The Brahmana's Eagerness

The Brahmana's Eagerness

Once there lived a brahmana, who felt his time was up. But before dying he
wanted to see Lord Badrinatha up in the Himalayas thus he left his village
to go north.

The journey up the mountains was strenuous and it took up all his remaining
strength. The main question was: Would he be able to reach Badrinath in
time? For half a year the temple was closed. From the end of September all
throughout March when snow covered the high mountains the priest would lock
up the doors and go down to the valley to wait there for the snow to melt.
The brahmana gave it his best. Many pilgrims, who passed him advised the old
man to make haste as soon the temple would be closes. In great anxiety he
pressed on. He was very fragile and the paths were bad, travelling was
extremely difficult and his body was so old. When he finally arrived he was
practically crawling up the steps of the temple on all fours. From the steps
of the temple he heard the sounds of bells and the familiar aratika song;
but on the last step, the sounds stopped and the priest was standing with a
heavy key before him, ready to close the gate.

"Oh no" - groaned the old brahmana - "Just wait for a few more minutes till
I have offered my homage to the Lord." But the priest was intent on locking
the doors. "God does not have to wait for us, we have to wait for him. He is
not our servant. Come back in half a year." "You don't understand" - cried
the brahmana. Then he grabbed the feet of the priest and pleaded: "I am too
old. I will die in a month or so. I have heard, the Lord is bhaktavatsala, a
friend to his devotees, and the devotees are like wish-fulfilling trees
ready to fulfill the desires of all?! " "No way!" - answered the priest. "I
am already late. Let me bei" and then he kicked away the hands of the
brahmana to free himself.The brahmana cried bitterly. But when no one heeded
him and his voice fell on deaf ears he fainted and rolled down the temple
steps.

When he awoke, he was alone. Only the stars looked down on him. No human
being was in sight. The old man was desperate. He felt his life had been in
vain. With great determination he got up and exclaimed: "Now, where my Lord
and His devotees have ignored me, my only shelter is Mother Ganga." Calling
out loud : "Narayana, Narayana!" he stumbled towards the wild waters of the
river Ganga to end his life there and then. When he had almost reached, he
was stopped by a voice: "Hey old man! What do you think you are doing?"
Upon turning around he saw a young man from the village galloping on a horse
towards him: "Don't you know that suicide is sinful? It never brings us to
the Lord." Finally he took the old man's hands into his. What a touch -
both, delightful and firm.

The brahmana told him his story: About how he had left his village in the
hope of seeing the Lord, how he had overcome all kinds of obstacles,
tolerating many hardships, and how, when he was just minutes away from his
goal, the priest had kicked him down the temple stairs.

The young man simply smiled. With a wave of his hand he said: "You are old
and have become hard of hearing. The temple is open for you tomorrow. I am
from here. Stay with me in a warm cave for the night and tomorrow I will
take you personally for a darshan." The old man could not believe his ears.
The young man led him into a warm cave nearby with a dancing fire and
chessboard: "Let's spend the evening playing chess - then the time will go
by faster", he suggested. And although the old brahmana had no idea about
board games, he could not resist the attractive villager and much to his
surprise, he always won the game. Finally they went to sleep.

Early the next morning the young villager woke the brahmana up and after
they had taken their bath in Brahmakunda, he led him up the stairs. At the
top, they found the surprised priest. "Oh good! you are back old man. I was
quite worried that you would not be alive" - the priest remarked. "Come
right in." "Anyway it was only for a night", answered the brahmana. "No, it
has been for 6 months! After I closed the temple door half a year ago, I
went down to the valley. Today I am re-opening the temple again. You will be
amongst the first pilgrims, who will see the first aratika ceremony of Lord
Narayana."

The brahmana was shocked, as a sweet realization dawned upon him. Quickly he
turned around to look for the young man. When he could not see him next to
him he shouted: "Young man, where are you?" The priest was surprised. At
that moment the conch shells resounded, the bells started ringing and
everyone rushed into the temple to participate in the first aratika
ceremony. The brahmana stumbled inside and as he looked onto the altar he
saw for a few moments, how the detiy had turned into the youth who played
chess. Totally ecstatic, the brahmana came to understand that it was the
Lord Himself who had saved him from taking his life. He had taken him into a
warm cave and had kept him alive for 180 days and nights. When his eagerness
had reached the highest point and he had longed with all his heart and soul
to be with the Lord, the Lord had personally arranged to facilitate the
union. As the other pilgrims looked on, he went out of the temple and laid
down on the topmost step. Calling out: "Narayana! Have mercy on me!"- he
closed his eyes and was immediately taken back to Godhead!

