsna has created problem for my life". So they may have some negative reaction. so we don’t want that to happen.
Instead, you try to encourage them to do something. But if they don't do ,then you don't be very discouraging. you just, rather give some thing postive.you may do something like trick them , "Prabhu let us sit down and read Bhagavad gita together or let us chant one round together" .Something like a more affectionate way to do it rather than nagging, and pushing.Then they feel like, you know, this Krsna is creating so much trouble for me.Rather, i make krishna the source of more happiness for them, materially and spiritually.
As far as the fights between the father and the children, I am not a grihasta , so I don't know all these details about grihasta life.May be talk to some senior grihasta who is more experienced , someone who has been able to manage their husband or wife very effectively in their grihasta.
that we can set up some counselling program in the future. They have that in chowpatty ,they have mariage placement, marriage counselling, , job placements, they have so many things
now we have a small congregation here, we are building temple., so many things . but in the future if the grihastas more get initated, more get responsible , we can set up some social support programs, so that their spiritual life will also become easier to perform at the same time as their..because the material side is more peaceful.
OK?
Vizag, 26 Nov 2007
Comment
HAREKRSNA.ALL GLORIES TO GURUDEV.
can i know the detail history of ISKCON BHADRAK?
i hear from some senior disciples of GURU MAHARAJ that,,guru maharaj starts giving his initiation to his disciples after srila prabhupada's deparature at GOURA GOPAL TEEMPLE(ISKCON BHADRAK) for the first time in the year 1978.is it true????
IF yes ,please give me some more information.
HARIBOL.
Hare Krsna ! All Glories to Gurudeva!!!
How can we become humble in krishna conscious?
Answer by guru maharaj in 2010 in balaramdesh:
If we serve pure devotees, we learn to be humble. The ego should not rise. Refer vaishnava ke. Also shistashtaka's third verse mentions the importance of being humble:- trinad api suni cena. Being more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree. We should humbly pray to the lord to become his servant.
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