Gaura Purnima 2011

[Paramananda das]

dear devotees
Please accept my humble obaisences
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
All glories to Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Today is such a holy and auspicious day the appearance of Lord Caitanya during this month of Phalguna. Even the moon is celebrating with his fullness

dekho ore bhāi, tri-bhuvane nāi,
emona doyāla dātā
paśu pākhī jhure, pāṣāṇa vidare,
śuni' jāńra guṇa-gātha

...My dear brother, just try and examine this. Within the three worlds there is no one like Lord Caitanya or Lord Nityananda. Their merciful qualities are so great that upon hearing Them even birds and beasts cry and stones melt

Srila Prabhupada has instructed that we fast from grains and in the evening only take ekadasi style prasadam, sometimes we try to take short cuts.But
if we want the mercy of Lord Caitanya how can we disobey Srila PRabhupadas instruction on the plea that Lord Caitanya is so mercifull.
Still some even take grains on Gaura Purnima.Similarly also the proper standard is to fast on Nityananda Trayodasi and Advaita Acaryas apperance day and not take grains
prasadam as it brakes the fast http://nimaipandit.ning.com/profiles/blogs/fasting-on-nityananda-tr...

To properly fast according to Srila Prabhupadas instructions is most proper:

"So far the Advent Day of Lord Caitanya is concerned, I have written a full suggestion to Montreal, in which the main points are that we should all observe strict fasting up till moonrise, and at that time, an offering is made to Lord Caitanya of Ekadasi foods, fruits, peanuts, milk, and so forth. Then, on the next day, Friday the 15th, a full-scale feast is held to celebrate His Advent Day. On the 14th, chanting, reading of Srila Bhaktivinode's book, Life and Precepts and Caitanya Caritamrta, Introduction to Bhagavatam, may be held all the day in the Temple." (San Francisco, written 12th March 1968 letter to Balai)



"Lord Caitanya's Appearance day falls on March 22 (1970), that is on a Sunday. The devotees should fast until evening, when there is a ceremony and offering of a small amount of Ekadasi preparations. The next day, the devotees should celebrate amongst themselves with a small scale feast. You may hold the celebration open to the public on the following Sunday. The preparation to be offered specially on this occasion is bhuni kichri: Fry equal parts dal and rice in ghee and massala. Add two times water as dal and rice, and add vegetables (if you use more ghee, use less water). Cook it until it is dried and the rice is soft."(Letter to Krishna dasa. 18th February 1970. Los Angeles.)



"P.S. No feasting in the evening of Caitanya's birthday. Fasting all day till evening moon rise. Then take Prasadam like Ekadasi. Next day you can have full swing feasting. On the birthday if can take a procession of Kirtana on the street it is very nice." (Post Script to Letter to Rayarama dasa. September. Unknown place unknown date Ref:91-05-14.)


If we refuse to follow this we should think about ourself in this way:


hena krpamaya caitanya na bhaje yei jana
sarvottama ha-ileo tare asure ganana

"One who does not show respect unto this merciful Lord, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, or does not worship Him should be considered a demon, even if he is very exalted in human society."

How can we approach Lord Caitanya and disobey the instruction of Srila Prabhupada to not take grain prasadam?We can not.


There is a very important vers in Narasimha Purana:

nrisimha-purane



satye daitya-kuladhi-nasa-samaye simhordhva-martyakritis

tretayam dasa-kandharam paribhavan rameti namakritih

gopalan paripalayan vraja-pure bharam haran dvapare

gaurangah priya-kirtanah kali-yuge chaitanya-nama prabhuh





"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared in Satya-yuga as Lord Nrisimhadeva in the form of half-man and half-lion to destroy Hiranyakasipu, the king of the demons, and who appeared in Treta-yuga as Lord Ramacandra to kill the great ten-headed demon Ravana, and who appeared in the Dvapara-yuga for protecting and maintaining the cowherd men and women of Vrindavana and removing the burden of the earth, will appear again in the Kali-yuga in a golden form. He will fully relish the chanting of His own holy names and His name will be Lord Gauranga."

Along with the apperance of Lord Caitanya also the holy name of Krsna appeared:
kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara
nama haite haya sarva-jagat-nistara

"In this age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Krsna. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered." (C.c. Adi-lila 17.22)



Lord Caitanya is the most merciful of all Krsnas incarnations,Srila Rupa Goswami has prayed:



namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
(C.c. Madhya-lila 19.53)

"O most munificent incarnation. You are Krsna Himself appearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna (Krsna prema). We offer our respectful obeisances unto You."



Lord Caitanya again and again chanted this very familiar sloka to most devotees:



harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty-eva nasty-eva nasty-eva gatir-anyatha

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way. (Brhad-naradiya Purana)"



But we are so fallen we have no real taste for the holy name, and Lord Caitanya has prayed for our sake:



namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragaha

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.



but all of us maintain some of the 10 offences and do not develop prema Bhakti also we refuse to chant the prescribed number given by Lord Caitanya.

What is the number He has given? This is explained for example in Prema Vilasa :



prabhura achaye sankhya tina laksha nama;
eka laksha bhaktagane kaila kripa dana.

"Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu standard was to chant 3,00,000 names everyday. But He very mercifully awarded His devotees the process of chanting a minimum of 1,00,000 names of Krishna daily.

shri rupa kaila laksha granthera varnana;
tathapiha karila laksha nama grahana.

"Shrila Rupa Goswami has explained and quoted from over 100,000 different scriptures. Even though he was such a great scholar and devotee he himself chanted 100,000 Holy Names daily.

dasa gosvamira ache laksha pramana;
ei mata sarva bhakta kare harinama.

"Shrila Raghunatha dasa Goswami also rigidly followed the instructions of Lord Gauranga by chanting 100,000 names daily. In this way all the devotees chanted the Holy Names of the Lord daily without exception.

gauranga shrimukhe rupe kahila vaishnave;
laksha nama sankhya kari avasya karibe.

"Lord Gauranga gave the following instructions to all the Vaishnavas Himself and also through Shrila Rupa Goswami: Please compulsorily chant 100,000 names of Krishna daily



So why will we not chant this amount in the name of being to busy? Are we even to busy on Gaura Purnima to chant 64 rounds, certainly we can do it if we are sincere.

But some have a defeadet attitude, I will take grains I am so fallen and can not chant so much ,the rascal mind will give trillions of reasons not to chant the holy name as it is

being dictated by mayadevi and we accept the poison offered.The real medicin however is simply to chant the Mahamantra ,Srila Rupa Goswami has stated:



syāt kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sitāpy avidyā-

pittopatapta-rasanasya na rocikā nu

kintv ādarād anudinaḿ khalu saiva juṣṭā

svādvī kramād bhavati tad-gada-mūla-hantrī



The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Kṛṣṇa are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of avidyā [ignorance] cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root.



The best thing to do on Gaura Purnima is to fast,constantly chant and hear the glories of Lord Caitanya from CC,CB .Caitanya Mangal etc



yatha yatha gaura-padaravinde
vindeta bhaktim krta punya-rasih
tatha tathot-sarpati hrdya-kasmad
radha-padambhoja-sudhambu rasih

"One who is extremely fortunate may get the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As much as one can devote his full attention to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, to that extent he will be able to taste the nectarine service of the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani in Vrindavana. The more one engages in the service of Sri Caitanya, the more one finds oneself in Vrindavana, tasting the nectar of the service of Sri Radha" (Caitanya Candramrta 88)

your servant

Payonidhi das