Once a god-brother asked Srila Prabhupada: "How do we attain Krishna?" His
answer was immediate: "By your anxiety." My god-brother was amazed: "Was
anxiety not something material and had to be given up?" Srila Prabhupada
clarified: "Not that anxiety! Material anxiety is a product of false ego. Be
anxious for Krishna, not yourself. Be so eager to attain him that all other
anxieties fall away!"

THE CRICKET

THE CRICKET

By Sacinandana Swami
A Native American and his friend were walking through Times Square in midtown New York during lunch hour. The streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the Native American said, “I hear a cricket.”
His friend said, “What? You must be crazy. You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket in all this noise!”
“No, I’m sure of it,” the Native American said, “I hear a cricket.”
“That’s crazy,” his friend insisted.
The Native American listened carefully for a moment and then walked across the street to a big cement planter filled with shrubs. He looked under the branches and, sure enough, he found a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed.
“That’s incredible,” his friend said. “You must have superhuman ears!”
“No,” the Native American said. “My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you’re listening for.”
“But that can’t be!” said the friend. “I could never hear a cricket in this noise.”
“Yes, that’s true,” came the reply. “It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. Then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that had tinkled on the pavement was theirs.
“See what I mean?” asked the Native American. “It all depends on what’s important to you.”

Miracles of Banke Bihari temple Vrindavan

Miracles of Banke Bihari temple Vrindavan


1. This a story of an old lady who told how Shri Banke Bihari ji helped her. Old lady would offer cold water to devotees in Vrindavan Parikrama. She was often seen crying and singing songs of Krishna..asked about her presence in Braj, she told her story to devotees. My father had mortgaged house to a cruel money lender for my marriage, my father toiled hard and paid the loan but the wicked money lender had the plans of confiscating house despite the fact that we had repaid the loan. The money lender booked the case in court and refused in front of a court that he received his money back. The lawyer of a money lender threaten my father and my father was dejected as he had no witness. The old lady’s father went to Vrindavan to pray Shri Banke Bihari . My father slept outside the temple after asking god to be a witness in his case. Shri Banke Bihari ji appeared in his dream and said” I will be witness in your case, go to your home and do not worry over it”.

My father came home and said he is confident that he will win the case whereas everybody thought we will loose the case. Next day when Judge asked about presenting his witness. he registered the name “Banke Bihari”. The attendant Shouted three times “Banke Bihari, present yourself to the court “. The voice spoke from out side.” I am here”. One man wrapped up in blanket appeared in court and told the Judge about where the money lender has hidden the file which proved the innocence of my father . The money lender was caught red handed. By seeing the face of a God, the Judge was awe struck, this was not a human face when the Judge turned around Bihari ji vanished.

Next day the Judge resigned his job and went to Vrindavan. He became permanent devotee of krishna and became famous by name “Judge Baba”. The old lady went to Vrindavan expecting that she would see shri Banke Bihari ji again.

2. (1920)This is a story of a sweet shop owner near by shri Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. Once he had offer of making 40 kg Ladoos, he had to work hard to deliver the order, his shop was open day and night to finish the job. he said” I was working like machine and my hands were busy making ladoos, suddenly I heard a hypnotic voice of small young boy ” Kaka I am hungry, can you give me something to eat”. I kept looking at a child, I could not even speak, I was confused and mesmerized. There was no question of saying no to him. I offered him a ladoo and in return he offered me a gold Bangle, I wanted to refuse and speak to him but my voice was paralyzed and I kept looking at him untill he disappeared. Next day when I was coming to the shop, I heard the cry of Bihari ji’s gold bangle is lost. The temple manager and officials were worried. I decided to call them and show them if it is the same bangle that they were looking for. When they came and saw the bangle, everybody was astonished..It was missing Bangle of shri Banke Bihari ji .

3. Once there was a muslim Queen who was passing from Vrindavan. While going through the vrindavan she saw a lot of devotees going to shri Banke Bihari temple. After seeing so many people going to the temple, she also felt like going to the temple. When she went to the temple and saw Shri Banke Bihari. She never went out of Vrindavan and became permanent devoteee of shri Banke Bihari ji.

4. The ticket collector of Mathura to Vrindavan train would often visit Shri Banke Bihari temple. Once the shuttle reached at Vrindavan station. Every day he would arrive at Vrindavan station and would run to see Bihari ji. One fine day when he went to the temple, the altar of the temple was closed, he had to wait to see Bihari ji, in the mean time the train he was in charge of left the station. When he came to know that the train has left, he thought he will be asked for his resignation as train has left without him. Then he him self went to the station master and tendered his resignation.The station master was surprised, he said “Just now you submitted all the documents before going to Mathura then why you are offering the resignation”. Ticket collector was in a shock, he said” If I am here then who is gone with the train”? soon he came to know that he was none but his own “Shri Banke Bihari ji” who performed ticket collector’s duty. The ticket collector had tears in his eyes. He resigned from his post and spent rest of his life in the service of Shri Banke Bihari.

King Kulashekar and offence to dust from the feet of the guru

King Kulashekar and offence to dust from the feet of the guru

Kulasekara was a strict administrator; countenance was effulgent like a sun, heart like a wish full-filling tree, very charitable, in learning he was compared with Brihaspathi, tolerant like mother earth, beautiful as Kamadeva, pure in his mood and behaviour, wealthy like Kuvera.

He was very much surrendered to devas and brahmanas and was full of devotion for the spiritual master. On top of all this, he was constantly engaged in hearing hari-katha.

One day when the king was seated on his throne surrounded by his ministers, soldiers, sadhus and sanyaasis listening to hari-katha, his guru arrived. Immediately he left his throne and received him, offered prostrated obeisance, washed his lotus feet, arranged a nice seat to him. Then by order of his guru, the king also sat and continued hearing hari-katha.

While engrossed in the story, suddenly a fly came and sat on the king’s forehead. He felt uncomfortable and touched his forehead to chase away the fly. Immediately the fly flew away. But, while brushing his forehead to drive away the fly, some of the dust that was on his forehead stuck while paying obeisance to his guru fell to the ground.

When his guru saw this, he lowered his head so the king couldn’t see his face. But the king is very observant, and noticed the reaction of his guru. He asked his guru what was the cause of his apparent sadness.

The guru replied, “when one offers prostrated obeisances to his guru, he is immediately freed from the reaction of his sinful activities for as many past lives as there are dust particles on his forehead from paying his obeisences. Now you have removed those dust particles from your head. Can you imagine how much sin you have acquired by doing so? By touching your hand to your head, the dust particles fell back to the ground. That is why I feel sorry for you, because you have deprived yourself of being free from you sins of that many lives”

The king trembled, tears filled his eyes, hearing what guru said. When he came back to his senses, he found that the guru had left the palace. The king immediately asked his ministers, sadhus and learned brahmanas to find out the atonement for this sin and that he made a vow in the name of sun God that he would do it however difficult it could be.

They found that the remedy was going to be fatal for the king and so avoided telling him but he persisted to know. So, they said, if one removes the dust particles, out of pride, then he loses all sukriti, pious credits. To be free from this king of guru droho, he must perform the atonement..

So what he should do?

“A copper plate twelve feet long, three feet wide, and six inches thick – should place the copper plate on top of four pillars – put burning charcoal under the copper plate until it becomes as hot as fire – then one should offer his prostrated obeisance one hundred and eight times on that copper plate. Only then will he be free from the offence to his guru. This is as per the scriptures”

Will anyone dare to do the atonement (prayachiththam) as above even if he had committed an offence to his guru?

King Kulasekara became jubilant like full moon and his hair stood on end. He became so happy to know that this would cleanse him from the offense he committed against his guru.

King Kulashekar klimbed on the hot copper plate and started offering obesences and he was not feeling nothing. He started offering his dandavats and after some time Lord Jaganath appear before him and blessed king who happilly finish his vrata to be free from offence to dust drom the feet of the guru.

While we are going to wait to hear what happened, I wish to recollect how spiritually greedy we were when we visited ‘raman reti’ in Gokulam. That is the place where Krishna crawled, played, rolled over with gopas and gopikas, with mother, brother and friends. So, we too rolled over the divine soil that the particles of sand stick as much as possible on our body, face and head. I did not wipe them off till we reached our staying place in Vrndavan that night. So, the moral is that the dirt or mud too gets highly spiritualized in front of and in connection with the divine people. They mean so much in our eliminating or adding karmic reaction.

Stemp from Srimati Radharani lotus feet

Stemp from Srimati Radharani lotus feet

Once Radharani was seating on soft bed and asked Krishna to paint her feet.
Krishna was traying to paint them but Radharani was thinking that Krishna is not doing his service properly.So she said to one manjari please show to Krishna how to paint my feet.So manjari show with nice brushes and colors
How to paint and Radharani was very happy so she told Krishna now you try!
Krishna trayed but was sveeting and his job was not going properly.So then Krishna remembered my name Shyam is not diferent from me and is perfect.So let me write my name.Krishna has writen Shyam.Radharani started feeling strange who is this person on my feet, she was feeling someone is there throw his name. So she kick with his feet to throw him and actualy she kick the manjari on her forehead.In this was manjari get stamp shyam on her forehead from Srimati Radharani lotus feet

HE DIVINE APPEARANCE OF SRIMATI RADHARANI

HE DIVINE APPEARANCE OF SRIMATI RADHARANI

The Puranas relate a story concerning the divine appearance of Shrimati Radharani as follows. One day, Vrishabhanu Maharaja went to the bank of Yamuna at around noon to take a midday bath. At that moment he saw a golden lotus flower floating on the water and shining brightly like a thousand suns. Vrishabhanu immediately waded into the river and when he came near to the golden lotus flower, he beheld the most beautiful and radiant form of baby girl lying within the petals of the lotus.
At that same moment, Lord Brahma suddenly appeared there and speaking in a grave voice, informed Vrishabhanu that in his previous life, Vrishabhanu and his wife Kirtida had performed great austerities in order to get the consort of Lord Vishnu as their daughter. Lord Brahma told Vrishabhanu that this girl was the origin of the goddess Lakshmi and that he should take great care of Her. Lord Brahma then placed the baby girl in the arms of Vrishabhanu who became overjoyed, and after taking permission from Lord Brahma, returned to his home. Seeing the beautiful baby girl shining like millions of autumnal moons, mother Kirtida was overcome with joy and immediately arranged for all kinds of religious rites to be performed and donated thousands of cows to the brahmanas. At that time baby Radhika was placed in a gem-studded cradle and gently rocked back and forth by all the little girls of the village. Day by day Her luster increased just like the digits of the moon.
Within a short while it was observed that the baby girl made no noise and had not yet opened Her eyes. Vrishabhanu and his wife feared that their baby girl was perhaps blind from birth and also dumb. At that time, Shrila Narada Muni visited the home of Vrishabhanu and informed him that regardless of the girl’s apparent blindness, they should continue with the birth celebrations. Vrishabhanu therefore made elaborate arrangements for a lavish birth celebration and sent out invitations to all the residents of Ravala and Gokula and especially to his dear friend Nanda Maharaja and his family.
On the appointed day, the guests had assembled and the birth celebrations were going on in great jubilation. Nanda Maharaja and Yashoda Mayi had arrived with Rohini and also brought their small children Krishna and Balarama. Kirtida met with Yashoda and told her that she was very happy to have such a beautiful daughter, but was feeling rather distraught because her child was both dumb and blind. Krishna had just passed His first birthday and was happily crawling around the courtyard on His hands and knees. Arriving at the cot in which Radhika was lying, Krishna held on to the sides and managed to lift himself up, He then peered into the cot where His gaze fell upon the beautiful moon-like face of baby Radhika. As soon as baby Radhika smelt the exotic fragrance of Krishna’s transcendental body, She immediately opened Her eyes for the very first time, and looked directly at Krishna, who was the first person that She had ever seen. As Krishna gazed lovingly at baby Radhika, He began smiling ecstatically. Radhika then suddenly began to cry and for the very first time she made a sound. Vrishabhanu and Kirtida, along with all the assembled Vrajavasis, were overjoyed to find out that their beloved daughter Radhika, was not blind nor dumb after all.
In the Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi it says. “So powerful is the glancing of Her eyes, that the flute slips from Krishna’s hands, His peacock crown starts to slip, and His yellow shawl becomes displaced as He swoons and falls to the ground. Saying “alas, will I ever get the chance to serve with love and devotion such a person as Radharani.”

[ An excerpt from "Vraja Mandala Parikrama And The Twelve Sacred Forests Of Vrindavana" by Rajeshekhar Dasa Brahmacari ]

 — withNandarani Devi Dasi.

Story of the King and the Four Wives

Story of the King and the Four Wives

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.

He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone."

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!", replied the wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. "At the
very most, I can only send you to your grave." Her answer came like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you and follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was so skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

In truth, we all have 4 wives in our lives:

Our 4th wife is our body.
No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay
by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.